prompt: Hogwarts AU
length: 8188 words

They met for the first time in the prefects’ carriage on the Hogwarts Express.

It was Kihyun’s second year as a prefect, so he was already familiar with the duties that Son Hyunwoo, who had been appointed as this year’s Head Boy, was listing off to the crowd of sixteen underclassmen. The seventh-year prefects were busy patrolling the train after an earlier debriefing, since they were already familiar with the responsibilities that came with being a prefect.

Even though he had already heard this speech last year, Kihyun listened attentively as Hyunwoo detailed the areas of the school that were off-limits to students, the ever-growing list of objects that Filch had banned, and how nightly school patrols worked.

“Jihyun and I have already created this month’s schedule,” Hyunwoo said, waving his wand in the air to conjure a piece of parchment with a calendar of patrol shifts written neatly in black ink. “We’re aiming to promote friendly inter-House relationships this year and as prefects, you’ll all be role models to the underclassmen in terms of forming friendships with people outside of your house. Therefore, this year, you will be patrolling in pairs with a prefect who is not in your house.”

Kihyun quickly stole a glance at Park Sunyoung, the sixth-year Ravenclaw female prefect, and she pouted slightly when they made eye contact. He sent back a lopsided smile, since there was nothing they could do. Hyunwoo’s word was now law amongst the prefects, but since the Gryffindor wasn’t a dictator, Kihyun wasn’t worried about any instances of power abuse. There were good intentions behind this new rule, so Kihyun didn’t protest and continued listening as the Head Boy read off the September patrol schedule.

“Yoo Kihyun from Ravenclaw and Jung Soojung from Slytherin will be patrolling the first and second floors on Thursday night and Friday night from eleven at night until two in the morning.”

The Ravenclaw prefect immediately groaned upon hearing that he would be taking the late-night shift while looking around for his new patrol partner. Soojung was standing with the other Slytherin prefects to the right of the group of Ravenclaws. She was the female half of the new fifth-year pair of Slytherin prefects and Kihyun noted how beautiful the two of them were.

Both prefects were tall and carried themselves with confidence, as expected of Slytherins. Their expressions were stoic, but that only seemed to add to their attractiveness. Even the way they wore their black school robes made the two of them look like models and Kihyun had seen several prefects stare in admiration at the pair throughout the meeting.

After Hyunwoo finished assigning everyone’s shifts, he and Kang Jihyun listed off the last handful of reminders to the group of prefects. “We’re counting on you all to keep the underclassmen safe and the upperclassmen accountable. For our new fifth-year prefects,” Hyunwoo swept his gaze over the newest eight prefects, “do not be afraid to call out any sixth or seventh years for breaking school rules. Although they should know better, some of them still like to think that they can get away with whatever they want, especially now that they’re older. If any of them give you trouble or undermine your authority, Jihyun and I will be happy to step in.”

The Head Girl nodded in agreement while adding, “We’re always available for you all, so don’t be afraid to ask us for help. And if you need to switch patrol shifts for any reason during the month, please let the two of us know. If you can’t find someone who is willing to switch with you, then we will.”

“Any questions?” Seeing that no one raised their hand, Hyunwoo smiled while announcing, “You all are dismissed! Please patrol the carriages to ensure that everyone is comfortable. The train will arrive at school in about five hours.”

Kihyun was about to follow the rest of the Ravenclaw prefects out of the carriage before remembering that he had yet to introduce himself to his new patrol partner. They would be spending six hours with each other every week for the next month, so he decided that they could start getting to know each other now while there was still free time before the school year officially began. Once the train arrived at Hogwarts, they would be too busy with their own classes and activities to leisurely meet, especially being in different years and houses.

Smoothing down his bronze and blue striped tie, Kihyun stepped towards the Slytherins and called out, “Excuse me? Soojung?”

All of the Slytherin prefects stopped to openly stare down at the Ravenclaw prefect, who steadily returned their strong gazes. Soojung stepped away from the male fifth-year prefect, her face unreadable. “Yes?”

“I’m Yoo Kihyun, your patrol partner for this month.” He held out a hand while smiling kindly.

Her eyes scanned over his small form before she extended her own hand to shake his. “Is there anything else you needed to say to me?” Soojung asked after withdrawing her hand from the handshake. “If not, we have carriages to patrol.”

“Oh.” Her flat tone was like a bucket of ice water being thrown onto him, but Kihyun kept his composure, knowing that the crowd of Slytherins was still watching him intently. “Well, since you’re a new prefect, feel free to find me if you have any questions about the position. You and—” Kihyun gestured questioningly to the other fifth-year Slytherin prefect, whose name he did not know.

“Hyungwon. Chae Hyungwon,” the tall male supplied with an unfathomable expression on his handsome face.

“Ah, yes, Hyungwon,” Kihyun repeated with a friendly smile. “If you two need any help, you can always ask me.”

“Thank you for the offer, but we have upperclassmen in our house who are capable of helping us,” Soojung said while sweeping her hands towards the four other Slytherin prefects behind her. They sneered haughtily at the Ravenclaw prefect, who felt the muscles in his jaw tighten uncomfortably. Without waiting for a reply, the Slytherin prefects filed past him and left the carriage without a second glance.

