Petrichor filled the Great Hall -- the first rain of the new year falling from the enchanted ceiling. The raindrops sizzled the flames of the highest floating candles, only for the flames to reappear with a pop.

Kibum poured himself another bowl of Pixie Puffs as he listened to the rain fall above him and batter the windows behind him. Yawning, he dumped in a little more milk, squinting at this cereal as he stirred it. He glanced up as he spotted movement from the doorway, smiling when he saw Minho yawning and stretching as he followed his dorm mates to their table.

Not that he would ever tell Minho -- or Jonghyun, for that matter -- this, but Kibum definitely thought that Minho was cute in the morning. Just, like, the way his hair was all ruffled and wavy from sleep -- it was starting to grow out from the haircut his mom gave him at Christmas -- or his slow response to literally any question. Also, whenever he would sit by Kibum, he would huddle closer than usual, as if he were searching from some extra warmth.

His eyes trailed after Minho as he found his seat and warmth bloomed in his chest when Minho waved at him before he sat down.

“Kibum!”

He started at the sound of Aaron’s voice, blinking when their eyes met. “What?”

“We’re you zoned out?”

Kibum glanced at Analecia, who was struggling to hid her laughter. “Cut me some slack, guys, it’s still morning.”

“Whatever.”

“What’d you want?”

Callum cleared his throat. “What are your plans for first period?”

Oh, right…O’Neely had mentioned at the end of class yesterday that the two third-year classes would be combined today. Apparently, it was a special two-hour period. While he was nervous, as he was unsure what the subject would be, he was also excited because that meant he would be with Minho.

He shrugged. “Mentally prepare for Divination?” Aaron snorted as Kibum took another bite of his cereal.

It was odd, but the good kind of odd, knowing that his next five periods would be spent with Minho. He took one last bite of his cereal, grimacing as he did. It was all gross and soggy now. His grimace vanished as he stood and got out of his seat.

“Gonna head back to the common room?”

“In a minute. I’ll meet you there.” He shoved his hands into his robe pockets, twirling a loose string around his finger as he walked across the Great Hall. Stacy, one of the altos from the Frog Choir, smiled at him when he glanced over at the Ravenclaw table, and he smiled back as he continued on to the Hufflepuff table. Minho blearily looked up at him as he plopped down next to him. “Morning, Min.”

“Mm.” He leaned against him as he reached for another couple slices of toast and kept their shoulders pressed together as he scooped some scrambled eggs on one of the slices.

“Sleep okay?”

“Mm.”

Kibum and Gilbert glanced at each other over Minho’s head, both trying very hard not to smile. Minho sniffed and opened his eyes a little wider as he stared down at his plate.

Across the table, Travis asked Seb, “What do you think the Dark Arts lesson is gonna be about?”

“Vampires? You know...” he gestured fangs with his mouth when Travis gave him a dumbfounded look.

“We already went over vampires, .”

Minho coughed on his mouthful of eggs as he started giggling, and Kibum rolled his eyes as he patted Minho’s back. None of the others reacted, as they were probably more than aware of the fact that Minho was a little giddy after he first woke up. Just another thing Kibum looked forward to in the mornings. He stopped rubbing Minho’s back when he took another bite and looked back at the others when they started arguing over whether it’d be about werewolves or boggarts.

The bell rang by the time that Minho drained his pumpkin juice, and the Great Hall bustled around them as everyone got up to go to their classes. Minho, however, stayed planted by Kibum’s side. “We have Divination today, right?” Kibum nodded. “Meet me by Cadogan?”

“I’ll be in my common room, so you could just let yourself in or I can wait outside and we can head up together.”

“That works.” Minho picked up the last piece of jellied toast from his plate. “What’s the password again?” he asked around his mouthful. “Carpathinuth?” Kibum bit back a smile and Minho flushed. “I mean, Carpasinus?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

His lisp was another thing that was cute about Minho. It wasn’t a big deal to think that Minho was cute, right? Because he was, even Jonghyun thought so. Not that they often talked about it...because that might be weird.

