Took the opportunity to be a little bit meta, and also slip in some other characters. I had a lot of fun writing this!

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Minho lounges deep in his bedsheets, deeply unwilling to get up, despite the growing clamor around him.

"Minho, for heaven's sakes, if you don't get up right now, I will murder you." A voice hisses right next to his ear.

He opens one eye, and immediately wishes he hadn't. A very angry Nichkhun was glaring at him just two inches away from his face, and looks ready to explode. In his right hand he is waving Minho's broomstick, and his left hand is raised high up in the air. Before it can land on Minho however, he smartly rolls over to the other side of his bed.

"Nickhun-hyung seriously, the sun is not even up yet! It's a Saturday! I'm allowed to sleep in!" He rubs his eyes blearily. Minho has never been good at waking up early, and the new pressures of school work have made him treasure his sleep even more.

"Not if you want to make Quidditch team, practice is starting in fifteen minutes. And you better because you are our best chance to win this year. Yes, I cannot believe I just said that myself. Don't you dare repeat that to anyone." Nickhun flings the broomstick at him distractedly and starts rummaging around his trunk for his boots, throwing up Minho's well-ordered items haphazardly on the floor.

It is enough to make Minho sit up. "Stop that!" He yells, frantically waving at Nickhun. "You are messing up my things! Ok ok... " He throws up his hands in surrender. "I'll get ready ok. Just, please, leave my things alone."

Nickhun smiles then, an incredibly sweet and angelic smile that makes him look like royalty and not at all like he has been screaming like a demon at Minho the last ten minutes. Not that that isn't true, ironically. Everyone knows Nickhun is from Thailand, but what is also whispered about is that he is actually of royal descent, a secret zealously guarded by the Thai monarchy and the school's teachers, to protect him from enemies jealous of their family's magical longevity. Nickhun's enduring popularity among his classmates is not so much due to his possible blue blood, however, as is his eternally cheerful demeanor with a tendency to casually spew dirty jokes while continuing to look like an innocent choirboy. It does not hurt that he boosts dazzling good looks and stands tall and slim, making him the object of much desire among many female students.

Despite being three years older than Minho, Nickhun took to him from the very start. Minho did not understand it himself, but barely a week after settling in at Hogwarts, Nickhun had purposefully singled him out and taken him under his wing. Minho's natural speed and athleticism, as well as love of Quidditch, have only endeared him further to his senior. Nickhun is a fervent Quidditch player and assistant team captain; his life goal is, as he swears to anyone who is willing to listen, to win the Quidditch Cup at least once in his time at Hogwarts and break Slytherin's stranglehold on it.

Minho sleepily drags on his jersey and heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth. His body groans at the early hours, but he knows he should not complain. The Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, Yunho, is a silent and deeply charismatic captain whom everyone stands in awe of. He rules his team with an iron fist, and expects total discipline from his teammates. Lateness will not be brooked, especially in a rookie like Minho. Hurriedly, he wipes his face, drags on his boots, and runs to Nickhun who is already waiting for him impatiently at the Fat Lady's portrait.

As the two of them run downstairs, Minho cannot help marveling at how seemingly quickly and easily he has slid into Hogwarts life. It has been only a month, but it feels like he has been here forever. His heart swells as he remembers that fateful night of the Sorting, how his heart had beat when it was his turn.

"Well now, what do we have here. Yet another Choi! The younger one, of course"

Minho had stayed silent, mainly in awe and fear, and crossing his fingers as tightly as he could.

"Gryffindor, you are hoping for. But is that the right house for you? Hm, I am not so sure."

Icy cold panic had coursed through Minho. This was the absolute nightmare that had haunted him from the day the owl had appeared at his house. It could not be happening, he could not be not getting into Gryffindor.

The voice was kind. "Don't be so frightened. I am only teasing. There is only one house for you, Minho. I don't even need to spend so much time with you, to be honest. But just... " Was he imagining it? Was there a hint of sadness in the voice..? "You are brave and loyal, true traits of your desired house. But sometimes, that can come at a price. Remember that."

