Howon griped Sunggyu’s head in his hands as he arched off the bed, about to come. But then Sunggyu batted his hands away and before Howon could ask what was going on, Sunggyu pointed his wand at Howon and spoke.

“Petrificus Totalus.” He said as Howon’s body stiffened and he looked up at Sunggyu in surprise. “Thank you, again.” He bent down and planted a kiss on Howon’s mouth as Howon just watched him, on the cusp of euphoric happiness that he was, apparently, not going to get anytime soon.

He really should have expected this. Sunggyu was always asking for weird favors and having Howon do strange magic with him. But when he’d pulled Howon into the Room of Requirement and proceeded to take his pants off and blow him silly, Howon had wrongly assumed that this visit would be one of mutual benefit.

But… no.

“Gimme a minute.” He whispered, his breath brushing over Howon’s frayed senses as Howon lay there, waiting, as if he could do anything but that.

Sunggyu soon disappeared from his view but when he appeared again, straddling Howon’s legs, he was holding a pocket clock that had a tube running down, beneath it into a golden ball at the bottom where orange and blue liquids swirled around, pursuing each other.

What’s that? Howon wanted to ask, but his lips couldn’t move.

Sunggyu touched his dkkk, caressing it and spreading pre- and spit all over it and Howon didn’t know if ever there was anyone in history to have experienced torture quite like he was at the moment.

“I’m going to cut you, Howon.” Sunggyu said. “It’ll bite but just so, okay?”

Howon didn’t move because he couldn’t. He didn’t even blink. He just lay there, watching Sunggyu pick a knife from thin air that the Room must have provided.

“I don’t think anyone has tried this before.” Sunggyu said with glee. “Bu they’ll see when I’m done.” He looked down on Howon. “Do you love me Howon?”

Howon didn’t know how to answer.

“Hum if you do.”

Howon hummed.

“Perfect.”

Sunggyu presses the cold metal to Howon’s dkkk and Howon nearly has a heart attack. But when he cuts the side and Howon feels the tiny, prickly pain, he just knows he’s finally hit rock bottom.

“I’m sorry about your but I promise. It’ll come.” Sunggyu said. As if that was the only thing to worry about in the situation. He was lying here and feeling powerless. But not in the emotional, intellectual way Sunggyu made him feel all the time. Now he was physically less than Sunggyu. The one thing he’d thought he had. Knowing that any time he wanted, Sunggyu could do this and leave Howon completely at his mercy was not something Howon wanted to think too deeply about. “Finite Incantatum.”

Howon’s body unfroze as he came, sitting up on the bed and splattering all over his robes. He’d never felt so used and unfulfilled in his whole life. He honestly didn’t think he could feel any worse.

So Howon resigned himself to stilling his tears because he was not going to cry… not even when his blood was still dripping from Sunggyu’s knife.

*****

Sunggyu unscrewed the tube from the clock as he separated the two pieces and placed the clock side on the bed while Howon pulled on his pants and zipped up behind him. He could feel Howon’s sulking begin but that was always the case. He knew people like Howon. He knew what his problem was.

He was an addict and Sunggyu was his drug. So no matter how horrible he felt at the moment, even if he wanted to get mad at Sunggyu and leave, he’d eventually need a fix and come back begging… as always. So if Howon wanted to be a big cry baby about it, Sunggyu wasn’t going to stop or indulge him.

He dipped the knife into the liquid at the base of the tube and watched it begin to swirl faster as the red blood joined the mix.

Take that, Kwon, Sunggyu thought. I bet your Ravenclaw head never thought to try this.

Ever since First year when the two boys had met in their first class, they’d found that while they were easily the two brightest in the year, they shared nothing else. They didn’t like each other and they’d since sought to outdo each other at every turn.

So here Sunggyu was, trying out a spell he’d researched simply because he’d happened upon the Amoromium –the artifact in his hand. He’d gone out and done his research on what it could do and he’d done the spells and followed instructions to a T. And now, he’d just gotten the last ingredient: blood from the engorged ual organ of a person in love and about to achieve ecstasy.

