Heavy footfalls and the excited chatter of his fellow students surrounded Kibum as he made his way through the dark stairwell. Potions was over, finally. Slughorn had, once again, talked for far too long about the benefits of the Wiggenwald Potion and he hadn’t even gotten to the ingredient list yet. It was the third day in a row, and at this point, Kibum found himself looking forward to History of Magic.

Besides, Minho was in that class with him. He made the dreary boredom slightly more tolerable. Speaking of…

Kibum picked up his pace and nudged his way to the front of the crowd and stepped out onto the first floor of the castle. He glanced down the corridor, searching the crowd of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs on their way back from Herbology for his best friend. 

There he was – Kibum stepped up on his tiptoes and waved – partially blocking the doorway. All the other students squeezed around him and his backpack as they trudged inside from the cold. When Minho looked over, he nodded but didn’t wave in return. 

“Kib, you coming?” 

“Hmm?” His gaze darted over to Aaron, who pointed to the staircase all the other second years were started to climb. “Oh, yeah.” He started to follow him and looked back to Minho, who was still standing in the doorway. Was he…he was nodding him over. “I’ll be there in a minute,” Kibum mumbled as he hurried past Aaron and over to Minho. “What’s wrong?” 

There was a bright twinkle in Minho’s eyes that Kibum did not think came from the torches lighting the hallway. “Follow me,” Minho said with a poorly-concealed grin. “I wanna show you something.”

Slowly, Kibum stepped back, shaking his head. “We’ll be late for class.”

“Like Binns will notice.” 

It was very unlike Minho to suggest skipping class, even if it was just History of Magic. Kibum squinted, his eyes darting behind Minho to the snow-covered yard behind him. “What’s so important that you have to show me right now?”

Minho’s expression blanked for a second before he smiled again. “I…I found a baby niffler!”

“Really?” 

“Really!” Minho stepped back, his footsteps crunching in the snow. Tentatively, Kibum followed him down the lane and into the yard. He pulled his robes tighter around himself when his teeth started to chatter. Minho led him around one of the apple trees, its bare branches laden with snow, and pointed at the ground. “See it?” 

Kibum took a step closer to where Minho pointed, finding nothing but muddy snow. “How small is it? I don’t see anyth – “ 

Behind him, there was the faintest creak of branches bending. The creak was Kibum’s only warning before heaps of snow cascaded from the tree and covered Kibum’s head and shoulders and robe and books. He gasped, freezing in place as the snow continued to plop on and around him. 

Minho’s obnoxious cackle erupted behind him. 

At that point, he couldn’t help but laugh himself, shaking the snow off before he chased Minho back to the castle. Ahead of him, Minho slipped on the path but found his footing before he completely fell. He was already well on his way to the staircase by the time Kibum reached the doorway. 

Kibum stomped the snow off his shoes and ran after him, his wet soles sending a series of squeaks echoing throughout the empty corridor. He caught up to Minho by the time they reached the door of the classroom. Kibum punched his arm and Minho pressed his finger to his lips as he opened the door to the classroom.

Binns did not notice them creeping along the back wall, nor did he notice the snickering of the students who turned to watch them hurry to their seats. Kibum slid onto the bench, and almost off of it until Minho caught his arm and pulled him back up. 

“Shut up,” Kibum said, suppressing a laugh. 

“Sorry, Bummie.” 

Judging by his attempt at hiding his smile, Minho didn’t mean that at all. Kibum rolled his eyes and started to wring out his soaked robe. “No, you’re not.” 

Minho glanced up to the front of the classroom before he slipped off his backpack and dug around inside. When he sat back up, he brought his sweatshirt up with him instead of his textbook, sliding it across the desk. “You wanna borrow it?”

Did he…plan to do this? Scoffing, Kibum jabbed his elbow into Minho’s side before he snatched the hoodie from the desk. He started to peel off his wet robe while Minho rubbed his side. “I’ll get you back, Choi,” he whispered, and Minho snorted.

Analecia turned around and shushed them both, and they fell quiet. Kibum folded his robe and set it on the bench between them before he pulled Minho’s hoodie over his head. As the lesson dragged on, Minho only nodded off once, but Kibum pinched his arm until he stirred. 

