hello hllo helloooooooooooooo ITS MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

harry potter au im YELLING we need more harry potter au in the world hit me up with some fam i love it

thanks to twitter this fic was nearly titled 'abracadabra ' but as this will be a cute and fluff filled story that is NOT HAPPENING. so like sweet magic it is (ty DIA) 

im slap bang in the middle of exams at the minute so im stressed out of my mind but i just wanted to post something as encouragement to myself and also to apologise for being MIA for so long OOOOOOOOPs

this is completely un-beta-read, and its just a mess of fluff and cuddles and i hope i didnt butcher the au too mcuh?????? who knows????? idk??????? life is a mess tbh 

SO THIS IS PART ONE. theres going to be at least one other part, but depending on how much i drag out this lame story line it could be a three parter im just playing by ear at the minute. so eNJOY! 

ANYWAY I HOPE EVERYONE IS WELL STAY HAPPY STAY HEALTHY I LOVE YOU ALL KEEP GOING IF YOU ARE DOING EXAMS TOO 

keep it cool keep it kaisoo,

mcuh love, TEA<33333

 

 

 

 

 

The library has always been Jongin’s safe place. 

 

It’s the one place he can run to and hide in, amongst the towering shelves of books, where no one will come and find him. 

 

It’s the sort of place he needs at times like these when his heart feels like its about to thud out of his chest and he feels sick to his stomach. 

 

Silent sobs rack his body as he clutches a fusty, old, beaten up and heavily stained Herbology book to his chest. He buries his nose in the dusty pages, trying to hide his face from the group of nosey Ravenclaws sitting studiously together on one of the long oak tables nearby. 

 

If he carries on like this, Jongin’s going to get snot all over the library book but he can’t seem to stop himself. 

 

It’s not his fault he’s terrible at Defence Against the Dark Arts. He really tries his best, truly and honestly does, but there’s something about the subject that just doesn’t work with Jongin’s brain. He’s a Hufflepuff, its in his nature to be kind and caring. He can’t understand how vanquishing beasts is a good thing. They must be nice creatures at heart and it— it just doesn’t seem right. 

 

It also doesn’t help that Jongin is a little bit of a wimp. He hadn’t really been expecting the Boggart to jump out from the storage cupboard, and he’d been even more surprised when his Professor had asked him to ‘sort the problem out’. 

 

It also didn't help that the Boggart had taken the form of Jongin’s old headmistress; a fearsome woman with pinched features and a nasty frown. 

 

Jongin had made a terrible time of his spell casting, and he’d finished up being chased around the classroom by his old headmistress with tears b in his eyes. 

 

After the classroom had been nearly destroyed the Professor had taken over and the Boggart had disappeared with an elegant flick of her wrist. “Perhaps another time Mr Kim.” She had smiled kindly. 

 

Boggarts are easy to deal with, in the grand scheme of themes, so the silly mistake earlier only hurts even more. 

 

Jongin sniffles as another round of tears spring up, his shoulders shaking as he pushes his now slippery glasses up his nose. 

 

Of course, the whole situation is made even worse by that class. Every time he does something wrong, they mention it. While his classmates are usually always really friendly, his Defence class with the Slytherins is full of the worst. The giggles hidden behind hands, the sniggers into shoulders, the hissed words of ‘Mudblood’ dance in his ears. 

 

Jongin forlornly eyes the grimy green stain daubed by cruel hands on the back of his cloak he has lying across his knees. He reaches into one of the pockets and pulls out a bag of Werther’s Originals, trying not to rustle as he unwraps them. 

 

They’re an old muggle sweet, something most of the Slytherins have probably never seen before, and they’re soothing to taste. They remind Jongin of his grandma’s house, of home and of comfort. 

 

He the sweet numbly, letting the sugar wash over his tongue in hopes of replacing the bitter taste of bile. 

 

He hopes the stain on his cloak is fixable. His parents had spent almost all the money they had on buying him all of the things he’d need for his time at Hogwarts. For a muggle family, they’d been loving and accepting and delighted over their son’s skill. The cloak was new at the start of Jongin’s sixth year, so really its only a few months old and it would be a shame to have it ruined. 

 

Before Jongin has any time to start sobbing again, the library door slams open, causing the librarian’s beautiful tawny owl to ruffle his feathers unhappily on his perch. 

 

A fairly small figure glides in, his cloak fluttering behind him. Jongin recognises the head of jet black hair, pale skin and plump red lips even with his vision partly blinded through tears. 

