A Little Change

By My Side

A/N: I’m not saying it’s necessary reading, but these are all canon things that have happened between the last chapter and this one that I might be making reference to in this or later chapters...I'm a little behind, as I've been working on getting this chapter out by today (for a friend's birthday) but I promise I'll get caught up within the next couple of days!

* * *

The bells in the clock tower chimed, and everyone in Classroom 4F slammed the books shut, hurrying for the door before Professor Binns even stopped talking. History of Magic was their last class for the day, since this was their first half-day of the term. Half-days at Hogwarts came few and far between, and they usually fell on major holidays and the days before vacation.

Today was Halloween, and on top of that, there was a Quidditch game scheduled right after lunch -- Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor.

“Ready?” Kibum asked Minho as he rolled up their notes and stuffed it into Minho’s backpack.

“I mean,” Minho shrugged before he slipped his backpack on. “I guess.”

“Hey,” he bumped into Minho’s shoulder as they started walking down the corridor on their way to the Great Hall. “At least we’re going to Hogsmeade after.” Minho instantly perked up, his eyes bright as he glanced over at Kibum. “You did remember to get the permission slip signed by your parents, right?”

“Yeah! It was the first thing I did when I got home!” “Good!” They followed the crowd into the Great Hall, Kibum grabbing Minho’s arm before they headed for their tables. “Eat if you’re hungry, okay?” The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, but he nodded as he walked away. Kibum trudged over to his table and slid into his spot beside Analecia. “Excited about Hogsmeade?” she asked him when he started dishing up some soup for himself.

Of course, he was excited. Dad had told him all about the wizarding village years ago. It was where he and Mom had their first date at Madam Puddifoot’s shop. He’d seen the pictures of them around the Shrieking Shack -- which, he had told Kibum specifically to never go there, or else he’d get in trouble. He couldn’t wait to explore the shops with Minho, and Mom had even sent him a couple Galleons to spend during his first visit.

Prices have changed, so I don’t know how much it’ll get you, but do be sure to get yourself a treat of some kind, she said in her letter.

“I am!” Callum said in Kibum’s stead. “Hopefully the game won’t be too long so we can spend as much time there as we can before the feast tonight.” “Yeah, hopefully.”

Kibum stirred his soup, watching the steam curl off the surface. He was halfway done with his soup by the time the Hufflepuff team made their exit, lead by their new tiny female captain. Meg was her name, if Kibum remembered right. Minho said that Tanner had passed on his captain’s pin and the locker room stereo to her after their final game last year.

She seemed to be treating Minho well, which was all he cared about.

By the time Kibum fished the last potato out of the broth, the Gryffindor team was leaving too, the entire table cheering rowdily as they strolled out of the Great Hall. Kibum rolled his eyes, slurped up the rest of his soup, and stood. “I’m heading down there, anyone want to come with?”

Aaron and Callum shared a look, both shaking their heads. “No, I think we’ll wait until everyone else goes.”

Kibum nodded with a sigh. “Okay.”

He hurried downstairs and to his house, sprinting through the common room to get to his dorm. He changed out of his uniform and into casual clothes -- jeans, Dad’s old Weird Sisters band shirt, and the mustard sweater Grandma made him -- as quickly as he could. Soon, he was running back upstairs and down the corridor that lead out to the lawn.

Heavy gray clouds covered the sky, the petrichor from last night’s rain still hanging in the air. The ground was still wet from it, and it drenched his shoes as he ran across the yard to the pitch. Above the stands, the occasional Quidditch player appeared, their red or yellow robes whipping around them as they flew their practice laps around the pitch.

Kibum ducked into the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time as hurried to his usual seat. He sat up straight, craning his neck, searching the yellow robes for Minho’s 10. There he was, down on the pitch, talking with Madam Hooch and what looked like Gryffindor’s Seeker. It wasn’t a long conversation, and soon Minho was walking back to where his team was gathering on the field.

He held his hand out before him, and Kibum scooted forward on the bleachers, wondering if his earlier injury was acting up again. One of the Beaters handed him his broom and they huddled together while Gryffindor did the same several meters away. Kibum glanced around at the stands, which were full of the other students now.

