Weeks had passed since the Halloween feast, and there was still no word about the next task. It was starting to stress Minho out, which, in turn, made Kibum anxious as well. Many nights of studying for classes were derailed when Minho started to wonder aloud what it would be. Last night, he even asked if he'd be allowed to participate at all, given that he lost the last one.

Not that Kibum thought that, of course. Those were Minho's words.

An answer to Minho's prayers came, however, the following day. At lunch. Kibum glanced up toward the dais when McGonagall moved to the podium -- a definite rare occurrence. Kibum slipped his foot under him, peeking over the heads of the students between him and Minho, to find him doing the same.

This must be it.

Not the announcement of the next task, probably, but maybe something to explain the delay.

He looked back up at McGonagall when she cleared . "Some of you may already be aware, but it is customary that the Triwizard Tournament is accompanied by an event called the Yule Ball." Exciting murmuring went up all over the Great Hall, and Kibum's gaze trailed back to Minho, who was watching McGonagall intently. "Yes, that's why we had you get formal attire this year. Those who are fourth year and above are invited to attend, though younger students can be invited by an older student." Kibum sank back in his seat, his brow furrowing. "You are not required to ask someone to accompany you to attend if you are fourth year and above.”

“This should be fun,” Analecia said as they were walking back to Slytherin after lunch had been dismissed.

“Of course you’d think that. You already have a date.”

She snorted and glanced up at him. “Who are you thinking of asking?”

He shook his head. “Probably no one. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to go with me.” Her brow furrowed as he unlocked Slytherin with Mandragora. “Come on,” he said with a chuckle. “Name one person, in the entirety of Hogwarts, who would possibly want to. I dare you.”

“I mean…” Her voice trailed off as she watched some first years rush past them -- not running, or Analecia would have gotten after them. “We can discuss this later. We’ll be late to class.”

Kibum smirked. “Okay.” He got his Potions textbook and waited by the junction between the boy and girl’s dorms for her to show back up. When she did, they walked off together heading back to the hallway, where Kibum was unsurprised to find Minho waiting for him. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Something in Minho’s tone made him stop in his tracks and look back up at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I…” His eyes darted to Analecia, who was watching him curiously. Almost expectantly. When he met Kibum’s eyes again, he asked in rapid Korean, “Do you want to go with me?”

Kibum blinked. “To the Ball?”

Minho nodded, gulping.

Kibum blinked faster, struck dumb in his surprise.

“Guys,” Analecia said, stepping between them. “We’re really going to be late.”

“We can talk about this. After.”

All concentration that he usually had for Potions was officially obliterated. So much so that Slughorn himself took notice at the end of class. They both looked down at the sludge that was supposed to be Everlasting Elixir in his cauldron.

“Well, we all have our off days,” Slughorn said as he tried to stir it, the spoon sluggishly turning in the goop. He took out his wand, tapping the rim of the cauldron and eliminating the vile concoction inside.

Kibum wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. Anything would be better than being subjected to the looks that the class was giving him right now. To his surprise, however, Slughorn managed to distract everyone else with, “To all my Slytherins, please meet me upstairs in the disused classroom on the fourth floor at 5:30. We’ll be starting our dance lessons for the Ball today.”

Could today get any weirder? Actually, no. He’d rather not find out.

The bell rang, dismissing them, and as they were leaving, Minho touched his arm and started heading further down the dark, winding hallway. Kibum, after a second’s hesitation, followed him. He led him far enough down that they could barely see the others in the light from the Potions classroom, but neither lighted their wands.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think. You probably want to go with the guy you have a crush on, not me.” Same person, . But then, he wouldn’t know that... “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said, his voice pained.

“You didn’t, I was just...well, surprised.” Minho let out a heavy sigh, his head knocking against the wall. “It’s okay, Min, don’t worry. I just...why me? You probably have your pick of the school, being the Champion and all…”

“Yeah, but...I’m not gonna take some...some random girl just because I can.” Dread started eating away at his heart. Of course, he'd want to take a girl. “I want to take you.” Kibum looked up, finding the golden light from the classroom glittering in Minho’s eyes. “It just makes sense, right? We’ve been stuck together for years, why should that change for one night?”

Kibum chuckled, looking down at the space between them. Would Minho be saying all this if he knew? He frowned at the darkness. Was he hindering Minho by always being with him?

“Look, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. I just think it’d be more fun to go if I had you by my side.”

