We Don't Play by the Rules (II)

[luhans]

As he promised, Sehun starts making Jongin brew potions for the next tutoring session. They start with the easy ones, letting the Gryffindor to learn from the very bottom of making potions.

Sehun manages to get Jongin pays full attention at him; whether it’s explaining the use of an ingredient or demonstrating how a step should be done. Jongin would ask one or two questions between the explanation, and Sehun is smart enough to answer every one of them. They work well together, despite the snarky comments they throw to each other every while and then.

Jongin adds a sprinkle of Rosemary to the potion he is brewing, let them simmer in before he brings his wand to stir them anti-clockwise like Sehun has suggested before. The Slytherin is appeared bored, no book opened in front of him or parchment that needs to be written. He has stopped busying himself with school work since their fifth meeting, opting to annoy Jongin with his potions instead.

The awkward silence between them that used to grow in the early meetings have been replaced by something comfortable instead. It makes Jongin feels happy.

He discovers that Sehun is not much of an ignorant boy, that he could make jokes with a straight face yet still making Jongin laugh at it. Sehun told him of his best friend Huang Zitao who couldn’t sleep without his cat pet Candy, even though it makes Sehun sneeze sometimes. His own pet is an eagle owl named Hermes, a gift from his father on his first year.

He also learns that despite Sehun comes from a pure-blood family that lives in a mansion in an unplottable location, he still keeps up with Muggle things and falls in love with video games, which Jongin could so much relate.

It almost feels like they are friends-almost like he and Kyungsoo is-and Jongin finds himself wanting to learn so much more about Sehun. The Slytherin is like a puzzle; Jongin couldn’t wait to put the pieces and discover the whole picture of him.

“Why do you learn so much about potions?” He decides to ask, breaking the stretching silence between them. It startles Sehun from dozing off into sleep.

He rubs his eye, blinks a few times to make sure they are wide open. He peers at Jongin’s potion to make sure that he has been following the instruction well. When he feels satisfied enough, he leans back in his seat, finding another comfortable position for him. “I want to be a potion master,” answers him. “Jung promised me that he would take me under his wings if I agreed to tutor you. I need his signature to help me becoming a potion master.”

“That is rare,” Jongin comments. He carefully adds in the next ingredient and lowers down the heat. He needs to wait fifteen minutes before he has to spell the right charm and finish the potion. “Is there any specific reason for that?”

“Not that you should know of.” Sehun shrugs. He takes off the protecting charm that he casted earlier around the cauldron in order to protect them from any explosion that Jongin still occasionally make during their lesson. “What do you want to be after graduating?”

“Professional Quidditch. I thought that’s obvious,” he answers, checking the potion once again before he sits down. He turns to look at Sehun, who is giving him this look that he always gives whenever Jongin brings up Quidditch.

“It is.” Sehun looks down instead, breaking off their contact. “I just thought that maybe you could be thinking of something else. Why is Quidditch so important for you, anyway?”

“It runs in the family,” he says. “We hold small matches at Christmas, and my father is a big fan of Puddlemere United.”

Sehun hums, still not meeting Jongin’s eyes. He is always like this whenever Jongin mentions Quidditch. It’s like ‘Quidditch’ is a taboo word for him, bringing him down.

“Zitao said that you hate Quidditch.” Jongin says, recalling that one time he encountered the two in the library. “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” Sehun replies shortly.

“Is that why you resented me a lot when you learnt I play Quidditch?”

Sehun taps on the table quietly. “Maybe.”

“Why? Why do you hate Quidditch?”

Sehun’s eyes flicker up, finally meeting his own. The intensity in his gaze surprises him. “Because of my family, too.” He says. He gets up, and walks to the cauldron to check on the potion again.

End of discussion, Jongin could hear in his silence. There are so much more of him that he wants to find out. But even by one month knowing him, Jongin understands that it’s his cue for silence.

✧

For some reason, Jongin feels brave enough to bring his Herbology essay to their next meeting. He slept over the study session arranged with the Ravenclaw and didn’t get to start on his essay yet. It is due tomorrow, and he doesn’t want to disappoint the professor because she has always been nice to him.

“Help me on this,” he says, spreading his parchment on the table instead of opening up his potion-kit. Sehun frowns. He doesn’t bring his bag again today. He certainly doesn’t expect that coming from him.

“What is that?”

“I need to make essay on Star Grass.”

He raises his eyebrows, “And why do you think I would help you?”

“Because you are a potion-genius, and Star Grass is actually a basic ingredient to make pain relief potions.” He explains, frowning when he sees Sehun has this ridiculous expression directed at him. “What? I read the book you lent me, you know.”

“I’m tutoring Potions, not Herbology.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to help me just a bit right, Sehun? I promise I won’t make any explosions for today’s potion. I will even set up the protecting charm myself.” He puts up his best pleading face, the one with slight pout and all.

Sehun gives up. He shifts closer to Jongin, arm pressing against his. Warm, Jongin thinks. Unlike his appearance, Sehun is actually warm. “It is actually to soothe injuries, if you really read that book,” he says, nudging Jongin’s arm lightly. “It also relieves muscle pain specifically.” He stops, realizing how the other is staring at him instead of writing down his essay. His cheeks feel a little bit warmer. “Why aren’t you writing?”

“Oh, right,” Jongin starts to write on the parchment. “Where is it from?”

“It is natively from Africa, but it could be grown anywhere now. Professor has some in the greenhouse as well. It’s the temperature that matters.”

“Right.” He writes down the information diligently. He always adores Sehun for being smart. How the other boy manages to store so many information in his small head always amazes him. He looks up at the Slytherin, “And then? Are they always green like most of the grasses or -“

He suddenly realizes how Sehun’s face is suddenly so close to his. The other boy is leaning on his shoulder, peering down at his work, but all he thinks about is the warmth breath that Sehun blows gently against his cheek. He blinks, trying to shrug it off just as Sehun catches his eyes. The slight widening of his eyes tells Jongin that he is suddenly aware of the closeness, too.

“Darker as they grow,” Sehun says lowly, sending shivers to Jongin’s body. “It’s best to pick them when they are fresh green.”

It is weird how they still hold the position even after Sehun answers the question. Jongin is supposed to pull back and go back to his writing, but he doesn’t want to lose this war. He doesn’t want to be the one giving up.

