Snow slithered across the icy surface of the pond and the breeze it danced with sent a shiver down Minho's spine. It shimmered in the scant beams of sunlight streaming through the heavy gray clouds. Despite the chill, Minho found himself to be quite warm. As bundled up as he was, he knew that wasn't why he was as warm as he was.

Kibum's smile and laughter had a way of warming him, even on the coldest days.

"Are you ready to head inside?" Kibum asked after finished a cautious twirl on the ice. Minho could only nod as he watched him skate over to him. He held out his hand, which Minho readily took, and together they skated to the edge of the pond where they had left their boots. "I wonder how much longer the snow will be here," he said after they had finished tying the laces of their boots.

"Me too."

"Probably not too much longer. Well, I hope not, at least." He shivered, rubbing his hands together, and looked around at the pillowy looking moors.

"Are you cold?" Kibum nodded and Minho reached out, taking both of Kibum's hands in his.

"Holy , why are you so warm?" Minho shrugged and looked down at their hands when Kibum wriggled his fingers. He smiled to himself when Kibum's thumb started to lightly his. When he worked up the courage to look up, he wasn't surprised to find Kibum watching him intently.

Before Minho could ask what he wanted or infer any sort of meaning from the look in his eyes, Kibum grabbed one of his hands and pulled him toward the copse of trees between the pond and Hogsmeade. Minho almost lost his footing in the snow, and Kibum let go of his hand so he could regain his balance.

He ran ahead, but not too far, and rested against the trunk of one of the trees deeper in.

He was watching Minho approach, a smile gradually brightening his features as Minho drew nearer. Minho leaned against the same trunk, his hand resting above Kibum's shoulder and his arm extended to give him some space.

"."

"What?"

"We forgot our skates."

Kibum snorted softly and reached out to toy with the tasseled ends of Minho's scarf. "We could always go back and get them. Later."

"Why later? I can run back right -- " he stopped talking when he looked back at Kibum. His mouth dried up when he saw the same look that he had been wearing in the infirmary a few weeks ago. He was still toying with Minho's scarf, and his smile grew as Minho turned to face him. "Don't you want to head inside?" Kibum shrugged and shook his head, glancing down at Minho's lips before focusing on his scarf. "I thought you were cold."

Kibum smiled to himself before he met Minho's gaze again. "There's more than one way to warm up, you know."

Minho's face immediately heated. "What?"

"I said, wake up Minho! I have to ask you something!"

Minho blinked, and slowly opened his eyes. Once again, Kibum was nowhere near him. Once again, he was back in his room, bundled up under layers and layers of blankets. And, once again, he was wholly unsurprised.

This dream had been reoccurring for almost three weeks now. He was, to put it lightly, over it. Something always disturbed and woke him before he could find out what Kibum meant. Even now, the dream faded from his mind, undoubtedly to return tonight.

"What, Gil," he said flatly, hoping that he didn't sense his irritation. It wasn't directed at him. More at himself than anyone else.

Gilbert sat down on his bed, only to get up and pace a little between their bunks. Minho pulled himself and swung his legs around so he was sitting on the edge of his bed. He watched Gilbert, waiting for his question, until the door cracked open and Seb let himself outside.

"See you at breakfast!" Travis called out before the door closed behind them.

Now, it was only him and Gilbert.

"What's the question?"

"Should I tell her?" Minho blinked slowly at him, trying to remember any of the girls' names from their year. "Analecia...Should I tell her that I like her?"

Oh, right. Minho squinted. "Uh…"

"Because it's Valentine's day and I just think it'd be the perfect time to, you know, tell her that I've got the hugest crush on her?"

"Do you -- " He paused to yawn. "Do you think she likes you back?"

"Maybe? We're friendly, at least. I mean, you've seen us." Yeah, because when Hufflepuff and Slytherin had shared classes, Minho was totally preoccupied with watching for potential couples. He absolutely wasn't focused on whatever Kibum was doing.

Not even a little bit.

Minho held back his snort with another yawn. "I know this isn't helpful, but it's completely up to you. If you think she likes you back then yeah, I don't see why not. But you might ruin your friendship if she turns you down."

Gilbert slumped down in his bunk, lightly knocking the back of his head on the upper board of the bunk. "True."

"Just, think about it a bit more. If you're ready, you're ready. Besides, wouldn't it be nice to know now rather than put it off?"

"Yeah…" Huh, maybe he should take his own advice? The very thought of telling Kibum churned his stomach, and he gulped. Nope, not ready yet. "Thanks, Minho," Gilbert said, patting his shoulder as he made his way to the door. "You coming?"

"Gotta get changed first. Save me a seat?"

"Sure."

Once Gilbert closed the door, Minho fell back into bed, covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow, and let out a heavy sigh.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Pass the toast back when you're done with it," Kibum said, his mouth half-full of eggs.

Callum nodded, piling three slices on his plate before handing it back to Kibum. Aaron snatched a slice as Kibum grabbed the rack and he ignored his glare as he started to spread jam on his toast.

Kibum glanced to the empty spot beside him where Analecia usually sat, then looked down the table. Most of the girls were nowhere to be seen. He was about to ask why, but then he remembered.

It was Valentine's Day.

