It was cold. It was dark. It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when the Na Manor was warm and bright. But it was when the manor was a home instead of a prison for Jaemin. He was used to the darkness now. It was as if that flash of green light snatched away all the warmth from his life and left him in the freezing cold.

 

Jaemin stares at the garden through his window. It was so...green. He hated the colour. It was hideous but he was stuck with it for life. That’s what happens when you’re a Slytherin and your entire generation of family were too. The need to brag about being in the best house of Hogwarts is in every corner of this place.

 

“Master Jaemin.” His house elf Nelly croaked, bowing as she appeared with a loud crack in his room. “The Master has asked that you join him for dinner.”

 

“Tell him I don’t want to.” Jaemin replied.

 

“Master insists as Master Jaemin will be leaving tomorrow for school.” Nelly said nervously.

 

“Tell him he can shove off with his pretension of caring about me.” Jaemin rolled his eyes. “You can leave Nelly.” Jaemin ordered before the elf could protest.

 

Jaemin didn’t look as the elf disapparated from his room. He glanced at the letter on his lap which had arrived two hours ago. Renjun had been sending him mail once every three days or more if Jaemin sent back his owl on time. It was usually just him going on about how his day went and even though most of it was just repetition he was thankful that Renjun was trying to distract him instead of forcing him to face what’s been happening.

 

Jaemin stared outside his window again looking at the garden.

 

Green was indeed a hideous colour.

*

Jeno looks up from his Charms book, frowning when the train stops. He looks out the window and sees only plain fields out the window. It was still daytime. He looks at Mark and sees the boy was looking outside confused. Mark looks at him and nods. They both get up, wands out and were about to leave their compartment when the train starts moving again.

 

“Stay here. Let me go and check it.”

 

Jeno nods and waits for Mark as he leaves the compartment. It was probably the death eaters who stopped the train for whatever reason. Or perhaps there was no reason. Maybe they just felt like showing off their authority to the students.

 

Not that they needed to. Everyone’s been reading the Daily Prophet and how they are rounding up muggle borns to question their ‘legitimacy’ of being part of the wizarding world. It was ridiculous but protesting against this in public would probably earn you a death sentence. That would be kindness compared to Azkaban.

 

Times like these are when Jeno was grateful his mother wasn't alive. He didn’t think he could stay quiet if the ministry barged into his house and dragged his mother solely because she was a muggleborn.

 

The compartment door slides open and Mark marches in. Jeno watches as the new seventh year gryffindor prefect walks away.

 

“Death Eaters.” Mark spits out. “They stopped the train and checked the Gryffindor compartment. What did they think? That Harry Potter would just march in and go to Hogwarts knowing that it’s being controlled by You-Know-Who?”

 

“They’re not the smartest bunch. You know that Mark.” Jeno scoffs. “They probably thought they were doing something but they’re just fools. We all know he won’t be coming to school this year.”

 

No they all knew that he wouldn’t. Jeno looks out the window, to the rolling green hills they were passing through and wonders if he’d ever feel like he wasn’t walking to a black hole of death every time he left his house.

*

Renjun stuck by Jaemin’s side the entire time they were on the train. He barged inside the Slytherin compartment and glared at anyone who tried to tell him that he didn’t belong there. Jaemin stayed silent, smirking a bit as he watched everyone who tried to approach them scuttle away because of Renjun.

 

Many always found it weird how Renjun and Jaemin were best friends even though they were in separate houses. It was unusual to have friends who were in different houses specially when one was in Slytherin, the most hated house. But not for Renjun and Jaemin who were best friends ever since they were four.

 

They had to seperate once they were at school.

 

“I’ll see you in the morning?” Renjun muttered, squeezing him tightly.

 

“Of course Injun. You know I’ll be here.” Jaemin answered smiling at his friend.

 

Jaemin walked off to the table on the left while Renjun walked towards the second table on the right.

 

“Jaemin!” Jisung waves over once he sees the older boy.

 

Jisung the only other friend Jaemin had and that was only because he was the only Slytherin who laughed when Draco Malfoy had turned into a ferret during the triwizard tournament.

 

“Didn’t think that Renjun would let you go.” Jisung laughs. “He glared at anyone who tried to come near you guys.”