“Right,” he says, still staring at Sehun’s eyes. He swears it is affection that he sees in the other’s eyes, perhaps with a little bit of lust, too. Whatever it is he feels for Sehun, perhaps the other boy is having it, too. And that excites Jongin. “Anything else?”

Sehun smiles slyly. “No,” he says. “Just write it down.” He pulls himself back, putting more distance between him and Jongin.

No, Jongin tries to tell himself, it doesn’t disappoint him in the slightest.

✧

It is unbelievable how fast Jongin grows accustomed to Sehun’s companion. The dread he used to have as Tuesdays change into Wednesdays is no longer there. In fact, he is a little bit more than excited to have their Wednesday sessions.

He slouches down on the couch near the big window in the Common Room, enjoying the warmth coming off from the fireplace. It is only 5 pm; the professor let the class end earlier than usual and that earned ecstatic squeals from the students. He has two hours before he has to go the their usual place, and a nap sounds good.

“Wake up, lazyass.”

A familiar voice rings in his ears just when he is about to doze off into dreamland. He opens one of his eyes, not surprised to see Chanyeol and Baekhyun looming over him, clad in their Quidditch outfits.

Their team is going to have a practice today, as the two has enthusiastically discussed in both breakfast and dinner yesterday. Jongin has wanted to join in the conversation, too, but he feels left out with the discussion. It is not something he is allowed to be excited anymore.

“Have fun at practice,” he says half-heartedly, faking a yawn that he thought would be convincing enough for his friends to leave him alone.

Chanyeol smirks, “You are coming with us, Jongin.”

Jongin scoffs, crossing his arms across his chest in annoyance. “Hello? Banned from Quidditch, remember?” And he wonders just how stupid his friends could get.

“Banned from playing, yes, but not banned from planning the strategy with us,” says Baekhyun. “Come on, we need the Genius’ brain to help us winning the next match with Ravenclaw.”

“Right. We don’t want Jongdae to give us his annoying grin because we lose to his team.” Chanyeol adds. His face is very convincing that he is saying that as a captain. “You’re still part of the team, you know.”

They must have been hanging around each other for too long, because it seems that Chanyeol and Baekhyun know exactly how to persuade Jongin into doing something. It sucks. Jongin sits right up, staring up at his friends deeply before he gives up.

“Okay,” he says, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun immediately go for a high-five. Jongin shakes his head, telling himself that he is only doing this because he is a responsible team member, and not because his fingers have been twitching, suffering from not playing for a long time.

The thing about Jongin and Quidditch is that they could be inseparable sometimes.

Jongin watches his friends fly over the pitch, trying out the new strategy they have just brainstormed. He wants to be up there, flying with them, but he couldn’t. So he dedicates himself to check each position instead. He casts a Sonorus, letting his voice gets louder and gives instruction to each player.

It is okay like this too, he thinks. Perhaps he could be a coach sometimes in the future, if he couldn’t be a player forever. But first he needs to be a Star Seeker of a professional team, perhaps for Chudley Cannons because it’s his favorite.

Kang Seulgi, the Chaser of their team, lands gracefully next to him. “How was it?” She asks, almost out of breath. Jongin gets jealous of that, the feeling when you have your breath running out after flying for hours.

“You still need to smoothen your maneuver and match it with Amber's,” he explains, looking at his notes. “Other than that, they are all good.” Seulgi smiles at him, satisfied but determined at the same time.

“Are you, uh, done with the potions class thing?”

Jongin blinks. Yes. Of course he still has that potions class thing, how could he forget?

“What time is it?” He asks, hoping that perhaps despite the obvious darkening sky, he is still not late to his tutoring session with Sehun.

Seulgi pulls her wand, casting a Tempus and watches as the numbers start to form. “Twenty to eight,” she says, even when Jongin could see the time himself. He has lost forty minutes he promised Sehun.

“Shit!” He curses out loud, startling the Chaser. “Sorry-look, I have to go. Good luck with everything, okay.” And just like that, he runs to the castle, hoping that Sehun is still at the room, reading something he brings with him, and then scolds him a little when Jongin shows up.

He stops in front of the classroom’s door, trying to catch his breath. His hand hover around the knob, hesitating. The room sounds quiet from outside, but there isn’t many inside that would make enough noises. He really hopes that Sehun would be there at least. The apologize he prepared when he ran all the way to the classroom is on the tip of his tongue, ready to be rolled out.

Jongin pushes the door open.

“Look, I’m sorry-“ He pauses once he realizes that there is no one in the classroom. Sehun is not there. He must have been waiting for too long.

Jongin curses under his breath, making a loud noise when he closes the door and surprises few portraits hanging in the corridor. They whisper something like ‘rude boy’, but he doesn’t mind them. He runs to the only place he has in mind, Sehun is probably there, waiting for him out of his boredom.

As he turns at the corridor that would lead him to the library, he meets a familiar face.

“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asks, the Prefect badge he pinned on his shirt collar glints under the lights.

“I need to go to the library,” he explains shortly. He wishes to get away from his best friend as soon as possible. “I need to find Sehun.”

“I just came from the library, but I didn’t see Sehun there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I checked the students myself.”

Jongin groans. He brings up his palms and buries his face in them. Sehun is not in the classroom, and not in the library either. Where could the Slytherin be?

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asks, a hint of worry in his voice. Despite him looking the most distant person in their circle, Kyungsoo could actually be the caring one. That’s why their friendship works out.

“I screwed up, Soo,” he tugs on his own hair, feeling depressed. He tells the other boy about what happened, how he gave up into the temptation of Quidditch and forgot about his session with Sehun.

Kyungsoo stares at him with pity, but he doesn’t pat his shoulder or anything. “Try looking in his dorm?” He suggests.

“Oh, right. Thanks, Soo.”

Jongin runs down the stairs, ignoring Kyungsoo’s warning about the school’s rule number twelve that mentions that students are not allowed to run in the castle. But he is in an emergency situation, and the castle sure would understand that.

He has never been to the Dungeon before. He has seen some Slytherin students taking the stairs that would lead there, but he doesn’t know where and how the Dungeon actually look like. It sounds serious and spooky, the kind that would get Junmyeon’s eyebrows taut in such expression. Perhaps it isn’t like that at all, perhaps it’s only named that to honor its creepy founder Salazar Slytherin. Well, snakes tend to live in darkness.