Yep. Howon had fit the bill.

He looked behind him as he heard Howon whisper a basic healing spell at his dkkk.

“Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?”

“I’m good.” He said, as he remained sitting, making no move to leave.

Sunggyu shrugged, attached the tube back to the clock. He turned the clock around, set it for three hours and then pressed the golden ball’s tip to his heart.

“Rimbardie Amoria.” He said as he felt a faint breeze pass through the room, seeping away every last drop of the liquid as it drained right into his heart. He checked the clock and noticed it had started counting down. Two hours and fifty nine minutes to explore his newest discovery. Turning around to face Howon, he smiled. Maybe he could test it right now.

“Come here.” He said. Howon looked confused for a second but he got up and walked up to Sunggyu as Sunggyu swelled with pride. “Jump up and down.”

“Why?”

Sunggyu’s head cocked in confusion.

“I want you to jump.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Howon said, walking out of Sunggyu’s space as Sunggyu stood to his feet in frustration.

“Why won’t you obey me?”

“Why are you behaving like this?” Howon said, reaching for his wand as Sunggyu’s eyes widened in horror.

“What are you doing?” he asked, reaching for his own wand but Howon already had a head start.

“Expelliarmus.” He yelled at Sunggyu as Sunggyu froze in shock, expecting his wand to fly out of his hand but nothing happened. “Expelliarmus.” He repeated.

But nothing happened. Sunggyu looked at the Amoromium in his hand and wondered if maybe it had done something besides what had been advertised.

“Expelliarmus!” He yelled back at Howon, feeling victorious now that he knew he had a chance. But again, nothing happened.

Both of them stared at each other for two seconds before Howon realized Sunggyu was going to cast another spell. So he dove at Sunggyu, intending to tackle him to the ground but instead, he went right through Sunggyu’s body as if Sunggyu was nothing but a wisp of smoke.

“The fkkk!” Howon said, groaning as his head hit the side of the bed.

But Sunggyu wasn’t even going to care about him. Because he was so focused on what was going on with him. The Amoromium may have been mistaken for something else or he could have done the spells wrong or something. But either way, while he didn’t have the ability to get people to do anything he wanted just by speaking, Sunggyu had somehow managed to make himself incorporeal.

Hunh! He thought, trying to think of ways that this might be useful or worth knowing about.

“What did you do to yourself?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Sunggyu said, heading for the door. If he had less than three hours to work out the kinks of this thing, he’d best get to it.

He tried to walk through the wall but hit it and had to take a step back. That was so odd. He tried again and groaned in pain as he stumbled back again.

“Hyung, we need to report this.” Howon said, coming up behind him.

“No. Mind your damn business.”

Howon stood there, hand over his mouth in confused shock as he stared at Sunggyu as if Sunggyu was a crazy person. Finally, as if deciding that Sunggyu was not his problem, he opened the door and stepped out.

The moment he did, Sunggyu disappeared from inside the room and appeared in the corridor.

They both stopped, looking at each other.

“Did I just…?” Sunggyu began to ask but Howon stepped back into the Room of Requirements to see what would happen and like clockwork, Sunggyu disappeared and appeared back inside the Room again. “What? Does this mean I’m… tethered to you?”

Still looking confused, Howon left the room again. And Sunggyu hissed when he disappeared and reappeared outside on the corridor.

“Hey! Howon!” Someone shouted, walking up to both of them. By the time the other boy reached them, he handed Howon a slip of paper. “You missed Quiditch practice.” He said. “That’s your punishment.”

Sunggyu was about to say something to the boy when he walked right through Sunggyu and kept going, neither seeing nor feeling his presence. While Sunggyu watched the boy walk away, feeling insulted and just as confused as Howon, Howon spoke behind him.

“So let me get this straight. You can only go where I go. I’m the only one who can see you or hear you. Which technically means that right now, I’m… I’m in control? Of you?”

Sunggyu stared at the Amoromium, hating his life. If he didn’t fear that he’d be stuck this way forever, he’d have smashed it right on the spot.