“That’s probably true. I am a blast.” Minho snorted, and Kibum looked back up at him. “Are you sure?” He nodded. “Okay, then. I’ll go with you.”

Even though he couldn’t fully see Minho, he was smiling, he could tell. “I’ve got to head to Flying now, but I’ll meet you all in the library?”

“No, I’ve got dance practice with Slughorn.”

Minho snorted as he started back up the hallway. “Let me know how that goes, will you?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I will.”

As much as he tried not to let himself get carried away, Kibum felt like he was floating, his head and his heart in the clouds. It shouldn’t have been as big of a surprise that Minho would want to go to the Ball with him -- as friends, of course. But, there was still that slight worry that he would pass him over for some random girl in their year. That he’d have to watch him prance around with her on his arm, dancing the night away while he could only sit, watch, and wallow in his misery.

But now, he didn’t have to worry. Minho chose him. Out of everyone. Him.

Maybe Jonghyun was right after all.

Merlin’s beard...What if he were?

When it was time, he made his way upstairs with the others. He sat beside Aaron on the boys’ side of the unused classroom, surveying the girls on the other side while Slughorn strode between the divide. “How many of you have danced before?” No one raised their hands, which launched Slughorn into a long-winded story about how, back in his day during the first Muggle World War, everyone knew how to dance. He even demonstrated some of the steps on his own while he talked, before calling a very reluctant Chloe up to accompany him. Once he was finished, he turned to the boys. “Now, grab a partner and start trying some of the steps.”

Kibum stood, finding Analecia across the room and nodding to her. She made her way over to him, frowning as she tried to remember where her hands were supposed to go. “On my shoulder, I think,” Kibum said, taking her left into his right hand and hesitating with his other. “It’s not gonna be weird if I touch your waist, right?”

She laughed, grabbing his wrist and putting his hand there. “Gil won’t mind, don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried about him, I was worried about you.” She smiled up at him, and Slughorn turned the gramophone on, filling the room with tinny music.

“You seem pretty pleased with yourself,” she said after a minute, looking down between them to make sure she wasn’t stepping on his feet.

“Do I?”

She let out a huffed laugh. “Yeah, a bit. Was it something Minho said?”

Oh, right, she had been there when he originally asked him. “I guess, yeah.”

She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “Did he ask you to the Ball?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Kibum nearly stopped in his tracks, but he kept swaying, albeit slower now. “I thought he might.”

“You did?” She nodded, her eyebrows raising in amusement. “Why was it so unexpected for me, then?”

“It’s hard to see the big picture when you’re up close, I think.”

Kibum did stop then, only swaying now because of his sudden light-headedness. “Do you know?”

“I’m surprised you don’t, if I’m being honest.” She patted his shoulder. “Come on, Slug is looking this way.”

Kibum started stepping in the slow circle again, glancing over the top of Analecia’s head to make sure that Slughorn wasn’t paying them any more attention. Eager for a change of subject that wouldn’t be so distracting, he asked after her dress, which she promised to show him later as long as he swore not to tell Gil.

They made their way downstairs, though Analecia was distracted by Amelia telling her which boy had asked her to the ball. He didn’t listen long enough to hear if she accepted him or not. He couldn’t focus on anything else but the fact that Jonghyun wasn’t the only one who thought Minho liked him back. Could he...actually..? His heart hammered in his ears as he gingerly sat down on his bed, nerves tingling in a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

If he did...if he really did...what was the point in waiting any longer?

His hands shook as he scooted off his bed and knelt beside it, his eyes instantly landing on Unfogging the Future. Slowly, carefully, he opened it to the right page and stared at the folded yellow parchment. His stomach churned as he reached for it, hesitating as his fingertips brushing against the folded edge.

No, he could do this.

He grabbed it, stuffing it into the inside pocket of his robes, and started for the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Let's see…" Minho turned his head, pointedly avoiding looking at Sprout as she surveyed the line of boys waiting to participate in the dance lesson. "Minho, I think. Come up, please." Wolf whistles followed him up to where Sprout was waiting for him, and he shook his head as his face grew hotter and hotter. She held her arms up, hand out for him to take. "My waist, too, please."

Barely concealed laughter sounded behind him, and Minho hesitated. It was funny, he couldn't deny it, but at the moment? He'd rather be literally anywhere else but here. Besides, he didn't need dancing lessons. Not with a girl, anyways.