 

The figure marches his way over and Jongin can’t get any words out before gentle but firm hands are cupping his cheeks and at last the person is close enough to come into focus. “Jongin? What the hell happened?” 

 

Jongin opens his mouth but finds his voice is stolen once again by a round of tears, with nothing but weak whimpers tumbling from his lips. 

 

The person makes a small sound and sits down swiftly in the chair next to Jongin, wrapping warm arms around him and pulling him into his chest. 

 

“K-Kyung—s-soo.” Jongin sobs, his hands over his eyes as his body shivers and shakes. Jongin doesn’t like being like this in front of Kyungsoo, even if he is his best friend. Well, maybe Jongin sees him as a little more than his best friend, but officially, they’re best friends. 

 

Kyungsoo squeezes his arms slightly tighter, rubbing a soothing hand over Jongin’s back. “Sh, let it all out, that’s it.” He mumbles. “Hey, what’re you looking at?” He barks all of a sudden, a firm gazed fixed on the Ravenclaws who quickly look away and turn back to their books. 

 

It takes a while for Jongin’s tears to subside, but eventually Kyungsoo manages to soothe him enough to try and make sense of what happened. 

 

“Somi stopped me on her way out of your Defence class. All she said was that something had happened and you’d gone running off in tears. She also said she’d save you some cake in the dorms, but we’ll get to that bit later.” Kyungsoo chuckles, his voice just above a whisper so only Jongin can hear what he’s saying. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” 

 

Jongin nods, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “I just messed up with a Boggart earlier. It’s nothing really but I just… got a bit upset that’s all.” 

 

Kyungsoo hums. “Did the Slytherins say things to you?” He asks, his tone sounding a little harsher. 

 

Jongin thinks for a minute before nodding softly. “Yeah. Er— Mudblood, again. The usual.” 

 

Kyungsoo’s arms tighten. “I’ll ing kill them. God, I hate them all.” 

 

Jongin eyes Kyungsoo’s silver and emerald tie ruefully. “You are one.” He teases, sniffing. Kyungsoo might be his best friend, but he’s still a Slytherin. 

 

Kyungsoo tickles him slightly in the side and grins when Jongin squirms. “Please, I’m a Do. Wizarding heritage back to 245AD. Most of these kids are lucky if they can trace their lineage back to Agrippa’s era. I’m a superior Slytherin at least.” 

 

Jongin thinks quietly for a moment. “Yeah. I suppose so.” 

 

Kyungsoo sighs, settling his palm on the nape of Jongin’s neck. “Shall we go for a rest?” He murmurs softly, frowning as he feels that Jongin is still drawing slightly shuddery, unsettled breaths. 

 

“P-Please.” Jongin says, rubbing an eye with a loosely curled fist. A couple of stray tears slip out but he wipes them away before Kyungsoo can spot them. “I’m tired.” 

 

He suspects the boy might have seen them anyway, but he doesn’t say anything as he takes Jongin’s soiled cloak out of his hands and helps him stand. 

 

With one last pointed look at the observing Ravenclaws (one that whole-heartedly screams ‘Say anything about this and I’ll kill you’) Kyungsoo leads Jongin from the library with the Herbology book tucked under his arm. 

 

 

***

 

 

The dungeon corridor frightens Jongin. 

 

He not so subtly clings to the sleeve of Kyungsoo’s cloak and hopes the Slytherins haven’t played their usual game of lining the passageway with y traps. 

 

The rules regarding common rooms have been relaxed since the olden days, meaning that Jongin is allowed entry to the Slytherin dorms as long as he’s accompanied by a member of the house. 

 

Despite the fact that the majority of Slytherins are more relaxed nowadays, they still hide tricks and traps down the corridor to frighten any visiting guests. 

 

Jongin shrieks softly as Kyungsoo leads him past a glob of black, molten goo stuck to one of the walls. He doesn’t even notice that Kyungsoo has given the password to allow him entry to his dorms until Kyungsoo stands an holds the door open for Jongin to step his way inside. 

 

It’s always warm in the Slytherin dorms, which confuses Jongin to no end because dungeons are supposed to be cold, dark and slimy places. Instead, the common room is made up of roaring fireplaces, plush emerald sofas and elegant drapes in warm, heavy fabrics. 