Madam Hooch blew the whistle twice, and both huddles dispersed, standing in their formations on the ground until Hooch blew the whistle again. They shot up into the sky, cheers erupting from the Gryffindor side of the stadium.

Kibum cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling, “Let’s go, Minho!” He waved when Minho looked over at him before the Quaffle was thrown.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunlight peered through the clouds as Minho walked out of the hallway and onto the pitch behind the other Hufflepuffs. He yawned, his broom heavy in his hand as he stretched. “Go ahead and start stretching, guys, I’m gonna go talk to Jeffery,” Meg said before she started jogging down the pitch to where Gryffindor was coming out onto the field.

“It’s gotta be weird to play against your boyfriend,” Melissa, the sixth-year Keeper, said once they were all sitting. Minho reached for his toes, resting his forehead on his arm. “At least they’re both captains.”

“Mm.”

“Okay, so what do we remember from their last game?” Zach, the second Chaser, asked. "It was against Slytherin, right?”

Everyone nodded, and Claire, the third Chaser, spoke up. “Manns is getting lazy with his maneuvers. Like, remember last time -- “ Minho switched legs, glancing over at her, “ -- he just, ing, let that ball through the goal, he didn’t even try to get it.”

“They still won,” Minho muttered.

“I mean, yeah, but it’s still something.”

Cameron, the second Beater, looked away from the opposite end of the field. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve played them, but we gotta remember that they play dirty.”

Sighs scattered through the group, and they all looked up as Meg ran back to them, plopping down on the ground between Marc and Cameron. “Okay so, I overheard Rogers telling Jeffery that Barnes is still not able to play.”

“The flu?”

She nodded, smiling. “So, they’re down their best Chaser and had to sub someone from their second string.”

“Everyone, gather ‘round!” Madam Hooch called from the center of the pitch. They scrambled to their feet, the wet grass squeaking with every step as they ran to meet her. Meg and Jeffery came up to the front of the teams. “Ward is playing for Barnes today?” Hooch asked as she pulled the team cards out of her robe pocket.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She made a quick note before her hawk-like eyes flicked up to meet Meg’s. “Any substitutions for you?”

“Nope.”

Minho rubbed his hands over his face, trying to make himself wake up a little, as Hooch tucked the cards back into her pocket. “Start flying laps to warm up. Seekers, stay here for a minute.” Minho dropped his hands, glancing from Hooch to Damien. The other players darted off, the swoosh of their brooms ricocheting off the walls of the pitch. “Choi, how’s your hand?”

He held out his hand, inspecting his splotchy yellow bruise. “It’s fine. I got it checked out by Madam Pomfrey last week and she said I’m fine to play.”

“That’s good.”

Damien cleared his throat when Hooch started to walk away. “Did you have something to say to both of us?”

She turned, giving them a smirk. “This Snitch is particularly feisty, so be ready for that.”

They watched her walk away from them, Damien taking a couple steps closer. “That’s too bad for you, really. I was gonna say there’s a first time for everything, but...” he sighed and Minho didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. “I would wish you luck, but I don't want to waste my breath, you know?” He patted Minho's shoulder before he turned around.

Minho glanced down at his hand as he walked away, opening and closing his fist and watching the bones move in his hand. “You good, Minho?” Cameron asked, passing him his broom.

“Yup.”

“Guys!” Meg said, standing up on her tiptoes to look over their teammates. “Huddle in.” Minho placed his hand on top of the others, leaning in when Meg lowered her voice. “No matter what, do your best out there, okay?” Everyone nodded, watching her as she looked at each of them. “That’s all I care about. That we go out there, have fun, and do the best we can.” She placed her hand on top of the pile, squeezing Minho’s hand tightly. “One, two, three -- “

“Badgers!”

“Lions!” sounded from the other side of the field a couple seconds after.

Hooch blew her whistle twice. “Okay, get in your positions.”

They all jogged across the field, Minho breaking away from Meg and Cameron to stand before them and behind Zach and Claire. Marc stood at the center of the pitch with Jeffery opposite him, and Melissa jogged to her place behind the Beaters. Hooch inspected the numbers on their backs, just to make sure everyone was in their proper place. When she blew her whistle again, Minho dropped his broom, letting it bob in the air before he mounted it.

