“Kibum.”

Someone grabbed his shoulder and shook it gently. But, in the groggy fog of morning, Kibum couldn’t recognize the voice. They shook him again, and he tried to smack their hand away. “Leave me alone,” he mumbled, tugging his covers over his shoulder and up to his chin. “It’s Saturday.”

“Hey, wake up.” They gave him a final shake before they let him go. “Minho is waiting for you outside in the hall.”

His eyes snapped open and he rubbed the sleep out of them as he sat up. “Is something wrong?” Vincent, the head boy, backed away from Kibum’s bed, gesturing behind him to the ajar door. “Is he all right?”

Vincent nodded. “He said something about practicing?”

“Oh.” Kibum relaxed into his pillow and took a deep breath, willing his heartbeat to go back to normal. “Okay, can you tell him I’ll be right there?”

“Sure.”

Once Vincent closed the door behind him, Kibum leaped out of bed. He crouched beside it, digging around for his non-uniform clothes to change into before he left. Should he bring a jacket? Would it be too cold outside? Eh, he could always borrow one of Minho’s sweatshirts.

It didn’t take him long to change and he grabbed his old tennis shoes as he hurried for the door. Kibum closed it slowly, being careful not wake his dorm mates before he rushed to the common room. He slid to a stop in front of the empty brick wall blocking the exit. Once he knocked in the password, he waited for the bricks to shuffle themselves out of the way.

Minho backed away from the wall the second the bricks started to move -- Kibum caught a glimpse of him standing -- his hands twisting into his United sweatshirt. He passed it to Kibum when he sat down on the ground to slip on his shoes. “You doing okay?” he asked, peeking up at Minho as he switched feet.

He sighed, flipping the bright yellow tail of his new Quidditch robes back and forth over his knees. “I...think so.”

Kibum gave him a small smile as he hefted himself up and then held out his hand for Minho to pull himself up with. “Got the walnuts?” Minho patted his pocket as Kibum pulled the sweatshirt over his head. “Okay, let’s go.” He let Minho take the lead, and he leaned back a little to catch a glimpse of the number on the back of Minho’s robe.

Choi 10.

“Hey, you got the number you wanted!”

Minho glanced back at him, smiling. “Yeah.” He let out a deep breath and Kibum patted his back before they started up the stairs to the main level.

There was a chill in the air as they stepped outside and made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. Kibum shivered, glancing up at the gray and overcast sky. Hopefully, for Minho’s sake, it wouldn’t rain.

“Are you gonna be too cold?”

Kibum blinked, glancing over at Minho as he looked away. “Hmm?”

“We can go back inside if you’re cold.”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Minho nodded, his lips pursing as they reached the pitch. He dug into his pockets and the walnuts clinked together as he collected them. Kibum held out his hands and Minho dropped them inside. “Get your broom. I’ll meet you at the top.”

They parted, Minho jogging toward the Hufflepuff tunnel and Kibum darting up the stairwell to the nearest tower. He was huffing and puffing by the time he reached the top. Once he regained his breath, he leaned over the edge to see if Minho had gotten his broom yet.

He had.

Minho mounted his broom and looked up, scanning the stands. Kibum leaned out, waving his hand with the walnuts. In a second, he was in the air and zipping toward Kibum. He overshot slightly, grabbing the support beam on the other side as he came to a stop.

“Ready?” he asked, grinning.

For some...unknown reason, Minho loved flying. Kibum would never understand it. But, whenever he saw the way Minho’s expression shone whenever he took flew, he wanted his best friend to feel this happy as often as possible. So, Kibum offered to help him practice as much as he wanted to in between classes and studying.

It was the least he could do to help Minho feel prepared and confident for his first game.

“Yeah,” he nodded to the empty pitch. “Let’s go, then.”

Minho kicked himself away from the stands and the blast of air rustled Kibum’s hair. He rotated the walnuts around in his hand, the hollow clicks ringing in his ears. Once Minho was in place high...high...above the ground, Kibum set the walnuts down, save for one.

That one, he tossed as hard as he could to the left.

