Dear Mom and Dad,

The first week went by really fast! It’s funny how little time I need now to adapt to a new term at school. I won’t bore you with details about my classes, but they’re fun and interesting so far!

As soon as I send this letter, I’m gonna be heading down to the Quidditch pitch for tryouts. It’s gonna be so weird to be captain, I really hope I can do a good job, even though I'm lacking. And, I know this is a bit of a long shot, but do you think it would be possible for both of you to come to maybe one of my games this year? The Flying instructor gave us the schedule for the games yesterday. Our first game is October 25th, our second -- weather permitting -- is February 14th, and our third is April 11th. If you’d like to come, I’m sure I can arrange it with our mentor or the Headmistress. So let me know as soon as possible, either way?

If you don’t want to come, I completely understand. Please tell Minseok I miss him! And I miss you, too!

Love,
Minho

Minho dropped his pen onto his bed and stretched his hand out as he read over the letter twice more. Once he decided that he was satisfied, he folded it up and tucked it into the envelope he filched from the library. He rolled out of bed, tossing the envelope back onto his bed before he changed into his Quidditch robes. By the time he was pinning on his captain’s badge, the door to the sixth year dorm opened and Kibum poked his head in, and, after finding that Minho was by himself, let himself inside.

“Aaron said you booked the pitch today?”

Minho nodded and returned to fumbling with his badge. “Yeah, Hooch had a meeting with the captains yesterday and I drew the long straw, so Hufflepuff gets to go first.” The back of the pin fell out of his grip and onto the floor. “Goddammit, why are these things so ing tiny?”

“Here, let me,” Kibum said, chuckling as he came around to Minho’s front and picked it up for him. Minho held out his hand for it, but Kibum ignored it, instead fastening the pin on himself.

He watched Kibum, his eyes darting from the new freckles he had gotten over the summer to his lips then to his hands when he smoothed the lapels of his robes. He said something that Minho couldn’t quite focus on, and Minho let out a questioning hum. Kibum smiled up at him. “Do you wanna eat first or just head straight down?”

“Uh...oh, letter!” Kibum frowned, and Minho moved away from him to pick up the letter from his bed. “Let’s head to the owlery first, then to the pitch.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Minho grinned as he turned away and headed for the door, holding it open for Kibum to leave the dorm before him. Instead of following him right away, Kibum had opened one of Minho's dresser drawers and pulled out his plaid shirt. Minho gave him a quizzical look as he slipped it on and smoothed down the collar. "In case I get cold," he said as he passed Minho on the way out.

Minho bit back his smile as he followed him out into the corridor.

The barrel lid snapped closed behind Minho and Kibum stood, rolling up the sleeve of his left arm while he waited for Minho to stand. "Who's the letter for?" he asked as they started walking.

"My parents. Just letting them know I made it safe." Kibum nodded as he switched to the other arm. "Also I may have asked if they wanted to come to one of my games…"

Kibum froze mid-step on the stairs while Minho continued until he reached the landing. "What? You actually want them to come?"

"I mean," Minho shrugged, watching Kibum as he closed the distance between them. "It doesn't hurt to ask. And, like, maybe they'll relax if they see me use magic." Kibum pursed his lips, clearly holding back his actual thoughts. "I don't know. They'll probably say no, so it doesn't really matter."

"I guess that's true."

They turned right instead of left toward the Great Hall when they reached the top of the staircase heading toward the bridge that led to the owlery.

A companionable silence settled around them as they made their way across the lawn. Minho smiled, looking around at the subtle changes autumn was bringing to the grounds. The vibrant reds and warm goldens of the leaves dotted the trees on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest and spread through Merlin’s Beard. The air was still warm, for autumn, but not overly so. Just a glance at the clouds was enough to tell him that it would be cooling off sooner rather than later. Hopefully, it wouldn’t rain during tryouts.

Kibum came to a stop at the foot of the owlery stairs, allowing Minho to take them first, since it was he who was holding the letter. He took the steps two at a time, eager to be done with it and on his way to the pitch. He had told his team and the hopefuls to be there by 10, and it was already 9:30. Hopefully, he would have enough time to get everything set up the way he wanted it to be.

Minho strode into the owlery, searching the nests for Geum-nan as Kibum leaned against the doorway. He cleared his throat, getting ready to call out for her, only for her to peek out of her compartment and flit down toward him, perching on his shoulder.

“Here, take this back home.” She blinked at him, her wide, golden eyes glimmering in the dim light. “Back to Mom and Dad’s house, I mean.” She snatched it up in her beak and flew off through the window looking over the Black Lake, her wings buffeting him.

Minho blinked as the rush of air died down and looked back at Kibum, finding him smiling at him. He stepped toward him, stopping when Kibum stepped before him, going up on his tiptoes to fix his hair. “Ready?” Minho nodded, his gaze lingering on him as he turned and started back down the stairs. Instead of going up to the stands like he usually did, Kibum followed Minho into Hufflepuff’s locker room, pausing at the doorway when Minho unlocked the door to the captain’s office. “Are you okay if I come in?”

Minho snorted, looking back at him. “No, please, stay away,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he pushed the door open.

