Whilst a majority of the population must have known of the famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding, only a tiny fraction of that majority may have heard about the infamous Victor's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just like Hogwarts, it catered to the education of young upcoming wizards who dreamt to be just like the heroes of their past, to change the world for the better. Those who went to Victor's would also know about Express 333, the only train which could transport selected and deserving young minds to the school's secluded location, and while the school is known for its notoriety, very few knew where it was. 

 

Apparently, Platform 333 was only adjacent to Platform 9 3/4. Kyungsoo expected it to be hidden, considering the dark history of the school in training inhumanly strong warlocks over the past 300 years. For a long time, Kyungsoo dreamt about going to a wizard school like Hogwarts, to enjoy watching Quidditch with his friends on the weekend, and keep himself busy for the next 8 years of school life because he wanted a reason to remain as far away from home as possible. 

 

It wasn't because his parents were particularly evil in their crude way of raising him, or because they were generally bad in their parenting skills. In fact, his mum was actually quite a loving mother, and his dad had been working hard for the Ministry of Magic for the past 12 years, even before he was born. Kyungsoo just didn't like the feeling of knowing there was a weight of high expectation to carry on the family tradition being pressed down onto him. From the day he started teething, up until his tender age of twelve now, he never failed to notice the twinkle in his parents' eyes when they talked about Lord Voldermort's past and his great legacy in the wizardry world. 

 

"Someday, son...someday, you'll understand what we want." His dad once told him when he was seven.

 

Kyungsoo couldn't understand then, and he still couldn't understand now. What was so great about being bad? 

 

He checked the ticket once more, making sure he was standing on the right platform. From across the same platform, he could still see the happy faces of kids his age boarding the train on Platform 9 3/4. They kissed and hugged their parents goodbye, promising to return home during the next holidays. Kyungsoo stared at his own parents, and deep down inside, he was sad to leave them. They were still his parents, after all.

 

"Go on ahead, son." His dad kindly assured him. "We'll be seeing you for the holidays."

 

"Make sure you eat well, dear." His mum added, eyes b with unshed tears. Kyungsoo hugged them both before lugging his baggage onto the steps. 

 

"Be safe, son. We love you."

 

"Love you too, Dad, Mum."

 

When the train finally left, leaving behind a billow of smoke in its wake, Kyungsoo found an empty compartment where he carefully arranged his baggage in the corner and took the whole length of one seat to rest his legs. It wasn't long before someone entered the compartment, looking a little dazed and confused as he stared at Kyungsoo.

 

Kyungsoo tried his best to glare back. But he wasn't naturally born to be evil or bad in any way, so he reluctantly got up to a sitting position. "Can I help you?"

 

"Is this train going to Hogwarts?"

 

Wow, this kid must have hit his head somewhere. Unless he was blind as a bat or just plain dumb, he couldn't have missed the numerous signage placed around the platform to direct passengers accordingly. "No, this is Express 333. It's going to Victor's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

 

There was a look of sheer horror on the boy's face a second later. "Oh noooo..." The boy took the empty seat opposite Kyungsoo and heaved a deep long sigh as he stared out at the darkness outside. It was close to 8PM by then, and the sun had already set ten minutes ago.

 

" to be you, I guess." Kyungsoo shrugged, feeling bad for the boy.

 

"What kind of school is it? Victor's, I mean."

 

"It's for those who don't have a spark of anything good in them. It's where you'll go if you want to be evil."

 

"Like a criminal?"

 

Kyungsoo's lips did a small tick, as if the boy had just touched on a sensitive subject. In some ways it was true, because Lord Voldermort had killed nearly a third of the wizardry population before he disappeared 300 years back. Yet, criminality was just a label resulting from a difference in the norm in all parts of society. If you're different in ways people couldn't accept or they're just too stubborn to admit it, then it either made you an outcast, or a criminal, though the consequential effects were almost similar anyway. You'd be shunned or hated, but in some instances, there were those who became respected and admired for their originality. Kyungsoo would admit his great-great-great-great uncle was actually more of a criminal than an outcast, but he left behind a legacy which was followed by many generations after his time, a feat not many could achieve. In some ways, Kyungsoo admired Lord Voldermort. 

