“Knight to E5”

Kyuhyun said with a smirk and watched how his white Knight (because white moves first, so I am white, obviously) destroyed one of the black Rook, the pieces of the broken chessman falling down onto the chessboard making a light noise just to disappear and reappear by Kyuhyun’s side where almost the whole chessmen of Hyukjae were. Hyukjae made a distressed noise with his mouth and murmured something that sounded awfully  like son of a banshee  when Kyuhyun’s Knight checked his King. The other students sitting at the Ravenclaws table in the Great Hall held their breaths, waiting for the next move even if it was obvious that Kyuhyun won. Again. They knew better than make any noise when Kyuhyun (one of the Ravenclaws Prefect) was playing chess and winning, only one of the boy dressed in green and argent colors was rolling his eyes in annoyance, grunting to quick the up already.

Kyuhyun, proud of himself gave a smooth look at Hyukjae, caressing the head of his owl who was perched on the table next to him and was looking at Hyukjae the same way Kyuhyun was. “Check” Kyuhyun said, smirking, just to stress the fact that Hyukjae was a loser, he truly was. Hyukjae glared at him and the owl made a sound that sounded just like a warning and Hyukjae rolled his eyes because he wasn’t afraid of a mothering owl, even if it was Kyuhyun’s owl which was freaking mean to whoever that wasn’t Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun smirked even more and patted the head of his pet which chirped happily. Hyukjae murmured something to the chessman and watched the last black pawn moving somewhere very useless on the chessboard. He rest the chin on his fist, annoyed and embarrassed when Kyuhyun let out an excited noise because he won. And Kyuhyun was just about to play checkmate to Hyukjae’s king when a white cat with long fur and a black snout jumped on the chessboard, meowing at the owl. The pieces that were still on the board, waiting for the end of the game, moved away indignantly, glaring at the cat and cursing at the animal. Hyukjae blinked at the ball of fur and then smirked at Kyuhyun who was just gaping at the feline.

“You again?” Kyuhyun screamed, mad that he couldn’t play checkmate to the black king anymore because the cat ruined the game. The cat looked at him with its big, blue eyes and pawed happily toward the owl which shrink away just to fly over Kyuhyun’s shoulder.

“Stay away from Artaris, you rat!” Kyuhyun said shoo-ing the cat away from him and his precious owl. The cat kept just staring adorably at them, wagging its tail joyfully “What do you want from my owl? Go fetch rats like you, shoo” The cat just meowed at him and Hyukjae started laughing loudly, followed soon after by the Slytherin boy.

“Hyukjae stop laughing at me and… Heechul hyung not you too!” Kyuhyun wined desperately “This cat thinks my Artaris is a pumpkin pie and wants to eat him” Kyuhyun pouted, glaring at the cat.

“To be honest Kyu-boo, I think this cat is in love with Artaris” Heechul, the Slytherin boy, said the cat’s head which purred happily at him in satisfaction.

“In love?” Kyuhyun murmured shocked.

Kyuhyun and Artaris met that cat for the first time almost a year ago, during 5th year, when Kyuhyun was sitting under a tree outside the Castle, spring just started and Kyuhyun wanted to chill and read a nice book in peace because he was finally free for a couple hours. He just became prefect of his house and between classes, his duties and tutoring those who weren’t gifted with a brain as brilliant as his, he was really busy. But luckily, one of the 3rd year Hufflepuff he tutored had a detention with Professor Snape –which was one of his favorite professor- and he was free from his tutoring hours for the day. Stupid, little Hufflepuffs.  Artaris was just flying around him how the loyal friend he was, chewing on something that Kyuhyun didn’t really want to know. Artaris was a gift from his parent when he got the letter from Hogwarts and he was his friend since then. The owl just flew on a branch when the cat jumped out of nowhere and started meowing at the owl. Kyuhyun noticed it because the cat was loudly and annoying and was trying to get the owl’s attention, but Artaris was just looking at the cat smugly and unimpressed, with no intentions of giving any attention to it. But the cat was stubbornly making noises and even trying to climb the tree just to get near the owl and Kyuhyun, annoyed and scared that the cat just wanted to eat his pet, jinxed it away and watched how the cat ran into the castle with a mangy tail. So the cat wasn’t a stray but someone in the castle was its owner. Since that first day, the cat kept appearing everywhere near him and near Artaris. One time Kyuhyun woke up with the rat curled on his chest and purring satisfied, of course he freaked out waking up his dorm mates and they spent the night trying to kick the cat out of their dorm. Kyuhyun didn’t want to know how the freaking fleaball entered his dorm. He tried to find the owner of the damn cat but he it was impossible since a good part of students population preferred to choose cats as pets because they were cheaper and didn’t need so many cares or grooms, also they could use the family owls or the school owls anyway to send letters. So Kyuhyun ended up removing points to whoever student he saw with a cat even if it wasn’t the damn rat which stalked him and his owl, but he did it anyway because he was the prefect and he could do whatever he wanted. And owls were better than cats so those students deserved that fate because only stupid, incompetent people chose cats over owls. But Kyuhyun made sure to not say that out loud because Heechul had a cat and Heechul was, well Heechul. Better not piss him off.