It wasn’t that big of a deal during the first few years at Hogwarts, but now… The girls would always put a little bit more extra time into their appearance. Little notes with candy from their last trip to Hogsmeade could be found all over the common room -- in Slytherin, at least, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t isolated to just them. Confessions of love that were “sure to last”.

Kibum rolled his eyes at the thought and glanced over at the threshold when there was some movement. Minho was walking in with Analecia and some of the other Slytherin girls. They all leaned in when Minho whispered something with a broad grin and then laughed, lingering in the doorway as they watched him run over to the Hufflepuff table. Kibum’s gaze followed Minho before it snapped back to the girls who were tittering between themselves as they watched him take his seat. He really was quite charming, wasn’t he… If he wanted to, he could probably date any girl in the whole school.

Well, okay, not anyone below maybe fourth year, for obvious reasons, but he probably could have his pick of the rest.

It was something that he always tried to ignore -- the way the girls would watch him at any given time. Not that he could blame them, of course. Minho was just that cute and that sweet and that kind that it would make anyone think he liked them. Or possibly could like them.

“You’re such an idiot,” he muttered to himself in Korean as he stabbed the yolk of his egg, watching it pool on his plate.

“What’s up with you?” Analecia asked quietly as she sat beside him. Kibum shook his head, avoiding her concerned gaze. “Ugh, everyone was so indecisive this year.”

“About what?” Callum asked with his mouth full.

“What style they wanted me to do for their hair.”

Aaron and Callum looked down the table, no doubt assessing Analecia’s work. “Good job.”

“Thanks!”

Kibum sighed and looked up from his plate at the sound of owl wings, beating and fluttering in the air as they brought in the mail. He watched for both Nutmeg and Geum-nan, spotting Geum-nan first. He followed her progress across the hall until Nutmeg swooped down and stood on the table before him. He patted his head and took the two letters out of his beak -- one white envelope and one periwinkle. “Thanks, Meg.”

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” he asked, watching Nutmeg fly back with the other owls.

“Thank him.”

Kibum shrugged. “It was something my grandma did since we got him. He was just an owlet and we trained him to pick up and deliver mail. She would always thank him and insist I did, too. So it’s just a habit now.”

“That’s really cute,” Analecia said.

“Thanks, I try.” Aaron snorted and Kibum cracked a smile as he looked down at his mail. One from his mom, and the other...started vibrating. “.” Jonghyun had sent him a howler.

“You’d better open it, mate.”

“Yeah, yeah.” With a heavy sigh, Kibum broke the violet wax seal and out came a baby blue sheet of parchment, folded up to sort of resemble a face. He covered his face with his hands and peeked through his fingers when it began to sing.

We’re no strangers to love~

The entire Great Hall, the professors included, stopped whatever conversations they were having to listen to Jonghyun sing. His voice sounded really nice, smooth tones and pure vocals -- when he, or probably his bandmates, weren’t giggling -- but that didn’t mean it wasn’t embarrassing. His thought that it was Nebulous Stardust in the background was confirmed when the drummer started to play as Jonghyun sang, the others soon joining in with their guitars.

Kibum shoved his plate out of the way before he crossed his arms on the table and buried his face there.

As the song was coming to a close, someone started to laugh. Not just anyone, because he could recognize that laugh anywhere. He sniffed a laugh and smiled to himself, still hiding his face in his arms. Of course Minho would think this is hilarious.

It was...but still…

When the music blessedly stopped, Kibum lifted his head, praying to every deity he could think of for that to be the end of it.

"Hello, my darling Kibum."

Of course it ing wasn't. Kibum planted his forehead on his crossed arms again.

"I hope you're having a beautiful Valentine's day and that you're thinking of me fondly and not too embarrassed by me. Well, okay, maybe I want you to be a bit embarrassed but not too much." Minho's laughter picked up again, and Kibum smiled in the shelter of his arms. His bandmates on the other end started to laugh too, and there was a chuckle in Jonghyun's voice as he continued. "I'm totally expecting you to thank me for making your day interesting, so you're welcome in advance." There was a long pause, long enough for Kibum to lift his head again. Jonghyun laughed outright. "Okay, now I'm done. Bye."

The howler ripped itself to shreds, falling like confetti into his hair and around him on the table. Kibum blew a fleck of it off of the tip of his nose. Across from him, Aaron and Callum's eyes twinkled with mirth, and Analecia cleared .

"Well, he certainly has a nice voice."

"I'll be sure to pass along the compliment."

Callum snorted and Kibum shook his head, more confetti falling onto the table. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be going back to their breakfasts, the chatter returning.

He glanced to the other side of the hall, checking to see if Minho was still laughing, but instead found to be striding toward the Slytherin side. Kibum couldn't help but smile at that, but he tried to cover it up with by taking a drink of his pumpkin juice. In his peripheral vision, he followed Minho's progress and didn't bother to turn to him when he sat down beside him.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love Jjong?"

"He'd probably say you could stand to do it more."

"Probably." Kibum shook his head with a small smile and started to go back to eating. “Wait, hold on.” Minho’s hand rested on his shoulder and he started to brush the confetti out of Kibum’s hair. His soft smile grew as he did, and Kibum watched the gradual progression of it -- the faint laugh-lines framing his lips, the barely-there dimples as his smile grew bigger still, and the slight crinkle at the corners of his eyes. He blinked, coming out of the haze he found himself in when Minho patted his shoulder. “You’re good now.”