Did Minho see it? Did -- His head snapped toward the slight movement, and soon, Minho was diving after the gold-painted walnut. He caught it with a somersault and looked up at Kibum. Even from this distance, Kibum could tell that Minho was grinning. He stuffed the walnut into his robe pocket and Kibum reached for another one.

Hopefully, Minho wouldn’t want to practice too much this morning. Breakfast would be served soon and if they went on too long, Minho might be tired before the game.  

Grunting, Kibum tossed the next walnut as hard and as high up as he could. He stepped away from the banister as Minho bolted past him in a flutter of yellow robes.

* * * * * * * * * *

The yolks in Minho’s fried eggs stared up at him from his untouched plate.

This wasn’t the first time nerves had killed any inkling of hunger he had. It usually happened before a game, and it was always worse when he knew his dad would be there. That obviously wouldn’t be the case today…

His stomach churned as he picked up his unbuttered toast and he grimaced. Marvin slid the bowl of blueberry jam closer to him and Minho shook his head as he dropped it back onto his plate. Seb swallowed his mouthful of eggs and sausage and gravy before he asked, “You not hungry?”

Minho shrugged.

“My mom always says that you should eat before going outside to play.” Marvin emphasized his point by taking a huge bite of toast.

“Quidditch is a little more than going outside to play…”

“I know that Travis, by my point still stands.”

“I wasn’t disagreeing with you? I’m just sa – “ Behind them, someone cleared their throat and Travis rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

Minho looked up to find Tanner towering over him, his Quidditch robes bright as a beacon. “You ready, sport?” Gulping, Minho nodded. Tanner whistled once, and the other players got up from their places down the table. Minho stood as they started making their way toward the door after Tanner.

Marvin patted his back before he walked away and Gilbert grabbed his robe sleeve. He held Minho in place as Connor finished spreading blueberry jam over two pieces of toast. “It’s not a lot, but it’s something.”

“Thanks, you guys…” Minho said, bowing slightly before he walked away.

“Good luck, Minho!” They called out to him. When he looked back, he found Seb and Travis standing on the bench and the rest of his dormmates waving at him. He gave them a small smile and a thumbs-up before he turned and picked up his pace to catch up to the others.

He didn't make it five steps down the hall before he heard, “Min-hooo! Wait!”

Kibum slung his arms over Minho’s shoulders before he even turned around. He pulled their heads together and held his polaroid out in front of them. Minho leaned a little closer, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath. There was the usual click! and Kibum’s hold on him loosened, but his arm didn’t fall away from his shoulders. When Minho opened his eyes, Kibum was arranging the strap of the polaroid around his neck.

“Ready for this?”

“You’re coming with me?”

Kibum scoffed and stuffed his free hand into the pocket of Minho’s hoodie that he was still wearing from earlier. “Of course!”

They both squinted as they stepped outside – the sun had chased away the gray clouds from this morning – and Minho sneezed loudly. Several times. Kibum clung to his shoulder as he laughed, and soon Minho chuckled despite his nerves. When they eventually started walking again, Kibum wiped away his tears.

Minho passed him one of the pieces of toast and started nibbling on his piece, finishing it by the time they reached the pitch. “Okay,” Kibum said, rubbing Minho’s back before he dropped his arm. “I’m gonna go up to our spot. I’ll wait for you after.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck, Choi!”

Minho started to make his way toward the Hufflepuff tunnel, glancing over to see Kibum waving at him before he ducked into the stairwell. His heartbeat pounded in his ears again once Kibum was out of sight, and he sighed as he started down the hall.

The locker room door was open and the sounds of Smashmouth’s “All Star” reverberated down the empty corridor. Cameron, one of the Beaters, and Meg, one of the Chasers, were doing their best to sing along. Minho hurried down the hallway to the locker room.

“All Star” was one of Minseok’s favorite songs. Minho remembered when it first came out – they had annoyed their parents with their horribly loud reenactments of the song. It…was soon banned from the Choi household because they drove their mother insane.

During the first practice of the year, Minho was surprised to hear the song playing as they did their stretches. When he asked Cameron about it, she explained that their previous captain loved the song. He left his battery-operated cassette player there when he left two years ago. It was their tradition now to play it before every game.

