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     Having been banished from her spot of solitude, Luna found herself later that evening sitting down in the kitchens, warming herself next to the fire as obliging house elves scurried to find her snacks (puff pastries...damn if they didn’t know what she liked.) Staring at the fire, Luna’s gaze unfocused into a comfortable stare as she thought about the events of the afternoon. She frowned a little, thinking of her friends and their desperate need to involve her in everything they did, and Luna was still sulking as Krystal plopped down next to her several moments later.

     “Penny for your troubles, bubbles?” Krystal cooed at her girlfriend.

     Luna scowled. “I wash my hands of all of the nonsense.”

     “What nonsense?”

     “All of it! Any of it! Ugh.” Luna’s shoulders folded inwards and she scuffed her toe on the ground.

     “For ’s sake,” Krystal sighed, “I don’t get this whole non-involvement thing. They’re our friends! As good friends, it’s our obligation to help them out in times of stress and woe.”

     “Woe?” Luna asked incredulously.

     “That’s what I said  and I’m sticking with it.”

     “Fine,” Luna said, “but meddling has backfired in the past. Remember that thing with Blaise Zabini?”

     “In fairness,” Krystal argued, “I genuinely thought the Grey Lady would be interested!”

     “Well she wasn’t,” Luna replied, “and now whenever Blaise wanders past the Ravenclaw common room entrance it’s super awkward.”

     “How awkward?”

     “Suuuuuuuuuper awkward.”

     “But these are our friends!” Krystal replied, grabbing Luna’s shoulder emphatically. “This isn’t a joke to me! I want to see them happy!”

     “I don’t know…” Luna trailed off.

 

     “I don’t know…” Onew said, staring at Taemin as he brandished two broomsticks. “I saw what those things did to Jonghyun, and it was not pretty.”

     Taemin stared as they stood in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, panicking internally. It had taken so much of his nerve to ask Onew to even hang out, and now he was seconds away from scaring Onew off with his insane idea.

     “Um...it’ll be fine?” Taemin said hesitantly.

     Onew looked unconvinced.

     “Look, it’s not that hard. We’ll stay low to the ground, okay? I put a handicap on yours, it’ll only go about five feet off the ground until you’re ready.”

     “Really?” Onew asked, surprised. “How did you do that?”

     “Um...a spell I know,” Taemin said, looking at the ground. He did not have the heart to tell Onew that it was just a child’s broom.

     “Fine. I can probably handle that, right?” Onew pulled his house scarf so it sat tighter around his neck, took one of the brooms out of Taemin’s hands and gave him a brave smile. “Let’s do this.”

     “You sure?” Taemin asked.

     “Totally. It’ll be fine.” Onew tried winking, but blinked both eyes instead (both eyes out of unison somehow, which Taemin had thought impossible until that moment).

     “Alright. So...what you’re going to want to do is put the broom between your legs, straddle it about midway up the broom and kick off when you’re ready.”

     “I don’t have to put it on the ground and say ‘up’?” asked Onew, eyebrows raised.

     Taemin scoffed. “That’s first-year garbage, and I assume you are old enough to be able to bend over and pick up a broom.”

     Onew pouted. “I’m not that old,” he whined childishly.

     Taemin struggled to cover his smile. “Right. Anyway, whenever you’re ready.”

     Following Taemin’s instructions, Onew sat on the broom and took a deep breath. Then, as if bracing himself, he closed his eyes…

    ...and pushed off.

     “EYES OPEN!” Taemin shouted.

     “IT’S SCARY!” Onew shouted back as he squeezed his eyelids tightly shut. Hovering about four feet off the ground, Onew finally opened his eyes as the broom started slowly edging forward. “How do I make it stop moving?!” Onew cried.

     “Just lean backwards! You’re leaning too far forward onto your broom, lean back a little and you’ll slow down.”

     “Got it!” Onew called, leaning back sharply and promptly flipping off the broom and onto the ground.

     “Holy !” Taemin yelled, running over to where Onew fell. “Are you okay?”

     Onew sat up slowly and, opening his mouth, started to speak. “BLAUGHAUGHHH,” he spluttered, the wind knocked completely out of him.

     “Easy, easy,” Taemin said softly, rubbing Onew’s back and trying desperately to ignore the warm feeling pooling at the bottom of his stomach.

