A truth spoken and a fateful encounter

Junmyeon sighed. It seemed like those days he couldn’t do anything else. Sometimes he sighed with contentment, having Yixing falling asleep on his lap or just having a good time with Kris, talking about O.W.L.S and homework.

But more often than not, he sighed out of tiredness.

They had barely finished cleaning out the castle, him running back and forth from the dungeons to the library trying to salvage as many books as he could from the disaster that had detonated inside Hogwarts. Students with magical allergic reactions to that artificial swamp water or that had been too close to the source had flooded the infirmary, thankfully spared by the explosions.

Now he, Kris and all the other Prefects were locked up in the Charm classroom with the professors and the Headmaster, thinking about what to do. Because they all knew portable swamps were only available on the Weasley’s’ Wizard Wheezes catalogue and that meant that someone had gone and bought it, before bringing it into the castle, and it couldn’t have been a student.

“We didn’t want to alarm the students any more than necessary, but given the recent events, we cannot ignore the problem any longer. We must take action.” The Headmaster’s voice echoed in the room, despite being as low as a murmur. Nobody dared to speak “We have to search the castle, today. Every nook, every cranny; I want Hogwarts investigated from top to bottom”

A blonde-haired girl from Ravenclaw hesitantly raised her hand.

“Yes, miss Yura?”

“What happens if we don’t find anything? I mean… we’ve had a Basilisk hidden in Myrtle’s bathroom for years and nobody knew it”

The Headmaster’s expression softened a little.

“Don’t worry miss Yura. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this castle for many years now. I assure you that if we really mean to find something, we will”

The young girl looked reassured, but Junmyeon wasn’t. He knew it was only a matter of time things got out of control and he wanted to prevent any hazard that could hurt his home, or worse, his loved ones. They had now ruled out all creatures with more than ten fingers or one nose, but it was still odd.

Nobody could be so stupid to sell anything to a troll or a fairy, so it was either a shapeshifting creature like a Hag or a Werewolf, or not a creature at all. In that case, he didn’t want to think about the implications.

“Now, I must ask you Prefects to your respective Houses to Hogsmeade and wait for communication by owl. You’ll find that the train in already on the tracks waiting for you all”

Junmyeon shot a significant look at Kris, who nodded in response. A full raid on the castle was unheard of, but in the years before the War weirder things had happened. And that was the problem: weird things happened before the War, meaning that if they started happening again, something ominous was right around the corner.

His thoughts raced to Yixing, who was asleep in the infirmary after he had grown another pair of ears on the base of his scalp after drinking some of that swamp water. And then to his parents, to his friends and his cat…

No, no Junmyeon. You are jumping to conclusions, like always. Didn’t you used to think there was a secret passage in the Potions room when you just didn’t know the professor loved to Apparate behind students?

As they were dismissed, he walked out of the room to find Kris waiting for him.

“What do you think?” the Gryffindor asked.

Junmyeon pondered for a moment, before giving him a hard look.

“I think we better pray Merlin they find something in the castle”

Kris grimaced, but nodded. Junmyeon was right, but the mood was already so tense he could feel it clogging his pores, so he tried to defuse.

“On a lighter note, I think I’m going to talk to him today” Kris said, making sure nobody except his friend could hear him. It was already too embarrassing saying it out loud.

Junmyeon quickly left his preoccupied expression for a more pleasantly surprised.

“Color me impressed. You already know what’re going to say?”

The Gryffindor quickly began to turn white. Obviously he hadn’t thought about it.

He had heard Junmyeon’s pick-up lines throughout the years and he knew he couldn’t ask him to help, or else he would be catapulted into a cheesy Muggle romcom. (Not that he watched those, of course; he only casually enjoyed sitting next to his little sisters while they were in front of that muggle jalopy they called TV).

“Ehm… I’ll think about it on the train”

“I can help if you want”

“I think I’ll manage”

Except, between hysterical second year girls demanding an explanation and the conspiracy theories going back and forth between Houses it was really hard concentrating on anything, let alone the future of your love life.