He followed two Slytherin students that seem to be going in the direction of the Dungeon as well closely.

The Dungeon looks pretty intimidating. The air around the floor is nothing like what they have at the Tower. He doesn’t know the password, and he fails to eavesdrop the students that were going in. He considers knocking, but that feels weird. Unlike the Gryffindor Tower, there is no portrait outside the door that he could talk to coax them opening the door.

“Kim Jongin?”

It is Wu Kris, the captain of Slytherin Quidditch team. He looks even taller from upclose, much more taller than he is. The aura around him is no joke. He looks like an heir from a very important pure-blood family. He probably really is.

“Oh.”

“What are you doing here?” He asks suspiciously.

“I’m looking for Sehun.” He says. “I think he might be inside."

Kris Wu raises his eyebrows. “I’ll get him for you.”

“Thanks.” Jongin sighs in relief. He watches as Kris Wu whispers the password and the door opens up for him. He hesitates at the door, looking like he is considering inviting Jongin in, but he ends up heading into the common room by himself.

Sehun comes out from the door. He doesn’t look different than usual, but there is an obvious hurt in his face that makes Jongin’s heart aches. He really didn’t mean to ditch Sehun; he actually was looking forward for their session. But how could he tell the other about this without hinting that he might like him more than he should be?

“Sehun, I’m-“

“Where were you?” Sehun asks. He sounds tired, mostly. Though his face fails to conceal the annoyance. It worries Jongin.

“Chanyeol asked me to help with Quidditch practice.” He wants to say more, wants to explain how he actually looked forward to their meeting before the practice distracted him. He wants to blame Chanyeol and Baekhyun and the rest of the team but it’s partially his own fault too for gotten too absorbed with it.

Sehun’s face turns sour; twenty shades more sour than the first time he got him angry and leaving. Then it struck Jongin, how he has made a big trouble with the other boy.

“So it’s all about Quidditch?” Sehun has his arms crossed in front of his chest, the only thing that holding him back from punching Jongin’s jaw, it seems. “It’s always about Quidditch for you, right? All of this-all of it is about Quidditch, isn’t it?”

Jongin frowns. He is confused, but scared, too. He is used to the quiet and snarky Sehun he often sees during sessions, but he is not used to this Sehun, angry but holding back. Baekhyun yelled at him for stealing his socks, Kyungsoo hit him with a hex for copying his essay. He is used to actions.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

Sehun shakes his head. He appears to be trying to calm himself down. He brings up his hand, pushing the blond strands of hair back. Jongin never sees him in this state before. “I thought you fell asleep or something. How stupid of me for not realizing that it’s Quidditch.” He spits on the last word like it’s a dirty rat.

“Hey,” Jongin takes a step forward. Sehun flinches at it, but he doesn’t step back. “What is it about?"

He looks up, meeting Jongin’s eyes, and there is nothing but calm fire there. “Go back, Jongin. I’m not in the mood for this.”

“Why?” Jongin couldn’t help but hold the conversation. He couldn’t let it end like this. He needs to know. “Is it because what I was doing instead of studying with you was actually a Quidditch practice which involves Quidditch balls and Quidditch rules?” Somehow he feels angry, too. He doesn’t entirely like how Sehun pronounced Quidditch.

“What do you know about it?” Sehun snarls.

It offends Jongin straight in the chest. “Why are you so childish about it? So what if I practiced Quidditch instead of falling asleep? What difference would it make? Only I would be more productive doing Quidditch, but why do you refuse to see that?” He feels furious. The distaste building up in his chest pushes him to let them all through. He just wants Sehun to accept Quidditch, to accept what he likes, to accept what he is. “Stop letting your family making you blind, Sehun."

“Don’t talk like you know my family.” He says with a cold tone.

“Well, I know for one that they are the reason why you hate Quidditch.”

Sehun grits his teeth. “Why is Quidditch such a big deal for you? I don’t get it why people like you act like it’s something to be proud of. It’s barbaric and stupid game!”

“Stop saying it like it’s such a low thing!” Jongin shouts. He couldn’t accept to hear such words being said about his favorite sport. “I don’t know about your family but I know that it’s a shame for them to raise a narrow-minded son like you!”

Sehun pulls out his wand. “Watch your mouth, Kim Jongin!” He throws a hex in Jongin’s direction with a swift movement. The Gryffindor manages to duck away in time. He pulls out his wand as well.

“What did they do to corrupt your mind, eh, Sehun?” Jongin positions his wand at ready. “Did they tell you that friending half-bloods is low, too? Is that why you only have Zitao as your friend, or that’s just society got fed up with your arrogant self?”

“Shut up!”

Before Jongin could react, a stream of light comes from the tip of Sehun’s wand and hits him straight in the chest, throwing him across the corridor. His back bumps against the damp brick wall. He falls face-first to the stone floor. Groaning, he slowly stands up despite the pain all over his torso.

Sehun is staring down at him coldly. His wand is still pointed at him.

“Is this what you want the entire time? To fight with me?” Jongin struggles. He could taste the tangy bitterness at the corner of his mouth. “I guess all of this is pointless then.”

Sehun’s mouth forms another spell, but Jongin is quicker to hit him with a Stinging hex. The Slytherin’s wand is thrown away, his hand unable to hold it. Jongin surges forward, pushing his body against Sehun’s and backs him against the wall. There is a loud thud that comes from Sehun’s head hitting the wall.

The Slytherin groans. He pushes Jongin off with a strength he doesn’t know Sehun is possessing.

“Fuck you,” Sehun spits.

A punch comes to Jongin’s left cheek, causing him to feel dizzy. Another comes to his right, and then one to his jaw. He struggles, kicking Sehun in the shin in revenge. It causes the other boy to back away. Jongin grabs him by his shirt. He notices how Sehun is a little bit taller than him. He brings his knee to Sehun’s stomach, earning a yell from the other boy.

“No. Fuck you!” Jongin shouts as he lands another kick.

Sehun grabs his shirt, too, attempting to throw him back. They end up fighting on the floor, punches thrown blindly as they struggle to bring each other down.

“Stop, you two!”

Sehun is suddenly being pulled back by Kris and Zitao. He struggles in their arms, but Sehun is bony compared to the two. Jongin sits right up, and then it hits him how sad Sehun looks at the moment. He looks bad. His face is wounded from the punches Jongin threw at him.