 

"Yes, like a criminal." Kyungsoo said with a tone of finality, because he was tired from all the waiting at the station since morning, so he'd rather avoid messy arguments for the moment. Anyhow, the boy looked like he was about to cry, so Kyungsoo spared him a moment of sympathy. "Why didn't your parents help you out?"

 

The boy looked at him with teary eyes then and Kyungsoo immediately straightened his body again, alarmed. "Hey hey, please don't cry. Do you want me to make fun of you for the rest of your life? I could, you know. Deep down inside, I'm the most evilest there ever lived."

 

The boy chuckled at his words then, and Kyungsoo's shoulders sagged out of relief. "Is there such a thing as 'evilest'?"

 

"Don't doubt me, human." Kyungsoo huffed.

 

"I'm Jongin by the way. Kim Jongin."

 

"And I'm Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo. Nice to meet you, Jongin." Kyungsoo had his first friend. 

 

___________________________

 

The sorting process happened really fast, apparently. The students were to be sorted into two classes of individuals - the Warlock class, and the Wizard class. While the Warlocks would be able to learn dark magic and all other manners of magic or dueling arts which could help them survive in a war, the Wizards learned the subtle soft magic which could be used to support the Warlocks. Every individual were then assigned to one partner from a different class after being sorted into their respective class for the whole duration of their school life.

 

Kyungsoo was worried that the school administration would send Jongin back to Hogwarts after finding out he came on the wrong train, but much to their astonishment, including Kyungsoo and Jongin himself, the boy actually had a very high percentage of draknec cells in him, a sort of cell which could determine a person's evil-aptitude level. A high level meant he was more prone to commit crimes, than to help an old lady cross the street. Kyungsoo's own draknec level was comparatively lower compared to Jongin's readings, but he was accepted into the school nevertheless, thanks to his family background.

 

There was another surprise that night at the dining hall, after the new students were sorted into their individual class group. Jongin and Kyungsoo were assigned to be partners for the rest of the year, because Jongin had the capabilities and aptitude to be a Warlock, while Kyungsoo became his Wizard. They had to attend classes together on some days, help motivate each other in their studies, perform certain magics together, and basically commit to one another for the rest of the year. Kyungsoo found out that if the bond between partners was strong, they could remain as partners until the end of their school years. He suddenly felt that it wasn't so bad to study in this school.

 

The first time they attended class together, Kyungsoo accidentallly turned Jongin into a pig.

 

It was transfiguration class, and it brought about great deal of laughter and spectacle from the other students and deep humiliation for Kyungsoo as the professor chased the pig around the room. Kyungsoo managed to secure Jongin safely into his arms after it made a quick dash towards him.

 

"Kyungsoo, turn your friend back to normal." Professor Higgs said, panting heavily from all that running. 

 

"Aw, come on, Professor. It's not very evil of him to turn it back to normal now. Let the Warlock be a pig for a while longer." Someone at the back of the class remarked, and the students laughed again.

 

Kyungsoo felt so overwhelmed he immediately ran out of the class then, carrying Jongin in his arms, and a stream of fresh tears lined down his face. Jongin turned him into a puppy that night to punish Kyungsoo, but he couldn't help but coo at the overwhelming cuteness rolling around on his bed. He swore to turn Kyungsoo into a puppy more often after that, but Kyungsoo mastered the transfiguration art faster than Jongin, so on most days, the students sharing the same dorm as them saw more pig than puppy.

 

_____________________

 

The first time they attended a duel class was about one year after they joined the school. Naturally, Jongin was a better fighter than Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo knew more magic and arts compared to Jongin. So they helped each other fight, and most of their fights always caused either one of them to lose one or two articles of clothing. Jongin managed to whisk away Kyungsoo's jeans and boxers at the same time once, and until today, he made fun of his best friend's hairless legs. 