Sitting in the Prefects’ wagon, he watched as the scenery slowly changed from misty castle grounds to houses and little town shops. Junmyeon was down with the fifth years Gryffindors who were accusing some Slytherin students of being the culprits of that day accident. Of course, no actual proof involved, just old-times rivalry, like always.

He had always hated that stigma: Gryffindors are proud wizards and witches while Slytherin are, as the name suggests, sly and vicious traitors. After the War the new generation were again passed on the old ideals, in spite of what everybody said. The cycle had renewed himself.

And yet he was in love with a Slytherin. The two captains of rival teams. Ah! Take that for a romance movie plot.

Suddenly the doors of the compartment slid open with a loud screech, making him jump on his seat.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” Junmyeon said.

He wore his hair disheveled and his robe slightly crooked, but his Prefect pin shone bright on his chest.

“Got into a fight?”

“Almost. They were accusing Oh Sehun, you know, the Slytherin kid, because apparently his grandad was a Deatheater back in the day. You wouldn’t believe how mean teenage girls can be when they are scared”

“Oh, believe me I do” Kris said, his mind going south to his scarred buttcheek “So what did you do, bind them to the floor until we arrive? I’d appreciate that. Can’t concentrate with all this noise”

Junmyeon was about to say something, but then he quieted down. Kris quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Did you really?”

“Of course not” Junmyeon said, biting his lip. Then, finally he lowered his head defeated “My brother tried to defend him. He and Sehun are friends since they first began to speak. He said they were all a bunch of bigots”

Kris broke into a laugh. He knew Jongin of course, Junmyeon had introduced them at the beginning of the year and they sometimes could be found chatting in the hallways, but never in a million years he would have thought a calm guy like that could stand up to a fifth year.

“Your little brother seems to be growing up well I see”

Junmyeon shot him a meek smile.

“Yeah. However, the girls had the same reaction as always, but the guys were about to hex him good. I think he was too stunned to do anything.

I’ve been spending so much time with Yixing and homework, and now this disaster, that I forgot to check on him lately. I wonder if he’s doing okay”

Kris reassuringly patted his friend’s knee.

“You know you have always been his hero. If he was in trouble, he would have come to you. I wouldn’t be worried”

In that moment the train began to slow down, the braked shrieking on their tracks. They had arrived at Hogsmeade.

***

Tao was right there. Right there, sitting on a bench outside Dervish and Banges, looking… well… rather dashing. He was only half wearing his robes over some straight-cut black trousers and a light green jumper, his hair tossed back and a bored grimace on his lips.

“Jun, what if I’m not ready? What if he’s not ready?” he whispered.

The Ravenclaw just smiled.

“Oh come on! Mister nerves of steel is being nervous all of a sudden? Just go there and talk to him; if today is not the day, than let it be tomorrow”

“Yeah. Okay”

Now that the idea really had sunk inn, he could only function one word at a time. Which was inconvenient since he was about to ask Tao out on a date. A real one this time.

Finally he took his first step towards the shop, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. But apparently the Gods of magic had foreshadowed that him talking in that state could only mean disaster and sent him a sign. A sign, in the form of a horde of girls wrapped in red and gold robes, all very angry and all positively charging full force towards him.

As he saw his friend being devoured by the furious creature chanting “We want answers!” and “What are the teachers doing at the castle?”, or even “Give us an explanation you fool!”, Junmyeon could only stand to the side and laugh his off. For once, he was not the victim of the student mob.

There was however one thing he knew he should do, because after all that time he had spent complaining about Yixing to Kris, he owed him one.

So he stood up and walked to Dervish and Banges, his wand moving in his pocket as a note was being written.

Dear Tao,

There is something we must urgently discuss. Let’s meet tomorrow before practice.

Forever yours,

Kris

***

At the same time Kris was being manhandled by a very muscular Gryffindor girl, Luhan was watching through the windows of The Three Broomsticks, searching for a familiar face.

“Oh my Lord Tao, he’s already there. How the bloody hell did I get into this situation?”

