Jongin grew up in a world of mixed signals and it was all thanks to his parents. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his family more than anything, but his mother and father were from different worlds and sometimes fought over how to raise their son. As a result, until the age of eleven, Jongin was brought up almost pretending he was two different people.

 

As a muggle, Jongin’s mother never got used to the magic. She still jumped at harmless spells Jongin’s father used for cleaning and lighting dark rooms. It didn’t get better with time and she grew fearful if her husband’s wand sat out on a table for too long. Jongin’s father had tried to dispel – pun intended – this fear by letting her handle the wand, but she refused to touch it. She wouldn’t even have been able to make anything happen and it still frightened her.

 

She didn’t like the creatures either. It went beyond the stories of dragons and trolls. She didn’t even like the owls that flew in and out of her house with messages for her husband and she didn’t like the seemingly too intelligent little critters that made their way into the house on occasion.

 

The unfortunate part about this was that she only found out about the magical world after getting pregnant. It hadn’t been intentional. Jongin’s father hadn’t knocked her up to keep her stranded. It was a welcomed accident, but it resulted in a need to tell her everything, and while she accepted it all as fact, that didn’t help her cope.

 

When Jongin was born, she was adamant that they not raise him in the magical world. She was most concerned about the danger that came with magical creatures. Little did she know that some of the biggest dangers lay in her husband’s profession.

 

“Honey,” she hissed, a screaming infant in her arms. She bounced him constantly just to get him to calm down. She had tried feeding him and burping him and checking his diaper, but nothing did any good. “Help me with your son!”

 

“In a minute, dear,” her husband pleaded, dropping a handful of some indeterminable ingredient into his cauldron. He stirred the concoction carefully a few times and hurried off to get the next ingredient.

 

“Your son has been crying for half an hour!” she whined. “I’m still learning how to parent!”

 

“And I’m on a time crunch!” he snapped back at her, indicating his half-finished brew. “Do you want me to blow up the house?”

 

She gave an indignant scream of frustration and stomped out of the basement. She feared magic more than she hated Jongin crying. She would have to figure out what was wrong on her own.

 

Jongin’s father was a wizard of pureblood descent and brewed potions for a living. What Jongin knew of the wizarding world, it all came from him. Sometimes his father would talk about what he was doing in the basement. Other times he would bring Jongin special treats from the wizarding world. But that was the majority of Jongin’s exposure.

 

A discussion between his parents needed to be had at one point because his mother’s aversion to magic was so strong, his father feared that she was subliminally sending signals to Jongin that magic was bad. He warned her of the consequences of a child repressing magic and only asked that she be careful about how much of her disdain for magic she showed to Jongin.

 

After learning of what an obscurus was, she shuddered and agreed to tone it down, but damage had already been done. Jongin’s magic was running late and it was becoming a cause for concern.

 

At eight, Jongin had yet to show any preliminary signs of magical aptitude. His father wondered if it was in response to his mother’s fears, but no one could say for sure. Jongin couldn’t explain any feelings about it. He just didn’t want to distress his mother.

 

Right before his ninth birthday, his father took him on a special trip to his work without his mother’s knowledge. She would have vetoed bringing Jongin there if she did. But it was a trip that Jongin needed. It was his first real experience with the wizarding world and it was a wonderland of new things that Jongin wanted to know more about.

 

That whole day, his father gave him glimpses of the magic that he had been denied all those years. He answered any questions Jongin had and showed him all the relevant spells he could. But Jongin was immensely fascinated by his father’s potions and what they did. Though Jongin couldn’t make a potion on his own, his father encouraged him to practice basic skills in preparing ingredients.

 

Jongin spent hours grinding various ingredients to powder and crushing others for what lay inside of them. He enjoyed this work and smiled brightly when his father approved of the completed products.

 

“You took a few medicines from me once,” his father said with a smile. “Do you remember?”

 

Jongin made a face. All he remembered was a green something or other in a cup. He had thought it was tea to sooth his aching throat. It hadn’t been tea at all.

 

“Was that what you gave me?” he muttered.

 

His father chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair. “Though you gagged, it worked, didn’t it?”

 

“I suppose.”

 

They came home to find Jongin’s mother very displeased. But Jongin had enjoyed himself so much that he didn’t care. He had just gotten his first lesson in potions and eaten too much good food and saw too many good things in magic for his little body to keep it all in.

 

His magic woke the very next day.

 

Understanding that this was an important milestone for Jongin to pass, his mother congratulated him and made all his favorite foods the night they realized what was happening. She didn’t have to like magic. She only needed to know it was important to her husband and now her son.

 

Jongin always appreciated that and admired her bravery to accept things she was afraid of. He wanted to be that brave.

 

-----

 

“Jongin!” his father called one day a couple years later. “Owl for you!”

 

Jongin looked up from his book in confusion.

 

Owls never came for him. Not even on his birthday. His mother’s family true to muggle fashion, sent traditional letters or made calls, and his father’s family were completely absent from Jongin’s life. He never knew why, and his father didn’t ever mention them. Jongin learned not to ask.

 

So, who would be sending him an owl?

 

Upon making it down the stairs, he found his father smiling too brightly at him for it to be just any letter. It still didn’t immediately click in his head what it could be. The question was even on the tip of his tongue. But he turned to the dining room table and found a very regal looking eagle owl staring him down, letter in its mouth. It gave a very non-threatening chirp in his direction, something that would have been considered a quiet screech coming from other birds.

 

Jongin’s mother stood far away from the bird, wedging herself into a corner of the kitchen and the next room over. Jongin had never understood her aversion to owls. He rather liked them and always gave them a few gentle pets on the feathers if they proved to be friendly.

 

He was excited when his father promised to get him an owl sometime soon. The family owl, a boreal owl named Harold, was sweet most times, but he seemed more attached to his father than to Jongin. An owl of his own would love him more and would hopefully be more tolerant of his gentle affections.

 

“Go on,” his father encouraged, pressing a hand to the small of Jongin’s back to get him to approach the owl.

 

Jongin stumbled forward from the light pressure, scrunching up his face at his father in slight annoyance. But once close enough, the owl extended its neck to offer the letter to him. Jongin accepted and the owl, job now complete, turned back through the open window and left the house. Jongin didn’t even get a chance to rub it under the neck in appreciation.

 

His mother visibly relaxed as soon as the bird was gone and his father came to place proud hands on his shoulders. Jongin didn’t know why until he turned the letter over and found the seal of Hogwarts.

 

“No way!” he gasped, ripping the envelope open in excitement.

 

Ever since his excursion to his father’s workplace, Jongin had wanted to learn. He wanted to know more about magic and the wizarding world and what he could accomplish in it. His own magic finally appearing had made him even more curious. The hesitation his mother had accidently instilled in him was long gone, and now he was going to be able to do everything he wanted to.

 

His acceptance letter was to the point and he also got a list of things to buy for his classes.

 

His father escorted him through Diagon Alley a few days later. They picked up his wand, holly and thunderbird tail feather, from Ollivander’s first. It was apparently the only one of its kind in the shop and it took a while for it to find Jongin. But as soon as it came to him, Jongin’s magic flowed from him easily. His wand had chosen him like he was told it would.

 

Robes were an amusing fiasco at the start. Everything seemed far too large for Jongin’s tiny shoulders until Madam Malkin and her assistants worked their magic on them. His father assured him one day he would grow into the larger sizes as he himself had.

 

This was the defining moment, when everything started. It wasn’t the clothes and it wasn’t the wand. It wasn’t his father either or the promise of an owl. But as he thought about growing, Jongin’s head fogged up and his eyes glazed over. The world he knew faded away and was replaced with a dark room full of owls.

 

In this room, he saw himself filling the bird feeders and sweeping up the mess of owl pellets. It was quiet aside from the hoots and twitters of the birds. The sky was dimming outside; the end of a day. He was tired, but his day wasn’t over just yet. Some of the owls were just waking up and the night person hadn’t arrived.

 

He had just laid aside his broom and dustpan when the bell over the door rang. He turned to the door, expecting to greet a customer. But in ran the most beautiful person he had ever seen. It was a young man, perhaps fresh out of school or a couple years down the road. His hair was a shiny blonde color and his eyes were a universe full of stars. But it was his skin that caught Jongin’s attention most. It was flawless and smooth and it seemed to glow with beauty and health.

 

It almost rivaled the light of the moon that was rising outside.

 

The young man’s lips moved, and Jongin smiled while some strange happy feeling welled up in his chest. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but it didn’t seem to matter. Suddenly, the images faded, and different sounds began coming to him. For a moment, things went black before he came back to himself.

 

A hand gripped his shoulder to keep him upright and his father’s face swam in front of him. He was calling Jongin’s name over and over again until Jongin finally responded.

 

Jongin finally took a breath he didn’t know he needed to take. The urgency of the breath caused him to cough a few times until his breathing returned to normal. But even after his breath returned, Jongin shook with confusion and felt almost nauseous. What had been that room? Why had he seen it? And who was that boy? It was then that he realized he wasn’t just being watched by his father. He was being looked at with wide eyes by others in the robe shop as well; workers included.

 

Jongin looked around nervously, wondering what they were all looking at him for. Had he done something interesting?

 

“Son?” his father called. Jongin looked up at him, nervous and still shaking.

 

“Did I do something wrong?” Jongin asked, voice coming out hoarse and soft.

 

“No, son,” his father assured him. He even laughed a little in disbelief as he said it. “But you did something strange just now. Can you tell me who the ‘Moonbright Boy’ is?”

 

“Moonbright boy?” Jongin repeated dumbly. The image of the beautiful boy in his head flashed before his eyes again. Jongin shook his head. The movement caused him to feel a little dizzy. “I don’t know his name. I just saw him. I was in a room of owls and he came in.”

 

“Your boy has a gift.”

 

Both Jongin and his father turned to the sudden voice. An elderly woman greeted them with a genuine smile full of crooked teeth.

 

“A gift of Sight,” the woman continued. “Is there a history in the family?”

 

Jongin’s father bit his lip and nodded. “We thought the last in the line with the gift died two hundred years ago.”

 

“It is rare, but it can still show its face after so long,” the woman acknowledged. “Encourage him to cultivate it in the future. It might bring blessings to him to know the strength of his Sight.”

 

Jongin’s father gave her a small bow and a nod before whisking Jongin out of the robe shop with their purchases. Still confused and a little shaky, Jongin remained silent as they moved on to Flourish and Blotts for his books. They gathered everything from his list, but then his father took him to the back of the store where a small set of books sat on a table.

 

His father spoke for the first time since leaving Madam Malkin’s.

 

“Son,” his father said, his voice almost hushed. “You just displayed a trait not common in the wizarding world. A very rare gift. I would advise that you learn what you can about it but keep it to yourself if you wish to not draw the attention of others.”

 

“What is it?” Jongin asked, still not understanding.

 

His father picked up a book from the table and handed it to Jongin. It was titled, “A Seer’s Power: When the Visions Begin”.

 

“My son, you may have just glimpsed the future,” his father said. He sounded both proud and astonished at the same time, but Jongin didn’t seem to understand the gravity of this revelation. “You may not see everything, and I doubt you would want to, but learn what you can about it. There are not many teachers for you to consult. Most of what you learn will be self-taught. But I have faith in you, Jongin.”

 

“But I don’t even know what it is!” Jongin protested. “How am I going to learn to use it?”

 

“All I can tell you for sure is that your gift may come and go,” his father said. “Sometimes you may call it with ease, and other days it will refuse to aid you and that will be frustrating to you. This also could be a one-off, but we cannot risk you being without knowledge. Don’t fear the visions if you see something bad. They are only information to you and you may not be present at the event at all. That is all I know.”

 

Jongin took the book, but he still didn’t understand.

 

His only comfort for the rest of the day was getting his owl. All his confusion and frustration melted away the moment he picked out a gorgeous common barn owl. He named her North and he spent the rest of the day feeding her owl treats. He couldn’t wait to let her out when he got home.