Minho was confused. From all the stories he had heard from his family about the Sorting, he had never heard that this kind of conversation would happen. Timidly, he asked in his mind. "I am sorry, uh, Sir Sorting Hat, I do not understand. Is there something wrong?"

There was a long pause and Minho started to grow fidgety. "Do not mind me, I am old and have seen this happen before, but I always wonder... " The Hat suddenly shouted out loud and Minho jumped violently. "GRYFFINDOR!" Minho had opened his eyes to loud cheering from the Gryffindor table, where his brother was as well, grinning at him and pumping the air in joy. Smiling back, he gingerly lifted the hat from his head and ran over to join the table. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the teachers look at him somewhat strangely, but he quickly pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he started to take part in the celebrations with his fellow Housemates.

"You are late. What do you have to say for yourself?" A deep, quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. Minho jumped and realised that he was standing right in front of an unsmiling Yunho, with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch teammates standing deferentially around him in a half circle. Nickhun was cowering behind Yunho, miming frantically, but rather incomprehensibly to Minho's bewildered eyes.

"Uh, I am very sorry, Captain. I uh, I didn't wake up in time. I am sorry, I mean... " Minho's voice trailed off, knowing there was no other way he would be able to excuse himself. Behind Yunho, Nickhun's gestures were becoming wilder. Minho would roll his eyes at him, if that did not equate to instant death by obliteration by Yunho.

"Sorry will not help you get into this team, will it?" Yunho's eyes bored into Minho. He shivered. "No, Captain, I am very sorry. I'm... I'm not used to the hours yet. I'm sorry. I will work harder. This means a lot to me..."

There was a long chilly pause, which no one dared to interrupt.

"The only reason I am giving you a chance is because I know your brother well, Minho. And that Nickhun tells me you may be able to help us in our search for a Seeker to improve our chances this year. But I do not tolerate lateness, or any other form of ill-discipline. I expect you to remember that."

Minho quavered in his boots. "Yes Captain, I promise! I won't do it again!"

Yunho jerks his head at Nickhun, who immediately grabs hold of Minho and hauls him over to the field to start on his warm-ups. Minho is a little tired of being man-handled at this point, but he submits unprotestingly, given that Yunho's eyes are still on him. "Geez, he is really scary isn't he. They don't call him the King for nothing."

Nickhun chortles as he begins the stretches, together with Woohyun and Hongki, who have joined them. "You call that scary? Dude, he practically showered you with love. You ain't seen nothing yet."

Three hours later, Minho drags his exhausted body to the locker room, audibly as he drags off his boots. Having always excelled at sports, Minho had rather complacently expected himself to be able to measure up to the Quidditch training. What Yunho had put him through this morning, however, was far and beyond anything he had ever experienced. And every single time he managed to complete a set of exercises, Yunho had merely blinked and increased the sets. Minho is convinced that he is a secret sadist and that only the fearsome regime he has instituted has kept the entire team from speaking up so far.

Muttering to himself, he leans his head against the stone wall, too tired to even get himself to the showers. He suddenly felt something deliciously cold against his head.

"Tae!" He opens his eyes, and sees Taemin smiling mischievously at him, holding a butterbeer in his hand.

"You look like you need this Min. That was some tough training."

Minho grabs the drink eagerly, downing half of it in one gulp. "Oh thanks Tae this is a godsend! Did you see us? It was really tough wasn't it. I thought I was going to collapse."

Taemin pats his shoulder comfortingly. "You were good though, you could keep up with them, and this is only your first session. I could tell they were impressed with you."

Minho smiles rather shyly, the angst of the morning dissipating under the sunshine that Taemin always brings with him. "Thank you, Tae. Where were you? I didn't notice you."

Yunho suddenly appears in the doorway, and Minho hurriedly jumps up, despite the loud complaints from his calves. Yunho's eyes flicker when he notices Taemin, who nonchalantly stays seated, but his face remains inscrutable. "Minho, remember to take a shower quickly and change up. You don't want to fall sick with those wet clothes on you." He pauses. "Good job today."

