Summer came and went and soon it was Daesung’s 2^nd year. The train ride on the 1^st of September was as exciting as always, and everything was as the four friends liked it; comfortable.

It was the third week of November when Daesung decided that he didn't like Peppermint Humbugs. It wasn't the peppermint, as that wasn't a flavor he particularly detested, and it wasn't even that it was hard-boiled; he just really and sincerely didn't like them. Jiyong immediately decided that this was a tragedy.

"Honestly, how could you dislike them? They're peppermint...humbugs…” He said rather often, and it became his mission to try to force Daesung to like them by practically showering him in them.

 "You do know that they are hard candies, right?" Youngbae asked at lunch one day as he watched Jiyong pelt candies at the back of Daesung’s head.

 "Yes, but they are little, they can't hurt him." He responds, throwing another handful to prove his point. Youngbae just lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head.

Daesung was understandably relieved, and a little sore, by the time winter break was to start. They had already planned out the days that they were going over to each other’s houses, well Youngbae had, and Daesung was hoping for a relaxing and hopefully Peppermint Humbug-free ride to Kings Cross. By the time they had pulled out of Hogsmeade Station, however, Daesung was wishing that there were Peppermint Humbugs flying at his head.

Seunghyun had stolen Youngbae's Diary the day before while they were in the Library. "It's a journal!” Youngbae had shouted as Seunghyun danced away with it held over his head. “I make lists and keep track of things in it." He had said desperately, hoping that Seunghyun would relent and give it back as he was too short to take it from over Seunghyun’s head.

"Yes, yes, it's your terribly manly 'journal'." Seunghyun teased, holding it up even higher when Youngbae tried to jump and reach it.

It really shouldn't have been a big deal because absolutely everyone steals Youngbae's 'manly journal' on occasion; especially if they had an assignment coming due as he keeps all sorts of useful information in it. The problem this time, however, was that Seunghyun refused to give it back, it had been three days by breakfast that morning, and there was apparently something 'super secret' in it.

Seunghyun swears he didn't read it, didn't even open it, and Daesung believes him. Seunghyun doesn't lie to Daesung, and if that had really been the issue than this whole debacle would be over. But it isn't over. Youngbae didn't care that Seunghyun hadn't read it, he just wanted it back. Unfortunately, being the 4-year-old that he secretly was, the simple fact that Youngbae wanted it back so badly made it so that there was basically no way that Seunghyun was going to give it back.

It escalated on the walk down to Hogsmeade station when Seunghyun held the journal too high for Youngbae to reach and started reading it out loud from the very beginning. Jiyong got involved then because, well, he always gets involved; but he took Youngbae's side, which was odder than one would think, and it only served to piss Seunghyun off.

“Why are you on his side!?” Seunghyun asks, slightly taken aback by this turn of events. Just the night before, Jiyong had been helping Seunghyun keep the journal away from Youngbae.

“It’s his private journal! You shouldn’t be reading it out loud for everyone to hear!” Jiyong hisses back at him, sending a fake smile at a small group of 2^nd year girls who were staring at them oddly, which caused them to collapse in a fit of giggles and hurry away. Jiyong rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to Seunghyun.

“What, is there something deeply personal in here that people shouldn’t know? All he does is make lists.” Seunghyun says, obviously trying to defend himself but only managing to make Youngbae frown, his feelings hurt.

It did not seem like it was going to get any better anytime soon, and as they sat in tense silence in a compartment, Daesung desperately wished that the train-ride would end sometime soon. It had only been an hour, but it felt like ten, and the compartment was tense and silent. Youngbae was pretending to sleep propped up between the window and Jiyong, and Jiyong was sitting with his back to Youngbae, cross-legged with a notebook and quill in his lap. Seunghyun was pretending to read a book about Quidditch that Daesung had been reading ("TOP! I was reading that!" "Reading what?"), so Daesung was leaning his back against the window, trying to drown out the silence by humming.

It was another hour before there was any other noise in the compartment (aside from Daesung who had resorted to singing semi-inaudibly to himself). There was a knock on the compartment door and since everyone else was sulking, Daesung got up to open it.

"Oh! Daesung, maybe you can help me?" It was a Slytherin girl from his class. He didn't hang around with the other Slytherins much, but they were all fairly friendly with him.

"Of course!" He says, smiling brightly, "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you knew which compartment Miranda was in, she borrowed a book that I need to get back." The girl made a slightly upset face at the thought of Miranda having her book.

"I don't know, I think they normally sit down near the very front of the train."

"Oh! Thanks, I'll try there!" and with that, she waved and wandered off down the hall.

Daesung turned around to head back to his seat after shutting the door only to be struck by what felt like a piece of hard candy. The surprise hit caused him to falter in his steps, and stop awkwardly in front of the door.

"Who was she?" Seunghyun asks, mouth curving into a smirk.

"A girl in my House..." Daesung answers, confused. He starts back toward his seat only to be hit on the side of the head with another piece of candy.

"And...." Youngbae prompts without even opening his eyes as Daesung sits back down.

"And what?!" Three more pieces hit him.

"Do you like her?" Jiyong asks, his right hand in a bag full of Peppermint Humbugs.

It was a very, very tediously long ride back to Kings Cross Station. The feud between the three was forgotten in light of new things to make fun of Daesung about, and Daesung was starting to wish that they would just go back to not speaking.

"Youngbae can have his journal back if you tell us what her name is." Seunghyun says, pulling the journal out from behind his back and waving it in the air.