“You shouted at him asking him out in the Great Hall, my friend” Tao could only remind him.

Luhan turned around and pinched his friend’s arm, giving him a glare. Tao however looked too distracted to care. Was it that Ravenclaw Prefect’s fault? They were still waiting for him to work up the courage to go near the Inn when that prefect had made his appearance and demanded to talk to Tao. Was he in trouble? No, it couldn’t have been: under all that sarcasm, Tao was a stellar student with a spotless record.

Under normal circumstances he would have tried to pry more out of him, but he was as tense as a violin string.

He breathed in and mentally prepared for possibly the worst day of his life. Why he had spurted out those six words ‘then let’s go on a date’ was beyond him. He hated Sehun’s guts with his all being, and now he was forced to spend the evening with him. Ugh, just the thought made him wan to vomit.

Or at least, that was what he wanted to say. Because in reality, he had spent the entire night trying to find an actual reason to hate him, and he had found none. Sure the guy could be cocky and insufferable, but he was also caring and a really great…

No Luhan, never even in a million years. You and Sehun are like water and oil, they don’t mix. Period.

“Little word of encouragement?” he asked, his voice sounding like it was about to break.

Tao finally snapped out of his daze and began massaging his friend’s shoulder, like one of those Muggle fighters.

“Look at your target and relax.” He said, maybe enjoying himself a little too much “Now go get him tiger”

And pushed Luhan into the Three Broomsticks.

The first thing he noticed was how crowded was the place. The entire Hogwarts was in Hogsmeade that day and there weren’t many other nice places to go and have a pint of butterbeer around. He felt almost relieved: at least there wasn’t going to be absolute silence at their table.

As he approached Sehun’s seat, he took a moment to observe his rival: sure, their relationship had long overgrown the petty hatred of the beginning, but if before he at least could call him his nemesis in a joking way, now he didn’t know where they stood.

Because for how much he didn’t want to admit it, Oh Sehun was fascinating. He was tall and lanky, but his expression was firm and resolute. He never backed down from a challenge and was competitive, to the point of obsession. If he wanted something, that something he would get, no matter the means.

At first, Luhan had felt a little intimidated, but after all those months, he had surprised himself thinking: “I know this guy”.

And right on cue…

“You are late”

Luhan took his seat, hands tight in his pockets. Three words and he already wanted to punch him in the face.

“There was no schedule, so how can I be late?”

“Well, I got here a while ago. Where were you?”

A thought crossed Luhan’s mind: was Sehun being… jealous? Certainly it couldn’t have been that, right?

“Why do you care?”

The wizard opened his mouth, surely ready for a snarky response, but he oddly immediately closed it. Finally Luhan gave him a good look, his eyebrow knitted: Sehun’s hair was definitely styled and his robes void of any sort of lint, which was a miracle given how many students at Hogwarts owned a cat, but that the usual for him. What was unusual was the presence of color on his face, more precisely his flushed cheeks and his glinting brown eyes.

Not knowing what to say, Luhan raised his arm to order a Butterbeer and they waited in silence. The inn was filled to the brim with chatters and loud laughs coming from all the other tables, but suddenly he felt as if there were only two people in the room and the second certainly was not Madame Rosmerta.

After what felt like an eternity, Sehun abruptly got up, making the table shake.

“Listen, I don’t even know why I am here” he sighed, pushing back his hair “I think I should go”

At that point, something odd happened: Luhan felt… betrayed. He knew he should have felt relieved, that date was over even before starting, but instead he felt like he had been deceived. He had not given up all the past night of sleep thinking about that date for it to last barely ten minutes. The Hans were a proud family that did things all the way and never gave up half-way.

So he stood up, hoping nobody could see him tip toe to match Sehun’s height, and crossed his arms in his chest.

“Are you running away? Weren’t you the one who said I was going to be too afraid to come? Well, I guess the Ohs are all like that then”

Fury flared on Sehun’s face, turning his cheeks to a powerful scarlet.