The second bell rang and Kibum blinked as he looked away from Minho’s profile. “Okay, I’ll see you soon,” Minho said as he got up from the table.

“Wait, I’ll walk with you!”

Minho hit the side of his head. “Oh, yeah, duh.” He stopped walking and gave Kibum a sleepy smile as he hurried to catch up with him. “So, which do you think it’ll be?”

“Werewolves or boggarts?”

“Yeah.”

Kibum hummed in thought as the rounded the corner and started down for the basement. “Boggarts, I think. The passages covering werewolves are towards the back of the book.” Minho shivered as they passed by the golden light of the corridor to Hufflepuff and stepped into the sickly green light that led to Slytherin and the Potions classroom. “Cold?”

Minho shook his head, their footsteps a rippling echo down the hallway. “I was just thinking about boggarts.”

“How far ahead did you read?”

They came to a halt, Kibum fumbling for his wand and giving the wall beside him a cursory glance for Salazar’s mark. Instead of answering right away, Minho hefted his backpack over his shoulders, his gaze trailing after their classmates as they passed by to get to Potions. Kibum tapped the mark three times, in a staccato rhythm, and murmured Carpasinus under his breath. Soft, green light flooded the hallway, as well as a blast of warmth from the roaring fire in the hearth. Both Kibum and Minho squinted at the sudden light, looking inside.

“I should head to class,” he said as Kibum took a step into the common room, his smile sleepy once again when Kibum looked back at him. Kibum offered him half a smile in return and watched him turn and follow the others through the doorway, allowing the shadows to swallow him whole.

Kibum walked the rest of the way into Slytherin, ignoring the clanking of the bricks settling back into place, and hopped over the armrest of one of the chairs by the fire. He hooked his legs over the other armrest before he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“Gonna nap?” Analecia asked, her voice disinterested.

He opened one eye and peered across the room, smirking when he saw the cause of her boredom. She was playing wizard’s chess with Callum, who, despite being the only one of them with a functioning chess set, was dreadful at the game. Apparently, he and his siblings came up with an alternate set of rules when they played, but none of the other Slytherins would play by his rules.

“Probably not.” He settled back into his chair, folding his hands across his stomach as his eyes slid shut again. “Not enough time.”

There came a raspy whisper of a page being turned, then another, followed by a low, thoughtful hum from Aaron. “What is it?” Marcy, one of the other third-year girls asked him.

“Looking over the reading from Divination,” he answered absently.

Soon, they, followed by the other third-years scattered around the common room, began discussing and quizzing each other on the origin and accuracy of crystal balls. Kibum listened, offering his thoughts when he could, but he didn’t stir until the bell at the end of the period chimed. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and glancing back at the wall while he waited.

It didn’t take long for the shuffling of footsteps on the other side to sound, and once they passed, Kibum heard the faint triple tap. When the bricks didn’t move right away, there came another three taps. He smiled to himself, imagining Minho’s exasperated huff on the other side of the wall. A third try, and the bricks moved of their own accord, the others glancing up -- they seemed wholly unsurprised to see Minho on the other side.

“You ready?” he asked as Kibum leaped from the armchair and hurried across the room to meet his best friend. Behind him, the others hustled to get their books gathered, but he crossed the threshold before they were ready. The bricks barely started falling into place before they started down the hall. “Not that I should have any say in this, but you guys really need to think of an easier password.”

“How about this: when I’m Head Boy, I’ll make sure all the passwords are in Korean, just for you.” Minho laughed, shoving Kibum’s shoulder playfully. “What? It’s not like Latin isn’t a foreign language for everyone here, right?”

“I guess that’s true, but...what would you make it?”

“Green,” he said, his voice as deadpan as possible, but his smirk broadened to a grin when Minho’s cackle reverberated in the stairwell.