Except Hyungwon. He lingered at the back, his large brown eyes trained on Kihyun’s small frame for several seconds, before disappearing down the corridor to the next carriage.

--

Now that his O.W.L.s were over with, Kihyun’s schedule as a sixth year was much freer and he spent most of his time studying with Sunyoung in the common room or tutoring underclassmen in the library. His favorite tutee was a bright third-year Ravenclaw named Im Changkyun, who had pestered the prefect the previous year into teaching him advanced material that his classes wouldn’t cover until he was in his fourth or fifth year. Kihyun was terrible at saying no, especially to Changkyun who was just so infectiously happy whenever he talked to the prefect.

When Jihyun caught wind of the two students’ tutoring sessions, she had decided to implement a tutoring program with Kihyun at the head. Most of the tutors were, expectedly, Ravenclaw students with the odd non-Ravenclaw student thrown in at Hyunwoo’s request. Kihyun had been astonished to see Hyungwon’s name on the list for available Potions and Transfiguration tutors, since most Slytherins loathed spending time outside of the dungeons if they weren’t required to. When Hyungwon showed up to the mandatory meeting for the tutors, in which Kihyun assigned tutees and went over the brief rules of the program, and was the only Slytherin to do so, the Ravenclaw had to mask his surprise when Hyungwon walked up to him and only nodded as he signed in the tall male.

Since that meeting, Kihyun hadn’t seen Hyungwon and the fifth-year prefect soon slipped from the Ravenclaw’s mind. The patrol sessions with Soojung were quiet for the most part and Kihyun had stopped trying to make small talk with her. The silence, while somewhat uncomfortable, was still bearable and most of the time, Kihyun was too tired from studying all day to liven up the atmosphere anyway. Patrolling the dim, quiet corridors was easy and the pair had been lucky enough to not cross paths with any troublemakers so far.

But he received quite a shock at the last patrol session of the month when Hyungwon appeared at the meet-up point instead of Soojung.

“What are you doing here?” Kihyun asked brazenly with bewilderment etched all over his face. “Where’s Soojung?”

“She has a Charms essay due tomorrow that she has yet to finish, so we switched shifts tonight.”

“Oh, okay.” Kihyun could understand prioritizing academics over prefect duties and at the very least, Soojung had been responsible enough to find a replacement so that he wouldn’t have to patrol the corridors by himself. Taking out his wand, he chanted, “Lumos,” and the tip of the polished wooden stick began to glow. Hyungwon copied the Ravenclaw’s action and once his wand was also lit, the two prefects began walking down the dim hallways of the first floor.

Kihyun wasn’t sure what to say, since he had never held an actual conversation with the Slytherin prefect. The taller male’s smooth, pale face was as impassive as ever, which Kihyun noted as he covertly stole glances every few seconds. The Ravenclaw also observed, to his envy, that Hyungwon’s eyes were large and framed with long eyelashes. When Kihyun’s gaze scanned the rest of his new patrol partner’s face, taking in the straight nose and thick lips with curled ends, it made sense why Hyungwon was considered one of the most attractive students in the school.

A warm flush crept up Kihyun’s neck and he quickly lowered his gaze when the Slytherin prefect’s head suddenly turned towards him. If he had noticed the sixth year staring at him earlier, Hyungwon didn’t let on that he did and stayed silent as they continued patrolling the hallways of the first floor.

When they rounded the corner, a gush of chilly air suddenly blanketed the prefects and Kihyun shivered while pulling his robes tightly around his thin body.

“Boo.”

Kihyun’s wand hand immediately flew forward in a duel stance as he twirled around to face the intruder, but he then lowered his arm as he stared in displeasure at the perpetrator. “I thought you promised to stop bothering me during my patrols last year, Myrtle.”

The spectacled female ghost trilled with laughter as she answered, “That was last year’s promise though, Kihyun. I never promised that I would stay away this year.”

A groan escaped the Ravenclaw’s thin lips as he waved the ghost away. “I don’t have time to chat, Myrtle. I’m exhausted from patrolling this late at night and you aren’t helping by suddenly appearing. Go bother the prefects during the earlier patrol shift if you’re bored.”

She lazily floated around him, pushing her glasses higher up on her nose. “They’re no fun though. Besides, I haven’t bothered you at all since the term started.” Myrtle then leaned towards Kihyun to loudly whisper, “Who’s this? You’re usually with that pretty Slytherin girl.”

The Ravenclaw prefect had almost forgotten that Hyungwon was patrolling with him after being distracted by the ghost’s unwelcome visit. The tall male stared impassively at Myrtle before saying, “My name is Chae Hyungwon. I am Kihyun’s patrol partner for the night.”

She floated next to the Slytherin prefect and unabashedly began admiring him. “You’re a prefect?” the spectacled ghost asked while trailing a wispy, transparent finger down his left arm.

“Yes. I am a fifth year, so this is my first term serving as a prefect.”

Myrtle hummed in response as her eyes feasted on his tall frame and attractive face. “Why have you never gone to the prefects’ bathroom on the fifth floor? You must know how nice it is compared to the dingy dormitory bathrooms that you lot have to share with each other.”

“It’s a long walk from the Slytherin dorm,” Hyungwon answered simply, his face still expressionless.

“But—”

“Enough, Myrtle,” Kihyun scolded as he shooed the ghost away from the tall prefect. “We still have the second floor to patrol and we’ve barely gotten through the first floor because of you. You can bother me all you want later, but leave Hyungwon alone.”

