“How much longer do you think she’s gonna be?” 

Kibum looked up from the hot fudge sundae as he took another spoonful, smirking when Jonghyun dropped his head on his crossed arms. “Who knows. Mrs. Fortescue and her go way back,” he said around his mouthful of ice cream. He tapped the sundae dish across the table, Jonghyun sitting up at the sound. “Hurry, before I finish the rest.”

Jonghyun took up his spoon and closed his eyes with a smile. “’Kay.” 

A warm summer breeze swept through the North Side, rustling the leaves of the bushes and jingling the chimes and baubles hanging outside the shops in Diagon Alley. Grandma had taken Kibum to get his books for the new school year and replenish her supply of powdered moonstone and porcupine quills. Jonghyun decided to tag along, just for fun. 

And, to meet Minho. Probably.

When the supply list came, Kibum mailed Minho immediately to ask when he was planning on going to pick up his stuff. Kibum told him in the letter that he would be here next week and that he should ask his mom if they could come then, too. In the letter Minho sent back, he said that he would try.  

The bell above the door at Flourish and Blotts jingled, and Kibum sat up in his seat, attempting to look over the shoppers that were crowding the street. Whoever it was, they were lost in the crowd now. Kibum leaned back, huffing.

“Still don’t see him?” Jonghyun asked without looking up as he scraped the hot fudge from the bottom of the sundae dish. 

“No.” 

“That .” 

“Are you watching for him, too?” 

“Ki, I’ve seen, like, five pictures of the kid,” he wiped his mouth clean of the hot fudge and rubbed his hands on his jeans. “I’m probably not the best person to help you look.”

Kibum frowned and looked across the table at Jonghyun, whose eyes twinkled in amusement. “I thought I showed you all the pictures?”

“Like three times. I was kidding.” 

Rolling his eyes, Kibum went back to watching the people, hoping to catch even a glimpse of Minho. “Well, excuse me for wanting my best friends to meet.”

Jonghyun grinned cheekily. “You’re excused.” Kibum his teeth and raised his fist, going to hit Jonghyun’s arm until he shied away with a bright laugh. “Isn’t that him?” He scooted away from the table when Kibum leaned across, doubling his effort to hit him. “No, I’m being serious this time! Look!”

His gaze followed where Jonghyun pointed, and Kibum half-stood to see the back of Minho’s head as he went inside Flourish and Blotts. If he hadn’t known that it was him just by the back of his head, he would have recognized the backpack. 

Kibum shot out of his seat and tried to hurry through the crowded street. The bell tinkled as he swung open the door and he searched the store for him. There he was, at the back of the store with his mom, and he was reaching for a book on the fourth shelf. Probably Practical Theory of Defense. 

He knew he was grinning like an idiot, but Kibum couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

“Min-hooo!” 

Everyone in the shop turned and stared at him, and Minho whipped around, his eyes wide and a bright smile blooming. He slipped off his backpack and dropped it on the floor by his mom before he ran to meet Kibum. They met in the middle, colliding in a tight hug. “I missed you so much, Bummie.”

“Missed you, too.” 

Minho gave him a tight squeeze before he slipped out of Kibum’s arms. “Come with me,” he said, grabbing Kibum’s hand and leading him back over to his mom. “Mom…Mom!” She looked down at him and glanced over at Kibum, who bowed in greeting. “This is Kim Kibum,” he said, a smile evident in his voice as he pulled Kibum closer to his side. “My best friend.” 

His face heated slightly, and Kibum peeked over at Minho for a second before looking back up at his mom.

She gave him a small smile. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Kibum. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Choi.” 

Minho started to speak again, stopping when Mrs. Choi said, “We need to buy these books. We still need to go grocery shopping, remember?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He took The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 and Practical Theory of Defense from his mom when she passed them to him. Kibum followed them to the register. “So, are you excited about this year?” he asked once he placed the books on the counter. 

