Kyungsoo startled awake. His bed was shaking, and he could hear loud bangs all around him.

“Earthquake!” he yelled, jumping out of bed, scared less. Cold water ran down the length of his spine as he hoped this wasn't the start of WWWIX, the 9^th Wizarding World War.

His roommates all burst out laughing. He rubbed his eyes, trying to find his bearings. It wasn't an earthquake. Somebody had launched a firecracker charm under his bed, a combination of all kinds of beautiful colors continuously exploding beneath it. Someone had pranked him, and that someone had to be a Slytherin, since no one else was allowed into their dorm. He looked around the room, suspicious of everyone. Was this what it was going to be like from now on? In a few short days he had managed to fall to the very bottom of the school's totem pole. He was at the same level as grass in the food chain, everyone either walked all over him or wanted to have him for dinner. It was a scary thought.

He skipped breakfast, instead spending the entire morning cleverly avoiding the army of Howlers that were after him. If they all opened at the same time, he would probably get permanent hearing damage. He cursed Sehun under his breath. If not for him, he wouldn't be in this mess. He had even gone to the library searching for anything that could possibly turn back time, but everything on time tampering was in the restricted part of the library, to which he didn't have access.

Carrying a huge, solid rock in his gut, he entered the Potions classroom. He wanted to be anywhere but there. Sehun cheerfully waved him over to their desk in the back of the class. Ugh. That idiot. He was his same upbeat self, not affected at all by the disaster he had caused. Kyungsoo kept his head down, purposefully avoiding eye contact with everyone, especially a certain someone. Just thinking about him and what they had done to him made his confidence falter. There was no way he could face him.

Kyungsoo, who had insisted that Sehun's rotten rag of misfortune stayed locked up in his bag, made his own, crackling new textbook into a protective wall, hiding behind it as professor Kim lectured them on Potion safety.

“Psst. Kyungsoo.” Sehun whispered.

“What?” he hissed at him. He was busy taking notes behind his book, he did not want to make any more mistakes.

“Look.” Sehun pointed at something in the front of the class. Before Kyungsoo could stop himself, he looked. It was like a reflex. If someone points at something, you instinctively look in the direction they are pointing. His stomach churned. Jongin was looking right at him, all gooey eyed. Poor guy. What had they done to him. Normally, a guy like that would never even think about giving a lowly guy like him the time of day, let alone watch him like a hawk for the entirety of the class.

Usually, not paying attention in class would result in a hefty deduction of points from your house and land you in detention, but clearly Jongin was the exception. He wondered whether he was being given special treatment because of his condition, or because he was Jongin, the golden Seeker.

Their eyes met. Jongin's face lit up, he was so happy to have caught his attention. Kyungsoo tore his eyes away, going back into hiding. He tried to ignore the loud pounding of his heart, but it was difficult since he could barely hear the teacher over the incessant banging. He punched Sehun in the arm as punishment.

“Ouch.” Sehun frowned like he had been gravely wronged, rubbing the spot where he punched him.

Suho, who had of course had one eye on Sehun the entire time, came running to him with a worried expression. “Are you okay?” he massaged his arm. Sehun was not hating on it, pretending it was a more severe injury than it actually was, just so Suho would continue to massage him. A big, goofy grin was stuck to his lips. Ugh. Kyungsoo looked away. He got a pang of guilt for allowing this to go on. By not saying anything, he had become an accomplice. But he was worried that if he said something, that it would be the grain to tip the scale and he would be expelled. He had nowhere else to go. And so he kept his mouth shut.

“Oh, this is for you.” Suho passed Kyungsoo a tiny, folded note before he scurried off back to his seat. Luckily, the professor was so engrossed in what he was writing on the blackboard, he didn't notice anything.

Kyungsoo unfolded the note. There were several folds, undoing the eighth one revealed a line of very neatly handwritten text.

