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Backdropped by rolling mountains and blanketed by an eternal sheet of snow sits the small village of Hogsmeade. With its small mom and pop shops and warm atmosphere, Hogsmeade is basically picture perfect, like one of those oil paintings on the front of Christmas greeting cards. The languid pace of the village and the same faces and voices filling the shops and sidewalks has Hogsmeade radiating with the feeling of home.

This particular weekend has the small village buzzing with laughter and chatter as the students of Hogwarts fill the streets. Honeydukes is overflowing at its seams as teenagers stock up for future midnight snacks and quick candy fixes. Zonko’s Joke Shop and the Three Broomsticks is especially loud with seventh years nearing the end of their Hogwarts careers, all of their cares being thrown to the wind as they play with Dungbombs and share a few butterbeers.

But on a side road off High Street, located between J. Pippin’s Potions and Dominic Maestro’s, is Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, the “most romantic cafe in the wizarding world”. Young wizard couples flock to the shop, like honeybees to newly bloomed flowers, where they hold hands over ceramic tea cups and finger sandwiches. Sweet pecks are exchanged across small round tables for two as cherubs sprinkle rose petals over their heads. It’s the place to be if you’re a taken Hogwarts student. And it’s also the place two unlikely fifth years are exiting at this moment.

“Well, that was a bust.” Slytherin Nam Woohyun sighs as he pushes the pink wooden door open and steps out into the street. “They didn’t even show up.”

Gryffindor Lee Howon doesn’t hear him, too busy munching on a cinnamon dusted snickerdoodle. "These are the best. We should have gotten another dozen.”

Woohyun frowns slightly. “I still think the lemon squares were better. They had a certain zest to them, you know? Not sickly sweet like these things,” he says as he grabs a cookie out of the coral takeout bag and tosses it into his mouth.

Howon rolls his eyes and tucks the bag closer to his side. "Okay, now you're just arguing for the sake of arguing because we both know that snickerdoodles are a million times better than lemon squares. Only clumsy pansies who fall off of their brooms during Quidditch matches and drink overly sweetened tea eat lemon squares. Oh. Wait."

“Ooooh, nice one. But I guess that saying ‘You are what you eat’ is pretty accurate here. I’m sweet,” Woohyun makes a V with his hands under his chin. “like my tea, and you’re like the gross muck you call coffee that you drink, bitter.”

The Gryffindor snorts, unamused, and reaches into the bag for another cookie at the exact moment the other boy does the same. Their hands collide between the walls of thin paper, their fingers tangled as they both grasp the last snickerdoodle in the bag.

Howon looks up with set eyes. “Let go.”

“No, you let go,” Woohyun rebuttals back, “I had it first.”

“But these are mine.”

“We bought them together.”

“You just said you don’t even like them.”

“I like them enough to want another one. You already had like ten.”

By this point, the two rival Chasers are standing face to face, chest to chest, hands still buried in the pink, heart clad paper bag.

“I swear I will hex your arm out of its socket if you don’t let go of this cookie,” Howon growls lowly.

The Slytherin smirks and leans his face closer to Howon’s. He’s about to make a snarky comeback when someone clears his throat rather pointedly.

The two boys turn their heads and spring apart when they find five pairs of confused eyes staring at them. The paper bag falls to the cobblestone ground, the last snickerdoodle still inside.

“What are you guys doing?” fifth year Ravenclaw Lee Sungyeol asks. His boyfriend, fourth year Hufflepuff Kim Myungsoo, tips his head in bewilderment from beside him.

The two boys instantly launch into a jumble of incoherent words and motions of denial. “Nothing! What? We weren’t doing anything! No!”
Their friends blink back at them.

Fourth year Gryffindor Lee Sungjong points to the pink painted shop behind them with a raised eyebrow. “Did you two just come out of there?”

More gibberish and denial motions.

“Then what’s with the takeout bag?” Sixth year Hufflepuff Jang Dongwoo eyes the paper bag laying at Woohyun and Howon’s feet.

“People don’t just go into that couple shop for sugar cookies.” Sixth year Slytherin Kim Sunggyu gives them a lazy, knowing smirk.

Howon and Woohyun sputter for a moment, looking at each other, hoping the other will provide some sort of believable explanation. Howon just ends up mumbling, “They’re snickerdoodles.”