“Thanks.”

Kibum slid the jam toward him as Minho started to joke with Aaron about their upcoming game of Quidditch. It wasn’t until next week, but that didn’t stop them from making predictions about how the other team would lose miserably. It lasted until the bell rang for the first class, and Minho looked up at the sound before he shot out of his seat. “See you guys in Potions!” he called behind his shoulder as he started to run back across the room. To get his backpack, probably.

“Bye!”

As he passed the end of Slytherin's table, Kibum bristled at the girls who giggled as they said /Bye, Minho/ to him as well. "What's up with you?" Analecia asked, her voice quiet near his ear. "You're really tense today." Kibum shrugged, tearing his eyes away from the girls and looking back at his plate of no-longer appetizing food. "Planning on confessing to your crush today?"

"Pfft, what?"

"I mean, it's possible."

Kibum tried not to choke on his saliva. "I don't have a crush on anyone."

She blinked, her gaze darting across the room before meeting Kibum's again. "Really?"

Before Kibum could respond, the second bell rang, and any further conversation was quelled in their rush to get to Transfiguration. Thankfully. He grabbed his textbook and followed Analecia out into the hallway, glancing over his shoulder to try to catch a glimpse of Minho on his way to Herbology.

He didn’t see him.

Kibum followed Analecia into Classroom 1, heaving a heavy sigh and plopping down beside her. What was his deal? Why was he so….so...was he jealous? It’s not like he and Minho were anything besides best friends. He was being stupid, obviously. He propped his chin on his crossed arms, his eyes trailing after the Gryffindors filing into the room, and his gaze settled on Damien as he strolled in with Chelsea. Nothing had happened since that day he fought Damien. No opportunities presented themselves like Jonghyun suggested they might.

Nothing.

Everything was back to ing normal and...and why was that a problem?

He gulped, glancing around the room as he sat up when Crowell made her way from her office to her desk at the front of the room. It shouldn’t be a problem. He steeled himself, straightening his posture as Crowell probably said to turn to a certain page -- he wasn’t quite listening to her yet. It shouldn’t be a problem; in fact, he should be grateful that he got lucky enough to have Minho in his life in the first place.

Besides, so what if a couple of the girls liked Minho? That didn’t mean that he liked them back, right?

Right?

Honestly, he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up that Minho could even like him back in the first place.

Kibum shook his head slightly, glancing down at Analecia’s book so he could turn to the same page. He grabbed his quill and parchment and began taking notes on the revision for the Switching Spell. His mind was still distracted with thoughts of Minho, however, so Transfiguration went by faster than usual. Which was just as well. He hurried out of Classroom 1 and tried not to run for the door leading to the greenhouses.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky today, but there was still a thick blanket of snow on the lawn, glittering in the sunlight. Even the Forbidden Forest looked somewhat cheery with its snow-covered trees. When movement flickered in the corner of his eye, Kibum’s attention shifted back to the greenhouse that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were beginning to file out of.

His breath hitched and his smile bloomed as soon as Minho stepped through the threshold of the greenhouse and found him in the doorway. Minho grinned when he spotted him and weaved through the others on his way to him. “Hey! How was class?”

For a moment, Kibum couldn’t even remember which class he had just gotten out of, let alone what happened. The twinkle in Minho’s eyes was too distracting. “Good, how about yours?”

“Super interesting!” Minho breezed through the doorway and Kibum picked up his pace to keep up with him. “We started learning about gillyweed and now I want to find some so I can try it out.”

“What’s it do?”

“You’ll see later,” Minho said with a wink and a grin before he hurried down the stairs to Potions. Kibum huffed, glaring at the back of his head. The audacity...though, maybe he wasn’t being as stupid as he originally thought… “Come on, Bummie! We don’t want to be late!”

Kibum tucked his textbook under his arm and hurried down the stairs to meet him on the landing, pushing away his ridiculous thoughts.

* * * * * * * * * *

A bruising ache settled into his arm, and Minho's brow furrowed as he nuzzled a little closer to Kibum. The sleepy haze from his History nap was still there, but he was barely starting to come out of it. Another ache, slightly to the left this time. Minho opened his eyes, squinting in the dusty light of the classroom.

Kibum's eyes captured his immediately, and Minho stared unblinking at him as he started to smile. "Finally awake?"

"Mhm." Kibum pinched his arm again, his smile turning devilish when Minho slapped his hand away and sat up. "I said 'mhm'. That means I was awake!"

"Uh-huh, sure."

"You're annoying."

"Yeah, and?"

Minho snorted, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to reorient himself. "Take good notes?"

There were a few seconds of hesitation before Kibum answered."Good enough. Are you awake enough to eat yet or do we need to sit around here for a few minutes?"

Minho glanced around the room, surprised that everyone else had already cleared out. Well, everyone but Binns, but he was asleep again, and a ghost, so… "Yeah, let's go."

Lunch was simply leftovers from the night before, which was alright with Minho because he hadn’t gotten quite enough of that roast beef last night. He ate his fill, and then some. Seb and Travis were engaged in an argument about socks, of all things, which kept Minho from glancing at Kibum as much as he liked. But, whenever he did, he was happily chatting with Analecia. Once he was halfway through his third plate, he was full, and he pushed it away, wiping his mouth on his napkin before standing and heading to the doorway. When he glanced over at Slytherin one last time, he found Kibum making his way toward him.