But, Tanner really loved the song, so he played it whenever they came down to the pitch.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Tanner said when he stepped through the doorway. “Turn.” Melissa, the Keeper, turned around and held up her arm as Tanner tied her padded leather chest plate together.

Meg passed Minho his leather shin and arm guards as well as his fingerless gloves. His hands shook as he took them, and he nodded his silent thanks before he went off to the bench below the window. As he started to lace them up, Tanner cleared his throat.

“All right, so we’re going up against Gryffindor. Patrick keeps…ing bragging to me how they didn’t lose anyone last year so they’re the stronger team.” He rolled his eyes. “But they still got a new Seeker, so in my eyes, we’re on equal footing.” Minho finished pulling on his glove and looked up. “Okay, let’s stretch a little before we go.”

“Is Jon still the Keeper?” Tanner nodded and Meg laughed, looking over at Marc and Zach, the other two Chasers. “Go for the lower left goal, then.”

Minho raised his hand as he stretched out his hamstring. Once Tanner acknowledged him, he asked, “Who…who is the new Seeker?”

“Uh,” Tanner snapped his fingers. “D…Damian, I think.”

All at once, Minho regretted eating that piece of toast. His stomach churned as he reached out to touch his toes. Of course, it would be Damian. He was better than him at…well, everything. He was going to lose. Minho was going to lose and let down the team, his house, Kibum, and –

Tanner frowned, his brow furrowing as he stepped over the bench between them and crouched by Minho’s side. “You okay, sport?” He rubbed his back lightly, and out of the corner of his eye, Minho saw Tanner motioning to his teammates to leave. Or, that’s what he assumed was happening because pretty soon, it was only him and Tanner in the locker room. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Uh…”

“It’s totally okay to be nervous if you are.” Minho nodded, swallowing. Why was his mouth so dry? He swallowed again. “I’ve been playing Quidditch since my third year, and I get nervous before every single game.” Minho looked up at him, blinking. “Every single one!”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m not gonna lie to you, kid. These first couple of games are probably gonna for you. But, I wouldn’t have chosen you to be our Seeker if I didn’t see some sort of potential in you.” Minho let out a long sigh and nodded. “There’s a lot of pressure on Seekers and I’m sorry about that, but there’s nothing I can do. But, win or lose today, I and the rest of the team will not blame you. Do you know why?”

“…Because we’re a team.”

“Yes, and winning is a team effort.” Tanner smiled at him as he stood, and he held his hand out to help Minho up. “Do try to sip some water before you get up there, but don’t drink too much. It’s not fun to fly around when you’re waterlogged.”

“Okay.”

Minho followed Tanner as he left the locker room, both of their robe tails billowing behind them. He stopped quickly at the water fountain in the hallway, taking a couple of quick sips before running to catch up to Tanner.

The rest of the team was waiting for them just outside the door. Cameron handed Minho his broom and Melissa gave Tanner his. The team held back until Tanner took the lead. He strode onto the field, his head held high as he led them to the center where Madam Hooch and the Gryffindor captain stood waiting.

A cheer rang out in the stands, and Minho looked up to see the stands completely full. He stood up on his tiptoes, checking to see if he could find Kibum in the crowd. Not yet. The banisters were too high and he couldn’t see into the stands. Maybe when he was in the air.

Tanner and Patrick, the Gryffindor captain, broke away from their conversation with Madam Hooch, and he turned back them. “To your places, everyone.” Everyone dropped their brooms in mid-air, and Minho’s hand shook as he took hold of his. Once he mounted it, he looked up at Tanner, who gave him a quick nod.

And then, he soared up into the sky.

“Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!” Frowning, Minho looked over at the shared Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands. Kibum, Callum, Aaron, and all his dormmates were sitting together – well, more like standing together. They were all standing on the bleachers and blocking everyone behind them. Which was really rude of them.

Minho grinned, carefully letting go of his broom with one hand long enough to wave at them.

A Bludger whizzed past him, and Minho grabbed his broom again as he watched it zoom around the pitch. There was a slight glimmer of gold, and the Snitch flitted past him before it twitched down and away from him. Minho lost track of it in a few seconds when he the whistle of Madam Hooch’s whistle distracted him.