 

-----

 

“GRYFFINDOR!”

 

The table second from Jongin’s left erupted into cheers and polite clapping and Jongin smiled brightly. The Sorting Hat was removed from his head and he went bounding down the steps to the Gryffindor table where an upperclassman scooted over to make room for him.

 

“I’m Luhan,” the boy said, offering him a friendly handshake. He had a pretty face but an aura of confidence that made him feel less pretty and manlier. Jongin took his hand with a shy smile. “Third year. Welcome to Gryffindor!”

 

“He means welcome to the lion’s den,” the upperclassman to his right said. He had a goofy smile and a shock of unruly reddish-brown hair. Jongin ruffled his own hair subconsciously. It was usually just as wild, but he had made an effort to tame it tonight so he could make a good impression.

 

“Oh, hush, Park,” Luhan tutted with an irritated wave of the hand. “Don’t frighten him.” The other boy just laughed and returned his attention to Jongin.

 

“Name’s Chanyeol,” he said by way of introduction. “Second year and barely passed all my classes last year. So, if you need help with something, it’s better to go to Luhan.”

 

Jongin laughed. “I’m Jongin. I’ll try not to ask you for help with school.” Then he blinked once and looked past Chanyeol. On the steps at the front of the hall, the sorting ceremony was still being conducted. They had just excused another Slytherin to their seat and were about to call the next name.

 

“Sehun Oh.”

 

A boy stepped forward, his walking smooth and alluring. With his movement, it didn’t take long for the whole hall to begin whispering to each other. It took Jongin a few more moments to realize why. But when Jongin saw it, his own thoughts went to somewhere completely different from everyone else.

 

The boy turned to face the student body as he sat down on the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head, sitting atop a finely groomed mass of blonde hair. Jongin recognized that shining hair. He recognized those starry eyes. But more than anything it was his smooth, healthy, shiny skin.

 

“The moonbright boy…” Jongin whispered in awe. He was younger in real life, but still beautiful.

 

“Moonbright?” Chanyeol repeated dumbly, looking at Jongin with slight confusion. Then he turned towards the front and went, “Oh…”

 

“Moonbright is a good word for that,” Luhan muttered behind him. Jongin turned to the third year and noticed the intensity with which Luhan was staring at Sehun. At age eleven, Jongin knew the look. He had seen his mother give his father that look before. But he didn’t really know what it meant. He turned back to look at Sehun, noting that the Sorting Hat was taking its sweet time in announcing a house. “He’s going to grow up very handsome.”

 

Jongin didn’t know what to do with this information. Yeah, the kid was beautiful, but why was that important?

 

“Can he fly?” Jongin blurted out. Luhan and Chanyeol both looked at him with wide eyes, surprised by his random question. Chanyeol laughed first. Luhan followed after, seemingly broken out of his trance. Jongin didn’t understand what was so funny. As far as he was concerned, if they couldn’t fly, there couldn’t be anything too interesting about them.

 

“HUFFLEPUFF!” the hat shouted. The table over by the wall cheered and clapped as the Gryffindor table had done for Jongin. Sehun skipped down to them, taking a seat at the end of the bench. He was greeted by the Hufflepuffs around him and quickly settled in.

 

Jongin moved on from the events of the sorting ceremony as soon as food magically appeared in front of him. He gorged himself on plate after plate of chicken and potatoes and corn and various other foods within reach. He nearly choked on his food and Chanyeol had to thump him on the back a few times.

 

“Slow down,” Chanyeol laughed. “It’s not going to go anywhere.”

 

But seeing as it had literally appeared on the table, Jongin didn’t really believe him. Besides, it all tasted too good and he needed to eat as much as he could before his brain and his stomach talked to each other and decided he was full.

 

He didn’t think of the very pretty boy again until he slipped into his bed for the night. Then he wondered why his first vision had been of him at all.

 

-----

 

The first time Jongin and Sehun formally met, they were in the middle of flying lessons.

 

Some picked up on flying easier than others. Jongin was one of those. He took to the air like a fish to water. Before he was even told how to, he was zooming around the skies doing loops and rolls and dives. If only his father could see him now!

 

He had made a joking comment that Jongin would never learn to fly when he was little. His mother hadn’t approved a child’s broom as a suitable toy even though Jongin desperately wanted to fly.

 

“Children don’t belong in the air!” she told his father when he argued. She won that one so Jongin had to settle for books on Quidditch. He vowed to himself that he would be just like them someday.

 

Others in the class had a much more difficult time taking flight. There were some students that struggled with the first step of summoning the broom to their hand. Madam Hooch refused to let them move onto mounting the broom until they managed that much. No picking up the broom allowed.

 

Some were past the summoning broom stage, but once they mounted the broom, they couldn’t get themselves in the air. This was due to a bit of fear. If you feared flying, you wouldn’t be good at it.

 

Then there was Sehun. Sehun could summon the broom. He could even get himself off the ground. But once in the air, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Jongin found it amusing, but he wasn’t paying attention to Sehun much. He was too busy experimenting with his own flying. What other tricks could he do?

 

Right now, he wanted to know how fast he could go on this school issued broom. With a smirk to himself, he started running laps around the yard, whizzing past other students, sometimes cutting it a little too close for comfort. It was no Nimbus or Firebolt, but it was still fun.

 

“Mr. Kim!” Madam Hooch yelled. “Slow down this instant!”

 

Jongin looked down at her with a frown, thinking her a killjoy. He was doing well! Why was she telling him to slow down? But in that moment of distraction, he forgot to keep an eye on where he was going.

 

“LOOK OUT!”

 

Jongin looked up at the shout and found himself only feet from a struggling Sehun, staring wide eyed at him. Jongin’s expression mirrored his when he realized they were on a collision course and he was going too fast. He wouldn’t stop in time. He turned to avoid spearing his fellow first year with his broom, but that was all he could do.

 

They collided and pain flared through Jongin’s body. Thank god they weren’t too high up, but the fall still hurt. Jongin smacked his head against the ground and the world spun. A few feet away, he heard a sickening crack right before a scream. Jongin couldn’t focus long enough to really understand. He was disoriented and suddenly so tired.

 

He laid on the ground, limp as a rag. Sehun was nearby, his leg out at an unnatural angle. He had passed out. If Jongin had been in his right mind, he would have been worried, but right now, all he wanted was to go to sleep.

 

A moment later, another student ran up to him and knelt down but didn’t touch him.

 

“Don’t go to sleep!” the boy hissed urgently.

 

“But I’m tired…” Jongin protested weakly.

 

“I don’t care,” the boy responded quickly. “Don’t go to sleep!”

 

“Who are you?” Jongin questioned, slowly lifting his head to look up at the boy. He found a set of Hufflepuff robes and a soft face full of concern.

 

“Don’t move too much, yet,” the boy urged. “You might have a concussion.” Then he bit his lip and looked at Sehun, who was now being attended to by some men holding a stretcher. They were gentle in picking Sehun up and carting him off. The boy turned back to Jongin. “I’m Yixing. Third year and just started training with Madam Pomfrey this year.”

 

“Oh,” Jongin sighed, not retaining much more than the name. He was so tired and being on the ground still made him feel dizzy. When Sehun was gone, Yixing carefully put his hands under Jongin’s arms to lift him into a sitting position. He moved slow, and he reminded Jongin not to make any sudden movements.

 

He let Jongin sit for a few minutes and asked him a few questions about how he was feeling. Jongin admitted to the dizziness and wanted to lay back down. Yixing didn’t allow him to just so it would be easier to get him up and to the Hospital Wing when the men came back with the stretcher.

 

Jongin could barely stay awake on the way to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had to address Sehun’s broken leg first, but after finishing that up, she looked Jongin over and put him on watch for a minor concussion. Their beds were right next to each other, but even when Sehun woke from his unconscious state, neither spoke a word.

 

Jongin looked over at the Hufflepuff, his leg splinted for the time being. Sehun looked furious, a frown marring his pretty features. He wasn’t even looking at Jongin, but Jongin knew. It was his fault after all. If he hadn’t been doing such stupid maneuvers in their first flying lesson, this wouldn’t have happened.

 

Finally, he worked up the courage to speak.

 

“I’m sorry…” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to run into you.”

 

Sehun didn’t speak. He didn’t even act like he had heard Jongin. He just sat there, arms crossed, scowl on his face as he stared at his broken leg.

 

Jongin bit his lip. Okay, so that didn’t work. What was plan B? He didn’t know much about Sehun. He didn’t know anything about getting on his good side. And after breaking his leg, Jongin was most definitely in need of a way to apologize and have Sehun hear him.

 

For now, all Jongin had was a wand and no spells to enchant others with, yet. The only successful magic he could manage was flying. His vision didn’t count. He only had one to talk about anyway and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience. But something about that vision tugged at Jongin’s mind. Maybe he and Sehun were supposed to be friends. So, if that was supposed to happen, he needed to fix this now.

 

Jongin reached into his robe pockets, looking for anything that might make Sehun accept his apology. All he found were some chocolates that he had saved from dinner the night before. He supposed it was worth a shot.

 

“Do you want some chocolate?” Jongin asked, holding out a hand full of the sweets.

 

The reaction was almost immediate. Sehun’s head snapped in his direction and a hand shot out at him expectantly.

 

“Gimme,” the other boy said, looking far too excited. Jongin laughed a little and tossed the chocolates over to Sehun. Sehun popped them in his mouth with a satisfied hum, savoring the chocolate with far too much glee. Jongin thought it was cute.

 

“Forgive me now?” Jongin asked, pressing his luck.

 

Sehun looked back at him, still on a chocolate. He nodded.

 

“Can we be friends?” Jongin asked, smiling a little more.

 

“Best friends if you give me your chocolate,” Sehun muttered.

 

“Deal!” Jongin cheered.

 

He tossed over two more chocolates and Sehun gobbled them up happily.

 

That was where their friendship began. It was a shallow start to have to bribe Sehun with chocolate for forgiveness, but it was a start no less. With time, it would become much bigger.

 

After getting out of the Hospital Wing, they became attached at the hip. Jongin often forgot that he had other friends and it was cause for quite a bit of teasing from both Chanyeol and Luhan. When he wasn’t in class, he was with Sehun, causing mischief and eating too much straight out of the kitchens.

 

Jongin never told Sehun about the vision. He didn’t want to weird out his new friend. Instead, he talked about his upbringing with limited amounts of magic and limited knowledge of the wizarding world. He didn’t know much about the variety of spells or classes offered. He didn’t know anything about magical creatures. (As amazing as they were, owls did not count as magical creatures.) He didn’t even know a lot about what kinds of foods differed from the muggle world.

 

Sehun set out to remedy that. He started with the sweets.

 

“The chocolates that cause you to make different sounds are my favorites,” Sehun mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate frog.

 

Jongin thumped him on the back with a laugh. “Swallow before you speak, you idiot.”

 

“Only if you do when chicken happens to be at dinner,” Sehun remarked, swatting Jongin on the shoulder. “I’m doing you a favor.”

 

Jongin brushed half-chewed chocolate bits from his robe right before Sehun shoved a liquorice wand into Jongin’s mouth.

 

“You call giving me a stomachache a favor?” Jongin asked through his full mouth. It was a half-hearted complaint. He still chewed happily on the sweets Sehun kept giving him.

 

“Yes,” Sehun replied without remorse. “You haven’t had all the good stuff this world has to offer.”

 

“Can’t you show me slowly?” Jongin asked after swallowing. “Like, over the next seven years?”

 

“Nope!” Sehun chirped as he shoved a small handful of jelly slugs in Jongin’s mouth next. “In seven years, there will probably be more to enjoy. You have to catch up.”

 

In hindsight, Jongin realizes how thankful he is that his mouth is too full for words to be heard. He had forgotten about the vision after months of not having another one. He had read the book his father bought for him, but he was a little nervous to begin experimenting on his own.