 

Jongin doesn’t much like the common room in the day time, purely because the drapes are opened and the eerie green light due to the lake gives him the shivers, but when it’s approaching dusk like this and the room is bathed in warm candlelight it’s much more appealing. 

 

The common room is empty, Jongin notes with a relieved smile. 

 

Kyungsoo reappears by his side a few moments later. “I’ve put a slipping spell on the corridor. No one can bother us.” He grins. 

 

“You’re mean.” Jongin yawns sleepily, but he feels a little happier. 

 

He knows his way round the room to find the corridor that leads to Kyungsoo’s bedroom. He pulls the heavy door open and smiles when he sees the familiar intricately carved door at the farthest end. 

 

Jongin almost skips forward, the craving for a warm bed to rest his weary bones in getting stronger, and he runs his finger tips lightly over the neatly painted silver text on the door. Do Kyungsoo. 

 

“You can go in you know.” Kyungsoo laughs. 

 

Jongin blushes and heads inside, inhaling the comforting scent of Kyungsoo’s (rather illicitly acquired) private living space. 

 

“I know, I know, I still have the mini common room.” Kyungsoo says, holding his hands up surrender before Jongin can say anything. “But no one’s told me to get rid of it yet so I’m keeping it.” 

 

Kyungsoo living space is very much like the Slytherin common room but in smaller form. The fire is already burning in the fireplace and there are a couple of green sofas scattered around a card table. The bookshelf on the wall is chaotically overflowing and some of the pieces on Kyungsoo’s chess board appear to be having a wrestling match. He’s not supposed to have his own place like this, but Kyungsoo’s never been one for following rules. As he puts it, he and Jongdae worked hard on perfecting that Undetectable Extension Charm, so they might as well reap the benefits. 

 

“But what happens if you do get caught?” Jongin stresses, pouting. 

 

“If I’m honest Jongin I think most people know by now. If they were going to do anything about it they would have done.” Kyungsoo heads into his bedroom, beckoning Jongin to follow him. He retrieves a comfy sleep shirt for Jongin and tosses it onto his bed. 

 

Plucking a tissue from his desk, Kyungsoo dabs under Jongin’s eyes. “Arms up.” He commands softly. 

 

Jongin’s cheeks heat up. Kyungsoo does this a lot, this babying, but it doesn’t stop him being any less flustered each time. Kyungsoo is your best friend, only your best friend and nothing but your best friend he reminds himself. He picks his arms up and lets Kyungsoo take off his heavy robes, tossing them somewhere in the corner. “Hey, they’ll crinkle.” 

 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes fondly as he pulls the oversized sleep shirt over Jongin’s head, ruffling his hair a little. “Margot will iron them for you.” 

 

Margot is one of the Do family’s house-elves. Specifically, she’s on hand to serve Kyungsoo mostly and she pops up at Hogwarts if she’s needed. Jongin isn’t entirely sure if she’s supposed to show up at school, but she does frequently enough. 

 

“Don’t let her get overworked though,” Jongin worries, wringing his hands slightly. 

 

He knows the Do’s would never mistreat their house-elves, but sometimes the elves can be gluttons for punishing themselves and Jongin wouldn’t want the sweet little elf to go sick. 

 

“Jongin, Margot loves you. She wouldn’t—“ 

 

A sudden burst of smoke appears in the room and Kyungsoo and Jongin are greeted by a tiny bald figure shaking soot out of her ear. “Margot heard young master say her name and so Margot came to see if he requires assistance.” Margot says proudly, grinning a broad, sparsely toothed grin. 

 

Kyungsoo smiles fondly. “Would you mind washing Jongin’s robes for him please? Oh, and there’s a pretty bad potion stain on the back of his cloak. I think it’s herbicide but I'm not sure.” 

 

Margot nods enthusiastically, pulling up the shoulder of her makeshift pillow cover dress. “Of course young master.” She hurries and gathers up the clothes, bundling them tightly in her little arms. Margot is particularly astute for a house-elf, and before she disapparates she peers curiously between Kyungsoo and Jongin. “Is everything alright with young master?” She enquires. 

 

Kyungsoo smiles. “Everything’s fine Margot. Some other members of Slytherin weren’t being very nice to Jongin and they’ve made him a bit upset, that’s all.” 

 

Margot immediately looks outraged. “Margot knows she is not supposed to speak ill of wizards and witches but some of them—“ She shakes her head angrily, her ears flapping. “They shouldn’t treat young master’s sweetheart like that.” 