“Fine,” she huffed while crossing her arms. After stealing one last hungry glance at the Slytherin, Myrtle floated next to Kihyun and whispered in his ear, “Bring him to the prefects’ bathroom the next time you go. I’ve just got to see what he looks like under those robes.”

“Myrtle!” The Ravenclaw brandished his wand once more at the ghost, who giggled shamelessly before disappearing into a wall. “Sorry about that. She lacks basic self-control and decency at times.” Kihyun glared at the wall that Myrtle had disappeared through while adding under his breath, “Most of the time, really.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Hyungwon answered slowly, the ends of his thick lips just barely quirked upwards. “Soojung already warned me about her, so I’ve been avoiding the prefects’ bathroom since the term started.” As they walked down the dimly lit corridor, the Slytherin continued in a casual tone, “You two seem to know each other quite well.”

Kihyun immediately grimaced upon remembering the embarrassing initial meeting between him and Myrtle in the prefects’ bathroom during the first week of school the previous year. “She kind of latched onto me, even though I almost jinxed her into passing on the first time she ever snuck up on me. I don’t know why she insists on following me whenever I have my patrols. I’m not even that interesting.”

“Perhaps.”

The short Ravenclaw missed the thoughtful tone in which Hyungwon spoke, since he was too busy rambling about Myrtle’s constant interruptions that were almost as frequent as those from Peeves, who delighted in throwing Dung Bombs at unsuspecting students on their way to class. Kihyun had been forced to hex the mischievous poltergeist and clean up after his messes many times, which became extremely tiring after the first handful of incidents.

Before they knew it, the three hours passed by in the blink of an eye. Although Kihyun had been doing most of the talking, Hyungwon interjected every now and then with his opinions. However, for the most part, the Slytherin prefect was content to listen to the sixth-year prefect rant or rave about dozens of topics. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Kihyun speak so passionately, his arms waving around theatrically to emphasize any points he wanted to make, and by the end of the patrol shift, Hyungwon’s impassive expression had melted into a soft smile as the two of them talked about previous Christmas vacations.

It seemed all too soon when the two prefects arrived at their initial meeting place on the first floor and Kihyun bashfully scratched his neck as he said, “Well, it was quite fun patrolling with you tonight, Hyungwon. Sorry again about Myrtle.”

“No need to apologize.” The Slytherin wiped the smile off of his face, but his gaze was still kind as he looked at the shorter male.

“Well, I’ll be heading back to the Ravenclaw Tower. See you around.” Kihyun awkwardly waved his right hand at the fifth-year prefect, who nodded in response.

“See you, Kihyun.” And with that, the tall Slytherin prefect turned around and began walking towards his dormitory, his head held high and his long legs moving gracefully.

Kihyun watched as Hyungwon disappeared from sight before finally beginning the trek to the Ravenclaw dormitory.

--

As a sixth year, the novelty of going to Hogsmeade had already worn off for Kihyun and he didn’t feel an overwhelming need to visit the local village like he had when he was younger. But since it would be Changkyun’s first time going, the Ravenclaw prefect set up his studying schedule so that he would have a block of free time that week to explore the shops of Hogsmeade with the eager third-year boy.

“We can go to Zonko’s Joke Shop right?” Changkyun asked excitedly when they first stepped onto the village grounds. His eyes were drinking in the beautiful, unfamiliar scenery and his body vibrated with boundless energy as he tugged Kihyun’s blue-gloved hand towards the main street. “And I want sweets from Honeydukes too!” When he caught sight of the Three Broomsticks, the young boy squealed loudly and added, “We have to get butterbeer as well!”

“Whoa, slow down, Changkyun. We’ve got the entire day to enjoy Hogsmeade, so let’s choose one thing at a time,” Kihyun advised wisely.

“Zonko’s!” the third year nearly screamed when he saw the store.

Once Kihyun was finally able to drag Changkyun, who was carrying bags of merchandise, out of Zonko’s, the prefect suggested taking a short break at the Three Broomsticks before heading to Honeydukes. He secretly hoped that having some butterbeer would calm down the hyperactive third year, even for a few minutes. Kihyun didn’t think he could survive back-to-back shopping sprees, so stopping by the pub would be a welcome change of pace.

When the pair entered the Three Broomsticks, it was relatively busy and Changkyun couldn’t stop himself from marveling every second over everything he saw, even if it was as minute as the salt shaker on the table they managed to snag. After their orders of butterbeer arrived, the third year’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he tasted the drink for the first time in his life.

“Like it?” Kihyun asked with an amused grin.

“I love it!” Changkyun shouted before tipping the drink against his lips to chug some more.

“Not so fast. The butterbeer isn’t going anywhere,” the sixth year lightly admonished as he tried to stop Changkyun from downing the rest of the drink at once.

“But I want more,” the younger Ravenclaw whined loudly when Kihyun managed to successfully take the drink away.

The sixth-year prefect was about to preach the need for moderation to his young friend when the shadows of a tall figure suddenly loomed behind him. Kihyun turned around and found that he was now face-to-face with Chae Hyungwon of all people. “Uh, hey?”

“Hi.”