 

“Injun has always been like that.” Jaemin shrugs.

 

“He’s intimidating.” 
 

“Not really.” Jaemin smiles. “He’s kind. He’s just protective and worried.”

 

“I don’t blame him.” Jisung says darkly, looking at the teachers table.

 

Once Jaemin used to ecstatic when he would be sitting in this hall during the welcoming feast. It was a relief to get away from his overbearing father and to know that he wasn’t being monitored by his father every single second.

 

Once upon a time Hogwarts was home for Jaemin but now looking at the teachers table and the three death eaters sitting there he realised that he really lost the last place he could call his own.

*

Bongshik purrs as Jeno softly runs his hand through her fur. Jeno sometimes wishes that he was sorted in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. At least in the towers he’d have a good view of the night sky and could distract himself.

 

The whole common room was a mess. Everyone was furious after the announcement of the Carrow twins joining their school as teachers. Muggle studies was now compulsory for every student and Defence Against the Dark Arts was now simply Dark Arts. They were also the new deputy head professor and in charge of discipline. Jeno knew that their punishments wouldn’t be easy and only hoped that none of his housemates would do anything that would cause them to incur the wrath of their new professors.

 

He wonders if his father knew about this new faculty. He probably did but it’s not like he could say anything. Jeno would probably be safe seeing that his father was a well reputed pure blood but he was a half blood and so were many others.

 

He thinks about Donghyuck who is probably playing pretend in the Slytherin dorm and what he had said a few years ago.

 

“You know you’re my only friend in this school Jeno. Okay and Chenle too. That boy would cry if he hears me say that he isn’t my friend. The ones in Slytherin are...well they are just someone I talk to so that I don’t sneak into the Hufflepuff dorm at night.”

 

Jeno huffed a laugh. “You don’t know the pass Hyuck.”

 

“True but you exist and you’re gonna let me in because you love me too much.”

 

Donghyuck didn’t really care about his house or his housemates. He went as far as to cheer for Jeno during the Quidditch. Jeno supposed he was lucky that he had such a loyal best friend and he was thankful that Donghyuck was sorted in Slytherin. He was snarky and being a pureblood Slytherin would be the only reason why the Carrows would let him go.

 

They were now part of a world which wouldn’t care about killing them even if they were children and Jeno would take whatever he would get to keep the people he loved safe.

*

“Muggles are useless. They are afraid of us and so they wanted to kill us. But we are superior and more powerful and we will take our rightful place and that is to rule them.”

 

Starting off the day with listening to Alecto Carrow raving on about muggles like a madwoman wasn’t something Jaemin wanted but here he was in the Muggle Studies classroom with the Slytherin sixth years.

 

“They are like animals.” She spit. “We will make them better.”

 

Jaemin had to remind himself to not roll his eyes at her while the other Slytherins smirked or nodded. Well except for one.

 

Lee Donghyuck just stared at Alecto Carrow like she’s dirt beneath his shoes. As expected from the cold, Slytherin Prince who defied everyone’s expectations and was the only other Slytherin except for Jaemin to befriend a boy from another house.

 

“Mr. Na.” Alecto called him. “Would you like to express your thoughts on this?”

 

Jaemin expected a question coming his way. His father was a known death eater and he had already seen the Carrow twins at his house earlier in the year. They, like many others had told him they expected a lot from him. Their expectations being he would follow his father’s footsteps and become a death eater to follow the orders of a madman.

 

“Whatever the Dark Lord wishes.” Jaemin replied.

 

He learned that the mere mention of the Dark Lord would make all these death eaters pleased. That is if they were praising him. Or in this case implying that Jaemin would be happy whatever the Dark Lord ordered to be done with the muggles.

 

Alecto smiled pleased. “Correct. 30 points to Slytherin.”

 

It was meaningless to award so many points over something like this but Jaemin smiled blankly while the rest of his housemates clapped, grinning brightly.

 

She scanned the class again and her gaze stops on Donghyuck this time.

 

“And what are your opinions on this Mr. Lee?”

 

They all look at Donghyuck who looked at Alecto right in the eye.