 

Now, as he sat with Sehun, mouth full of various sweets and his best friend speaking nonsense, Jongin’s reality blurred. Instead of the background of the Hogwarts kitchens and busy elves running all over the place, he went someplace he had never seen before. It was an open space full of people. They seemed to be celebrating something. He was sitting down when he came into the vision. He was watching everyone else eat and drink and dance while he took rest.

 

Then he saw Sehun.

 

He was older again here, but still more beautiful than anyone Jongin had ever seen. The problem was that while Jongin watched him, he danced with someone worthy of his beauty. It was a woman, probably older than Sehun was. Her hair was platinum and her skin bright. She danced with grace Jongin didn’t even know existed, and Sehun’s grace matched it.

 

He looked so happy.

 

“Jongin!”

 

The vision faded before Jongin really understood what was going on. When he blinked back to the present, Sehun was leaning across the table to snap his fingers right between Jongin’s eyes. Jongin kept his trembling hands below the table, clutching unsteadily at his robes.

 

“Huh?” Jongin breathed, a few chunks of pumpkin pasties falling out of his mouth.

 

“You spaced out,” Sehun commented. “Started talking, but I couldn’t understand you with the food in your mouth.”

 

Jongin swallowed his mouthful of food, fighting back the urge to throw up. “Sorry. I don’t remember what I was saying either.”

 

Sehun laughed. “You’re proving yourself to be the typical Gryffindor jock.”

 

“I am not!” Jongin protested, his fingers still twisting violently in his lap. He wondered briefly if he should tell Sehun. He just wanted someone he could talk to about it. Would the other think he was crazy? Maybe he should keep it a secret for a little longer. He didn’t know if he was ready to let anyone know yet. Not yet. “I’m not even a jock!”

 

“You’re headed in that direction,” Sehun teased. “How long do you think it will take for the quidditch team to recruit you?”

 

Jongin hummed. He wondered if another vision would pop up at that moment, telling him the answer, but nothing came. “Maybe next year or third year. I don’t think they liked that I collided with you on my first day.”

 

“I didn’t like it either,” Sehun grunted. “Madam Pomfrey fixed me up quick, but she banned me from dance for another month.”

 

“I said I was sorry!” Jongin defended.

 

Then Sehun smiled. “And I called you my best friend. So, it was kind of worth it.”

 

They laughed and Jongin let the tension fade from his shoulders. Then he thought about the vision he just had. When Sehun was happy like this, Jongin felt his heart beat a little quicker. He was just as beautiful now as his older self was and Jongin wondered why that mattered. Why was that something he thought about?

 

He didn’t even realize that of all the sweets Sehun had given him, nothing was chocolate. Jongin hadn’t had chocolate all year and he didn’t mind.

 

When they had to go separate directions for classes, they waved goodbye outside the fruit portrait that hid the kitchens, still smiling. Sehun went down one direction and Jongin watched him go. But a Slytherin upperclassman bumped shoulders with Sehun as he came around the corner.

 

“Ow,” Sehun grunted. He didn’t draw attention to himself though and kept moving. Jongin’s brow furrowed and he stepped forward to demand an apology from the Slytherin, but as he made eye contact with the Slytherin, he froze in confusion. It was Do Kyungsoo, and he was gazing at Jongin with a stare too intense for Jongin to understand. It made the words catch in his throat.

 

Kyungsoo passed with nothing but a lingering narrowed gaze.

 

Jongin gave Sehun more chocolate later to sooth his own frustration.

 

-----

 

Year two was different in a lot of ways and the same in others.

 

His friendship with Sehun stayed the same, but the way he looked at his best friend was different.

 

At twelve, Jongin’s hair grew unrulier by the day. He spent more time on a broom over the summer than the ground and got tired of fixing his hair every time he got down. His mother hated it. She hated seeing him in the air, even when it was just a few inches off the ground.

 

His father fostered correct brewing of potions in him. He let him do small things for his potions again and began to invite him into his workroom for practice.

 

Jongin didn’t stop writing to Sehun all summer. He wrote to Luhan and Chanyeol, too, but it wasn’t as often as Sehun. However, letters weren’t pictures, and Sehun didn’t have a lot of time to come visit this summer. Jongin had to settle for seeing Sehun back at school.

 

It ended up being a rather boring summer as a whole. Jongin was way too excited to get back on the Hogwarts Express. He ran through the cars, too fast to be safe with all the students still milling about. He came skidding to a halt when he saw the blonde head of hair and that shining skin.

 

“There you are!” Sehun hollered, the happiness evident in his voice. Jongin stood still, because Sehun was more beautiful than last year. His skin was a little brighter, his eyes a little deeper, his face a little more defined, and suddenly, Jongin found Sehun too close for comfort when he lunged at Jongin for a hug. Jongin came out of it to hug him back tightly.

 

The light feeling in his chest made him feel like he was coming out of one of his visions, leaving him slightly dizzy and momentarily confused.

 

He had had a few more of those over the summer. Not all of them were Sehun related. It freaked out his mother the first time she experienced one. She thought Jongin was having a or seizure or something. She worried more when no one could give her a good explanation of what was happening to him. Jongin would have liked to be able to tell her more, but there was not a lot of information to give her in the first place. He himself was still trying to figure it out.

 

After having a few more, he stopped shaking quite so violently after every vision. But the confusion never stopped. He struggled with what he saw and wondered when the events would come to pass. Sometimes, he saw the most mundane things like the next day’s lunch. Other times, he saw things far into the future such as a fellow classmate one day earning the title of Minister of Magic. The confusion was more than simple disorientation. He wanted to know the significance of it all.

 

The worst part was not having anyone to talk to about it. His parents knew about as much as he did, and Professor Trelawney could only explain so much. As for Sehun, that topic was currently off limits. It sometimes gave Jongin pause when he was writing letters. He recalled one time where his quill hovered over the parchment for ten minutes, a debate going on his head over whether he should tell his best friend yet. The answer was always the same, though. He wasn’t ready, no matter how much he wanted to tell someone about it.

 

“How was your summer?” Sehun asked as he pulled Jongin into an empty compartment.

 

“You know how my summer was,” Jongin laughed. “I only sent you letters every other day.”

 

“You complained about your mom panicking every time you pulled out your wand.”

 

“Well, yeah,” Jongin giggled. “My mother is a muggle. I get it. But I survived last school year, I haven’t blown up the house, and my father is there to keep an eye on me. You would think she would put a little more faith in me.”

 

“Maybe she doesn’t have faith in your father,” Sehun laughed. “I mean, you did tell me your parents told you, you were an oops baby. Serious lack of planning there. Maybe she doesn’t think he has a plan for if things go wrong with your spells.”

 

“You forget that I also told you they assured me I was very much wanted,” Jongin said, poking Sehun in the side. When Sehun squirmed, Jongin smiled. “Things turned out okay. She even stuck around when my dad admitted he was a wizard.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sehun sighed. “Lucky you.”

 

“What?” Jongin questioned, not understanding. “I thought your parents were still together.”

 

“They are,” Sehun confirmed. “But there are problems. They’re going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but I think they’ll be fine.”

 

“Well, if you need anyone to talk to about it, I’ll listen.”

 

“Thanks,” Sehun said, tossing a smile in Jongin’s direction. “But I’m not sure how much I’d be able to get out before I laugh at your hair. It’s a mess. Do you not own a brush?”

 

“I do!” Jongin defended, allowing the change in topic to occur. “I just get annoyed when I have to brush my hair every time I fly. So, I gave up.”

 

“Teach meeee,” Sehun whined, draping himself over Jongin’s lap. “Dad couldn’t get me to take off without nearly killing myself.”

 

“Then how do you expect me to teach you?” Jongin laughed. Still, he patted Sehun’s head affectionately and promised to try. That was enough for Sehun who giggled happily. They stayed this happy and giggly the whole way to the castle. They almost didn’t notice the train come to a stop or the students beginning to exit.

 

A passing Slytherin took it upon themselves to make a little bang against the door of their compartment to get them out. Jongin and Sehun jumped and looked up. Kyungsoo was looking at them through the window with a sneer of pure annoyance before continuing on.

 

After sharing a glance between them, Jongin and Sehun gathered their things and left the train.

 

It wasn’t until they were outside, standing next to each other on the platform, that it really registered in Jongin’s head. Sehun really did come back more beautiful than last year. He was the same person, but in the moonlight, he almost seemed to glow or shine. When Jongin was around him all last year, that glowing had faded to his eyes. It never went away, but it wasn’t as obvious.

 

Now, after being away from Sehun for so long, it all came back to him.

 

“Jongin, come on!” Sehun urged excitedly, reaching for Jongin’s hand to pull him towards the carriages. Jongin blinked out of his thoughts and followed the moonbright boy with the galaxy swirling in his eyes. As he took Sehun’s hand to run off, he remembered how warm it felt in the chilly night air. He brushed his thumb over the back of that hand, feeling tingles up his spine at the simple touch.

 

That was new.

 

They separated to their house tables for the feast, but they made sure to sit across the aisle from each other. Sehun didn’t want to be the only Hufflepuff at the Gryffindor table at the opening feast, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to sit with Jongin. Them sitting apart also didn’t mean there would be no shenanigans either. In fact, it probably made things worse.

 

At first, Sehun made conversation with his Hufflepuff friends and Jongin with his Gryffindor friends. After the sorting ceremony, they started to make conversation and tease across the aisle. Sehun teased more about Jongin’s out of control hair. Baekhyun, Sehun’s fellow Hufflepuff, suggested a spell for that. Jongin laughed and shooed him and his wand away.

 

“The wind keeps messing my hair up, so why bother?” Jongin shrugged.

 

Sehun rolled his eyes and turned back to the other Hufflepuffs to converse. He had made tentative friends with Yixing after they met him last year. He was great at healing charms and he still continued with his work in the Hospital Wing. Sehun took interest in this knowledge of healing and eagerly listened to Yixing talk about the tips and tricks for executing such spells.

 

Jongin sighed and turned back to his own table.

 

He was surprised to find Luhan there, now a fourth year, staring after Sehun as he had done last year. But at twelve, Jongin recognized the look more than he had a year ago. But it wasn’t just Luhan looking at Sehun with great interest. It was other people all over the hall as well. Sehun looked back at his best friend, glowing in the light of the torches and candles.

 

He was beautiful, and this time, Jongin felt his heart stir.

 

He looked away quickly, wondering what that meant and trying to dispel the welling feelings. He looked for a distraction from this uncomfortable situation and found himself staring across the hall at someone at the Slytherin table.

 

Once again, it was Kyungsoo, and he was staring at Jongin like he knew him. Kyungsoo Do, pureblood Slytherin and kind of an . He hadn’t caused trouble for him on a regular basis last year, but he was always around, keeping an intent gaze on Jongin after their brush. Jongin wanted to ask, but he didn’t know how to approach the Slytherin about it.

 

Something hit the back of Jongin’s head, pulling him out of his thoughts and his staring contest with Kyungsoo. His hand went to the back of his head where sauce clung to his hair. A chicken leg now sat in the hood of his robes.

 

“Sehun!” he shrieked, gaining the attention of the people around them. Sehun was nearly falling out of his seat laughing so hard. Fine. Screw house tables. Sehun Oh, best friend or not, was getting it.

 

He took a handful of mashed potatoes from his plate and crossed the aisle between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Then he yanked the collar of Sehun’s shirt so he could stuff the wad of potatoes down his best friend’s back.

 

Sehun protested with a decidedly girly scream and Jongin laughed with the entire student body watching. Neither Sehun nor Jongin cared. Jongin went running from the hall while Sehun followed after, hot on his heels with his wand extended. Who cared if it was the first feast of the year? The Headmistress didn’t seem to mind as long as it was in their free time and not class time.

 

Jongin kept running all the way to the quidditch pitch. Laughing and out of breath, he grabbed a random broom in stock. He took to the air before Sehun could catch him.