The classes following Kibum’s empty period and Minho’s Potions classed passed swiftly, as if they sensed everyone’s nervousness about the extended Dark Arts lesson after lunch. Maybe it wouldn’t be anything bad? Maybe O’Neely simply wanted to catch up with them and go over what Mr. Potter -- the substitute teacher they had while O’Neely helped his wife with their newborn -- went over in class.

And, yes, it was the Mr. Potter, the one who defeated the Dark Lord a couple of years ago. McGonagall had announced that he would be briefly taking over O’Neely’s position and, during said announcement, made if very clear that they should treat him with the respect he deserves and not ask irritating questions. Kibum explained to Minho who he was in excited whispers after her announcement at breakfast on their first day back from break.

It was exciting, to have a wizard of his caliber and fame in Hogwarts. But, when they finally saw him, he didn’t meet their lofty expectations at all. He was relaxed with them, taking all their questions in stride -- as they didn’t heed McGonagall’s earlier warning -- and relating them back to the lessons he taught. Kibum found himself wondering why he had decided to become an Auror when he would have made a fine, if not great, teacher.

But, O’Neely came back yesterday, asking them all what Mr. Potter had covered in his lessons over the past two weeks and made the announcement that they would have their combined class tomorrow.

Or, rather, today.

By the time they finished lunch, Kibum and Minho followed the trickle of third-years on their way up to Classroom 3C. Kibum wasn’t sure about Minho or the rest of them, but he was nauseous in his uncertainty of what was about to happen.

Kibum bumped into Minho when he stopped for a second in the doorway. He pushed him along, only to step through behind him and see for himself what gave Minho pause. There were double the number of desks than usual, which was to be expected given the circumstances, but they were all arranged to make a long, empty space down the center of the classroom. Also, before O’Neely’s desk, there sat a chest with multiple locks. It started shuddering occasionally when everyone started filing into the room. Minho moved cautiously along the edge of the gap, sliding into one of the desks on the far side of the classroom.

It didn’t take long for the seats to fill up, a nervous chatter filling the room while they waited for O’Neely’s imminent arrival. Steaming mugs of tea appeared before each of them when the door to O’Neely’s office clicked open.

“Hello, everyone,” he said as he descended the stairs.

“What’s with the tea, sir?” Jasmine, a Gryffindor, asked.

O’Neely smiled as he sat on the edge of his desk, twirling his wand between his fingers. “It’s chamomile. Today’s lesson might be a bit stressful, so I hope it’ll help take some of the edge off.” His Irish accent was deceptively cheery despite what he just said. “Now,” he pointed to the chalkboard, which flipped over to reveal the word Boggart written in bold cursive. “Let’s begin.”

Kibum’s hand shook as he reached out to take a sip of his tea. The rain falling outside blended with the turning of book pages, and Kibum took a deep breath as he found the right page in his textbook.

“Who can tell me what that is?” Several hands shot up around the room, and he pointed at Damien with his wand. “Mr. Brent?”

“It’s a shape-shifter that takes on the form of your deepest fear. It doesn’t have any form of its own, so we’re not sure what it looks like on its own.”

“Someone read ahead,” O’Neely said with a smile. “Five points to Gryffindor.”

Minho tensed beside him, subtly shaking his head when Kibum shot a worried glance his way. “I’m okay.”

“Has anyone here ever seen one before today?” A couple of hands shot up, and O’Neely’s eyebrows rose with interest as he looked between Damien and Rhesa. “Would either of you care to share about your experiences? If you don’t, I fully understand.” Rhesa shook her head as Damien nodded. “Go ahead.”

Damien cleared his throat as he stood in his seat, his hands wringing nervously before him. “I didn’t actually see them, but we had two in our house for a while. They...they were under my little sister’s bed and she kept having nightmares where spiders would crawl over every surface in her room and eat her alive.” Kibum and Minho shuddered simultaneously. “Mom expelled them one night, though, and they haven’t been back since. I only got a glimpse of them, they were kind of these shadowy, wispy-looking things.”