Jongin wants to reach out for him and apologize for causing so much wound on him, and maybe make everything alright again.

Then someone drags him from the floor. He looks up to see blurry pictures of Chanyeol and Junmyeon.

“Why are you two here?” He asks in a hoarse voice. The damage of the punch Sehun laid on his neck seems worse than he thought it was.

“I happen to be the prefect Kris contacted when he found out about you two,” Junmyeon says. He looks disappointed with Jongin.

Jongin looks back at Sehun who has his head hung low, both of his arms are still strained by the two Slytherins. He stares at the blonde head, waiting. Then Sehun’s head lifts up, but his eyes are down. He refuses to look at Jongin.

“Go away, Jongin. I don’t want to see you again.” He says. His voice is raspy.

He lets himself free from the grasps and walks towards the door. Zitao follows him closely.

“Junmyeon,” Kris calls. The way Junmyeon’s name rolls out of his tongue is easy, like he has been saying it a lot of times. Jongin is unsure how he notices, but perhaps Chanyeol notices that as well. “This wouldn’t be heard by the teachers.”

“Yes. Please take care of Sehun.” Junmyeon replies. It is a silent promise between the two that they wouldn’t bring Sehun and Jongin to the infirmary for the worse.

Kris nods. “See you tomorrow.” He walks to the door and gets in, leaving the three outside.

Junmyeon huffs. He looks at Chanyeol. “May I knock him out first and then you can levitate him to the dorm?”

“Sure,” Chanyeol replies, like Jongin isn’t there at all to help in deciding.

“I’m sorry, Jongin.” Is the last thing Jongin hears before a spell hits him out of his consciousness.

✧

It takes Jongin three days to give up to the temptation and start to steal glances over the Slytherin tables on both breakfasts and dinners. Spotting Sehun is an easy task, his blond hair gives it away. Baekhyun nudges him softly, telling him that it’s rude to stare. He knows, but he thinks that it’s rude too how Sehun isn’t staring back at him.

It takes Jongin a week to finally admits to his friends that he misses Sehun. He misses their times together. Two hours a week is enough for Jongin to carve a special cave in his heart for Sehun. The cave is now empty, not being resided. It feels hollow.

It takes Jongin a whole of the following week until he writes his first apology letter. He ties it to Romeo and tells him not to comeback without a reply. But that’s how Romeo always comes back for him; the little scroll untouched.

Perhaps he should stop pursuing his friendship and fall back into his usual activities instead.

He goes to class with Baekhyun and Chanyeol. They are careful enough not to mention about Sehun in front of him. They change routes when they see Sehun in their way, even if he’s still afar. They don’t mention this to Jongin, but he knows. They want him to avoid Sehun at all costs.

The Ravenclaw Trio pay extra attention to him when they study together. They are now being cautious for the Slytehrin’s presence too. The fact that Sehun often spends his time in the library makes them being more careful to choose the table for their study sessions. They don’t talk about it, but Jongin knows.

Chanyeol keeps asking him to ask to Quidditch practice. His opinion is valuable in the team. The match is getting closer, and with the hints Jongdae drops in their study sessions, it looks like the Ravenclaw team is getting more competitive this time. Chanyeol wouldn’t want to lose, and Jongin knows this about his best friend the most. He agrees to help, even if it’s still painful to stay on the ground watching his teammates flying. He knows that Chanyeol is doing this to help him distracting himself from Sehun as well.

He is touched by his friends’ effort to cheer him up. But even though he naturally knows he really should avoid Sehun, there is a part of himself that secretly still yearns for him.

He surprisingly finds himself still going to the classroom. He doesn’t forget his promise to Professor Kwon, and he still wants his broom back. The absence of Sehun makes things harder, but Jongin copes. It feels empty whenever his potion explodes and there’s no one to laugh over the mess that gets on to him.

He imagines Sehun watches him, telling him that he would never get it right with a smirk that Jongin would very much like to kiss away. Keep going, he imagines Sehun would say, and Jongin does.

He starts over.

✧

Jongin gets on the Hogwarts Express for the Christmas break. He feels excited enough to push Baekhyun out of his way and rush to the first empty compartment he finds. Baekhyun complains and whines at him when he gets in after Chanyeol and Jongdae, but he just laughs it off. He presses his hand to the freezing glass, creating a steam with his breath to squint and look outside.

His family has planned a trip to France a few days before Christmas. Jongin couldn’t say no. Besides, going away from the school means he could play Quidditch with his family. He would have to make up excuses to his dad for not having his broom, but he would deal with it later. The first thing he wrote in the letter he sent to his father is to ask if he could play Quidditch despite the cold weather.

The train makes noises, and then it starts to move.

“I’m going to look for the treats trolley,” he says to his friends. He opens the compartment door, looking around the corridor to find the Honeydukes Express trolley. He has been craving for sweets since he got onto the train. Closing the door behind him, he decides to walk left.

He finds the trolley after walking through three cars, a handful of students already surrounded it. He finds Oh Sehun, too.

Jongin walks closer slowly. He doesn’t want Sehun to be suddenly aware of him and gets things awkward between them. By the time he reaches the cart, the Slytherin notices him. The smile that decorated his face quickly fades away.

“Can I have some Bertie Bott’s and Chocolate Frogs, please?” He asks the witch. He takes some Liquorice Wands and Pumpkin Pasties as well, reminded of how much of sweettooths his friends are. He steals a glance at the Slytherin who has some treats in his hands as well.

He takes out his money before Sehun could fish out his cash. “I will pay for both of us.” The trolley witch smiles and takes the money. It is enough to cover their expenses. She leaves, pushing the cart with her.

Jongin is staring at his the ones he has in his hands, counting the Chocolate Frog packs when a handful of cash is being thrusted to his chest. He looks up to see Sehun’s angry face. “Take it back. I’m treating you.” He says carefully.

“I have my own money,” Sehun says stubbornly.

“I know, Sehun.” He says with a patience, though his heart beats fast in anxiety. “Is it wrong too to treat a friend?”

Sehun stays silent. Jongin is afraid he wouldn’t take back his money, but he does. “Get lost, Jongin.” he hisses before he turns around and stalks off to his compartment.

Jongin finds himself smiling all the way back to his own. The thing is he is already lost, in his own feelings for Sehun.