 

"At least I don't leave hair all over the room." Kyungsoo pouted, pinching Jongin's side where it usually tickles. The other boy immediately pushed his hand away out of reflex. 

 

"You have beautiful legs, Kyungsoo." Jongin said in a rather serious tone after that and for a moment, Kyungsoo actually thought he was serious. But then the dumb git bent forward laughing like a maniac and Kyungsoo felt a little insecure about his legs once more. It wasn't his fault for having bare legs. He took after his mum a lot more than his dad.

 

"I hate you, Jongin."

 

"Aww...I love you too." Kyungsoo punched his best friend's shoulder for making fun of him, but he couldn't tell Jongin that he felt something odd beating in his chest. He simply pushed away all these weird thoughts.

 

___________________

 

The first time Kyungsoo got bullied for being too soft was after he turned fifteen ("You can't be evil when you're a tofu. Lord Voldermort would cry out of disappointment if he saw how soft his descendant is."), he didn't tell Jongin. Victor's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was supposed to teach students about the bad side of society, to prepare the students for retaliation and defence when the world becomes a harsh place to live in, to teach them that not all good things in the world could be achieved. Sometimes, evil is necessary. Sometimes, love should be scorned at. In some ways, Kyungsoo felt his chest tightened when he thought about the legacy and tradition his family practiced as world class wizardry criminals, if he set aside his parents.

 

His uncle led a group of rebellious wizards in the South East, cold mercenaries who killed for those who couldn't kill, and indirectly saving thousands of lives despite their cold intentions. Kyungsoo shuddered every time he heard about the death rates tolling up through his uncle's harsh reign, but he always looked forward to Christmas, when his uncle would come home with bags of gifts in his arms, and he'd put them under the tree on the eve of every Christmas night when Kyungsoo was asleep, to fulfil his second life job as Santa.

 

His aunt (on his mum's side) was part of an Order who preached Lord Voldermort's legacy to wizards worldwide. She made it into a religion, though Kyungsoo rarely heard from her for the past few years.  

 

His own parents used to be rebels during their teenage years, and they met when his dad secured a job in the Ministry of Magic while his mum was still studying in Victor. They chanced upon each other under surprisingly normal circumstances, because she was playing Quidditch and fell off her broom one time just as he was secretly watching the practice game during an official Ministry business.

 

They fell in love. Kyungsoo only wished for his life to end up like his parents. It didn't have to be grand. But expectations were always weighing down on him, and he was too soft to speak out his mind. He didn't come back to the dorm after dinner, opting to remain in the library where he sat in silence to think about his goals. He didn't have one, in particular. 

 

Finish school, learn magic, make parents proud. And then what?

 

Even when the grand clock rang three times to indicate midnight, he continued to sit there like a statue, staring at the four dark walls around him and the stacks of books lying around in dust and mote for too long, until intricate strings of spider webs could be seen in the shadow of the candlelight to his left. He hummed to a lullaby his mum used to sing to him when he was young; the days when good and evil never wrecked his nights, and all he could hear was the soothing sound of his mum's voice.

 

In the gap between a deepening day you come slowly
The darkness skims by and wakes me up
And across the open window receding away

Have you, you, you lost your way again
The night air is still cold, get up
So, baby, hold on I’m worried of leaving you alone
I leave the road and follow behind you

 

"Kyungsoo?" 

 

Kyungsoo immediately snapped out of his thoughts, turning his head to find Jongin standing in the shadows, the yellowish hue from the candle only illumminated a part of him, but Kyungsoo could recognize his best friend any time. "Jongin, it's late."

 

"I should be the one telling you that." Jongin stepped forward, sitting down beside Kyungsoo on the floor. "Why aren't you in bed?"