“Of course! Has your dad said yes to Quidditch yet or…” Minho shushed him and Kibum looked up to find Mrs. Choi looking down at them. The bell jingled behind them, and Kibum glanced behind to see Jonghyun ducking inside.

“That’s Jjong,” he whispered as he tugged on Minho’s arm, nodding back to Jonghyun.

“Hey, Mom, can we wait for you outside?” 

She placed five Galleons down on the counter. “I won’t be too much longer.” When she glanced down at Minho and his wide, pleading eyes, she softened. “Go ahead.”

They darted for the door and Jonghyun opened it for them before they all tumbled outside. Now that it was just the three of them... Kibum fidgeted and glanced between his two best friends, who inspected each other curiously. Minho was the first to smile, and Jonghyun was quick to follow his lead.

Kibum let out a sigh of relief, his words coming out all at once, “Minho, this is Jjong. No, Jonghyun, Jjong…ugh.” His whole face scrunched up in frustration when Jonghyun started to laugh.

“Minho, you can call me Jjong, if you want.” Minho stuck out his hand for Jonghyun to shake in greeting and blinked in surprise when Jonghyun pulled him into a hug. “We’re friends now. Deal with it.” Once he freed Minho from his embrace, Jonghyun grabbed his arm and started walking with him down the lane away from Kibum. “Okay so, what is the most embarrassing thing Kibum did last year?” 

“Hey!” Kibum sputtered, jogging to catch up to them and pulling them apart. 

“Don’t tell him anything,” he said, smacking Minho’s arm. 

Jonghyun went up on his tiptoes, looking over Kibum’s head at Minho. “We’ll talk later,” he whispered, winking conspiratorially when Minho grinned and nodded. 

Kibum shoved Minho away and he stumbled a little, both Kibum and Jonghyun moving to catch him in case he fell. He caught himself on the display window of Broomstix, and froze as he stared inside. His finger traced the stick end of a black-handled broom. It had silver t and details, and it looked a lot like the broom Madam Hooch used during class. A Silver Arrow, if Kibum remembered right. In class, she had described it as one of the wizarding world’s superior Quidditch brooms.

His eyebrows raised when he spotted the price tag. Ģ200. It would take years of saving for Minho to be able to afford that. Minho sighed as he backed away from the window and shoved his hands in his pockets as he went back toward Kibum and Jonghyun.

“He still hasn’t said yes, has he.” Minho shook his head. Jonghyun tapped Kibum’s elbow, a silent question in his furrowed brow. “Later,” Kibum mouthed, and Jonghyun nodded. “You’ve still got a couple more weeks.” 

Minho huffed and looked like he was about to say something, but stopped when his mom called him back to the entrance of Flourish and Blotts. “Kibum? Jjong?” They both looked across the street to where Grandma stood, looking around.

“Over here, Grandma!” Jonghyun said, waving her over. 

Minho’s mom reached them just before Grandma crossed the street, and she put her arm around Minho’s shoulder and started pulling him away. “Let’s go, Minho. We need to head home.” 

He ignored his mom for the moment as Grandma joined the group. “Hi, Grandma!” Minho said, beaming at her as she stepped up behind Kibum and Jonghyun. Kibum looked up at her when she fixed a couple strands of his hair.

“Hello, dear. Have you been enjoying your summer?” Minho nodded. “You must be Mrs. Choi,” she said, directing her attention to Minho’s mom. Kibum froze, his eyes unblinking. In his peripheral vision, he saw Jonghyun turn to look up at Grandma, his mouth slightly gaping. 

In his twelve years of existence, he had never heard her take that tone. With anyone. 

Ever. 

“Yes, I am.” Minho’s mom smiled cordially. “I’m sorry, I only know you as Grandma. I’ve heard so much about you. Minho tells me about the treats you sent him all the time.” 

“Yes. Well, it’s the least I could do.” Kibum’s eyebrows raised and he glanced over at Jonghyun. “Well, I’m sure you have other places to be.”

“I – “ her hand tightened on Minho’s shoulder. “We do, actually. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs…” 

“Park.” 