“Would you…like to sit with us?” Kihyun clumsily gestured to the seat next to him. Changkyun took this opportunity while his friend was distracted to grab back his butterbeer and begin drinking it again.

“Sure.”

The sixth year was completely baffled as to why the Slytherin had walked up to them. The patrol they had conducted together had been several weeks ago, so Kihyun hadn’t had a chance to speak to him since then. There was no reason to, even with Hyungwon being a part of the tutoring program. The fifth year did an impeccable job of turning in his notes on time and showing up to every scheduled meeting with his tutee, so Kihyun hadn’t needed to intervene like he did with less responsible tutors.

He racked his brain for any possible reason as to why Hyungwon had approached him, but came up short. But Changkyun was vocal enough to ask the Slytherin, “Who are you? Why are you here? Do you know Kihyun? Are you his friend?”

The fifth year looked slightly startled when the young Ravenclaw addressed him without any preamble, but was quick to mask his surprise and instead politely answered, “I’m Chae Hyungwon from Slytherin. I saw you two earlier and decided to greet Kihyun, since I know him.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Now that his questions were answered, Changkyun finished off Kihyun’s untouched butterbeer, who protested loudly upon realizing what the third year was doing. After letting out a satisfying burp, Changkyun smiled at Hyungwon while asking, “D’you want to come with us to Honeydukes?”

Kihyun was quick to jump in and say, “You really don’t have to, Hyungwon. I’m terribly sorry that Changkyun is being a bother right now and I’m sure you came with your friends who are probably looking for you right now. We’ll just be on our way and—”

“I’ll come.”

Changkyun’s eyes sparkled and his mouth widened into a grin. “You will?”

Kihyun’s eyes bulged out and his mouth dropped open. “You will?!”

“Sure, why not?” Hyungwon deadpanned while shrugging. “I don’t have anything else to do here, so I don’t mind hanging out with you guys until we get back to school.”

“Awesome!” With that, Changkyun jumped up from his seat and grabbed the Slytherin’s hand, abruptly pulling him up. “Let’s go!”

“Changkyun, wait!” Kihyun hurriedly shoveled the third year’s bags into his arms and threw some coins onto the table before running out of the pub to catch up. He managed to finally reach the sweet shop and when he walked inside, breathing heavily from the physical exertion, the Ravenclaw prefect found Hyungwon standing by the entrance. The fifth year was fixing his coat collar and Changkyun was nowhere to be found.

“He’s exploring the shop,” the Slytherin said before Kihyun could ask, seeing how out of breath the sixth year was. “I hope that’s alright.”

Kihyun nodded while setting down the shopping bags. After a few moments of catching his breath, he said, “I’ll just make sure he hasn’t overspent when he checks out later. It is his first time in Hogsmeade, so I’ll cut him some slack.” With a wistful expression on his face, the Ravenclaw prefect added, “I remember my first time here. It was amazing seeing all the different types of candy I could finally buy.”

“This is actually my first time here,” Hyungwon revealed.

“Really? How have you never been here before?” Kihyun asked incredulously. “Honeydukes is probably the best candy shop in the country!”

“Dunno.” The Slytherin shrugged. “I’ve just never felt the need to before.”

“Well, that’s changing right now. C’mon, I’ll show you around.” The sixth year grabbed the overflowing shopping bags again, looping them around his arms, when he was stopped by Hyungwon.

“Let me help you.”

“Oh, thanks.” Kihyun stared dumbly as the Slytherin transported several of the bags onto his arms so that neither prefect was overloaded. “You good?”

“I am.”

“Then let’s go!” Kihyun immediately bounded towards the rack of Fizzing Whizbees and Hyungwon followed the sixth year with a slight smile on his face.

--

They had returned to Hogwarts and Changkyun was still bouncing off of the walls with limitless energy.

“I’ll see you in the common room in a bit,” Kihyun said as he ushered the excited third year towards the Ravenclaw Tower. “But make sure you don’t eat too many sweets! It isn’t healthy for you!” he called after Changkyun, who carelessly waved back as he skipped away with his shopping bags.

“He’s your tutee, right?” Hyungwon flicked his gaze in the direction that the third year had gone.

“Yeah. He can be a handful at times, but he’s a good kid at heart,” Kihyun answered fondly. When the Slytherin didn’t take his leave like the sixth year expected him to, he looked at Hyungwon questioningly. “Er, is there anything you need? Or is it okay if I leave first? I have some studying to do for Ancient Runes.”

“Before you leave, Kihyun,” the Slytherin started, “I have two quick questions.”

“Go for it.”

“First,” Hyungwon held up his right pointer finger, “do you consider the two of us as friends?”

Kihyun thought that was a strange question to ask out of the blue. He had never really thought about what the Slytherin prefect was to him. They were simply acquaintances. Fellow prefects. Tutors in the same program.

But friends?

With his brow furrowed, the sixth year looked at Hyungwon, who stared back at him. The intensity of the Slytherin’s gaze was startling and Kihyun almost looked away, but forced himself to maintain eye contact.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Ravenclaw could see how stiffly Hyungwon was standing. He could see how the Slytherin’s fists were balled up by his side. He could feel the anxiety wafting off of the fifth year, contrary to his usual confident aura.

