There's a commotion by the Hufflepuff's table in the Great Hall, so early in the morning as the students are eating their breakfast. A freshman is apparently having trouble with his swollen tongue-- the size of it too huge to fit inside his mouth. When his tongue starts to become a bit purplish, his friends panic and tries to remedy him with various spells but none works.

And there, by the Gryffindor table is a guy with large ears laughing his off while looking over his shoulder. The guy beside him is calmly spreading jam on his buttered toast. But one glare from him and the guffaw stops.

"Looks like he's the prankster," Baekhyun tells his bestfriend, Jongin.

"It looks like it." Jongin barely cares about anything else other than acing his classes and maybe his crush on a certain doe-eyed male. Actually, maybe that's the only thing every student from Ravenclaw is thinking aboutㅡ acing their subjects.

"But maybe we should help those poor first years, Jongin. Eating the Ton-Tongue Toffee is difficult to undo with just any spell. From what I've read in the library, they need toㅡ"

"Baek, let Park Chanyeol handle the consequences of his jokes."

"Who?"

"Park Chanyeol? That guy with huge ears who lets everyone in the Great Hall knows he's laughing because he's doing it so over-dramatically? I mean, look at Do Kyungsoo sitting beside him being so Head Boy material and then there's Park Chanyeol." Jongin sounds so frustrated about that last part he even rolls his eyes. He only does that on rare occasions. "I don't get why he's close with Kyungsoo."

"Jongin, you're actually creeping me out when you talk about those people I know nothing about." Baekhyun doesn't have any friends other than Jongin. And maybe that's because of the fact that he stays in the library all the time. Like, only-comes-out-for-meals-and-sleep type of all the time.

"That's because you basically live inside that cave, Baek. You don't know what happens in the real world when you're inside there." Jongin looks at him seriously.

"You make it sound like the library is some horrible imaginary place."

"You make me think of it like that!" Jongin exclaims. "You're really outdated if you don't know Chanyeol, really. He's all over Hogwarts. Like yesterday, that guy hid this other kid's wand and replaced it with a trick wand so when that kid waved it, it became a rubber duck!" Jongin is holding back his laughter or else why would he look like he's constipated. "Then this another kid, his trick wand turned into briefs. White briefs, Baek! And both happened while we're in Charms. Oh, if you've only seen Professor Flitwick's face."

"Jongin, are you becoming the next Rita Skeeter or something? For Merlin's sake, I didn't need all those information. And I don't ever want to imagine any of our professors being in a comedy." Baekhyun wipes the corners of his mouth, fixes his golden rimmed glasses on top of his nose, and stands up to leave.

"Wait, you're leaving already?"

"Yes. I happen to like living inside the library you call a cave."

"Okay. I'll finish your milk!"


 

Baekhyun runs to the third floor of the castle where the library is located. He's so used with this routine for six years that he has memorized the way already, even if the stairs move into another landing. Baekhyun knows the path to the library by heart.

When he reaches his destination, he plops down on his usual seat, on the table in the corner nearest the shelves. He likes this spot because one side of it is the shelves while the other is a window that streams in daylight.

He takes the library's copy of The Standard Book of Spells for seventh grade, a year ahead of Baekhyun's, and flips to the page where he left off yesterday.

A much more detailed explanation for nonverbal spells is on this book and Professor Flitwick will probably discuss that lesson by next week. He just needs to read this in advance so he will be prepared.

Only few pages later and there's already a disturbance in the form of a pat on his hand. He raises his head from the book and notices only then that someone has sat in front of him. And to his surprise (and slight annoyance), it's that guy with big ears. What did Jongin say his name was? Park Cheonyal?

"Hey, we're in the same year right?" He asks.

Baekhyun is confused why this guy is even talking to him so he looks at his back but it's only the shelves, and they're completely alone in this table so it is really Baekhyun he is talking to. But why? They're not even from the same House. What, is he gonna make fun of him while he's studying?

To answer Big Ears' question, Baekhyun just says, "Sixth year."

"But the Charms Book you are reading... is a year ahead of us?"

"What's wrong with that?" Baekhyun spits out. Honestly, if this Park guy will just get in the way of his studying, then he has no business of entertaining him.

"Nothing!" The other quickly asserts him, waving his hands in front of him. "It's just that you're actually doing advanced reading like the professors advice us. I've never met someone like that, is all."

Baekhyun keeps quiet at that.

"I'm Park Chanyeol, by the way. I believe it's the first time we've talked with each other?" Chanyeol reaches out a hand.

Baekhyun is wary, because this guy is always making fun of people, as what he has learned from Jongin this breakfast. So he looks at the extended hand at first and hesitates.

"Don't worry, I don't have any tricks up my sleeve."

Baekhyun sighs in relief and shakes the extended hand with a, "I'm Byun Baekhyun," before quickly withdrawing it back. The feel of those huge hands, thoughㅡ a bit rough and slenderㅡ is going to be etched in Baekhyun's mind.

"I know," Chanyeol smirks. "Byun Baekhyun from Ravenclaw, possibly the brightest wizard of our age."

Baekhyun's eyes widen and that may be a blush coloring his cheeks. "Oh no, not really! You should see myㅡ"

He stops what's supposed to be his rambling about other outstanding Ravenclaw students the moment Chanyeol leans forward on the table, the morning sunlight hitting the side of his face, effectively stealing Baekhyun's breath away. "Hey, listen, I need to ask you something."