 

“You’re an absolute ogre, Jongin!” Sehun shrieked from the ground, wiggling about with discomfort as potatoes made their way down his back.

 

“You hit me with a chicken leg!” Jongin laughed. “You deserved it. Such a waste of good food.” He reached behind himself to pull the disgraced chicken leg out of his hood. Could he still eat it? Probably not, but it was tempting. He dropped it on the ground in front of Sehun.

 

He circled Sehun a few times on his broom, just a little out of reach every time. Sehun looked even more beautiful out here, even when he was displeased. His skin was shining as bright as the moon on the lake. He almost appeared to be glowing and it transfixed him for a moment. It was long enough for his caution to fade.

 

He brought his broom a little closer, circling slowly around Sehun.

 

“What?” Sehun questioned, folding his arms. Jongin sat up on his broom and mimicked the posture, folding his arms.

 

“Nothing,” he hummed. “Just thinking there were a bunch of people staring at you tonight.”

 

Sehun didn’t say anything to that and waited for Jongin to stray a little closer to him. When he did, Sehun grabbed the broomstick and pulled Jongin close enough for him to jump on the back. Sehun had never gotten the hang of flying, but he loved it. He would never be on a quidditch team, but if Jongin ever made the team, he promised to come watch all his matches.

 

For now, Jongin took him up into the sky for a little flight time. They didn’t stray outside the school grounds and spent time over the lake. He glided close enough for Sehun to graze his fingers over the dark waters. He clearly wasn’t afraid of the giant squid.

 

After leaving the lake, they moved on to touring the castle spires. Sehun rested his head on Jongin’s back as he relaxed. He seemed to have temporarily forgotten all about the food down his shirt. He really did seem to belong in the air.

 

“You sure you don’t want to get your own broom and give flying another try?” Jongin asked. “I could try to give you a lesson like you wanted.”

 

“Not right now,” Sehun sighed. “You can take me flying whenever I want. It’s not like I’m missing much if I wait a little longer to get comfortable on a broom.”

 

Last year, Jongin would have called Sehun lazy. This year, he felt a flush creep up his neck and he thanked the night for being dark. But to not rouse suspicion, Jongin turned and flicked Sehun on the nose to show his displeasure.

 

“I am not an airplane,” he grunted.

 

“What’s that?” Sehun questioned, rubbing his nose in irritation. “Is it another muggle thing?”

 

“Yeah,” Jongin laughed. “It’s a flying machine that takes people places.”

 

“Floo powder is more useful for that,” Sehun muttered.

 

“My mom doesn’t like that either,” Jongin laughs. “She thinks the Floo Network is a fire waiting to happen and people don’t belong in the sky.”

 

“Some of us do,” Sehun breathed. There was something in the way that Sehun said that that got to Jongin. But Sehun was quiet after that and all Jongin could do was agree.

 

“Yeah, some of us do.”

 

They floated about on the broom for a little while longer before heading back. Jongin didn’t want to be caught outside after hours on their first night back at school. He’d never hear the end of it from his housemates.

 

He almost didn’t care when Sehun had his arms wrapped around his waist like that.

 

-----

 

BOOM!

 

The room filled with smoke, and students scattered from the offending cauldron with little shouts of surprise. Professor Slughorn stepped in to clear the air and drain the cauldron. Then he turned to the two students covered most in the soot.

 

He was both amused and frustrated.

 

“If track records are to be believed,” he rasped out, “I assume our dear Mr. Oh made some miscalculations while our dear Mr. Kim wasn’t looking.”

 

Sehun flushed. Jongin muttered something about an excess of snake fangs and standard ingredient. It was more than that, but Jongin didn’t want to add more fuel to the flames of Sehun’s embarrassment.

 

“Well, your potion was a failure,” Professor Slughorn hummed. “But I can give you both a grade if you will do me a favor, Mr. Kim.”

 

“Sir?” Jongin squeaked in confusion.

 

“Tutor Mr. Oh for me?” he suggested. “His grade will improve and your knowledge will solidify as you teach. Sound fair?”

 

Sehun immediately jumped on this opportunity, attaching himself to Jongin with a pouted lip.

 

“Please, Jongin?” Sehun begged. It wasn’t just for the grade. Sehun really did enjoy potions. He just wasn’t good at it. And while Jongin didn’t exactly want to spend time tutoring someone else in potions, he did want to help Sehun.

 

“It seems you’ve got quite the eager student,” Professor Slughorn laughed. Jongin’s lips twitched upward as Sehun clung to him.

 

“Okay,” he finally agreed. Then he pinched and pulled Sehun’s cheek out to the side. “But only until you start getting the hang of it.”

 

Sehun made a face and pushed him away before rubbing his cheeks. Jongin laughed and they made plans for tutoring sessions.

 

It ate up a lot of Jongin’s free time, but he loved watching Sehun progress. Every new potion he managed to brew to perfection made Jongin proud. He even rewarded Sehun with chocolates when he did well. It made for a very agreeable best friend.

 

“Why do you like potions so much when you’re bad at it?” Jongin questioned one day. He shoved a handful of nuts in his mouth. Sehun had taken all the chocolate again and was happily munching on the whole bowl.

 

“I don’t know,” Sehun admitted, mouth still full of the sweets. “Probably because I can make use of potion skills in healing.”

 

“Is that why you’ve been talking with Yixing?” Jongin asked. He tried to reach for one of the chocolates, but Sehun yanked the bowl away from his reach.

 

“Yeah,” Sehun answered. “I like helping people. If he can teach me the spells a little early, I’ll be in good shape for later.” Then he laughed a little. “And I need a good influence. Baekhyun is a distraction.”

 

“Baekhyun?” Jongin asked. “The one Chanyeol likes?”

 

“He does?” Sehun questioned as he turned to Jongin, eyes wide with surprise. He nearly dropped an unspecified amount of crushed porcupine quills into the brew.

 

“Hold it!” Jongin shrieked as he went to make a cup with his hands under Sehun’s. “How much are you putting in there?”

 

“Jongin, really!”

 

“How much?” Jongin demanded.

 

“Two quills worth. Now will you-“

 

“Will you be stirring clockwise or counterclockwise?”

 

“Oh for goodness sake-“

 

“Clockwise or counterclockwise,” Jongin insisted, not letting his best friend get away with it.

 

“Clockwise.”

 

“And how many times?”

 

Sehun opened his mouth to answer. Jongin waited, but no answer left Sehun’s lips. Jongin smirked.

 

“Five,” he told Sehun, knowing without looking in their book.

 

Sehun stuck his tongue out at Jongin and dropped the quills in.

 

“And yes, Chanyeol likes Baekhyun,” Jongin added.

 

“Why hasn’t he said anything to Baekhyun?” Sehun asked, stirring his concoction the required number of times. He seemed less irritable now that he had his answer.

 

“Because he’s scared,” Jongin hummed.

 

“They’re friends,” Sehun pointed out. “What’s there to be scared of?”

 

“I don’t know,” Jongin responded with a roll of the eyes. “When I find a person I like and won’t tell them that I like them, I’ll let you know.”

 

“Baekhyun won’t do anything to him,” Sehun noted.

 

“I think Chanyeol is just nervous about Baekhyun’s popularity,” Jongin guessed. “Baekhyun probably has a lot of suitors. He’s very pretty. He’s probably trying to be sure Baekhyun gets the best that he deserves.”

 

“What Baekhyun deserves is what he wants,” Sehun muttered. “The same goes for Chanyeol. If he wants Baekhyun, he needs to pursue him.”

 

Jongin hummed and thought about his last vision of Sehun. Dancing with that woman. Looking the happiest he had ever seen him. Jongin hated that vision as much as he loved it. Sehun was happy, and that was great. Sehun being happy made Jongin happy. But Jongin wanted to be that person that Sehun smiled at while he danced.

 

Jongin had never kissed anyone before, but he realized he wanted to kiss Sehun right now. He wanted to kiss him even more when his potion came out perfect. Sehun threw himself into a hug with Jongin and thanked him profusely and Jongin just put aside his wants for now.

 

Sehun had said people deserve what they want. But Jongin wasn’t convinced he deserved Sehun.

 

-----

 

“You hang out with Sehun a lot,” Luhan commented one day. It seemed out of the blue and very much an obvious statement.

 

“He’s my best friend,” Jongin grunted as he finished another sentence on his potions essay. “Of course, I hang out with him a lot.”

 

Luhan made a face, trying to smile but also looking strained. Jongin had never seen Luhan look so awkward. He was usually so confident and out in the open. “Would it be weird if I tagged along to one of your hangouts?”

 

Jongin’s quill froze in his hand. Suddenly, Luhan’s nervousness made more sense. Ever since last year, Jongin had noticed Luhan’s interest in Sehun. He had commented on how pretty Sehun was the first time he saw him and had kept an eye on Sehun ever since.

 

Sehun was aware of who Luhan was, but he hadn’t stuck around much to become friends with him. Sehun was naturally shy and only came out of his shell when he was with Jongin. Maybe it would be good for Sehun to become friends with more people. Jongin, too. Maybe they should both expand their friend circles. It might make it easier for Jongin to distance himself from his feelings.

 

“I don’t know,” Jongin admits with a shrug. “Tag along one day to eat or something. I don’t think Sehun would mind. You and I are friends, right?”

 

“Of course,” Luhan replied without hesitation. “Maybe I’ll join you in the Great Hall for dinner sometime.”

 

“Yeah,” Jongin agreed, his smile tight. Luhan didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. “Sounds good.”

 

-----

 

After that conversation, Luhan wormed his way into a friendship with Sehun. It started out slow, dragging over a Ravenclaw named Minseok to eat dinner with them a few times. Then they started showing up more and more and Jongin felt like he never had time alone with Sehun anymore.

 

At first, Sehun stuck close to Jongin like crazy, his inner introvert clinging to familiarity and shying away from other noise. But eventually, he warmed up to Luhan and started to talk and laugh with him more often. Jongin kept telling himself this was a good thing. Sehun was making more friends. While making friends with Luhan, both Sehun and Jongin became friends with Minseok as well. And with less time to hang out with Sehun, Jongin got closer to Chanyeol and Joonmyun as well.

 

But it was one day towards the end of the school year that Jongin found himself alone. Everyone was off doing whatever and Jongin sat outside trying to figure out the Lapifors spell on his own. He assumed it to be similar to the Avifors spell that they had been going over in transfiguration for a while, but he hadn’t been able to produce a rabbit yet.

 

After his latest attempt, he gave a great sigh of frustration and laid back on the grass to take a break. However, as soon as his eyes landed on the sky above him, an unamused face stood in his sights. Jongin gasped in surprise, not expecting to see anyone there. He bolted upright and turned to see the scowling face of one Kyungsoo Do.

 

“Merlin, you startled the daylights out of me,” Jongin squeaked.

 

“You’re doing that spell wrong,” Kyungsoo said, unapologetic. “One would think you should have more talent when one of your parents is a pureblood.”

 

“Pureblood?” Jongin repeated dumbly. He hadn’t heard that word in a long time. What did it mean again?

 

“Your father,” Kyungsoo clarified. “A wizard from an all magic family.”

 

“What does that have to do with my spell?” Jongin questioned. Suddenly he remembered what that word meant, and he remembered his father growing uncomfortable anytime blood status was brought up with his friends. He kept a lot of those conversations away from Jongin and his mother, but the words still made their way into Jongin’s head.

 

“Perhaps you’re taking after your mother,” Kyungsoo spat.

 

Jongin felt a twinge in his brow. “What is that supposed to mean?” Jongin questioned.

 

Kyungsoo snorted. “Maybe she diluted the effects of your father’s magic,” he suggested. Then he seemed to add as an afterthought, “My mother says marrying her made your father a disgrace to the wizarding world. It’s diluting the bloodline.”