“Mrs. Park.” She tucked the bag from Flourish and Blotts under her arm and patted Minho’s shoulder before she dropped her hand. “Minho, say goodbye to your friends now.” 

“Uh,” Minho turned around to watch her start back toward The Leaky Cauldron. “I guess I gotta go.” He took a step away from them, glancing over at his mom again. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

“Bye!” Kibum called out to him as he jogged away, waving when he reached his mom again. Grandma patted Kibum and Jonghyun’s backs to start them walking down the lane toward the Apothecary. “What was that all about, Grandma?”

“Hmm?” 

“Yeah.” Jonghyun looked over his shoulder to where Minho and his mom were disappearing behind the wall of the Leaky Cauldron. “What did she do?” 

She sighed with a slight smile as she pushed open the door for the Apothecary. “Don’t worry about it, my darlings. I’ll be just a minute,” she said as she stepped inside. 

Kibum sat on the window sill with a huff, staring down the street at the Leaky Cauldron. “Well,” Kibum hummed when Jonghyun paused, looking up at him. “You were right about one thing.”

“What’s that?” 

“Minho is pretty cute.” 

“Wh-what?” Kibum sputtered, his entire face coloring to the tips of his ears. “I never said he was cute?” 

Jonghyun smirked as he sat beside Kibum on the sill. “You definitely implied it.”

“I…I didn’t.” He rolled his eyes when Jonghyun snorted. “Whatever.”

Kibum let out a heavy sigh when Jonghyun laughed out loud.

* * * * * * * * * *

The paper bag holding his Hogwarts textbooks crinkled as Minho’s hands fidgeted around the rolled edge. He stopped when he felt his mother look over at him and hugged the bag to his stomach. “So,” she said, glancing at the other passengers before she lowered her voice. “You’re still interested in...Quidditch?”

Minho lowered his eyes to his lap and let out a tiny sigh.

“You...you haven’t mentioned for a few weeks. I thought that you might have lost interest in it.”

“No,” he said quietly. “I haven’t.”

“Ah.”

The train came to a stop, and Minho looked up. Several of the people in their car grabbed their things and left. They were soon replaced by new passengers, who hurried to settle before the train started moving again. Soon, they were out of the station and on their way to Manchester.

“Do...” Minho looked up at her. “Do you still talk to Kibum about it?” His brow furrowed and he shrugged. “Minho...”

The bag crumpled as he tightened his grip. “Yes.”

“I see.”

She changed the subject, talking instead about something that happened while he was away. Something Minseok did during a football game, maybe. Minho didn’t know; he wasn’t listening. It wasn’t until they were back home and Minho was helping her put away their groceries that she brought it up again.

“If you really want to play this...Quidditch -- “ Minho almost dropped the carton of eggs onto the floor, but caught it before it fell. “ -- then you should talk to your father about it again.”

Minho nibbled on his bottom lip as he closed the refrigerator door. He would give almost anything to not have this conversation again. It never ended even remotely well. Was it even worth it? Before he could answer the question, the front door opened and Minseok shouted his greeting as he jogged up the stairs.

“Finish putting away the groceries, dear,” Mom said as she went to the door to greet his father.

They passed through the kitchen and into the living room by the time Minho finished putting the last of the groceries away. Minseok came bounding in and turned the faucet on, leaning over the sink to get a drink. “How was practice?”

Minseok wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Really fun! Mr. Neville gave me some tips on passing today. What about....diagonally?”

“Diagon Alley?”

“Yeah! Did you bring back any more frogs?”

Minho’s eyes widened and he glanced to the living room, where their parents were still talking. Last year, a couple days before he left for school, Minho returned to Diagon Alley with his mom to pick up the pewter cauldron they had forgotten on their last visit. On that trip, she had allowed him to pick one treat to bring home, and he got a dark chocolate frog to share with Minseok. Once they got home, Minho showed Minseok the frog and they played with it.