Baekhyun gulps, only then realizing how handsome Chanyeol's boyish face is. He wants to touch the smooth contour of his cheek where the sun almost makes it glow, it should be unreal.

"Hey, Baekhyun?"

That snaps him back to reality. "Uh, yeah?"

"Would you tutor me, please?"

Baekhyun blinks the surprise away behind his spectacles. "Why?"

It's Chanyeol's turn to blink at him. "'Why?'" He repeats. And then he laughs that same hearty guffaw from breakfast and Baekhyun flinches because is this guy crazy? What if Madam Pince kicks them out? Chanyeol thankfully stops his fit of laughter, dramatically wiping a tear from his eye, before the librarian can trace the giant ball of noise that is Park Chanyeol.

"Baek," he says in which Baekhyun blushes, again, because that syllable sounds better coming from him than when anyone else says it, with his barritone voice and all. "I'm asking you to tutor me because I don't get anything from the professors. It's like they're talking Parseltongue to me. And, if I should get a tutor for myself, I'd choose the brightest wizard, right?"

"First, flattery won't get you anywhere. So you can stop it anytime now." Baekhyun tells him, but there's undoubtedly a blush on his cheeks. "The problem here, I think, is that you haven't found an effective studying technique. On my first year here in Hogwarts, I've read in this library, in this very same seat, about studying techniques that can guarantee--"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm asking you to help me find out what my studying technique is, then."

Baekhyun blinks again, because that seems to be the only thing he knows to do when he's caught off-guard. He's speechless because, in the first place, why should he help this guy? Baekhyun almost applauses him for being so courageous, asking a total stranger for favors that can be burdensome. Then he sees the red on his uniform and-- ah, he's supposed to be courageous.

"Stop blinking like that," Chanyeol tells him.

"Like what?"

"Like a Muggle's pet, or something."

"A Muggle's pet? Did you mean a puppy? It's an offspring of a dog, the scientific name would be Canis lupus familiaris," Baekhyun recites in his know-it-all voice. "That Muggle pet? I've read about puppies in here, too, and if I do say so myself, I really look like one."

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, "Yeah, really cute." The next second, he's looking at Baekhyun seriously. "So are you helping me or not?"

Baekhyun's got his hands full, really. Especially when they're going to be seventh year students soon. But then the guy pouts his lips and Baekhyun feels a bit sympathetic, maybe, for Chanyeol. "Sure. Study sessions take place here after last periods."

"Let's start tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Sure." Chanyeol's grin kinda makes Baekhyun want to grin, too. Damn Park and his contagious smile and his big ears.

They stand up together and that's when Baekhyun realizes just how tall Chanyeol is. He could be a half-giant wizard like Hagrid, but Baekhyun thinks the former is way more good-looking than the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts.

But of course, Baekhyun will never admit that out loud.


 

On the first day of their study sessions, Chanyeol is already seated on the seat beside Baekhyun's usual one in the library.

Baekhyun apologizes for being a minute or so late, but he's pleasantly surprised that Chanyeol is actually on time. He didn't know the guy can be serious with his studies after all the pranks he has pulled just this year alone.

"Oh, no you're not. I just spent last period inside here."

Baekhyun's jaw may have dropped at that, and his eyebrows definitely furrowed after the other's statement. "Does that mean you skipped last period to be here?"

"Why, of course. You really are a bright wizard." Baekhyun's not sure if this guy is trying to be funny or sarcastic or what. You can't blame him, though, when he doesn't have this kind of company before. Everything about Chanyeol is new for Baekhyun.

"What subject do you need help with?" Baekhyun says as he sits down beside Chanyeol.

"I was hoping you'd help me with everything, actually," Chanyeol says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But we have a test on Ancient Runes tomorrow, so maybe we could start with that."

"First of all, you should know that attending your classes might help you understand the subject better." Baekhyun takes out his copy of Advanced Rune Translation.

"Oh, did you read about it from some book on this exact seat when you were, perhaps, still a second year?"

"Please stop trying to be funny or whatever you're trying to do and just get your book." Baekhyun opens his to the third chapter. When he looks back at Chanyeol, the guy is laughing lightly but there's no sign of his book. There's no sign of his bag at all.

"Chanyeol, did you not bring any of your things?"

"I left them in my room, since you would be bringing books anyway. We can just share, right?"

"But you should bring yours next time, so you can scribble down notes on the margin. That can help."

"Oh right, thanks for that advice," he genuinely says, which, of course, surprises Baekhyun.

"So let's look at the words that are often confused with by even the brightest wizards."

"Oh, are you confused with those words, too?"

Baekhyun glares at him. If the guy can just ask sensible questions, really. "Sometimes, but you'll get used to it after thinking over them for so long." Baekhyun points on the page of his book. "So a pair of these tricky words are ehwaz and eihwaz. Just a letter of difference. Do you know what they mean?"

"I don't, Baek, that's why I'm here in the first place." Chanyeol looks at him with this serious expression that it's almost as if he has become a completely different person.

"Right," Baekhyun clears his throat. "I'm trying out having interactions on our tutorials because it's better if you're--"

He stops when he sees Chanyeol blankly staring back at him.

"So," Baekhyun clears his throat again. "The one without the 'i' means partnership while the latter means defence. It's easy like that."



Baekhyun asks him to take down notes, to list down similar terms after each other so he can easily distinguish them and he says it would help with the memorization and all that stuff that goes with effective studying.