 

A sudden surge of anger raced through Jongin. His face grew hot and his blood pumped faster through his veins. Before he realized what had happened, he was on his feet and his wand was pointing right at Kyungsoo’s nose.

 

Kyungsoo didn’t even flinch.

 

“I’m a third year,” he told Jongin, too stable to not be bluffing. “You can’t even master transfiguration for second years. Try me.”

 

Jongin didn’t say anything, but he didn’t lower his wand and he didn’t step away.

 

“Fine,” Kyungsoo grunted, taking his own wand out.

 

Jongin was already running spells in his head, trying to figure out how to do this and come out with his pride intact. But not backing down until Kyungsoo knocked him out seemed like the only way for Jongin to leave with pride. Kyungsoo had his wand pointed at Jongin now. They were tip to tip, but neither had made a move yet.

 

Then Kyungsoo’s gaze shifted to Jongin’s left.

 

Jongin didn’t look away from him, but he felt someone slide up next to him, brandishing their wand, oak and unicorn hair, in Kyungsoo’s direction as well. Jongin felt a swell of relief flood his veins at Sehun’s familiar presence and he felt the anxiety of being a second year about to duel a third year sink away.

 

“What’s going on?” Sehun muttered to him.

 

“I’ll tell you later,” Jongin muttered back.

 

“We going to duel or what?” Kyungsoo growled. “Show me what a great wizard you are, Kim.”

 

Jongin growled and fired off his first spell.

 

“Flipendo!” he shouted, a well-placed knockback-jinx rocketing from his wand. Too bad Kyungsoo was quicker with the shield charm.

 

“Protego,” Kyungsoo muttered, swift and calm. Jongin’s jinx dissolved into thin air.

 

Sehun was next, firing off a quick disarming charm.

 

“Expelliarmus!” he hissed, praying to end this quickly without anyone getting hurt.

 

Again, Kyungsoo was quick to defend. However, this time, he shot back.

 

With two quick-succession spells, both Sehun and Jongin went down. Jongin found himself in a full body bind on the ground, unable to do more than shift his eyes about in distress. Sehun, though free of a body bind, had a split lip and was on his next to him. Kyungsoo stood over them with an unamused look on his face.

 

“If you want to defend your family’s honor, you’ll have to do a lot better than that,” Kyungsoo growled at Jongin. Then he knelt down and pressed his wand under Sehun’s chin. Sehun tried not to flinch, but he didn’t know if Kyungsoo had another spell on the tip of his tongue or not. “And you need to learn to keep yourself out of other people’s business. Let him get knocked around. It’s good for him.”

 

Then Kyungsoo lowered his wand, got up, and walked away, leaving Sehun a gasping mess and Jongin still frozen on the ground. They were both in some kind of shock. Sehun’s lip was still bleeding and there was a bruise forming on his arm already. But seeing as the duel hadn’t lasted more than a minute, neither of them was too beat up otherwise.

 

It took a few minutes for Sehun to collect himself. Then he picked up his dropped wand from the ground and released Jongin from the body bind. All of Jongin’s muscles relaxed at the same time and he felt like he melted into the ground for half a second. He took a second to breathe before sitting up.

 

He gripped Sehun’s face to check on him. Sehun tried to push his hands away.

 

“I’m sorry…” Jongin said softly. He was looking at Sehun’s split lip, hoping it wouldn’t scar that perfect moonbright skin. Sehun heard the sincerity in his voice and dropped his hands, letting Jongin take a look at his face.

 

“What happened?” he asked, moving on from Jongin’s guilt. “Why did you pull your wand on him?”

 

“He talked bad about my parents,” Jongin muttered. “Right after basically calling me a substandard wizard.”

 

“You are a substandard wizard,” Sehun giggled, trying to lighten the mood. Jongin frowned and pinched Sehun’s cheek.

 

“Jerk,” he hissed. But then he pulled Sehun in for a hug, burying his face in Sehun’s neck. “But thank you for backing me up. Even if we lost.”

 

Sehun didn’t say anything. He only returned the hug. Jongin felt a warmth in his chest before he ended the hug. Then he smiled at Sehun.

 

“Come on,” he sighed. “Let’s get you patched up at the Hospital Wing.” He stood first before offering a hand to Sehun to help him up as well. Sehun agreed with him and took his hand to get up.

 

The blood had dried already by the time they made it to the castle again. Getting to Madam Pomfrey was the best thing they could have done for Sehun’s split lip. She mended it in a heartbeat and there was no scar at all. Jongin was relieved.

 

“Now that that’s over with,” Sehun grunted now that they were leaving the Hospital Wing. “Why was Kyungsoo calling you a subpar wizard?”

 

Jongin made a face when he remembered his failed spells.

 

“I can’t get a Lapifors spell to work,” he grumbled.

 

Sehun laughed a little louder than he probably should have. Jongin was about to ask what was so funny, but Sehun grabbed his hand and dragged him off.

 

“I have a way to repay you for the potions lessons!” Sehun cheered with glee.

 

Sehun spent the next two hours explaining Lapifors and how to do it. Jongin about wanted to rip his hair out in the middle. He had completely forgotten Sehun had a talent for Transfiguration. Though Sehun clearly knew what he was talking about, he was awful at explaining it. It took forever, but Jongin managed to turn a little statue into a rabbit by the end.

 

The accomplishment was enough, and Jongin proposed going to the kitchens to get some food as a reward. Sehun wasn’t about to argue.

 

-----

 

After the incident with Kyungsoo, Jongin sent a letter home to explain what happened. He never got in trouble with any teachers, but he had questions for his father. Kyungsoo seemed to know quite a bit about Jongin’s family, and he was made uncomfortable by that.

 

It was just weird that the next letter Jongin received was not from his father. He didn’t even know the person who sent the letter. But the letter gave him at least a partial explanation.

 

Dear Jongin,

 

You don’t know me, and I don’t expect you to. I am Kyungsoo Do’s father, and I would like to apologize on his behalf for the way you and your friend were treated.

 

This will be difficult for you to believe, but Kyungsoo is actually a very sweet boy. However, he is very much a victim of his upbringing like his mother was. His mother was brought up during the rise of Voldemort and the height of pureblood mania. Her family never took the mark of the Dark Lord, but they subscribed to everything to do with blood supremacy. As a result, she still holds onto some of those old thoughts.

 

My family did not.

 

I tried to keep Kyungsoo sheltered from those thoughts, but I fear his mother’s influence is very strong in him. I love his mother and I love my son. Please, if you are able to avoid it, do not engage him further. I know it’s difficult and I know the things he says are awful. I will try to speak to him. But please try to be the bigger person. His mother will keep trying to undermine me, but I will not give up on giving my son kinder ideals.

 

Someday, I hope we can come together as a family regardless of blood purity.

 

Sincerely,

Uncle Jae

 

Jongin read the letter more than ten times and he always had one question. So, he sent another letter to his father. It had one line in it.

 

Who is Uncle Jae?

 

He didn’t get an answer. Sehun was convinced that he wouldn’t get answers until he went home for the summer.

 

-----

 

Over the summer, Jongin was finally able to get Sehun to agree to drop what he was doing for a week and come over. Things had started out the same as last summer: letters all the time and practicing spells and potions. But Jongin was determined for Sehun to visit.

 

Finally, Sehun was due to arrive very soon. Despite Jongin’s mother’s disapproval, his father gave Sehun permission to come via the Floo Network. Jongin waited with baited breath, bouncing on the tips of his toes in anticipation. He couldn’t wait to see Sehun after half of the summer. He also couldn’t wait to introduce his best friend to his parents. He always talked about Sehun in his letters, and now they would have a face to put to the name.

 

At 11am sharp, Sehun came out of the fireplace in a puff of black dust. His bag was over his shoulder and his wand in his pocket. His face was covered in soot, but he was still more beautiful than when they parted at Platform 9¾. His skin still shone brightly through the dirt and Jongin still wanted to touch it and marvel at it. Instead, Jongin pounced on him for a hug and nearly sent his best friend to the floor in his zeal.

 

“I missed you!” he cheered happily.

 

“Get off me!” Sehun shouted, a laugh in his voice. “I missed you, too, but I need to put my things down.”

 

Jongin pouted and released Sehun so he could do just that. However, as soon as Sehun dropped his things to the floor, he reengaged the hug and made Jongin the happiest person on earth. They stood there, giggling and hugging for a little longer before Jongin’s parents both came in to greet their guest.

 

“You must be the Sehun that Jongin won’t shut up about,” Jongin’s father teased. Jongin flushed and stuck his tongue out at his father.

 

His mother had other priorities. She rushed at Sehun with a towel to wipe the soot from his face. She had only seen Floo Powder in action once before, and it had been a huge mess. She wanted to welcome her guest into a nice clean home. Sehun indulged her and stood still after disentangling himself from Jongin.

 

“My dear, you’ve got dirt all over you,” she fussed, wiping it off Sehun’s porcelain cheeks. But it only took a few swipes of the towel for her to make a quiet sound of surprise. “Oh my,” she breathed. “You’re like a little doll.”

 

“Mom…” Jongin muttered in a warning tone.

 

“Seriously!” his mother exclaimed. “Just look at him! He’s a stunner!”

 

Jongin whined and looked at his father for some support. However, his father wasn’t paying attention to Jongin at all. He was focusing intently on Sehun, his eyes laced with a range of emotions from worry to surprise.

 

“Dad?” Jongin called, a little worried. What if he didn’t like Sehun? But his father seemed to jolt out of his thoughts when Jongin called and turned to him.

 

“Huh? Oh!” his father exclaimed, reaching for his wife to pull her away from an uncomfortable Sehun. “Dear, why don’t you go check on your snacks in the kitchen. You’ve been cooking all morning.”

 

She seemed to come back to herself then as well. A look of realization dawned on her and she flew out of the room with a shout of, “The cookies!” Sehun and Jongin laughed, relieved now that she was done mothering for a few minutes. Then Jongin’s father turned to his son.

 

“And you should take Sehun’s things upstairs,” he told Jongin. “I’ll show him to the living room.” Jongin didn’t hesitate. With an emphatic nod, Jongin grabbed Sehun’s bag and hauled it up to the second floor, taking the stairs two at a time. He deposited Sehun’s things at the foot of the bed in the guestroom before making his way back down. Sehun could unpack later. He had all week to make himself at home.

 

On his way back to the first floor, Jongin heard his father say something to Sehun. Sehun gave a response that Jongin couldn’t hear. It must not have been important, because the conversation was over when Jongin stepped into the living room.

 

His mother had deposited a tray of cookies in front of Sehun. At Jongin’s advising, she had made chocolate chip. Jongin wouldn’t be getting any, but at least Sehun looked plenty happy as he munched on two at a time.

 

Jongin laughed.

 

The next week was filled with staying up too late and too much amusement. Sehun knew very little of the non-magical world. Some of his reactions to “muggle contraptions” seemed to rival descriptions of reactions his father had had when he first married his mother. By the time Jongin came around, his father had normalized to all of it, but the memories lived on in his mother.

 

Sehun sat himself down for hours in front of a TV after realizing what it did. He didn’t even care what he was watching. He just enjoyed watching everything move on the screen while he ate more and more sweets. It got worse when Jongin showed him how to play videogames.

 

Sometimes, Jongin had to remind Sehun to leave the wand and other magical items in the other room. Electronics and magic didn’t mix well, after all.

 

It wasn’t just these things that Sehun found fascinating either. It was everything electric. Phones were a complete foreign object to him. He didn’t understand what they did until Jongin took his mother’s cell phone outside and called the house. There was loud laughter from Jongin’s father on the inside of the house as soon as the phone rang. Jongin bit his lip to hide a smile, trying not to laugh.

 

Sehun had jumped nearly three feet in the air and scrambled for the wand that wasn’t in his pocket. He didn’t settle until Jongin’s father encouraged him to pick up the receiver and put it to his ear. Jongin had to then convince his best friend that, yes, it was him.