“Uh huh.” Sungyeol nods once, looking between the two boys in a way that says he’s having a hard time comprehending the scene in front of him. “Want to explain what you guys were doing in Puddifoot's?”

Woohyun lets out an awkward chuckle and glances at Howon. Howon doesn’t smile back.

“It’s a funny story really,” the Slytherin starts, thinking back to the events of the past couple of weeks.
 
Woohyun strolls into the Ravenclaw common room, an open box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans in his hand. He glances around the navy and silver themed room as he chews on a candy bean. His lips twist into a grimace and it’s not because he got a bean that was one of the more undesirable flavors. He was never a fan of the Ravenclaw common space. It’s too clean, too organized, too quiet. He would probably get scolded if he even dared to walk too loudly, let alone speak. Ravenclaws were always so uptight.

The Slytherin rolls his eyes when he catches a few kids eyeing him from their chairs in the corner of the room.

“Have you seen Sungyeol?” he asks them begrudgingly. He knows they already know who he’s there for.

“He’s in his room,” one girl responds shortly and turns back to the textbook in her lap.

Woohyun nods once and makes his leave without another word, tossing a few more beans into his mouth. He walks up the stairs leading to the boy’s dormitory (the staircase on the left, he reminds himself, don’t want to make that mistake again) and throws open the second door on the right without knocking.

“Did you know they added a mystery flavor?” Woohyun asks upon entering the room, his eyes glued to the back of the jelly bean box, “I can’t decide if it’s supposed to be kimchi or just overly spiced cabbage.”

Sungyeol, kneeling in front of his trunk, glances over his shoulder. “I thought there already was a cabbage flavored one.”

“Oh, you’re right.” The Slytherin frowns and jumps onto Sungyeol’s bed, messing up the nicely made sheets a bit. “Man, then this is the worst kimchi flavored candy in the world. You want some?” He holds out the box.

“Nah, I’m good.” Sungyeol shakes his head and continues to sift around the contents of his trunk before pulling out a small mortar and pestle. “Ah, I found it!”

“You making a potion?” Woohyun asks around a mouth full of beans.

“Yeah, I’m going to study with Myungsoo,” Sungyeol replies as he places the potion making tools in his bag.

A suggestive smirk works its way onto Woohyun’s face. “Oh, studying. I get it.”

“What?”

“You know, studying.” The Slytherin wiggles his eyebrows with a shameless smile.

“Oh god, no!” Sungyeol scoffs and shakes his head. “He’s just helping me prepare for the Potions O.W.L.”

“Oh, ‘prepare’. Is that what kids these days are calling it?”

“Shut up! It’s not like that.” The Ravenclaw grabs a textbook out of his trunk and chucks it at his snickering best friend. “We haven’t even kissed yet,” he adds under his breath.

There’s a clatter of something dropping to the floor and a deafening silence. Sungyeol looks up to see a box of jelly beans laying on the ground, a few scattered across the wooden floor, and Woohyun staring at him, at a loss for words.

“Uh, you’re going to pick those up right?” Sungyeol points to the mess on his dormitory floor.

“What?!” Woohyun cries in outrage instead. “Are you serious?! You two have been together for like months!”

“Two and half weeks,” Sungyeol corrects.

“That’s basically forever!” Woohyun throws his arms in the air and flops onto his back, messing up Sungyeol’s bed even more.

Sungyeol rolls his eyes as he slings his bag over his shoulder before leaving the room.

Woohyun quickly jumps off the bed and follows after him, leaving his box of jelly beans abandoned and long forgotten.

“Well, what’s taking you so long?” he pries. “Just kiss him already.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Yeah it is. You just take his little pretty face between your hands and lay one on him.”

Sungyeol gives him a side eyed glance as they enter the common room. “Uh, yeah. No. That’s not going to happen.”

“For Dumbledore’s sake, Yeol, grow a pair!” Woohyun exclaims and sends a sneer at a few Ravenclaws who shush him.

“Hey, we’re not supposed to use the late Headmaster’s name in vain, you know that. And keep your voice down,” the Ravenclaw adds quietly. “It’s study time.”