“Listen, just let it go okay? I’m not running away, just… this was a bad idea from the start. What are we doing here, you and me? We hate each other, a date doesn’t make sense”

“Don’t go and decide what I think. If you want to be a coward than do it on your own”

“Oh, so I am the coward now? May I remind you how many times you called me a ‘son of a troll’ a more other unpleasant names behind my back after our incident? If you wanted to say something, than say it to my face.”

Luhan was momentarily taken aback. Why was Sehun so angry? That wasn’t one of their usual back and forth, he was genuinely furious. Had he in the heat of the moment accidentally crossed the line? He was positive he had not.

“Yeah right, like you’ve never said anything about me to your friends behind my back. At least when I am with you I am always honest about my feelings”

But even as he said it, Luhan knew it wasn’t true. There were so many things he was too afraid to say, even to Tao, that were trying to pry his mouth open, but he wouldn’t let them. Not that Sehun had to know, of course.

“Yeah right. You look like you don’t even have the brain capacity to do that.” Sehun replied, finally going back to his usual sarcastic self “And don’t think I haven’t noticed you are on the tip of your toes, shorty”

At that, Luhan knew he was about to ascend the astral plane alongside Buddha because the urge to break that idiot’s nose was strong, but his will proved to be stronger.

“For your information, I am standing at my normal height!” he barked, gritting his teeth “Why are you so obsessed with me anyway? Do you have a crush on me or something?”

Sehun quirked one of his brows and leaned closer over the edge of the table, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“You wish!”

At that point they were both yelling at each other, entertaining not only the other costumers, but also the Inn’s staff like Madame Rosmerta, who looked like she hadn’t had a laugh this loud in a while.

Luhan’s ears were practically fuming with rage. Not only was he being humiliated in front of the whole Inn, but he had called him short twice now!

The thing is, when you are so overwhelmed by emotions as strong are fury, your brain is so overworked that your mouth can only speak one thing: the truth.

So when Luhan opened his to bark back a snarky reply, his thoughts got stuck, letting that little voice inside his head come out in full force. He slammed his hand on the table and yelled:

“HELL YEAH I DO!”

Pure silence enveloped the room.

In less than a second Luhan realized what he had said and went white as paper.

“I think I should go” was the only thing he managed to say, before bolting out of the Three Broomsticks, leaving Sehun with his mouth agape and the rest of his brain pooling on the floor.

***

Kyungsoo looked up and tried to find a place to sit. Everybody had been too busy hustling on the train to pay attention to him, so he had decided to take Nina with him. He needed some new paper for his letters anyway.

Minseok and Jongdae were in the Infirmary covered in swamp water and Chanyeol had been bouncing on his seat so much on the train he had hurt his head on the ceiling and was now somewhere else with Baekhyun. Kyungsoo hoped they could finally talk so Chanyeol could stop being obnoxious and listen to him for once.

Why were his friends never listening to him? He had asked his mother in one of his letters and she had replied saying that he just had to find a way to get his message across.

You have to think outside the box. I have no idea how magical people are, but if they are anything like my colleagues down at the flower shop, they all have their quirks and flaws, you just have to know how to get them their way.

I’m sure you can do it. I raised a clever son after all.

His mother was as always the best at giving advices, but the execution was always a little cryptic. Thinking outside the box… but how? Did he have to start throwing food at Chanyeol like a puppy the way Baekhyun did? He hoped not.

He finally found a bench in a quiet corner of the village and sat, placing Nina’s cage on his knees. The little owl gave an impatient screech and pushed her head onto his fingers.

“Yes yes, just a second”

He took a little key from his pocket and unlocked the cage. Nina immediately leaped into the air and gave him a few laps over his head before settling on his right shoulder. After tree branches, that particular shoulder was her favorite spot.

Kyungsoo began to absentmindedly her feathers, while brooding on what to do.

All his leads were pointing to Jongin. He had begun to find him asleep everywhere, at any random hour, covered in all sorts of leaves and flowers, meaning that he wasn’t sleepwalking, he was not sleeping at all! But then what was he doing at night? Was he sneaking out to plant portable swamps all over the school or to spell all their beds in the dorms invisible for a day?