✧

After contemplating for a long time, Jongin decides to buy a Christmas present for Sehun. He wants to get to the other’s nice end, and he doesn’t think avoiding him could lead him to that.

He stumbles upon a shop that sells vintage things during the family trip to France. There is a small potions pouch made from dragon-hide skin that’s polished so it shines under the sun. It would be useful for Sehun to carry his potions everywhere when he gets to be a Potions Master later.

He gives the task of delivery to Romeo. The owl hoots softly as Jongin runs another check over the package so it would arrive safely. He gives the address of Sehun’s house to the owl, making sure he gets it. Romeo pecks on his cheek, asking for a treat before he takes off for the long flight.

He watches the brown owl takes his leave, flying through the falling snow. He hopes that at least Sehun would take it. No one would refuse a gift, right?

✧

By the start of January he comes back to school, meeting his friends and sharing stories and snacks at the compartment.

Romeo has came back two days after Christmas, bringing him nothing but a short note of ‘Thank you. OSH’ It could mean nothing, but it means everything to Jongin. It lifts up his mood for the rest of his holiday.

He has to say that he looks forward to meet Sehun. The response he received for his Christmas present lights a new hope in his heart. He talked to Kyungsoo about this, but the Ravenclaw told him to back off a bit. Sehun responding is a pleasant sign, but Jongin shouldn’t push it.

He decided to agree and get along with the plan. During first week of school, he tries his best not to stare at the long table that Slytherin students occupy. If Sehun wants his space, Jongin would give it to him. But he doesn’t turn around whenever he encounters the blonde at the corridors anymore.

“Hey,” he greets him instead, giving him a small nod and a smile. Sehun wouldn’t respond, but that’s okay with Jongin. He isn’t expecting the Slytherin to respond anyway, even if he wants him to. He falls back into the conversation with his friends and continues walking along the corridor.

He needs Sehun to know that he wants to be friends with him. He wants them to go back into what they were; to have conversations and pointless laughters. He wants Sehun to understand that he misses him.

Jongin gets back into the routine he did before Christmas break. He studies with the Ravenclaws twice a week, finding it more difficult to do his homework without having friends around him. He would either fall asleep or get distracted by something else. The Ravenclaws’s presence keeps him on track. They keep nagging at him to continue working on his essays.

He also helps the team for the match happening in two weeks, making sure the players go according to plan. Before the match ends, he would excuse himself and slip into the classroom they use to have their sessions. Chanyeol has allowed this. He knows that going to the classroom has been a priority for Jongin.

With the determination to get his broom back, he starts practicing brewing Draught of Peace that Jung said would be the main problem of Potions O.W.L. Somewhere along the way, he has found that potion-making is sort of fun. And even though Jongin doesn’t really need Potions for his career, he enjoys doing it. Besides, he wants to play Quidditch back badly.

Today too, he rushes back from the pitch. He takes a different route around the castle, taking his time. He would try brewing the draught again today, as what he made previously has failed on the last step. He has managed to avoid explosions he suffered from the first trys, but the color is still not right.

He pushes on the door singing lowly to the last year’s Quidditch World Cup theme song. The song has cheerful tone, and he is in a good mood.

When he opens the door - quiet forcefully to match the song’s climax, he is surprised to see someone already occupying the table he usually uses.

It doesn’t take a genius for him to know that it’s Sehun, especially when his heart has always ached for the other’s presence lately. Jongin doesn’t know what to do.

Sehun has certainly notices his arrival due to his rather grand entrance to the classroom - it embarrasses Jongin somehow. The blond stares at him from the table. The amusement on his face is not well hidden. Jongin has really missed him.

“Hi. Didn’t expect to see you here,” Jongin says. He closes the door with an awkwardness, fluster creeping up his face. “Sorry for the, uh, intrusion. I’m usually alone.”

Sehun holds up a hand. Jongin notices how he has cut his hair shorter, showing more of the strong lines of his face. He looks much more handsome like this. “No, I am sorry for the intrusion.”

“You’re always welcomed here.” He says. He approaches the table with careful steps, eyes locking on the blonde. He is afraid he would disappear if he looks away.

“I see you brewed the potions perfectly without me,” says Sehun. His head gestured to the filled bottles arranged at a rack at the corner of the room.

Jongin tries hard not to blush at the compliment. “I still have to pass on Potions, and I found the process quite fun.” He shrugs. “I’m still working on the Draught of Peace, though.” He finds it quite difficult to talk now that the Slytherin is here. He takes out his potion-kit and lay it down on the table. Inhaling deeply to ease his nervousness, he starts to work on the potion.

“Thanks for the gift, by the way. Your owl looked so tired so I let him sleep with Hermes for a night. He went through a long journey.” Sehun starts, watching how Jongin works on the potion.

He nods.“So that’s why he came home feeling rather good. He didn’t ask for more treats when he got home.”

“You have a nice owl.”

“Yeah. I’m glad I found him.”

Silence engulfs them again. It’s not the comforting one like the ones they shared before the incident happened. He almost could hear the train of thoughts that’s running in Sehun’s head. Though he knows better than to ask him to spill them, Sehun would tell him whenever he’s ready. Jongin is not going to push him, like he has promised to Kyungsoo.

He adds the next ingredients into the bubbling liquid, watching how it turns into a shade of turquoise. He needs to wait for it to simmer down and change color to purple. The last time he did it, it was blue instead of purple.

Jongin backs away from the cauldron to take a break. He wipes off the trace of sweat that runs off his forehead.

“Here.” Sehun hands out a small red box with golden ribbon wrapped around it to him. “I’m sorry it’s late."

“What’s this?” he asks, although he has a vague feeling that he knows what it is.

“Your Christmas present. It’s not anything fancy, though.” He shrugs.

“You don’t have to obliged to buy me one, you know. I wasn’t hoping for anything.” Jongin says, unwrapping the gift.

“I know, I want to.”

He raises an eyebrow at Sehun and opens up the box. It’s a Snitch. He takes it out, watching it fluttering its wings in his hand in awe.

“It’s a practice Snitch. It would recognize your touch and respond to you when you call to it.” Sehun explains.

“I know. Professional Seekers have this.” Jongin looks up at Sehun, grinning. “Thank you."

“I need to talk to you,” says Sehun in a soft tone. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He asks, because he needs to know what is Sehun sorry for.

“Everything. For not trusting you, mostly.”

Jongin shrugs. “Trust is hard to gain.”

