more than words
►recipient: Miook
►title: More Than Words
►pairings: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, side!Jongin/Sehun
►rating: PG-13
►word count: 6k
►summary: Baekhyun's out for blood, er, news. And Chanyeol happens to be standing right on his line of sight.
►author's note: first of all, thank you to the mods for being patient with me ;; and to my recipient, i hope you'll have fun reading this! It's been a long time since I wrote this pairing and it turned out longer than I expected it to be. I honestly had a lot of fun writing this so I hope you'll like it! And everyone else!
Jongin glances at Kyungsoo in nervousness, overly aware of the annoyance the older Gryffindor is emitting. He shifts his gaze and glances back at Baekhyun whose incessant quill tapping is still, well, incessant.
"Baek." Jongin calls as discreetly as possible. "Baekhyun."
Baekhyun thankfully looks up and one look from Jongin has his hand freezing, eyes traveling to the Gryffindor sitting opposite them. There's a second of pure nothing before a strained sort of grin comes up on Baekhyun's face, hand tucking the clean quill on his spotless parchment.
"So-"
"I have nothing remotely interesting to share to you." Kyungsoo cuts, not looking up from his Ancient Runes essay. While Baekhyun's is spotless, Kyungsoo's looks like the words could do more on some additional inches. They're required a full meter and Kyungsoo's nearing his second while Baekhyun hasn't even started. Even Jongin's half a meter now and that's saying something.
"But Kyungsoo," Baekhyun tries again since when does he even listen to his best friend. "Shim Changmin's coming here in a few months and I need to impress him!"
The quill on Kyungsoo's hand stops and both Jongin and Baekhyun freezes, the youngest of the three quickly picking his things up and moving to another table lest he be at the receiving end of Kyungsoo's wrath.
"Do I look like I'm interested in gossip?"
"No-"
"Do I look like I'm interested in the Daily Prophet?"
"No-"
"Then do I look like I care?"
"Well I was hoping you would since you're my best friend and all." Baekhyun says it as quickly as he can, keeping his eyes trained on Kyungsoo's neck. Even without staring, he could feel Kyungsoo boring a hole through his skull and it makes him wish he had followed Jongin into another table as well.
"I'll give you one." Kyungsoo starts and Baekhyun shots his head up in surprise, his neck almost snapping into two at the sudden movement. "Someone's stealing the supply of aconite on the hospital wing's cupboard at least once a month and I want to know who it is so I could hex them and make them take my place as nursing assistant." Kyungsoo finishes, digging his quill on his parchment quite hard. Baekhyun sees the black ink making a big splotch on the surface and he clears his throat, trying hard not to imagine that it's his blood.
"I'll be sure to check on this." Baekhyun says determinedly, nodding his head a few more times in exaggeration, His hand accidentally knocks down his own bottle of ink and he could only watch Kyungsoo's face go redder and redder before he snatches his parchment and runs out of the common room.
Kyungsoo's nonexistent threats follow him all the way to the library.
"I wonder where Chanyeol hyung went again." Jongin sighs out loud, stealing a piece of chocolate frog from Sehun's bag. This catches Baekhyun's attention and he momentarily halts his failed attempt at writing his essay.
"What about Chanyeol?"
Both Sehun and Jongin looks at him and Baekhyun wants to ask why there's a Hufflepuff sitting beside them but he leaves it for later, attention solely focus on Chanyeol's whereabouts.
"Well, he borrowed my copy of Advance Rune Translation and I need it for my essay. Kyungsoo said he dropped by the hospital wing yesterday and no one has seen him since then." Jongin pouts and Sehun's quick to push his cheeks up. Baekhyun raises a brow at this, wondering if the two dating would suffice for his monthly column on the school paper. He sees Jongin's goofy smile and shakes his head. Nah, almost everyone would know by how stupid Jongin looks when staring at Sehun.
"Didn't he went missing last month too?" Sehun adds, feeding another piece of chocolate frog on Jongin's mouth and Baekhyun makes a face. "Good thing Professor Jung was kind enough to let him take that test he missed."
"Yeah. 'e said he was sick." Jongin garbles out through a mouthful of chocolate. Baekhyun watches Sehun giggle at the youngest Gryffindor and he makes a face. Sehun just giggled. Giggled.
"Well, I'll just look for him then. Since he still owes me ten galleons from that bet last match." Baekhyun excuses himself, patting himself on the back because he manage to get away from the sickening sweet stench around the couple.
The next two hours was spent with Baekhyun asking students, mostly Hufflepuffs, were Chanyeol went. Of course none of them could point out where the giant is but at least he was able to gather up a list of places Chanyeol frequents. Though he wasn't really expecting The Magic Neep to be on the list.
"Good afternoon." Baekhyun chirps, keeping his steps small as he enters the... equally small place. He wonders if Chanyeol ever knocked down some of the potted plants in front of him seeing how cramped the place is.
There's a crashing noise behind the counter and Baekhyun jumps, placing a hand over his chest as he stares wide-eyed at the wooden furniture.
"Oh, yes, sorry dear." A tall lady stands up from behind the counter and Baekhyun stares, curious as to why she was hiding under it. "How may I help- Oh, aren't you a student from Hogwarts?"
Baekhyun nods and finally musters a smile, walking closer while avoiding some plants that have managed to inch themselves out of their pots. There's a particularly nasty one who tried biting at his shoe. He was so close to stepping on it before he's reminded that there's an old lady watching him.
"Hi, I was wondering if... if..." Baekhyun trails off, eyes focused on the stumbling form of a person from behind the doors at the back. His words soon died down from his throat and he points an accusing finger at the new comer.
"Park Chanyeol!"
Chanyeol startles, knocking his head against the shelf on top of him and two more pots came crashing down. Baekhyun winces and flushes soon after when he realizes what he's done.
"Merlin, I'm so sorry." he's quick to apologize, leaning over the counter and grimacing at the dirt everywhere.
"It's quite alright dear." The lady smiles down at him and Baekhyun pouts. He almost forgot about Chanyeol if not for the figure blocking almost everything on his view.
"Baekhyun? What are you doing here?"
He looks up, finding Chanyeol's face inches away from his own and he sputters out a 'what' before stepping back and effectively tripping over one of the plant's roots.
There's a few seconds of silence before Chanyeol's booming laughter echoes around the small space. Baekhyun glares up at him from his place on the floor.
"Laugh at me some more and you'll have to pay me double. Plus, steal Kyungsoo's diary."
Chanyeol effectively stops at this but the small sniffles didn't went unheard. "But what are you doing here?"
Baekhyun starts dusting his pants, looking down and staring blankly at the floor because he doesn't really have anything serious to say. The thought makes him flush slightly.
"I need Jongin's book." he settles for that and he curses himself because it sounds so lame coming from him.
"Oh right!" Chanyeol runs back inside and there's a series of clanging and bumping sounds. Baekhyun's pretty sure the inside is probably in ruins now.
"Are you my Chanyeol's friend, dear?"
Baekhyun stares at the old lady, pieces slowly fixing themselves together and he straightens up when he realizes the old lady is Chanyeol's mother.
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
Did he just stutter?
The lady smiles down at him and Baekhyun sees where Chanyeol's dumb smile came from. Though his mother's smile isn't dumb, okay?
"Please take good care of him. He's really clumsy and dumb and I worry about him all the time. I'm glad he has such a nice friend like you."
Baekhyun wants to ask what part of him was nice to Chanyeol earlier but he doesn't, returning the smile with a gummy version of his own.
"Here it is!" Chanyeol yells as he comes out from the backdoor. There are pieces of paper stuck on his hair and Baekhyun snorts, reaching for the book. Chanyeol's still grinning at him and Baekhyun curses himself for going in there in the first place. On his defense, he wasn't aware that Chanyeol would be there.
Or that Chanyeol would make him feel all weird. Again. Every single time.