Soon, however, they got distracted with Minseok asked him if he had seen any magic happening. Once Minho got started describing the shops, the frog sat forgotten. On the carpeted floor. In the warm beam of summer sunlight streaming through the window.

After about an hour of panicked scrubbing, they got most of the chocolate out of the carpet. There was still quite the stain, though. With some carefully-placed clutter, Minseok was able to hide it the whole time Minho was at Hogwarts.

“No.” Minho giggled when Minseok huffed. “Maybe next time.”

Minseok was about to respond when their mother called from the living room, “Minho, come here for a minute.”

They both moved into the living room, and their father shook his head. “Just Minho right now.”

“You can come help me with dinner, dear,” Mom said, patting Minseok’s back as she guided him out of the room, leaving Minho and his father completely alone.

“Sit, Minho,” Dad said a moment after Mom left Minho standing in the threshold of the living room.

He nodded and took a seat on the far end of the couch, his hands wringing in his lap. The room was quiet, too quiet for Minho’s liking. He watched the sky change from blue told gold and peach as the sun started to set. The familiar smells of bibim-naengmyeon being prepared and the muffled chatter of Mom and Minseok in the kitchen made the silence just that much more deafening.

Soon, the silence got to be too much for Minho to stand. “What did you want to tal -- “

“Your mother said that you’re still interested in that sport.”

“Quidditch.” Dad waved his hand, a dismissive gesture. “Yes, I am.”

“Explain it to me again, please.”

“Uh...”

He rambled for a moment, both his volume and speed increasing as he went on. He described the pitch and the goalposts and the different balls. Dad nodded as he went on, even smiling when Minho stood to demonstrate one of the more impressive plays he remembered -- complete with sound effects.

He chuckled when Minho sat back down and held up his hand before Minho could continue with his description. “You really enjoy watching that, don’t you?” Minho nodded as he searched his dad’s expression for any sort of approval. “It does sound like a fun game. Complicated, but fun.”

“Do...do you think I can do it?” His breath hitched as Dad inclined his head.

“No.” Minho’s heart sank and he sat back, crossing his arms over his stomach. “Well, I guess I’m not sure.”

“Why not?” he wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he did his best to blink them away before Dad noticed.

“This...Quidditch sounds somewhat like football, and I know how,” he paused, squinting, “well you play that. I’ve been watching your brother and you play football since you two could walk. I’ve even coached you as much as I could.”

Minho’s throat tightened and burned as he swallowed and he turned his attention to the floor.

“I don't need to get into it, you already know. We’ve discussed it many times before, but even when you were younger, you were not quite as fast or as skilled as Minseok was. Remember, that’s why I said no when you asked if you could play little league football.”

“I...I remember,” he mumbled.

“I’m just looking out for you, Minho. I don’t want you to embarrass yourself.” Minho nodded, sniffing. “So, I’m going to say no, for now. Maybe someday, but right now, no. All right?”

Minho let out a stuttered breath. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Dad looked past him to the dining room. “It sounds like dinner is almost ready, so why don’t you go get the table set.”

“Yes, sir.” He stood when his father reached for the remote and turned the TV on. Minho trudged into the kitchen, sighing. Minseok helped him reach the bowls, handing him two and following him with the other two. Once they were out of earshot from Mom, Minseok asked him what Dad was talking to him about. Minho shrugged, the bowls clinking against the tabletop. “Nothing.”

Minseok hummed in thought. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

They set the table, putting out the side dishes as soon as Mom got them plated, arranging them how they liked them. He put the little bowl of sukju namul closest to his spot at the table and the bowl of oi muchim by Minseok’s spot. Once dinner was ready, everyone took their seats and started to eat. The awkward silence was punctuated by the scraping of chopsticks against porcelain, and it was broken by Minseok mentioning something that happened at practice earlier that day.

Dinner went by quickly, their parents retiring to the living room while Minseok cleared the table and Minho started to do dishes. He played in the suds while he waited for Minseok to come back with the washcloth, smearing the iridescent bubbles across his cheeks and jawline in a bushy beard.