     “Sorry. I think there was a reason that Madame Hooch failed me my first year,” Onew said, blushing slightly and staring up at Taemin. Their eyes met and suddenly Taemin was sure he was completely red for how hot his face felt. Despite this, he couldn’t bring himself to look away.

     “What was I saying?” Taemin asked.

     “Nothing, Taemin,” Onew said, grinning a little. “You were saying nothing.”

 

     “Still saying nothing?” Minho asked, pulling the blanket tighter around Jonghyun’s shoulders as they sat on the balcony of the Astronomy Tower, staring out into the night as a cool breeze brushed past them.

     “It’s pretty!” Jonghyun offered by way of explanation. “I dropped Astronomy after my fourth year, it’s been awhile since I’ve been up here. It looks different when I’m not doing homework.”

     “Thought you might need a change of scenery,” Minho said smiling. “You’ve been in the hospital wing for a few weeks now.”

     “Apparently I’m a slow healer!” Jonghyun said, as proudly as one might say, “I’m good at chess,” or “I’m an honor student.”

     “That’s good to know,” Minho said, staring intently at Jonghyun’s face.

     Jonghyun stared back for a few long moments before breaking eye contact. “Why do you always do that?” he asked, blushing.

     “Do what?”

     “Just, staring at me.”

     “I don’t,” Minho said, confused.

     “You’ve literally been doing it for two weeks!” Jonghyun argued.

     “And...how would you know that? You’ve been asleep most of that time,” Minho said sneakily, staring Jonghyun down.

     “Um...just...hearsay? I think Madame Pomfrey was creepin’...or something. Anyway, not important.”

     “I disagree,” Minho said gently, grinning a little. “Were you perhaps, I don’t know, awake for some of that time?”

     Jonghyun spluttered, grabbing his blanket defensively as his feet dangled frantically over the ledge of the balcony where they sat. “What! No. I...what? No! Of course not. Who’s awake, what is awake even? You’re dumb, shut up. You’re awake. YOU!”

     “That makes no sense,” Minho said quietly.

     “Your face makes no sense,” Jonghyun muttered, staring down at his hands lying folded in his lap.

     Minho reached his hand out to Jonghyun’s cheek and turned his head so they were eye to eye. A heartbeat later, Minho was kissing him.

     ‘Whaaaaat?’ Jonghyun’s brain feebly supplied, though that thought was quickly replaced with, ‘yessss’ as Minho kissed him, again and again, for what felt like eternity…

     (...but was actually just a few minutes.)

     When they finally separated, both a little out of breath and dazed, Jonghyun looked at Minho’s face and said, “Fine, your face makes some sense.”

     “Exactly what I was hoping to hear,” Minho whispered, before leaning in again.

 

     “This is not exactly what I was hoping to hear today,” Key muttered as he directed his Knight to A5. The stone piece moved at his command, the soft scrape of stone lost behind the noise of the school choir which was, inexplicably, practicing in the Great Hall not thirty feet away from where Key and Amber sat, attempting to play wizard chess.

     “Just ignore them,” Amber said, clearly distracted. She absently ordered a Rook into position, and Key claimed it just as quickly.

     “What’s with you today?” Key asked, slightly concerned. Amber had barely said anything since they’d sat down, and seemed to be completely checked out of their conversation.

     “What? Nothing, I’m fine.” Amber kept her stare fixed on the chessboard, though Key had the distinct impression that despite this, Amber’s focus was not on the game.

     “Right,” Key drawled lazily, commanding his Bishop into position to claim Amber’s Queen.

     Amber looked unruffled. “Sorry, weird day,” she muttered as a half-hearted excuse.

     “Wanna share?” Key asked, smiling a little.

     Amber shook her head. “Nah. It’s cool.” She suddenly sat upright, a forced smile on her face. “‘So, big plans this weekend?”

     Key stared at her. “Um...I was planning on doing the same thing I do every weekend…”

     “That being…”

     “Judging first years and attempting to find the secret corridors out of the castle,” Key replied automatically.

     “Right. That sounds….fun. Yep.”

     “What about you?” Key asked absently.

     “Me? What? Um….well, nothing. Nothing special anyway. That is...unless….”

     “Your turn,” Key said, interrupting Amber.

     “Huh? Oh! Right! Sorry. Um...Rook to B6.”

     “I took both of your Rooks,” Key said softly, tone concerned. “You sure you’re okay?”

     “I’m doing nothing!” Amber said. “I mean...nothing this weekend, anyway.”

     “We established that,” Key replied slowly.