Or maybe that, he was very well aware of.
"You should hurry and come back along with your friend, Chanyeol." his mom says, handing Chanyeol back his backpack. Baekhyun sees the other male pout and he subtly turns away, not liking how Chanyeol's expression make him feel even weirder.
There's a few mumbled words that Baekhyun chooses to tune out before Mrs. Park was calling a 'be careful' when they set out back to the castle.
"Your mum's nice." Baekhyun breaks the awkward silence as they trek up the gates. "And she's really pretty."
He doesn't hear Chanyeol say anything back so he looks up. The taller male was looking down at him with a grin and then Baekhyun suddenly feels something heavy on his head.
"Park Chanyeol." he grumbles, swatting the other's hand away. Chanyeol's loud laughter drowns away the red on his cheek all throughout the way back.
It is not until Baekhyun's back at the dorm did he remembers the money he went for and the story as well.
"It's because that stupid giant's face is so distracting." he grumbles, flopping down on his bed and burying his face on his pillow.
Baekhyun's taking to sticking at Chanyeol's side, too shy to ask him directly about it. Jongin just teases him because Baekhyun's anything but shy and this side is totally new for him (and for Baekhyun as well).
There's nothing unusual about Chanyeol though, except for his normal weird self but that's nothing anyone has never seen before. It's almost been a month and the only thing intriguing him is Kyungsoo's increasing bad moods and Chanyeol's frequent bathroom breaks.
"I swear on Merlin's beard!" Baekhyun hears Kyungsoo explode the second he climbs through the portrait hole. He's tempted to go back out but he's sure the Fat Lady wouldn't be impressed. "I'm so sick of having to replenish the supplies every time it goes missing!"
Baekhyun threads the common room silently, feeling pity towards Jongin who's beside Kyungsoo and taking the brunt of the other Gryffindor's annoyance. Being a journalist, curious and all, he couldn't help himself but walk over to his doom aka Kyungsoo.
"What happened?" he asks quite cheerfully and Jongin throws him a worried look. Baekhyun feels the back of his neck sweating but he still turns around to smile brightly at Kyungsoo because he's, well, Baekhyun.
Kyungsoo shots him a look and Baekhyun's smile falters for a bit. "The new batch of Aconite has gone missing again. And we just ordered it."
Baekhyun laughs quite awkwardly but realizes it was the wrong thing to do when Kyungsoo just narrows his eyes at him, Jongin making a pathetic face beside him.
"Don't worry, my dear Kyungsoo. I shall investigate more on this manner." he nods twice, lips set on a thin line as he pats Kyungsoo's cheek with his hand. "I'll see you at dinner, honey."
Baekhyun high tails it out of there before Kyungsoo could register what he did.
Baekhyun roams around the third floor corridor for a while, descending another floor for every half an hour before he's reduced to walking in boredom just outside of the kitchens. He glances at the portrait leading to the kitchens, imagining thousands of house elves working to prepare enough dinner for hundreds of students.
A few Hufflepuff students walk past him and he recognizes one as Chanyeol's roommate.
"Hey, hey." he calls, waving a hand and grinning at the confused Hufflepuff.
"Yes?"
"Have you seen Chanyeol?" he asks quite enthusiastically but the smile drops down when the students shakes his head and bows politely before leaving.
It's almost dinner and he shakes the pout off of his face because he knows the giant would be there.
But he ends up disappointing himself again when he sees no sight of Chanyeol. The tall Hufflepuff towers amongst the student population so spotting him would have been easy if he was indeed there.
"Why the long face, hyung?" Sehun chirps and Baekhyun turns his head, seeing the Hufflepuff sitting in between him and Jongin. He puckers his lips in thought, wondering if it was even allowed for a Hufflepuff to sit in here. But he doesn't voice it out because Sehun's soon standing up, pressing a kiss on Jongin's cheek and running back towards the Hufflepuff table.
"So why the long face, Baek hyung?" Jongin pipes in. Baekhyun just blows a raspberry at him and proceeds to get some food on his plate, already setting up plans on what to do after dinner.
The dark has already settled comfortably by the time Baekhyun trudges down the steps of the castle. It's cold and even the thick robes around him did little to warm him up. He squints his eyes, hands clutching at the stone wall as he tries to adjust his vision.
The grass was wet when he walks outside and Baekhyun could still smell the humid air from the rain earlier. His vision adapts to the darkness really quick and Baekhyun doesn't wonder for long when he sees the light from the full moon casting an eerie glow at the whole courtyard.
It's captivating in a sense as Baekhyun watches the full moon's reflection on the surface of the lake. It's still and quiet, the giant squid probably asleep because of the lack of ripples. He doesn't know how long he sat down in there, the silence making him go on a trance. It's not until he sees movement from the edges of the forest did he stand up. Probably the centaurs, he tells himself as he brisk walks back to the castle.
The corridors are dimly lit when he steps in and he has to place a hand against the wall so as not to stumble. He's halfway the stairs towards the sixth floor landing when he halts, a scraping sound catching his attention and making his heart beat fast in a bad way. He probably should keep walking but he lets curiosity get the better of him as he shakily turns his head, eyes dropping to the fifth floor corridor.
And there, slouch and panting, was a creature Baekhyun has only seen in books. It's standing wobbly on its own, head frantically looking around before running ungracefully down the staircase.
Werewolf.
It's silent as ever but Baekhyun's heart beat doesn't drown out the sounds it makes when it descended down, suddenly very aware of what he saw.
He sprints up the last two staircase, cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He doesn't look anywhere else, doesn't allow himself to catch his breathe until he's crawling through the portrait hole. The fat lady closes after him, a curious expression on her face.
"Baekhyun?"
He jumps in surprise, shoulders dropping in relief when he sees that it's only Kyungsoo. He's sitting by the fire, a book open on his lap and looking worriedly at Baekhyun. Normally, this would lead to teasing because the shorter Gryffindor rarely looks at Baekhyun without the intent to hit him and Baekhyun winces when he realizes that he probably look really bad.
"You should sleep, Kyungsoo." he singsongs. The both of them doesn't comment on how shaky his voice is. "Early class tomorrow, wouldn't want you to be late."
Kyungsoo just stares at him silently before closing the book and standing up. "Okay."
Baekhyun is thankful he isn't asked anything more as he settles against his four poster bed. Beside him, Kyungsoo mumbles a soft 'goodnight' and Baekhyun throws his blanket over himself, erasing the image of what he saw earlier and playing it out to be his imagination. For his own sake.
Chanyeol doesn't show up for two more days, Baekhyun knows because he's been keeping tabs. He starts asking around but gets nothing remotely helpful, only that Chanyeol tends to disappear like this a few days a month. The professors have never questioned it so they let it pass as well. But Baekhyun was curious. If the professors allow it, then there must be some plausible reason for his absence. And he wants to know what it is.
When he sees the familiar mop of hair during breakfast, Baekhyun is quick to stuff the remaining of his toast on his mouth before running towards the Hufflepuff table. He's full of energy, dodging students still sleepy for having such an early class.
"You look sick." is what he blurts out instead when he sees Chanyeol, the torrents of questions he has thought over seemingly disappearing at Chanyeol's appearance. He suddenly looks too thin for his own robes, his cheeks pale and hair disheveled but he still smiles as bright as before.
"Just a flu, Baek. Nothing to worry about. Madam Jung already took care of me back at the Hospital wing." Chanyeol supplies at Baekhyun's worried glance. The Gryffindor nods, still unconvinced so Chanyeol wraps a warm hand on his wrist and tugs him down so he could sling his arm over the shorter's shoulders.
"I'm fine."
Baekhyun's ears are red when Chanyeol looks at him and he blinks, the grin dropping as he quickly lets go and allows the Gryffindor to stand up again. Baekhyun rubs at his arm and mumbles an excuse about going to the bathroom.