 

“—Erm, Margot? The clothes? Quickly?” Kyungsoo interjects suddenly. 

 

Margot looks caught for a second, a brief guilty expression flitting across her face. “Of course young master.” She says hurriedly before disappearing into another cloud of smoke. 

 

“Did she just say—“ Jongin begins, looking confusedly at the sooty patch on the floor where Margot had previously stood. 

 

“Huh?” Kyungsoo says, looking flustered again.  “She didn’t say anything.” He turns on his heel to look at some papers scattered on his desk. “I-I’ll let you sort out your bottom half.” 

 

Jongin makes a small noise of understanding as he takes off his heavy, smart trousers. He tugs Kyungsoo’s shirt down a little and breathes in deeply to steady his heart. He reaches out a little unsteadily and grips a handful of Kyungsoo’s bedsheets, still unmade from this morning. 

 

The exhaustion is really starting to make Jongin weary to his bones now, and he pulls the thick, heavy duvet over him with a relieved sigh. Kyungsoo’s bed smells nice, of warmth and of comfort, and Jongin smiles indulgently as his eyelids begin to droop. 

 

Kyungsoo appears beside him in a heartbeat, fussing to make sure the pillows are comfy enough. He tucks Jongin in carefully, brushing his hair out of his eyes. The butterflies set off in Jongin’s stomach again but he ignores them as the bed takes his weight. 

 

“Have a rest now.” Kyungsoo says comfortingly, doing one last check under Jongin’s eyelids for any stray tears. 

 

“Y-you’ll stay won’t you?” Jongin mumbles, already starting to give in to the sand man as warmth cradles his bones. 

 

“Course.” Kyungsoo reassures, giving Jongin’s proffered hand a little squeeze. 

 

Within seconds, Jongin is out cold. 

 

 

 

***

 

 

“Well well well, what do we have here?” A snarky voice nearly makes Kyungsoo jump as his bedroom door opens suddenly. 

 

“For Merlin’s sake, will you BE QUIET!”  Kyungsoo stage whispers at the intruder, his eyes jumping to check Jongin is still sleeping soundly. 

 

Kim Jongdae folds his arms in the doorway and smirks. “Whatever you say.” He whispers teasingly. 

 

“Anyway how the did you get in here? I charmed the door.” 

 

Jongdae gives Kyungsoo a deadpan look. “Kyungsoo, honey, I’m a Ravenclaw. I’m smart.” 

 

Kyungsoo squints at his friend. “Too smart for your own good.” 

 

“Now, now, is that any way to treat a guest?” Jongdae grins smugly, conjuring a glass of what looks like Butterbeer to sip on. He perches himself regally on the long chest at the end of Kyungsoo’s bed. 

 

“Don’t wake him up.” Kyungsoo threatens, turning back to some Runes homework he’s weeks behind on. 

 

Jongdae sniggers, leaning over his shoulder to peer at the dozing Jongin. “I won’t wake up precious, don’t you worry.” He takes another sip of his drink, eyeing Kyungsoo over the top of his tortoiseshell rimmed glasses. “Anyway, I’m here because I have heard some news.” 

 

Kyungsoo sighs. “If it’s about what happened to Jongin earlier, I don’t think I want the details.” 

 

“Oh yeah, there was that too but don’t worry I’m pretty sure Baekhyun had them all hexed to infinity and back again.” 

 

“Baekhyun? As in Gryffindor Baekhyun? I can’t exactly imagine him hexing anyone.” 

 

“Yeah I suppose, but he’s kinda like that when he gets mad. I don’t know. I’m not here to talk about that though, I’m here to talk about the news that I have heard and I am here to get confirmation.” 

 

“Confirmation of what?” 

 

“I have heard, from my many sources, that you will be spending the holiday with Jongin and his family.” Jongdae says, peering closely at Kyungsoo. “True or false?” 

 

Kyungsoo hums lightly. He hadn’t expected word to travel so quickly. “True.” 

 

Jongdae squawks and nearly falls off his seat. 

 

Kyungsoo glares at him and then swiftly checks that Jongin is still snoozing soundly. 

 

“Sorry, sorry.” Jongdae mouths, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Um, so when did this happen then? And why wasn’t I informed immediately? Come on, I want details.” 