After that, when Chanyeol has put down his quill beside his parchment and capped his ink bottle, Baekhyun questions him about the different terms. But Chanyeol just looks at him with like a goldfish tying to recall what was in its mind three seconds ago. There are a couple of answers he got correct, but mostly, he got them wrong.

"So the written notes didn't help, huh." Baekhyun sighs in defeat.

"I really can't memorize things quickly. Especially these terms. It's more different than just translating Korean into English. It's a whole new world, this subject."

"Actually I was testing how strong your visual learning skills are. Now that I know you definitely have zero in that department, we'll not dwell on that anymore."

Moving on, Baekhyun tries telling Chanyeol about ancient runes, hoping he's an auditory learner.

"In ancient runes, the unicorn's single horn means one, the graphorn's dual horns represent two," Baekhyun lectures. He goes on and on about this, barely noticing that Chanyeol's left eye twitches every now and then. By the time he's done, Chanyeol looks like he's ready to hit the sack with the books in the library as pillows.

"Hey, you look tired. You can go back now and just study by yourself."

Chanyeol looks at him with apprehension. Can he really trust himself with studying alone? He can't help but yawn at the thought of studying, especially all by himself.

"See, let's just end it here."

"Okay, okay, thanks, Baek. See you again tomorrow."

When Baekhyun only nods at him, Chanyeol stands up. Then the taller guy starts to walk away. When he notices Baekhyun still glued on his seat and beginning to flip pages already, he turns back again to look at him. "Baek, aren't you going back to the dorms now?"

Said man looks up at him from his book, surprised to find Chanyeol still there. "Oh, you're still here? I thought you were..." His voice fades out when he sees Chanyeol's tired face. "Ah, just go on ahead. I'll stay until the library closes."

Chanyeol shrugs and proceeds to his room where Kyungsoo is waiting for him. Maybe his best friend has a new plan for a prank or a new trick item to use. Chanyeol may be the one who does the setups and all but Kyungsoo is the mind behind all of those fun events they've been pulling off for years now.



Baekhyun doesn't even notice Chanyeol walking away already, his nose buried into the ink-kissed pages of different methods in potion preparation. He's so excited to brew all of these interesting stuff, even the procedures to a love potion.

He doesn't notice that Madam Pince is calling out for the last of the students to go out. The librarian doesn't see him since his table is just a pile of thick books that hides him from the rest of the library. It's usually like this almost every night.

It is until Madam Pince casts a spell to turn off all the lights from the candles and other magical sources that Baekhyun freezes on his seat.

"Not again," he mutters to himself. He takes out his wand and a quick lumos lights up its tip.

The books in the tables magically return themselves to the shelves as Baekhyun carefully exits the library. Maybe it does that when the last person leaves.



Baekhyun opens the door to the sight of Jongin reading a book and scribbling down stuff on its margin.

"Hey, I saw you talking to Park in the library. I thought you didn't want anyone disturbing you in your cave. Are you replacing me with him as your best friend now?" Jongin closes his book as he waits for Baekhyun's answer.

"Don't be so obviously jealous over it, Jongin," he says. "I'm only helping him with his grades because he looked really pitiful."

But as Baekhyun says it, he can't take the image of Chanyeol's sunlit face or cute pout out of his mind. It's only pity, he convinces himself.

"Oh, then can you ask Chanyeol to make me Kyungsoo's tutor? He's kinda cute, don't you think?" Then after a few seconds of pondering, he adds, "Kyungsoo. Is cute. Not Chanyeol."

Baekhyun just rolls his eyes. He agrees that the Kyungsoo guy is cute, though. But sometimes he forgets why he's friends with Jongin in the first place. Then he gets reminded of that reason every Potions class where they sat next to each other in freshman year and successfully made their very first potion together. From then on, it seems like they've known each other even before entering Hogwarts.

"Ask him yourself if he wanna gets tutored by you. To be honest, I don't think anyone even wants to be tutored by you."

"I thought we were best friends!" Jongin looks at him with that pained hurt of betrayal. "Why can't you be supportive for once, Baek?"

"You don't wanna get involved wih those people," Baekhyun simply says.

It's not because Chanyeol is a trouble maker in school, or because he has such handsome features. Baekhyun eventually convinces himself that it's just not wise to be. And let's just leave it at that.


 

The next afternoon, Chanyeol comes to the library with a long faceㅡ a pout on those pink lips and eyes looking down at the floor.

Baekhyun doesn't notice his arrival, of course, because he's absorbed in yet another thick book.

"It didn't work," Chanyeol starts. He sits down beside his supposed tutor, really close to him because Chanyeol doesn't know what personal space is. He tries to catch Baekhyun's attention by waving his hand in front of his head but the Ravenclaw is still immersed with whatever he is reading.

"Hey, Baekhyun," he whispers, face so close with the other's.

Finally, the boy raises his head and looks at Chanyeol before giving him a smile. Their noses are almost touching, and Baekhyun's smile may have may have swallowed audibly, or parted his lips at their proximity, and Chanyeol may or may not have lost his mind at some point.

Chanyeol slowly backs away.

Baekhyun incessantly blinks until he can gather his wits to ask, "How was your quiz, Chanyeol?"

"I failed by four points. I guess it was a bit effective since I'm usually more than ten points away from the passing score." Chanyeol sighs. "I've been thinking about it, and I really wanted to improve my grades. It's not only that I want my parents to be proud of me, but I also want to do this for myself."