Baekhyun looks for Kyungsoo when he enters his Arithmancy class, spotting the male on his usual seat by the window.
"Have you been to the hospital wing recently?" he asks, trying to sound not too curious. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him before nodding.
"Been there every day this past week. More and more students are catching colds and administering the pepper up potion with only one person can be quite taxing."
Baekhyun hums in thought, it probably sounded too fake when Kyungsoo raises a brow at him.
"I was just wondering if you, uh, saw Chanyeol in there? At all?" Baekhyun looks down, so very interested at a Ravenclaw in front playing with his chocolate frog.
"No, he wasn't. Haven't seen a shadow of him in there and not on the records either." Kyungsoo tilts his head, rubbing at his cheek. "Why?"
"Nothing!" Baekhyun answers cheerfully, standing up and ruffling Kyungsoo's hair before quickly making his way towards the seat farthest from the Gryffindor male.
Baekhyun goes on with his usual routine, the sighting from a few nights ago pushed to the back of his mind. But he never stays out too late, refusing to glance anywhere near the fifth floor and even flinching when Jongin taps him by the music classroom one time.
It's all normal but Baekhyun starts keeping tabs on Chanyeol. He's becoming frustrated when nothing unusual happens, the Hufflepuff looking healthier the next few weeks and Baekhyun wonders if he's just jumping to conclusions. Maybe Chanyeol just got the flu after all.
It's late into the next month when Chanyeol disappears from breakfast again. Beside him, Kyungsoo's stabbing his eggs and grumbling about something. It distracts Baekhyun for a few seconds.
"The aconites have gone missing again." he hears Kyungsoo say to someone, probably Jongin. This catches Baekhyun's attention but he doesn't comment on it, standing up instead and walking to class.
He's taken to asking fellow seventh years, all Hufflepuff, about Chanyeol and everyone answers the same thing.
He's sickly so it's normal for him to be gone for a few days.
Baekhyun furrows his brows, knowing Chanyeol isn't like that when they still had enough time to hang out. That was back when they were just second years; before advanced classes and O.W.L.S. and everything kept them busy.
The light from the full moon seeps in through the crack in between the curtains when Baekhyun goes to bed that night. It makes his heart beat faster, the image of the slouching creature - too thin and tall and wobbly - coming back in full detail. It makes him shiver, thinking of the possibilities that the creature was back inside the castle.
Why there is a werewolf able to go inside is the biggest question. Baekhyun sleeps on it, too anxious for the full moon to be over so he could relax again.
"You look sick again." he comments, poking Chanyeol's cheek with his finger and yelping when the Hufflepuff playfully tries to snap at it.
"And you look old worrying like that." Chanyeol says back, sticking his tongue out at him.
They're back to their usual bickering but Baekhyun could never get rid of the nagging feeling at the back of his mind as his eyes rake over the dark circles under Chanyeol's eyes or the way the robes hang off of him when weren't a week before. But he doesn't voice any of it; doesn't want to ruin the comfortable atmosphere when Chanyeol rests his head on his shoulder and eventually falls asleep.
Another two months with Baekhyun still watching Chanyeol, something bubbling at the back of his throat. He's nowhere in sight again today and he hears the telltale sign of Kyungsoo fuming over something by the way the Gryffindor kept murdering his breakfast.
"Aconite's gone missing again?" he asks, almost in a routine now and Kyungsoo nods angrily. "Have you reported it yet?"
"Of course I did!" Kyungsoo slams his fist on the table and Baekhyun latches a hand on his chest in surprise. "You think I wouldn't after all these months?" he huffs as he calms himself down. "But they don't do anything. I mean, why would someone keep stealing the aconites? Are they doing some weird new potion? I'm starting to think a werewolf's on the loose and using it to keep themselves sane."
Baekhyun freezes at the mention of werewolf, the gears inside of his head turning faster and faster until he couldn't breath from the information being pieced together.
"Kyungsoo." he calls, "... is it a full moon tonight?"
Kyungsoo grumbles, mumbling something before nodding and Baekhyun's quick to stand up and run over the Hufflepuff's table.
Chanyeol's not there.
Baekhyun has never been more scared and anxious and excited all at the same time.
It's hard to not falter on his usual self when Chanyeol comes back a few days later. As expected, he looks worse for wear again and it bites at Baekhyun's heart strings. If his guess turns out to be the truth, then he's got something big on his hands; something that would definitely catch Changmin's attention.
And the whole wizarding world.
There's so much on his mind. How the professors and the headmaster had conspired to hide this from the entire student population. Or that they didn't report it to the Ministry yet. This probably explains everything unusual happening inside the school. He can't help himself, the fear from before slowly morphing into one of trill.
"You've been grinning for the past five minutes." Chanyeol's deep voice wakes him up. They're sprawled under a tree on the courtyard. It's an overcast kind of day and the perfect time to be lazy outside of the castle. Chanyeol's cheeks looks pinker and this makes Baekhyun smile in relief.
"Nothing. Just thought of something." he excuses, popping another flavored bean on his mouth. He catches Chanyeol looking at him and he grins, raising a brow. "What?"
Chanyeol stays silent, reaching a hand out and flicking the leaf on Baekhyun's cheek before smiling.
Something thick clogs up Baekhyun's throat so he looks away and busies himself with the thought of Changmin offering him a job after graduation.
Baekhyun wakes up early today, his eyes immediately darting to the calendar on his desk. There's a bright red 'X' on today's date and it makes his blood pump faster.
He'll confirm it all today. Or tonight.
"Good morning." he greets cheerfully, sliding down next to Jongin and grabbing himself a bowl of cheeri owls. He's suddenly into a cereal type of breakfast and the owl on the cover reminds him of Kyungsoo. He snickers at the thought.
He eats quietly, something rare for him to do and finishes up in record time. Kyungsoo stares at him suspiciously as he skips towards the Hufflepuff's table. Seeing Sehun busy over his porridge, he stealthily walks behind him.
"Boo."
Sehun sends his spoon flying, hitting a Slytherin at the head and Baekhyun's quick to bow both his and Sehun's head when the student glares at the Hufflepuff's table.
"What in Merlin's beard, hyung?" Sehun says through clenched teeth. Baekhyun keeps snickering beside him before calming down enough to talk.
"Have you seen Chanyeol?"
Sehun furrows his brow, his lips setting into that thin line he's famous for. "No. Haven't seen him since I woke up. Why?"
Baekhyun just shrugs, standing up straighter and then walking away with a bounce on his step.
But his enthusiasm slowly dies down just as the clock ticks down towards night time. The skies are a deep red when Baekhyun walks out of his last class, his wand inside his robe feeling heavier than usual. He doesn't say much up until dinner, choosing to sit beside a couple of second years who's as perplexed as Kyungsoo. He eats quietly and in a hurry, leaving immediately when he's finished and pretending to go back to the common room to retire early.
The corridors are empty, the students and the professors probably still having dinner on the Great Hall. This is both relieving and scary as he trudges the steps up the fifth floor landing. He sees the Bloody Baron gliding on his lonesome at the fourth floor and he tries hard not to think about the blood on the Slytherin's resident ghost as he finally reaches the fifth floor's corridor.
It's still early for what he's about to do but he deems it necessary so as not to attract even more attention on his weird routine the whole day. He carries his suddenly too heavy self towards the music room, just adjacent to the statue of Gregory the Smarmy.
And then he waits.
There's an aged looking piano by the window but Baekhyun refuses to move from his spot crouching near the door. And he grows even more rigid when the light from the full moon peeks from the large windows opposite him. He has his wand tightly gripped on one hand, his other curled in a fist beside him.
He doesn't know how long he remained there, his legs complaining at the lack of movement. His heart beat is distractingly loud and for the briefest of moments, Baekhyun thinks he might have been getting way ahead of himself.