"Fine,” Daesung mutters, imagining that telling them her name would end everyone’s torment. “Everyone calls her Lysander.” He says, and Jiyong raises an eyebrow, his mouth falling into a look of disgust.

“That’s unfortunate.” He says, and Youngbae lets out a short laugh before finally opening his eyes.

“Why do they call her that?” He asks, and Daesung lifts his shoulders in a shrug.

“I dunno, they have since first year. She doesn’t like her first name, or something…” He mutter, hoping that they will drop the topic and move on; he didn’t like the gleam in Jiyong’s eyes.

The questions didn’t stop until the teasing took over. It was ten minutes into the teasing that Daesung decided never to ever tell them anything that had to do with girls. Daesung was terribly excited to get into the car with his parents.

***

Seunghyun thought that the Dungeons would be scarier, but as he leaned casually against the slightly damp stone wall outside what he had decided must be the entrance to the Slytherin common room, he realized that he was probably stupid. Just because it was called the dungeons didn't mean there were spiders and dragons.

Seunghyun was waiting for Daesung. He was angry and annoyed and he felt the need to make something up to Daesung. The truth was that he felt guilty; he always ragged on Slytherin and Daesung, always, and he couldn't stop himself but he also didn't think that Daesung knew that he really didn't mean any of it. He didn't know how to tell him that so he was going to force his company on the boy, because he figured that that would make him understand...somehow.

Daesung finally appeared after Seunghyun convinced three girls (3rd years) who had tried to exit that the better option was to turn around and fetch Daesung for him. Confused but smiling brightly, as always, Daesung greeted Seunghyun with a warm hello and asked him why he was there.

"We're going on an adventure" was the surprisingly giddy reply, and with that, he got behind Daesung and pushed him up and away from the Slytherin dorm.

"It's an hour until curfew" Daesung says, as they walk along the entrance hall and head toward the main staircase.

"And...?" Seunghyun says, stopping them at the first landing and looking around, trying to decide which staircase to try, "Have you been on them while they moved before? You have to watch out, there's one somewhere that gets confused if someone is on it, and it just keeps moving back and forth."

Daesung just shakes his head, still smiling, and follows as Seunghyun finally decides on a staircase and heads to the left.

“Why are we doing this?” Daesung asks suddenly, and rather inopportunely, as they were hiding behind a statue of a goblin on the 2^nd floor; the ghosts were apparently enjoying a late-evening float about the corridors.

“Because sometimes hanging around our goody-goody Ravenclaws is tedious and I never do anything with you.” Seunghyun responds, keeping his eyes trained on a small crevice in the statue that he could see through.

“We don’t have to hide, you know, it’s not curfew yet and I know them all.” Daesung says after a few moments of silence, his voice at a normal speaking level and a small smile on his lips.

“Shh!” Seunghyun says, “You’re ruining the atmosphere! This is an adventure so we have to treat it as such!” He whispers fiercely, and Daesung nods, a serious look trying to cover up the smile on his face.

It could definitely be called an adventure. It was an hour and a half after curfew when they finally found themselves back at the main staircase. Daesung was glowing an unearthly blue color around his ears, and Seunghyun had fallen into the swamp in the Charms corridor (twice). They had been chased by three, three different suits of armor. Shouted at and followed by a crazy painting of a dwarf with a purple bonnet, and locked (briefly) in a supply closet inside an abandoned classroom on the 6th floor. Daesung had also managed to gain himself a nickname.

"Well, D-Lite, hopefully they will stop glowing by the time you get to your dorm?" Seunghyun suggests, trying to make the boy feel better about his glowing ears while resisting the urge to laugh.

D-Lite pouts "Don't remind me" he says with a light whine, bringing his hands up to his ears in an effort to conceal them. With a short wave, the boys turned in opposite directions and headed off toward their respective dorms.

***

“How come Seunghyun and I don’t have nicknames.” Jiyong asks, a deep frown etched into his small face. Finals were over and the four boys were lying next to the lake, thrilled by the fact that they finally had a break.

“I don’t know.” Daesung says, trying to blow the hair out of his face so that he could see properly. Seunghyun smiles lightly and reaches forward, brushing the offending strands away from Daesung’s eye.

“Maybe we could call you Venomous Tentacula.” Youngbae says, a teasing smile on his face as Jiyong stiffens.

“No! That’s not nice, Youngbae!” He whines, causing everyone to laugh.

“But it seemed to like you so much!” Seunghyun adds, making Jiyong scowl.

“Alright, so I’m awful at Herbology, we know this, let’s just move on…” He says on a pout and Youngbae laughs lightly, patting his shoulder in comfort.

“Shh, don’t whine, I’m sorry.” He says, and Jiyong allows a small smile to creep onto his face.

“What happened to your last tutor, anyway?” Daesung asks, sitting up to look at him better. “I thought you liked her.”

Jiyong makes a face and makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. “She was fine at first, but she was annoying.” He says, and Youngbae rolls his eyes.

“She’s a perfectly nice person.” He says, “I don’t know what you found annoying about her.” Jiyong just sticks out his tongue.

“Alright, let’s forget that topic.” Seunghyun says, brushing dirt off of one of his hands while speaking.

“Yes, let’s.” Jiyong says before breaking into a smile. “I can’t wait for vacation!” He says, and the others nod in agreement.

Summer, they eagerly waited for it all year, just to wish it were done come less than two weeks in. Their house rotation schedule set, thanks to Youngbae’s obsessive need to have things in order, they were ready for another successfully exciting break.