"Don't worry, you're not my type either, Mr. Choi," Sprout said, watching him impatiently. , he hadn't grabbed her waist yet. He did so, and she stood a little taller. "Alright, Rhesa!"

Music started to play, and Minho looked down at his feet while Sprout started counting the steps of the waltz. Just when he was starting to get the hang of it, she pulled him to a stop. "Everyone up now! Find a partner!" she said over the music.

It was a long hour. Probably one of the longest of his life.

As soon as they were released, he hurried for the door. He ended up, however, holding the door open for the girls as they streamed out. He did his best to ignore their inquiring looks and what seemed like obvious attempts to get his attention. Did they seriously think he would ask them to the Ball? He barely knew their names…

He let the door fall closed as the last of the guys stepped out, and he fell into place beside Marvin as they started to make their way downstairs.

“Who are you taking to the Ball, mate?” Seb asked him, turning around and walking backwards to look at Minho.

Minho’s brow furrowed, and Marvin laughed. “We just found out about it. Like hours ago. You expect him to already know?”

“All I know is that the girls won’t even look our way until Minho has asked one of them.”

“Who’s it gonna be, Minho?”

“And don’t say Sprout,” Travis added, drawing a laugh out of everyone, including Minho.

“I’m going with Kibum,” he said once he had sobered, and everyone stopped walking to look at him. Minho glanced between them, unblinking. “What?”

“It’s a bloody Ball, mate. A dance?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah?” Travis let out a sputtered laugh as Seb continued. “You don’t ask a bloke to a dance, I thought that was common knowledge.”

“Mate, leave him alone,” Gil said, his brow furrowing as he stepped between him and Minho.

“Relax, I’m just having a laugh.”

“I-I wasn’t planning on dancing with him,” Minho said, his face almost as red as it was when he was dancing with Professor Sprout. “We were just gonna go. A-as friends.”

Travis snorted, smacking Seb’s shoulder. “Can you imagine? May I have this dance please, sir?” He said, his voice posher than usual as he limply held out his hand for Seb to take. To Minho’s horror, Seb took it, and they twirled together and apart before they burst out laughing.

Minho forced a chuckle and started walking again, the others soon following him.

Why was he so stupid? Why didn’t he think of what the other students would think? Or say? What if they said something to Kibum that night...what if they mocked him? His eyes stung with tears at the thought, but he blinked them away before they could form. He couldn’t do that to him. It wasn’t fair. It was his fault, being selfish and wanting to spend the night with him… He really hadn’t been thinking even a little bit, had he?

He stopped walking as they reached the basement corner, watching the others on their way to Hufflepuff before he turned and headed toward Slytherin. Just as he was reaching for his wand to open the wall, it did it itself, revealing Kibum on the other side.

His heart skipped a beat when he met Kibum’s twinkling eyes. A smile played beguilingly with the corners of his lips, his dimples appearing. But he couldn’t let himself get distracted. He swallowed thickly. “Hey, can we talk?”

“Funnily enough, I was just gonna ask you the same thing.”

Maybe he was having the same thought. That’d make this easier, then. Minho glanced inside the common room. It was too crowded with people waiting for the dinner bell and working on their homework. He stepped away from the threshold, letting Kibum pass before he started walking back up the stairs. He ce they reached the main level, ducking beneath the staircase and opening the door to the broom cupboard Harry had shown him.

“Listen,” he said as soon as Kibum closed the door. “I don’t think we should go to the Ball together.”

“What?” Kibum asked, his voice sharp with incredulity.

“You heard me.” Minho winced. He didn’t mean...didn't intend to sound so angry. But he was. Just not at Kibum. He sank onto an upturned bucket, rubbing his hands over his face. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I get it.” Minho squeezed his eyes closed at the vitriol in Kibum’s tone.

“I really am sorry, Bummie.” He made the mistake of looking up at him. He traced the anger lines in his brow, the tenseness of his shoulders, the defiant lift of his chin. “You…" He sighed. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“I’m s -- “

“Stop saying that. Please. It’s fine...whatever.” He turned his back on Minho, heading for the door, but before he opened it, he turned his head toward him slightly. “See you at dinner.”

And with that, he was gone.

.

He closed his eyes, listening to what he assumed were Kibum’s footsteps getting further and further away. Once he couldn’t hear them anymore, he stood and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Not wanting to go to his room and not being able to hang out with Kibum left Minho a little listless as he wandered the castle. He ignored the ghosts as they passed him by, he barely even heard Peeves singing some annoying song overhead. Sighing, he got off the moving staircase on the third floor, not realizing where he was going until he walked past the ajar door of Classroom 3A.