“It’s always study time here,” Woohyun mutters before walking over to the group of studying students and knocking a girl’s book out of her hand. He shakes her by the shoulders while yelling, “Stop studying! Go out! Run around, destroy something, break into a professor’s office, prank Filch, do something! You’re going to crack one day at this rate! Save yourself!”

Sungyeol grabs Woohyun by the back of his collar with a sigh, separating him from the shaken girl, and pulls him out of the Common Room. When they step out of the entrance, they find Myungsoo leaning against the stone wall at the top of the spiral staircase.

Sungyeol immediately releases Woohyun and flits over to his boyfriend.

“Were you waiting long?” Sungyeol asks as Woohyun fixes his clothes with a slight frown behind him.

The Hufflepuff shakes his head. “I just got here. I tried to get in, but I couldn’t figure out the riddle. I think the answer was about a Dementor’s Kiss or something.”

Woohyun’s head instantly perks up. “Kiss, you say?”

“We should go!” Sungyeol turns Myungsoo away from the obnoxious Slytherin and begins to usher him down the stairs. “A lot of material to cover, so little time. See ya later.”

“Hey, wait!” Woohyun calls but the two boys have already turned the corner, out of sight.

He slouches his shoulders and glances around with a pout for a few moments before straightening up and patting his pockets.

“My beans!” he exclaims and turns to go back into the Ravenclaw dormitory only to be met with a wooden door and a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle.

“Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?” the knocker asks him.

“Uhhhh,” Woohyun looks around.

Usually, he just follows other Ravenclaws into the dormitory so he’s never actually had to answer an entry riddle before. But there’s no one in sight and he needs those beans. Myungsoo did say that the answer was something about a Dementor’s Kiss and maybe this riddle is just a trick question and has some underlying meaning that only Ravenclaws would know.

“A kiss?” he tries.

“I’m sorry, that’s incorrect. Please wait until another student provides the correct answer before entering.”

“The phoenix!” he tries again.

“I’m sorry --”

“The flame! It’s the flame!”

“I’m sorry, please --”

“Come on! I need those beans!” Woohyun whines, stomping his feet a little.

“I’m sorry, please wait until another student provides the correct answer before entering,” the knocker replies before molding back into its inanimate form.

The Slytherin thumps his head against the door with a huff.
 
Woohyun trudges into the Slytherin common room, head hanging low, shoulders drooping, and hands lacking a box of candy jelly beans. He sighs, mourning the loss of his sweet comrades that lay fallen and abandoned on the cold floor of Sungyeol’s dormitory. He stops in the middle of the room when he notices a figure sitting in his armchair in front of the fire. (Well, it’s not technically his armchair, but he has had eternal dibs on the spot since first year, so it basically is.)

“Ew, what are you doing here?”

Howon looks over his shoulder and sees the Slytherin staring at him with a disgusted expression. He promptly rolls his eyes and stands.

“Sunggyu is letting me borrow a book he used to study for his Care of Magical Creatures O.W.L.” Howon responds, crossing his arms over his chest.

Woohyun scoffs and he flops onto the black leather couch. “‘Studying.'” He makes mocking air quotes around the word.

The space between the Gryffindor’s eyebrows creases and his lips dip into a frown as he stares at the boy laying in front of him. He opens his mouth to comment but Sunggyu walks into the room.

“Here you go.” The sixth year hands Howon a brown, leather bounded notebook. “Sorry it took so long, my roommates made our room into a dragon pen.”

“No problem. I just had to engage in a pointless conversation with Nam,” Howon mumbles as he opens the cover, ignoring the indignant “Hey!” from the younger Slytherin. His eyebrows shoot up his forehead. “‘A ‘Knarl’y Guide to Magical Creatures by Jang Dongwoo’? Clever.”

Sunggyu sighs, partially embarrassed. “He was really proud of the title.”

Howon thumbs through the pages. “And this is going to help me get an O?”

“It should unless Hagrid changed the requirements. Everything’s in there. Unicorn diets, how to identify Knarls of course, even a small comic about a Fire Crab named Nugget.” Sunggyu smiles a little to himself. “It’s actually kinda cute.”

“This is amazing.” The Gryffindor mumbles as he skims over the handdrawn charts, diagrams, and notes. “Care of Magical Creatures is my worst subject. Dongwoo is seriously going to save me. I could kiss him right now.”

