The days and nights passed by all too slow, each breath colder than the last. The weather hadn’t let up and Hogwarts was practically buried in snow. Christmas was approaching but the mood of the few students who remained was dampened by the weather. It was too cold, too dark to do anything festive.

But despite the cold, Park Jimin and his heart felt very warm. Amidst the sleepy mood of Hogwarts, he had never felt more alive. He was grinning from ear to ear, humming, and dancing around as he walked through the hallways.

And there was only one reason why: Kang Seulgi.

Gosh, if only everyone knew how much he loved her. He was completely captivated by her the first moment he saw her. He remembered how everyone on the train was fawning over Bae Joohyun, an upperclassman in Hufflepuff, and trying to get a glimpse of her. He tried to do the same as well when he saw her. She was simply dressed, nervousness on her quaint face. He couldn’t stop staring at her. He even told the Sorting Hat to put the two of them in the same house. Of course, it didn’t happen because he was obviously a Slytherin and she a Gryffindor.

It was stereotypical, the fact that he and called her out. It was like he was a child. But during those days, he was just a child. He didn’t know how to cope with what she made him feel. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her. He couldn’t even make her notice him. So, he started to deny his feelings towards her and in effect, he started to be a huge douche to her. It was completely uncalled for but he couldn’t stop. It wasn’t like she was going to pay attention to him if he stopped. Even if it meant knowing that Seulgi loathed him, he was willing to keep the feud alive just to interact with her.

The days were cold but they kept each other warm.

As he walked down the empty hallway, he saw a familiar figure walking towards where he was. She was about to turn to the hallway where he was so she wasn’t able to see him yet. Anticipating her arrival, he ran towards the corner to surprise her. The sound of her footsteps echoed throughout the hall and he counted down as they became louder and she got closer to him.

Just as she reached the corridor, he pulled Seulgi to the corner and pushed her against the wall so that their faces would be inches apart.

“What the hell, Jimin?” she muttered as she hit his chest.

“Did I scare you?” he teased as he smirked.

She rolled his eyes at him. She was obviously flustered by how close they were. To be honest, he was too. Staring into her eyes was completely hypnotizing. Even though he’s done this move a thousand times, it was different with her. Seeing her upclose, the uncertainty in her eyes, the nervousness in her lips… It stirred a feeling in him, something he couldn’t quite pinpoint. He realized that she might not be comfortable with the whole situation so he backed up a bit.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he glanced at the floor as he rubbed his neck. It was a habit of his when he felt bad. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

She cleared . “I-I never said I was uncomfortable,” she whispered as her cheeks reddened.

Jimin smirked at the sight. He put his against the wall, cornering her again. “Are you blushing?”

Seulgi tried so hard to stand her ground against him but he could see how flustered she was. It didn’t help that she was totally obvious when she would glance down to look at his lips. He couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable she was.

“Maybe,” she said as she played coy. “Are you enjoying yourself? Scaring a Gryffindor isn’t something you should be proud of.”

“Really?” he taunted. As he lowered his face, he could see her grow more and more red while he got closer and closer until his lips were only a second away from hers. “Maybe I am enjoying myself.”

Just as the moment felt right and he could see her eyes wanting him to come closer, he pulled away with a smile a continued walking down the hallway. He could feel the surprise and anger that followed from her.

She ran up to him and slapped his arm. “I hate you,” she proclaimed as they walked side to side.

“But you have to admit, you can’t resist my kisses,” he said with a wink. She reddened.

“Tha-That’s not true!” she cried out defensively. He simply shook his head as he laughed. “Hey! It’s not true, Park Jimin! You should stop thinking whatever you’re thinking because you’re wrong.”

She was so flustered with her cheeks puffed out and her eyes b with determination that he couldn’t resist. In all honesty, he had no idea what effect he had on her but the effect she had on him was undeniable. It made his heartbeat dance, twirl, and skip. Butteflies burst everywhere whenever he was with her. For the longest time, he had thought he was over her but he was proved wrong during the night in Hogsmeade.

“Ouch.” He put his hand over his chest in mock hurt. “Sticks and stones, Seul… Sticks and stones… Hey, for what it’s worth, your kisses make me go crazy.”

She got quiet after he said that. He assumed what he said got her more flustered than she already was. They continued to walk down the hallway in silence until she stopped. It took him a while to notice the missing sound of her footsteps. When it finally registered to him, he turned to see her staring at the floor. He walked over to her.

“Hey,” he asked, his voice filled with concern, “what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“It’s just…,” she said. She refused to meet his eyes. “I want to be honest with you.”

His heart dropped with those words. Her tone, her body language… it didn’t spell out as something positive.

“You know if you don’t like me, you can just tell me,” he whispered to her with a comforting smile. It took him all his strength to muster these words out of himself. “I won’t bother you ever again. One word from you and I’ll disappear. For you, anything.”

His words didn’t seem to help her and he could see that she looked more distressed than ever.

“It isn’t that I don’t like you,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’m just not yet sure what my feelings are. I’m not sure if I like you in that way. And I felt bad because you’re so sure with how you feel about me. It just seemed right that you know the truth because I don’t want to hurt you.”