“You are a lot like my mother. Quidditch was her world, too. She was pursuing her dream to be a professional player, too. My father works at the Ministry, and he supports her. I grew up listening to her stories of practices and how she looked forward to have a position in the team.”

“There was a match, but the weather wasn’t very good. I sat at the vip stand with my father. It was raining hard I could barely see anything. My father kept shouting at the referee to stop the match. But you know, Quidditch doesn’t stop unless the captains from both team agree to do so.”

“What happened?” Jongin asks.

“She fell. Her left leg is injured. Dead. Now even if she’s alive, her soul isn’t.” “My mother keeps staying in her room for years, only coming out when she’s needed to. I lost my mother for Quidditch, Jongin. I hate it for taking my mother’s soul away.”

Beep! Beep!

Jongin is startled by the alarm he set for his potion. Sehun is startled too. He looks away to hide his flustered face. Jongin sighs as he continues with adding the next ingredients; the alarm was such a giveaway for both him and Sehun. It was a perfect mood already, and the alarm had to ruin it.

The potion turns orange as it’s supposed to be, and suddenly Jongin has hopes. He adds more powdered porcupine quills into the cauldron and prays for it to be the perfect white he aims for. Sehun is waiting too; he could feel the Slytherin’s eyes on the cauldron, sometimes on his face.

Then the potion turns white like it’s supposed to be. Jongin yells in triumph, feeling accomplished. He hops around aimlessly, then to Sehun, who is grinning widely, and pulls him into a hug.

“I did it! I did it!” He shakes Sehun’s shoulder excitedly, making the other burst into laughter. Jongin has missed the sound so much. He wants to bottle it into a jar so he could listen to it whenever he wants. Just in case he loses him again.

“You did it,” Sehun says, pulling back from the hug. The smile he gives to Jongin is full of fondness and adoration.

Jongin wonders if it’s normal to fall for a smile. “Yeah,” he says. “I’m sorry for your mum.”

Sehun shrugs. “It happened. Mother seemed better when I saw her at Christmas, but I still can’t shrug off the strong dislike I feel for Quidditch.” His shoulders tense up again at the thought. “I know it’s childish, I just can’t seem to-“

“Hey, it’s okay. Thanks for sharing with me.” Jongin takes Sehun’s trembling hands. They are cold, Jongin notes. He brings them up and kisses on each knuckles, sharing the warmth he desperately wants to shower the other boy with. “I can imagine my loved one turning on me.” He murmurs against the cold skin.

“Jongin.”

He looks up, locking up his gaze with Sehun’s. “So trust me with this one, okay? Don’t turn on me, Sehun. Don’t shut me up from your world.”

Sehun’s smile turns sad. “I was starting to like you, back then. I knew you like Quidditch but I was so happy to keep you on the ground. Then you didn’t turn up for one day, imagine how I felt when I found out you were at the pitch,” he says softly. Jongin reaches out to stroke his cheek, soothing his nerves down. “I was so angry at myself. How could I think that I could keep you? You still have your wings, and while you’re caged, you could fly away sometimes. The thought of losing you scared me, so I decided to let you go. I let you fly away. But what I got? I got you flying around me instead.” Sehun chuckles, but it’s empty. Jongin’s heart lurches at the sound. “So much for trying to move on.”

“Sehun, I’m not your mother.” Jongin states.

Sehun lowers his eyes, feeling down. He lets Jongin’s hand lingers on his cheek, keeping him in place.“I know, Jongin. I’m so sorry I was so stupid.”

“No, you weren’t stupid.” He pauses. How to say this properly again? “Fly with me,” he adds instead. That gets Sehun looking right back up at him, surprise in his eyes. “I want you to fly with me, so you could see what gets me love flying in the first place. I want to share the feelings with you.”

Sehun gapes at him. Suddenly he finds it difficult to produce coherent words. “Jongin, are you saying-“

“Be my boyfriend, Sehun. Let’s fly together.”

“Yes.” The answer comes without hesitation. “Take me with you.” The simple words releases the clench around Jongin’s chest. He feels like he could breathe better now. It’s simply joy.

Jongin surges up, closing the gap between them. He kisses Sehun, softly at first, assuring the other of his presence. Then Sehun parts his lips slightly, letting out a soft sigh. It sends a wave of heat through Jongin. He smiles, sliding his tongue against Sehun’s until both of them are breathless.

When they part, Sehun murmurs against his lips, “If you fall down, I will catch you. I will the best potion master in the world so I could make the best healing potion for you.”

“I won’t fall.” He breaks into a grin. “Unless you break my wings.”

Sehun shifts to leave trails of kisses, starting on the corner of his lips, to his chin, and then to his jaw. He nuzzles his nose against Jongin’s neck. “I won’t.”

Jongin tightens his arms around him, holding him much closer even if there’s not much gap between them anymore. He swears to himself that he would never let the other boy go.

✧

“You are glowing.” Baekhyun accuses, pointing his fork at Jongin’s face. There’s still some strands of spaghetti winding around. Jongin reevaluates his decision to befriend him.

“I’m not.” He frowns. He takes a big bite of his ham sandwich, ignoring the gleeful look on Baekhyun’s face. Chanyeol gives him a glass of pumpkin juice, which he downs right away after he gulps down his sandwich.

Chanyeol leans closer so the other students couldn’t hear what he says. “So you have sorted out things with Mr. Tutor?”

Jongin chokes on his juice. He coughs, slapping on his chest to calm it down. Chanyeol laughs. He only pats his back after he spends a minute full of laughter.

“What gives you the idea?” He asks, gladly taking the napkin Baekhyun hands over to him. His uniform has some orange stains from the juice.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. He points his wand at the stain and performs a cleaning spell on it. Jongin sends him flying kisses.

“Well, if you look at the other table, there is someone who is glowing too.”

Jongin turns around to take a view of the Slytherin table. He follows Chanyeol’s gaze and finds Sehun’s blonde hair rather easily. He is laughing over something with Zitao and some other Slytherins. It’s a sight that, according to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, has never occurred since their fight last month. And if Jongin squints his eyes, willing to take closely, he would say that Sehun is really glowing. It makes him smile.

Sehun seems to sense being watched. He stops laughing briefly, finally catching Jongin’s intense eyes on him. He ducks his head away, looking embarrassed. But then he looks up again, giving him a small smile that contains a big meaning. Jongin chuckles, watching as Sehun falls back into the conversation with his friends.