Woohyun sits up abruptly and his head snaps towards the two other boys. “Kiss, you say?”

“It’s a figure of speech.” Howon responds, noting the slight glare that Sunggyu is sending out him of the corner of his eye. “I’m not actually going to kiss Dongwoo.”

“Do you know who also is not actually going to kiss anyone? Sungyeol and Myungsoo.” Woohyun answers his own question before either Sunggyu or Howon even get a chance to guess.

“Okay and your point is?” Sunggyu drawls out boredly.

“They’re been together for like, ever! It’s frustrating! Can you believe they haven’t kissed yet?”

“Well, of course they haven’t.” Howon chuckles, shaking his head as he continues to look through the notebook in his hands. “Sungyeol is one of the parties in the relationship, after all.”

Woohyun narrows his eye and stands up from the couch. He makes his way over to the snarky Gryffindor. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Howon snaps the book shut and tucks it under his arm. “It means that Sungyeol is so socially dense that he wouldn’t kiss Myungsoo even if he had a flashing marquee over his head that said ‘Sungyeol please kiss me!!!’ If anyone is going to kiss anyone, it’s going to be Myungsoo.”

“Myungsoo?” Woohyun laughs once without any trace of humor. “No way! He’s such an awkward little turtle that he would never make the first move. Sungyeol’s the one who asked him out, Sungyeol’s going to be the one to kiss him first.”

“Please. He only had the guts to ask Myungsoo out because he drugged out on the Draught of Peace. I still say it’s going to be Myungsoo,” Howon states with an air of confidence.

“Well, I say it’s going to be Sungyeol,” Woohyun challenges back.

“And, I really don’t care,” Sunggyu cuts in with a roll of his eyes before turning to Howon. “Just get that book back to me when you’re done and try not to damage it. Dongwoo just might cry if one of the pages gets lost and I don’t want to deal with that.”

The Gryffindor doesn’t look away from Woohyun and nods once. “Yeah, of course.”

The two continue to glare at each other as Sunggyu retreats back to his room, the elder shaking his head and mumbling something along the lines of “They’re so perfect for each other” under his breath. But the comment goes unheard by the two fifth years.

“Do I sense a bet, Lee?” Woohyun challenges with narrowed eyes.

“I think so, Nam.”

“You say Myungsoo, I say Sungyeol. Let the bolder boyfriend win. But we both know whose friend that’s going to be.”

Woohyun holds out a hand with a cocky smirk. His face twists in pain when Howon grips it a little too tightly.

“Yeah. Mine.” The Gryffindor smiles cheekily and releases Woohyun’s hand before sauntering out of the Slytherin dungeon, holding his head high.

Woohyun watches him leave with a frown as he cradles his hand to his chest. Not only is his hand now missing a box of Burt’s Beans, but it hurts too.
 

Upon entering the Great Hall for lunch the following day, Woohyun notices something a bit off about the place his friends are sitting at. No, it’s not that they’re sitting in a different location. It’s still at the same table, the second row from the right. It’s still Ravenclaw’s usual table during feasts and is located halfway between the entrance and the professors’ table at the head of the room. And no, they’re not sitting in different positions. Dongwoo and Sunggyu are sitting on the left bench with Sungyeol and Myungsoo across from them. His spot across Sungyeol is vacant. Everything is the same as it was the day before and the day before that.

But it’s only when he walks closer and peers over the top on Myungsoo’s head does he realize why their table suddenly seems so crowded.

“Oh, my god!” Woohyun cries dramatically when his eyes land on Howon. “Why are you always showing up in my life when you’re not wanted? I did not use an accio charm on you. Go away!”

Howon scoffs and takes another bit of his ham sandwich. “Please, I wouldn’t even go to you on command if you used a cruciatus curse. And if you’re too thick to realize, which you are, I often eat lunch with my best friend.” He points to the fourth year Hufflepuff sitting next to him (who is trying to sneakily steal a tater tot off of Sungyeol’s plate. He fails. But the smile he gives to the Ravenclaw is so heart meltingly adorable that Sungyeol ends up letting him have it anyway).

Sungjong raises his head, eyes boring into Howon’s across the table in a way that would make even the darkest wizard cringe.