The bell eventually rang, but Binns continued to drone on about the International Warlock Convention of 1289. Five minutes passed – Kibum knew because Aaron checked his watch and held up five fingers – and Seb snapped his fingers once. Kibum and Minho, as well as some of the other students around Seb’s desk, started to quietly and carefully pack up their things. By the time they all stood to leave, most of the other students were also getting ready to do the same. Binns monotone voice followed them as they all tiptoed out into the hall.

“You’d think he’d know to stop teaching when the bell rings by now," Gilbert said as they made their way down to the Great Hall. 

“I don’t think he really cares.” 

“Yeah,” Kibum said, folding his still-wet robe in his arms. “Being a ghost will do that to you.” Minho cracked up, his high-pitched laugh echoing through the hall. The group parted at the doorway, Kibum following the Slytherins to their table.

He plopped his robe down on the table and rolled up the sleeves of Minho’s hoodie as he sat. “What happened?” Callum asked, nodding to the damp robe.

Kibum scoffed, smiling. “Minho thought he was being funny.” Aaron, Callum, and Analecia turned to look at the Hufflepuff table across the Hall. “I haven’t decided how I’m gonna get him back yet, but I’ll think of something.”

“I believe in you,” Analecia said, her voice deadpan. 

“Gee, thanks.” 

Lunch soon appeared before them, and everyone dug in, eating as quickly as possible before they had to get to their next class. Kibum grabbed one of the sandwiches, chewing it thoughtfully while he stared past Aaron to the Hufflepuff table. How would he get his revenge? He probably couldn’t get Minho back outside, that would be too obvious. What if –

“Ana, here.” Kibum looked up at Charlie, one of Slytherin’s prefects, as she handed Analecia her tie. “I got the smudge out for you.” 

Oh.

Charlie Dunn was one of the better spell-casters in Slytherin -- maybe even in all of Hogwarts -- and everyone knew it. She had a tendency toward weather-related spells. Kibum had seen her, on several occasions, cast a rain cloud over a boy when he would not leave one of the girls alone in the common room -- or even in the library, one time. That time, the fourth year had ignored the rain until she added a couple strikes of lightning and a thunderclap. 

All the Slytherin boys feared her and all the Slytherin girls adored her. 

Analecia’s cheeks colored. “Thank you so much, Charlie. It looks better than new!”

Charlie smiled and ruffled Analecia’s hair. “No problem, kid.” When she looked up, Aaron and Callum's gazes immediately returned their plates. Kibum blinked when her eyes met his. “Need something from me?”

“Uh, maybe.” 

Her eyebrows rose and she crossed her arms. “What?”

Kibum leaned forward, ignoring the terrified shaking of Aaron and Callum’s heads, and nodded across the Hall. “Okay, so see that Hufflepuff? The one who’s stuffing as many sandwiches as he can into his mouth?”

Charlie snorted. “Yeah?”

“Could you cast a snow cloud over his head?” Her jaw set and she turned back toward him. Kibum gulped. “Or rain. Or, just, whatever you want.” 

She glanced over her shoulder at Minho again before she tapped Aaron’s shoulder and gestured for him to scoot down. “You expect me to participate in bullying someone?” she asked once she sat down.

"It...no, it's..." Kibum’s mouth dried as her stare bored into him, and he looked to Aaron for help. 

“No, that kid is Minho and he’s Kibum’s best friend.”

“Yeah.” 

Analecia nodded, pointing to the robe on the table. “Minho pranked him earlier and Kibum just wants to get him back.”

“Oh.” Charlie sat back, her expression instantly brightening. “Okay, I’m good with that.” She glanced back at Minho again and Kibum let out a sigh, slumping against the table until she turned back around. “Rain would be better. Snow wouldn’t have the same effect, I don’t think. You swear this isn’t bullying? Because if it is -- ” 

Kibum held his hand over his heart. “I solemnly swear.”

Charlie squinted at him as she stood. She whipped out her wand and pointed it across the room, muttering “Ecfio imber,” as she walked away.