He blinked as he stared at it, straightening his stance as he came back to the present. Without a thought, he pushed open the door and hurried up to O’Neely’s closed office door, knocking. When the muffled Come in! answered, Minho pushed open the door, relaxing marginally as soon as he laid eyes on the professor.

“Oh, hello, Minho! What brings you up here?”

"Can...can I get some advice?"

O’Neely sat up a little straighter, his brow creasing as he gestured to the armchair to his right. “What seems to be the trouble?”

Minho sat, clasping his hands in his lap as he tried to think of the right words. “Um, do I...I have to ask someone to the Ball?”

O’Neely relaxed with a small smile, leaning back in his chair. “I’m sorry if this is bad news, but you’re actually the only one in Hogwarts who has to.” Minho blinked once, slowly, and O’Neely chuckled. “The Champions open the Ball with a special dance where they’re joined by, in this instance, the Headmistresses and their partners.” Minho shrunk back into the cushion and his expression falling. O’Neely’s brow furrowed in concern. “I’m sure you won’t have problems finding a date, Minho.”

“Yeah...but…”

“Is there someone you want to ask, but you’re afraid they’ll say no?”

Minho gulped, wringing his hands. “I asked Kibum. As friends, because I thought...I didn’t realize I’d have to dance. And...and I didn’t want Kibum to be made fun of for going with me, so...so I told him that we couldn’t go together, but he’s mad at me now and I don’t know what to do.“

“Ah, I see.” He regarded Minho for several long seconds. “I know McGonagall’s wording probably was a bit confusing. It is more of a romantic setting, so a romantic partner is more expected. Is there anyone here that you want to ask out, with that in mind?”

Minho’s hands started to shake while he tried to think of anyone but Kibum… What would O’Neely say if he told him the truth? Would he laugh at him like the others did? Would he call him a freak and a disappointment, too?

“Minho,” he said, his gentle voice cutting through the flood of anxious thoughts. “Is it Kibum?”

Unable to find his words, Minho nodded.

“It’s a tough place to be in, between best friends and, well, romantic partners. I don’t envy you.” He leaned forward, casually clasping his hands together on his desk while his kind eyes met Minho’s. “If you go with him, people will talk, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

“Unfortunately, yeah.”

O’Neely sighed into a tired smile. “But, if you do choose him, know that you’ll have me -- as well as any of the other professors -- to turn to if someone says something unsavory to either of you.”

“What should I do right now, though?”

“Because he’s upset with you?” Minho nodded, and O’Neely chuckled. “You know him better than I or, dare I say, anyone else in the school does. I’m sure you’ll know exactly what to do when you see him again.”

“Should...should I ask him again?”

“It’s up to you.” The bell announcing dinner rang, but neither of them moved. “Either way you choose, however, I think you need to be sure. Take some time, think about what you want and what would be the best thing to do for you. And him.”

Minho nodded, his shoulders rising and falling as he sighed. “Thanks, Professor.”

“Anytime.” Minho stood, heading for the door. “And Minho -- “ He looked back from the open doorway. “Good luck.”

Minho smiled before he left, hurrying out to the hallway. He didn’t return to the moving staircases, instead he made his way to the one in the wall, heading down. He knew what he wanted, without a doubt, but was it the right thing to do? Would it be the best thing for Kibum, or even himself?

Once he reached the basement, he paused, his gaze settling on the barrels. He needed to think longer about this, so he didn’t things up more with his impulsiveness. He let out a determined huff before he jogged past the entrance to Hufflepuff and let himself into the kitchen. The elves were busy with dinner, but they always welcomed him no matter the time when he wanted to make a batch of pumpkin pasties.

And maybe, by the time they were ready, he’d have a plan.

* * * * * * * * * *

If there was a door to the Slytherin common room, Kibum would have slammed it shut behind him.

Instead, he stormed through the common room, ignoring the curious looks he was getting from the others, and locked himself in his room. He reached into his pocket, crumpling the letter in his fist before he tossed it aside. Angry tears threatened to fall, but he rubbed them away with the heel of his palms.

This is what he deserved. He knew better than to get his hopes up. Just because Jonghyun and Analecia thought they saw something between them didn't mean there actually was.