“Getting your books?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come with.” Down the stairs they went, both heading to the Hufflepuff entrance. Minho stepped back, letting Kibum slip through the tunnel first. He sat beside him at the edge of it as they both unlaced their shoes. “I always love how it smells in here.”

Minho’s brow furrowed in slight confusion. He knew there was a distinct Hufflepuff smell, it always took him a few days to adjust to it at the start of the new term, but now that the school year was more than halfway over, it eluded him. “What’s it smell like?”

Kibum hopped down from the tunnel, scoffing. “You don’t notice it?” He shook his head then joined Kibum on the floor. “It’s like...cinnamon and pine and...and vanilla with some green.”

“Green?” Minho asked, laughing.

Kibum’s face tinged pink. “Like a garden.”

“Ah.” What the was he doing, being this cute? Didn’t Kibum know that Minho couldn’t stand it? "You don't come in here very often...when do you smell it?"

"I hang around with you a-and other Hufflepuffs. A lot. You...guys sorta carry it with you."

He cleared his throat before Minho could say anything further and led the way to the dorm rooms, making himself comfortable on Minho’s bed while Minho sorted through his textbooks. “Are you ready for Divination?” Minho laughed when Kibum rolled his eyes and dramatically fell onto his back. “Come on, she’s getting a little better.”

“If you say so.” Minho smiled at him, a quiet sigh melting him ever so slightly. He ducked his head and went back to organizing his textbooks before Kibum noticed the shift in his expression.

Gilbert burst into the room, startling Minho enough for him to drop his Defense textbook, and any relief he showed upon seeing Minho completely vanished when Kibum sat up. “Uh…”

“Did you talk to her yet?” Minho asked. Gil’s eyes widened as he glanced toward Kibum and back at Minho. “What.”

“Who? Analecia?”

Gil slumped against the door, ignoring the loud noise as it slammed shut. “Does she already know? Am I that obvious? She hates me, doesn’t she…”

“What? No,” Kibum said with a chuckle. He leaned on Minho’s shoulder as he slipped off his bed. “Minho told me. But don’t worry!” He added quickly when Gil started to glare at him. “We’re great secret keepers, just not between each other.”

“It’s true.”

Gil glanced between them for a moment before his gaze settled on Kibum. “Do you know if I have a chance?”

“I mean, I can’t and won’t put words in , but…” he nodded and Gil’s face immediately lit up.

The bell rang and Gil was the first one to move for the door. "See you guys upstairs!"

"Does he actually have a chance or were you just saying that so he'd feel better?" Minho asked in Korean before the door swung shut.

Kibum smirked. "I'm not that mean. He does. Analecia mentions him sometimes and it's always fondly. Plus, I see the way she looks at him."

Didn't he see the way he looked at him, too? Did he know, then? Minho glanced up at the back of his head, averting his eyes when Kibum started to turn around. "Do you think you'll get any confessions this year?"

"Already did."

Minho's head snapped up, and he instantly met Kibum's gaze. "What? Who?"

"Rhesa." His stomach curdled, and he regretted eating as much as he did at lunch. "She pulled me aside before History started. I said no, of course." Minho hoped his relief wasn't too evident, but he wasn't sure how successful he was, given Kibum's slowly growing smile. "She surprised me, though. I wasn't expecting to get any."

"Yeah…" Why hadn't he mentioned it before now? Like, sure, class was starting as he was sitting down at their desk, so he didn't have an opportunity to bring it up. He hefted his backpack with a sigh and strode to the door.

"You've gotta be drowning in them."

Minho stopped and glanced back at Kibum as he closed the door to the dorm room behind him. Shadows swallowed him, the faint flickering of the candles in the lanterns the only light in the tunnel. The light danced in his eyes, and if he would have allowed himself, he would have gotten lost in Kibum's eyes. "Why...why do you say that?"

"You know…" Kibum shoved him when he shook his head, making him continue down the tunnel to the common room. "You're sorta good-looking, but only if you, like, squint -- "

" off."

Kibum continued with a chuckle. "You play Quidditch, which means you're big and strong and can protect all the girls ever." Minho rolled his eyes with a smile at the sarcasm laced through Kibum's voice. "And I guess you can be nice sometimes. Sweet even."

"Can I really?"

"I mean," Kibum clambered up to the exit tunnel, then held his hand out to help hoist Minho up. "I don't think so, but I know you too well, so…"

"Yeah, that makes sense." Kibum grinned at him over his shoulder as he crawled to the barrels, and Minho followed him, closing the lid behind himself. "I'm not surprised you got a confession."

"No?" Minho shook his head. "I genuinely was. Oh !" Kibum blurted out when the second bell rang, and the two of them started running for the stairs, expecting to be fully winded by the time they reached the Divination classroom.

Divination’s lesson was a continuation of Trelawney’s on-going series of lessons on tarot cards and their meanings. Today she discussed -- in great, seemingly unending length -- The Magician and The World. Even though he had just napped in History, the Divination classroom was too warm and the crackling fire and sweet incense nearly lulled Minho to sleep again. Soon, though not soon enough, they were on their way to Defense -- for Minho -- and the following free period -- for Kibum. They parted ways at the doorway for Classroom 3A, Minho waving goodbye to Kibum before he slipped inside with the others.