Minho stammers in surprise. "Really? Thank you, Captain. I'm glad you thought so. I will keep working harder." In his mind he half-chastises himself for sounding like an idiot everytime Yunho speaks to him, but Yunho then smiles at him unexpectedly, a gentle smile that makes Minho suddenly feel like he is expanding in its warmth. "Good, I will expect that from you, Minho. Ok, see you at practice tomorrow morning again."

After his shower, by mutual consent, Minho follows Taemin to their favorite spot by the brook, tantalisingly near the Forbidden Forest. Taemin has had a fascination with the Forest from the start, and would almost have ventured into it if Minho had not put his foot down, ignoring all of Taemin's pouts and persuasive arguments. Minho is beginning to realise, behind the pretty, delicate features of his best friend, that quite a daredevil lurks, ready for any form of misadventure anytime. With the rare flash of insight that he gets from time to time, Minho understands the potential trouble this may bring for them in the long term, but he is too fond of his friend at this point to object too seriously to anything Taemin proposes. That is, so long as it does not bring on immediate danger, like walking into the Forbidden Forest.

Today, Taemin seems content to simply bask in the sunlight however, and Minho is happy to do so with him. They chat idly of school work and gossip, but more often than not lapse into a companionable silence that Minho finds comforting. He has made good friends in his one month at Hogwarts, but somehow, no one has managed to replace the first friend he made on the train. Even though they do not see each other as often as he likes, given that Taemin is in a different house, they seem bound by some unspoken bond, with the ability to understand and communicate with each other effortlessly.

Strangely, Taemin does not seem to have become as popular as Minho had expected him to. The golden prettiness of his good looks have failed to attract many female admirers, who tend to grouse instead that he outshines them, and he has a tendency to appear distant, even dreamy, in large crowds. The fact that he is also in Slytherin - Minho thinks unwillingly - may have contributed too. Slytherin is well-known for being unfriendly with outsiders, and the feeling is mutually reciprocated among the other three Houses. Not that Taemin seems to mind. He appears happy with the few people he has become close to, and has not bothered to extend himself further. It is ok, Minho tells himself, he has me, and I will look out for him.

"There you two are. I thought you will be busy with Quidditch practice." Jonghyun strode over and plumped himself next to Minho without warning. Behind him, Kibum gingerly steps over and lays out a piece of quilting on the ground before slowly sinking down.

Taemin smiles without opening his eyes. "Hi Kibum, hi Jonghyun. Is that food?"

Kibum rolls his eyes at the blond boy stretched out in front of him. "That's the only thing you are interested in, aren't you." But he is already opening up the basket he carries with him. "My grandmother sent over some homemade snacks, thought you would like some."

Taemin rolls up excitedly. "Would I ever! Your grandma makes the most awesome stuff." He unabashedly starts digging out his favorite snacks to feast on them. Kibum shakes his head at him but does not stop him, while Jonghyun smiles indulgently. The truth is, they are all prone to spoiling Taemin outrageously. There is something so innocent, so pathetic, to him, in all of his delicate frailty, that they cannot help wanting to reach out and take care of him.

Kibum trains his eyes on Minho, who immediately cheekily rolls his eyes back at him, earning a death glare. "So, how was practice? Are you going to convince King Yunho to make you Seeker after all?"

"Since when did you care? Oh wait... since when you qualified for Gryffindor, House of Smart People right?" Minho sticks his tongue out at Kibum, who looks like he may possibly combust into steam at this point given the look of sheer irritation on his face, while Jonghyun and Taemin simultaneously burst out in laughter.

"See, Kibum, remember my prophetic words on the train! The more you diss them, the more likely you are to join them. Oh my, I still remember your expression when the Sorting Hat shouted Gryffindor for you. I seriously thought I was going to die from the irony of it all." Jonghyun is laughing so hard he is rocking on the ground.

Kibum's face is a deep shade of red. "Well, clearly the Hat didn't bother to listen to any of my suggestions. It was so rude, it didn't even give me five seconds before yelling out Gryffindor. I swear it must be getting senile, given how old it is. Seriously, don't you all think so? Maybe we should petition for a new Sorting Hat!"