No, that didn’t make any sense. Jongin couldn’t be that talented of a magician, could he? But then, if it wasn’t him, who was doing all of that to the school?

As he was lost deep in thought, he almost missed her. Seemingly out of nowhere a lady appeared and went to sit on the other side of the bench. As soon as Kyungsoo lifted him gaze, he found himself unable to look away: she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

He had never been attracted to girls, but he could still find beauty in such a lovely figure. Everything about her was white: she had white long hair and delicate white skin, her long dress was white and white was her coat. Then only things which were any shade other than ivory where her lips, the softest hue of pink, and her sharp brown eyes.

She looked like one of those faeries in the picture books his mother used to read to him when he was little.

He was still gawking when Nina decided to make the first move: she jumped down from his shoulder to land on the bench and scampered toward the woman’s lap. The lady looked at the little owl and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

“Is she yours?” she asked, and even her voice sounded white.

Kyungsoo almost couldn’t find his.

“Yes…. She’s my friend”

The lady gave a little laugh, politely hiding her face behind her hand. Kyungsoo found his cheeks on the verge of melting of embarrassment.

“A friend you say? And what did you name her?”

“Nina”

Again, she smiled. This time, a little bit sadder.

“That is a very pretty name” Nina hooted in delight, as if nodding “And would Nina care to tell me the story of her worried owner?”

Kyungsoo frowned. Was it that obvious?

“I… It’s nothing. I just feel like nobody is listening to me. Something is happening and I wanted to hear what my friends have to say about my theory, but it seems like they all have better to do than to listen”

He didn’t know why he was saying that to a total stranger. Maybe because Nina trusted her enough to let her cuddle her, or maybe because there was a strange sense of familiarity and comfort emanating from that mysterious lady that made him want to tell her everything. It was like a spell.

“I think I understand” the lady said, casting her gaze low “You are surrounded by people who you love, but everybody cover their ears when it’s your turn to speak. Is it like this?”

“Yes… actually, it’s exactly like this!” Kyungsoo exclaimed “Maybe it’s because I’m so young, but…”

The lady turned to face him, cradling Nina with her pale hands.

“Age has little to do with wit. If nobody wants to care, how about telling me? I’ve been told I’m a good listener”

And so Kyungsoo began talking. And he talked and he talked until his voice became sore and his body was rigid from sitting in that position for such a long time. He told her about what was happening in the castle, all the incidents and the fear of losing his new home where he knew he belonged. He told her about how he still missed his mom and worried about her constantly; even though nobody really missed his family like he did, he still felt obligated to think about his mom, all alone in their big house.

At that, the mysterious lady adverted her eyes, like they were full of mist.

He even told her he was thinking about someone, someone with the most striking curls he had ever seen and the gentle voice of an angel. He spilled everything.

After he was done, he was almost out of breath. The lady who had patiently waited for him to finish Nina‘s feathers, suddenly put her down on the bench and grabbed Kyungsoo by his cheeks, gently pulling him closer to her face.

Up close she was even more beautiful than from far away, and she smelled like fresh flowers. Like lavender and mimosa.

“You are a great kid.” She said, almost whispering “You don’t have to worry about a thing, everything will soon end. Just persevere on you path and everything will be alright”

That said, she got up and walked back where she had come from, but as soon as Kyungsoo turned, she was already gone.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello everybody! I'm back on a roll. I have still one exam ahead of me, but then I'll be finally freeeeeeeeeeee wiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Anyway, I feel like this chapter could've come out better, but my brain if fried right now and I know this is the best that my sleep deprived self can do so... Since I don't have a beta, I have to proofread my self and I'm the worst at spotting errors ugh.

I hope it is at least decent, especially Sehun and Luhan part because it was very challanging to write in a funny way, but it also had to be dramatic and it was harddddddd. Can you tell I'm tired ahahah? Anyway, onto Chanyeol and Baekhyun we go!

Anyway, to new and old readers, let me know in the comments how you like this chapter in thecomment, I love reading those ^__^

BYEEEEE