'You're cute. Have lunch with me. - Jongin'

Kyungsoo snorted. Jongin was definitely not the next Shakespeare, that much was for sure. But why were his cheeks suddenly on fire? Maybe it was just warm in here, most of the students had already lit the fire under their cauldrons. Kyungsoo put his hands on his cheeks, trying to cool them down. The school should really invest in a proper air conditioning system.

In order to avoid Jongin, and everyone else, Kyungsoo pretended to take forever to clean up. It wasn't really a hard sell, since Sehun was a professional spiller. Literally everything he touched, he spilled. It was a hidden talent. But at this moment in time, it actually came in handy. All the students had left before them, even Jongin, who had tried to wait for him but since he had already finished everything, the professor had kicked him out. Thankfully.

“So what's the deal with you and Suho?” Kyungsoo dared, making use of the rare opportunity to corner Sehun when nobody was around. He had the tendency to run away when he asked about Suho.

“I'm letting him woo me.” Sehun giggled, accidentally knocking over a vial of diluted Hyssopus officinalis, the purple liquid forming a blob on the table. They had been making a remedy for wizard's cough, which often followed as a side effect when a spell misfired or wasn't properly executed. It was probably a not so subtle reminder from the teacher to be careful when practicing magic.

“You know it's just the effect of the love potion. Once it wears off, he's not going to want you anymore.” Kyungsoo told him in earnest. It was no different than with Jongin.

“You don't know that. He might like me for reals. He probably does, what's not to like?” Sehun snorted so hard that his eyes started watering. “Besides, what makes him happy right now is letting him be good to me. Is that so wrong? I'm just making someone happy.” he smiled a crooked angel smile, but Kyungsoo thought he looked more like a demon disguised as an angel. But Sehun wasn't completely wrong. There wasn't really anything they could do for Suho, except try and make him as comfortable as they could until the effects wore off. Since neither of them was willing to take him to the hospital, they at least owed him that. And what made him comfortable was being around Sehun. What a scary thought, he wasn't sure he wanted to live in a world where Sehun's logic held up.

That also meant that the same applied to Jongin. Kyungsoo's stomach twisted into a squished pretzel, threatening to expel its nonexistent content. No. No way. He was not going to let Jongin dote on him, waiting on him hand and foot, like Suho did Sehun. He was pretty sure his fan club would declare it hunting season, giving out a trophy to the one who managed to mount his head on their wall. But his gut suggested that wasn't the only reason he didn't want to. He ignored it.

When Kyungsoo and Sehun exited the classroom door, they ran straight into Jongin and Suho, who apparently had been waiting for them halfway through lunch.

“Did you get my note?” Jongin beamed with anticipation. Kyungsoo almost pitied the girl who would end up dating him for real. The force of his affection was almost tangible and completely overwhelming. He felt as if he needed to start wearing a shield for protection, an impenetrable force field, keeping Jongin's conjured up feelings at bay. His heart sensed grave danger up ahead.

“Yeah. The answer is no.” Kyungsoo said as dryly as he could. It was best to draw a clear line, to not lead him on. He wished he would hurry up and get better already. This was starting to get way beyond unbearable.

“Let me take you on a date, please?” Jongin pleaded, blinking his overly cute puppy eyes. Kyungsoo clenched his teeth. “Pretty please.” he added, sending him a flirty wink.

“No.” Kyungsoo said, careful to maintain an expressionless face.

And thus began the tornado of noes. Jongin was relentless, ambushing him anywhere and everywhere. His answer was always a stoic no. Jongin was waiting for him every morning in front of the Slytherin wing, no matter how early he tried to sneak out, wanting to him to class.

No.

He was waiting for him after every class, repeatedly asking him out on a date.

No.

He even popped up when he was exiting the bathroom, like he had some sort of a sixth sense, or had a whole squad of students spying on him, reporting his location to him. He wanted him to be his boyfriend, causing passing students to look at him with piercing envy in their eyes.

No.

It was insufferable. Everywhere he went, there was Jongin's gorgeous face with hope in his eyes, looking at him like he had just won the lottery. Kyungsoo couldn't take this much longer.