Jonghyun shrugs. "Nah, not in the least, I thought it was completely accurate. I got Hufflepuff, and I really love it there. We are all the nicest, most awesome-est people around and everyone adores us because we can do no wrong. And Taemin got Slytherin and Minho for Gryffindor, which were both right too given their families. And then Jinki got Ravenclaw, because he is like super duper smart and the head of our class and all-round teachers' pet. Nothing wrong with any of that, nuh-uh."

Kibum's shoulders slump in defeat. Minho reaches over and pokes him playfully. "Oh come on. I know we're a bunch of loud noisy people, but we have some good sides too don't we? Sehun even let you experiment with his hair the other day."

Kibum blushes the tiniest bit at Minho's good-natured ribbing, before re-assuming his haughty expression. "Oh whatever, my family is spending good money for my education here, so I'm just going to study my hardest and make sure I do well. Who cares whose House it is anyway. You guys can just forget about me contributing to any of your crazy loud sports and games, though. I'm not doing anything that spoils my clothes and my hair, do you have any idea what these cost..."

The other three collectively groan, which ripples into laughter when Taemin starts pelting Kibum with dried leaves and grasses despite his squawks. At this moment, the fifth person in their group pops up. "Hi guys", Jinki said cheerfully. "I knew I would find you here. What's going on?"

Jonghyun, as the natural spokesperson, immediately launches into a funny version of their previous conversation, with Kibum interjecting at every pause. Taemin continues to munch down on the snacks, while Minho lies back down on the ground, using his hands to pillow his head while watching the ongoing scene in front of him with amusement.

It is funny, he thinks, how the five of them had so randomly met and become close friends, despite all being sorted into different houses. There is something about Jinki, he believes, that has helped to mould and pull them together as a group. He had thought, from that very first day, that Jonghyun would be the natural leader, and yet he had, with the other three, found themselves irresistibly gravitating towards Jinki as the undisputed anchor in their little universe. Minho finds it hard to pinpoint what it is. Is it his charming awkwardness and soft smile? Or is it his quirky humor and wit that has left all of them rolling on the ground in laughter at some point or other? There is certainly a certain something, that has allowed Jinki to assert a gentle web of influence over the four of them that they can hardly describe, much less understand.

Beneath all of that gentleness lies a gravity, even sternness, in Jinki's character though, that has drawn respect from all of them as well. This is most apparent in their classes. From day one, Jinki had demonstrated an acute intelligence that overpowered all other students and delighted their teachers. He has been rapidly propelled to head position and also become, albeit unwillingly, the undisputed adored first-year icon of Ravenclaw House. Yet, none of that has gone to his head, he remains as unaffected as ever, and appears just as happy to goof away with friends and classmates alike. Even Slytherins, always a little more malicious, cannot bring themselves to say anything spiteful about him.

Minho sometimes wonders why Jinki seemed so keen to continue staying friends with the rest of them. Let's face it, he thinks ruefully, we are all probably a little below his standards, except maybe for Jonghyun, who has displayed some serious intellect as well and can arguably be considered to be the only serious competitor to Jinki. Yet he happily follows Jinki around as a right-hand lieutenant would, cheerfully and loudly speaking up on all occasions, which is useful since Jinki is generally more silent, but also never fails to obey and enforce Jinki's every command when issued. There is a particular bond between the two of them, the two most mature and intelligent ones of the group, and they would chat deep into the night on topics dear to their heart.

On the other hand, Kibum is overly-screechy, Taemin really needs a nanny more than anything, and Minho... Minho is well, really just average. He is painfully aware he is no scholar and simply scrapes by in class, despite putting in hard work. His teachers are kind on him, appreciating that he is one of the more obedient and trouble-free students, but they clearly do not have high expectations for him.

Yet Taemin happily follows Jinki without question, even if he may throw a few evil fits now and then. Kibum, even more surprisingly, is similarly in Jinki's thrall. This has proven particularly crucial, because Kibum is a real handful and not even Jonghyun is in the mood to take him on at times.

