please warn me if you see some error ^.~

"Today we will learn about the potion considered the most powerful that exists."

The dungeon was never the most pleasant nor the preferred place to Hyukjae, but he could tolerate his trips there when he had one of his favorite classes.

"Can anyone tell me which it is?", the teacher asked. Hyukjae raised his hand almost instantly.

"It’s the Amortentia, sir."

The older man looked at him and smiled friendly, nodding in approval. "Exactly. The love potion. And can you tell me which its features are?"

Hyukjae cleared his throat slightly, the answer at the tip of his tongue. "It does not cause a true love. Only a passion or a strong obsession." The man nodded again, walking over to stand behind the table at the center of the room, where a small steaming cauldron stood, and Hyukjae continued. "It has a shiny look and a vapor that rises in spiral. The duration of its effects vary depending on the attraction of who produced it."

Hyukjae watched the mist leaking from the cauldron and scrapping the air in its format when he stopped. The teacher said nothing, and Hyukjae was sure he had forgotten something fundamental in his explanation. He looked at his friend, Sungmin, beside him, wondering if he would know what it was, but seeing him stare back at him looking completely abstracted (Sungmin have never been a big fan of that class, and never bothered to pay much attention too (Hyukjae never understood why. He loved potions)), and however, after the teacher asking a "what else?" for the class, another voice that Hyukjae would recognize anywhere pronounced itself.

"It has an odor that differs depending on the tastes of each person who experiences it."

Hyukjae looked toward Lee Donghae and saw him take a step forward as he spoke, and then, at the same moment that he had caught Hyukjae staring at him, like many other times he looked down sheepishly, and Hyukjae was not so different (just like many other times).

Hyukjae noticed some students whispering to each other as they looked in their direction, and he could not help but blush.

What once was a secret, just over two weeks ago had spread to almost every corner of the castle - ok, not of the castle, but at least to several people of his house, Slytherin - the fact that Hyukjae had a crush on the boy from Gryffindor (Gryffindor students also already knew, how could he forget, ahhh). He had not told everybody, of course not, and Sungmin also ensured that he had kept his mouth shut; but someone, someone surely must have heard some of the outpourings of love from Hyukjae with his friend, because, somehow, when he realized, and according to his colleague Tiffany, the news had already arrived in Donghae’s ears.

And with that, Hyukjae did not know where to put his face since then, and for three days he just wanted to disappear into that castle, because no one is aware of how much he was embarrassed to know that Donghae knew, and during those three days he remained walking with his head bowed and avoiding to look at Donghae when they met occasionally, dodging by any cost to even get in the same room with him when he had the opportunity. Until the next day, when Tiffany came up at dinner time, smiling in a way that Hyukjae almost feared and speaking softly in his ear that "a little birdie told me that Donghae also has a crush on you." He reciprocated the feelings.

And Hyukjae now, when found him, still felt his cheeks burn with shame, just like Donghae felt, but they could raise their sights once or twice when the minimum of courage arose, or daring a bit more, even exchange a lightweight, extremely shy smile, before diverting their eyes again, completely gawky and silly, with hearts racing and pinky faces.

Hyukjae barely heard the teacher talking to him until he had to call him a second time (and realize that he was peeking at Donghae more than normal until he got caught by him again, just for them look away again, embarrassed). Hyukjae felt his face warming, and tried to contain the smile that appeared on his lips before turning his attention to the teacher again, after Sungmin gave him a light slap on his arm, the other students watching him amusedly.

"Sorry, sir?"

"Are you distracted, Hyukjae?", the old man laughed, the students joining him, and Hyukjae smiled embarrassedly, kind of anxious (what always happened when these little "contacts" (it can’t even be called that, come on) occurred with Donghae) before the teacher completed. "I'd ask you to approach the cauldron, and tell me which smells you sense."

"Uh... okay."

He noticed some students eyeing him maliciously toward their giggles, and with a quick glance, he saw Donghae still watching him with that shy expression, however more attentive now, and Hyukjae took a hesitant step ahead of the other, getting in front of the table just at the same time the teacher spoke again: "Donghae, you can come too."

Hyukjae felt his heart almost miss a beat. He could barely lift his eyes to observe Donghae approaching hesitantly, posting himself by his side, far enough so that he could only touch him stretching his arm, but the teacher did not seem to notice, nor would care about the tremendous shyness they felt, and to get even better (or worse), as the man commented that Donghae should get closer to the cauldron, he did not wait to push him a little to the side, causing him to bump lightly on Hyukjae, and for the first time (yeah), they were closer and more nervous than ever.

"Tell me, boys", the professor said. "What do you smell? Hyukjae, you can be the first."

Hyukjae nodded, wrapping his fingers on each other, a little bit agitaded, and trying not to look at Donghae from the corner of his eyes because he felt that Donghae looked at him once in a while too, and focused on the potion in front of him. Gradually, Hyukjae felt the odors arising under his nose, recognizing them immediately, a small smile appearing on his lips almost involuntarily by the pleasant feeling.

"I sense... smell of strawberries. And sea breeze." The teacher agreed, and Hyukjae added: "And also perfume. A p-perfume..." A perfume that he identified more easily than he would like to admit. He felt it not even a minute ago. "U-uh, citric."

Hyukjae couldn’t tell if he was actually smelling the potion or directly the person by his side.

"Reminds me of orange...", he muttered before he could stop himself, his face heating up again, listening well the giggles from the others students and the whispers that some of them exchanged, and Donghae beside him fidgeted slightly in place, embarrassed, the face bowed down. (So ​​cute.)

The teacher motioned for the students to be quiet, turning to them again and then asking: "And what do you sense, Donghae?"

He to