*****

Howon didn’t know what to with the power he’d just acquired. It wasn’t as if he could actually do anything with it. It wasn’t physical, it wasn’t emotional and judging by the timer on the device in Sunggyu’s hand, it had a really short lifespan.

But a small part of him felt a little exhilarated at the fact that every time he entered a new room or crossed a wall, Sunggyu appeared beside him, looking disgruntled and not quite ready to be there. He kept moving too quickly for Sunggyu’s slower legs and leaving rooms abruptly just so he could mess with him. By dinnertime, Sunggyu was angry and frustrated but to his credit, he’d kept himself from complaining.

As Howon sat down to eat, smiling to himself, Sungyeol and Woohyun took the spaces opposite him.

“I’m surprised to see you here.” Sungyeol said.

“What? Why?”

“Isn’t today Gyu-day?” Woohyun asked.

Howon blushed, stuffing his face with food so he wouldn’t have to answer. Sunggyu just scoffed at his side, sitting with his front to the passage way so that he could lean on the table. Every time somebody passed, he raised his leg and watched them walk right through it.

“I’m surprised he released you to so early.”

“Don’t say it like that.” Howon said, feeling uncomfortable. “In fact, don’t talk about it at all.” It would be so awkward if they started talking about Sunggyu in their usual way.

“Why not?” Woohyun asked, feigning innocence. “We should at least thank him for letting you leave with you clothes today.”

“Or a tiny bit of your dignity. Somehow, your shoulders aren’t drooping in the usual just-met-Gyu-and-he-killed-my-self-esteem kinda way that it usually does.”

“It does not.” Howon said, feeling Sunggyu watch him from the side quietly.

“It doesn’t?” Woohyun asked. “How many times have I had to clean you up while you cri-” Howon actually lurched across the wide table to get to Woohyun’s mouth but he didn’t reach in time… or at all. “Cried yourself into an illness about something he did or something he said or something he made you take the fall for? Again!”

Howon fought the urge to look at Sunggyu as Dongwoo took the space beside Sungyeol, looking tired.

“Feed me, please.” He said as Sungyeol picked a plate for him and began loading it with food. “Howonie, I didn’t see you on the pitch when your house left.”

“I was…” He cleared his throat. “I was busy.”

“With Sunggyu-hyung.”

“Oh.” Dongwoo said, nodding at him in his understanding, yet pitying way.

“What the fkkk does that mean?” Sunggyu asked, looking at Dongwoo as he turned around to sit properly so he could look at all of them.

“Hyung, please don’t say it like.” Howon said to Dongwoo. He should just get up. He should get up and leave. The food was good and he was hungry. But it was really not worth it.

“Why are you defending him today?” Woohyun asked, suspiciously. “We both know you want out? You’re always saying you want out.”

“No one is stopping you.” Sunggyu said, sounding angry as he eyed Howon.

“He’s dangerous and you know it. But when he calls, you go running like a puppy.”

“Fkkk you.” Howon said, tossing his spoon on the table as he stood to his feet but Woohyun looked up at him, hurt and confused.

“What’s up with you?” He asked. “We’re not saying anything you haven’t heard before so why are you so vexed? Even the other day, Dongwoo-hyung-”

“Hyung didn’t say anything.” Howon said, cutting him short.

“What did he say, Howon?” Sunggyu asked as Howon closed his eyes, pretending for a second that Sunggyu wasn’t there. He felt so trapped. He wanted to leave but at the same time, he wanted to stay and tell them what had just happened. How he’d just been humiliated by Sunggyu for the very last time. And how, this time, his resolve would hold and he’d be stronger. Because he knew better.

But he couldn’t say all that. Not with Sunggyu right there.

“Howon-ah, sit down. Please.” Dongwoo said, beseechingly. “You can’t go to bed on an empty stomach.”

Howon sat back, not wanting to offend Dongwoo at all as he took in his hyung’s worried expression.

“I just don’t want to talk about this right now.” He knew he sounded cornered.