“One of my best friends,” Howon corrects quickly.

The younger Gryffindor nods in approval and goes back to his lunch.

“Sit down, Woohyun, you’re making a scene,” Sunggyu orders.

Woohyun’s bottom lip juts out and he sends a sharp glare at Howon as he drops into the empty seat across from Sungyeol. He pointedly grabs a turkey sandwich because everyone knows that turkey is better than ham and he’s better than Howon so it’s just right this way.

“So the last Quidditch game of the year is coming up,” Myungsoo says casually.

“Yup,” the youngest of the bunch nods. “Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw and we have to win.” Sungjong turns to Sungyeol and gives him a menacing glare. “I will personally beat you guys into the grass if it means getting that trophy.”

“Hey, easy.” Sungyeol holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I don’t even play for my house. I could honestly care less who wins.”

Everyone flinches when Woohyun slams his hands down on the table and jumps onto his feet.

“How can you say that? It’s the Inter-House Quidditch Cup! It’s basically just as valuable as the House Cup!”

“I don’t think so.” Sungyeol shakes his head slowly.

“It stands for pride and glory and honor!” The Slytherin plows on. “Generations and generations of Quidditch players, including the best in the world even, have held that cup while they were at Hogwarts. And you don’t care?!”

“Well, I don’t play Quidditch so --”

“You don’t deserve it.” Woohyun sneers and Sungyeol rolls his eyes.

“At least his house is still in the running for the Cup.” Dongwoo pouts with a sigh and lays his head down on the dining table. “Our house doesn’t even have a chance anymore.”

Howon’s lips slowly form into a smirk. “Yeah, you could say that their chances of winning it still haven’t …” He throws a side-eyed glance at Woohyun. “fallen through their fingertips.”

A scowl molds onto Woohyun's face as Howon and Sungjong bump fists across the table. Myungsoo presses his hand to his mouth and Sungyeol bites down on his lip to hide his smile. Even Sunggyu snorts in amusement.

"Wait, I missed the joke." Dongwoo lifts his head and glances around in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." Howon waves a hand. "Just Woohyun's ego taking a bit of a ... plummet."

Woohyun's scowl deepens as the table explodes with snickers and "Good one"s. He rips a piece of bread off the top slice of his sandwich and throws it as hard as he can at Howon’s face. But his aim ends up being a bit off (which is ironic because he’s a Chaser) and the small piece of white bread ends up hitting the unsuspecting fourth year sitting at Howon’s side.

“Ow!” Myungsoo yells as he clutches his eye.

Sungyeol shoots Woohyun a displeased look. “What the hell was that for?”

“Sorry, sorry!” The Slytherin holds his hands up in surrender as he sits back down. “I was aiming at the evil gnome sitting next to him!”

Howon scoffs. “You’re shorter than me, you know?”

“Well, you’re uglier!” Woohyun huffs.

“Well, you’re --”

But the Gryffindor’s words die and the bickering comes to halt when the two boys notice Sungyeol leaning his head towards Myungsoo’s. The bet suddenly pops into their minds.

“Are you okay?” the Ravenclaw asks in a quiet voice. “Stop scratching it. Let me see.”

Sungyeol gently removes Myungsoo’s hand and dips his head so he can look into the younger’s reddening eye. From certain angles, it looks like the two are sharing a rather intimate moment.

Sunggyu, Dongwoo, and Sungjong stare at Woohyun and Hoya in confusion as the two rivals watch the couple with an unnerving about of intensity.

“I don’t see anything.” Sungyeol shakes his head.

“It hurts.” Myungsoo’s voice has a tinge of a whine in it, making him sound like a little kid.

“Maybe you should kiss it better, Yeol,” Woohyun offers with an eager smile.

“No!” Howon immediately interjects, “Myungsoo could get a stye or something. Don’t do that.”

“What? What are you guys talking about?” Sungyeol glances between Howon and Woohyun as Myungsoo continues to rub at his assaulted eye. “And why are you looking at us like that?”

“Oh nothing.” The Gryffindor shakes his head and quickly looks down at his plate.

“Yeah just, you know, admiring how cute Hogwarts’ newest ‘it’ couple is.” Woohyun laughs awkwardly. He gently pushes Sungyeol’s shoulder in an attempt to get the Ravenclaw to laugh, or chuckle, or at least stop staring at him in the way that he is.

