Sungkyu couldn't sleep that night. He kept going back to that moment when he had turned around and run off like the biggest coward in existence. Just when he'd found a group of people he wanted to get closer to, he betrayed them. It felt like a huge betrayal of their trust to leave them alone for his own safety and he just couldn't figure out what had gone through his mind, standing in that hallway.

The morning in the great hall made everything worse. Aside from the fact that a new student had been petrified, the school had found a new topic to gossip about.

Over night, all four houses had lost points.

What followed was a wave of rumours that ended up closer to reality than Sungkyu had wished for. It all started with Malfoy telling everyone that Hoya had not been in the dorms until very late; from there it was all a matter of maths and connections to figure out that first years Lee Sungjong and Kim Myungsoo, second years Nam Woohyun and Lee Sungyeol and third year Jang Dongwoo had not been in bed either.

Now, most of this wasn't too surprising – Woohyun and Sungyeol were the notorious fake Weasley twins, Myungsoo spent a lot of time with both Sungjong and Sungyeol and Dongwoo was friends with everyone anyways.

Hoya was the odd figure in this calculation.

The result was that when he entered the Great Hall that morning, all eyes fell on him. A couple of Slytherins booed while others laughed at him or simply shuffled away when he sat down. Sungkyu was frozen in his place, both angry and guilty that the boy had once again ended up where he'd started – shunned by his own housemates who were supposed to be his second family.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

All day long, Sungkyu saw the results of this revelation and it gnawed on him that he didn't do anything. He had run away yesterday and that had saved him from ending up like Hoya, yet still he regretted it because he couldn't look any of the boys in the eye now. Not Dongwoo when they sat together in potions and not Woohyun when they ran into each other in the hallway. He even hid behind a corner when he saw Myungsoo and Sungjong pass by, too afraid of what they would say to him, how they would look back at him.

Directly after class, he returned to the Slytherin common room – the only safe place for him. In his imagination at least.

He hadn't expected Hoya to show up here because of the rumours and the way he'd been treated but when Sungkyu stepped through the entrance, he heard bellowing laughter and found Hoya in the middle of the room. His wand was raised and he scowled at Flint and Malfoy as well as Crabbe and Goyle, all of whom smirked back.

„...but with such parents..." Hoya twitched.

„My parents have nothing to do with this!" Malfoy rolled his eyes and Flint flicked his wand. Hoya's feet lost grip of the ground and he slammed on his bum, crying out loud. His wand slipped from his hand into Flint's.

„Can't even hold his wand properly but what to expect from one with a mudblood mother?" Sungkyu's fist trembled. „Oh look, is he crying now?"

„Give me back my wand!" Hoya yelled. „Give it back and fight me!"

Flint mimicked his voice with in a squeaky tone. „Aww, such a brave little one," he mocked. „Shouldn't you be in Gryffindor maybe? Where dwell the brave and all that " He rolled his eyes and the crowd howled in laughter.

„Gryffindor's are brave!" Hoya yelled and sat up. „They're brave and much more loyal – all of you are just brats who can't stand behind your friends!" The words shot through Sungkyu's heart. It felt as if they were directed at him for running away the day before... for being too much of a coward to stand up for Hoya now... for his friend...

„Pfft. Brave." Flint spat into Hoya's face. „They're just nosy idiots who have to bother everyone with their useless idea of kindness. As if that ever works."

„It does." Sungkyu stepped into the light and set his books on one of the tables to have free hands.

Hoya raised his head, a thankful beam on his face. It gave Sungkyu strength to step before him and glare at Flint.