“Why?” Woohyun asked. “What’s changed? Did he threaten you?”

“Nam Woohyun!” Sunggyu said, staring at his friend in anger.

“Why are you being like this? Talk to us. We can help.”

“Why would they think that I’d threaten you? What have you been saying to them?”

I haven’t been saying anything, Howon wanted to say.

“I know he made you-”

“Please stop.” Howon said, leaning over his half eaten plate as he fought back the tears. “It was nothing like that. We met and then he left. Why wouldn’t you leave it alone if I asked you to?”

Howon heard some scuffling and suddenly, Dongwoo was squeezing out from underneath the table as he sat beside Howon, patting his back and trying to comfort.

“We care about you, Howon. You know we do. And if we seem pushy, it’s probably because, well, we’re being pushy. But this thing with you and Sunggyu-hyung, it’s not… it’s not right. You look like crap every time he calls you away. And then we’re all supposed to pretend that some of the things you two do together wouldn’t be considered Azkaban worthy if it was someone else doing them. But it’s him. And it’s you. And we love both of you. So we keep quiet. But if it’s getting too much, all you have to do is tell us. Just talk to us. Please.”

Nodding, Howon stood his feet.

“I… I’ll just turn in early.”

“Howon.” Sungyeol said as Howon got to his feet and began the long trek down the hall and away from his friends’ prying eyes.

*****

Sunggyu sat on the table, listening even as Howon rushed to the door.

“Does that seem normal to you?” Woohyun asked.

“I think we should respect his privacy.” Dongwoo said.

“Yes. Respect our privacy.”

“Bull.” Woohyun said. “Something’s going on and we ought to find out.”

“It’s Sunggyu-hyung.” Dongwoo said. “He’s obsessed with doing weird stuff and yes, he often drags Howon into it but it’s still Sunggyu-hyung.”

“So what?” Sungyeol asked.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Dongwoo said.

Sunggyu nodded, feeling a little love for Dongwoo at the moment.

“Although,” Dongwoo began.

“No.” Sunggyu said. “Although nothing. I’m an angel.”

“Someone needs to talk to Sunggyu-hyung about all this, don’t you think? I mean it’s enough to be there for Howon but would it really help if Sunggyu-hyung is still on the other side, dragging him into things and leading him astray?”

“Astray? What the hell kind of power do you all think I have over him?”

“Even if not only for Howon’s sake but for Sunggyu-hyung’s sake. If he continues down this path, it would only lead to-”

Sunggyu appeared in the corridor outside the great hall as Howon stepped out.

“What was that about?” he asked but Howon didn’t answer him. Of course he didn’t answer. They were in public. And it wouldn’t do to have Howon walking around the school and talking to himself.

Which meant Sunggyu had to follow him, stewing in silence as he let his legs lead him up till they were entering into the Gryffindor common room.

“My eyes!” he exclaimed, blinking at the obscene amount of red and gold present. But before he had time to say much more, Howon was already bounding up to his room as Sunggyu was once again transported into Howon’s room. “Will you talk to me now?”

“I really don’t want to.” Howon said.

“Well, you’re going to.”

“Yeah, hyung, if you’re trying to prove all they said wrong, you might want to try not using that tone with me.”

“What tone?”

“The one that says I should obey or get the hell out.”

Sunggyu hesitated. He didn’t know he had a tone. He just spoke in a normal, calm, conversational tone that ALWAYS allowed for negotiation. Suggesting otherwise was just blaspheme.

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel that way.”

“Are you really?” Howon asked, pulling off his robes as he lay them down on his bed. “You’re hearing all that for the first time so I’m sure you’re shocked. But don’t worry. When it wears off tomorrow and you come calling, I’ll still run to you like a puppy.”

“You’re letting them fill your head with rubbish.” Sunggyu said. “It’s never been like that between us.” Howon didn’t answer. “You know that, right? It’s not like… I’ve never forced you into anything. I was just… I was just…”

Howon finished undressing and picked his towel on his way to the shower. As he appeared in the shower, Sunggyu continued talking.