That is until he hears something outside, like cement cracking and rubbing against themselves followed by the unmistakable sound of harsh breathing. His heart beat slows down, the veins on his arms showing as he holds his wand tighter and twists the door knob as slow as he could. His eyes are narrowed when the door creates a tiny crack. But it is big enough for Baekhyun to see whatever it is in front of him and that was all he needed.
There's nothing out of place, except that the statue seems a little bit off on its position but Baekhyun reasons it's probably because of the angle where he's looking. And then something gray and wrinkly shoots out from behind the statue, Baekhyun's eyes going wide and heart slamming against his rib cage. It was a hand; a hand that doesn't belong to any kind of human but to one creature Baekhyun knows very well from books.
There are fingers, two sets of them before long, thin arms shoot out from behind the statue. Then, as if in slow motion, the lanky body of a werewolf emerges from behind the stature of Gregory the Smarmy. It looks around and Baekhyun momentarily thinks of running away.
But he doesn't. This is what he's been waiting for. This is his only chance to grab his dream and he's not about to lose it to his cowardliness. An image of Chanyeol grinning and looking down at him pops up inside his mind and he feels his heart beat go faster for an entirely different reason.
"S-Stop right there!" he shouts, pressing his back on the wall and closing his eyes hard. It's too late to back out now. "Just. Stop right there."
Hesitantly, he opens his eyes and stands up, cursing at how his knees buckle from both the lack of movement and fear. Yes, he's scared but he's not about to let it get in the way. And then he's pushing the door open, his breath labored as he comes face to face with the werewolf he's seen months ago.
He's prepared for the fear, for the gut slamming reality that he's in the presence of a dangerous creature but he doesn't feel anything similar to it when kind eyes - sad, sad eyes - look at him. It's still as tall and scary as before but it's so painstakingly familiar to Baekhyun.
"Ch-Chanyeol?" he whispers, braving himself to look straight at the werewolf's face. The creatures makes a small sound, so soft and so lonely it makes Baekhyun's heart cry in longing.
Hesitantly, he reaches out his free hand, the other one holding a wand lying limp beside him. He knows it's dumb and stupid and all kinds of reckless when he feels hot breath hitting his palm but he doesn't stop. He closes his eyes in fear when the werewolf's head moves but he doesn't feel fingers slashing through him or fangs piercing through his skin. Instead, he feels the rough texture of a skin and he opens his eyes to see the werewolf - Chanyeol - nuzzling against his palm.
It's a breathtaking view, to be able to touch such a feral creature; one many wizards and even muggles fear alike.
"You were stealing the Aconites to make yourself a Wolfsbane potion, am I right?" he asks, moving his hand so it cradles the side of Chanyeol's face. The werewolf's head nudges his hand slightly and Baekhyun takes that as a yes.
They both spend the night inside the music room, Baekhyun locking the door and letting Chanyeol lay down beside him. Even on his werewolf form, he still looks so exhausted and Baekhyun remembers how Chanyeol looks so sick and weary every time he reappears after his absence.
It's nearly the crack of dawn when Chanyeol gets up and Baekhyun lets him, knowing he'll be in danger if he's ever caught inside the castle. He watches as the werewolf slips back behind the statue and closes it again, like nothing ever happened.
He ignores Kyungsoo's comments on how he looks horrible when he goes to class later that day.
The next time he sees Chanyeol is outside the castle, the breeze warm and sun bright on their faces. The Hufflepuff stares at him silently for a long time before smiling nervously and rubbing his nape sheepishly. This makes Baekhyun smile, like some sort of deep connection between them has been established overnight.
"So are there really werewolves inside the forest?" Baekhyun asks, genuinely curious of the validity of the rumors.
Chanyeol munches noisily on a bar of chocolate and nods. "There are. They're beautiful. And incredibly smart."
Baekhyun doesn't prod further, content with the realization that Chanyeol isn't alone on those nights.
"I was bitten during our fifth year." Chanyeol starts and his voice is so soft, something Baekhyun has never heard before. "I was in so much pain and my mother seriously thought I was going to die. It was my fault, really." Chanyeol grimaces. "Shouldn't have walked alone outside that night when there were werewolf rumors going around. I thought it was just a rumor, you see. But then the bite woke me up and it was too late."
Baekhyun feels an urge to ask something, anything, but Chanyeol beats him to it.
"My mother sent a message to the headmaster and not even a few minutes later, there he was, robes alight with green as he walks towards me with a pouch. I remember nothing after that, only that the headmaster and Professor Song visited a few days later to tell me about my situation."
Silence reigns over the two of them, the wind blowing gently against their sides. Baekhyun feels something warmer cover his hand and he looks down, seeing Chanyeol's much larger hand atop his own. His heart beat is slow and calm, a lazy smile spreading on his lips as he closes his eyes. No questions needed.
"I'm glad you're here, Baek."
It's nice to have his heart slow down and relax once in a while.
SHIM CHANGMIN
will be arriving three days from now to open the newly declared
INK AND QUILLS CLUB
details are as follows:
The announcement greets Baekhyun one morning, the news hitting him hard. He's been anticipating this ever since the school year started but now that the news is staring at him right in the face, he couldn't be more unprepared.
"Ready for your big day yet?" Kyungsoo claps him at the back, something he doesn't do often. Baekhyun tries to give him a smile but Kyungsoo must have noticed his hesitation when he furrows his brows at his friend.
"Is something wrong?"
"No." Baekhyun shakes his head, smiling more believable this time. "Nothing at all."
Baekhyun stays up the whole night, his brain in a mess and fingers shaking. The common room is empty, the fire dead hours ago and only the glowing ember remains. There's a blank parchment in front of him, his favorite quill beside his newly bought bottle of ink and yet he doesn't know what to write.
Lies.
He knows exactly what to write.
But he couldn't make himself do it.
He picks up his quill, twirling it on his fingers and marveling at its ease. Opening the lid of the small bottle, he dips the point of the quill on the ink and pulls back; lets it hover above the parchment.
Write.
But he doesn't, the ink forming on the edge until it falls down and black, pure black forms a big blotch on the otherwise blank surface.
He drops it down on the table and runs a hand on his face, frustrated at so many things but mostly at himself. He needs to write it for his own sake.
"I'm glad you're here, Baek."
Chanyeol's voice replays like a broken record inside his head. He drops his hand from his face and grips the quill.
And then he writes.
"I can't believe you wrote that!"
Jongin yells, face red and fuming. Beside him, Sehun looks equally affronted. Baekhyun laughs sheepishly, a roll of parchment on his hand.
"You suck." Kyungsoo comments, passing by him.
Baekhyun raises both hands in mock surrender, nodding solemnly. "I know. I know."
"Why would you even do this?" Jongin yells again, slamming the newest issue of daily prophet on the house table. The articles vying for Shim Changmin's attention is neatly written on the corner, beside the column of 'How to reduce your acne using Bubotuber pus. Works like magic!'
Love Hits the Gryffindor's Seeker as Hard as a Bludger.
The title isn't much at all but the moving image of Sehun hand feeding Jongin a toothflossing stringmint and the latter jumping in surprise makes up for it perfectly. By now, almost every student in Hogwarts has got a copy of the Daily Prophet. Jongin's face has been permanently red for the past hour, the students constantly teasing him. At least Sehun was taking it better with his usual thin-lipped expression.
"Why can't you find something more interesting than us!" Jongin yells after him when he walks the usual path towards the Hufflepuff's table.
"Oh, I did!" he yells back, nudging Chanyeol and sitting down beside him. The Hufflepuff raises a brow in question but Baekhyun just shrugs it off and grabs a pumpkin pasty.
"What was that about?"
Baekhyun grins knowingly, leaning up and kissing the giant's cheek.
"Just thinking about a new article."
Falling in Love with a Werewolf Isn't as Hard as Everyone Makes it to be.