He kicked at the crumpled parchment, listening to it bounce and skitter across the room, and went over to crawl into bed.

It was his own fault.

He knew that.

He froze when a light knocking came at the door, waiting for it to go away. When he came again, he lifted his head. "Who is it?"

"Ana." He let his head fall back on his pillow. "Can I come in?"

"Are you a witch or not?"

The lock clicked and the door swung open. "It's polite to ask," she said before adding, "Colloportus." The door locked itself again, and she sat on Fredrick's bed, watching him. "What's the matter?"

"He doesn't want to go with me anymore." Maybe he's ashamed… "Probably realized how it would look to everyone else, or something."

"Maybe. Or maybe something happened."

He sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Gil wouldn't tell me the details, but someone made some jokes about him taking you. Like, to his face. He hasn't seen Minho since, but he looked pretty upset by them."

Oh.

, what had he done?

The bell rang for dinner, but only Analecia moved to stand. "Just promise me you'll hear him out if he tries to explain. I don't like the thought of you two fighting."

"Yeah, okay."

When the door closed behind her, Kibum fell back on his bed, staring up at the pictures. Though he tried to look away, his attention stayed on the one Mom had been able to capture of Minho standing on the face of the dragon, wand out and ready to cast another jinx. His hair was plastered to his forehead from sweat, the exertion of staying balanced while on the face of the dragon, and the way it accentuated the muscles in his arms and thighs, the way his chest heaved as he took heavier breaths... There were many times that he would zone out during class, his mind bringing him back to the way the intensity of the first task made Minho...very distracting, despite all the stress Kibum had experienced during the actual task.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head a little. Now wasn't the time. He was still upset, and rightfully so.

When he opened his eyes, he focused on his polaroids instead, finding the ones of them together. He pulled down one from Hogsmeade. Last year, around Halloween, if he remembered right. They were posing with the weekend crowd behind them. Minho was doing this cute smile as they both looked out in the distance. That hadn't been planned, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what caught their attention.

His gaze trailed away from the picture. Why would Minho go back on his word? It was very unlike him, and now that he thought about it, someone saying something was the only thing that made it make any sense.

"Now who's the …" he muttered to himself. But, rather than answer that, he gathered himself up, stuffed the letter in his dresser drawer, and hurried upstairs. Instead of heading to Slytherin, he turned to the right and went over to Minho's usual spot, only… "Where's Minho?"

"Not sure," Seb said, peeling a crisp bit of skin off his chicken leg. "I don't think he's in a dancing mood right now, though. Better luck n -- "

"Shut it." Seb looked up at him, and Travis, who had started chuckling, blinked in surprise. "Making everything into a joke doesn't automatically give you a personality, you know." Shaking his head, he stalked away, heading back to the Slytherin table.

He barely paid any attention to the food while he watched the threshold. Minho didn't appear throughout dinner, nor was he in the common room when Kibum went back downstairs. There was, however, a whiff of something familiar. Kibum followed it to his room where he found a small plate of pumpkin pasties with a folded note on top.

I know you don't want to hear it, but I truly am sorry. Can we talk?

Kibum immediately pocketed the note as well as two of the pumpkin pasties before he turned and went straight back outside. He practically ran up the steps to the seventh floor, his pace slowing enough so he could catch his breath only once he reached it.

It was no surprise to find that the study closet door was ready there, and Kibum quickly made his way toward it, opening it.

Minho sat against the back wall, fiddling with his phone. He watched Kibum with wide eyes as he closed the door and made his way over to him, where he settled beside him.

"I'm sorry," they said at almost the same time, and Minho's eyebrows shot up. "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything. "

"Yes, I did. I got upset earlier and didn't let you explain. Did Seb say something to you?"

Minho's face instantly flamed. "Did he say something to you?"

Kibum nodded, and a little of the determination from facing the dragon flitted across Minho's face. But he couldn't think about that right now. "I told him off for it, though."

"I'm sor -- "

"Please, Min, stop saying that," he said with a chuckle, looking over at him when his shoulders slumped. "Is that why you told me we couldn't go together?"

Minho nodded, cautiously meeting Kibum's eyes. "I didn't want you to have to deal with it. And…" His gaze fell away, settling on his hands. "O'Neely said that the Champions open the Ball with a dance."

"Ah."

"Yeah." He cleared his throat, sliding his phone open and closed a few times before he said, "I meant what I said when I first asked you, and I would still like to go with you. That hasn’t changed. But if you want to avoid comments and potential teasing, then we can find other people to go with."