“Is your sister all right?” O’Neely asked as Damien took his seat again.

“Yeah, she is. It was like, four years ago. She had trouble sleeping for a while, though.”

“I can imagine.” O’Neely scanned the rest of the class. “England is not alone in having boggarts, though other countries and cultures have their own variations. In Ireland, they’re called púca. No one knows for sure where they came from, as they are the embodiment of fear itself, but some studies have shown that they were created by those who have died from their own fear.

“The origins are hard to track, but it is believed by some that the original boggart was created all the way back in 1066 when the Vikings warred with England. A scout from English forces spotted the Vikings and died of fright at the sight of them. His name is unknown, but his skeleton was found in the marshland, his hands clutching his sword. A spirit cursed the swamp, and that spirit became known as a boggart.

“Studies are...unclear as to how the boggart multiplied. But, since it is a malevolent spirit, I think that it feeds on the fear of humans, which breeds more of them.”

The chest shuddered again, and almost all of the class jumped or gasped at the sound, which made O’Neely smile. “Yes, there is a boggart in here, but don’t worry, he won’t get out until I allow it.” He stood, his robes swishing behind him as he sat on the top of the chest now, completely unperturbed by the occasional shuddering and shaking. “Now, the spell to dispel a boggart is quite simple. Riddikulus. Say it with me? Riddikulus. Very good.”

Analecia raised her hand, and once O’Neely acknowledged her, she said, “That sounds a lot like 'ridiculous'.”

“Yes, it does! Good word association. Five points to Slytherin.” Kibum did a mini celebration dance in his seat and Minho snorted in amusement. “There is a reason it sounds so similar. Would anyone like to guess why?” For a second, no hands rose. Minho gulped beside him before he held his own hand up. “Yes, Mr. Choi?”

“If...if boggarts are made from fear, then calling them ‘ridiculous’ would be...bad to them?”

“Yes, exactly!” Minho let out a sigh of relief and Kibum rubbed his side, smiling proudly. “Five points to Hufflepuff.” Kibum reached for his quill and quickly wrote good job in the margin of their notes. “The goal is laughter, specifically directed at the boggart. It throws them off their guard enough to change their shape to something you -- the caster -- finds to be ridiculous, and gives you the necessary time to make your escape.

“To be entirely honest, the best defense when going against a boggart is having two or more people when around it, because then the boggart will be confused as to which deepest fear it should focus on. But,” he said as he shoved himself off the chest, “for our purposes today, each of you will face the boggart on your own. If you are unable to dispel it without my help, don’t be ashamed. Facing your deepest fear is not easy, especially with an audience. I’ll be standing on the sideline to make sure each encounter goes as smoothly as possible.”

Minho shifted in his seat, picking up the quill to make some quick notes about the spell. “I’ll talk the first couple of you through it, so everyone pay attention.” He walked a couple of paces away from the trunk and placed himself directly in front of it. “Everyone line up, starting here.”

No one was eager to stand and go to O’Neely, so Kibum held back until there was a bit of a line started. “You coming?” he asked, nudging Minho’s arm as he stood.

“In a minute," he said without looking up from his writing. "I’ll just be a few people behind you.”

“Okay.” Kibum slipped in the line, glancing back at Minho until he stood and joined it. He was almost the last person in line.

“So, Ms. Petisque,” O’Neely said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “What are you most afraid of? It’s okay if you don’t know.”

“I...I’m not sure.”

“All right. So, in a few moments, I’m going to unlock the chest and the boggart will take the form of the thing you fear the most. The key to dispelling the boggart, as I said before, is laughter, so when you perform the charm, you’ll have to imagine the funniest thing you can think of. Then point your wand at the boggart, say Riddikulus with as much confidence as you can muster, and the boggart should shift into the funny image in your head.”

He looked up, scanning the attentive students in line. “Everyone, get out your wands and say the spell with me again. Riddikulus! Good, good. And once more...Riddikulus!” O’Neely smiled down at Janice. “Are you ready?”