After seconds of silence, Kihyun finally answered, “I…don’t know.” However, before Hyungwon could respond, the sixth year continued, “But I’m not opposed to becoming friends with you. It was really fun hanging out with you at Hogsmeade today and it’d probably be fun to study with you sometime, since I know you’ve gotten stellar marks on most of your exams.”

“All of my exams,” the Slytherin corrected. “I was a contender for Ravenclaw, you know.”

“Really?”

Hyungwon nodded. “The Sorting Hat was debating between Ravenclaw and Slytherin before placing me in Slytherin. He mentioned that I have the brains to do well, but my ambition to succeed was ultimately what pushed me into studying hard in the first place.”

“Huh.” It made sense and Kihyun had never known the Sorting Hat to be wrong before. Hyungwon was certainly an interesting person beyond his handsome face. “And what was the second question you wanted to ask me?”

“What are you doing for Christmas vacation this year?”

“Christmas?” The Ravenlcaw thought for a moment before replying, “I believe I’m staying here. My parents are going abroad to visit our relatives, but I’m not a huge fan of them. If they visit us, then I can’t do anything about it, but I’d rather not go out of my way to see them when all they do is make fun of me.”

“Same,” the fifth year said while bobbing his head up and down.

Kihyun raised an eyebrow as he asked, “Your relatives make fun of you as well?”

“Er, well, not that exactly. I don’t really like visiting my relatives, because all they do is fawn over my appearance without actually caring about my studies,” the Slytherin clarified. “It becomes exhausting when no one acknowledges who you are as a person and only what you look like on the outside.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. My cousins always have to remind me of how short I am whenever I see them, even though they fail to remember that I’m much smarter than any of them,” the sixth year griped. “It gets annoying after the first reminder.”

“I don’t think you’re that short,” Hyungwon stated. “Honestly, your height is quite nice.”

Kihyun laughed while answering with a grin, “Thanks. Your height isn’t so bad either.” As he turned to head towards the Ravenclaw tower, the sixth year asked, “What are you doing for Christmas vacation then?”

“I think I’m staying here as well.”

“Nice. Well, I have to get back and make sure Changkyun hasn’t overdosed on candy. Let’s hang out sometime, friend.” Kihyun gave the Slytherin a two-finger salute and a dazzling smile before leaving him.

Hyungwon smiled as his gaze lingered on Kihyun’s disappearing form.

--

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Kihyun trudged into the Great Hall for breakfast. The four house tables had been replaced by one giant table to accommodate the dozen students and the professors who were all staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. The delicious aroma drifting into the crisp air from the mountains of food caused the Ravenclaw to grin and he sat down at the left end of the table next to a second-year Hufflepuff girl who smiled shyly at him.

He noted that Hyungwon had yet to arrive, but figured that the Slytherin was still asleep in his dorm. So when someone lightly tapped his shoulder, Kihyun slightly jumped in his seat and turned to gape at the tall fifth-year prefect staring down at him with a lopsided smile.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

“Go ahead!” Kihyun quickly scooted to the right to make space for Hyungwon, who nodded his thanks as he sat down. “You almost missed breakfast.”

“With my roommates gone, it’s a bit harder for me to wake up in the morning,” the Slytherin explained as he began piling food onto his plate. “I don’t have anyone to shake me awake when I sleep through my alarms, so I tend to oversleep more often.”

While resting his chin against his right palm, Kihyun laughed as he imagined Hyungwon snoozing through countless of alarms shrieking into his ears. “Then I’m surprised you managed to make it in time today.”

“I’m not completely rubbish at waking up,” Hyungwon retorted. “I’ve been on time to every morning class I’ve ever had since coming here.”

“If you say so,” the Ravenclaw sang before leaning out of the way to avoid the fifth year’s attempts at swatting Kihyun’s head.

After finishing their breakfast, the two prefects were about to exit the Great Hall and study in the Ravenclaw common room when Hyunwoo suddenly stopped them. “Can you two do a quick evening patrol every night until the next term starts?” the Head Boy asked anxiously. “I know it’s technically Christmas vacation, but you guys are the only prefects who stayed. I can patrol the bottom three floors myself, but it’d be extremely helpful if you two could patrol the third floor to the sixth floor together. I don’t doubt that someone might try to break the rules and get into trouble during the break, since it may seem like we’ll be lax, so I want to avoid any incidents that could ruin the holiday festivities.”

“No problem. I’m fine with patrolling,” Kihyun said while smiling sympathetically at Hyunwoo to left alleviate the tension radiating off of the Head Boy. Hyungwon silently nodded in agreement.

“Thank goodness. You two are life-savers,” Hyunwoo replied, relief painting his facial features. “You can divvy up the patrol so that each person takes two floors by himself or do all four together. I don’t mind which option you choose.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Kihyun grinned as he waved good-bye to Hyunwoo, who was now headed towards the Gryffindor tower. Once the Head Boy was out of sight, the Ravenclaw turned to Hyungwon and said, “Well, I guess we’ll be hanging out after dinner to catch troublemakers.”

“It’s not like we were going to do much anyway. Unless you planned on studying even more?”

“Nah, I can afford to take a break during the holidays. We’ll just have to study more efficiently during the day. Especially since you’re taking your O.W.L.s this spring,” Kihyun reminded the fifth year.

“Tch. I’m better at Potions than you are and you know it,” Hyungwon rebutted with a smirk.