"You're really serious about this, huh..." Chanyeol nods eagerly. Baekhyun is still surprised at that. There are still news of Chanyeol making fun of others, may it be a prank or just verbal jests, but Baekhyun can really see him serious with wanting to get better grades from now on.

Baekhyun has an idea, but it's pretty scandalous that the Pink Fat Lady might run to the portraits on the walls of the Ravenclaw common room because of it.

"I'm really serious. I'm not pranking you or something. So, please help me, Baekhyun." There goes Chanyeol pleading again, looking like he's deprived of the free card that goes with the chocolate frog, and he's so pitiful to look at, actually. There goes Baekhyun's last reservation from helping him.

"I think I know your learning style."

Chanyeol looks up at him, hopeful.

"But let's not meet here anymore." Baekhyun lowers his voice for his next sentence. "Tomorrow after dinner at the seventh floor corridor near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."

Because if Baekhyun will commence what he's planning, there is no better place than that room.


 

"Do you feel good?" Baekhyun asks.

Chanyeol only hums in reply.

They're already inside the Room of Requirement, Chanyeol sitting down on a chair. He has been confused since the moment Baekhyun walked past the tapestry three times and a door appears. He should have been accustomed to all these magical occurences since he grew up with magic everywhere in their house, but every new thing still amazes Chanyeol, even his pranks. That's what makes it fun.

Baekhyun only explained that this room can provide whatever they would need-- that's why he chose it. They start reviewing their Potions class the moment they entered, with Baekhyun massaging his forearms. He's touching Chanyeol a lot this time. Baekhyun mostly talks, like how crushing the Sopophorous bean with the flat side of the silver dagger releases juice better than cutting it, or like how shoving a bezoar down a victim's throat is a simple poison antidote. They discuss about the recipe for Felix Felicis and Everlasting Elixirs, sometimes with Baekhyun standing behind Chanyeol and massaging his shoulders.

"You're a kinetic learner, Yeol. You need to do physical activites to be able to retain all this stuff we are talking about."

True enough, when he throws a question at Chanyeol, the Gryffindor can answer right away, and correctly, too. It's pretty effective.

"Baek, can you do my palms? I think I wrote too much in class this afternoon."

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "You don't even write stuff anymore because you have that quill that does all the writing for you. Honestly, how lazy can you get?" But he feels a sense of charity for this person he's with, so maybe that's why he continues to help him, sit down and massage those huge palms. And no other reason other than that.

They're face-to-face now, and Chanyeol is still taller. Baekhyun frowns at this fact, at which Chanyeol can't help but flick his lower lips.

"Gross!" Baekhyun makes a disgusted face as he grabs Chanyeol's palm into his hands. The size difference is significant. His fingertips are calloused, and Baekhyun gulps at where his thoughts were going before he stops them. His own fingers fit into Chanyeol's slender ones, and no, Baekhyun's not thinking about how nice it would be to hold his hand while walking in the corridors of the castle. At night. Or under the table in the library. Or behind the bookshelves in the library. Or just anywhere in the library which is his favorite place in the entire castle.

Baekhyun snaps out of his thoughts when Chanyeol clears his throat, because apparently, he just asked a question and Baekhyun's head was in the clouds while unconsciously staring at his chocolate brown eyes.

"What was it again?"

"I was asking what the panacea stuff was about. It seemed pretty important," Chanyeol says, "but is there something wrong in my face?" The Gryffindor student raises his free hand and touches his forehead and cheeks.

"No, no, your face is... fine." Baekhyun clears his throat, trying to drive away the heat pooling on his cheek. "The panacea is famous in alchemy. It's a remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely."

"Oh. Cool."

"I know, right?"

Baekhyun sighs, tired after kneading just one hand. So he rests his hands on Chanyeol's lap, but his fingers land on the crotch of Chanyeol's trousers and suddenly, chairs stumble backwards and--

"Merlin's saggy left--"

"Baek! It's not--" Chanyeol protectively covers his crotch with his hands, as if he just came from the shower and his towel dropped in front of a girl.

"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun is completely astonished-- it's clearly written on his face, eyes wide, eyebrows meeting at the middle, and mouth agape.

"I'm a healthy young wizard with normal body parts that, you know..."

They're not looking at each other now, and neither can believe what just transpired.

Finally, they catch each other stealing a glance, and they hold the stare, and Baekhyun breaks the silence.

"Do you want me to help with that, too?" Baekhyun asks, tilting his chin towards Chanyeol's obvious tent.

The look of surprise on Chanyeol's face is priceless. "I c-can handle it on my own," he sputters.

"Pathetic." Baekhyun shakes his head. When he has thought that maybe Chanyeol is a kinetic learner, which he definitely is, he has suggested they study in this room and has expected something like this to happen. More or less.

"Don't come near me! This is all because of you, Byun!" He exclaims when Baekhyun takes one step towards him.

Baekhyun throws his worries inside the vanishing cabinet, metaphorically, of course. In a moment, he takes back what he said to Jongin about not getting involved with the Park guy who likes to make fun of people. So he closes their distance, kneels in front of Chanyeol, swats those huge hands away, and s Chanyeol's trousers in one go.

"You got hard with me massaging your hand? Just one of your hands?" Baekhyun says as he pushes down both his trousers and boxers. "Pathetic."

"Shut up, we're supposed to be studying." Chanyeol reminds him once again that he's serious about improving his grades. But there's no venom in his words, really. He's only saying it for the sake of saying it, sort of, but he knows within himself that he's dreamt of this, unconsciously or not.