He took a deep, shuddering breath as the quaffle shot upward.

“Here we go…”

* * * * * * * * * *

The wind picked up when the Gryffindor team took to the pitch. Obnoxiously loud cheering took over the stadium. Kibum rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into Minho’s sweatshirt pocket. His teeth chattered as he stood up and peeked over the banister.

Still no sign of Hufflepuff.

He frowned and he sat back down. Callum huddled closer to him and Kibum glared at him. “What? You’re warm.”

“Back off.” Aaron opened up his blanket and Callum wrapped it around his shoulders.

Despite the fact that he knew Minho would not be coming to sit with him, Kibum couldn’t help but continue to check if he had arrived every time he glimpsed movement from the Hufflepuff stairwell. His gaze darted over again, and instead of Minho he found Minho’s dormmates huddled together in the doorway. The shortest one -- Seb, he thought his name was -- glanced around the stands and made eye contact with Kibum

He gestured to the other boys to follow him. Once he reached Kibum, he folded his arms and shivered. “You’re cheering for Minho, right?” Scoffing, Kibum nodded. “Mind if we join you?”

“Not at all.” He scooted over a little, looking over at Callum and Aaron. “You guys gonna cheer for Minho, too?”

“Sure.”

“Yeah, sure. I like Minho."

“Of course you do. He’s nice to you.”

Kibum smiled as a warm sort of pride bloomed in his chest. After Christmas last year, both Callum and Aaron decided that they liked Minho almost as much as Kibum did. They were wrong, of course. No one else at Hogwarts would ever earn that title, but it was nice that his other friends liked him, too.

"Plus, it's better than cheering for Gryffindor," Aaron said, grinning when Callum started to laugh.

A sparse cheer rippled through the crowd, and Kibum looked out into the field. The Hufflepuff team was jogging onto the field after their captain. Kibum hopped onto the bench, cupping his hands around his mouth when he finally spotted Minho. “Wooooo!” His voice, unfortunately, was drowned out by the crowd.

A hand grabbed him and Kibum flinched away from the touch, glaring down to see it was only Seb hefting himself up. “Sorry. Come on, guys, let’s cheer for him.” The rest of Minho’s dormmates stood on the bench, one of them turning around to apologize to the people behind them. Kibum kicked Callum’s thigh lightly, and soon he and Aaron were standing with them.

“What should we say?”

Kibum worried his bottom lip, finding Minho on the pitch again. He had just dropped his broom and mounted it. Cupping his hands around his mouth again, Kibum yelled, “Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!”

Minho flew up into the air, and the others joined in. “Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!” After a second, he looked their way and waved. Kibum bounced a little in place as he waved back. He clutched Minho’s sweatshirt when the whistle was blown. “Please let this go well,” he whispered.

“Can you guys sit down now?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Seb said to the older Hufflepuff behind them, and they all returned to their seats.

The sky before them was a mess of burgundy and yellow, and Kibum scanned the players. Minho sat high above it all, seemingly looking everywhere except the actual play. Which must be hard for him. A Bludger barrelled over the Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands, and everyone in its path ducked despite it not being remotely close to their heads.

“Ten points to Gryffindor!”

“What?”

“No!”

“Already? What the !”

Kibum glanced over to the Hufflepuff side of the stands before he found Minho again. He gasped when one of the Bludgers flew near him. It barely missed Minho, probably because he backed out of the way, but it still took Kibum a moment to relax. He was fine; he was all right.

A jumble of players tumbled in front of Kibum’s view of Minho, distracting him momentarily. It was three Gryffindors crowding one of the...Chasers? Turnbull 3, the back of her robe read. She fought her way out, twirling up and away and heading for the goal posts.

“Ten points to Huf -- “

The stands to Kibum’s right erupted in cheers and he could no longer hear the announcer. Grinning, he found Minho again, who was still scanning the air for a glimpse of the Snitch. Hufflepuff picked up the lead, then, scoring goal after goal after goal. It was soon ninety - twenty, and the cheers from the right side of the stands was almost deafening.

A hush fell over them all when Minho dived after the Snitch.