 

“I don’t think my opinion on this matter will affect yours or will help us in this branch of….education professor.” Donghyuck answered. “My opinions are more complex to be comprehended by the simpler mind of most as seen nowadays and as such it would be better if I kept such thoughts to myself.”

 

Jaemin bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing aloud. It was typical answer as expected from Lee Donghyuck and by the time Alecto Carrow could comprehend that she had been called a simple minded idiot they were already out of the class heading to their next class.

 

Perhaps they weren’t friends but so far Lee Donghyuck was the only Slytherin aside from Jisung he could tolerate this year.

*

“Have you been in their Muggle Studies class yet? I knew something was up when they said they’d be making that class compulsory. All they do is teach us horrible things and it’s just the second day.” Hendery rants, waving his arms around violently.

 

Jeno stays silent and just watches the Ravenclaw boy marching around the classroom angrily while the other students sat down on the benches and table but they were just as angry and confused as Hendery. Mark clenching his fists, Jisung biting his lips, Yerim patting Hina and Jeno sitting alone. He came here because Mark asked him to and because he used to be part of Dumbledore’s Army back in his fourth year.

 

He didn’t expect that the Carrow twins would start teaching them rubbish about muggles. It made him angry but Jeno had learned how to keep his temper in leash a long time ago. He was better than most of the people here and that includes Mark. He would have to have a talk with the boy and make sure that he didn’t do anything silly.

 

Donghyuck would fit here nicely. He’d be throwing a snarky comment once in a while but then he’d also fight as fiercely to protect people and do what’s right. But they didn’t trust Slytherin. He could suggest bringing in Donghyuck and it would help them since he could talk with the other Slytherins and gather information.

 

Jeno looks at Mark and sighs. Mark would never allow Donghyuck to join. For the nth time Jeno remembers why he really hated the house system and how a few of their kind were the reason people decided that Slytherin were always the evil one.

 

“We can’t stand here and do nothing. There are already students who are afraid after their first Dark Arts classes with Amycus and they were first years. They aren’t speaking about it no matter how much we coaxed them.” Mark stands up. “Look after yourself and the younger students. Specially the first and second years. Make sure not to hand out detention to any younger student. I’ll be talking with Neville as soon as the class is over.”

 

The others nodded. Mark looks at Jeno and Jeno tries not to scoff. Jeno knew that Mark was asking him to talk to Donghyuck and make sure that he, as a Slytherin Prefect wouldn’t hand out detentions to any other house as well.

 

He’d be a good leader. Always the one standing up for what’s right and Jeno admired that about Mark. It’s what makes him a Gryffindor and Jeno care for his childhood friend. But he can’t forget the way he looked at Donghyuck after he got sorted in Slytherin as if he was evil.

 

Mark thinks the world to be divided in just good and bad and Jeno wonders how long it would be before his friend realises that the world isn’t simply black and white.

*

“You just started your fifth year and you’re telling me you can’t keep up with transfiguration already it’s just the third day Park Jisung.” Renjun scowled.

 

Jisung grinned sheepishly while Jaemin snorted.

 

“Look, it’s not my fault Mcgonagall makes it so complicated okay?” Jisung huffed.

 

“No she doesn’t make it complicated Jisung you’re just too busy staring at the Hufflepuff boy whom you don’t have the courage to talk to even though you drool at him in every given chance?” Renjun sassed.

 

Jaemin bursts out laughing and Jisung glared at Renjun. Madam Pince who was putting some books back on the shelf shot a warning look towards Jaemin. Well she always hated Jaemin after he accidentally knocked over a shelf. She’d probably have him banned from the library if possible.

 

“Madam Pince has a stick up her . She always glares at us when we’re at the library.” Jisung sighs.

 

“No she hates Jaemin not me. I never broke any of her rules.” Renjun bragged, smirking at Jaemin.

 

“Teacher’s pet.”

 

“As long as it means I am in their good books it all works for me.”

 

Jaemin wonders why did the Sorting Hat put Renjun in Ravenclaw when the boy was more Slytherin than he was. Renjun would just smirk at him and wave him off whenever he would say that. But it didn’t matter because despite being in separate house Renjun was still his friend and that was enough for him.

 

“Oh look Jisung,” Renjun sneered. “Your crush is here.”