 

"I can't sleep." Kyungsoo simply said, his voice sounding a little clipped because he couldn't tell Jongin about his problems, but the urge to let go of everything was strong. This was Jongin, after all; the boy he met on the train many years ago, the one who became his best friend through thick and thin, the one who has always supported him no matter what, the one who eventually told him he's actually an orphan who's living with his grandma, and the one who made Kyungsoo feel things he shouldn't feel.

 

Love should be scorned at. 
 

"Kyungsoo, what's wrong?" Jongin asked, worried.

 

"Do you like it here, Jongin? Do you enjoy learning magic?"

 

Jongin paused for a second, trying to read Kyungsoo's expression. When it proved impossible to do so, he slowly answered, "Yes, I do," though it didn't sound very convincing. He really did enjoy learning magic here, but it wouldn't be the same without Kyungsoo. "Are you alright, Kyungsoo? Tell me what's wrong."

 

"Jongin, would you believe me if I said... I'm just not good enough at being bad? I don't have the drive or the passion to be the kind of person my family expected of me. If I tell you I wanted to be different, would you believe me?"

 

"Well, the ironic thing is that, you trying to be different from what we are actually makes you normal." Jongin chuckled. When Kyungsoo didn't respond, he became serious once more. "Why are you suddenly telling me this, Kyungsoo? Did something happen?"

 

"I don't know, Jongin. I don't know anymore." Kyungsoo muttered, getting up from the floor. He patted away the dust from his trousers and helped his best friend to get up. "I'm a bit tired right now, so let's just go back to the room. We'll talk again tomorrow."

 

Kyungsoo rushed to class the next day, so Jongin couldn't see him until lunch. They weren't supposed to have class together until fourth period. Since the Fourth Year Warlocks did not have any classes until noon, Jongin decided to practice Quidditch. While he was preparing his playing gear in the locker room - gloves, bat, broom and all that - he heard a couple of voices in the back discussing about something in hushed tones. 

 

At first he ignored the voices, thinking they were just a bunch of rowdy slackers who thought the locker room would be a great place to hang around, until he heard one of them distinctly mentioning Kyungsoo's name, and he immediately froze. 

 

"I can't believe a tofu like him is actually Lord Voldermort's descendant. Yet, he can't even kill a friggin' rabbit. Told Professor Corin it was too cruel to end a creature's life without a reason." The other guys laughed.

 

"Man, I'd feel embarassed if I was his parents. Heck, I bet Lord Voldermort would be rolling around laughing in his coffin right now if he found out about the kid."

 

"He shouldn't be in this school. That other kid he hangs around with - what's his name again? Jongin?"

 

"Yeah, Kim Jongin."

 

"That kid has more balls in him than the Kyungsoo kid. I don't know why Jongin bothers to hang around such a failure."

 

Jongin slammed his locker shut and the voices immediately stopped. He stormed out of the locker room before he might end up wringling their necks. He suddenly felt the need to see Kyungsoo right there and then.

 

When Dark Arts finally ended after the usual dose of drama when one student accidentally casted the Imperius Curse on another student, Kyungsoo tiredly dragged his feet back to the dorm, hoping to sleep off his depressed state. He didn't understand how a person could end up waking up feeling more depressed, but this morning had probably been the gloomiest morning he felt thus far in his life. He couldn't even look at Jongin before running out of the dorm to class.

 

When he got back, Jongin was already there.  "Kyungsoo, we need to talk."

 

"I don't want to talk right now, Jongin. I'm tired." Kyungsoo weakly pushed him aside because the boy was standing between him and his bed.

 

Despite that, Jongin gripped onto his arms steadfastly and made him face each other. "We really need to talk, Soo. Please, I need to know. I need to know if you're---"

 

"Get your hands off me! Why do you have to be so persistent? Stop asking me if I'm alright. Can't you see I'm fine?!" Kyungsoo yelled back, unable to see that he's hurting his best friend. "Just stop caring about me, Jongin. Just stop." He didn't want to understand the hurt he was feeling in his chest when he saw the blank look on Jongin's face, but he knew he had finally done it now ; he finally drove a wedge between him and the one person in his life he couldn't live without. Might as well hammer the final nail in the coffin. "Just leave me alone. I didn't ask for you to be concerned about me."