 

Kyungsoo gives one last withering look at his homework before he spins on his stool and tries not to laugh at how eagerly Jongdae is perched on the chest with his legs folded. “He said ‘would you like to spend the holiday with me and my parents’ and I said ‘yes that would be very nice thank you Jongin’ and that’s how it happened.” 

 

Jongdae folds his arms and sighs. “I said I wanted details. Details!” 

 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “We were talking about how I’ve never really done the Muggle world. I’ve been about twice in my whole life. So Jongin said well, we’ll be on holiday soon, did I want to stay with him. He asked his parents if it was alright, they said it was, and my parents are off on some weird cruise to meet the Transylvanian vampires so I’d be alone for a couple of weeks anyway. So I’m going to Jongin’s.” 

 

There’s a thoughtful pause as Jongdae takes this all in. “Awwwwww.” He says at last, clasping his hands together under his chin. “Aw that’s adorable.” 

 

“Oh don’t you start.” Kyungsoo chastises, hurriedly turning back to his work just in case his cheeks start to heat up. 

 

“It is though. Oh, my little Kyung out in the big wide Muggle world.” Jongdae teases. “The posh mansion boy gets to see the real world. Seriously though, I’m surprised your parents didn’t take you out more. You’ve visited most of the wizarding world why not Muggle too?” 

 

Kyungsoo shrugs. “They prefer their dragon hunting to Sellfridgeys.” 

 

“SELLFRIDGEYS!!!!” Jongdae hoots. He claps his hands together loudly and peals of laughter tumble from his lips. “Oh, you can tell you’re a pureblood. It’s Selfridges, Soo.” He wipes a tear of mirth from under his eye. 

 

“Oh, whatever.” Kyungsoo grouches moodily. “Anyway, I have work to do, and if you carry on giggling you're going to wake Jongin up. Get out.” He bosses. 

 

Jongdae lets out a little chuckle. “Alright, alright, I’m off to play chess against your chess set. That stupid little white Knight still acts like he’s the best because he beat me last time.” 

 

“And the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that.” Kyungsoo adds helpfully, dipping his quill back into his ink and turning to focus on his work. He seriously has to get this done before his professor kills him. 

 

Jongdae merely hisses as he backs out of the room, and Kyungsoo breathes a sigh of relief as he hears the boy settled down in front of the chess set in the living space. 

 

He makes one last check that Jongin is still safe and comfortable before at last focussing on his work. 

 

 

***

 

 

It’s with a sweet yawn and a smack of his lips that Jongin finally emerges into the land of the living. It takes him a few seconds to adjust to suddenly being awake, and his brain takes a few moments to remember where he is. 

 

It’s the sight of the green drapes of Kyungsoo’s four poster that greet him first, and now Jongin realises why he feels so relaxed. 

 

He rubs his eye with the back of his hand, sitting up unsteadily on sleep weakened arms. The first thing Jongin catches sight of is Kyungsoo at his desk, bent studiously over a text book with the sleeves of his black top pushed up to his elbows. He’s frowning behind his glasses, intently focussed on the page in front of him and suddenly an overwhelming feeling of warmth and safety floods across Jongin’s chest. “Did you do a protection charm?” He asks groggily. 

 

Kyungsoo looks surprised that Jongin is awake, turning to him with a small but breathtaking smile. “Hm?” 

 

Jongin suddenly feels a little flustered. “I-it’s just I feel really comfy and protected, I thought maybe you’d done a protection charm.” 

 

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “As far as I know I haven’t.” He smiles, a bit broader this time. “Jongdae’s in the snug playing against my chess set though so they’re probably playing dirty tactics.” 

 

Jongin laughs a little weakly, suddenly feeling aware of himself. “What time is it by the way?” 

 

“Nearly eight.” Kyungsoo replies, blowing out the candle that was lighting his desk. “I suppose I’d better get you back to your dorm before the teachers start prowling the halls.” 

 

“Aw, I missed dinner.” Jongin looks glum, pouting at Kyungsoo. 

 

Kyungsoo laughs. “Your biggest fan Margot promised she’ll smuggle something into your dorm for you.” He says as Jongin slips his shoes on and a pair of spare tracksuit bottoms just so he’s decent to walk back to his dorm. 

 

In the snug, Jongdae has actually fallen asleep and the chess pieces appear to be having a rowdy celebration on the board. 

 

Kyungsoo smirks, knowing just how annoyed Jongdae will be if he’s been beaten again. 

 

Just as they step out of Kyungsoo’s room, Jongin becomes a little hesitant. “Y-you don’t think that— anyone will— you know.” He fumbles, knotting his hands together. 