 

Jisung froze when Renjun nodded towards a blonde haired boy talking to Madam Pince. He smiles at her and to Jaemin’s surprise even the librarian smiles back. Well anyone who could make that witch smile had to be special.

 

“He’s adorable.” Jaemin says. “I can see why you like him. So why are you sitting here? Go talk to him.”

 

“I can’t.” Jisung mumbled.

 

“And why is that?”

 

“He isn’t alone.” Jisung nods towards a boy leaning on a shelf few feet away from the blonde boy, wearing the same yellow and black tie as the former was. He held a book in front of his face. He must have been in Jaemin’s year seeing that he was reading their Potions book.

 

“Chenle is always with him and even when he isn’t he keeps on talking about him. I think he likes him.” Jisung grumbled looking at Chenle sadly.

 

Jaemin patted his friend on his shoulder gently and Renjun scowled.

 

“Oh stop being so dramatic. They aren’t dating are they? No. Then that means you still have a chance. Jaemin stop encouraging him in his awful pity party. You’re adorable, a bit too tall, awkward which makes you funny cause we laugh at your stupidity, kinda smart if you subtract your pathetic grades in Transfiguration and Astronomy,” Jisung stares at Renjun who went on without pausing, “and you’re even on the Quidditch team. Guys like that! What does that guy have that you don’t?” 
 

The boy puts down the book when Chenle taps him on the shoulder and he smiles at him.

 

“Oh.” Jaemin and Renjun say together looking at Hufflepuff’s, if not the sixth year’s golden boy Jeno Lee.

 

“Oh Jisung you should move on you know. Plenty of fishes in the sea my boy.” Renjun smiles at him. “No offense but you’re no competition against Jeno. He’s already won.”

 

This time when Jaemin patted him on the shoulder gently after Jisung dropped his head on the table and started groaning, Renjun didn’t stop him.

 

Jaemin looks at the golden boy who looks at him just as he was turning around to join Chenle on his way out. Jaemin kept on looking at the boy even as he walked away while laughing along with Chenle.

*

“So you’re telling me Mark Lee asked you to ask me to not hand out detentions to younger students from the other houses because of the Carrows?” Donghyuck mused throwing a pebble towards the black lake.

 

They watch as the pebble skips twice before drowning in the lake. Donghyuck bends down and picks up another one and repeats the process again.

 

“Well yes.” Jeno answers.

 

“I suppose he thought himself too important to just come to me and ask it then? Or will it ruin his pure soul if he talks with me?” Donghyuck sounded so bitter Jeno couldn’t help but cringe.

 

Donghyuck says that he is over Mark breaking their friendship because of his house but Jeno knew that to this day it still hurt him. Mark and Donghyuck became friends first and then Jeno had come along but Mark had left Donghyuck behind when he needed him.

 

“You know how he is.”

 

“I know.” Donghyuck said quietly throwing the pebble again.

 

Jeno watches his friend who pauses stares at the lake. They’d do this often, just come out and talk where they knew no one would follow them. Donghyuck insisted he didn’t want to ruin Jeno’s reputation with the DA members despite Jeno repeatedly saying he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care what they think of him for being friends with a Slytherin. Donghyuck would laugh and say that Jeno was being sentimental.

 

But Jeno knew the main reason for not wanting to talk in front of people was because of Mark Lee. The chances of them running into Mark Lee was higher when they were inside the school than outside. Jeno hated it when Mark would talk to him as if Donghyuck didn’t exist.

 

“Tell him I’ll make sure of it. I’ll even make sure that the other prefects don’t get to punish them as often okay? I can’t stop them but I’ll try my best to lessen it.”

 

“That’s more than enough Hyuck. Thank you.”

 

“Don’t thank me idiot. You know I hate them too.”

 

“Yes well remember to not show it okay? I still can’t believe you called Alecto Carrow small minded fool and she didn’t do anything.”

 

Donghyuck snickers and plops down beside Jeno. He wrapped an arm around Jeno and pulled him closer.

 

“Your faith in my power as the son of a higher Ministry official’s son along with being a pureblood is insulting my friend. You know how they are about blood purity. They’d never harm me.” Donghyuck said with a smug look.