     Amber huffed out a breath, clearly frustrated. “Nevermind. Whatever.”

     “Are you...did I do something to make you mad?” Key asked.

     “No! It’s fine. I’m sure exploring the castle all by yourself is going to be incredibly satisfying. Certainly more fun than socializing or doing something different for a change, but whatever. Your call. Hope you don’t get murdered by any errant ghosts, I hear they get hostile when they’re disturbed after long periods of being left alone.”

     “That sounds like garbage,” Key retorted, suddenly irritated. “Where did you even hear that?”

     “Defense Against the Dark Arts class,” Amber shot back, “which you would know if you even paid a little bit of attention.”

     “I pay attention!” Key barked back. The choir suddenly fell silent.

     “Whatever,” Amber hissed, her chair making a loud scraping noise as she pushed it back behind her. “I’m going to the Gryffindor common room.”

     “Have fun,” Key called after her as she stormed off. “I heard the password just changed to ‘buttrocket,’ because you Gryffindors are so high-brow.”

     Amber didn’t dignify that comment with a response; merely shot a glance back at him. Key was surprised to see that she looked more hurt than angry.

     “What the ,” Key muttered to himself.

     “Mr. Kim! Did you just swear? 10 points from Slytherin!” Professor McGonagall said, materializing behind him.

     “Yes ma’am,” Key mumbled, and put his head in his hands.

 

     “Yes ma’am!” Sulli said, saluting to Victoria as she stood from her seat on her single bed in the Ravenclaw dorms, reaching for a bag under her dresser.

     “None of the gross nut-flavored ones. Pure chocolate,” Victoria warned.

     Sulli nodded as she pulled her bag of contraband candy out from under the large wooden chest, handing Victoria a Cadbury bar. “Here,” Sulli said, handing it over.

     Victoria grabbed it and smiled happily, curling her legs under her. “You’re the best, thank you so much!”

     “Hey,” said Padma, coming up the stairs suddenly. “Professor? What are you doing here?”

     “Just doing some regular checks!” Victoria yelled, panicked. “Making sure everything’s in order, you know how it is! Just doing my business. Business things.”

     “She’s eating some chocolate and ing about her job,” Sulli supplied, to which Padma nodded.

     “Got it. Have fun,” she called, grabbing a book from off her desk and heading back downstairs.

     “Ten points to Ravenclaw for honesty, “ Victoria said, shoving a large piece of chocolate into .

     “Much appreciated,” Sulli grinned, sitting back down.

     “So,” Victoria said, turning to face her. “Update me on the list. Who’s new this year...Goyle?”

     “Done. Weirdly hot, totally gross. Required lots of showers,” Sulli said, cringing.

    “Fair enough. Draco?”

     “Done. Too high-maintenance and also, possibly evil?”

     “Definitely evil,” Victoria huffed, laughing. “Who else?”

     “Dean Thomas. So done. Too clingy.”

     “But so handsome,” Victoria said dreamily.

     “Right. Super handsome but just...not worth it.”

     “Is that all for this year?” Victoria asked, surprised. “Slow year for you.”

    “Not entirely,” Sulli said slowly, looking a little sheepish.

     “Who else?” Victoria asked.

     “Cormac McClaggen?”

     “Ew! No!” Victoria said, with feeling.

     “That’s why I didn’t tell anyone! Also, I thought I had a brief thing with Onew.”

     “Isn’t he gay?” Victoria asked.

     “Yep. Hence why it didn’t work out,” Sulli said.

     Victoria stared at her. “You...are either impressive, or impressively insane.”

     “Why can’t I be a little of both?” Sulli said grinning.

     “You’s a boss. . .” Victoria said with feeling, putting down her chocolate to fist bump her favorite student-slash-friend.

     “Damn straight,” Sulli said, bumping her back.

 

     “You know,” Luna said thoughtfully, as she bit into the last bit of pastry. “You may have a point.”

     “Bunch of idiots, the lot of them,” Krystal said, tutting softly. “They should be so lucky to have our help.”

     Luna sighed, brushing crumbs off her lap. “Fine. You win. Let the meddling commence.”

     Krystal’s grin spread slowly and slyly across her face, and suddenly Luna was reminded that she was dating a Slytherin. “We start tomorrow,” Krystal said dramatically.

     (Luna suddenly, and not for the first time, regretted her choice in girlfriends.)

 

     (But whatever. She was super hot.)