And on top of everything, Jongin's fan club was full on targeting him, like a hive of bullies. He had been pranked by every trick in the book, and some he had never even heard of before.

Kyungsoo turned the corner and saw Chanyeol, Sehun's big brother, grab the back of a student's robe, lifting him up so he couldn't flee. He kept running even though his feet couldn't reach the ground anymore, accomplishing nothing but being the world's worst air conditioner, barely getting the air moving.

“I caught you red handed! What spell did you do? You are so busted.” Chanyeol scolded the student. Kyungsoo couldn't see who it was, since his back was turned towards him, but it was a Gryffindor. Jongin had supporters in every house.

The guy just shrugged, giggling.

“Baekhyun! You might as well tell me, you're already grounded.” Chanyeol growled in frustration. Baekhyun. The school's most infamous prankster.

“Oh, not you too. Don't tell me you're a Golden Snitch too?” Chanyeol let out a heavy sigh of disbelief. Jongin's fan club called themselves the Golden Snitches, hoping to get caught by Jongin the Seeker or something silly like that.

Something white and shimmering caught Kyungsoo's eye, he turned all the way around the corner to get a better look at it. It was a tiny little puppy. A white, glowing puppy that was adorably its paw. It looked magical, almost like a patronus, but not many wizards could conjure up a patronus just like that, especially not such an exquisite one, it had to be an especially powerful wizard.

Kyungsoo bent down to examine it, but the moment the puppy noticed him, there popped out two additional heads out of its neck, and in under a second they had grown bigger and taller, towering over him, growling menacingly, white, shimmering mist coming out of all three of their toothy mouths. Kyungsoo just stood there, frozen in terror. He had never seen anything like it.

“Make it back off.” Chanyeol shouted and Baekhyun waved his wand, the overgrown super puppy disappeared into thin air.

“Your patronus is a Cerberus? Seriously? And I've never seen a patronus do anything like that?” Chanyeol stared blankly at Baekhyun, who chuckled cockily.

“I made some adjustments...” Baekhyun sneered, turning his head towards Kyungsoo, sticking out his tongue at him.

“That's it! Principal's office for you, mister!” Chanyeol stormed off with the delinquent, after tying him up with a rope charm, using his wand to drag him along, floating in mid-air. Baekhyun was still laughing.

Kyungsoo walked down the corridor in a daze, not even remembering where he had been heading in the first place.

Then it finally happened. The day Kyungsoo had been waiting for. One morning he exited the dorm and there was no one there. Kyungsoo's heart jerked in surprise, looking behind every statue, asking all the paintings, but no one had seen him. He was nowhere to be found. Huh. Instead of the anticipated feeling of relief, Kyungsoo felt weirdly unsettled, like there was something missing. He had probably just gotten accustomed to the madness of having Jongin stalk him every second of every day. It was good that he wasn't here, he told himself. It hopefully meant he had finally gotten better. That was good. It was for the best.

Deep in thought, wallowing in self pity, Kyungsoo headed for the entrance hall to avoid the breakfast rush on his way to class. He had lost so much weight lately that he almost looked like a kid wearing his dad's robe, playing dress up.

“KYUNGSOO, THE CUTEST!!!!!” a choir of voices yelled at the top of their lungs, nearly giving Kyungsoo a heart attack. He looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. And they only grew wider. There was a group of probably a hundred students or more gathered in the entrance hall, every single one of them staring at him with anticipation.

Then, very suddenly but in a strangely coordinated fashion, the crowd parted, making a walkway in the middle. And then they started singing. It was some sappy love song. What was going on?

Oh no.

Jongin appeared at the other end, walking towards him through the crowd, like a superstar on the red carpet, wearing his best, most vibrantly colored robes, looking like a million bucks, holding flowers and a big, heart-shaped box. Kyungsoo took a wild guess that they were chocolates. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it only grew bigger. He couldn't catch his breath. He panicked and ran away before Jongin even reached him.