Sungyeol’s expression doesn’t waver. “Well, stop it. You’re weirding me out more than when Trelawny has one of her episodes,” he says, giving both Woohyun and Howon another look before turning back to Myungsoo again.

“Those scare me,” Dongwoo mumbles meekly. “She once told me I was going to get eaten by a troll.”

Sunggyu gives him a sympathetic smile and pats the sixth year’s head. Sungjong rolls his eyes muttering “Why am I friends with such weirdos?” as he finishes his lunch.
           

When it comes to Saturdays, Woohyun usually spends his afternoons doing one of the following three things: napping, secretly watching Muggle TV drama in his dormitory, or tricking the kitchen house elves into making him an endless ice cream sundae. But this particular Saturday has Woohyun pressed up against the trunk of the Whomping Willow and constantly reminding himself not to make any sudden movements so the ancient tree doesn’t throw him thirty feet in the air as he spies on a certain Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff couple.

He’s been pressed up against the god forsaken tree for almost half an hour and the only things remotely close to kissing that either boy has done are Myungsoo subconsciously pouting as he twirls a dandelion between his fingers and Sungyeol pursing his lips as his eyes skim over the pages of the book in his lap. Woohyun is on the verge of an actual mental breakdown because they’re not even talking and even he and Sunggyu at least hold conversations when they’re together. But banging his head against the Willow’s trunk might result in him getting assaulted by thorny branches and he really doesn’t have the time to take splinters out of his (and he’s not really sure how he would on his own anyway).

“What are you doing?” a voice asks from behind him.

Woohyun jumps and whirls around. He leans back against the tree trunk with his hand pressed against his chest and eyes closed, taking deep breaths.

Howon stands a few feet away from him, his usual judgemental expression plastered across his face.

After Woohyun manages to restart his heart, he straightens himself and clears his throat. “Nothing of importance to you.”

“Are you spying on them?” Howon glances at the couple sitting further down the grassy hill towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

“No, I am observing. And if you’re going to stay, keep it down, would you? They might hear us.”

Howon moves a little closer and presses a palm against the Willow’s trunk as he stares up at the branches. “How are you hiding behind this thing without it attacking you?”

“Trees like trees?” Woohyun bites back sarcastically before rolling his eyes. “I used an immobulus spell, duh. But I don’t know how long it will last so unless you want splinters where the sun don’t shine, try not to move around too much.”

Howon shifts closer to the base of the tree and crouches next to Woohyun, nudging the Slytherin boy with his shoulder a little harsher than necessary. He struggles to crane his neck around the side of the trunk.

“I can’t see around this dumb tree,” he mutters.

Just as the statement leaves the Gryffindor’s mouth, a single branch from the Whomping Willow swings out, whacking his head.

“Ow!” Howon hisses, rubbing the back of his head as Woohyun laughs at his misfortune.

“Talk , get hit.” Woohyun shrugs, “Or, I guess whomped in this case.”

Another small branch whacks Howon again.

“Ow! Stop it!” The Gryffindor glares up at the slightly swaying tree.

“It seems that the Willow obviously doesn’t want you here. So maybe you should make like a tree … and leave.” The Slytherin smiles cheekily, shoulder shaking slightly as he silently chuckles at his own joke.

Howon merely rolls his eyes. “Who told you that one, Professor Sprout?”

“Ha ha. Clever.”

“Better than your lame leaf pun.”

“Hey! That leaf pun was really well timed, you have to --”

But Woohyun’s words are cut off when Howon suddenly slaps a hand over his mouth.

“Oh my god, shut up! Look!” Howon points in the direction of the couple they are supposed to be spying on.

Woohyun doesn’t even bother to remove Howon’s hand from his mouth as the two fifth years watch Myungsoo and Sungyeol in an anxious silence, straining their ears to hear the couple’s conversation.

“Hey, come here for a second.” Myungsoo motions Sungyeol towards him.

Sungyeol looks up at Myungsoo and gives him a questioning look. He slowly closes his book and leans a little towards the fourth year.

The younger continues to make a come-here motion with his hand. “Closer.”

Sungyeol leans a little closer.

“Closer!” Myungsoo giggles and motions harder.