“Head’s up!” Minho turned, catching the washcloth Minseok tossed from the dining room. “I’ll be in the shower.”

“‘Kay.” He started scrubbing out the blender, staring absently out the window above the sink.

Dusk had fallen, the bright blue of day transposing into the twinkling dark blue of night. Purple clouds with their glowing pink underbellies streaked across the sky. A shadow fluttered on the horizon, drawing Minho’s attention. He dumped the excess water out of the bowl before he set it to dry, watching the shadow as it drew near enough for him to recognize what it was.

An owl.

Had Kibum sent him a letter? Minho’s mood lifted ever so slightly.

He dried his hands off on his shirt and slid the window open for the owl to perch there. Nutmeg, Kibum’s tawny owl, landed with a ruffling of feathers and a trill in greeting. He wiped his hands off again before he patted Nutmeg’s soft head.

“Hello, Nutmeg.” He shook his talon at Minho and he leaned forward to kiss the top of his head as he took Kibum’s letter out of Nutmeg’s claws. “You can go, Meg. Thank you.”

Minho tucked the letter into his back pocket and hurried to finish the dishes, wiping the counters down when he was through. He said a quick goodnight to his parents before he darted upstairs to his room. He changed into his pajamas and grabbed the letter out of his pocket before he flopped down on his bed.

He got settled under the covers before he opened it.

Hey! Kibum started, and Minho smiled. His usually neat penmanship was scribbled across the parchment, interrupted sometimes by someone else’s handwriting and splotches of ink. I wish we would’ve been able to spend more time together today Me too! (this is Jjong by the way)

There was a smear of ink -- Minho assumed there had been some sort of struggle over the quill, and he laughed -- and Kibum continued.

I’ve really missed you this summer, which I know is probably stupid to say because we’ve only been apart for like a month but still. Minho set the letter down on his chest as he reached under his pillow for the polaroid that Kibum gave him. He stared blankly at the scene as it played through again and again, smiling faintly whenever Kibum started to laugh. He was sort of...relieved to hear that Kibum missed him, too.

He dropped the polaroid, the scene moving in the corner of his eye as he picked up the letter again. September can’t come soon enough! I actually leave for France a week before you guys head back No one asked you, Jjong. Anyways, I wish we would have been able to talk more. I’m sorry your dad hasn’t said yes yet. Do you think he will? I hope he does. Minho, I know we’re barely acquainted but I think if you want to play Quidditch you should go for it) Tears started to well up in his eyes again, their message blurring until he wiped them away.

Kibum has been telling me all summer how good you are at flying and honestly, that’s the best part o -- Oh my god, shut up. I agree with him, though, Choi. If you really want to, you should try out for it. I’ll come to every game and cheer for you! Kibum or Jonghyun had started to write something, but it was scribbled out. Okay so I’ll see you at King’s Cross soon. Bye for now, ^^

Minho folded the letter up, sniffing. It was nice of them to write to him today. And Jonghyun seemed really nice too. Not that he was too surprised -- if he was a friend of Kibum’s he’d have to be, right? He put the parchment back in the envelope and slipped it under his pillow before he picked up the polaroid again.

“Hey,” He looked up to see Minseok standing in his doorway and pulling his tank top on and pushing back his damp hair. “You gonna shower?”

“Nah, I’ll do it in the morning.”

Minseok moved his hand over the light switch. “Still want this on?” He shook his head and Minseok flipped the light, yawning his goodnight as he shuffled away to his bedroom and leaving Minho alone in the dark.

Moonlight streamed through the window, silver beams gleaming on the posters on the walls. He kept ahold the polaroid as he tucked his hand under his pillow. Sighing, he turned his head and nestled it comfortably on his pillow as he looked up at faintly glowing stars on his ceiling.

He missed Hogwarts.

If he were being honest, he missed it more than he thought he would. He’d be back soon, with Kibum and his dormmates, and he was excited about that. “Three more weeks,” he whispered to the stars with a smile.

Three more weeks and he’d be back with Kibum again.