“I still got O’s on all of my O.W.L.s last year,” the Ravenclaw shot back with a confident smile of his own. “Maybe I’ll acknowledge you if you can do the same.”

“Oh, you’re on.”

--

“Ready to go?” Kihyun stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against while waiting for Hyungwon. Both prefects had briefly returned to their dorms after the evening patrol to grab a change of clothes. Since one of the floors they had checked was the fifth floor, the Ravenclaw suggested that he show Hyungwon what the prefects’ bathroom looked like once they finished going through the four floors that Hyunwoo had assigned.

“Myrtle was right, y’know. The prefects’ bathroom is loads nicer than the dorm bathrooms are.”

“It’s more convenient to use the dorm bathrooms,” Hyungwon answered simply as he continued to doggedly jot down notes for Herbology. “Besides, it sounded like Myrtle was going to peep if I bathed there, so I’d rather avoid that if I can. Soojung told me that Myrtle also watches the girls bathe, so Soojung stopped going after catching Myrtle in the act.”

Kihyun groaned in exasperation. Myrtle really was a nuisance, no matter how nice she could be. While he knew she was bored most of the time, being a ghost and all, it still didn’t excuse the blatantly lecherous behavior she displayed.

“Does Myrtle ever watch you bathe in the prefects’ bathroom?” the Slytherin asked curiously.

“Of course not! At least, not anymore. I hexed her the first time she did and she promised that she’d avoid the prefects’ bathroom whenever I’m there. And even if she did break her promise, I usually cast Concealment Charms, so she wouldn’t be able to see me even if she wanted to,” Kihyun explained, his chest slightly puffed up with pride.

“That’s smart.”

“So why don’t you see it tonight? Just once, so you know what it’s like.” When Hyungwon didn’t answer, the Ravenclaw added for reassurance, “I’ll make sure Myrtle doesn’t disturb us.”

He had agreed in the end, which was why they were now on their way to the fifth floor to bathe in the extravagant bathroom meant only for prefects. When they reached the door, Kihyun unlocked it with its respective password and the pair easily passed through.

The giant bathroom sparkled with cleanliness and there were dozens of baskets of items lined along the sides of the room. Decorative stained glass windows spanned dozens of meters, all glittering as the lights reflected off of them. The sixth year could see Hyungwon’s large eyes growing even bigger as he took in the magnificent scene before him.

“How do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” the Slytherin breathed, his gaze still digesting every inch of the prefects’ bathroom. “I never imagined it would be this splendid.”

“Honestly, being a prefect is completely worth it to use this place,” Kihyun said as he walked over to the gigantic bathtub in the middle of the room. As he bent down, placing his towel and change of clothes by one of the hundred jewel-topped taps available for use. “Got a preference for what color the bath water is?”

“Not really. You can choose.”

“Then we’ll go with a nice aquamarine blue,” the Ravenclaw decided, reaching over to turn the correct water tap. Warm, blue-tinged water soon gushed from the tap and began filling up the gigantic bathtub. While it did, Kihyun walked over to the section of taps that controlled the foams. “You okay with bubbles?”

“They sound fun.”

“What about perfume? Which aroma do you want?” The sixth year was now by the last section of water taps, waiting for Hyungwon’s response.

The taller male finally tore his gaze away from the impeccably clean and roomy toilet stalls he had been staring at earlier, and walked over to Kihyun. “Lavender would actually be very nice.”

“Lavender coming right up!” Once everything was set, the Ravenclaw motioned to the baskets lining the walls and said, “Go ahead and choose whatever you need to wash yourself with from there. This place has just about every brand of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that exists. I think there might be bath bombs as well.”

The fifth year spent more time choosing what to use than Kihyun had expected him to. The soft smile that appeared on the usually impassive Slytherin’s face was a welcome surprise and the sixth year mentally stored the image of it in his head.

After Hyungwon clambered back to the bathtub, armed with supplies, the Ravenclaw cast several Concealment Charms so that they could bathe in peace, in case a sneaky spectacled ghost decided to pay them an unwelcome visit. Kihyun pointedly looked away when Hyungwon disrobed to respect the Slytherin’s privacy and instead focused on undressing himself before dipping his small body into the bubbling water.

“Ah,” he sighed as he felt his muscles relax in the warm, soothing water. The light lavender fragrance drifted into Kihyun’s nose as he inhaled deeply while his eyes were closed and he felt the stress from studying earlier melt away with the foamy bubbles that popped whenever he shifted his body. He could hear Hyungwon slide into the bathtub next to him and the Slytherin was careful to keep a respectable distance between them, which wasn’t hard to do since there was so much space available in the enormous bathtub. “Isn’t this amazing?”

“I can’t believe I let Soojung talk me into never coming here,” Hyungwon answered, also sighing in contentment. “The pros of this place far outweigh the con of Myrtle possibly seeing me. Not that I’d want her to see me regardless, but you know what I mean,” he quickly added.

Kihyun chuckled as he reached over to grab a bottle of shampoo. “Well, you can come here whenever you’d like to. If any girls are here, the door won’t unlock, even with the password, but you can come back in an hour or so and it should be free by then. Girls don’t take that long, even if it may seem like they do.”

“The tip is much appreciated. Got any other useful ones I can use?”