 

To say that a week in his very muggle home was enlightening for Sehun was an understatement. Sehun couldn’t wait to come back.

 

-----

 

“Who is Uncle Jae?” Jongin finally asked. His father had been avoiding the subject all summer, but Jongin finally found a moment to ask. His father had just finished up step one of his potion and was waiting for the timer to go off. He had no excuse to not listen to and/or entertain Jongin’s questions.

 

His father sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger to sooth the headache. When he finally looked back at Jongin, it was with a frown.

 

“He’s your uncle,” his father stated, making the obvious more solid. “My brother-in-law. His wife is my sister.”

 

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Jongin said, taking a seat on the unoccupied stool in his father’s lab.

 

“Two sisters,” his father grunted.

 

“Why have I never met them?” Jongin asked. “I’ve met all mom’s family a million times over.”

 

“Because they accept you and want you,” his father pointed out. “They were excited for your mother when she found out she was pregnant. My family was not.”

 

“Why not?” Jongin asked.

 

His father remained silent for a few moments, the muscles in his jaw tightening and relaxing as he thought about how to explain.

 

“How much have you learned about the last Wizard War?” he asked.

 

“Not much,” Jongin admitted. “We were going to go into it more in third year.”

 

“The last Wizard War involved a faction of blood purists,” his father explained, trying to keep it simple. “They believed that anything less than pureblood was an abomination. Muggleborns saw the worst of it, but halfbloods saw quite a bit of backlash as well if they showed a tendency to sympathize with muggleborns. However, even pureblood wizards could fall through the ranks if they broke important rules. One of them is having relations with muggles and having children with them. According to them, it dilutes the bloodline.”

 

Jongin’s brow furrowed. “What does that have to do with your family, though?” he questioned. “The war has been over for a long time.”

 

“But ideologies live on,” his father pointed out. “My family is a pureblood family, and they still believe in these old thoughts. I don’t know how I escaped the brainwashing, but my sisters were not so lucky, and your Aunt Mirae has passed those thoughts to her son. Your Uncle Jae has done what he can to curb his thinking, but your cousin cannot do anything about the environment in which he was brought up. And to him and most people in my family, you were born an abomination.”

 

“So, I’ve never met them because they didn’t think I deserved to exist,” Jongin concluded.

 

“No,” his father said, reaching out to Jongin to squeeze his shoulders in reassurance. “You haven’t met them because I alienated myself when I married your mother. I didn’t think they deserved either of you and I was going to protect you from them as best as I could.”

 

-----

 

Less than two months into their third year found Sehun laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. He rolled around on the floor, not even trying to contain his laughter while Jongin sulked. Luhan was giggling, too, but it was Sehun’s exaggerated happiness that bothered Jongin the most.

 

“It’s not that funny!” Jongin whined, going to sit on his best friend’s stomach. This made breathing even more difficult for Sehun and he pushed weakly at Jongin’s body to get him off him.

 

“It’s just so cute!” Sehun defended as he looked over at the wandering spell. Luhan had just learned to cast a patronus recently and, at Jongin and Sehun’s urgings, agreed to teach them as well.

 

Sehun’s patronus came out slow. Luhan urged him to keep trying when the magic didn’t readily spring to his fingertips. He even supplied examples for a powerful happy memory for Sehun to look for. When he finally found one, the magic came to his wand much easier.

 

Out emerged a powerful, silvery-blue wolf, coat neat and clean like Sehun always presented himself. There was a set of intimidating teeth, but the wolf never bared them at any of them. Then it howled, filling the Room of Requirement with its calls before Sehun dropped his wand in surprise.

 

The magic had faded then, and both Jongin and Luhan praised such a wonderful display of magic. Sehun brightened at the both of them and Jongin took in that happiness, wondering what memory Sehun had chosen.

 

Then it was Jongin’s turn to try. Luhan gave him the same instruction, coaxing the memories out for Jongin to pick from. But Jongin did not have to look very hard. He went back in time and pulled from a few memories, but they all shared one thing in common.

 

Sehun.

 

The magic came easy with a firm, “Expecto patronum.”

 

Jongin was so happy when his animal materialized, but it was not as regal as Sehun’s wolf or Luhan’s stag. It was not even half the size of theirs. He wouldn’t have minded if it were some cool animal that just so happened to be small. A little hawk would have been great! It really would have caught his inner flyer.

 

But no. Jongin got a bear. But not just any bear. Oh no! It wasn’t even an adult bear! It had to be a cute little cub! Now Sehun was on the floor, not trying hard enough to contain his laughter. Luhan was doing better, but he was still giggling.

 

“Don’t feel down,” Luhan finally said, amusement clearly etched into every line of his face. “It’s still impressive magic and it will still be able to do what it needs to.”

 

“But people are going to think I’m a child,” Jongin grumbled.

 

“Is it so bad to have an innocent heart?” Luhan asked with a genuine smile. “Sometimes, I wish I didn’t think too hard about things. A young heart likes to take things easy and go with the flow. That can be an advantage to you when you come up against unfamiliar territory. But if you’re concerned, you know people change as they age. Someday, I bet that cute bear cub turns into an impressive adult. But by then, you might wish you still had it.”

 

Sehun was still laughing. He hadn’t heard a word of what Luhan had said to him. Jongin looked at his little bear cub, rubbing its ghostly head up against his shin with a little baby growl. Jongin smiled at it and supposed Luhan was right.

 

-----

 

“Jongin!” Sehun called, running through the corridors towards him. There was a bright smile on his face, but Jongin had a sinking feeling in his gut. Sehun grew more radiant when he smiled like that, and it could only mean something really good. But if Jongin wasn’t the one making him smile like that, he didn’t know if he wanted it.

 

“What’s with the gross smile?” he teased, trying to hide his worry. Sehun pouted at him, but it didn’t take away any of his beauty. Jongin wanted to kiss him again, but he knew not to. It would ruin that smile.

 

“He asked me out!” Sehun shouted with excitement. “Luhan asked me out!”

 

And there it was: a broken heart.

 

It felt like the next hour took an eternity to pass. Jongin went through a million things in his head about how much Luhan didn’t know Sehun and how mismatched they were. He went over how Luhan talked versus how Sehun spoke. He went over the grace with which Sehun moved and thought Luhan couldn’t handle it. It wasn’t fair.

 

But because Sehun looked so happy, Jongin couldn’t bring himself to say anything he was thinking. He couldn’t convince himself that it was in Sehun’s best interest to turn Luhan down. If it brought Sehun this much joy for Luhan to ask him out, who was Jongin to get in the way of his happiness?

 

When he finally left Sehun, citing a potion’s assignment as his excuse, he waited until he was out of sight. Once he turned a corner and left Sehun’s line of vision, he broke into a run.

 

His feet moved on their own, taking turn after turn, climbing staircase after staircase, dodging students left and right without his brain telling him where he was going. He just needed to run. He couldn’t go to Sehun for this. He couldn’t go to Luhan for this. But he needed someone.

 

It was after three years of school that he realized how small his world was. He spent so much time with Sehun that the few other friends he had didn’t feel right. They weren’t the ones who knew him the best like Sehun did. They wouldn’t be enough.

 

But when he found himself back in the Gryffindor common room, there was only one person there, munching on some biscuits from the morning’s breakfast. Jongin didn’t care what he looked like in that moment. He made a beeline for Chanyeol and threw himself at him, finally letting himself cry.

 

Caught off guard, Chanyeol’s biscuits went flying and the fourth year scrambled to catch Jongin.

 

“Jongin?” Chanyeol called over the loud sobs. “Jongin what’s wrong?”

 

Jongin didn’t respond and clutched at Chanyeol’s robes as if he would lose himself if he let go.

 

“Jongin what’s wrong?” Chanyeol repeated, finally wrapping his arms around Jongin’s shoulders, concerned. Then he asked a question so natural that it killed Jongin inside. “Where’s Sehun? Let’s go find him.”

 

“No!” Jongin blurted, tears still streaming from his eyes as he looked at Chanyeol with desperation. “Don’t tell Sehun! Please!”

 

“Huh?” Chanyeol breathed in shock. “What do you mean don’t te–He cut himself off and then seemed to understand. “Oh.”

 

“Don’t tell Sehun,” Jongin repeated, a little softer this time. “Don’t tell him.”

 

“Okay,” Chanyeol agreed, hurrying to placate Jongin. “Okay, I won’t tell him.

 

With that promise, Jongin buried his face in Chanyeol’s robes and let it all out. Chanyeol didn’t let him go. Something in the back of Jongin’s head told him Chanyeol knew what this felt like.

 

-----

 

After some rest and a day of reporting he was sick, Jongin was able to go back out. Pretending like he was happy was a little easier now that he had had a full twenty-four hours to cope with his feelings.

 

Chanyeol kept his word and didn’t speak to anyone about Jongin’s breakdown. Sehun had approached him on Jongin’s sick day and asked how he was doing. Chanyeol took steps to keep Sehun away for the day, promising to take care of Jongin and make sure he ate and got rest. It satisfied Sehun and he went off to attend his own classes and hang out with his other friends.

 

When Jongin emerged, the first thing Sehun said to him felt too normal.

 

“Your hair is a mess,” he teased. Jongin hadn’t cared enough to fix his bedhead that morning. His hair stuck up in a million different directions and he still thought that the wind of a good broom ride would fix the worst of it.

 

“Oh, just leave my hair alone!” Jongin whined, keeping pace with the normalcy. “I have quidditch practice today anyway.”

 

Sehun heaved a dramatic sigh. “Just don’t fall off your broom, Mr. Seeker. As much as my house would love to not be in competition with you, I kind of like you being alive.”

 

That did make Jongin giggle.

 

“You going to go to Hogsmeade this weekend?” Sehun asked next. “We haven’t had a butterbeer in a while.”

 

“I know,” Jongin said, hiding a fond smile. “We’ve been busy. But if you want to get a butterbeer, I’m game.”

 

They ended up getting that butterbeer, but something still didn’t feel right. Jongin found the silence stretching between them too much and he feared he was being too obvious. His fears were confirmed when Sehun brought it up after staring at his half drank mug for a long time.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice soft. Jongin almost didn’t hear him over the loud chatter of The Three Broomsticks. Jongin raised his eyes to meet his. They were full of concern. “You haven’t been acting like yourself.”

 

Jongin looked away and muttered an apology.

 

“Is it because of me and Luhan?”

 

Jongin stiffened visibly, tipping Sehun off that he was right on the money.

 

“I knew it,” Sehun muttered. Then he reached across the table and placed a comforting hand on Jongin’s. “Just because Luhan and I are trying something out doesn’t mean you are any less my friend. I like Luhan, but I’m not going to abandon you.”

 

So, he didn’t quite have the right idea, but what Sehun was saying was still a comfort to Jongin. It was one of the branching thoughts he had had in the past week and it was good to know that it was unfounded.

 

“Thank you,” Jongin whispered. “You’re right. I’m being stupid.”

 

Sehun smiles at him and goes back to his butterbeer. “Yeah, you’re being stupid.”

 

Jongin stood up from his seat and reached across the table to grip the back of Sehun’s neck. It was a common occurrence between them, and Sehun usually scrunched up his neck to hide from Jongin right before laughing.

 

This time was different.

 

As soon as Jongin grabbed him, Sehun yelped in pain and backed away from the touch, holding a hand to the back of his neck protectively. Jongin retracted his hand immediately, both startled and concerned.

 

“What-“

 

“It’s nothing,” Sehun blurted, too fast for it to be a comfortable response. Jongin’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and he stood from his seat to come around to Sehun’s side. “It’s nothing,” Sehun repeated, a little weaker in conviction as Jongin grew closer.

 

Jongin wasn’t having it. He pried Sehun’s hand away from his neck and checked down his collar. Sehun sat far too still.

 

Jongin found bruises, big ones, and grew furious. For whatever reason, his first thought was of Luhan, even though the upperclassman had never given him any indication that he was violent.