“They’re making it seem like I don’t care for you. Of course I do. You’re my friend. My dongsaeng. I care for you. Maybe I use you for stuff that I shouldn’t but they shouldn’t make it seem like I don’t care. I mean, it’s not like if you died tomorrow, it wouldn’t hurt me. Wait. No. that came out wrong. Listen.”

Howon was in the shower, not bothering to pull close the curtain. But even in his silence, Sunggyu was slowly hearing so much more than he’d ever heard from Howon. It was beginning to dawn on him that no matter what he said, he’d still receive no answer. He watched as the boy showered, unencumbered by his audience. And then followed him back to his room where Howon dressed for the night and got into his bed.

“It’s 9:33.” He said, looking at his watch. “I expect your spell should be wearing off soon.”

“Howon-”

“Hyung, it’s fine. I’ve heard you. You didn’t do anything wrong and it’s crazy to think that you did. I get it. But I’m going to sleep now.”

He turned away from Sunggyu as he pulled his blanket over his form and waited. Sunggyu wasn’t sure what else to say.

Did they really think all those things about him? Was he really so horrible? What was Dongwoo going to say before he’d been pulled from the room?

“If he continues down this path, it would only lead to-” what? Disaster? Death? Failure? Azkaban? There was no way that sentence was going to end positively and he knew it. Everyone knew it. Apparently, he’d been the only one in pursuit of knowledge and hadn’t realized he was toeing a dangerous line.

“Howon?” he said, touching Howon’s back. “I’m sorry.”

By the time Howon turned back around to answer, Sunggyu felt the clock in his hand chime as he disappeared from the room and appeared right back in the Room of Requirement.

*****

Howon spent the next day waiting for Sunggyu to look for him or call him or send some student to come get him, but nothing happened. He went to class, he pretended he didn’t see Woohyun’s angry gaze and then he hid in his room, refusing to go for dinner.

By the time he fell asleep that night, Howon was worried and scared. He would never admit it, but he hated himself just a little bit for not going to look for Sunggyu the whole day.

*****

Sunggyu spent his day in the infirmary, hiding from everyone. He had so few friends and at least four of them thought he was an evil . He didn’t think he could bring himself to face any of them. He wasn’t sure what he would say if he did. He’d known Howon for five years at Hogwarts and they’d been fooling around for nearly a year now. If, in all that time, he’d garnered as much of a bad reputation among them and no one had thought to say anything, then he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear anything at all.

He didn’t think he could take it.

He’d had power over them. He’d held it over them that he was the oldest, the one who’d been at Hogwarts the longest. Surely they’d respect his opinion and what? Bow at his feet? Cower in silence? Not tell him the truth?

Sunggyu couldn’t really blame them. Not after years and years of conditioning. It was alright to play fight and pretend they were all on even ground but he’d always kept a layer between him and them. He was older so they should show respect. He was their friend but he wasn’t one of them. He’d never been.

“You might want to try not using that tone with me.”

“What tone?”

“The one that says I should obey or get the hell out.”

He wondered if he’d only ever used it on Howon. Maybe he’d used it on all of them. On his friends. His brothers. The people who kept him sane. He remembered what his first year had been like. Having no friends at all. And the only other Korean in his class had turned out to be Jerk-face Jiyong. And Sunggyu hadn’t wanted to be his friend.

But then his friends had come. And they’d all stuck together.

Except for the times when Sunggyu had used the tone on them.

After his release from the infirmary, Sunggyu went back to his dorm room. He’d stared at his stash of knowledge. All the books he’d compiled over the years that were now stuck in his head but he kept just because he was pretentious enough to need physical proof that he was as brilliant as he was.

He was House Prefect of Slytherin and had no roommate. Which meant room enough for all the vain artefacts and snobbish books that he kept.

And starting now, that was going to change. He didn’t need all these things. He didn’t need to best Kwon Jiyong. If he was going to have a cleanse of his psyche, he needed to do it in his life too… in his room.