He ran and he ran, not stopping until he was in a part of the castle he had never been before. It looked less maintained than the rest, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. He got the feeling he wasn't supposed to be there. His heart was still racing. It was all fake, he told himself. Jongin didn't have a crush on him, it was just the potion. It would all blow over. Soon.

But not soon enough.

He wandered along the hall, not recognizing anything, having no idea how to get back. All the doors looked rundown and uninviting. This place gave him the chills. Without warning, Kyungsoo felt something pull on the back of his robe and he was catapulted backwards, into the wall.

Everything was dark.

“He... hello?” Kyungsoo's voice was shaking something awful.

“It's me.” the tip of a wand lit up Jongin's handsome face. He looked even better in the dim light, the shadows emphasizing his majestic cheek bones. Kyungsoo was painfully aware of how close they were standing in this tiny tunnel. It had to be some kind of a secret passage. How had Jongin known about it? How had he known he was here? Kyungsoo didn't even know where 'here' was. Had he followed him?

“Ehe.. sooo... was it too much? It was too much, wasn't it?” Jongin crinkled his nose, biting his lower lip.

“Way. Waaay.” Kyungsoo nodded.

“Ahh, I knew it. Sorry. I just wanted to get your attention.” he grinned sheepishly. Kyungsoo wasn't sure if it was the lighting, or if Jongin's cheeks were reddening.

“You've got to stop this.” Kyungsoo sighed. “Didn't they tell you, I accidentally poisoned you with a love potion. That's why you're feeling what you're feeling.”.

“I know. But you're wrong. My feelings are real.” Jongin stubbornly insisted.

“No. That's exactly it. They are not real. No matter how strong you feel it, it's fake, it's the potion making you feel this way.” Kyungsoo quietly explained.

“I know myself. I can feel it. You are the one.” his eyes sparkled in the dim wand-light. Kyungsoo couldn't stop his insides from melting into a puddle. How annoying. It was like arguing with a wall.

“What do I have to do for you to stop this?” he asked him. He was getting desperate.

“Come to my quidditch match. It's Hufflepuff against Slytherin, so you kind of have to go anyways.” Jongin immediately replied, as if he had the answer prepared.

“I don't really like quidditch, though.” Kyungsoo frowned at the thought of having to suffer through an entire match. Those could go on forever.

Jongin gasped in shock. “How can anyone not like quidditch?!?” he looked at him appalled.

“See! We have nothing in common. You have no reason to like me. We are definitely not a match made in heaven, more like, made in a dirty cauldron by me and an idiot.” Kyungsoo snorted, glad he could come up with a solid argument against his advances. But it was no use. Jongin just looked at him, unconvinced.

“Fine, so if I come to the match, you will stop following me everywhere and leave me alone?” he gave in.

“Oh, one more thing.” Jongin added, a sly smile sneaking onto his lips.

“What?” Kyungsoo asked skeptically.

“You have to sit on the Hufflepuff side and cheer for me.” he beamed.

“Are you trying to get me killed?!?” Kyungsoo exclaimed, horrified. The Hufflepuffs all hated him already, so he was not too excited about surrounding himself with them, and now the Slytherins would hate him too, branding him a traitor.

“Take it or leave it.” Jongin shrugged, making light of his predicament.

“You promise to leave me alone after that?” he peered his eyes at him, trying to figure out if he could be trusted. After all, he was drugged.

“I promise I won't stalk you anymore.” he offered his little finger for a pinky promise.

“Okay, fine.” Kyungsoo gave up and they pinky promised, with a thumb-stamp for extra effect.

“What was that??” Jongin said in a slightly more high-pitched voice than normal, jumping into his arms. He knocked the wind out of Kyungsoo.

“Are you sure you're not just making this up to get an excuse to hug me?” he didn't buy his damsel in distress act for half a second.

“No! Really! There was someone there!! I'm positive.” Jongin looked genuinely concerned. Kyungsoo wasn't sure what to believe. This part of the castle was pretty deserted.

“But you'll definitely come?” Jongin slowly released him from his clutches.

“Yeah.. yeah...” Kyungsoo sighed.