 

They were quiet for a while; Kyungsoo couldn't even look at his best friend. Jongin spoke out first. "I guess they were wrong, Kyungsoo." He said, a heavy tension in the air. "You are good enough at being bad."

 

After he left the room, Kyungsoo finally broke down crying in the solitude of the quiet atmosphere. He clawed his way up to Jongin's bed and wrapped himself tight in the familiar scent, uncaring about his tears soaking Jongin's pillowcase. When he woke up a few hours later, it was already dark outside, There was only a candle burning near the window, where he could see Jongin sitting on the sill, reading a book Kyungsoo gifted to him a year back for his birthday. It was probably the tenth time he read that book, and he never seemed to get bored of it.

 

Kyungsoo watched him in silence for a while, feeling his heart hammering against his chest, until Jongin tilted his head slightly and noticed he was awake. "Wakey, wakey sunshine." He said in a rather dull tone, while turning a page.

 

"How long have I been asleep?"

 

"A little more than eight hours."

 

Wow.

 

"Thanks for soiling my bedsheet with your tears. Now, if you're done crying, do you want to head down for dinner?"

 

"You're not mad at me?" Kyungsoo asked in a small voice, slowly getting up on the bed. It probably smelled like him now. He silently promised to wash Jongin's bedsheet and pillowcase tomorrow. 

 

"I'm not mad, Soo, but you did hurt my feelings. But I figured I can't ever be mad at you, since you're the only friend I have around here."

 

"Well, that's convenient." Kyungsoo said dryly, swinging his legs off the bed. He didn't bother to fold the blanket, since Jongin would use it later. 

 

"Why couldn't you tell me?" The boy suddenly asked and Kyungsoo stilled. "Kyungsoo, don't you trust me? I thought we told each other everything." 

 

Kyungsoo figured he couldn't lie to Jongin about his insecurity any more. "To be honest, I'm still figuring things out. I never wanted to come here, you know. I never wanted to follow the family tradition. People can say a million things about me to make me believe I'm someone else, but ultimately, its like running in circles. I'd still be thinking about the person I might have been if the circumstances were different; if the options were mine to choose and the decision were mine to make. Right now, I don't know what I want. I just know that I can't be what my parents expected me to be, and it feels like I'm carrying the burden of the world on my shoulders. I feel so miserable, Jongin. I can't even run away from my own demons." 

 

He didn't realize he was crying until Jongin embraced him. "Shhhh there, it's okay, Kyungsoo. It's okay to be insecure about yourself now, because we're all still learning. We're still trying to find out our true selves, to realize what we could do and what we can't. But Soo, just because you're in a school meant for all the bad things you can't be doesn't mean you have to be. It's just a place; a vessel to bring you from one point to another. In the end, the only person who could dictate your life is you. You may have demons haunting you now from all the pressure and expectation boring down on you externally, but internally, I'd hope to be the one to keep your heart at ease. At the very least, you still have full control of your actions, and your actions would someday determine your purpose in life; your dreams and revelations. Cry and scream at me all you want, Soo, but you can't get rid of me so easily. I'm here to make it all better again and kiss your boo-boos away." 

 

"I'm 15, . I don't have boo-boos." Kyungsoo sniffled, smiling anyway. 

 

"I know. But at least I made you smile again." Jongin said proudly. Kyungsoo purposely slapped his forehead. 

 

"Stop being so corny. Anyway, I deserve to the mash potato sauce off your plate."

 

"What?! Hell naw, you brat. My plate, my sauce." They bickered all the way to the dining hall, but Kyungsoo felt a little better by then. 