To her credit, Janice nodded as she took a deep breath.

“Let’s take a couple of steps back, give her some room to work.” The other students shuffled back a few steps, and Janice gripped her wand tightly. “Remember, I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” She nodded again, and O’Neely flicked his wrist. Kibum gulped at the sound of several locks clicking, and there was a quiet woosh as the lid flipped open.

Kibum stepped around the others, peering into the chest as a pale hand reached out, pulling a body out of the shadows of the chest. What followed was a carmine cloak and a man who looked as though he had been sculpted from marble climbed out. Blood dripped down his chin and neck, some droplets splatting on the floor. He his lips, smearing the blood with his tongue, and smiled when Janice. Most everyone in line behind her shuddered.

This was the first time he had seen a vampire up close, even though it wasn’t really a vampire... He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see one in real life.

Janice took a step back as the vampire stalked toward her and pointed her wand at it. He looked as though he would bat it out of his face, but then she yelled “Riddikulus!” her voice squeaking.

A second later, the vampire morphed into the tiniest bat. It was actually the cutest thing Kibum had ever seen. A couple of the others actually started cooing when it flitted past them. “Very good, Ms. Petisque! You can head back to your seat now. Next!”

Anything and everything seemed to come out of that chest -- a flood of spiders that turned into bubbles, several very large frogs that had Callum ducking behind the closest desk to get away from them. O’Neely coaxed him out and soon the frogs were wearing varying degrees of princely costumes. Callum was red-faced when he took his seat, but everyone soon moved on to watch the next person.

Mummys and snakes and even fire poured out of the chest, and Kibum found himself anxiously curious to see what his deepest fear was. The only thing that was coming to mind was how scared he was of heights, but he wasn’t sure how the boggart would be able to pull that off.

The line dwindled before him, until there was only one person ahead of him. Kibum looked over his shoulder to where Minho stood several people behind him. Minho's gaze instantly flicked to meet Kibum's and he gave him a tiny smile. Nodding, Kibum took a deep breath and turned when O'Neely said, “Are you ready, Mr. Kim?”

Rhesa's hands were shaking as she stepped out of the line, the balloon animal that was previously a huge, angry dog floating back down to rest on the chest. Kibum stepped up to where she stood, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he waited for the boggart to shift.

He heard the beeping first. He heard it and his blood chilled. It was steady and faint, just like it was all those years ago.

Kibum didn't even notice the shift.

One second it was a hot pink balloon animal, and the next it was Dad lying in a hospital bed, looking like he had the last time Kibum had seen him. His once full head of hair now stripped almost bald, save for a few strands. His heart ached, just seeing him like that again.

He blinked, his eyes pricked with tears, and when he opened his eyes again, he forgot how to breathe. Mom had taken Dad's place, the heartbeat monitor slightly erratic now. A second later, it shifted to Grandma, her lips tinged blue as she struggled to breathe. Kibum's wand almost fell out of his hand and he fumbled with it as Grandma shifted to Minho, who became still on the bed.

No more struggle.

No more breath.

The monitor beeped -- one long sound -- and Kibum raised his wand and yelled “Riddikulus!” over the ringing.

Minho shifted, then. His hair was back, ruffled and wavy from sleep, his skin tanned and no longer stretched thin over his bones. He was no longer in a hospital bed. Instead, he was in his own, with the same planet and space bedding that he had had that summer. He yawned, his mouth opening wide as he rubbed his eyes. After a second or two of staring at the far wall, he turned to look at Kibum, giving him a sleepy smile.

“Good job, Mr. Kim.”

Minho, the boggart version, scratched his head as Kibum looked over at O'Neely. His expression was hard to read -- the clouded look in his usually bright blue eyes and the grim, thin line of his mouth. Pity, probably. Concern, definitely. Kibum raised his chin and sniffed, holding his head high as he walked back to his seat, avoiding the prying eyes of the rest of the students.