“Definitely Oh Sehun, then.”

Jongin turns back into his plate. He raises his eyebrows. “What if it’s Oh Sehun?”

Chanyeol smacks his back rather too strong, causing him to cough again. “Then we are glad, dunghead. You’ve been brooding for a long time and we didn’t know how to fix it.”

“We know it’s something you need to finish yourself, so we didn’t want to interfere.” Baekhyun adds. He pops another cookie into his mouth. The boy never knows when to stop.

Jongin pushes his empty plate away and waits until it disappears with a pop. Another plate with strawberry cake appears instead. “I’m glad we sorted it out, too.” He says, cutting down the cake into two with his fork.

“So did you two fuck yet?” Baekhyun asks with a playful glint in his eyes.

“Baekhyun!” Jongin hisses. His face is red as the tomato Chanyeol is biting on. “For Merlin’s sake.”

“Did you?” Baekhyun raises a suspicious eyebrow.

“Not yet. Though I don’t know why it becomes your business,” he huffs. He didn’t even think about it. Well, he did, he couldn’t deny the lust he feels for the other boy. But he figured he would try to fix Sehun’s trust issue first.

“Yes!” Chanyeol throws up his harms cheerfully. He offers his open palm to Baekhyun. “I won.”

Baekhyun grunts. He drops some galleons onto Chanyeol’s hand. “I hate it when you are right."

“Were you betting on me?” Jongin squeaks in surprise.

“We were betting whether you have done it with him or not.” Chanyeol grins. “Kyungsoo bets you haven’t, so I took his advice. Baekhyun and Jongdae insisted you have done it before.”

“Because you were brooding over the loss!” Baekhyun says in defense.

Jongin groans into his hands. “I can’t believe you guys. Even Kyungsoo… I thought I could trust him.”

“Junmyeon didn’t bet, though.” Chanyeol says, patting his shoulder.

“Well thank Merlin for a sane person I know.” He bites on the cake rather harshly.

“He didn’t because he is already rich, Jongin. He doesn’t need the money.” Baekhyun points out. “He did say that you two should at least do handjobs to each other though.”

Jongin drops his face to the cake hearing that, not caring that it would make his face dirty. Baekhyun and Chanyeol cackles at that, and here Jongin asks the world again why he has to be friends with people like them.

✧

The following week, Sehun falls back into their old routine. He starts coming to the classroom too, helping Jongin with potions or his study in general.

Jongin takes him to the study sessions with his friends, and he’s not surprised to see Sehun blending in the picture so well. He quickly becomes friends with them, so Jongin thinks it’s only fair to have Sehun’s friends joining them as well. Not long after that, the study group has two more Slytherins as an addition: Huang Zitao and Wu Kris.

They keep their Wednesday sessions to themselves though.

The Gryffindor still helps with Quidditch practices, but he makes sure to let Sehun know if he is coming late. Sehun doesn’t mind anymore. He would wait for Jongin in the classroom and later demand for extra kisses and cuddles because he has been so lonely.

Jongin is surprised of how easy it is for him to learn more about Sehun. He learns his favorite color, his favorite muggle dish, the position that would get him sleep faster (curled up around Jongin), and much more later.

“I’m going to die.” Sehun groans into his opened textbook.

“You aren’t,” Jongin replies easily. He looks up from his own textbook. They are studying together for their Potions’ O.W.L. It puts a big pressure on him since needs to pass on this one with good grades, but it gives much more pressure on Sehun because he is expected to earn the best grade. “You are going to excel this exam.”

“Nooo.” The Slytherin is surprisingly stubborn when it comes to depression. It’s just a phase, Jongin has learned, he would get over it once the hard times passes. But the stress he feels sometimes influences Jongin too. He wants Sehun to be free of the stress, even if he knows it’s not that serious.

So he stands up from his chair and takes the chair next to Sehun instead. He reaches out an arm to pat on the blond’s hair. “Don’t get so wound up. You have never failed before.”

“That’s the point!” Sehun cries out. “What if I screw up this time?”

Jongin rolls his eyes. “The point is you aren’t going to screw up this time either.”

Sehun sniffs. He turns his head, peering at Jongin with doubts in his eyes.

“Come here,” Jongin pats his own thighs. “Let’s relieve your stress first so I could study peacefully.”

“You want to distract me from studying by cuddling? It’s not going to work. I’m going to study more so I could earn the perfect score.” He grips on his textbook. Trying to seriously reading the passages but it wouldn’t just work. He groans in frustration.

Jongin doesn’t have any option but to pull Sehun’s waist himself and position him on his thigh comfortably. A distraction is the best cure to the Slytherin’s stress, he learned this last month when the blond started to freak out when he was unable to finish his Transfiguration essay.

Sehun places his head on Jongin’s shoulder, arms wrapped around his torso. His sniffs has gotten quieter, and soon they are gone once Jongin gives his back comforting strokes.

“You are going to pass the exam with the best grade,” he whispers at Sehun’s ear. “You are going to do your best.”

“Yes.” Sehun mumbles.

“Don’t feel low, okay?”

“Yes.”

“Promise me you would get focused on the studying after this?”

Sehun nods his head.

“Alright. Let’s go back to studying then.”

Sehun pulls back from the embrace. He shakes his head. “Kiss me.”

Jongin raises his eyebrows, trying hard to hide his smile. It might be unsuccessful. “But you said I shouldn’t distract you from studying by cuddling, now you ask for a kiss?”

“Shut up.” Sehun blushes. He kisses Jongin instead, long and hard.

✧

The O.W.L passes with a chaos for the Fifth years. The stock of Draught of Peace at the infirmary is nearly emptied since most of the students required more than one to calm their nervous. By the end of the exam, more potions have been distributed out as the last to stock up their energies.

Junmyeon suggested that they should go visit Hogsmeade for the weekend as a prize for their hardwork during the exam week. The rest of them agreed, planning to meet at the Entrance Hall after breakfast before they go together to the town.

Jongin finds himself eating with a big appetite after such a hellish week. He devours toasts and bacons almost more than what Baekhyun stuffs on to his own plate. They end their blissful breakfast with chocolate pudding that the House Elves prepared especially for students after their exam.

“Shit,” curses Jongin after he checks his pockets.