“Free handouts, people!” Sunggyu informed everyone in the common room as he headed back to his room, feeling a line of students following at his back. “Here you go.” He handed over his ‘Speaking like the Elves’ to a fourth year.

And just like that, his room began to empty, book after book, note after note, device after device. Till he was in his room with one little boy and the Amoromium in his hand.

He held it out as the boy reached for it with greedy eyes. He was so small and so pale and yet, he looked as if he might just know what an Amoromium was.

“If I give this to you, you have to use it for good.” Sunggyu said, feeling sagely.

“I will.” The boy promised with earnest and eager eyes. Sunggyu nodded.

“What’s your name?” he asked as he gave the boy the device.

“It’s Riddle. Tom Riddle.” He said and Sunggyu ruffled his hair.

“Now go on. Get out of here.”

And the little boy scampered away as Sunggyu was left to stare at his empty, free space.

*****

Howon took a deep breath as he opened the door to the Room of Requirement. It had taken two days to finally hear from Sunggyu. But he had. And he didn’t want to seem too eager.

“You came.” Sunggyu said, standing to his feet.

“You called.” He replied.

“I actually thought you’d ignore me.”

Howon stood by the door, waiting. Just as he always did. Sunggyu was in charge of cues when they were like this. It was Howon’s place to just stand and wait.

“I’m sorry.” Sunggyu said. “For the way I’ve been treating you. For everything, actually.” He scratched his head. “I threw out all my evil stuff.” He laughed uneasily but Howon didn’t follow. He didn’t see the humor in it, so he didn’t bother. “Okay.” Sunggyu covered his mouth as he paced. “I’ll stop saying hurtful things to you. And everyone else. I didn’t know you felt that way about me. Or about any of it. I’ll even be nicer to the maknae. Oh. And Soo. I’ll put everyone in there.”

Howon was hardly the one to advise anyone about anything, knowing that he had his own issues, but he wasn’t entirely sure Sunggyu understood what the basis of the problem was.

“Hyung, it’s not about being nice to everyone.”

“Then what is it about?” Sunggyu asked, his shoulders slumping in a way Howon had never seen it do, before. “Is it about the dark spells? I gave away my books and the devices and everything.”

“It’s not about that.”

“Then what?”

“It’s about you.” Howon said, finally. “We’ve been here before. It’s not enough to change physically or promise to behave a certain way. It’s about you. Inside. That’s what’s got everybody frustrated. This isn’t the first time you’re apologizing to me or to everyone. But it’s like, every time you hear something, you go. And then you come back, changing only what we’ve complained about. But then something else pops up. But we can’t complain about the new thing because we’ve just asked you to get rid of the old thing and so now we’re all dying in silence and pretending that it’s okay when it’s really not.”

Howon took a deep, breath looking up to see Sunggyu staring back at him.

“I’ll change.”

“It’s not enough to just promise.”

“You’ll help me.”

Howon scoffed, leaning on the door.

“I’m the last person that can help anyone do anything.”

“I’ll help you if you help me.”

“Help me with what?”

Sunggyu stepped closer.

“You’re in Gryffindor. You’re on the Quiditch team. You’re set to be one of the most promising students in this school and yet, every time I call, you come running.”

Howon blinked, hurt at the summarization of his biggest issue.

“You have a self-esteem issue. And I admit, I may have capitalized on that and gotten you to feel… inadequate. But I’m here. And I want to change. And you can call me out for being a jackass when you know that’s what I’m being.”

“And in return?”

“And in return, we’ll work on your self-worth. And your addiction to s like me. And your continued-”

“Yeah, I get it.” Howon said, shutting him down as Sunggyu’s lips clammed shut.

It sounded good in theory and all of this might be a nice deal for the both of them considering they had seriously complementing psychological disorders but Howon just wanted to know more thing in all of this.

“So what does this mean?”

“Hmm?” Sunggyu asked, looking at him in wide eyes.

“Do we still get to have ?”

“Oh God, yes.” Sunggyu said, rushing at Howon as their lips clashed together in an almost painfully hard kiss.