Including Minho.

The next person in line took his place by the time he found his seat, and he folded his trembling hands on his desk. He would not cry. Absolutely not.

Two people dispelled the boggart before he worked up the nerve to look at Minho. He was not surprised to find him already watching him. Kibum inhaled deeply, mouthing, “I'm okay.” Minho smiled and nodded, and Kibum rested his head on his desk, hoping that his heartbeat would return to normal soon.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Good job, Mr. Kim.” 

Minho stared unblinkingly at the just-woken up version of himself until Kibum crossed his path. His heart sank as Kibum’s chin quivered in an effort not to cry in front of everyone, and he held himself back from wrapping him in the tightest hug he could give him. 

It made sense that his deepest fear was the people closest to him dying the way his dad did.

He wished he could tear his focus away from Kibum, who was now sitting at their desk, but he didn’t want to until he got confirmation that he was all right. It took several minutes before Kibum even dared to look his way. Minho raised his eyebrows in silent question, and Kibum mouthed, “I’m okay.” Relief settled in his bones, relaxing the pent-up tension that accumulated while he watched Kibum face the boggart. 

It would be his own turn, soon. 

Minho looked away when Kibum set his head down on his desk and looked back at the remaining students between him and the boggart itself. He had the barest inkling of what his boggart would be, and he hoped he was wrong. 

Nerves set his heart racing as the last couple of people completed the task -- a tall, bone-pale, noseless man with menacing scarlet eyes, a trio of Grindylows swimming through the air and snapping at Gilbert, and a werewolf that turned into a Samoyed after Val cast the charm. Its tail wagged as Minho stepped up to take her place, and he stared into its eyes, adjust his grip on his wand as he waited for the shift. 

The chest transformed into an armchair, the one Dad always used at home, and Minho could already feel himself deflating. In the blink of an eye, the Samoyed became Dad, and he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. 

“Why are you here?” Dad asked, directing his attention back to the book in his hands. When Minho didn’t answer, he glanced up at him. “You should have stayed there at the school. We don’t want you here. Don’t need you here.”

“W-why?” He cringed at the way his voice broke. “Why did you send me away?”

“You’re a freak, Minho.” Somewhere far, far in the distance, a chair was pushed back, the legs scraping against the wood floor. Kibum.  “A freak with bull magical powers. Why couldn’t you have been normal? Why couldn’t you be more like Minseok, hm?” He stared at Minho for several heartbeats, each one of them pounding in Minho’s ears. “Sometimes I wish you had never been born.”

Before Dad could take another breath, O’Neely’s robes billowed around Minho, shielding him from the boggart. He couldn’t even see what it transformed into. Instead, he turned his stinging eyes to find Kibum standing where O’Neely had been, his eyes wide with sorrow. Did he hear every word? Minho lowered his gaze to the floor, watching his step as he trudged back to their seats. 

He knew without looking that Kibum was right behind him. 

At least he wasn’t the only one who failed. Seb and Tracy did as well, but it still felt so ty. The next person stepped up in line, and the testing continued. Minho settled into his seat and Kibum was immediately next to him. After Russell passed and went to go find his seat, Kibum reached for one of Minho’s clenched fists and wrapped his hand around it, waiting for him to unfurl his fingers. When he did, Kibum laced their fingers together and squeezed Minho’s hand.

It was all he could do not to cry. 

The rest of the class passed by in a blur, and by the time the second bell rang, the last of the students was back in their seat, and O’Neely was locking the boggart back up again. “You all did such fantastic job today. I’m so very proud of each and every one of you.” Everyone was starting to pack up their things. “Make sure to do your reading tonight, and start on that essay. Remember, it’s a full two scrolls and it’s due on Friday!” he called after the ones that were already on their way to the next class. 

Kibum let go of Minho’s hand as they stood, and Minho hefted his backpack before they started for the door. “Mr. Choi, if I could see you for a moment,” he said once almost everyone one was out of the classroom. 