The lesson about ghouls was interesting, but Minho had trouble focusing, given the fact that Gilbert was his seat partner for the day and he was overly fidgety. When the bell rang and O’Neely had finished his final thought, Gil raised his hand. “Yes, Mr. Clarke?” The door opened, distracting everyone momentarily as the Slytherins and Ravenclaws filed into the classroom. “Go on.”

“I-I-I was wondering, sir, if it would be possible, sir…” O’Neely’s brow furrowed in amused interest and Minho nudged him with his elbow. “I know it’s not the weekend, but, uh, since it’s a holiday, I-I was wondering if we could go to Hogsmeade after classes were over?”

Excited tittering rippled through the classroom, silenced almost immediately when O’Neely cleared his throat. “I don’t see why not, as long as you’re back before dinner begins. Now,” he raised his voice when the excited chatter started again. “Clear out, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. I have to start the next class.”

Minho and the others hurried to obey him, and the Slytherins and Ravenclaws moved out of the doorway so they could pass by. “Psst, Min.” He turned, finding Kibum easily in the group and moving towards him. “Do you want to go?”

“To Hogsmeade?” Kibum nodded. “Sure, why not.” He grinned and slipped away, heading inside with the others.

Minho was waiting at the door of Classroom 2E for Kibum. He smiled when he spotted him rounding the corner and once he was beside him, they went into Charms together. It was a simple lesson -- Flitwick was merely reviewing charms and their uses before the test tomorrow. When the final bell rang, everyone rushed for the door and hurried to their dorm rooms to change so they could go to Hogsmeade. Minho changed quickly, slipping into one of his hoodies and a pair of his jeans. He sat on the top step, tapping his thumb on his knee as he waited for Kibum to show up. He sat a little straighter when Kibum’s voice reverberated off the walls of the stairwell.

Luckily, when Kibum turned the corner, he was too busy talking to Analecia to notice Minho’s dumbstruck expression. If he were any kind of true friend, he would have told Minho beforehand to mentally prepare himself for how ing cute he looked. His outfit wasn’t anything out of the ordinary -- just his pink Miracle t-shirt and the pair of jeans Minho had lent him, cuffed at the ankles because Minho’s legs were longer than his -- he was just...well, he was just Kibum and apparently not seeing him for a whole five minutes was enough to make his heart race when he saw him again.

He seriously needed to chill.

“What?”

“What?”

Kibum cocked his eyebrow, clearly amused. “Sorry, thought you said something. So, anyway, like I was saying,” he said, turning back to Analecia as he walked up the steps to where Minho was standing. “I just hope that Honeydukes isn’t out of those stupid candy hearts again this year.”

Analecias scoffed. “I can’t believe you like those ing things.”

"What?" Minho gasped in feigned shock, throwing his arm over Kibum’s shoulder once he reached the top step. "They’re good!"

“Thanks, buddy.”

Analecia rolled her eyes before she looked up at Minho with a faint smile. “You’re just saying that because you’ll eat anything.”

“Uh, yeah,” Kibum said, his head bobbing sarcastically. “Your point?”

“You two are impossible.”

“Thank you,” Minho said at the same time that Kibum said, “We know.”

Minho glanced at the landing when a couple more students appeared, spotting Gilbert among them. He tapped Kibum’s shoulder, which seemed to be enough for him to read his mind and glance over at the Hufflepuff guys bounding up the stairs. “See you guys there,” Kibum said, leaning into Minho’s side and pushing him towards the doorway.

“Hey, Ana,” Gilbert said as soon as their backs were turned. “Do you want me to, uh, walk with you? To Hogsmeade, I mean.”

Minho’s arm slipped off of Kibum’s shoulders as he walked ahead. “Yeah, sure.” There was a hint of a smile in her voice and Minho turned his head, giving Gil a quick thumbs-up before he darted after Kibum.

The wind, while not chilly, was still cool. Cool enough that Kibum not wearing a jacket of some kind would probably come back to bite him. He thought about mentioning it by the time they reached the outcropping of the Forbidden Forest that grazed the path to Hogsmeade, but…

“How’s he doing?”

He glanced over his shoulder, squinting to make out any details he could. “Looks like they’re just talking.”

“Hm. Maybe he’s gonna wait until later.” There was a lull -- a bird chirped merrily as it flitted through the trees -- before Kibum asked. “Do you think it’s smart to, like, confess to someone on Valentine’s Day?”

Minho chuckled. “I don’t know. Might ruin the day if it goes wrong, you know?”

“Yeah.” Another long pause. “You’d probably want to be really sure about their feelings.”

Minho nodded, doing his best to not look over at Kibum. Was he considering telling someone that he liked them today? A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the breeze. What an uncomforting thought… Before Minho could consider it further, Kibum bumped his shoulder against Minho’s. “How much money do you have today?”

“Enough for some candy hearts.” Kibum slapped Minho’s shoulder as he laughed, the sound ringing in the air.

The breeze blustered around them, bringing them closer together as they ventured into the village. The fifth years weren't the only ones who had gotten the message that they were allowed to go to Hogsmeade after classes. Everyone who had permission to go was here, from the third years buying all the candy they could afford to the sixth and seventh-year couples waiting in line at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop.