 

Kyungsoo slings an arm around Jongin’s waist and squeezes lightly. “The common room is still mostly empty. Slytherins don’t do rules.” He teases. 

 

Jongin feels slightly cheered, but still keeps a soft grip on Kyungsoo’s sleeve as they head out into the common room. 

 

A few people look up as they enter, but generally the people in there are largely unbothered by the entrance. Zhang Yixing is plucking away at a guitar by the fireplace and he grins cheekily and waves as they walk past. 

 

Kyungsoo smirks and rolls his eyes, turning to reassure Jongin with a look that tells him that Yixing is a friend not a foe. The pair became close from years on the Slytherin Quidditch team, but with them both being from old, pureblooded families they’ve moved in the same circles from birth. 

 

He places a steadying hand on the back of Jongin’s shirt as they step out into the dimly lit corridor again. 

 

Jongin shudders almost imperceptibly, but Kyungsoo notices and gives him a little pat as they hurry to get out of the corridor. 

 

Luckily the walk from the dungeons to the corridor that houses the entrance to the Hufflepuff basement is a fairly short one, and Jongin and Kyungsoo reach it easily without being spotted by any lurking teachers. 

 

Kyungsoo delivers Jongin right outside the barrels that mark the entrance to the dorms, and they stop in peaceful silence. 

 

Jongin wants to thank Kyungsoo for today, for looking after him and making sure he was alright.

 

Maybe it’s the light from the flickering torches on the wall, maybe its the scent of freshly baking cookies from the kitchen or maybe it’s just the usual sense of magic in the air, but Jongin feels like planting a kiss on the apple of Kyungsoo’s cheek as well. 

 

They do that in the muggle movies, and it makes Jongin’s insides feel weird. He doesn't realise he’s staring at the shadows from the torchlight brushing across Kyungsoo’s face until Kyungsoo lets out a small laugh. “Are you alright Jongin?” He asks. 

 

Jongin coughs embarrassedly, turning to look at the floor again as he feels his traitorous cheeks begin to flame. “S-sorry I’m just… tired I guess.” He fumbles, waving a hand breezily in the air in an attempt to look nonchalant. 

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Kyungsoo says softly, and when Jongin looks up he finds that Kyungsoo’s cheeks could be a little flushed too, either that or its just a trick of the light. Probably that. “Sleep tight.” Kyungsoo says, his voice just above a murmur and it sends shivers down Jongin’s spine. 

 

“I-I will. I’ll see you in the morning.” Jongin whispers back, his voice too hoarse to produce a sound louder. 

 

Kyungsoo smiles another of his heart stopping smiles before he turns on his heel and begins his walk back down the corridor and suddenly the air seems to clear of a thick tension it had held earlier. 

 

Jongin takes a deep, shaky breath. He turns to tap a familiar tune on the barrels but finds he’s so distracted by Kyungsoo’s retreating figure that he just misses a step and is unceremoniously drenched in vinegar. 

 

***

 

 

Jongin hums fondly to the mandrakes he’s potting up, a cheery smile on his face as the morning sun warms the air in the Herbology greenhouse. 

 

Ever since he discovered he’s a wizard, Jongin’s taken a great interest in W-Pop, the music listened to by the majority of the wizarding world. He’s had a couple of introductions to Wrock bands too, but he finds the loud crashing and imaginative band titles a little too much for his taste. 

 

Currently, he finds that his favourite song is by the hottest new girl band in town, Witch Wonders. It also seems to be one of the few songs that can calm a screaming mandrake to some extent, and Jongin doubts that anything by Harry and the Potters could achieve that. 

 

He’s just finishing his tune when he notes that Professor Longbottom is signalling to the class that everyone’s mandrakes are safely tucked away, and Jongin pulls his bear shaped ear muffs off and lets them hang around his neck. 

 

“Right, I’m glad we’ve got that out of the way.” Professor Longbottom sighs, shaking his head. “Now, you all should have a specimen of a Snargaluff pod in front of you. Please work with your partner, and note down as much information as possible about the structure of the pod, as next week we’ll be learning to actually extract them from the plant! Isn’t that brilliant?!” 

 

“Yes, Mr Longbottom.” Jongin enthuses, pulling on his gloves. 

 

Mr Longbottom smiles at Jongin, his favourite student, happily. “Don’t let me interrupt, do get going!” He encourages. 