Sungyeol’s gaze darts to their surroundings and he nervously swallows before bringing their faces a few inches apart.

“Now close your eyes.” Myungsoo orders.

The Ravenclaw’s eyes visibly widen for a second but he complies nonetheless, holding his breath.

Howon leans forward in anticipation, pulling Woohyun with him since he still has his hand wrapped over the Slytherin’s mouth. “This is it! He’s gonna kiss him! I’m gonna win -- Ow!” The Gryffindor quickly draws his hand back and stares at the fresh bite mark on his palm with a mixture of horror and disgust. Woohyun gives him a devious side-eyed smile.

Howon opens his mouth to complain about how unsanitary biting people is and how he’s probably going to get rabies, but the words die in his throat when Myungsoo starts to lean forward towards Sungyeol. The two Chasers hold their breaths. Woohyun prays that Sungyeol mans up and leans the rest of the way before Myungsoo presses their lips together and Howon watches with a giddy smile as he’s centimeters away from beating his Slytherin rival at something once again.

But Howon’s dreams get crushed when at the last second, Myungsoo raises the dandelion in hand, blowing all the fluff off the stem and into Sungyeol’s face with a quick puff of air.

“Are you serious?!” Howon cries, throwing his arms up in the air in disbelief as Sungyeol dusts his face off with a frown and gives Myungsoo a whack on his back. The Hufflepuff falls onto the grass, clutching his stomach as he laughs like an overly excited seal.

“Hah! It’s not over yet!” Woohyun jumps up and does a little dance, shaking his in Howon’s face. “I just have to get Sungyeol to kiss him.”

“Not if I get Myungsoo to do it first.” Howon gives Woohyun a hard shove, throwing the latter off balance.

But thanks to his self-proclaimed ninja reflexes, Woohyun is able to brace his palms against the Willow’s trunk before his precious nose could collide with the wood. He sighs in relief and sends the Gryffindor a glowering look over his shoulder. When he moves to shove Howon back, it appears that his immobulus charm has worn off and he’s suddenly thrown into the air by one of the Willow’s branches, screaming. He lands at the the bottom of the grassy hill with a thud and rolls a few times before finally coming to a stop with a groan.

“Woohyun?” Sungyeol asks as he and Myungsoo stare in shock at the Slytherin boy who suddenly landed at their feet.

Not even a beat later, another manly (but not really manly) shriek is heard and Howon lands next Woohyun with a similar painful moan.

“Howon?” Myungsoo’s eyes widen with worry.

Sungyeol continues to stare at his fellow fifth years as they struggle to sit up. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Uh, well, you know,” Woohyun laughs breathily. “Just a dare to see who could get thrown into the air by the Whomping Willow first. And I won!” He tries to smile and play everything off as no big deal but ends up clutching his side in pain with a frown.

Sungyeol and Myungsoo just stare at them.

“So …” Woohyun somehow manages to mask the intense pain shooting from his lower back as he stands and brushes off his uniform slacks. “I’m pretty sure we should both pay a visit to the Hospital Wing. Don’t you agree, Lee?” Woohyun turns to the boy still laying flat on his back next to him.

“Uh, yeah,” Howon’s rasps out.

Woohyun abruptly pulls the Gryffindor up to his feet, ignoring Howon’s whines of protest as drags him away from the confused couple.

“Okay, see ya guys, bye!” Woohyun yells over his shoulder as they hobble away, leaving a very confused couple in their wake.

“Your puns are stupid,” Sunggyu states as the seven of them sit in the Three Broomsticks with a round of butterbeers.

Howon gives the elder an uncharacteristically cute pout. “No, they’re not.”

Sungjong rolls his eyes and picks at his fingernails boredly. “You guys really are idiots.”

“Wait, you guys were spying on us?” Matching frowns emerge on Sungyeol and Myungsoo’s faces.

“Observing,” Woohyun corrects, exasperated.

Dongwoo lowers his drink from his lips and smiles into the nearly empty mug, “Mmmmm, I love butterbeer.”

“But wait, there’s more,” Howon smirks.

Dongwoo straightens and looks around, eyes wide like an owl’s. “More butterbeer?”

Woohyun rolls his eyes. “No, Jigglypuff, more to the story.”