Kibum clasped his hands behind his back and Minho cleared his throat, glancing around. "Where to first?"

"Somewhere a little less populated than Honeydukes right now."

Minho looked over at the candy shop that was practically bursting at the seams. "We'll swing back around, then."

Kibum took the lead, and Minho peeked behind him just as Gil and Analecia were strolling into town. Hand in hand. Both grinning ear to ear.

Ah, good, it worked out for them.

Smiling, Minho turned to follow Kibum into Zonko's.

* * * * *

“What about this for Jonghyun? To pay him back for that howler this morning.”

Kibum stopped reading the package for the Nose-Biting Teacups and looked over at Minho. He was holding up a package of Frog Spawn Soap. Kibum set down the teacup box and went over to where Minho was, turning the box so he could read it better. “Activated by water, this soap surprises the recipient with tadpoles swimming around in their bath! Scented with rain, water lilies, and mud…Hm, I don’t know. Hold on.” He glanced over Minho’s shoulder to see if the shop owner was paying attention to them before he opened the box. Cautiously, he sniffed it, his nose wrinkling up at the smell of it. “Mud should have been listed first. Wow.”

Minho placed his hand around Kibum’s and brought the box up to his nose. “Oh god, yeah.” He closed up the box and took it out of Kibum’s hand so he could set it back where he found it.

“If we’re gonna prank him, we gotta get something that smells good...like whatever the candle or incense is that they have here.” It was faintly floral -- roses, if he had to put a name to it -- and quite nice, even if Minho did sneeze as soon as he entered the shop...and a few times since then.

“You like it?” Kibum nodded, glancing up at him. “It’s a bit too much for my tastes.”

His nose scrunched cutely seconds before he sneezed into his sleeve again as if just talking about the candle was enough to aggravate his allergies. He blinked hard, shaking his head a little before he went back to perusing the wares. A burst of warmth flooded Kibum’s chest as he watched him; everything within him ached to just go to Minho’s side and hold his hand like his life depended on it. Who knows, maybe it did.

But he couldn’t.

He wasn’t ready.

It wasn’t the right time and he didn’t want to risk messing whatever he had with Minho right now up. It wouldn’t be worth it, in the end.

He forced himself to look away, returning his attention to the array of soaps before him. His heartbeat stopped pounding in his ears, and the suddenly cloying scent of roses was returning to its faint whiff of a distant garden.

“Looks like Honeydukes is clearing out a bit.”

"I'm assuming you wanna head over?" Kibum glanced his way for a second, averting his eyes immediately when the warmth bloomed in his chest again.

"Yeah." Kibum gulped at the smile in Minho's voice. "Gotta get those candy hearts, right?"

"Right." He followed Minho outside, taking a deep breath of the cool air. The warmth dissipated to nothing by the time the door closed behind them.

* * * * *

“Merlin’s beard, why is it so ing crowded in here?”

Minho shook his head, digging into his pocket for a couple of Sickles and passed them to Kibum. “Let’s split up and try to find them that way.”

“Okay.”

In his peripheral vision, Kibum moved away, slipping between the other students and disappearing amongst them. The owners of Zonko’s and Honeydukes must have been using the same candle, but, like, Honeydukes had more of them because...Minho squinted as his nose crinkled up in preparation for a sneeze. When it came -- in a series of three loud sneezes -- the girls on either side of him gave him weird looks and moved away.

Whatever.

He rubbed his itching nose on his sleeve as he glanced around at the candy, searching in vain for the candy hearts Kibum liked. It was difficult, though, with the sheer mass of students crowding the sweet shop. So many of the candy and chocolates on the shelves were cleaned out or almost gone. He picked up the last box of Fudge Flies, shook it, and set it back down with a small smile. People must be desperate for candy on Valentine’s Day if they’re willing to buy Fudge Flies for the person they like.

He chuckled to himself and glanced around at the practically empty shelves around the shop. Hopefully, Kibum was having some luck. He scanned the crowd, his gaze settling on Kibum.

His heart stuttered in his chest.

The usual warm, yellowish lighting inside Honeydukes had been replaced, presumably for the day, with soft pink lighting instead. Colored glass covering the sconces, most likely, but Minho wasn’t about to look away from Kibum to check. Not when he looked so...so…

Kibum was bathed in it.

It glistened in his hair and set his skin aglow. Minho had to remind himself to breathe. Everything, literally everything within him urged him to go to him, to hold him, to...to tell him exactly how he felt about him. How he had felt for years now. He took a step closer to him, realizing only then that there was a shelving unit right in front of him.

“Get it together, Choi,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head a little as he looked back at Kibum, only to find him looking his way. He held up the box of candy hearts, shaking it with a dimpled grin. “.” The rush of feelings that flooded his mind -- the want, no, the need to be close to him -- was just too much all at once. The room was too warm now, too stuffy with the heavy perfume of roses nearly choking him. He had to get out. “Excuse me,” he muttered to the people between him hand the door. It took him a moment to find his way out, but his first breath of fresh air was a blessed relief.

The frenzied thoughts plaguing him subsided as he ran across the street to the post office. He sat down on the step and leaned his head against the banister. It was dusk now, the sky a beautiful array of pinks and purples. Clouds had started to move it, which meant they’d probably get either rain or snow tonight or tomorrow.