As for Minho, to his endless surprise, Jinki has remained a kind and supportive friend, even to the extent of offering to help him with his studies. He seems happy to hang out with Minho too, despite their significant differences in interests, and has asked Minho more than once to include him in the notorious Gryffindor parties. Minho is always glad to, of course, and finds that once again, Jinki proves to be a darling even in loud social settings (although why would he be surprised at this point? Jinki is Jinki). But he cannot help wondering why.

The sun is beginning to set, and the five of them get ready to make their way back. Jinki falls into step with Minho, leaving the other three to trail behind giggling and whispering on some unknown topic. He smiles warmly at Minho. "How was practice? Everyone is talking about you, you know, even in Ravenclaw."

Minho looks at him in astonishment. "Who, me? Why would they? They wouldn't even know me"

"After that first friendly the first-years had with the second-years the second week of school, and you caught the Snitch with that amazing maneuver. Everyone was saying they had not seen someone move so fast in years, or dare to take such risks. Even the teachers were impressed." Jinki smiles at Minho again, and there is suddenly a fluttering feeling in his chest. "Everyone's just waiting for King Yunho to announce you as Gryffindor's new Seeker now, and for the first match of the season to start."

Minho huffs, and shakes his head. Inwardly he is glowing with the praise, but he is riddled with insecurity as well. He has always been so afraid of not doing well he could not allow himself to feel good about anything. A sudden warm hand on his back rouses his attention. "Hey!" Jinki looks at him earnestly as if understanding exactly what he is going through. "Don't let the pressure get to you, Minho. You are capable of delivering, I know it. But don't let those thoughts in your head overwhelm you." He looks closely into Minho's eyes.

Minho looks back. He realises, afresh, what a beautiful cool grey Jinki's eyes are. Eyes that slant away into slits especially when he is smiling, but now seeming to contain a depth that Minho feels like he can get lost in. All of a sudden, Jinki seems to falter, and looks away. Minho catches his breath and looks away as well, feeling strangely guilty. "I'm sorry." he breathes out, just as Jinki says the same. They look at each other sheepishly, then burst out laughing.

Jinki drags his arm casually along Minho's shoulders. "You have such nice brown eyes, Minho. And a really nice smile. Why aren't your female classmates sending you any love letters yet?"

Minho stutters. "Uh, why would they? I'm not good looking at all. And there are so many others." Mentally, his head races through the bevy of young handsome men in Gryffindor - Chanyeol, Sehun, Woohyun, Nickhun, even Kibum has a sharp, feline-like beauty that is starting to attract some attention. Let's not forget all the hyungs that have commanded the stage all this while. King Yunho has his own fanclub sprawling across all four Houses, while his best friend and Minho's favourite hyung, Changmin, has actually had to get some counseling after some lovesick female classmates tried to dose him with love potions. Not to mention Donghae, Kyuhyun, the list goes on. And that is only Gryffindor for heaven's sake. While he is just the bug-eyed, dark-skinned, all-limbs-and-no-figure Choi Minho. "Why would anyone look at me?"

Jinki comes to a halt in sheer amazement, dragging Minho with him. His eyes rove over Minho, as if in disbelief. He takes a deep breath, smiles, and then shakes his head. "Goodness, Minho. Never mind, I'm not going to spoil it for you. But one day you are going to look in the mirror, and I think you are going to realise something."

Taemin catches up then, and slips his hand easily into Minho's. "Hey, what are you two talking about? Jonghyun wants to catch some bugs and slip them into Baekhyun's bed. He says Baekhyun is driving him crazy in the dorm room because he talks too much. And only Jonghyun is allowed to talk that much in the first place."

Jinki laughs, and shakes his head. His arm falls back from Minho's shoulders, and Minho momentarily regrets it. But Taemin tugs his hand again, so he turns to look at him, and smiles. "Ok, let's do it. He's annoying me in Herbology class too, he talks so much the plants are refusing to bloom. Which bugs should we catch?"

The two of them run into the sunlight, joining Jonghyun and Kibum, who are already digging into the ground. That is, Jonghyun is digging and Kibum is giving him instructions. Jinki stands and watches over them, with the occasional goofy remark. And Minho is content, knowing he is there.