Baekhyun indeed shuts up for a moment when he sees Chanyeol's , curving towards his stomach, already glistening at the tip. His forefinger traces the protruding vein by the underside and Chanyeol groans at the first touch. He only remains quiet for just that short amount of time, though.

"What incantation should you recite at the last step of making the Felix Felicis?" Baekhyun asks as he slowly Chanyeol's with his index finger.

"What in the name of Godricㅡ"

"Shut up, Chanyeol, we're supposed to be studying," Baekhyun echoes his words from a while ago. He glances up at the taller guy through his golden-rimmed glasses, looking all innocent as if he's not about to jerk him off.

"Felixempra," Chanyeol answers quickly. As a reward, Baekhyun encircles his thumb and forefinger around his girth in a tight grip. The Ravenclaw, in return, receives another groan. It's just an exchange process directed towards satisfying human needs.

"Good. Then in step number seven, add a sprinkle of what?"

"Common rue," Chanyeol gasps.

"Not good enough," Baekhyun says, at the same time, loosening his grip around him.

"Powdered," Chanyeol whines. "Powdered common rue!"

Baekhyun tightens his hold, all fingers now wrapped, but still slowly him. After a couple of correct answers, he teases Chanyeol's slit with his thumb, and he likes the face the tall guy makes. It makes his own strain inside his trousers. Several more questions and one of Chanyeol's huge hands finds its way to his shoulder, while the other is on top of Baekhyun's head, trying to card those slender fingers through his fluffy hair. More and Baekhyun's pace fastens, jerking and tugging Chanyeol to the heavens.

"What should you grind in step number five, hmm, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun's playing with his balls, tickling it and it lightly. He adjusts his eyeglasses which were about to slip off his nose with his free hand.

"Baek, Baekhyun... it's Occamy-- ah, Baek-- eggsh-shell--"

Then Chanyeol comes. On Baekhyun's face. On his nose, lips, chin, a little bit on the cheeks, and on his glasses. Baekhyun backs away instantly, but come is already on his face, and his vision becomes a bit blurry when he takes his glasses off. He doesn't like seeing splatters of white blocking his sight.

", I'm so sorry!"

"At least tell me when you'll..." Baekhyun flushes red and can't finish that train of thought. "...so I would have backed away from you. Bloody Merlin." Baekhyun brings a finger to touch the sticky substance on his cheeks, and his nose scrunches in disgust. He's not going to show he wants a taste of it. Never.

"Let me clean it for you," Chanyeol says and gets the glasses from him. With a flick of his wooden wand, he mutters, "Scourgify."

The come disappears on his face and Baekhyun should be glad, but he's a bit disappointed as well. Honestly, he can't understand what's happening with him right now. "Well," he clears his throat. "At least you're getting good with the incantations."

"It's because I have a good tutor," Chanyeol replies with a smile that brings a smile on the Ravenclaw student's face, too.

Slowly, Chanyeol puts the glasses back on Baekhyun's nose.


 

Baekhyun does not get a wink of sleep that night, catching up with the advanced reading he needs to do because tutoring Chanyeol technically takes his free time and energy now. He naps for only a couple of hours before he needs to wake up and attend his classes again.

Jongin has been used to this kind of Baekhyun, the one that looks like a Dementor just the soul out of him. Even before Chanyeol happened, Baekhyun stayed up late anyways to read fictional books. Judging by the covers of those books in the past, they must have been Muggle romance novels, but Jongin barely cares about that. This time, all Baekhyun reads are boring academic books.

"You fine there, Baek?" Jongin asks, because as a best friend, he's still concerned about Baekhyun.

"Just a little bit tired." To prove his statement, the shorter boy yawns and removes his glasses before rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"You look like you're soooo tired, though," Jongin comments. "You shouldn't stay up too late. The amount of advanced reading you've done could get you a job in the Ministry of Magic already. We're still in sixth year, Baek, no pressure."

Baekhyun knows all that. "I just enjoy reading a lot."



Chanyeol is more cheerful today than the last time he went inside the library to meet Baekhyun. But as usual, he has to make his presence known first because the Ravenclaw student is oblivious to his surroundings right now, lost in that book in front of him. He sits beside the bookworm.

"Hey, Baekhyun," Chanyeol whispers. When there is no reaction, he repeats calling his name again and even tapping the shoulder of the other.

Still, no response. Is this guy even awake?

Chanyeol decides to make Baekhyun face him by placing his right palm on the left cheek of his tutor.

That's when Baekhyun looks at him-- really looks at him-- and feels Chanyeol's hand on his cheek, nice and warm, and there's a moment of silence before he greets him with a sleepy, "Hi."

"Hey, can you make some time for me?" Chanyeol asks. He is concerned with the dark circles starting to form under Baekhyun's eyes.

"Why would I be talking to you if I can't?" Baekhyun's too tired to even roll his eyes.

"Can you help me with Charms? We'll--"

Chanyeol, however, is interrupted with Baekhyun standing up, chair screeching against the floor, and catching half of the other students' attention. Baekhyun bows slightly as an apology.

"Hey, where are you going? I thought you were making some time for me?" Chanyeol stands up, too, but not as loudly as the little guy did. He doesn't get a response until they reach some random shelf, or so he thinks.

"I didn't bring my Charms book, and obviously you also didn't, so let's borrow the library's copy." Baekhyun says as he gets The Standard Book of Spells from the shelf and sits down with his on the carpeted floor, crossing his legs. He looks at Chanyeol and taps the space next to him once, before the tall guy sits down, too.