He looked away from the sky when the door to Madam Puddifoot’s swung opened and a very happy couple walked out hand in hand. The girl looked around before stepping up on her tiptoes to kiss her boyfriend. Jealousy stabbed at his heart as he averted his eyes. Even if he and Kibum...were anything more...there was just no way they could ever get away with that.

, what was his problem today? Why was he wanting things he could never have? As if Kibum would ever...could ever...there was no use even thinking about it, to be honest. He let out a long sigh, his attention turning back to Honeydukes. People were still slowly milling about, no doubt still on the hunt for candy that was no longer in stock. The scene became blurry before him as he started to zone out, but he refocused when he heard Kibum’s voice. “What?”

He watched him started to jog across the lane towards him. “I said ‘There you are!’ Why’d you leave?”

“Too crowded.”

“Yeah, it ing was.” Minho smiled and Kibum plopped down flush beside him. He thought about moving away, but he couldn’t summon the energy to make himself do so. Kibum peeled open the box and dumped a few of the hearts into his palm. He took a couple and passed them to Minho before he popped one into his mouth. “Worth it, though.”

You’re magical one of the hearts read. Minho flipped over the others, his face instantly heating when he read Kiss me and Be mine.

If only.

Minho cleared his throat and ate all three of them at once.

“Do you want some more?” Minho nodded mutely, and Kibum grabbed his hand, pouring some into his palm. “I almost had to fight...what’s his name..., the kid in Ravenclaw -- “ Minho sorted through the hearts as Kibum waffled on about his search for the hearts. Date me, Hey cutie, So fine, My love… “ -- and did you know these are Muggle candies?”

“I did.”

“I mean, of course.” Kibum laughed, bumping their shoulders together. Minho smiled and, as stealthily as possible, slipped the heart that said My love into his pocket while he ate the rest. It was stupid to hope for, and he was well aware of that, but that didn’t seem to stop him from hoping that Kibum could be in love with him, too.

Wait...too? He wasn’t in love with Kibum! That would be...he couldn’t even say it was ridiculous because of, well, everything.

He didn’t think about Gil or Seb or Travis or Martin like he thought about Kibum. He didn’t get dumbstruck by the way the light hit Aaron or the way the wind played with Callum’s hair. He didn’t have dreams where he thought and hoped that he might get to kiss Jonghyun or Taemin or even Jinki. He just didn’t. Kibum was special. He was different than literally everyone.

, , … He was in love with Kibum.

Before the panic could set in, Kibum’s teeth started to chatter loud enough to distract him, and he glanced over at him. “Are you cold?” Kibum nodded and without thinking, Minho reached out to grab his hands.

“Holy , why are you so warm?”

"I just am, you should know that by now."

He rubbed his hands over Kibum's for a few seconds before he let go and leaned away. "What -- " Kibum's unasked question was answered when Minho slipped out of his hoodie and held it out to him. "But then you'll get cold!"

"Not if we head back right now." He shoved it against Kibum's chest. "Do I have to put it on you?"

"I would prefer that." Minho blinked and Kibum snorted before laughing outright. He snatched it out of Minho's hand and slipped it over his head. Minho stood when he did, and together they walked down the lane toward the castle. "We should probably study for that test in Charms when we get back."

"Dinner first, right?"

"I mean, yeah. But after that well just head upstairs."

"Mm."

Minho looked down at Kibum. Had he picked up on anything? Hopefully not. He didn't want to make him uncomfortable. Even with all the friends he had made here, if he somehow ed up his friendship with Kibum, Hogwarts would become unbearable. Part of that was because of how close they were and how many memories they made together, of course, but even so. He looked away, pretending that he hadn't been looking at him at all when Kibum no doubt felt his gaze and looked up.

"Oh, hey, here's your Sickle back."

Minho took and pocketed it into the same pocket with the candy heart.

Night crept over the castle as they drew nearer, and by the time they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Minho's teeth were starting to chatter, but he did his best to hide it from Kibum. They were almost back, anyway, and the just stepping inside the castle would warm him right back up.

They went straight to the Great Hall once they reached the castle, both heading to the Slytherin table without a word. Minho stopped where Kibum usually sat and watched as Kibum continued down the table and plopped down on the bench in front of the fireplace. Minho swung his leg back over the bench and moved to sit beside him. Kibum twirled one of the hoodie strings around his finger, then sniffed a laugh.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about the fact that I got a confession today…” Minho glanced over at him and Kibum immediately met his gaze. “It’s just so strange.”

“I don’t know. It’s not that hard to believe that someone likes you.”

Kibum’s expression sharpened, long enough for Minho to scramble for an excuse of any kind for him to say something like that. But, blessedly, it shifted to amusement. “You didn’t have to say it like that.”

Minho let out a clipped huff. “Like what?”

“‘It’s not that hard to believe -- ‘“ he started to say, his tone whiny enough to make Minho laugh and shove him away.

“I don’t sound like that!”

“To me, you do.”

“Just shut the up.”

“You should know by now that I’ll just ignore you when you say like that.” Minho’s shoulders shook with laughter. It was true. “I refuse to be silenced, by anyone and everyone, including you.” He poked Minho’s cheek until Minho moved his head away with a chuckle. “You’re nothing special, Choi.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Minho glanced over at Kibum, laughing at his affronted look. “What? It’s a joke.”