His shoulders fell when the cheers sounded from the Gryffindor side of the pitch as they all took to the sky. They all looked so happy to be there; they weren’t resigned to losing. Again.

"Let’s go, Minho!", faint as it was, cut through Gryffindor’s excited whooping and hollering. Sighing, he turned to the Hufflepuff/Slytherin stands with a small smile. The weight on his heart lifted, if only slightly, and the toss of the Quaffle drew his attention back to the other players.

Possession went to Gryffindor. Minho listened for Meg’s signal, and it came with three taps of her bat against her broomstick. “Three, okay,” he murmured to himself as he flew up and out of the way just in time before Cameron blew past him to get into his new position. Jeffery shouted orders to his own team, but Minho could barely hear him over the sound of the wind whipping past his ears.

He cringed when one of Gryffindor’s Chasers crashed into Claire to get her from catching the Quaffle. She was almost knocked off her broom, and Minho listened for the whistle indicating a foul that never came. Minho tried to fly down to see if she was alright, but she recentered herself on her broom and darted away before he could.

Shaking his head, he started scanning the arena and the sky for any glimpse of the Snitch.

“Ten points for Hufflepuff!”  Marjory Phillips called from the announcers stand, and Minho turned to see Marc and Cameron flying back toward the center. Minho briefly clapped, catching himself when he started to lose his balance.

Zach flew up to him, glancing back as the next play was getting set up -- Meg had tapped her broomstick once. “See anything yet?” Minho shook his head and Zach patted his shoulder before he flew to his new position while Minho shot up above the stands to start doing his laps.

He passed Damien, who had been hovering on the center line since the Quaffle was thrown, without sparing him a glance. The Snitch still hadn’t made its appearance, and Minho started his second lap, scrutinizing every angle as he flew around the pitch.

There was a flash of gold in the corner of his eye, but by the time he turned his head, it was gone. Luckily, it didn’t look like Damien noticed it.

There came a crack from his left, and Minho glanced over to see a Bludger rocketing toward him. He pulled back before it clipped his broomstick and threw him into a spin, watching the Bludger as it returned to the Gryffindor Beater. The Beater’s attention turned from Minho to Cameron, who flew below him, and he started to swing his arm back, aiming for Cameron.

“Cameron, look out!” he yelled, whether out loud or just in his head, Minho wasn’t sure. Regardless, Cameron didn’t hear him, and without a second thought, Minho bore down on his broom and rushed to push him out of the Bludger’s trajectory.

“Minho, what the h -- “ he started to ask, his eyes widening when the Bludger rammed into Minho’s ankle with a crack.

The pain didn’t register, at first. Instead, his left ankle and foot went numb and tingly in an instant. The force of the hit almost knocked him off of his broom, but luckily Cameron caught his arm before he completely lost his balance. The Gryffindor Beater flew away before Minho and Cameron could look back at him.

“You okay?”

Minho struggled to answer, his ankle beginning to throb. When he finally opened his mouth, there was a glimmer of gold behind Cameron. He blinked hard once, twice, then pushed Cameron away from him as he shot after the Snitch.

Wind whipped around him, the chill cutting through him as he followed the flitting path of the Snitch. At some moments, it was so close he could almost graze it with his fingertips, and then a second later, it would dip and launch itself away from him. It didn’t take long before Damien swooped in beside him, reaching out the catch the Snitch for himself.

His hand tightened on his broomstick as he stretched closer to it, watching it swoosh back and forth in front of them. It had been flying straight for a few seconds, that meant it would probably change in the blink of an eye. The last two changes in direction, it had shot upward, but this time...it would probably dip down and away from them.

Even if he were wrong, he didn’t really have much to lose, right?

Minho dropped away from Damien before the Snitch’s flight changed, his broomstick dragging on the ground. A second later, the Snitch darted before his eyes and he lunged for it, losing his grip on his broom and tumbling to the ground.

It took him a second the catch his breath.

He rolled over, his breath hitching as he twisted his ankle, and stared up at the cloud-covered sky. Deep breath in; deep breath out. He brushed his hair off of his sweat-drenched forehead and squinted as the sun reappeared between the clouds. His brow furrowed when something fluttered in his hand and he held it up, opening his fist. Minho’s eyes widened as the Snitch’s wings fluttered again and curled around itself.