 

________________________________

 

The first time Kyungsoo got jealous was when they were seventeen, and Jongin liked someone from his Quidditch team. Her name was Miyoung ; fair, beautiful, talented, and blonde. She had an easygoing personality off stage, but during practice or the real game, Kyungsoo admired her sportsmanship. It was also Kyungsoo's fault that Jongin suddenly took an interest in her. 

 

What started out as normal conversation about Quidditch became a conversation about Miyoung and her talent in strategic playing on the field. Jongin was in the same team as her though he never seemed to care about his teammates except when they were playing. He first came to know about her when Kyungsoo said she was pretty good on the field. 

 

"She's two years younger than us too, you know. I think she might end up being captain for the team one day." At that point, Kyungsoo was already a fanatic Quidditch fan, so he knew enough about Quidditch and good strategy playing to know that Miyoung had the goods. Not just looks, but also in physical capabilities. 

 

Jongin had been the team's Chaser for almost three years then, and he still didn't know some of his teammates' names. Some of them were new faces, and faces kept changing each year until Jongin couldn't be bothered anymore. He watched Kyungsoo quietly as the boy continued to rant on animatedly. 

 

At the some point, they must have stopped because Kyungsoo went back to his homework, and Jongin became curious about Miyoung. A month later, Miyoung was joining them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since they were in different years, Miyoung could only see them during breaks or after classes. She started to frequently visit their dorm room after dinner, much to Kyungsoo's chagrin, and sometimes slept over for the night on Jongin's bed, while Jongin took the couch. Their other roommates weren't so bothered by her presence though, so she continued to do the same thing until it became a habit. 

 

Kyungsoo was so annoyed with her once that he actually took his pillow and stalked over to another dorm room with some mutual friends he knew from classes and slept on their couch. They felt sorry for him and tried suggesting a few tricks he could do to get rid of her. Yet he never got around to carry out these bold plans. 

 

"Jongin, we need to talk." Kyungsoo told his best friend one night. 

 

"Can we talk later, Soo? Miyoung's already waiting for me."

 

Kyungsoo quenched down the burning jealousy in his chest and tried to sound casual. "Where are you guys going?" 

 

"She's taking me to this old shack behind the school. Apparently it's where the cool kids hang out if they wish to stay up past the curfew." 

 

"Breaking school rules, huh. Sounds evil." Jongin managed a chuckle.

 

"I would have taken you along but you said you needed to wake up early for Herbology tomorrow. Another time, I guess." 

 

"Yeah, its cool." After Jongin left, Kyungsoo cleverly wrapped a long knitted scarf around his face for disguise and wore shoes with insoles to look taller. He also covered his hair with a cap. It actually made him more suspicious in this getup, but he couldn't risk being recognised if he had to run later. 

 

He followed Jongin from a good distance, vengefully noticing how she tried to link their arms together, but Jongin kept moving them while he talked. 

 

Kyungsoo trudged along stealthily in the dark, following them until they arrived in front of an old shack which looked shabby and dark on the outside. Miyoung knocked on the door, and seconds later, bright neon lights filtered through the open doorway and the couple walked in with a little tug from Miyoung. 

 

Kyungsoo immediately slipped in unseen. He observed the crowd around them, already feeling a little high from the atmosphere. It was also stuffy and the excessive clothing he wore made him feel unbearably hot. 

 

When he finally spotted Miyoung and Jongin sitting at the bar with a huge mug of beer for Jongin and a shot of tequila for the girl, Kyungsoo wedged himself into a corner where he could see Jongin and not be a bother to anyone. He watched the couple as they drank, and soon, they were so close to each other it looked like they were about to kiss. 

 

When Jongin slotted his lips against Miyoung's pink lips and cheap lipstick, Kyungsoo felt his world crumble and his heart stopped beating. What is this? Why am I feeling this way? 

 

His heart made a dive into his stomach and he staggered slightly as he tried to walk away. Someone held him up when he almost tripped over his own feet. "Whoa there, little one. Hey, you look familiar." 