 

“This wasn’t-“

 

“No!” Sehun hurried, knowing where Jongin’s thoughts were going. “He would never.”

 

“Then who?” Jongin questioned.

 

“Before I tell you, he didn’t hit me.”

 

“Sehun!” Jongin cried, his anger getting the better of him.

 

“It was Kyungsoo,” Sehun finally answered, wanting Jongin to shut up. “He was talking and I just wanted him to stop. He beat me in three seconds flat in a duel and his last spell knocked me into a wall.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jongin demanded. Sehun bit his lip and looked away.

 

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Sehun admitted. “And you were already down. I didn’t want to make you angry on top of being distressed.”

 

“You stood by me when he was picking on me, too,” Jongin reminded Sehun. “I think it’s fair that I return that favor. I can’t just let you get bullied.”

 

And he wasn’t going to. A plan was already forming in his head about his next plan of action. Kyungsoo’s magic was more advanced than his own. He couldn’t beat him with silly spells. It was time to try something new. Something beyond not only his year but Kyungsoo’s year as well.

 

“Jongin, no,” Sehun said, already seeing the gears in Jongin’s head turning. “Let the teachers deal with him. He’ll get caught eventually. Anyway, he, uh, almost looked apologetic when he knocked me into the wall.”

 

“No,” Jongin insisted. “Besides, if this works the way I want it to, you’ll stop laughing at my patronus.” Then he grabbed Sehun’s arm and yanked him out of The Three Broomsticks, dragging him into the nearest apothecary to grab some ingredients. Sehun had no idea what Jongin was up to, but he let himself be dragged along.

 

-----

 

Months later, Jongin still hadn’t completed what he had set out to do. He had messed up the process more than once and had to start over completely. The end of the school year was upon them now, and Jongin was just glad that nothing else had happened between Sehun and Kyungsoo again. In fact, Kyungsoo had been strangely quiet for the remainder of the year.

 

Jongin still caught Kyungsoo staring at him from across the Great Hall, but now Jongin understood. He was looking because he was curious. Jongin tried to believe that his Uncle Jae was right. He wanted to believe that Kyungsoo was a good person. He gave him every excuse in the book, shy, socially awkward, anything to explain why Kyungsoo kept approaching them only to insult them or give them backhanded comments that evolved into harassing statements.

 

“Will you tell me what you’re doing, yet?” Sehun whined for the millionth time. Luhan sat on his other side, finishing up his essay. He looked tired beyond anything Jongin had seen before. That was probably the O.W.L.s. Sehun had had a lot of alone time with Jongin lately because Luhan had been studying hard to pass his exams.

 

“Nope,” Jongin sighed, his fourth mandrake leaf sitting under his tongue. His last failure hadn’t been his fault. Mother nature had interfered. On a night he needed clear skies, it had been cloudy enough to hide the moon. “You should know what I’m doing already, Transfiguration Tutor Extraordinaire. But you would tell me not to if I admitted it. I’m hoping you don’t figure it out before we go home.”

 

“A few weeks,” Sehun grumbled. “You’ve been doing this for months.”

 

“And I either keep doing it wrong or I eventually progress,” Jongin said, repeating himself for the twentieth time.

 

“I’m sorry guys,” Luhan finally pipes in, rubbing the exhaustion from his face. “I’m going to go to the library to finish this. You’re a bit distracting.”

 

“Sorry,” Sehun apologizes, looking like his day was just ruined. “We’re still on for dinner, right?”

 

“Of course,” Luhan said, smiling at Sehun. He leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on the crown of Sehun’s head. “I’ll see you later.”

 

Then he was gone, and he took some of Jongin’s anxiety with him. While Sehun looked after Luhan’s retreating form, Jongin kept his eyes on the back of Sehun’s head, the mandrake leaf still sitting under his tongue.

 

That night, when he was getting ready for bed, Jongin picked up his comb and tried to smooth the nest in his hair. He thought of Sehun’s approval and tried to tell himself it would get his friend off his back. But he couldn’t deny for long that that wasn’t the reason he was doing it.

 

Growling to himself in frustration, Jongin tossed the brush down and ruffled his hair back up.

 

-----

 

The end of the year came quickly, and the night before their departure, Jongin had a dream. In it, he was upset, but he didn’t know why. Sehun stood before him, clear expressions of frustration and hurt. There was dialogue between them that Jongin couldn’t hear, but it didn’t seem to matter.

 

Then Sehun’s face changed to one of anger. Jongin had never seen him this angry before. He had made Sehun mad before, but not like this. This was different, and it changed his face so dramatically that Jongin almost couldn’t find his best friend in it anymore.

 

Jongin woke with a little start, his eyes snapping open to the night. His heart beat a little faster than usual, but he didn’t stir much.

 

It was a strange dream, but it didn’t seem like a dream.

 

-----

 

Jongin chooses not to mention the dream when he and Sehun took a seat in their train compartment. Instead, they discussed summer plans and how their year had gone. Jongin mentioned that his Transfiguration exam went well because of Sehun’s tutoring. Sehun returned the sentiment about his Potions final.

 

“Will you stop with the leaf thing?” Sehun complained

 

Jongin made a slurp around the leaf in his mouth just to annoy Sehun further. Sehun let out a shriek that sounded something like a battle cry and pounced on Jongin to try to pry his mouth open. Jongin laughed and kept his mouth firmly shut to protect its precious cargo. Sehun continued to struggle with him.

 

A loud bang came to the door of their compartment. It startled them from their play, making them both jump at the noise. When they looked up, there were words painted on the window of the door and a tall Slytherin retreating with a cackle. A moment later, Kyungsoo passed by, glancing at the word and seeming to snort before moving on.

 

Sehun read the words first and opened the door to wipe them away once the two Slytherins were gone.

 

“Scourgify,” Sehun muttered after taking out his wand. Jongin managed to read the words before they completely disappeared. He didn’t ask about them until Sehun was back in his seat, digging through his things to find his sweets.

 

“What’s a half-breed?” Jongin finally asked.

 

Sehun didn’t decline to answer, but he took a moment to formulate a response. He pulled out his chocolates and popped one in his mouth before he spoke.

 

“Someone with only one human parent,” he finally answered, mouth full of sweetness. “Or only one fully human parent. Depending on the tone used, it’s not a very nice word. Do you want a jelly slug?”

 

Jongin accepted the offer just so they could move on. Sehun didn’t seem to like the topic and Jongin didn’t want to bring up more if it made Sehun unhappy. But he was curious: why would someone put that term on their door?

 

-----

 

At the return from summer, Jongin no longer has the leaf in his mouth and he felt very accomplished. He’s also spent quite a bit of the summer brushing up on some spells beyond his year. Maybe he’ll stand more of a chance against Kyungsoo this year if it came to it.

 

But just because something went right this summer didn’t mean that this year was going to be easy. In fact, this year would be the hardest year yet.

 

Jongin woke up with constant headaches and images running through his head. He couldn’t process everything all at once and he took to consulting Professor Trelawney just to see if she knew anything. She had been the one person he ever told about his abilities and she had guided him through some exercises the prior year in attempting to call visions.

 

However, it seemed that his father had been correct that his gift was temperamental. When he didn’t want the distraction of the future, he got it. When he wanted to know things, it eluded him.

 

His teacher could not do anything for him. She called these periods of constant insight “Storms” and they would pass. But it seemed like they were trying to tell him something. Something was going to happen.

 

Jongin wasn’t getting much sleep. Quidditch became more of a chore than a joy, but he refused to drop it. He kept up with tutoring with Sehun. But even Sehun seemed busy these days and it made Jongin feel alone.

 

Sehun was discovering what he liked to do, and Jongin couldn’t stop him from doing it. Potions was only an aid, but he was starting to learn things from Madam Pomfrey and still more from Yixing. He hung out more with Baekhyun and seemed to gravitate towards the Hufflepuff tables these days.

 

Jongin still saw him, and they still hung out, but it was less frequent than in prior years. He still dragged Sehun to Hogsmeade for butterbeer every weekend to be sure they never got out of touch with each other. Luhan followed along on half of these trips, and Jongin left them be when it was clear they wanted alone time.

 

Sehun had shot up like a rocket in height over the summer. He was taller than Jongin now, but while Jongin was struggling with his gangly limbs, Sehun carried himself with the grace that he had always possessed. Jongin was jealous.

 

He would deny to everyone that watching Sehun walk sometimes gave him a . It wasn’t just uncomfortable, it was wrong. Sehun was his best friend, taken, and definitely not a piece of meat. Every time something happened, he willed it all away and prayed no one saw it.

 

Turned out, it might not have been his fault anyway.

 

It wasn’t until two months into the school year that everything changed. With one piece of information found in a textbook, Jongin connected the dots and his world began to fall apart.

 

-----

 

He felt betrayed. Four years of knowing Sehun and he never thought this part of his life was important to tell him. After escaping class, he made his way down to the Hufflepuff common room. It was not difficult to break in. Sehun always gave him the passwords and had taught him the rhythm of “Helga Hufflepuff” in first year.

 

No one seemed to bat an eye at a Gryffindor entering the Hufflepuff sanctuary (except perhaps first years). Jongin looked around and spotted Sehun with a book in front of the fireplace. He looked far too small for that overstuffed armchair, but he looked comfortable.

 

Jongin resisted the urge to run up to him. Instead, he approached his best friend with a terrifying calm.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded, crossing his arms as he stepped in front of his best friend.

 

“Tell you what?” Sehun questioned, turning another page in his book. “That your hair is a mess? Did you get turned down by a girl or something?” He snickered. Jongin didn’t find it very funny and being ignored didn’t sit well with Jongin either. Not when it came to this.

 

“Oh, come on,” Jongin growled. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

 

Sehun looked up at Jongin then, the smile slipping from his face. They shared a look, having a conversation with their eyes that only they could understand. Finally, Sehun sighed and closed his book. When he got up, he grabbed Jongin by the wrist and hauled him out of the Hufflepuff common room. This conversation didn’t need to be heard by everyone. As upset as Jongin was, he respected Sehun enough to give him the privacy he wanted.

 

Sehun dragged him up from the dungeons and over to a less traveled corner of the castle where they could be alone to talk. When Sehun stopped, he let go of Jongin and turned to face him, a window the only thing illuminating Sehun’s ing perfect skin.

 

“So, you’ve finally figured it out?” Sehun asked.

 

“Yeah,” Jongin answered, hands at his side, clenched with his anger. He would never hit Sehun over this, it was just a place for his negative energy to go; clenching and unclenching to work his muscles. “And I want to know why you never told me!”

 

“I want to hear what you have figured out, first,” Sehun interrupted. “I want to be sure we’re on the same page.”

 

Jongin let out a growl of frustration and fished his textbook out of his bag. He opened it up to the very page he had been looking at when he realized the truth. He pointed to the page where an image of a very pretty woman stood, smiling up at him. The subject at the top of the page read, “Veela” and all the indicators and descriptions of a veela fit too much to not be his best friend.

 

Sehun didn’t need to lean in to see what was written on the page. He only waited patiently for Jongin to say it himself.

 

“You’re a veela,” Jongin finally hissed.

 

“Half veela,” Sehun corrected. “You surprised me with your ignorance last summer. I thought for sure you would have sent me an owl two days after getting off the train. Your cousin certainly knew before you did.”

 

“You forget that he was brought up engulfed in the magical world,” Jongin retorts. “I was not. I don’t know anything about creatures I have not studied.”

 

Sehun snorted. “You know everything there is to know about potions and yet you are oblivious to everything else.”

 

“I’m not in the mood to be teased, Sehun,” Jongin said, shutting down Sehun’s attempts to lighten the mood. Sehun looks rightfully scolded. “Now answer my question. Why. Didn’t. You. Tell. Me.”

 

“I was advised not to,” Sehun answered, voice so soft Jongin almost couldn’t hear it.

 

“By who?” Jongin prodded.