 

Fortunately for Jongin, his partner for his Herbology class is Kim Jongdae. 

 

Kyungsoo’s best friend has been as much of a friend to Jongin since he was rescued from an escaped Doxy by the Slytherin and the permed, bespectacled Ravenclaw in their first year. Ever since then, they’ve always stuck together as a slightly mismatched trio. 

 

Of course, Kyungsoo is Jongin’s best friend, but he gets on well with Jongdae even though he knows if Kyungsoo were to be asked he would name Jongdae as his best friend in a heartbeat. He’s always comfortably taken the top spot. 

 

“You’re doing that thing where you’re thinking too hard again.” A voice cuts through Jongin’s thoughts and pulls him from his reverie. 

 

Jongdae smiles amusedly at him, squinting slightly against the bright sunshine. 

 

“O-oh, sorry I just got a bit distracted.” 

 

Jongdae is a thoroughly unbothered person, so he just shrugs and indicates that they should get on with the work. 

 

They work in silence for a while, cutting and examining and taking samples, until Jongin suddenly realises there was something he meant to ask him. “Jongdae?” He enquires, lowering his voice slightly to ensure no one else can hear. 

 

“Yeah?” Jongdae replies, leaning in conspiratorially. 

 

“W-well… you know you’re a half blood…” Jongin immediately begins to lose faith in his question and starts to blush. “D-did you ever have a house elf?” 

 

Jongdae doesn’t look surprised by the question at all, having long since got used to Jongin being curious about wizarding matters. “Yeah, we have one. He’s just an old guy that my mum inherited from her parents but he makes the best y traps I swear.” 

 

“Oh,” Jongin ponders, nonchalantly poking at a bit of green looking slime that’s crawled its way out of the Snargaluff pod. “Do they… refer to your friends as your sweethearts?” 

 

Jongdae nearly drops the scalpel he’s holding. “Erm, no. I mean, Hector isn’t the sort to call anyone a sweetheart but… I’ve never known them do that.” 

 

That deepens Jongin’s confusion. He’s been puzzling ever since yesterday about the fact that Margot referred to him as her master’s sweetheart. He thought maybe it was just a house elf thing but maybe not. 

 

“Well then… w-why would Margot to call me that?” 

 

“Margot? As in Kyungsoo’s Margot?” Jongdae suddenly looks like his forcing down a smile. 

 

“Yeah.” Jongin says a little unsurely. “I just wondered… ‘cause you’re Kyungsoo’s best friend. You’d probably know.” He attempts not to sound bitter. 

 

Jongdae downs his tools and lays a reassuring hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “Trust me Jongin, you are Kyungsoo’s best friend.” 

 

Jongin tries not to look glum, but he might give a little pout. “Everyone knows you are.” 

 

Chuckling, Jongdae looks at the floor. “I’m Kyungsoo’s best friend in a slightly different way to the way you’re Kyungsoo’s best friend.” 

 

Jongin frowns. “W-what do you mean?” 

 

Jongdae pulls out a couple of large plant pots from under a work bench and pushes Jongin down to sit on one, trying not to laugh at how adorably lost he looks. 

 

“Look, Jongin. Think about something. If Kyungsoo found me crying in the library, what do you think he’d do?” 

 

“He’d probably laugh at you… push you off the chair… and then possibly hex you while he’s at it.” 

 

“Exactly.” Jongdae says. “Would he take me to his room and tuck me up in bed? Cast a spell outside the whole dorm so no one else could gain entry? No.” 

 

“I… don’t get it.” 

 

“Oh Jongin… sweet, sweet Jongin. It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that Kyungsoo definitely cares about you a lot.” Jongdae grins. 

 

“I feel like you’re hiding something from me.” He eyes Jongdae suspiciously. 

 

The Ravenclaw merely gives one of his cat-like smiles. “He’s going to be staying with you for the whole holidays coming up. Maybe you could try asking him then.” 

 

Before Jongin can say anything else, Professor Longbottom is telling them that it’s time to start packing things away and heading off for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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also i got an AO3 acc my name is timeforteaaa and im in the process of reposting some stuff (im not gonna post everything there but some of it) so if ya like that then there ya gooooo 

 

also plz dont pester for updates on this i will honestly try my best to write at some stage over the next month or so but im locked in with exams until pretty much July so im sorry if tehres no update please be patient :(((( 

okies i love you bye <3