Kibum’s breath caught and he stood, watching Minho swoop down toward the pitch. On the other side of the stadium, the Gryffindor Seeker darted after him. “Breathe, Kibum, breathe,” he told himself as he strained to catch a glimpse of him. The Snitch appeared above the stands, then shot behind the tower and out of Kibum’s view. Minho’s robes flitted in his line of sight for a second before he followed after it.

When they showed up again, the Seekers were side by side, arms outstretched to catch the Snitch. The play was forgotten now, by basically everyone except for the athletes -- all eyes in the crowd were on the Snitch. Kibum thought he might have heard the announcer shout “Another ten points to Hufflepuff!” but he couldn’t be sure. Minho circled around Madam Hooch on the ground and flew up past the announcers stand high into the sky.

There was a glitter of gold just beyond his hand and Kibum leaned forward -- as if that would help Minho stretch just far enough to grab the Snitch.

He squinted, trying to see if Minho was any closer when one of the older Hufflepuffs in the crowd called out, “Foul! Hooch, that was a foul!” He glanced over at them and looked back to see the Gryffindor Seeker triumphantly holding up his hand.

"Damian has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!”

Minho was too far away; Kibum couldn’t read his face or even his body language, but he knew that he had to be devastated.

“What happened? Why are they calling it a foul?” Kibum asked as he sat back down.

“I think Damian pushed Minho out of the way, but I’m not sure,” Seb said, glancing over at his friend when they leaned forward.

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Is that allowed?” Seb shrugged and Kibum sighed.

Kibum didn’t really know Damian -- they had never actually spoken -- but at the moment he wanted to have a lengthy conversation. Somewhere out of the line of any teacher’s sight. However, Minho probably didn’t need him to get another detention right now.

Both teams were off their brooms now, and the captain had his arm around Minho as the Hufflepuff team started to trudge off the pitch.

“Excuse me,” Kibum said as he stood and started to shuffle down the bleachers to the Slytherin stairwell. He hurried down the stairs, and by the time he reached the Hufflepuff corridor, the door to the locker room was closed. Kibum walked down the hall and sat beside the door, hugging his knees as he waited for Minho to come outside.

There was some indistinct murmuring inside the locker room, but since Kibum didn’t hear Minho’s voice, he didn’t even bother to listen. About five minutes later, the door opened and several of the players filed out. He counted four, the three Chasers and the Keeper. They smiled at Kibum before they started back for the castle. After another ten minutes, one of the Beaters left, glancing down at Kibum as she closed the door.

“Are you...waiting for Minho?”

“Yeah.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Is he okay?”

She gave Kibum a sort of sad smile. “Yeah, he will be. First losses are hard.” Kibum nodded, gulping. “He should be coming out soon.”

“Okay.”

Kibum rested his chin on his knees when she disappeared behind the doorway. He closed his eyes, listening intently but hearing nothing. He wanted to bust through the door to see if Minho was okay for himself, but he had to be patient. In reality, it probably didn’t actually take an eternity for the door to open again, but it sure felt like it.

The captain walked out, closing the door behind him before he let out a long sigh. He rubbed his hand over his face and peeked through his fingers at Kibum before he lowered his hand to his side. “You must be Kibum.”

“Yeah.”

He found the knob behind him and cracked open the door. “You can go in.”

Kibum shot to his feet and pushed past the captain to get inside. “Minho?” he said quietly, searching the seemingly empty locker room. He closed the door when he heard a choked sniffle.

Stepping further into the room, he found Minho huddling in the farthest corner of the room between the end of the lockers and the wall. One hand was fisted in his short-cropped hair, and the other was banging the heel of his hand against his temple. He sniffed again and glanced up when Kibum approached, only to grimace and turn his tear-stained face toward the wall.

Kibum’s throat grew tight as he made his way over to his best friend. He hunkered on the floor next to him and leaned back against the wall, sighing. Their knees brushed together as Kibum crossed his legs and he turned slightly to face Minho.

Every time Minho hit his head, it sent a pang through Kibum’s chest. He could only stand it happening three times, and he reached out to him, his hand open and waiting.