As they cleaned their hair, generously lathering the sweet-scented shampoo and conditioner all over their scalps, the Ravenclaw relayed all of the tips and tricks he had learned throughout his time at Hogwarts. Hyungwon already knew a handful of them that were open school secrets, but he was thoroughly impressed by some of the things that the sixth year told him.

Once they finished washing their hair, Kihyun picked up one of the bath bombs that the Slytherin had brought over from the supplies rack and said, “I’m going to drop one in. I haven’t played with these in awhile and this red one will mix nicely with the water. You okay with that?”

“Go for it.”

So the Ravenclaw waded to the middle of the bathtub before gently dropping the round, red bath bomb into the blue-tinged water. It immediately foamed and released billows of red that soon mixed with the blue to stain the bathwater with a deep purple color. Kihyun watched in awe as rivulets of purple water spread across the entire bathtub. “Look, Hyungwon! It’s so pretty!”

The gleeful expression on the sixth year’s face was a sight to behold and the Slytherin couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud with delight as he watched Kihyun splash around in the bathtub.

When those musical sounds of laughter escaped from Hyungwon’s plush, curled lips, the Ravenclaw almost tripped over his feet in utter amazement. “Are you laughing?”

The fifth year just laughed even harder at the incredulous expression on Kihyun’s face.

“Blimey, I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh, Hyungwon. I was beginning to think that you didn’t know how to laugh.”

The Slytherin immediately splashed bubbly water in the sixth year’s direction as he continued laughing, his long body now slightly bent in half.

“Oh no, you didn’t.” Kihyun let out a shrill battle cry as he charged toward the taller male as fast as he could in the water, his hands creating large splashes as well. He snickered when Hyungwon’s face was completely drenched with foamy water before shrieking as he jumped to avoid the Slytherin’s fierce counterattack.

And they spent the rest of their time in the prefects’ bathroom laughing and playing in the water, their laughter ringing brightly against the pristine white tiles of the expansive walls.

--

It wasn’t often that Kihyun received mail. Not because his parents didn’t care about sending him letters or the like; the Ravenclaw usually sent a long letter every month detailing what was happening in his school life and would receive an equally long letter within the week from his mother. These monthly updates were enough for both parties, so Kihyun didn’t expect a letter to drop into his lap during breakfast in the middle of January.

Setting down his soup spoon, he carefully opened the white envelope that had his name neatly printed on it and withdrew a short note that contained one question.

If you’re free, would you like to go out with me during the next Hogsmeade outing?
- C.H.W.

Kihyun arched an eyebrow before looking up and finding the Slytherin prefect staring straight at him with his usual unfathomable expression. Hyungwon slightly tilted his head to the side, as if waiting for Kihyun’s response to his letter. The Ravenclaw pointed at himself before pointing at the fifth year while mouthing, “Just us two?”

Hyungwon nodded, his soft bangs shifting slightly as he moved.

The sixth year couldn’t imagine why the Slytherin would want to meet him outside of school, but decided that there wasn’t any harm in doing so. They were no longer strangers, which Hyunwoo would have been ecstatic to hear since it meant that his and Jihyun’s plan to foster inter-House friendships amongst the prefects had been successful to some degree. Although he didn’t know if Changkyun would insist on going to Hogsmeade with him, Kihyun figured he could cook up an excuse if the third year did pester him later on. It was fair to divide his time between different friends, so with a beaming smile, Kihyun held up a thumbs-up to Hyungwon to signal that he agreed to the proposal.

It was fleeting, but a ghost of a smile appeared on the Slytherin’s face before he turned away to focus on eating his breakfast.

--

“Uh, Hyungwon, why…here, of all places?”

The two were standing in front of Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, which was decorated with pink lace and frills. Kihyun had never been to the tea shop before, having never had a reason to go, and he wasn’t sure if he liked what he saw at the moment. From what he could see through the front windowpane, the interior was just so…showy.

The Slytherin lightly coughed into his cuff, as if clearing his throat, before answering with tinted cheeks, “I heard the coffee here is quite decent. Soojung recommended it.”

“Oh.” Kihyun would have never pegged Soojung as the type to come here, but then again, what did he actually know about her? “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.” So he followed the taller male into the tea shop, which was much smaller than he had expected it to be.

There were several couples already seated at some of the tables, their hands clasped tightly together as they gazed at each other and spoke in murmurs. Recognizing a few of the students and then trying not to stare too much at them, he awkwardly shuffled behind Hyungwon who seemed dead-set on getting a seat in the far right corner that was relatively isolated from the other tables.

Once they were seated and had ordered their drinks, Kihyun noticed how jittery the taller male was and asked, “Are you okay? You seem really tense.”

“Do I?”

The sixth year raised an eyebrow while pointing at Hyungwon’s hands. They were shaking ever so slightly, which would usually be unnoticeable for someone else, but this was the usually calm and collected Chae Hyungwon. What reason did he have to be so nervous?

Although he had been caught, the Slytherin still tried to brush it off and stated while hiding his hands under the table, “I’m fine, really.”

“Nice try, but you aren’t fooling anyone.” Kihyun stared straight into the fifth year’s large brown eyes while asking, “What’s going on, Hyungwon?”

Several seconds passed before the fifth year took a deep breath and placed a box wrapped with sleek blue paper on the table in front of the Ravenclaw. A bronze bow sat atop the present and Kihyun looked at it curiously. “This is for me?”