“Not a very funny one.”

“ you, I’m hilarious.” Minho glanced over his shoulder, doing a double-take when he noticed that the Great Hall was starting to fill up. Most of the teachers were either already seated or chatting with each other while they waited for Headmistress McGonagall to arrive. “Hey,” He patted Kibum’s knee. “I’m gonna head to my side. See you after.”

He passed Gil and Analecia on his way across the room, but they were too engrossed in their whispered conversation to notice him. By the time he was sitting, they parted ways and Gil was coming towards him.

“It went well, I assume,” Minho said, trying not to smile at Gil’s stupidly happy grin.

Gil let out a long sigh. Oh god. “Yeah...”

Luckily, Marvin’s arrival put a stop to anything Gil was about to say. “Can you believe the only candy I could find was ing Fudge Flies?”

“But, you don’t even like fudge.”

Marvin scoffed. “Yeah, no… It tastes okay once you get used to it.”

Minho laughed and Gil asked, “Why the did you buy it then?”

“I don’t know,” he said, rolling his eyes with a sigh. “It’s what you do on Valentine’s Day. Stop laughing at me.”

Minho covered his grin with his fist and Gil cleared his throat to hide his chuckle. “We’re not, I swear.”

Dinner was simple and delicious -- roast chicken with creamy mashed potatoes, buttery dinner rolls, and an array of roasted root vegetables. Once Minho finished his second helping, he wiped his hands and his mouth on his napkin and excused himself. He looked across the room, catching Kibum’s eye as he started for the doorway.

Kibum met him by the stairs. “Do you need your book?”

Minho shook his head as he entered the stairwell, starting their long trek up. “Mine is always up there since we use yours during class.”

“Right.”

Once they reached the study closet, Minho grabbed his book while Kibum lit enough candles for them to be able to read by. Minho sat against the back wall and Kibum lay down, his head resting on Minho’s thigh, while Minho quizzed him on the spells they had learned. He practiced the wand movement with one of Minho’s pens and Minho frequently had to remind himself not to get too distracted by Kibum. They had a test tomorrow, after all...he had to stay focused.

When they were both yawning more often than they were speaking, Minho closed the textbook. “What? Why?” Kibum whined when Minho leaned away to drop the book in the pile with the others. “I’m still not ready.”

“We’re both tired.” Minho started to card his fingers through Kibum’s hair, then blushed and quickly ruffled his hair before he slipped away from him and stood. “We can study more at lunch if you want to.”

Kibum let out a long sigh as he sat up. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Woah, don’t hurt yourself.”

Minho chuckled as Kibum rolled his eyes at him and stood. Together, they made their way downstairs, splitting when they came to the corner between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, until…

“Min!” Minho’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he turned back around. Kibum was jogging toward him, the hoodie that he had lent him half-off. “I almost forgot,” he said as he stopped before him, slipping the hoodie off and passing it back to Minho. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Minho said, a little dazed by the dazzling smile Kibum gave him before he turned back around and started for Slytherin again.

Minho held the hoodie to his chest as he walked back to Hufflepuff. He set it on his bed as he dug into his pockets for his loose change, and fished out the coins and the candy heart he had saved from earlier.

My love.

He glanced both ways to make sure no one was paying him any mind before he opened the drawer to his nightstand and set it inside by the “Remembrall” Kibum made for him a few Christmases ago. Gulping, he grabbed the glass ball and slipped into bed, closing the curtains around him. He changed into his pajamas then, his only light the faint green glow of the stars on the roof of his bunk, and slipped beneath the covers, making himself comfortable.

The turning of pages and light snoring filled the room, whoever was reading was most likely waiting for light’s out to stop for the night. Minho gathered his hoodie into his arms, hugging it tightly. It sort of smelled like Kibum -- light notes that reminded him of summer. He held it closer to him with a sigh and reached out for the “Remembrall”, shaking it lightly.

It always amazed him when the night sky appeared in the mist. More often than not, he fell asleep watching the stars. Kibum’s stars. When he spotted the Bootes constellation, he slipped his finger beneath his t-shirt and pulled out his necklace, absently tapping the pendant against his lips in thought.

How long had he been in love with Kibum? He couldn’t put a day on it...the...the intensifying of his feelings had been so gradual since he recognized them for what they were a few years ago that it just...crept up on him. Even though he should have been expecting it, he was still surprised.

It was just young love, though, right? It probably wouldn’t be reciprocated, anyway, and even if it were, it probably wouldn’t last. That seemed to be the fate of most young lovers, and Minho didn’t want to take the chance. Not yet, anyway.

When would be a good time, then, if he were to ever tell him?

Graduation made the most sense, given the fact that he would be heading to Korea shortly after for his mandatory military service, as per his father’s wishes. If it didn’t go right, then he would never have to see him again and he could move on with his life. But, then again, if Kibum did return his feelings...then he’d still be heading off to Korea indefinitely and it’d be a while before they saw each other again.

Hmm…

No, he didn’t want to risk what they had now for...for...Minho wasn’t sure. Even imagining the what ifs of it all was difficult. He didn’t want to dare to hope, but the niggling voice at the back of his mind egged him on.

Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing to be in love with his best friend. But then, only time would tell.