The lanterns flickered on as he walked inside, illuminating the gold and black striped walls. It was a small room, spare robes and armor folded and tucked away on the shelves behind the desk. A whistle lay on the desk amidst a spread of notebooks, probably filled with plays that Travis, Meg, and Cameron concocted, as well as the captains before them. Kibum leaned on the desk, picking up the stereo with the Smashmouth cassette stuck inside while Minho grabbed the case of self-refilling water bottles. He set his notebook that he had started that summer among the others, staring at it for a moment.

He took a deep breath, released it slowly, and turned for the door.

“I’ll be up in my usual spot,” Kibum said as he closed the locker room door behind himself. Minho looked back at him, and he passed him the stereo. “You’ve got this, Choi," he said as he started to walk back down the corridor toward the stands.

“Thanks, Bummie.” He turned around, giving him a cheeky wink and finger guns as he passed Sam on his way out. She glanced between them, chuckling, and Minho turned his attention from Kibum to her. "Would you mind getting everyone suited up? I'm gonna go get ready out there."

"Will do, Captain," she said with a smile.

Minho tried to stifle his grin, but he knew he was unsuccessful. Regardless, he turned and jogged out onto the pitch, crossing it to reach Hooch's hidden office in the wall. As he ran, he was assaulted with obnoxious whistling, and he turned to find Kibum and Analecia in the stands. Ah, Gil must be trying out of Chaser. He flipped them a double middle finger before he pressed the right board and slipped inside Hooch's office.

He found the case quickly and he fished his wand out of his pocket, lifting the case with the Levitation Charm and guiding it back out onto the pitch. The team was starting to gather, everyone dressed in their uniforms. And, just as he expected, Gil was there among the hopefuls, clutching his broom and waving up at Analecia.

Minho cast one last glance at Kibum before he set the case down with a heavy thud. "Morning, everyone! Get enough to eat at breakfast?" Most murmured yes in response, but Seb let out an enthusiastic "Nope!" that made everyone chuckle. "Thanks, Seb. Anyways, I see -- " he went up on his tiptoes, counting the hopefuls again. " -- Five of you are trying out this year? As you know from the flyer I posted on the message board, we're only down one Chaser, but I might decide to take on a few spares, in case we get some long games!" He paused to clear his throat. "Let's all mount up and do a few laps to get the jitters out, then tryouts will begin."

Sam tossed him his broom, which he caught and mounted in a single, fluid motion. He pushed off from the ground, zooming into the air. The wind whistled in his ears as he rounded the pitch, and he grinned. Even though just yesterday he had begun Advanced Flying, it still was amazing to be back on his broom, zipping through the air without a care in the world.

As he blew past where Kibum was, he thought about attempting the flip they had learned yesterday, but he decided against. Maybe later when everyone else was gone. He had just learned it, after all. There was no need to potentially make a fool out of himself in front of Kibum and his teammates.

After the fifth lap, Minho turned at the goalposts to the right and flew back to the center of the pitch, hopping off his broom before he completely stopped. Everyone else landed at different intervals with crowns of flyaways and wind-kissed cheeks.

"Feel good?" Most of them were broadly grinning as they nodded. "Good." Minho smiled at them before he turned around and unlocked the chest. He set the Quaffle aside and glanced over at Travis and Seb to see if they had their bats out and ready. When he saw that they did, he released the Bludgers, and then the Snitch after. "Okay, let's scrimmage a bit. I'll be the ref. Hopefuls, stick with me until I send you in. Beaters -- " Travis and Seb perked up. " -- Keep the Bludgers out of the way, but I want this to feel as close to real gameplay as we can get, so keep that in mind. Althea, go ahead and head over."

She nodded and mounted her broom, flying over to the nearest goal posts. He palmed the Quaffle and stood, looking at the others. “Let’s go!”

Soon, they were all in the air, and Minho surveyed the team and then the hopeful Chasers. “Hold on…” If he was sitting out, that would leave Valerie as the lone Chaser with experience. “How many of you have played Quidditch before?”

“I have,” Gil said, and Odette and Susan nodded.

“Okay, you three will be on a team, and Charlotte and Will, go over to where Val is.” They broke away from him, and Minho followed after. “Changed my mind,” he said to Val when he noticed her curious look. “We have enough people to do a real sort of game. Travis!” he called out, pulling his attention away from Seb and the Bludger they were passing between them. “You’re on this team!” He gestured to Gil and the girls, and Travis reluctantly flew away from Seb to fall into their ranks. “I’m still gonna ref, and we’ll just stay on this half of the pitch, okay?”

“Works for me,” Val said, shrugging.

“Great.” Minho popped the whistle in his mouth and let himself drop a few feet. He looked up at the expectant teams, twirled the Quaffle in his palm, and tossed it between them as he blew the whistle.

It was interesting, to be in the air and watching people play Quidditch by not playing it himself. Is this how Hooch felt when she refereed the games? Vaguely detached from the world? Did her hands twitch to catch the Quaffle or to beat back a Bludger? It was almost distracting enough for him to lose sight of exactly what he was doing up in the air, the now-chilly wind buffeting him this way and that.