 

“My mother,” Sehun admitted, standing a little taller. “Tell me what your book said about veela. Tell me what it said about the effects they have on other people.”

 

“They appear to be beautiful humans,” Jongin began, pulling details from his book. “Men flock to them as a result. White-gold hair, skin that appears to shine like the moon.”

 

“Graceful and beautiful,” Sehun continues, sounding as if he were about to recite a mantra that had been drilled into him his whole life. “They seduce humans and cause them to do strange things to get closer to the veela. Never anger one. If you do, their beauty fades in an instant as they become like harpies with scaly wings and birdlike faces. They toss fire from their hands when this angry as well.”

 

Jongin nodded.

 

“I have known all of that for as long as I can remember,” Sehun told Jongin. “I have known that, while not pure veela, I still retained some of the images and abilities of one. My mother made me self-conscious of it but wanted me to embrace it. It’s part of my heritage and a very large part of who I am. My mother advised me not to tell you because she thought it would be better for our friendship to not. I wanted to tell you. If you had asked sooner, I would have told you everything you wished to know. But you never did. So, I kept quiet.”

 

“How was I supposed to know anything, Sehun?” Jongin questioned, irritation clear in his voice.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sehun responds, shrinking into himself.

 

“Sorry isn’t good enough!” Jongin bursts. Why was he so angry? Sehun didn’t owe him an explanation for this. But why was he demanding one? It was all just coming out and he couldn’t stop himself. “I’m your best friend! I have been for four years! You should have told me!”

 

Something about the combination of words and emotion Jongin was letting out caused something to snap in Sehun. Jongin noticed the change immediately and it startled him. Sehun clenched his jaw and tried to will away the anger building in him. But it refused to be quelled.

 

His teeth sharpened to points and the shape of his pupils change from circles to slits. Even the color of his eyes changed to a bright, sickly yellow. He stood taller, pulling his height up to stand toe to toe with Jongin.

 

So, that dream before summer last year had been a vision after all.

 

“You know what?” Sehun hissed. He stabbed an angry finger to Jongin’s chest. “What’s it any of your business?”

 

Jongin gulped, regretting all his anger.

 

“Best friend or not, you deserve to know only what I want you to know,” Sehun growled.

 

He was terrifying like this and Jongin fought the urge to tremble under that fierce gaze.

 

“My mother was right,” Sehun commented, retracting his finger from Jongin. “It was better when you didn’t know.”

 

Then he backed away from Jongin, giving him room to breathe. The anger seemed to leave Sehun as quickly as it had arrived, returning his teeth to normal and his eyes back to their usual color. Now he just looked sad.

 

“I thought you cared about who I was, not what I was.”

 

Jongin blinked and Sehun was already running off down the hall. Jongin didn’t have the courage to follow him and apologize.

 

-----

 

The storms returned a little worse after that fight.

 

Jongin couldn’t even think in his next class and had to be asked to be excused when a variety of images passed his eyes. When asked what was wrong, Jongin cited a bad headache. The professor let him go and Jongin made his way to Trelawney’s office.

 

“I can’t help you,” she said upon seeing him. “Have they gotten worse?”

 

“A bit,” Jongin admitted, sitting down on a trunk next to her desk. “I had a fight with my best friend and suddenly they doubled.”

 

“Ah, that would be why,” she hummed. “A stressful event can make them worse. Have you tried the mind exercises I gave you?”

 

“I have,” Jongin answered. He was actually running through some of them right now, slowing his thoughts and thinking of clear spaces. They helped a little, but the headache remained a dull throbbing pain in the back of his head. “They’re not doing enough.”

 

“Have you considered telling anyone of your gift, my boy?” she asked. “You’ve kept it a secret for a long time. Perhaps-“

 

“I’m not ready for that,” Jongin interrupted. He looked away when the pain flared again. Even the thought of revealing his gift gave him anxiety. “I want to tell someone, too. I want to have someone to talk to about it. But I’m scared. You yourself have said Seers are both revered and feared. I don’t want that kind of attention; good or bad.”

 

“Then your best bet is to wait out the storm and make up with Mr. Oh,” she advised. “Then I suggest you try using your gift more if you are able.”

 

“It doesn’t want to come when called,” Jongin protested. “Then it starts whenever it feels like it.”

 

“While I can’t promise that it will stop doing as such,” Professor Trelawney said, “I can promise that if you practice, you will have some measure of control over it someday. It may take a long time, and you may not learn in your time here, but you will learn. So, any amount of using it and practicing with it will he of help to you.”

 

Jongin lowered his head and nodded – a movement which caused his head to spin – before thanking her and turning towards the door. She stopped him before he left.

 

“I would also recommend you reconsider finding someone you can talk to about it that is closer to you,” she said. “It helps to have someone who understands and can be a pillar of support.”

 

Jongin didn’t say anything to that. The only person that came to mind was Sehun, but Jongin just wasn’t ready. He didn’t even know where to begin. He didn’t have the words, yet. It didn’t matter how much he wanted to tell Sehun. He just couldn’t bring himself to say it, and the guilt of not trusting his best friend with that knowledge weighed heavy on his chest.

 

-----

 

Jongin and Sehun moped about for weeks after the fight. Jongin’s usually raging appetite was gone and he had no desire to do more than attend his classes and sleep off the last of his storm. Sehun didn’t appear to be faring any better. He ate, but only because Baekhyun and Yixing forced him to every day.

 

Baekhyun sometimes looked over his shoulder at Jongin to fix him with a glare. Jongin agreed that he deserved every single one. But Jongin didn’t make any moves to fix it. For a Gryffindor, he was a damn coward when it came to anything and everything Sehun. Chanyeol urged Jongin to apologize and put the incident behind them, but Jongin didn’t know how.

 

It isn’t until he finds himself in front of Kyungsoo again, cornered, that Jongin realized just how badly he missed Sehun. Last time he was in this situation, Sehun came to his defense without question and landed on his right next to him. Now, he felt alone.

 

“Lost that half-breed?” Kyungsoo asked, a smirk on his face.

 

“Don’t call him that,” Jongin growled, fingers itching to pull out his wand. But his Uncle Jae had asked him to not engage.

 

“What?” Kyungsoo questioned. “It’s what he is. You on the other hand, are at least fully human. You don’t need him, right? Otherwise you would have straightened things out.”

 

But Jongin did need him. He needed everything to do with Sehun. He hated not having it on demand like he used to. It sent him into a state of shutdown, looking at the floor while Kyungsoo spouted nonsense. He was ashamed of himself. He almost didn’t notice when someone in Hufflepuff robes stepped between them.

 

Jongin’s head snapped up, praying it was Sehun. But the hope died as soon as he saw a head of brown hair.

 

“Picking on littles again, Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun questioned. “Better bugger off before I report you to your Head of House.”

 

Kyungsoo laughed and took a few steps back. “Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

 

Baekhyun smiled back at him. “You like me,” Baekhyun teased. “I keep you from making yourself look like more of a goblin than you already do.”

 

Kyungsoo made a face and his heels. Baekhyun and Jongin watched him go and Baekhyun called after him something about seeing him in choir practice. Kyungsoo waved him off.

 

When he was gone, Baekhyun’s attention turned to Jongin. He didn’t look happy at all. Jongin didn’t blame him.

 

“I should hex you right now for what you’re doing to Sehun,” he growled. Jongin’s gaze returned to his feet, letting the guilt eat at his insides. “Kyungsoo is right about one thing: if you care as much as you seem to, you’ll fix it. Come on, Jongin. You know him better than anyone. You can apologize to him.”

 

“Will he even listen if I do apologize?” Jongin questioned. “I don’t even know why I reacted the way I did.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes seemed to soften at that and he took Jongin over to a bench to have a talk with him.

 

“It’s been clear to everyone but Sehun for a long time that you have feelings for him,” Baekhyun said, finally putting Jongin’s secret into the air. Jongin stiffened and looked at Baekhyun with wide eyes, scared. Baekhyun continued, not letting Jongin have the chance to run from this conversation. “You found out something very important about him. Some of the anger you felt was from being kept in the dark for so long. But sometimes anger comes from being uncertain as well, doesn’t it?”

 

“I don’t understand,” Jongin breathed, his brow creasing in thought.

 

“Hm, let me try to explain,” Baekhyun hummed. Then he pointed to himself with a small smile. “I am one sixteenth veela. It’s this similarity that Sehun and I became friends over. I’m not nearly as close to original veela as Sehun is, but I still encounter some of the same problems he will. When I tell someone, I can see them running over the information in their head. They start to doubt what they feel and that frustrates them. Did they like me for me? Did they like me because somewhere in my genes lives a seductive magic? It frightens them and makes them feel like a trick was played on them.”

 

“So, I was questioning my feelings when I got angry?” Jongin asked. He hadn’t really thought about it until now, but yeah, he wasn’t certain what he felt for Sehun anymore. He still wanted to be his friend and wanted to apologize more than anything, but was his wanting to kiss and hold Sehun real?

 

“I can see you doing it right now,” Baekhyun pointed out. “Don’t think so hard about it. Right now, those feelings aren’t important. They can’t do anything for you if you don’t fix what’s wrong between you now. Right now, do you want your best friend back?”

 

“Yes!” Jongin blurted immediately.

 

“Then find a way to apologize,” Baekhyun reiterated. “He’s been waiting for you to do something. Anything at all. You know that as long as you’re sincere, he’ll take you back in a heartbeat.”

 

It took a moment, but Jongin gave Baekhyun a slow nod. An apology was long overdue. But he still didn’t move just yet.

 

“What do you mean everyone knows?” he asked. “Everyone but Sehun.”

 

“Sehun is oblivious to the feelings of others,” Baekhyun snorted. “And to an extent, you are pretty oblivious, too. But it’s plainer than day to everyone else. Most of us aren’t as dense.”

 

Jongin’s thoughts seemed to drift to Chanyeol for a moment. “’Most of us’?”

 

Baekhyun smiled, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Some of us are biding our time. Some of us are waiting for the right moment. Sometimes I like to believe that is what you are doing when you dance around Sehun the way you do.”

 

Jongin flushed and looked away.

 

-----

 

Jongin started slow. He wasn’t quite so brave as being a Gryffindor made him believe he should be. He feared losing Sehun for good. So, when he started to move towards putting the situation behind him, he bought Sehun’s favorite chocolates.

 

He bought a few packs of the noise producing chocolates, because he knew one pack wouldn’t be enough. But he snuck into the Hufflepuff dorm when he’s sure Sehun is out to place the first one. He just wanted to soften him up a tad. Enough to make him fight a smile, but never enough to fix this on its own.

 

Later, he found Sehun giggling with a bunch of his friends while making elephant noises. Jongin kept his happiness hidden, but he couldn’t deny how good it felt to see that smile again. It was a nice incentive to keep it going.

 

His next attempt to bridge the gap between them was more forward.

 

He waited a few days to be sure Sehun ran out of chocolates. But when he was ready, he sent Sehun his owl with a small parcel and a message. Jongin watched as North made the short journey to the other end of the hall to land on Sehun’s shoulder.

 

Sehun was startled by the arrival of an owl, but he seems to recognize her immediately and smiled. He scratched North’s feathers fondly before accepting the parcel. Then he sent the bird back, his eyes following her until she landed in front of Jongin, awaiting her praise. Jongin fed her a little chicken off his plate as a reward.

 

Sehun left the hall then. Jongin could only hope that Sehun read the note and agreed to meet him.

 

-----

 

Jongin had a table at the Three Broomsticks already. He ordered two butterbeers and has a bunch of Sehun’s favorite sweets. But that wasn’t the apology. This was just incentive for Sehun to show up and listen to him. So far, Jongin was halfway through his butterbeer, and Sehun hadn’t shown up.

 

But he waited, staring at the second mug cross the table from him. Sehun could be petty sometimes, but Jongin didn’t typically think it was over things like this. Sehun would show up for sure. Jongin just had to