 

"No, I'm not." No one was supposed to recognize him.

 

"Aren't you Lord Voldermort's descendant?" The music suddenly stopped, and everything else just abruptly froze. Kyungsoo could literally see his life flash across his eyes now. He turned to where Jongin was and his best friend looked bewildered to see him there. 

 

To be frank, Kyungsoo felt like crying. He didn't ask for this attention. He didn't ask for his heart to hurt so much. And he didn't think Jongin would just sit there to stare at him while the rest of the continued to do the same. 

 

"I-i'm not." He croaked out weakly, before his feet took charge and he ran out of the shack without looking back; out of their prying eyes and hurtful murmurs, and most importantly, out of Jongin's sight. 

 

When he got back to the dorm, he locked the room door and proceeded to cry on his bed, feeling utterly useless and not at all evil for crying so much. He beat himself for letting his emotions get the best of him each time and when he finally fell asleep, it was already way past midnight. 

 

He woke up to a familiar face in the morning.  "Kyungsoo." Jonginn started, still dressed in last night's outfit. "I'm sorry for not doing anythig to protect you last night." 

 

"I don't need protection, Jongin. I'm seventeen. I can protect myself." 

 

"You ran out though." 

 

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Yes I was a coward, but I didn't really have much to say. What can I do about the blood running through my veins?" 

 

Jongin paused for a second, pursing his lips. "Is there anything I could do to make up for last night?" 

 

"You can bugger off and let me sleep for another two hours. I don't actually have Herbology today."

 

"Huh? So you lied?"

 

"Yes. Apparently I'm evil enough to do that." Kyungsoo rolled to his other side, away from Jongin's bed where he was sitting. 

 

"But why?" 

 

"I didn't want to get in the way between you and Miyoung." Kyungsoo said, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. 

 

"You actually thought we're together?" 

 

"No, I never thought of that, but after last night, I could officially confirmed my suspicion." 

 

"Okay then..." Jongin paused again, trying to understand his best friend here. Kyungsoo didn't sound too ecstatic to hear about Miyoung and him. "Kyungsoo, will you be okay with it?" 

 

Kyungsoo closed his eyes then, feeling the sting in his chest again. It took every ounce of strengh in him to say, "yes, I'm okay with it," an obvious lie he may never be able to take back. 

 

"Are you sure, Soo? Do you perhaps...have feelings for Miyoung too?" 

 

Jongin actually thought his best friend had feelings for the same girl. Hah. What a bunch of bull. "I'll get over it." Lies stacked upon lies, Kyungsoo then came to realize that he was at least good in one thing. 

 

"I'm sorry, Soo. I'll make it up to you, I swear. But I don't want our friendship to change over this." 

 

"Nothing's changed, Jongin. Now, seriously, let me sleep for a couple more hours. I'm still tired." lies, lies, lies, his inner demon told him. 

 

All lies. 

 

____________________________

 

After Jongin and Miyoung officially became a couple , Kyungsoo became the official third wheel in their relationship. He tried to hate Miyoung, but she was just too nice for anyone to hate. He began to hate himself for being so imperfect and for having these stupid childish feelings towards Jongin. 

 

A week later, he told Jongin he was going home for a short holiday, despite having gone home three months back for the Christmas holidays. Jongin looked sad to hear the news, but Kyungsoo had too much angst inside him to care. He packed up a couple of books for him to read on the train, some clothes in case there weren't enough at home, and a few toiletries he might need along the way, like his toothbrush and face wash. 

 

He didn't tell Jongin he was going for a short trip to see his aunt, who was conveniently assigned by the Ministry of Magic to conduct an inspection on Hogwarts for a week. This meant he was able to stay in Hogsmeade for the short period, without being suspected of skipping school. His aunt told him, through his dad's letter, that she wanted someone to accompany her during the inspection. For Kyungsoo, it was a golden ticket to finally see Hogwarts with his own eyes. 