►title: More Than Words
►pairings: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, side!Jongin/Sehun
►rating: PG-13
►word count: 6k
►summary: Baekhyun's out for blood, er, news. And Chanyeol happens to be standing right on his line of sight.
►author's note: first of all, thank you to the mods for being patient with me ;; and to my recipient, i hope you'll have fun reading this! It's been a long time since I wrote this pairing and it turned out longer than I expected it to be. I honestly had a lot of fun writing this so I hope you'll like it! And everyone else!
Jongin glances at Kyungsoo in nervousness, overly aware of the annoyance the older Gryffindor is emitting. He shifts his gaze and glances back at Baekhyun whose incessant quill tapping is still, well, incessant.
"Baek." Jongin calls as discreetly as possible. "Baekhyun."
Baekhyun thankfully looks up and one look from Jongin has his hand freezing, eyes traveling to the Gryffindor sitting opposite them. There's a second of pure nothing before a strained sort of grin comes up on Baekhyun's face, hand tucking the clean quill on his spotless parchment.
"So-"
"I have nothing remotely interesting to share to you." Kyungsoo cuts, not looking up from his Ancient Runes essay. While Baekhyun's is spotless, Kyungsoo's looks like the words could do more on some additional inches. They're required a full meter and Kyungsoo's nearing his second while Baekhyun hasn't even started. Even Jongin's half a meter now and that's saying something.
"But Kyungsoo," Baekhyun tries again since when does he even listen to his best friend. "Shim Changmin's coming here in a few months and I need to impress him!"
The quill on Kyungsoo's hand stops and both Jongin and Baekhyun freezes, the youngest of the three quickly picking his things up and moving to another table lest he be at the receiving end of Kyungsoo's wrath.
"Do I look like I'm interested in gossip?"
"No-"
"Do I look like I'm interested in the Daily Prophet?"
"No-"
"Then do I look like I care?"
"Well I was hoping you would since you're my best friend and all." Baekhyun says it as quickly as he can, keeping his eyes trained on Kyungsoo's neck. Even without staring, he could feel Kyungsoo boring a hole through his skull and it makes him wish he had followed Jongin into another table as well.
"I'll give you one." Kyungsoo starts and Baekhyun shots his head up in surprise, his neck almost snapping into two at the sudden movement. "Someone's stealing the supply of aconite on the hospital wing's cupboard at least once a month and I want to know who it is so I could hex them and make them take my place as nursing assistant." Kyungsoo finishes, digging his quill on his parchment quite hard. Baekhyun sees the black ink making a big splotch on the surface and he clears his throat, trying hard not to imagine that it's his blood.
"I'll be sure to check on this." Baekhyun says determinedly, nodding his head a few more times in exaggeration, His hand accidentally knocks down his own bottle of ink and he could only watch Kyungsoo's face go redder and redder before he snatches his parchment and runs out of the common room.
Kyungsoo's nonexistent threats follow him all the way to the library.
"I wonder where Chanyeol hyung went again." Jongin sighs out loud, stealing a piece of chocolate frog from Sehun's bag. This catches Baekhyun's attention and he momentarily halts his failed attempt at writing his essay.
"What about Chanyeol?"
Both Sehun and Jongin looks at him and Baekhyun wants to ask why there's a Hufflepuff sitting beside them but he leaves it for later, attention solely focus on Chanyeol's whereabouts.
"Well, he borrowed my copy of Advance Rune Translation and I need it for my essay. Kyungsoo said he dropped by the hospital wing yesterday and no one has seen him since then." Jongin pouts and Sehun's quick to push his cheeks up. Baekhyun raises a brow at this, wondering if the two dating would suffice for his monthly column on the school paper. He sees Jongin's goofy smile and shakes his head. Nah, almost everyone would know by how stupid Jongin looks when staring at Sehun.
"Didn't he went missing last month too?" Sehun adds, feeding another piece of chocolate frog on Jongin's mouth and Baekhyun makes a face. "Good thing Professor Jung was kind enough to let him take that test he missed."
"Yeah. 'e said he was sick." Jongin garbles out through a mouthful of chocolate. Baekhyun watches Sehun giggle at the youngest Gryffindor and he makes a face. Sehun just giggled. Giggled.
"Well, I'll just look for him then. Since he still owes me ten galleons from that bet last match." Baekhyun excuses himself, patting himself on the back because he manage to get away from the sickening sweet stench around the couple.
The next two hours was spent with Baekhyun asking students, mostly Hufflepuffs, were Chanyeol went. Of course none of them could point out where the giant is but at least he was able to gather up a list of places Chanyeol frequents. Though he wasn't really expecting The Magic Neep to be on the list.
"Good afternoon." Baekhyun chirps, keeping his steps small as he enters the... equally small place. He wonders if Chanyeol ever knocked down some of the potted plants in front of him seeing how cramped the place is.
There's a crashing noise behind the counter and Baekhyun jumps, placing a hand over his chest as he stares wide-eyed at the wooden furniture.
"Oh, yes, sorry dear." A tall lady stands up from behind the counter and Baekhyun stares, curious as to why she was hiding under it. "How may I help- Oh, aren't you a student from Hogwarts?"
Baekhyun nods and finally musters a smile, walking closer while avoiding some plants that have managed to inch themselves out of their pots. There's a particularly nasty one who tried biting at his shoe. He was so close to stepping on it before he's reminded that there's an old lady watching him.
"Hi, I was wondering if... if..." Baekhyun trails off, eyes focused on the stumbling form of a person from behind the doors at the back. His words soon died down from his throat and he points an accusing finger at the new comer.
"Park Chanyeol!"
Chanyeol startles, knocking his head against the shelf on top of him and two more pots came crashing down. Baekhyun winces and flushes soon after when he realizes what he's done.
"Merlin, I'm so sorry." he's quick to apologize, leaning over the counter and grimacing at the dirt everywhere.
"It's quite alright dear." The lady smiles down at him and Baekhyun pouts. He almost forgot about Chanyeol if not for the figure blocking almost everything on his view.
"Baekhyun? What are you doing here?"
He looks up, finding Chanyeol's face inches away from his own and he sputters out a 'what' before stepping back and effectively tripping over one of the plant's roots.
There's a few seconds of silence before Chanyeol's booming laughter echoes around the small space. Baekhyun glares up at him from his place on the floor.
"Laugh at me some more and you'll have to pay me double. Plus, steal Kyungsoo's diary."
Chanyeol effectively stops at this but the small sniffles didn't went unheard. "But what are you doing here?"
Baekhyun starts dusting his pants, looking down and staring blankly at the floor because he doesn't really have anything serious to say. The thought makes him flush slightly.
"I need Jongin's book." he settles for that and he curses himself because it sounds so lame coming from him.
"Oh right!" Chanyeol runs back inside and there's a series of clanging and bumping sounds. Baekhyun's pretty sure the inside is probably in ruins now.
"Are you my Chanyeol's friend, dear?"
Baekhyun stares at the old lady, pieces slowly fixing themselves together and he straightens up when he realizes the old lady is Chanyeol's mother.
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
Did he just stutter?
The lady smiles down at him and Baekhyun sees where Chanyeol's dumb smile came from. Though his mother's smile isn't dumb, okay?
"Please take good care of him. He's really clumsy and dumb and I worry about him all the time. I'm glad he has such a nice friend like you."
Baekhyun wants to ask what part of him was nice to Chanyeol earlier but he doesn't, returning the smile with a gummy version of his own.
"Here it is!" Chanyeol yells as he comes out from the backdoor. There are pieces of paper stuck on his hair and Baekhyun snorts, reaching for the book. Chanyeol's still grinning at him and Baekhyun curses himself for going in there in the first place. On his defense, he wasn't aware that Chanyeol would be there.
Or that Chanyeol would make him feel all weird. Again. Every single time.
