Kibum fell on his bed. He let his eyes wander around. It felt good to come back here. Everything was so familiar, all was green and silver from the sheets to the curtains. For now, the other beds were empty, he wanted to be alone for a bit so he went into Slytherin common room before the end of the feast, but he knew that soon his roommates would occupy it. Still, it was way better than his home. He thought for a second about his summer. Yeah, he would rather be at Hogwarts than at home. Wiping off those memories, he took a look at his luggage, next to his bed. Maybe he could unpack. But at the same time ha had eaten so much during the feast and this bed was so comfortable, he just needed to close his eyes and he would immediately fall asleep… A tinkling noise made him push away that idea. He stood up, he already knew what this noise was about. He went to his owl's cage, above all his luggage. The owl was biting the iron of the cage, probably craving for freedom.

“Here, calm down Chanel, I'm going to free you.” he softly said as he opened the cage.

She let him pet her for a bit and then fly to the window that he opened. She looked at him, just like she said goodbye, and then left. He watched her until she disappeared and closed the window. Now that he was standing up, the best would be to unpack. Too lazy to do it by himself, he used his magic for most of his books, clothes and some random stuffs, but he delicately took out his jewelry box with his own hands. Kibum always had a thing for jewelry, and mostly for rings. He would buy any ring that caught his eye. It was his most precious belonging. He opened the box and naturally checked if everything was in there. When he was sure of it, he grabbed the last one he had bought, just a few weeks ago while doing his shopping for furniture. It was a very thin ring. Very different from the others that he had, because he always tend to choose massive ones. There was a beautiful green rock on the middle. The rock was not big either but was very shiny, probably worth nothing according to the price he paid for, still, the ring had like an aura, something that made Kibum directly fall for it. He put it on his finger. Pretty. He looked for the best lightning and smiled. Very pretty. Hearing noises coming from the common room, he put his jewelry box in its usual emplacement and then take off his Slytherin robe and his uniform before pulling on his sleeping clothes. He only had to close his eyes, after lying on his bed, and he fall asleep. He had not taken off his ring.

A week passed. It was Kibum sixth year at Hogwarts and even if he could feel the pressure already coming and the classes getting harder, he was not stressed or a bit worried about it. He did not want to sound cocky but he was a good student without doing much. Plus, something else was bothering him way more than classes. Like a little pinch on his finger. It was not constant. Just sometimes, when he was walking in the castle that sensation was coming, either on the right side of his finger or the left one. It took the Slytherin a few days before understanding that it might be not only in his head but that the pain was caused by the ring of his finger. It would be lying to say that he did not panicked a bit, especially, that day when he stopped in the middle of a stair because the ring was hurting him too much and when he discovered that it was impossible for him to take it off. He tried with all his forces, he even used magic but nothing, it did not move at all. He totally froze, realizing that magic objects could be very dangerous and that this ring might be one of these. However, among all his fears and horrible scenarios of the ring eating his finger, his instinct was telling him that maybe, it was not dangerous. The young man looked at the ring.

“Okay let's see what you want.” he said loudly.

He felt the pinch on the left, like the object actually understood what he had say. Confused but trusting his instinct he climbed the last stairs and the left. He walked like that for about fifteen minutes. Following the pinch to direct himself on the caslte's corridors until the pain totally stopped, he was standing up in front of a giant painting, a portrait of a fat lay who was staring at him.

“What's that...” he mumbled, mostly to himself but also to the ring.

The fat lady was still looking at him, he started to feel very embarrassed. Where was he ? He felt like she was hiding something important and that was why she was looking at him like that. The painting suddenly moved, cutting him out of his thoughts, and letting a way into the wall. A young man came out of it, but stopped when he saw Kibum, looking extremely surprised to find him there.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

The Slytherin opened his mouth, searching for a good reason. He hid his hand behind is back mechanically. He had no trouble to figure out who was in front of him, Gyrffindor's quidditch player Kim Jonghyun. A sixth year like him but even if they had shared some classes, Kibum never talked to him.

“I...” he started.

He saw Jonghyun rising one of his eyebrow His stomach was tied and he was also feeling his legs shaking. The Gyrffindor was not really intimidating, he was even shorter than him, and he did not look mean at all, mostly curious. So why did he feel like his tongue was heavier than usual ? Why was it so hard to think correctly suddenly?

“I...” he said again “I got lost.”

Jonghyun looked a bit confused, of course a sixth year Slythering getting lost in the castle was not really credible.

“You know the stairs sometimes they just do whatever they want.” Kibum added with a strange laugh.

He knew he was not convincing at all.

“Oh, okay. But you should leave, there is nothing for you here.”

Thanks Merlin, Jonghyun did not seem to be too curious, or at least, he had the courtesy to keep it to himself. Kibum nodded and articulated a little “goodbye” before leaving. Completely lost, he stared at the ring on his finger while coming back at his common room. No matter how hard he was trying he could not understand why this ring led him to what seemed to be Gryffindor's common room and it was really starting to freak him out. He almost was in the Slytherin dungeon when an idea crossed his head. He knew where he could find help. The young boy turned around, he needed to go to the library.

*

Kim Jonghyun watched the Slytherin leaving and did not move until he was sure he was gone. He frowned. This was strange. He had never seen this guy around Gryffindor's tower before today and he was almost sure that he did not have any friend in his house. Actually he never saw him talking with someone who was not a Slytherin. He got lost? Weird. He shrugged. Maybe it was really it but he could not help but find it very strange. Anyway, it was not his business and he had to go to the library to finish his potion paper. He sighed. He so much at it, he knew he would have to stay there for a long time, but it was really becoming an emergency to finish it. He started to walk. He did not realized that the pinch on his finger, right under that pretty thin ring with a green rock on the middle he had bought, that has been bothering him all day, was gone.