Instantly, a gray cloud accumulated over Minho’s head, and it must have started raining, judging by the shriek that silenced the Great Hall. Kibum was half out of his seat, watching as Minho jumped out from behind the table and looked up at the rain cloud that followed him. 

Kibum started laughing – as if he could have helped it – and Minho swung around. Even from the distance, Kibum could see the realization dawn in his face.

So, he started to run. 

The ginormous cloud over Minho’s head disappeared as soon as he stepped outside. Kibum slipped and threw his arms out to maintain his balance. He kept running down the snow-covered pathway without looking back at Minho, now that he was outside. 

Snow had started to fall again – for how long now, Kibum wasn’t sure – and it barely covered the snow with a fresh, pillowy layer. Even the Whomping Willow, which usually did its best to fend itself off from the snow, was lined with a thin layer of white and frost. Kibum dodged its whipping branches and glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Minho did the same. 

He sloshed through the blanket of previously untouched snow on his way across the lawn. Soon, the ground beneath the snow grew even slicker, and he slid to a stop, slowly turning around to face Minho, who had stopped a couple meters away.

“Told ya…I’d…get you…back!” Kibum shouted between heavy breaths. 

Minho let out a breathy chuckle. “I wasn’t…expecting…so soon.” He hunkered down, dragging his hand through the snow.

“Ha!” Kibum sighed, looking up at the gray sky as he caught his breath. He blinked the snowflakes out of his eyelashes. There was a soft sort of whoosh sound and soon Kibum staggered back in surprise. He looked down and saw a bit of caked-on snow flaking off Minho’s sweatshirt. Minho chuckled as Kibum brushed it off. “Did you…throw a snowball at me?”

Minho grinned, packing another one between his bare hands and Kibum bent down to gather some snow for himself. They threw them at the same time, Kibum’s barely clipping Minho’s shoulder while Minho’s whizzed by his head. Kibum took a couple steps back, trying to get out of Minho’s range when – 

Crack!

The ground beneath Kibum faltered and they both froze, Kibum slowly turning to look at Minho. 

, he was out on the Black Lake. He was too far out, the ice was too thin. Kibum glanced around for any sort of support or way to get off the iced over lake safely, but there was only Minho – wide-eyed Minho watching his every move from the shore. 

“Okay…okay, uh,” Minho scanned the space between himself and Kibum and went over to Kibum’s footprints on the shoreline. “Just walk exactly where you stepped before.” 

“Okay.” 

Kibum carefully lifted his foot, cringing at the loud creak of the ice beneath him as he placed his foot back down. Minho was slowly following Kibum’s footprints onto the ice, frequently looking up to check on Kibum’s progress. Across the lawn, the bell for the next class rang, and Kibum’s gaze darted to the castle as he tried to pick up his pace.

“Slowly, Bummie!” 

Kibum took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself before he found his next footprint. 

Before too long, Kibum was able to clasp Minho’s outstretched hand. They both hung onto each other tightly as Minho started to lead them back to shore. “Almost there, we’re almost there,” he kept muttering, the ice beneath them cracking and creaking with every step. 

Once they were both safely off the ice, Kibum wrapped Minho in a tight hug. Minho returned the embrace -- twice as tight, Kibum thought. “That was scary,” he said, his words muffled by Minho’s shoulder. In return, Minho could only nod.

Kibum’s erratic breaths returning to normal after a few moments, and he heaved a sigh as he let go of Minho. His teeth were chattering, and by the way Minho was shuddering, he was cold, too. Oh...his clothes…hey were wet from the rain cloud! Kibum yanked off Minho’s sweatshirt as fast as he could and started to help Minho into it.

“Bum-m-mie, I’m fin-ne,” he said, attempting to fight Kibum’s efforts. 

“You need it more than me right now.” Minho shivered and looked over Kibum's now-coatless frame grumpily. “If you’re so concerned, let’s hurry back and get some hot cocoa so we can warm up.” 

“We’re late for class, though,” Minho said, sniffing. 

“Who even cares?” Kibum grinned when Minho started to retort. “Are you that eager to get to Potions?” Minho stopped mid-step, rubbing his cold-kissed nose. “Not really.”

“Didn’t think so.”