Or maybe that, he was very well aware of.
"You should hurry and come back along with your friend, Chanyeol." his mom says, handing Chanyeol back his backpack. Baekhyun sees the other male pout and he subtly turns away, not liking how Chanyeol's expression make him feel even weirder.
There's a few mumbled words that Baekhyun chooses to tune out before Mrs. Park was calling a 'be careful' when they set out back to the castle.
"Your mum's nice." Baekhyun breaks the awkward silence as they trek up the gates. "And she's really pretty."
He doesn't hear Chanyeol say anything back so he looks up. The taller male was looking down at him with a grin and then Baekhyun suddenly feels something heavy on his head.
"Park Chanyeol." he grumbles, swatting the other's hand away. Chanyeol's loud laughter drowns away the red on his cheek all throughout the way back.
It is not until Baekhyun's back at the dorm did he remembers the money he went for and the story as well.
"It's because that stupid giant's face is so distracting." he grumbles, flopping down on his bed and burying his face on his pillow.
Baekhyun's taking to sticking at Chanyeol's side, too shy to ask him directly about it. Jongin just teases him because Baekhyun's anything but shy and this side is totally new for him (and for Baekhyun as well).
There's nothing unusual about Chanyeol though, except for his normal weird self but that's nothing anyone has never seen before. It's almost been a month and the only thing intriguing him is Kyungsoo's increasing bad moods and Chanyeol's frequent bathroom breaks.
"I swear on Merlin's beard!" Baekhyun hears Kyungsoo explode the second he climbs through the portrait hole. He's tempted to go back out but he's sure the Fat Lady wouldn't be impressed. "I'm so sick of having to replenish the supplies every time it goes missing!"
Baekhyun threads the common room silently, feeling pity towards Jongin who's beside Kyungsoo and taking the brunt of the other Gryffindor's annoyance. Being a journalist, curious and all, he couldn't help himself but walk over to his doom aka Kyungsoo.
"What happened?" he asks quite cheerfully and Jongin throws him a worried look. Baekhyun feels the back of his neck sweating but he still turns around to smile brightly at Kyungsoo because he's, well, Baekhyun.
Kyungsoo shots him a look and Baekhyun's smile falters for a bit. "The new batch of Aconite has gone missing again. And we just ordered it."
Baekhyun laughs quite awkwardly but realizes it was the wrong thing to do when Kyungsoo just narrows his eyes at him, Jongin making a pathetic face beside him.
"Don't worry, my dear Kyungsoo. I shall investigate more on this manner." he nods twice, lips set on a thin line as he pats Kyungsoo's cheek with his hand. "I'll see you at dinner, honey."
Baekhyun high tails it out of there before Kyungsoo could register what he did.
Baekhyun roams around the third floor corridor for a while, descending another floor for every half an hour before he's reduced to walking in boredom just outside of the kitchens. He glances at the portrait leading to the kitchens, imagining thousands of house elves working to prepare enough dinner for hundreds of students.
A few Hufflepuff students walk past him and he recognizes one as Chanyeol's roommate.
"Hey, hey." he calls, waving a hand and grinning at the confused Hufflepuff.
"Yes?"
"Have you seen Chanyeol?" he asks quite enthusiastically but the smile drops down when the students shakes his head and bows politely before leaving.
It's almost dinner and he shakes the pout off of his face because he knows the giant would be there.
But he ends up disappointing himself again when he sees no sight of Chanyeol. The tall Hufflepuff towers amongst the student population so spotting him would have been easy if he was indeed there.
"Why the long face, hyung?" Sehun chirps and Baekhyun turns his head, seeing the Hufflepuff sitting in between him and Jongin. He puckers his lips in thought, wondering if it was even allowed for a Hufflepuff to sit in here. But he doesn't voice it out because Sehun's soon standing up, pressing a kiss on Jongin's cheek and running back towards the Hufflepuff table.
"So why the long face, Baek hyung?" Jongin pipes in. Baekhyun just blows a raspberry at him and proceeds to get some food on his plate, already setting up plans on what to do after dinner.
The dark has already settled comfortably by the time Baekhyun trudges down the steps of the castle. It's cold and even the thick robes around him did little to warm him up. He squints his eyes, hands clutching at the stone wall as he tries to adjust his vision.
The grass was wet when he walks outside and Baekhyun could still smell the humid air from the rain earlier. His vision adapts to the darkness really quick and Baekhyun doesn't wonder for long when he sees the light from the full moon casting an eerie glow at the whole courtyard.
It's captivating in a sense as Baekhyun watches the full moon's reflection on the surface of the lake. It's still and quiet, the giant squid probably asleep because of the lack of ripples. He doesn't know how long he sat down in there, the silence making him go on a trance. It's not until he sees movement from the edges of the forest did he stand up. Probably the centaurs, he tells himself as he brisk walks back to the castle.
The corridors are dimly lit when he steps in and he has to place a hand against the wall so as not to stumble. He's halfway the stairs towards the sixth floor landing when he halts, a scraping sound catching his attention and making his heart beat fast in a bad way. He probably should keep walking but he lets curiosity get the better of him as he shakily turns his head, eyes dropping to the fifth floor corridor.
And there, slouch and panting, was a creature Baekhyun has only seen in books. It's standing wobbly on its own, head frantically looking around before running ungracefully down the staircase.
Werewolf.
It's silent as ever but Baekhyun's heart beat doesn't drown out the sounds it makes when it descended down, suddenly very aware of what he saw.
He sprints up the last two staircase, cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He doesn't look anywhere else, doesn't allow himself to catch his breathe until he's crawling through the portrait hole. The fat lady closes after him, a curious expression on her face.
"Baekhyun?"
He jumps in surprise, shoulders dropping in relief when he sees that it's only Kyungsoo. He's sitting by the fire, a book open on his lap and looking worriedly at Baekhyun. Normally, this would lead to teasing because the shorter Gryffindor rarely looks at Baekhyun without the intent to hit him and Baekhyun winces when he realizes that he probably look really bad.
"You should sleep, Kyungsoo." he singsongs. The both of them doesn't comment on how shaky his voice is. "Early class tomorrow, wouldn't want you to be late."
Kyungsoo just stares at him silently before closing the book and standing up. "Okay."
Baekhyun is thankful he isn't asked anything more as he settles against his four poster bed. Beside him, Kyungsoo mumbles a soft 'goodnight' and Baekhyun throws his blanket over himself, erasing the image of what he saw earlier and playing it out to be his imagination. For his own sake.
Chanyeol doesn't show up for two more days, Baekhyun knows because he's been keeping tabs. He starts asking around but gets nothing remotely helpful, only that Chanyeol tends to disappear like this a few days a month. The professors have never questioned it so they let it pass as well. But Baekhyun was curious. If the professors allow it, then there must be some plausible reason for his absence. And he wants to know what it is.
When he sees the familiar mop of hair during breakfast, Baekhyun is quick to stuff the remaining of his toast on his mouth before running towards the Hufflepuff table. He's full of energy, dodging students still sleepy for having such an early class.
"You look sick." is what he blurts out instead when he sees Chanyeol, the torrents of questions he has thought over seemingly disappearing at Chanyeol's appearance. He suddenly looks too thin for his own robes, his cheeks pale and hair disheveled but he still smiles as bright as before.
"Just a flu, Baek. Nothing to worry about. Madam Jung already took care of me back at the Hospital wing." Chanyeol supplies at Baekhyun's worried glance. The Gryffindor nods, still unconvinced so Chanyeol wraps a warm hand on his wrist and tugs him down so he could sling his arm over the shorter's shoulders.
"I'm fine."
Baekhyun's ears are red when Chanyeol looks at him and he blinks, the grin dropping as he quickly lets go and allows the Gryffindor to stand up again. Baekhyun rubs at his arm and mumbles an excuse about going to the bathroom.