 

So off he went in a jolly good mood, buying up all the snacks he wanted from the Express trolley. He didn't think about Jongin at all for the whole of one week, enjoying himself tremendously. He even made friends with a guy his age who apparently sneaked out from Hogwarts to hang around Hogsmeade, and the guy - Chanyeol, his name was - even showed him the secret tunnel leading directly from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade that he'd use to escape his daily classes.

 

Kyungsoo wanted to walk around the compound of Hogwarts again, this time without his aunt.   

 

Chanyeol brought him to a small hut somewhere beyond Hogwarts' main compound, where he said a giant named Erin lived. He'd only seen a giant about three times for the past five years, and more often than not, he received a couple of blows on his abdomen during the impromptu duel with them. It was mandatory for a Victor to duel a giant by their second year of schooling. Jongin had been marvelous in the fight; Kyungsoo was knocked out within ten seconds into it. 

 

"Erin is a huge fan of snakes, so you might want to keep your distance. He's got this large basilisk hidden away in the woods, where it guards against any trespassers, or students in this case, who dare to enter the woods for fun." Chanyeol warned them, an apologetic look on his face.

 

Kyungsoo liked snakes, and he was also a parseltongue. He didn't think it'd be a problem later.

 

When he entered the hut, he already spotted three snakes hanging from the ceiling beam above. Erin was not a very large giant, because he didn't have to bend when he moved around inside. Kyungsoo had seen giants bigger than a troll. 

 

"This is Kyungsoo, my new friend. He said he came from Victor's."

 

"Ah, a respectable school, if I might say so myself. Just a little tilted on the wrong side of the law. I'm Erin, keeper of the woods and guardian of Hogwarts. Welcome, young one. What brings you here for the holidays?"

 

"My aunt. She's here to inspect the school." Kyungsoo politely answered him

 

When he sat down on one of the armchairs arranged near the kitchen, a large phython hissed at him and he spoke in parseltongue to calm it down.

 

Erin and Chanyeol watched the exchange with mild interest, though Chanyeol took a step back just in case. "I never thought I'd ever meet a parseltongue." Erin said, somehow acknowledging Kyungsoo a lot more now.

 

"It's mandatory to learn the language in school. Some of the students in Victor sometimes keep snakes as their pet."

 

"It's like a school full of Slytherin!" Chanyeol chuckled. 

 

"Something like that, I guess." Kyungsoo didn't know Hogwarts well, but he knew about the house groups. He figured if he was chosen to study in Hogwarts, he might actually be assigned into Slytherin due to his family blood. Otherwise, his personality was more Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff compared to Slytherin. It might actually kill his dad to see his son assigned to Griffyndor.

 

"Cool. I wish you were studying here, Kyungsoo. We could have been best friends." Chanyeol remarked, looking a little sad.

 

"Aren't we already?" Kyungsoo told him, and the latter smiled. If given a chance, he would have wanted to study in Hogwarts, but after being friends with Jongin for five years - despite the slight strain Kyungsoo was feeling at the moment - he would never trade their friendship for anything in the world. "I need to get back soon. Thank you for the time, Mr Erin."

 

"No problem, young Victor. If you have time, you're always allowed to come for a visit. Maybe next time I'll take you to see the dragons."

 

Kyungsoo simply smiled. He knew dragons well enough to have dueled with them during his third year. It almost killed him, and his group partners even betrayed him and left him to die. Despite being the last person to complete the duel assignment, he survived the ordeal. "Sounds fun."

 

Later that night, he received a letter from Jongin's owl.

 

Kyungsoo, I'm at your house right now but your parents told me you never came back. Where are you? I'm very worried right now. Please reply as soon as possible. I'll be waiting for you at the school.

 

Kyungsoo pocketed the letter and wrote back a reply that night.

 

_____________________

 

(Perhaps the owl is one of those things that didn't advance technologically)

 

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