Silence. For a moment, Park Jimin’s mind went blank. Not because he was disappointed or sad but because he was relieved that he still had a chance, no matter how small.

He gave her a comforting smile. “It’s ok to feel unsure about what you feel,” he told her. “You don’t have to be so sure. But, if it’s ok with you, will you allow me to act upon my feelings that I’m sure of? Appropriately, of course.”

She gave him a small nod. He couldn’t help but smile even bigger as he slipped his hand through her fingers and continued to walk around the vast hallways of Hogwarts.

The next few days were painfully comfortable. They were mostly alone together, to be seen by no one but the ghosts. Amidst the sad reality of being without family on Christmas, they kept each other company. They laughed and talked; they danced and sang; they ate and played.

Throughout all the days, Park Jimin held on to the lingering thought that those moments may soon become memories he could only relive in his head. It was torture, knowing what it felt like to be happy with her even if there was a possibility of losing her.

---

It was the last day of the holidays when Park Jimin had his heart first broken.

The sky was blue for the first time in a while. The snow wasn’t as horrible as it was as before. Students were more lively as the depressing weather had gone and the fact that the castle would soon be filled again with their friends. Amidst the cold, everyone’s hearts were warm with excitement and happiness.

Except Park Jimin.

His heart didn’t know what to feel. Not after what Seulgi had told him.

She approached him quietly, her face serious and stoic. When he saw her, he knew what he had been dreading had finally arrived. She had come to her verdict.

He couldn’t bring himself to listen to her words. He didn’t have the strength to.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but I don’t know if this is going to work out. I’m...not sure… I need some time away from you. Let’s just… Let’s just avoid each other for a while. It’s for the best. I’m sorry.”

There were no words to express how much those words hurt him. He had put on a smile for her, to assure her it was ok so she wouldn’t feel bad. But when she left him all alone, his heart gave up its act. It wasn’t ok, at all. He wasn’t ok.

But he was a man of his word and he had promised to stay away from her if she asked him to. So he did.

The first few days were agony. He couldn’t bring himself to tell any of his friends upon their arrival. The effect of his words did not go unnoticed at all by his friends. His Slytherin seniors, Taemin, Yoongi, and Kai, could immediately tell something was wrong. His friends from the other houses could tell something was wrong. But they couldn’t bring themselves to ask for they feared it would hurt him too much to remember what was causing him so much pain.

As weeks started to pass, he became much better. He started to laugh and joke around like he used to. But he never failed to keep a close eye on a certain girl. He watched how she would smile and her eyes would twinkle. He saw how happy she was. And despite the pain he felt from being away from her, he felt happy because she was happy.

“Park Jimin.”

Namjoon approached him one day after his Potions class. It was always nice seeing Namjoon. He was the first person Jimin opened up to about Seulgi. It only felt right, he supposed. Namjoon was always reliable and gave good advice. He knew Seulgi fairly well also because they were fellow prefects.

“Hey Namjoon,” Jimin greeted. “What’s up?” It was only then when he realized the distraught and secretive look on his friend’s face. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?”

Namjoon’s voice was very serious as he whispered. “She needs you.”

Jimin’s heart stopped beating for a moment.

“Who?”

“You know who. Her. She needs you. Right. Now.”

He didn’t need to be told again. “Where is she?”

When Namjoon told him where she was, he ran as fast as he could. The hallways at Hogwarts were always full and busy but he was lean and slim. He slipped past the sea of people and ran. Nothing else seemed to matter. He wanted to go to her, touch her, see her, talk to her. She was the only thing on his mind at that moment.

He found her at the covered bridge. Upon seeing her face in the daylight, he found himself completely stricken breathless. Her effect on him never seemed to cease. He approached her carefully as he was afraid he would mess up this only opportunity that he had.

“Jimin,” she said in a quiet voice.

“Seulgi,” he answered as he walked toward her. “Why did you call me?”

“Because I’m sure of what I feel now,” she told him. “I needed to be away from you for a while because I needed to be sure of what you meant to me. Now, I’m sure. I can finally tell you the truth.”

She paused for a moment of suspense. He probably had such a nervous look on his face that she laughed.

“You’re enjoying this are you?” he asked her as he watched her smile. His heart skipped a beat. “It’s not good to keep a Slytherin in suspense.”

She walked closer to him. “Is that so? I guess you could call this payback for scaring a Gryffindor,” she teased.

He rolled his eyes at her. He knew what she was doing. She enjoyed prolonging the suspense to see the agony on his face to hear the answer.

“Seulgi,” he begged, “I can’t take it anymore. I need to know. It’s been torture without you these past weeks. Please tell me what you need to tell me.”

And so she did. She walked closer to him and grabbed his tie as she brought his face closer to hers. With no hesitation or embarrassment, she brought her lips to his and kissed him. He was shocked at first but after his initial reaction, he found himself moving along to her rhythm. His hands found his way to her waist. Her hands wrapped themselves around his neck. The taste of was so hauntingly sweet and he realized how much he’s missed everything about her. The kiss was apologetic and passionate, sweet but strong. It left them utterly breathless but wanting for more.

“I realized that I like you Park Jimin,” she said. “I’m sorry I made you wait this long.”

“For you, Kang Seulgi, I would wait a million years.”