Minseok’s fingers drum mindlessly on the too-clean countertop while his other hand taps lazily at the screen of his phone. In the four hours since the cafe opened, he has checked all of his social media six times each, wiped down the countertop twice, and gave the entire place a thorough deep clean. If he has to see the picture of Baekhyun with his intricately styled “bedhead” one more time, he just might throw himself out into the blizzard.

The blinding snow swirls furiously on the other side of the frosted glass, taunting Minseok with the fact that he is trapped in an empty cafe for the day. He clicks his tongue against his teeth, picking up his phone and punching the name at the top of his favorites list. The phone begins dialing and Minseok glares back at the snow, his fingers still thrumming impatiently against the wood. Finally, the other party picks up and Minseok unleashes his complaints before the other can even breathe hello.

“Yixing, this is ridiculous! No one is out in this blizzard, and if they are, they certainly aren’t going to be risking their fingers to frostbite for an overpriced cup of coffee. Let me close up already,” he begs. He is met with silence on the other end. “Hello? Yixing? Damn, is the blizzard screwing with the reception?” Minseok holds his phone away from his ears to find four full white bars at the top. Nope, it is not the connection.

“Oh, sorry Minseok. My bed is so warm that I dozed off again,” Yixing groggily apologizes.

“You bastard,” Minseok curses. “While you’re all snug, I’m here slowly losing my sanity. The television in the back isn’t working so I can’t even watch Harry Potter Weekend. Do you know which film comes on today? The ing Goblet of Fire. I have a previous engagement with my cat and a box of tissues tonight.”

“Doesn’t that start in another seven hours? I’m sure you’ll be home by then,” Yixing yawns, clearly not trying to hide his comfort.

Minseok pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, “At this rate, it’s going to take me that long to even walk home. You owe me big time for this, Yixing. You’re doing the dishes for the next two months.”

“Fine, fine. You can close up before sundown so you don’t have to walk in the dark. Call me if-”

The bell above the door chimes and Minseok does not hear the rest of Yixing’s sentence.

“I gotta go, Yixing. Someone is actually here.” Minseok can hear Yixing snoring softly already, so he ends the call and turns to greet the brave soul who dared to walk outside. A young woman stands on the welcome mat, stomping her feet to clear the snow from her boots, and unwinds the scarf from her neck. Minseok’s heart flutters when she catches him watching her, sending a smile his way.

“Uh,” Minseok begins, momentarily forgetting how to speak, “how can I help you?”

The woman stares at the menu board up on the wall as she approaches the counter. “One hot chocolate, please. With lots of marshmallows.”

Minseok nods, already moving to begin her order. “Don’t tell me you got out in this crazy storm just for one cup of hot chocolate?”

She rests her elbows on the countertop, breathing hot air onto her fingers in order to warm them, “Well, I wasn’t going to. But, I was all out of hot chocolate mix and marshmallows. Watching Harry Potter Weekend during a blizzard just isn’t right without overly sweet hot chocolate, ya know?”

Minseok nearly drops the white mug he is holding. Did he hear her right? “Oh, you’re watching that, too?” he asks tentatively, sliding her hot chocolate in front of her.

She nods, graciously accepting the steaming mug. She wraps her frozen fingers around the heated ceramic and hums with contentment. “Yep, I’ve never missed an HP Weekend! Got any more marshmallows?” She looks up and Minseok has to hide his smile at the thin line of marshmallow cream on the top of her lip.

He bends down, rummaging in a cabinet for a fresh pack of marshmallows. “What’s your favorite film?” he asks, grabbing hold of his target.

“Prisoner of Azkaban,” she answers without hesitation. “It’s my favorite book of the series, too.”

Minseok stands and places the bag of marshmallows before her, folding his arms and cocking an eyebrow. “Seriously? I can agree that the book was good, but the movie was the worst of the entire franchise. Now, Goblet of Fire, that was the best movie.”

She chokes on a mouthful of hot chocolate and slams the mug on the counter, “Are you crazy? In what way? Because of the shock value of Voldemort returning? Or because of the emotional trauma of Cedric dying? That’s all the film has going for it. Prisoner of Azkaban has Remus Lupin, one of the most important figures in Harry’s life, werewolves, time travel, and Sirius returns!”

Minseok’s mouth drops open. “Listen here, miss,” he leans forward, placing his arms on either side of her mug, “We do not allow slander of the Goblet of Fire under this roof.”

She sits back, suddenly flustered by his proximity and the way his crisp, ed white shirt reveals the smooth skin of his chest. She shakes her head; she cannot allow herself to be distracted from such an important argument. “It’s not slander. It’s the truth.”

Minseok steps back clutching his chest as if she had delivered painful punches there herself. “The truth? What about the truth that Azkaban didn’t fit with the aesthetic of the first two films? It felt too modern with no sense of magic. Not to mention some incredible scenes, as well as truths, were left out.” Minseok can feel his blood boiling, but he cannot bring himself to stop, “Goblet of Fire has the Triwizard Tournament, two other magical schools, mermaids, and dragons. Voldemort returning is a pivotal point in the series. The death of Cedric-”

“Do you want to come over?” she suddenly interrupts, taking a long sip of hot chocolate.

“I- what?” Minseok sputters, completely caught off guard by her proposition.

“Do you want to come back to my place and watch Harry Potter? I live only half a block away, and it doesn’t seem like you’re busy here,” she says, scanning the empty cafe.

Minseok ponders her offer for a moment. The cafe will most likely be empty for the rest of the day, and Yixing did say he could close up before sundown. It is his mistake for not specifying a time. “Sure, why not,” he accepts.

“Great!” she stands, already beginning to wrap her scarf back around her neck. “Grab some more supplies for hot chocolate and let’s go.”

Minseok hurriedly fills a bag with more than they will need and bundles up, walking to the door where she waits.

“Ready?” she asks, her hand resting on the handle of the door.

Minseok nods, fishing out the store keys from his pocket, “Don’t think this argument is over, though. We’ve got days worth of hot chocolate and dozens of more hours of Harry Potter to finish this conversation.”