Hyungwon slowly nodded, not daring to speak as he shyly cast his gaze downwards.

After carefully undoing the bow, which was made of smooth satin, Kihyun neatly peeled the blue wrapping paper off of the box and removed the top to find a deluxe set of Chocolate Frogs inside. “Oh wow! Thank you!”

“You mentioned that they were your favorite type of candy when we were at Honeydukes last time,” the Slytherin mumbled, still staring down at his hands in his lap.

Recalling that Hogsmeade trip with Changkyun several months ago, Kihyun nodded as that specific memory resurfaced. He couldn’t believe Hyungwon remembered such a seemingly insignificant fact, especially since the Slytherin had no reason to. “What’s the occasion though? It’s not for my birthday, since that already passed last autumn, and Christmas is over as well.”

The fifth year spoke so softly that he was virtually inaudible.

“Sorry, Hyungwon, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat what you said just now?”

“I like you, Kihyun.”

“Huh?” The Ravenclaw was completely baffled. He had never expected that phrase to ever come out of Hyungwon’s mouth in a million years. “You what?”

“I like you,” the taller male repeated, this time more strongly. His cheeks were flaming red, contrasting deeply with his pale skin tone. “I’ve liked you for quite some time now, to be honest.”

“Since—since when?”

“Before that Hogsmeade trip with your tutee.”

“But… But that was months ago!” Kihyun couldn’t believe it. How could Hyungwon—tall, attractive Hyungwon—like him? Shrimpy, nerdy Kihyun who’d rather spend all of his free time in the library instead of playing Wizards Chess with friends in the house common room? It simply didn’t make any sense.

“You caught my eye that day on the Hogwarts Express,” the Slytherin confessed. “I was very intrigued by how bold you were when you walked up to Soojung that day to introduce yourself. I know she wasn’t very nice to you that day and I apologize on her behalf, even if this apology is months too late.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” the sixth year said while waving his hands, as if to brush away the issue. “I was over it long ago.”

Hyungwon smiled slightly in relief. “That’s good to hear. Anyway, Soojung had been telling me about the patrols you did together and I was so curious to actually talk to you that I convinced her to let me switch our last patrol shifts that month, so I could interact with you myself.”

“Wait, I thought she had a Charms essay that she hadn’t finished?”

“She did. But she didn’t need to skip a patrol shift for that. She’s smart enough to not need extra time,” Hyungwon clarified.

“I see.” Kihyun then added, “You seem to be really close to her.”

The fifth year nodded while explaining, “She’s my best friend. We grew up together and stuck with each other when we were sorted into the same house. I don’t have many friends, but Soojung and some other Slytherins that I’m close to are enough.”

Now that he thought about it, Kihyun also spent a lot of time with his fellow sixth-year Ravenclaw prefect, Sunyoung. She had been in school with him since the very beginning and Kihyun could always depend on her if he ever needed help. It helped that they also had very similar interests, so there was always something to talk about whenever they were together.

Jihyun was also a lovely soul who was like a mentor to Kihyun. She was the perfect fit for Head Girl and when she was just a prefect the previous year, she had helped out Kihyun numerous times as he grew accustomed to his new position and the responsibilities that came with it.

That wasn’t to say he only socialized with Ravenclaws though. He was well-acquainted with fellow sixth years from Gryffindor, like Lee Minhyuk, and Hufflepuff, like Shin Hoseok. And another one of his favorite tutees was a fifth-year Hufflepuff named Lee Jooheon, who was so enthusiastic yet amazingly unskilled in almost every subject except Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was an extremely difficult subject. Kihyun didn’t know how the kid was capable of doing so, but that was Jooheon.

It seemed like Hyungwon had never really ventured out of his Slytherin circle, which was typical of the students from that house.

“Soojung was actually the one who pushed me to finally ask you out and she helped me plan this out,” the fifth year revealed.

“Oh, that’s nice of her,” the Ravenclaw commented. But then he shook his head in complete disbelief as he continued saying, “I still can’t believe this is actually happening though.”

“I’ve really come to like you, Kihyun. You’re like no one I’ve ever met before and I can’t stop thinking about you,” the Slytherin continued confessing. “I’d be very happy if you gave a chance to the idea of us being together.”

When the sixth year looked at Hyungwon, who seemed to be looking everywhere but at Kihyun, he felt his heart melt. This new bashful side of the usually impassive Slytherin was a welcome surprise and Kihyun wondered what other wonderful facets of his layered personality existed that he kept hidden from the world.

Perhaps he’d find out by being with him.

The Ravenclaw grinned. “I’d be honored to date you, Hyungwon.”

The fifth year’s head snapped forward as he stared at Kihyun in complete astonishment. “You’re serious? Absolutely, completely, one hundred percent serious?”

“I am absolutely, completely, one hundred percent serious,” Kihyun answered, his grin growing even wider.

Unable to contain his excitement, the Slytherin stood up and leaned over the table to cup the sixth year’s soft cheeks before planting his mouth on Kihyun’s.

As Hyungwon’s plush, thick lips pressed against his, Kihyun felt his heart burst into flames and he reckoned that dating the Slytherin would be the best decision he had ever made since coming to Hogwarts.

♈♈♈