Kyuhyun grabbed the cat from the pelt and looked at it in the eyes, the cat blue eyes were staring back at him and it was struggling in his hold, trying to get to the owl which was still perched on his shoulder and was glaring at the cat.

“Listen to me, you ball of troll’s turds, and listen carefully. If you get in anyway  near me or to my owl I’m gonna skin you alive and give you to Hagrid just to feed his monsters. Then, I’m gonna find your owners and jinx them so much till they decide to leave the school and never bother me again, am I clear?” the cat meowed and put one pawn on Kyuhyun’s nose. The Ravenclaw screamed and let the cat fell down perfectly and elegantly on its four paws.

Heechul and Hyukjae laughed even more when the cat looked at Kyuhyun and made a noise that sounded like you stupid human you should be honored I’m interest in you and your stupid bird and trotted away. Or at least that was what Heechul said it sounded like.

“I think I was wrong Kyu-boo. The cat isn’t in love with your owl” Heechul said, smirking at Kyuhyun who smiled because he was right again “I think the boy is in love with you” Heechul added and started laughing again with Hyukjae.

“What? With me? And, the boy? It is a boy?” Kyuhyun whined and glared at his friends but it was useless because they just laughed louder.

“A gay cat is in love with me and my owl” Kyuhyun murmured under his breath and Hyukjae laughed so hard he fell from the chair.

*

Kyuhyun was reading Magical Drafts and Potions in the Ravenclaw common room, comfortably seated on a big couch under a window. The big portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw hugging right in front of him, the beautiful witch was looking at him and they were commenting the book in time to time. Kyuhyun liked the Founder since the first moment she said “you are going to be the most brilliant wizard of your time”. And of course Kyuhyun was exactly that.

The little debate they were having over the latest discovery about how the form that an Animagus would chose was directly connected to the spirit animal a wizard had, was interrupted by Artaris who flew into the room from the window with a little parchment attached to his talons. Kyuhyun snorted annoyed  but took it anyway because Artaris hadn’t really a lot of patience.

“Divination class starts in five. I know you forgot it”

The parchment said in the messy handwriting of Hyukjae. Kyuhyun snorted even more and rolled his eyes setting the parchment quickly on fire and dismissing Artaris without a reply, the owl flew out of the window happily. But as soon as Artaris left, another owl, that Kyuhyun recognized as Hyukjae’s, flew into the room and started pecking his skin, she also had a parchment. Kyuhyun took it when he was able to free himself from the bird’s talons.

“Choco will keep pecking you till you come to class, you moron”

And just as a proof of what his owner wrote, Choco pecked him hardly on the hand.

“! Okay I’m going. Tell your stupid owner to save a spot for me”

Kyuhyun exclaimed deeply annoyed. He looked at Rowena who was staring at him amused and Kyuhyun fought the urge to roll his eyes at her because it wouldn’t have been polite. And he was very polite with ladies, thank you.

“Why I decided to take this stupid class? Why did I let stupid Hyukjae convince me?” he mumbled, making the witch laugh at him.

“Every time, you ask the same question and I give you the same answer: because you are a good friend.” The witch said with a motherly smile on her face.

Kyuhyun scoffed.

“I’m surprised Hyukjae is a Griffindor. He is so stupid and useless he should be a Hufflepuff. Not that Griffindors are any smarter than Hufflepuff anyway but, at least, they know how to play Quidditch” Kyuhyun said and started packing his things to go to the class.

“Watch your mouth, kid. You are still talking about the houses my friends founded” the witch said and glared at Kyuhyun.

“But you can’t really deny what I said, right?” Kyuhyun said and smirked. The witch rolled her eyes and dismissed Kyuhyun with a quickly hand’s gesture.