While Baekhyun is discussing the advantages of nonverbal spells while caressing Chanyeol's thigh, from the knee that is touching his own to a few inches from the crotch, Chanyeol can't help but get distracted. Not by the way Baekhyun rubs his palms on his skin through his trousers (well, maybe a little) but because the smaller boy is so obviously sleepy if those droopy eyes aren't giveaways. He gets the gist of what Baekhyun's discussing though-- the adversary given no warning about what kind of magic one is about to perform.

But Chanyeol can't contain it any longer-- he gently directs Baekhyun's head to lean on his shoulders. It seems like the other is so out of it that he barely notices this.

"Chanyeol, I'm really sleepy," Baekhyun says with eyes already closed anyways.

"Do you know any sleeping charms?" Chanyeol shouldn't have looked down at Baekhyun yawning and starting to get snug against his shoulders, because the moment he did, he sees Baekhyun's long lashes behind his glasses fanning that soft skin and the way the afternoon light, or what's left from it, casts the shadows on his face is just magical.

"Hm? I don't think so?" Baekhyun mumbles.

Without a warning, Chanyeol pulls the Ravenclaw student down to his lap, lets fluffy brown hair fall down to the insides of his thighs, wanting him to get some rest, even if he will have to force the other into sleep. Chanyeol lets Baekhyun's glasses perch on his nose, because he doesn't know if it's uncomfortable that way, and also because Baekhyun shows no sign of removing it himself. The angel sleeping on his lap is too good to look at that Chanyeol doesn't have the strength to disturb him.

Baekhyun is too tired to show any signs of protest and despite of Chanyeol's muscular physique, his lap is quite a good makeshift pillow. Or at least Baekhyun is comfortable with his position right now.

And he falls asleep like that by the bookshelves. He doesn't think any sleeping charm can work its magic like Chanyeol's lap can.



The lights are off when Baekhyun comes back to his senses. He can feel his glasses perched lopsidedly on his nose and remembers being in the library with Chanyeol. It must be past eight, the library's closing time. He turns his head to face the ceiling and gets a view of Chanyeol's nodding head instead. The giant oaf is drooling and it must be on Baekhyun's fringes that the drool is dropping onto or else why is there a wet feeling there right now?

It's a pity that the latter has to wake up from what seemed to be his most wonderful sleep yet. But someone has to wake him up. Baekhyun taps his left cheek with his forefinger and Chanyeol starts blinking the sleepiness away. He closes his mouth and tastes what the feeling of sleeping in the library is like. Once his eyes adjust to the darkness, a smile slowly paints his face in dim moonlight as he focuses on Baekhyun.

"Hey, Yeol, we have to go back to the dorms," Baekhyun says, even if he's not making a move to sit up and leave. Chanyeol starts to comb his fingers slowly through the smaller boy's hair that makes Baekhyun not want to leave.

"Baek?"

"Hm?"

This is a nice sound to wake up to, Baekhyun thinks, their light breathing filling the gaps of silence, the calmness in their voices breaking the fragility of the night. It's nice to wake up to someone slowly combing their fingers through your hair...

"Why do you live in the library?" Chanyeol asks. "I've seen you on that same seat since our fourth year."

Baekhyun's laugh rings through the emptiness of the library. Are they seriously on that level of friendship now where they can exchange personal stories in the dark? But Baekhyun doesn't have tear-jerking drama anyways, so what's to hide?

"I've claimed that spot since the first time I entered the library. And, it's just sort of a sanctuary to me, I guess? Maybe I feel safer around books? That doesn't make sense, though," Baekhyun pouts even though Chanyeol can't really see it in the dark. "Well, coming to the library is like coming home for me. These books simply remind me of my parents because they both liked reading and our house is like this huge booksale except the books aren't for sale at all."

They both laugh a bit at that. There's something in the night that tickles their funny bones.

"When I was a child, my dad used to read me books about the wizarding world, tell me potions and secrets to make brewing them easier. I know that is the reason I'm pretty good with Potions. When my mom read me bedtime stories, it always was magical. I miss them when I'm here."

"Hmm, would you like to stay a little bit more inside this library?" Chanyeol muses.

"Maybe," Baekhyun says, with an underlying mischeivous tone that Chanyeol doesn't miss. Then the petite male suddenly sits up. "Yeol, I wanna go somewhere first. It's only inside this library."

Baekhyun leads Chanyeol to one of the sections in the library that the latter doesn't know existed. It is closed off by a rope which Baekhyun ducks under. Chanyeol follows him inside, but not after reading the ominous sign on top of them which says Restricted Section.

"Baek, don't we need a teacher's permission to enter this part of the library?" Chanyeol asks nervously.

"Shh, Yeol, this is the Restricted Section. Doing what's forbidden is always exciting, don't you agree?"

The moonlight doesn't reach this part of the library and lumos may wake up the sleeping portraits, if there are even portraits here, so the two of them just fumble in the dark until Chanyeol bumps onto Baekhyun.

"What do you say about doing something forbidden in this place that's forbidden for us to come?"

In the following silence, Baekhyun can hear Chanyeol gulp. It makes the smaller guy giggle to himself as he pulls Chanyeol against him. The first to lean closer is Baekhyun, a smile on his lips as he kisses Chanyeol's lips chastely, just good enough for the giant to want more. And it works.