The hopefuls were...well, they were doing pretty good. He remembered his first tryouts. Nerves were a funny thing and they could make you do things you never intended to do. Charlotte and Will were decent, but they were both third years, if he remembered right. They were hanging back and letting Valerie, the experienced seventh year, take charge and make the plays. Minho squinted. Yeah, Will hadn’t even touched the Quaffle yet. As nerve-wracking as tryouts were, games would be a lot worse. If they wanted to be Chasers, they would have to be slightly more aggressive. Or, rather, unafraid to go after the Quaffle themselves, despite the intensity of the play and the threat of injury.

So, that left Gil, Odette, and Susan to consider for the position. And, to be honest, they were holding their own against Val. Even from this distance, he knew Gilbert was nervous, but he was still going after the Quaffle with the same level of drive that Val was. Odette, not a stranger to Hufflepuff tryouts, was equally as impressive as she had been last year, if not more so. She probably had practiced quite a bit over the summer. Susan, on the other hand, was a bit timider, but she had a good arm, and she actually made a goal on Althea, much to Minho’s surprise. She was a fourth year, so a bit younger, but the potential was there.

Tryouts were driven to a halt when thunder rumbled in the distance. Minho blew his whistle until the gameplay stopped, then returned to the pitch and landed by the open chest. The others joined him, and Minho collected the balls from them and returned them to the case.

“Thanks for coming out, you guys! I’m really impressed so far,” he said, securing the final latch and pushing himself up to sit atop it. “You’ve given me a lot to think about and I’ll post the results soon!”

“So you don’t know yet?” Gil asked.

“I’m gonna consider my options,” Minho said, smiling. “You guys can go, though. Be sure to put the armor and robes back where you found them!”

“Will do.”

“Bye, Minho!”

“Bye!” He waved, watching them walk back across the pitch toward the locker room.

He glanced up to where Kibum was, pleased to find that he was still sitting, even if Analecia was making to leave. He felt in his robe pocket for his wand and charmed the chest to float back toward Hooch’s office. After he picked up his broom, Minho followed after the chest, letting it inside her office before he locked it up again.

He looked back up; Kibum was still there.

In one fluid motion, he mounted his broom again and flew up to the banister, grinning at Kibum’s surprised expression. “What are you flying for? It’s gonna storm?”

“Don’t you wanna see what I learned?”

Kibum’s brow furrowed as he stood and made his way to stand beside Minho at the banister. “When?”

“Yesterday!” Minho pushed off, giving himself some room away from the stands. “Now, Hooch said that this is the most basic flip we’ll learn all year, so it’s really not all that impressive, but, watch this…” And with that, he flew away, his speed increasing as he raced around the curve. “Push down, that’s all, just -- “ Once he came close to where Kibum was Minho slowed his flight slightly, and shoved hard on the broom handle. He sent himself into a dizzying flip, the ground and the pitch and the sky revolving around him until he pulled himself out of it. He shook his head and looked back up at Kibum, grinning as he rejoined him by the banister. “Impressed?”

“Scared for your life, more like. Everything else will be worse?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said that Hooch said that that was basic?”

“Oh, yeah!”

Kibum let out a shuddering sigh and patted his heart. “Remind me never to come watch any of your classes.”

Minho chuckled. “I’ll try.”

Thunder rolled again, and Minho looked behind him as a flash of lightning split the sky. Kibum grabbed his arm, his grip tight. “Come on, let’s go back.”

“Yeah…”

He waited until Kibum released him before he soared back down to pitch, running as he reached the ground. Rain started to splatter his hair, robes, and skin as he locked his broom up in the cupboard and ran down the corridor to the outer door. By the time he reached it, however, the rain was coming down in thick gray sheets. He could barely make out the castle in the distance, let alone if Kibum was running across the lawn to get back inside.

Somehow, he doubted that was the case.

Minho peeked out of the doorway and toward the threshold of the stairwell leading to the stands. As he expected, Kibum was there, watching the rain, his arms crossed and his expression one of disdain at the inconvenience. Minho smiled to himself before he stepped out into the downpour, jogging along the wall until he ducked into the doorway beside Kibum.

Kibum let out a long sigh as he looked Minho over, his amusement shining through even as he shook his head, and turned to sit on the steps. After a second, Minho joined him.

The rain dripping off of his robes was loud amidst the heavy pitter-patter of the rain outside. Minho shivered, his teeth chattering. Kibum glanced over at him, he could feel it, and sighed again. “You could have stayed over there, you know.”

“I wanted to wait it out with you, though.”

Kibum his teeth, and before Minho could say anything else, Kibum slipped off the flannel he had stolen and draped it around Minho’s shoulders. He rubbed some warmth into Minho’s arms before he drew his hands back to his lap. It was Minho’s turn to look his way, and he found that he was smiling. Just barely enough for his dimples to appear.

“So, what are you thinking?” Minho blinked, struck dumb when Kibum met his gaze, his warm brown eyes twinkling in the dim light. “About how the tryouts went?”

“Oh! Well, settle in, buddy…”

“I mean, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

Smiling now, Minho started his rambling, meandering thoughts about the different hopefuls as the rain created its own symphony around them.