A moment later, Minho took his hand and laced their fingers together.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Thanks for the assist.” 

Damian’s voice kept ringing through his head over and over again, almost drowning out Tanner’s voice. Minho let out a shuddered sigh.

“It’s not your fault, you know that, right?” Minho gulped, not looking up from the dusty floor. Tanner rubbed his hands over his thighs. “You saw the Snitch first.” Damian caught it, though. “You did good today.” Not as good as Damian. “I’m really proud of you, all right?” When Minho didn't respond, Tanner sat back on his heels. “Do you want to be left alone?” 

He nodded, his throat burning. He couldn’t cry. Not yet. Not until Tanner was gone. 

“Okay, sport,” Tanner said, ruffling Minho’s hair as he stood. “I’ll see you at dinner.” His scalp tingled and itched when Tanner lifted his hand, and Minho tangled his fingers in his hair once Tanner’s back was turned. 

The door opened and closed, and then he was alone.

Tears threatened to spill, and he sniffled as he smacked his temple with the heel of his other hand. Too slow. Thud. Shouldn't play. Thud. Not good enough. Thud. The door squeaked open and Minho froze, staring wide-eyed at the floor.

“Minho?” 

He relaxed slightly at the sound of Kibum’s voice, and as he relaxed the tears started to flow. 

Minho curled into himself and turned away from Kibum when he made accidental eye contact with him. While he was glad that Kibum was here, he hated that he was seeing him like this. No one should ever have to see him being this weak -- he hated, hated, hated it. He flinched when their knees touched as Kibum sat on the floor. 

After a minute or so, Kibum rested his hand palm up on Minho's lap. He stared at it for a second before he lowered his hands from his head and took Kibum’s hand. 

Much to Minho's surprise, he didn’t say a word. 

Instead, his thumb brushed back and forth over the back of Minho’s hand. Then, he tapped a rhythm on Minho’s hand. With every passing moment, the tension loosened in Minho’s chest and he wiped away his fallen tears with the back of his free hand.

“Dad...he was right.” Kibum was watching him when Minho looked up. “I shouldn’t have tried out.”

“Why not?”

Minho laughed mirthlessly. “You saw me out there. I .” Kibum squeezed his hand. “I...I...” His throat constricted and he swallowed. “I should quit, huh.”

Kibum scooted a little closer to him and brought his other hand around to hold their already-joined hands. “I thought you did fantastic. Hey,” he said when Minho started to rebut. “I’m not lying. Why would I lie to you?” His bottom lip trembled as he tried to hold back a fresh wave of tears. “It was your first actual game, Choi. You can’t expect to be perfect the first time.”

“Yeah, I guess, but -- “ 

“Also, no offense, but what does your dad actually know about Quidditch. Is he a Quidditch coach? Has he ever actually watched a Quidditch game?” 

“No.” 

Kibum huffed. “So, there you go.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe it was worth giving Quidditch another chance. Maybe he wouldn’t so bad next time. Maybe he wouldn’t embarrass Tanner and the team and his house next time...Maybe...

“Do...” he cringed at how weak his voice sounded. “Do you think I should still play?” 

“Only if you want to” was Kibum’s immediate answer. 

Did he want to? At the moment, not necessarily. He hated -- no, he abhorred losing. After his football team lost back in Korea, his dad told him that if he had one more loss then he would take him off the team. His dad wasn’t here now, but he would probably say the same thing. 

But, what if Tanner said was true? What if he really did see potential in him? What if he just needed more practice? Who was he kidding, of course he needed more practice.

“Do you want to?” 

“I think...yeah, I do.” 

“Then, you should.” Minho’s stomach growled, and he then realized how hungry he actually was. His hand clutched his stomach and Kibum stood, pulling Minho to his feet. “Let’s go eat. I’m sure you’re starving.” 

“I am...a bit.” 

Kibum widened his eyes slightly as he released Minho’s hand. “Yeah, I have ears.” He smiled and Kibum gave him a dimpled smirk before he turned for the door. 

Minho dried his cheeks and nose with the sleeve of his Quidditch robes as he followed Kibum out of the locker room, his heart and mind feeling the lightest they had all day.