He did it...He finally caught the Snitch.

Groaning, he sat up and looked across the pitch to the Hufflepuff/Slytherin stands, squinting when he thought he saw a patch of the yellow of Kibum’s sweater at the forefront. Minho pushed himself up, wincing as he leaned on his good ankle, and held the Snitch up high to show Kibum.

“Choi Minho has caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins!”

The arena erupted in cheers, and above them all, Minho was sure he could hear Kibum.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Ten points to Hufflepuff!”

Kibum held himself back from cheering with the Hufflepuffs in the stands, instead opting to clap with the other Slytherins who also didn’t want to see Gryffindor win. The players started flying again, becoming a confusing mix of red and yellow in the sky. It took him a second to find Minho again, his eyes trailing after him as he flew above the play and started a lap around the arena.

He let out a quick whoop! when Minho blew past them on his way around the pitch. Once he was on the other side, he stopped abruptly, looking around. Had he spotted the Snitch? Minho pulled up on his broomstick when a Bludger blazed past him. Kibum huffed, glaring at the Gryffindor Beater who was raising his bat to strike again, and his attention turned back to Minho as he darted to his teammate.

A shock coursed through him when the Bludger connected with Minho’s foot, and he grabbed Aaron’s sleeve when Minho almost fell off his broom. He closed his eyes when a wave of nausea hit him. “Is he okay?”

“I…think so. It looks like he spotted the Snitch.”

Kibum opened his eyes, finding Minho again quickly enough. His flight path was erratic, which definitely meant he was following the Snitch. Soon, Damien was at his side, reaching out to grab Snitch. Kibum’s brow furrowed when Minho dived below Damien, diving toward the lawn. He wasn’t sure if Minho jumped off or if his broomstick caught on something, but Kibum’s breath hitched and he shot to his feet when Minho fell off of his broom and rolled on the field.

“He…he’s not getting up. Aaron, he’s not getting up.”

Before Aaron could respond, Minho turned over, and Kibum weaved around the others in the bleachers to stand at the banister. He held up his hand – had he hurt that again, too? – staring at it for a second before he eventually stood holding his hand up proudly.

“Choi Minho has caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins!“

The cheering behind him and around the stadium was deafening, that Kibum almost couldn’t hear himself yelling “That’s my best friend! He – Minho! You did it, buddy!” Kibum was pretty sure his heart was about to jump out of his chest, and if he was this excited, he couldn’t even imagine how happy Minho was at this moment.

Grinning, Kibum found him on the field again, staggering towards his approaching teammates. Oh…right. In the excitement, Kibum had forgotten that he was hurt. The others in the stands had crowded around him now, so much so that he had to push around people to get to the stairs. He ran down the steps and outside to the Hufflepuff hallway, hurrying down the hall to the open doors leading to the pitch.

He stopped at the threshold, staring at the cluster of players landing on the field. Was he even allowed to come out onto the pitch? Maybe not, but the question right now was did he care if he couldn’t? The answer to that was a solid no. Kibum jogged out, catching up to the rest of the players, and rushed to where Minho was now sitting again, his captain and Madam Hooch crouched beside him and inspecting his ankle.

“Hey!” Minho said, his eyes bright and cheerful, even as he winced when Hooch turned his ankle. He patted the ground beside him and Kibum sat down, their shoulders brushing together. “Wanna see it?”

Kibum nodded, and Minho held out the Snitch, passing it to him.

It was heavier than Kibum imagined it would be, given how small it was. He closed his fist around it and grinned at Minho. “I knew you could do it.” Minho’s smile turned bashful as he looked down at his hands. “I’m so proud of you.”  Kibum handed the Snitch back to Minho and slid his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer as Madam Pomfrey approached them.

Minho audibly winced as she untied his shoe and Kibum rubbed his shoulder, hopefully soothing him, if only slightly. She carefully slipped it off and passed it to Hufflepuff’s captain. “I’m going to roll your ankle a little to see what your range of motion is, alright?” Slowly, she started rotating his swollen ankle, and Kibum’s hold on Minho’s shoulder tightened.