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Kibum whispered, glancing behind Minho to where O’Neely stood waiting. 

“I’ll be okay.” Maybe it was the warble in his voice that made Kibum spear him with that unconvinced look. Regardless, Kibum followed the remaining students out of the classroom.

“Which class do you have next?”

“Transfiguration.”

O’Neely nodded before he turned and started up the steps to his office. Minho followed him without a word. He was putting his kettle over the fire when Minho stepped through the door. “Go ahead and take a seat.”

He sank into the plush armchair before O’Neely’s desk. “Sorry I failed, Professor.”

“Don’t worry about that, Minho. A lot of people fail their first time against a boggart.” He rounded his desk and sat down, a kind smile in his eyes. “That was your father, right?” Minho nodded, tears blurring his vision. “Are you doing all right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“I don’t know what he said to you because I don’t speak Korean, but has something like this happened before?” Minho shrugged, his throat aching with uncried tears. “Is everything all right at home?”

Minho sniffled, despite himself. “I...yeah. It’s just…” he swallowed thickly and averted his eyes. “I just want to know why...why they sent me here when they knew nothing about Hogwarts, you know?” Grimacing, he wiped away the snot dripping from his nose. “I’ve just been too afraid to ask.”

“And the boggart gave you the answer that you were afraid to hear.” Minho clenched his jaw and nodded. “I see.” When the kettle whistled, he got up from his desk and poured them each a cup of tea before he came back and sat down. “I don’t know your father, or your family, or even what the boggart said, but I do know that you can’t take what the boggart said to heart. It’s fear itself, like I said in the lecture, and it feeds on your fear. What it said probably isn’t true, and while it’s traumatizing to hear whatever your father said, just remember that it wasn’t actually him saying that.”

“Yes, Professor.” He glanced up at the clock behind O’Neely’s desk, his eyes widening. “I’ve got to get to class!” 

“Go ahead and finish your tea. I’ve already sent word to Professor Crowell.” Minho sat back in the armchair, taking a sip of his tea. Chamomile, like before. O’Neely changed the subject then, asking Minho about Quidditch and his favorite shops at Hogsmeade. Both the distracting conversation and the tea helped to soothe his distressed heart, and it wasn’t long before he was on his way out of the classroom.

He closed the door behind him, jumping when he saw Kibum on the other side of the door. “I thought you went to class!”

“I was going to, but...are you sure you’re okay?”

Minho glanced past Kibum and then over his shoulder, making sure they were alone, before he pulled Kibum into a tight hug that was instantly returned. “I feel better now.” His voice was muffled by Kibum’s shoulder, and he turned his head to the side before he rested it on his shoulder again. “What about you?”

“Not gonna lie, mine really surprised me.”

“I was expecting heights, for you.”

Kibum scoffed, the short puff of breath ghosting over Minho’s neck. “Me too, but it makes sense.” 

He leaned his head on Minho’s, who closed his eyes for a second, only to see Dad watching him with disapproval. Minho pulled away from Kibum then, his face a little warm as he started for the staircase. They walked side by side, and Minho glanced over at Kibum to find sadness lingering in his expression. “Well, I’m glad you think I look ridiculous in the morning.”

“What? No, I don’t…”

“But you said ridiculous and there I was, looking like I just woke up!”

Kibum laughed, shoving Minho away from him. He snorted when Minho fell dramatically into the banister. “That’s not what I meant at all! Don’t be an .”

He righted himself, talking the next couple of steps two at a time to catch up with Kibum. “When in my life have I ever been an to you? Like, please, I want to know.”

His eyes shone as he tried to glare at Minho. “All the way back in first year! Remember that time…” Minho made a show of rolling his eyes as Kibum launched into what was obviously a horribly false past tragedy where Kibum was the victim of Minho’s non-crimes. 

For now, it seemed, the boggart was forgotten. As Kibum rambled on, making up ridiculous stories, Minho couldn’t help but smile.