Baekhyun looks for Kyungsoo when he enters his Arithmancy class, spotting the male on his usual seat by the window.
"Have you been to the hospital wing recently?" he asks, trying to sound not too curious. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him before nodding.
"Been there every day this past week. More and more students are catching colds and administering the pepper up potion with only one person can be quite taxing."
Baekhyun hums in thought, it probably sounded too fake when Kyungsoo raises a brow at him.
"I was just wondering if you, uh, saw Chanyeol in there? At all?" Baekhyun looks down, so very interested at a Ravenclaw in front playing with his chocolate frog.
"No, he wasn't. Haven't seen a shadow of him in there and not on the records either." Kyungsoo tilts his head, rubbing at his cheek. "Why?"
"Nothing!" Baekhyun answers cheerfully, standing up and ruffling Kyungsoo's hair before quickly making his way towards the seat farthest from the Gryffindor male.
Baekhyun goes on with his usual routine, the sighting from a few nights ago pushed to the back of his mind. But he never stays out too late, refusing to glance anywhere near the fifth floor and even flinching when Jongin taps him by the music classroom one time.
It's all normal but Baekhyun starts keeping tabs on Chanyeol. He's becoming frustrated when nothing unusual happens, the Hufflepuff looking healthier the next few weeks and Baekhyun wonders if he's just jumping to conclusions. Maybe Chanyeol just got the flu after all.
It's late into the next month when Chanyeol disappears from breakfast again. Beside him, Kyungsoo's stabbing his eggs and grumbling about something. It distracts Baekhyun for a few seconds.
"The aconites have gone missing again." he hears Kyungsoo say to someone, probably Jongin. This catches Baekhyun's attention but he doesn't comment on it, standing up instead and walking to class.
He's taken to asking fellow seventh years, all Hufflepuff, about Chanyeol and everyone answers the same thing.
He's sickly so it's normal for him to be gone for a few days.
Baekhyun furrows his brows, knowing Chanyeol isn't like that when they still had enough time to hang out. That was back when they were just second years; before advanced classes and O.W.L.S. and everything kept them busy.
The light from the full moon seeps in through the crack in between the curtains when Baekhyun goes to bed that night. It makes his heart beat faster, the image of the slouching creature - too thin and tall and wobbly - coming back in full detail. It makes him shiver, thinking of the possibilities that the creature was back inside the castle.
Why there is a werewolf able to go inside is the biggest question. Baekhyun sleeps on it, too anxious for the full moon to be over so he could relax again.
"You look sick again." he comments, poking Chanyeol's cheek with his finger and yelping when the Hufflepuff playfully tries to snap at it.
"And you look old worrying like that." Chanyeol says back, sticking his tongue out at him.
They're back to their usual bickering but Baekhyun could never get rid of the nagging feeling at the back of his mind as his eyes rake over the dark circles under Chanyeol's eyes or the way the robes hang off of him when weren't a week before. But he doesn't voice any of it; doesn't want to ruin the comfortable atmosphere when Chanyeol rests his head on his shoulder and eventually falls asleep.
Another two months with Baekhyun still watching Chanyeol, something bubbling at the back of his throat. He's nowhere in sight again today and he hears the telltale sign of Kyungsoo fuming over something by the way the Gryffindor kept murdering his breakfast.
"Aconite's gone missing again?" he asks, almost in a routine now and Kyungsoo nods angrily. "Have you reported it yet?"
"Of course I did!" Kyungsoo slams his fist on the table and Baekhyun latches a hand on his chest in surprise. "You think I wouldn't after all these months?" he huffs as he calms himself down. "But they don't do anything. I mean, why would someone keep stealing the aconites? Are they doing some weird new potion? I'm starting to think a werewolf's on the loose and using it to keep themselves sane."
Baekhyun freezes at the mention of werewolf, the gears inside of his head turning faster and faster until he couldn't breath from the information being pieced together.
"Kyungsoo." he calls, "... is it a full moon tonight?"
Kyungsoo grumbles, mumbling something before nodding and Baekhyun's quick to stand up and run over the Hufflepuff's table.
Chanyeol's not there.
Baekhyun has never been more scared and anxious and excited all at the same time.
It's hard to not falter on his usual self when Chanyeol comes back a few days later. As expected, he looks worse for wear again and it bites at Baekhyun's heart strings. If his guess turns out to be the truth, then he's got something big on his hands; something that would definitely catch Changmin's attention.
And the whole wizarding world.
There's so much on his mind. How the professors and the headmaster had conspired to hide this from the entire student population. Or that they didn't report it to the Ministry yet. This probably explains everything unusual happening inside the school. He can't help himself, the fear from before slowly morphing into one of trill.
"You've been grinning for the past five minutes." Chanyeol's deep voice wakes him up. They're sprawled under a tree on the courtyard. It's an overcast kind of day and the perfect time to be lazy outside of the castle. Chanyeol's cheeks looks pinker and this makes Baekhyun smile in relief.
"Nothing. Just thought of something." he excuses, popping another flavored bean on his mouth. He catches Chanyeol looking at him and he grins, raising a brow. "What?"
Chanyeol stays silent, reaching a hand out and flicking the leaf on Baekhyun's cheek before smiling.
Something thick clogs up Baekhyun's throat so he looks away and busies himself with the thought of Changmin offering him a job after graduation.
Baekhyun wakes up early today, his eyes immediately darting to the calendar on his desk. There's a bright red 'X' on today's date and it makes his blood pump faster.
He'll confirm it all today. Or tonight.
"Good morning." he greets cheerfully, sliding down next to Jongin and grabbing himself a bowl of cheeri owls. He's suddenly into a cereal type of breakfast and the owl on the cover reminds him of Kyungsoo. He snickers at the thought.
He eats quietly, something rare for him to do and finishes up in record time. Kyungsoo stares at him suspiciously as he skips towards the Hufflepuff's table. Seeing Sehun busy over his porridge, he stealthily walks behind him.
"Boo."
Sehun sends his spoon flying, hitting a Slytherin at the head and Baekhyun's quick to bow both his and Sehun's head when the student glares at the Hufflepuff's table.
"What in Merlin's beard, hyung?" Sehun says through clenched teeth. Baekhyun keeps snickering beside him before calming down enough to talk.
"Have you seen Chanyeol?"
Sehun furrows his brow, his lips setting into that thin line he's famous for. "No. Haven't seen him since I woke up. Why?"
Baekhyun just shrugs, standing up straighter and then walking away with a bounce on his step.
But his enthusiasm slowly dies down just as the clock ticks down towards night time. The skies are a deep red when Baekhyun walks out of his last class, his wand inside his robe feeling heavier than usual. He doesn't say much up until dinner, choosing to sit beside a couple of second years who's as perplexed as Kyungsoo. He eats quietly and in a hurry, leaving immediately when he's finished and pretending to go back to the common room to retire early.
The corridors are empty, the students and the professors probably still having dinner on the Great Hall. This is both relieving and scary as he trudges the steps up the fifth floor landing. He sees the Bloody Baron gliding on his lonesome at the fourth floor and he tries hard not to think about the blood on the Slytherin's resident ghost as he finally reaches the fifth floor's corridor.
It's still early for what he's about to do but he deems it necessary so as not to attract even more attention on his weird routine the whole day. He carries his suddenly too heavy self towards the music room, just adjacent to the statue of Gregory the Smarmy.
And then he waits.
There's an aged looking piano by the window but Baekhyun refuses to move from his spot crouching near the door. And he grows even more rigid when the light from the full moon peeks from the large windows opposite him. He has his wand tightly gripped on one hand, his other curled in a fist beside him.
He doesn't know how long he remained there, his legs complaining at the lack of movement. His heart beat is distractingly loud and for the briefest of moments, Baekhyun thinks he might have been getting way ahead of himself.