Far above them, announcements were being made. Kibum wasn’t listening, but one of the Minho's teammates hunkered down beside the captain. “Hey,” he said in a poorly concealed whisper. “The group for Hogsmeade is leaving soon…is it okay if we go?”

“Sure. Good job today, guys!” she said, waving the rest of the team away before she returned her attention back to Minho.

“Well, it’s a probable fracture, but I won’t know for sure until we get you back to the infirmary.” She took her wand out from the waist of her apron and pointed it at Minho’s ankle. “Ferula!” A bandage appeared out of thin air, wrapping itself tightly around his ankle. Pomfrey glanced between the captain and Kibum. “Who’s going to help him get to the castle?”

“I will,” they said, both glancing at each other.

“You don’t have to,” Minho said, speaking in quiet Korean. “You can go to Hogsmeade.”

Kibum scoffed. “This is just the first trip. There'll be more. Why the would I go without you?”

"Bummie..." Minho’s eyes widened, his already flushed face growing a deeper shade of red. “We can’t say that. Do you want to get in trouble?”

“What, can they speak Korean?”

Blinking, Minho looked back at the captain and Madam Pomfrey, who were watching him with concern. A smile played with the corners of his lips as he met Kibum’s eyes again. “!”

Both of them started to giggle, stopping when Madam Pomfrey cleared . “I’ll stay and help,” Kibum said to them, glancing over at the captain.

“Are you sure?” she asked, and Kibum nodded. “Okay,” she said apprehensively, looking back at Minho and grinning. “You did so good! I’m so proud of you!” Minho’s smile turned shy again as she patted his knee. “I’ll get you something from Honeydukes, okay?” He nodded and she started running down the field.

Pomfrey stood, looking down at Minho. “I’ll go get a bed ready for you.”

“Okay.”

Kibum rubbed his shoulder before moving his hand down to Minho’s waist. “Think you can stand, buddy?” He pushed himself up, pulling Minho up with him. Both of them staggered as they tried to steady themselves, Minho on one leg and Kibum under the added weight. He stayed still, watching Minho as his breathing steadied. “Ready?”

Minho nodded with a sigh. “Let’s go.”

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bummbleMin1004
#1
Chapter 80: NOOOOOOOOOOO I LOVE THIS STORY VERY MUCCH WHY IT END BUT I LOVE THE ENDING TT THANK OU SO MUCH I SO HAPPY THEY TOGETHER THANK YOU WRITE THE STORY THANK YOUUU!!!!
Fan4manga #2
Chapter 80: Love the end ! I'm still a bit sad it's over but thank you so much for the story :)
Onew-1989 #3
Chapter 80: The End. 😭. For some reason I didn’t expect it to end. Great story!!
TOPkat
#4
Chapter 80: Thank you for this amazing beautiful wonderful story! This is one of my favorite stories to read thank you again sooo much.
bummbleMin1004
#5
Chapter 79: OMG THAT ENDING!!! WHAT WILL HAPPEN??!!!!! PLS ALL BE OK TT I WANT THEM BE TOGETHER AGAIN!!! WIHOUT PROBLEM THIS TIME!!!!!
THANK YOU WRITE THIS STORY YOUR MAZING!!!!
bummbleMin1004
#6
Chapter 78: BEST CHAPTER!!! THE PLOT, WRITING, PLOT, EMOTIONS!!!! I ING LOVE IT PLEASE DONT END THE STORY I LOVE IT SO MUCH DX
bummbleMin1004
#7
Chapter 77: I DO NOT EXPECT THIS OMG I LOVE THIS STORY SO MUCH HOPE IT WONT END YET T.T
bummbleMin1004
#8
Chapter 76: OMG THEY MARRY!!!! WOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW ING FINALLYYYY!!!!!!!!! T.T IM SO HAPPY I LOVE IT SM!!!!!!!!!!! <3333333333
bummbleMin1004
#9
Chapter 75: PLEASE TELL ME THEY NOT GONN BREAK UP OMG I WILL CRY BLOOD IF THEY DO DONOT WANT THEM TO BREAK UP PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! DX LOVE THISS TORY YOU ARE AMAZING LIKE ALWAYS!!! <33333333333333333333