When Kyuhyun arrived in the Divination Tower he saw the Griffindor and Ravenclaw already split into groups. Hyukjae was at the far end of the tower with one of his friend from his house. Kyuhyun searched for some Ravenclaw he knew to sit with, but the mere fact that they chose to take that class spontaneously made them not worthy his friendship, so he just decided to sit with Hyukjae and his friend, who was no other than Lee Sungmin, one of the Griffindor’s chaser. Kyuhyun didn’t really know him but he was pretty famous around the school because he was not only good at what he does but he was nice with everyone, even with Slytherins. Kyuhyun never talked with him, not really anyway, even if they had some friends in common.

“Remember me: why am I taking this class, Hyukjae?” Kyuhyun grunted that as he sat beside his friend and in front of Sungmin.

“Because you love me?” Hyukjae said with a smirk.

“He forced you into this class, too?” Sungmin said with an amused smile.

“Yeah. You are another of his victims?” Kyuhyun mumbled, taking the book out of his back.

“I am” Sungmin giggled “I’m Lee Sungmin” the Griffindor added.

“I’m Cho Kyuhyun”

“I know” Sungmin said and Kyuhyun looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You are famous” Sungmin added when he saw the skeptical face Kyuhyun was giving him.

“Am I?” Kyuhyun said and smirked.

“Quit you two. He is here” Hyukjae said and stared at the boy who just entered the class and walked toward the professor.

“He is gorgeous” Hyukjae exclaimed, dreamily and both Sungmin and Kyuhyun rolled their eyes.

Hyukjae was in love with this Hufflepuff boy named Donghae since first year, but he never had the guts to talk with him even if the boy looked like the most friendly ball of sunshine Kyuhyun had ever met. Donghae was friendly and nice and was even good at Quidditch, he was one of the chaser of Hufflepuff, but he couldn’t do much if the rest of his team . Hyukjae started following him around and tried for the Griffindor team just to have chances of playing against him. Firstly he tried as keepers but when the captain of the Griffindor team noted that he tend to let Donghae scores just because he was oh so in love with the guy, he switched position and became one of the chaser with Sungmin. He even took the same classes of Donghae and when he found out that Donghae volunteered to be Professor Trellawney’s assistant (because Donghae was that nice) Hyukjae forced Kyuhyun and, apparently Sungmin too, to take that class with him just to spent two hours drooling over Donghae.

“Why don’t you just talk with him?” Sungmin said and looked at Hyukjae with pity “He is nice. I have some classes with him and he is really nice, Hyuk. I bet he would like you”

“How do you talk with perfection, Min?” Hyukjae said and Kyuhyun scoffed loudly. Hyukjae was ridiculous. “Shush he is coming this way”

“Hi guys” Donghae said and smiled brightly “Today we are doing Tessomancy” Donghae added and gave them three empty cups of tea with some leaves on the bottom.

“Hey Donghae! How are you?” Sungmin said friendly.

“I’m good Min hyung. Thanks for helping me with that Potion assignment”

“Anytime Hae. These are Lee Hyukjae” Sungmin said pointing at Hyukjae who held his breath pathetically “And Cho Kyuhyun” Kyuhyun nodded toward the Hufflepuff “I’m not sure I introduced you guys already” Sungmin giggled.

“Oh I know you guys” Donghae exclaimed happily “We have a lot of classes together” Donghae said to Hyukjae who blushed furiously. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes “And well, everyone knows you” Donghae giggled.

“Really.” Kyuhyun said not impressed. He was starting to like all the attention.

“What is this anyway? What we will do today?” Sungmin asked and nudged Hyukjae in the ribs because the idiot was just staring with the mouth hugging open.

“Oh we will read tea leaves to predict events in the future, simple like that”

“If you say so” Kyuhyun murmured.

“I gotta go, see you later” Donghae said and proceeded to distribute tea cups to the rest of the class.

“You never said you were that close to him” Hyukjae cried out in Sungmin’s face.

“Indeed, I said I have some classes with him and that he was nice” Sungmin said nonchalantly.

“You helped him with potions”

“I did”

“Why you never told me?”

“I won’t play matchmaker for you Hyukjae. If you want him go get him yourself” Sungmin said and Kyuhyun smirked. He was starting liking the Griffindor guy.

“Ming, please please. Help me”

“I even introduced you two and you were just drooling with a dumb face. You didn’t even say hi. I’m a wizard but I can’t do miracles” Sungmin said and Kyuhyun laughed loudly at that.

“Shut up Kyuhyun” Hyukjae grunted pissed off and placed his chin on one of the textbook on the table. He huffed annoyed and looked away from his friends, offended. Sungmin just rolled his eyes and took his textb