That is until he hears something outside, like cement cracking and rubbing against themselves followed by the unmistakable sound of harsh breathing. His heart beat slows down, the veins on his arms showing as he holds his wand tighter and twists the door knob as slow as he could. His eyes are narrowed when the door creates a tiny crack. But it is big enough for Baekhyun to see whatever it is in front of him and that was all he needed.
There's nothing out of place, except that the statue seems a little bit off on its position but Baekhyun reasons it's probably because of the angle where he's looking. And then something gray and wrinkly shoots out from behind the statue, Baekhyun's eyes going wide and heart slamming against his rib cage. It was a hand; a hand that doesn't belong to any kind of human but to one creature Baekhyun knows very well from books.
There are fingers, two sets of them before long, thin arms shoot out from behind the statue. Then, as if in slow motion, the lanky body of a werewolf emerges from behind the stature of Gregory the Smarmy. It looks around and Baekhyun momentarily thinks of running away.
But he doesn't. This is what he's been waiting for. This is his only chance to grab his dream and he's not about to lose it to his cowardliness. An image of Chanyeol grinning and looking down at him pops up inside his mind and he feels his heart beat go faster for an entirely different reason.
"S-Stop right there!" he shouts, pressing his back on the wall and closing his eyes hard. It's too late to back out now. "Just. Stop right there."
Hesitantly, he opens his eyes and stands up, cursing at how his knees buckle from both the lack of movement and fear. Yes, he's scared but he's not about to let it get in the way. And then he's pushing the door open, his breath labored as he comes face to face with the werewolf he's seen months ago.
He's prepared for the fear, for the gut slamming reality that he's in the presence of a dangerous creature but he doesn't feel anything similar to it when kind eyes - sad, sad eyes - look at him. It's still as tall and scary as before but it's so painstakingly familiar to Baekhyun.
"Ch-Chanyeol?" he whispers, braving himself to look straight at the werewolf's face. The creatures makes a small sound, so soft and so lonely it makes Baekhyun's heart cry in longing.
Hesitantly, he reaches out his free hand, the other one holding a wand lying limp beside him. He knows it's dumb and stupid and all kinds of reckless when he feels hot breath hitting his palm but he doesn't stop. He closes his eyes in fear when the werewolf's head moves but he doesn't feel fingers slashing through him or fangs piercing through his skin. Instead, he feels the rough texture of a skin and he opens his eyes to see the werewolf - Chanyeol - nuzzling against his palm.
It's a breathtaking view, to be able to touch such a feral creature; one many wizards and even muggles fear alike.
"You were stealing the Aconites to make yourself a Wolfsbane potion, am I right?" he asks, moving his hand so it cradles the side of Chanyeol's face. The werewolf's head nudges his hand slightly and Baekhyun takes that as a yes.
They both spend the night inside the music room, Baekhyun locking the door and letting Chanyeol lay down beside him. Even on his werewolf form, he still looks so exhausted and Baekhyun remembers how Chanyeol looks so sick and weary every time he reappears after his absence.
It's nearly the crack of dawn when Chanyeol gets up and Baekhyun lets him, knowing he'll be in danger if he's ever caught inside the castle. He watches as the werewolf slips back behind the statue and closes it again, like nothing ever happened.
He ignores Kyungsoo's comments on how he looks horrible when he goes to class later that day.
The next time he sees Chanyeol is outside the castle, the breeze warm and sun bright on their faces. The Hufflepuff stares at him silently for a long time before smiling nervously and rubbing his nape sheepishly. This makes Baekhyun smile, like some sort of deep connection between them has been established overnight.
"So are there really werewolves inside the forest?" Baekhyun asks, genuinely curious of the validity of the rumors.
Chanyeol munches noisily on a bar of chocolate and nods. "There are. They're beautiful. And incredibly smart."
Baekhyun doesn't prod further, content with the realization that Chanyeol isn't alone on those nights.
"I was bitten during our fifth year." Chanyeol starts and his voice is so soft, something Baekhyun has never heard before. "I was in so much pain and my mother seriously thought I was going to die. It was my fault, really." Chanyeol grimaces. "Shouldn't have walked alone outside that night when there were werewolf rumors going around. I thought it was just a rumor, you see. But then the bite woke me up and it was too late."
Baekhyun feels an urge to ask something, anything, but Chanyeol beats him to it.
"My mother sent a message to the headmaster and not even a few minutes later, there he was, robes alight with green as he walks towards me with a pouch. I remember nothing after that, only that the headmaster and Professor Song visited a few days later to tell me about my situation."
Silence reigns over the two of them, the wind blowing gently against their sides. Baekhyun feels something warmer cover his hand and he looks down, seeing Chanyeol's much larger hand atop his own. His heart beat is slow and calm, a lazy smile spreading on his lips as he closes his eyes. No questions needed.
"I'm glad you're here, Baek."
It's nice to have his heart slow down and relax once in a while.
SHIM CHANGMIN
will be arriving three days from now to open the newly declared
INK AND QUILLS CLUB
details are as follows:
The announcement greets Baekhyun one morning, the news hitting him hard. He's been anticipating this ever since the school year started but now that the news is staring at him right in the face, he couldn't be more unprepared.
"Ready for your big day yet?" Kyungsoo claps him at the back, something he doesn't do often. Baekhyun tries to give him a smile but Kyungsoo must have noticed his hesitation when he furrows his brows at his friend.
"Is something wrong?"
"No." Baekhyun shakes his head, smiling more believable this time. "Nothing at all."
Baekhyun stays up the whole night, his brain in a mess and fingers shaking. The common room is empty, the fire dead hours ago and only the glowing ember remains. There's a blank parchment in front of him, his favorite quill beside his newly bought bottle of ink and yet he doesn't know what to write.
Lies.
He knows exactly what to write.
But he couldn't make himself do it.
He picks up his quill, twirling it on his fingers and marveling at its ease. Opening the lid of the small bottle, he dips the point of the quill on the ink and pulls back; lets it hover above the parchment.
Write.
But he doesn't, the ink forming on the edge until it falls down and black, pure black forms a big blotch on the otherwise blank surface.
He drops it down on the table and runs a hand on his face, frustrated at so many things but mostly at himself. He needs to write it for his own sake.
"I'm glad you're here, Baek."
Chanyeol's voice replays like a broken record inside his head. He drops his hand from his face and grips the quill.
And then he writes.
"I can't believe you wrote that!"
Jongin yells, face red and fuming. Beside him, Sehun looks equally affronted. Baekhyun laughs sheepishly, a roll of parchment on his hand.
"You suck." Kyungsoo comments, passing by him.
Baekhyun raises both hands in mock surrender, nodding solemnly. "I know. I know."
"Why would you even do this?" Jongin yells again, slamming the newest issue of daily prophet on the house table. The articles vying for Shim Changmin's attention is neatly written on the corner, beside the column of 'How to reduce your acne using Bubotuber pus. Works like magic!'
Love Hits the Gryffindor's Seeker as Hard as a Bludger.
The title isn't much at all but the moving image of Sehun hand feeding Jongin a toothflossing stringmint and the latter jumping in surprise makes up for it perfectly. By now, almost every student in Hogwarts has got a copy of the Daily Prophet. Jongin's face has been permanently red for the past hour, the students constantly teasing him. At least Sehun was taking it better with his usual thin-lipped expression.
"Why can't you find something more interesting than us!" Jongin yells after him when he walks the usual path towards the Hufflepuff's table.
"Oh, I did!" he yells back, nudging Chanyeol and sitting down beside him. The Hufflepuff raises a brow in question but Baekhyun just shrugs it off and grabs a pumpkin pasty.
"What was that about?"
Baekhyun grins knowingly, leaning up and kissing the giant's cheek.
"Just thinking about a new article."
Falling in Love with a Werewolf Isn't as Hard as Everyone Makes it to be.