Chanyeol steps forward, makes Baekhyun step backward, until the latter is leaning against the bookshelf with gigantic books. Baekhyun starts with his tutorials again, whispering charms and spells that can be used as defence against dark magic, making Chanyeol participate and answer him back. He whispers procedures and steps and all things academic against Chanyeol's soft jawline, nibbling to punctuate each question. And Chanyeol answers with a moan first, before guessing and guessing until he finally gets the correct answer, which will be rewarded with a sloppy kiss on his neck, or on his collarbone, and Baekhyun's hand slides on Chanyeol's broad chest to remove his coat.

It is a pretty difficult question that Chanyeol got correctly so Baekhyun palms his through the thin material of the other's trousers. "Fu-uck-" Chanyeol drawls.

If there are portraits in this part of the library, they sure are silent about having to hear a couple of teenagers go at it like rabbits. Chanyeol can't help but keep on calling Baekhyun's name again and again. The petite Ravenclaw student just bites his lower lip to keep himself from pouncing onto Chanyeol right there and then, in the midst of ancient books restricted from Hogwarts students.

That is until Chanyeol grabs Baekhyun's hand from his crotch and he shoves the petite guy's pretty face a little bit gently into the shelves. Chanyeol hovers behind Baekhyun, poking onto Baekhyun's plump .

Baekhyun started it first, grinding on Chanyeol's hips so desperately for release until the latter decides to jack him off with his hand. Reaching the front of Baekhyun's trousers, he s and pushes it down with Baekhyun's boxers. He wraps his fingers around Baekhyun's , eliciting a moan from the Ravenclaw student's lips with just the first touch of his calloused hand. It only takes a few tugs and Chanyeol ing his clothed on Baekhyun's before Baekhyun comes on the book shelf. On the spine of an ancient-looking book.

"Guess Madam Pince will have more cleaning up to do tomorrow," Chanyeol says.

"She cleans the library with magic anyways," Baekhyun assures him. He tries to ignore the hardness poking on his back as he pulls his boxers and trousers back.

"We better go back to our rooms now, Baek." Chanyeol sighs.

"Uhm..." Baekhyun starts, not knowing how to ask if he should pump Chanyeol to completion, too. He's not sure if he should go back to asking, "do you want me to help with that?" He remains silent.

As if Chanyeol can read his mind, he shakes his head and says wistfully, "I can do this myself."

And Baekhyun might have felt a little bit bad about leaving him unsatisfied but a wave of drowsiness sweeps him again and he can't argue with the other right now.

"Pathetic," Baekhyun half-heartedly says as they both go out of the library. He can't hide the grin on his lips, though. It's there when he's behind Ravenclaw doors and it's still there when he falls asleep.


 

On the day of Chanyeol's test, a question which he reviewed with Baekhyun yesterday appears on their exam paper. He can't help but smile like a fool in love when he writes the answer he sure is correct.

Along with the memory of yesterday comes the image of Baekhyun against the shelves, his snug against Baekhyun's cheeks, Baekhyun , and- that's all it takes for Chanyeol to get his straining against his trousers again.

He quickly finishes his exam, confident that he got about 83% of the items correct. He believes Baekhyun really is an effective tutor for him.


 

"Someone's in love," is the first thing Kyungsoo says when Chanyeol enters their shared room, flushing a little bit and seconds away from bursting into a fit of school girl giggles.

"You think so?" Chanyeol says as he glides to his bed like he's an owl in the sky and he's high on cloud nine.

Kyungsoo snorts. "You like him that much?"

Chanyeol doesn't deny it, just smiles like a celebrity Gilderoy Lockhart would be jealous of.

"Well, his friend isn't that bad either," Kyungsoo says but his best friend doesn't hear it, too busy fantasizing about his next session with the wizard of his dreams.


 

They're back in the Room of Requirement. In the middle of their discussion about Transfiguration and Baekhyun massaging Chanyeol's forearm, a bed appears on the space beside the chair Chanyeol is sitting on, and to say that Baekhyun was puzzled is an understatement.

"How did this bed appear? Is someone coming inside?" Baekhyun panics, chair scraping the floor with a screech as he abruptly stands up.

"I've conjured it with my thoughts."

Baekhyun visibly stiffens. His heart beats faster as if he has been picked as Ravenclaw representative for the Triwizard Tournament. "For w-what?"

"Massage my back, too?" Chanyeol's grinning at him sheepishly, and Baekhyun knows he knows he's cute like that; that's why the giant oaf is doing it on purpose, because he knows that Baekhyun can't say no to him when he's cute like that. The supposed tutor can only roll his eyes.

"Fine, but don't start thinking I'm going to be your personal masseur now."

The first touch on Chanyeol's clothed back is gentle, a hint of shyness and maybe an attempt to be intimate is found there. The next touch where Baekhyun exerts more force sends shivers down Chanyeol's spine.



They've been doing it for several minutes, with Baekhyun sitting on Chanyeol's , throwing review questions every now and then. Chanyeol moans after every answer he says, unable to hold it in anymore when Baekhyun's fingers are massaging his bare back. Baekhyun's "reward" for him is a tickle by his sides, though Chanyeol whines that it is hardly a reward and that he should just plant a kiss on his back.

Thinking about it, Baekhyun wants to mark Chanyeol's back more than tickle the taller guy underneath him.

"Yeol, can you stop ?" Baekhyun asks because any more of it and he'll be fully hard. Chanyeol's deep, throaty voice never fails to make him feel inappropriate things.

"Why?" Chanyeol moans again, "Your fingers feel so good."