“What?” Chanyeol asks, still chewing his pudding.

“I forgot to bring my money.” He checks his jeans’ pockets once again only to find them empty. “I’m going back to the Tower first. You guys could go to Hogsmeade first, save me a spot.”

Baekhyun nods. He sees The Ravenclaws Trio standing up from their seats already. “We’re going to wait for you at Three Broomsticks. Don’t take too long!” He calls as Jongin rushes to Gryffindor Tower.

He is such an idiot for forgetting to take his money bag. He even left it on the side of his pillow last night so he could remember in the morning. The common room is empty when he walks across it. Almost everyone in the castle is going out today. The thought makes him feels more excited.

Jongin takes two flights in one step as he climbs up the stairs that leads to the dorm. He wants to grab his money and runs back to the Entrance Hall as soon as possible. He might catch his friends if he is fast enough.

But when he approaches his bed to take his money, what welcomes him on the bed surprises him. It’s his broom, polished so it looks like new, lying on his bed. A note is attached to it.

Thank you for the hardwork, Mr. Kim.
I’m pretty sure this broom misses his owner, just like you miss him.

Professor Jung

Jongin shouts in joy. He grabs both his money and the broom and rushes downstairs. He is thrilled to have his broom back, but he is more thrilled to know that he now could play Quidditch again. It was tormenting him how he attends the practices without practicing himself. Chanyeol and Baekhyun would be as thrilled to hear this news.

He sees Sehun waiting for him at the Entrance Hall by himself. The others must have left already.

“Sehun!” He runs to his boyfriend, the broom is still gripped on his hand.

“What’s that?” Sehun squints his eyes curiously.

“My broom!”

“You got it back?”

“Yes!” Jongin feels like he couldn’t stop showing his excitement. He grabs Sehun’s arm, startling him, and drags him towards the lawn.

“What are you doing? Aren’t we going to Hogsmeade today?” Sehun panics, protesting against Jongin’s tight grip on his arm.

Jongin turns to look at him, still grinning widely. “We are,” he says. “By flying.”

“You are crazy!” Sehun screams when Jongin climbs onto his broom. He looks at the Slytherin with expecting eyes, patting the spot behind him. “Are you expecting me to ride with you?”

“Yes, Sehun. I did ask you to fly with me, didn’t I?” He smiles cheekily. He pulls his wand, spelling the saddle with extra cushion charm so it would feel more comfortable for Sehun who rides rarely.

“I can’t believe this,” he mutters under his breath. But he moves to sit behind Jongin. He grips on the Gryffindor’s waist tightly, face buried on Jongin’s back.

“Off we go!”

Jongin pulls them into the air, laughing freely to match the scream coming from Sehun. He would need to work on Sehun’s feelings for broom riding later, but first he needs to get them safely into Hogsmeade.

//epilogue.

“I can’t eat this shit,” Jongin sighs, pushing his plate away. He puts his forehead against the cool table.

“Eat.” Chanyeol pushes it back to him. “You haven’t been in a match since forever and we wouldn’t risk you having stomach cramps today.”

They are dressed in their Quidditch uniforms already. This morning they will be having the final of Quidditch Cup against Slytherin. The intensive practice they did after Jongin got his broom back has drained most of their energies. The captain wouldn’t let the long practice hours come to a waste today.

“It’s your favorite marmalade jam,” Baekhyun adds.

Jongin pouts. “It feels like I’m going to play for the first time,” he groans, eyeing the innocent toast intensely before he finally takes a bite.

“You need liquid luck?” Baekhyun blinks at him innocently. Jongin laughs dryly at his joke.

“Think of it as your comeback stage. Everyone will be cheering of you.” Chanyeol pats his back.

“I don’t know if I want to come back or not,” he sighs.

Baekhyun shakes his head. “You’re letting Sehun’s negativeness coming into your senses! You’re almost as bad as him before the O.W.L started.”

“I think I am. I feel like I’m about to throw up.”

“Throw up after you grab the snitch.” The tallest says, rolling his eyes. “I won’t allow you in the team next year if you keep going like this.”

“How dare you!” He hisses, throwing Chanyeol a dangerous look.

“Exactly.”

They finish their meal in silence later, mostly because the two has gone tired keeping up with Jongin’s whines. The Seeker manages to finish two slices of toast and an orange pudding that keeps his energy stocked up. Chanyeol nods approvingly at that.

Their teammates start to appearing, gathering around them before they go together to the Quidditch pitch.

“Hey.” Someone grabs on Jongin’s arm when they pass the Entrance Hall. It’s Sehun.

“Don’t take too long, Jongin. We need to do the briefing.” Chanyeol calls, quick to notice the disappearance of the Seeker from the group. Jongin nods at him assuringly.

He lets Sehun pulls him into a more secluded corner. “Good luck,” he says. “Don’t be so nervous.”

“I’m not,” Jongin replies, more of convincing himself rather than Sehun.

Sehun smiles. “I will be watching, so do your best.”

“You’re watching? A Quidditch match?” He asks, surprised by the sudden change in his boyfriend. He couldn’t even get him listen to his rant about Quidditch scores.

The blonde looks flustered, but the smile doesn’t leave his face. “I’m there to make sure you won’t injure your head or something.”

“I won’t,” the words come out rushed. He is too awed by the fact that Oh Sehun is going to watch a Quidditch match. “I’m too thick-headed when it comes to Quidditch, remember?”

Sehun nods his head patiently. “Do your best.” He says, reaching out to pat both of Jongin’s shoulders. He lets his hands linger there briefly, hesitating. At Jongin’s questioning gaze, he tightens his grips and pulls him closer, pressing a sweet kiss against his lips. “Good luck.” He smiles cheekily before he lets go.

Jongin feels like his heart is bursting out with happiness and warmth. He doesn’t know what to say, and if he kisses Sehun right now he wouldn’t be able to let go and that would upset Chanyeol and his teammates. So he pulls his boyfriend into a brief hug instead, not too long to let himself be carried on.

“Thank you.” He says earnestly. “I love you.”

Sehun laughs, surprised at the sudden confession. He covers his blushing cheeks. “I love you too, stupid. Now go and win that game for me.” He pushes Jongin’s shoulder off, ushering him to go before he does more stupid things.

“I will. Just watch!” Jongin says before he finally dashes off to the pitch to meet the players in the locker room.

--fin.