Teasing was one word for it. But they didn't have much time left here at school. So really, did he actually give a what any of them thought? Were they the Head Boy? Were they the ing Hogwarts Champion? What gave them the right to make fun of them, anyway?

"You know, if someone does say something, I could always just take away points." Minho sniffed a laugh and looked over at him. "I'm not worried about a few comments. In fact, I dare someone to say something to my face."

Minho chuckled, and Kibum smiled. "Anyone who does that would be an idiot."

"Exactly." Minho sighed, sliding his phone closed once again. "Are you sure you want to take me? Because there's no backing out of it this time."

"Believe me," Minho looked his way again, smirking, and held out his scarred pinky. "I learned my lesson there." Kibum looked down at the thin pink ring before meeting Minho's gaze. He locked his pinky with Minho's who brought his thumb up for Kibum to press his against. "I don't like it when you're upset with me."

"Good. That'll make our lives easier."

Minho's laugh filled the small room, and Kibum finally allowed himself to relax beside him. When they did finally head downstairs, it was hours later, and the argument was as forgotten as it could be. They parted like usual at the corner, Kibum lingering a few seconds more to watch Minho walk away before he kept on to Slytherin.

Analecia was one of the few left in the common room. She sat by the fire, nursing a cup of something, and Kibum made his way over, sitting across from her. She met his gaze, her eyebrow raising in question."We're good now."

"Good."

"Thanks for intervening."

Smiling, she waved her hand dismissively between them before she raised her cup to . "It was nothing."

"Do you and Gil argue much?" he asked as she took a sip.

"Not really, no. But we have. He usually comes around, though. Not the confrontational type."

"Yeah, he doesn't strike me as one."

"He's in Hufflepuff for a reason." Kibum snorted, and Analecia cocked her head to the side, searching Kibum's expression. "May I speak my mind?"

Interested, Kibum scooted forward. "Of course."

"I don't think Minho would ever intentionally hurt you. So...if things do progress...I'd keep that in mind, if I were you. You and I are similar, I think. The need to be right, our justified anger…" She shrugged. "Sometimes we can be misguided or confused. We can get a flare-up of anger and let our emotions lead us, but...that doesn't mean we handle things all that well all the time." Kibum's brow started to furrow as he watched the firelight dance with the shadows of her face. "I guess my advice is this: try not to be as quick to anger when it comes to Minho. It'll never go quite like you think, believe me."

Kibum cleared his throat, lowering his gaze to his clasped hands. "So, you do think he likes me?"

"Absolutely."

"You sound like Jonghyun."

She grinned at him. "From what you've told me about him, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Take it however you want," Kibum said with a slow smile, standing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well!" she called after him, and he waved at her over his shoulder before he ducked into the hallway.

He changed into his pajamas quickly and grabbed Jonghyun's notebook, flipping it open to where they left off. Guess what?

He ate half of a pumpkin pastie before Jonghyun replied. Do I actually have to guess or will you just tell me?

Minho asked me to go with him to the Yule Ball.

Wow

I am

Totally shocked.

The surprise

That I'm feeling

Is unmatched

In the history of the world

Kibum glared at the page, trying not to laugh. For a second, he considered telling Jonghyun the whole story, but the misunderstanding didn't matter anymore. The past was the past, even if it did happen just a few hours ago. Yes, I can feel it radiating from here.

Good, because it's intense. Kibum chuckled. I have some news too that's actually news.

Oh?

McGonagall asked us to come play for the Yule Ball.

Seriously!?

Yeah! The Weird Sisters refused to reunite just for this one night, so you guys are gonna be stuck with us.

When will you arrive?

Day of. The 25th. And we'll head out sometime the next day.

Kibum popped the last bit of pumpkin pastie into his mouth, brushing the crumbs off onto the floor. We'll have to try to hang out.

For sure. Hey, I've gotta go. We're playing in five.

Good luck! Kibum wrote back, tucking the quill into the page before he set it aside. He settled into bed, staring up at the pictures again.

If he could work up the courage again by then, that would be a good time to confess. He squinted when the lights winked out. Actually, it'd probably be the best time. If worse came to worst, he might just ruin Christmas for the both of them, but…

But maybe Jonghyun and Analecia were right, as painful as that was to admit. And, if they were, why would he want to wait any longer than that?