Baekhyun groans. "You make it sound so..."

"Do you like to listen to me moan?" Chanyeol cheekily asks. There's a triumphant grin on his face that Baekhyun can't see because he's burying his face on the bed.

"I think you like to listen to me moan," Baekhyun says as he teases the other with a hand creeping to his front and flicking Chanyeol's .

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol gasps. He turns around on the bed to face Baekhyun, making the petite guy straddle him. "Do you wanna continue where we left off in the library?"

Baekhyun's answering smirk is all Chanyeol could ask.


 

While Baekhyun is walking up the stairs, he's suddenly stopped by a hug from the back, his glasses almost falling off from his nose. His breath hitches as his feet are being slightly raised from the ground. It could have been Jongin, but he knows his bestfriend's hands are a little bit smaller than the one around his waist right now. Once his body is on the ground again, he turns around to the sight of Chanyeol and the sound of his heart beating loud.

Even if he's one step up, he still has to raise his head slightly to be able to meet Chanyeol's eyes. The latter is grinning at him like his usual ear-to-ear creepy smile showcasing all of his pearly white teeth but Baekhyun knows something's worth celebrating this time.

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol starts, a little out of breath from catching up with Baekhyun, maybe. "I can't thank you enough for making this A possible for me." He almost screams as he shoves a piece of parchment on Baekhyun's face.

Baekhyun leans his head back and squints. He sees the scrawled A+ in red ink on top of the parchment. He smiles in pride and gives Chanyeol a thumbs up. "But I barely did anything, Yeol. It was time your hardwork would pay off."

It's true, when they weren't... messing around, Baekhyun can see Chanyeol's serious side, working on his homework and trying to recall all the terms he has newly learned. But despite his happiness for Chanyeol, something heavy settles in Baekhyun's chest, something heavy he wants to remove.

As Chanyeol unrolls another parchment that probably has another A+ on top, Baekhyun thinks about the impending future. Does this mean Chanyeol will stop asking him for help from now on? It all suddenly feels like Chanyeol's one and only prank on him, to leave when Baekhyun's attached to him already.

But before Baekhyun can overanalyze everything like the most advanced potion to brew, Chanyeol grabs him by the wrist the same time the stairs move without a warning. Baekhyun is confused when he realizes where they are going- why he's being led to the Gryffindor tower.

Chanyeol looks to the sides and whispers the password to the portrait who looks back at him with a raised brow but opens nonetheless.

They go past the reading room and to a portrait of Valeria Myriadd where Chanyeol muttered, "pig snout," before it slid aside to reveal a crawlspace. Baekhyun has no choice when Chanyeol goes in but to follow the latter since he's the one who brought him over.

"What part of Hogwarts is this?" Baekhyun then asks.

"It's an unused bathroom in the 7th floor. The proper entrance is locked and I'm the only one apart from Kyungsoo to know this place. Sometimes we prepare our pranks here."

"So why did you bring me here, Yeol?"

"Since we used to always be in your special place in the library, I figured I should show you mine, too."

Through the small window at the top of the stalls, only the moonlight streams in, illuminating the whole room. Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol and catches him looking at him. There's something in the atmosphere that shifts.

Slowly, Chanyeol leans forward and kisses Baekhyun so softly on his cheek. "Would you still hang out with me even if we're not going to talk about anything academic?" There's apprehension in Chanyeol's voice but there's also an undeniable hopeful glint in his eyes. Baekhyun can't deny him that.

But mostly, he can't deny himself what his heart truly wants.

He playfully pushes Chanyeol into one stall, makes him sit down on the closed water closet and straddles him. "I would have talked to you in the first place if you weren't so famous with pulling pranks on everybody," Baekhyun says before slanting his thin lips on Chanyeol's thick ones.

Just when Chanyeol squeezes Baekhyun's hips, they hear the sound of the portrait opening. They both freeze, exchanging looks of panic that whispers with full exclamatiom marks at the end, "I thought nobody goes in here!"

They hear a voice from one of the new comers. "Don't worry, nobody comes in this bathroom because it's far."

Wait a minute, that voice sounds familiar to Chanyeol.

"But I want you to come. Under me." The pair of voices bursts into chuckles. Baekhyun wants to puke because he knows exactly who that voice belongs to.

The laughter from the voices quiets down and is replaced by heavy breathing and pants.

Chanyeol lifts Baekhyun off his lap and presses an index finger against the latter's lips. He opens the door to their stall, making sure to hide Baekhyun behind it. He almost can't believe when he sees Jongin snogging with Kyungsoo. He clears his throat and the two jump back like magnets repelling.

"Hey, we got here first," Chanyeol says. He can hear Baekhyun trying to stifle his laughter. "Find your own unused bathroom."

"Are you with Baekhyun here?" Jongin inquires.

"Chanyeol, why do you have to ruin everything?" Kyungsoo groans. "Let's go, Jongin. I bet Baekhyun's already behind that door." Chanyeol's ears redden.

Kyungsoo intertwines his fingers with Jongin's before disappearing back into the crawlspace.

When they are both gone, Baekhyun bursts into a fit of laughter. "Your ears are so red, Yeol. They would've been cute if they weren't so large." Baekhyun rethinks about his statement for a moment before adding, "they're cute. On a larger scale."

"Are we going to go on talking about my ears or do you wanna continue with-"

Chanyeol doesn't even get to finish his sentence because Baekhyun wraps his arms around his neck and tiptoes to kiss his lips again.