 

“Well then,” Jeno pushed him away and lied back down on the grass “I suppose that makes it harder for me then. After all, I am a half blood. I don’t think they’re gonna like me a lot.”

 

“You’ll be fine.” Donghyuck smiles. “That’s the thing about you. You always find a way to get everything your way Jeno. You’ll be fine and I know you’ll only let them hurt you if you want them to catch you.”

 

“You seem to have a lot of faith in me.”

 

“Of course I do. You’re the best of me Jeno. You’re the only person I know in this world who will never let me down.”

 

“How sentimental.” Jeno crooned. ‘Do they know back in the Slytherin house that their Prince is actually soft hearted?”

 

Donghyuck pokes him sharply, narrowing his eyes at the smiling boy lying down on the grass.

 

Chenle and Mark would be upset but spending time with Donghyuck out here in the open, laughing was the best part of Hogwarts. Donghyuck had said that Jeno was the best of him and to Jeno Donghyuck was his other half. He would never leave Donghyuck alone. No matter what happens he would always put the boy above everyone else and if that means that he’d have to drag himself into this war of good and evil so that he could protect Donghyuck so be it.

 

He may have lost his mother but Jeno wouldn’t lose the closest thing he had to a brother too.

*

Jaemin grips the sink tightly, choking as the tears streamed down his face. He looks in the mirror and hated it. He hated looking so weak and breaking down. He thought he was done with crying until the Daily Owl dropped in front of him and the news on the front cover was about his mother. Again.

 

His father, the filthy liar kept on calling his mother’s death an accident. Talking about it as if he was still grieving over his wife’s death when he was the person who dragged her to the Dark Lord so that he could save his own skin.

 

Jaemin would never forget his mother’s smile before the Dark Lord shouted the forbidden curse. A burst of green light and the next thing he saw was his mother’s lying on the ground, eyes glassy and still.

 

Jaemin was in too much of a shock to register that his mother was murdered right in front of his own eyes and he could do nothing about it. He cried the entire day uptil her funeral and then he stopped. He didn’t break again. He thought he wouldn’t but seeing his father lie about it, saying that she was selfish and she didn’t care about them and then had an accident when she was trying to run away in the dead of the night. Jaemin didn’t think it was possible to hate that man more.

 

He cost him his mother and all Jaemin wanted to do was cause him pain and drag his death so that he’d be begging for it by the end. He was never a father to Jaemin. His mother was all he had and that man took her away.

 

“Bathrooms aren’t the most ideal places if you want to cry you know. Anyone can walk in and I doubt you’d like it if that happens.”

 

Jaemin turns to the side to see Jeno Lee standing in front of the closed bathroom door. He stared at Jaemin blankly as if he couldn’t care less about Jaemin crying in the bathroom.

 

“I closed the door.”

 

“You should have closed the cubicle door if you wanted to cry. Bad choice. People can come in anytime they want and I think you have a reputation to maintain as a Slytherin?”

 

Jaemin snorts wiping his tears away. Jeno seemed to be waiting for him to do something. What did he want? A thank you? He just barged in and interrupted Jaemin’s time. People around here couldn’t even be sad nowadays without someone ruining it for them.

 

“Pureblood.” Jeno says.

 

“What?”

 

“That’s the password of the prefect’s washroom. It’s secluded and no one goes there during the day. You can cry as much as you want there and not block the nearest bathroom we have. How about that?”

 

Jeno didn’t wait for his answer. He probably assumed that Jaemin would listen to him (which he would) and walked away.

 

It was funny to Jaemin that the first time he talked to Jeno Lee was when he was crying over his dead mother despite the fact that they’ve been classmates for six years and Quidditch players too. Jaemin and Jeno’s worlds were different and they were both on the opposite side of the war even though Jaemin wanted nothing to do with this.

 

But he was thankful to Jeno for not treating him like he was fragile and told him to straighten up. Not exactly but well that’s what it sounded like.

*

There were only twelve of them in their Potion’s sixth year class. Jeno had pulled Donghyuck along with him to an empty table. They were the first ones to enter the classroom and they waited for the room to fill up with the other students.

 

He didn’t bother to even look at people who were eyeing Donghyuck with him as they entered the room.

 

Donghyuck smirked at the Gryffindors and they flinched, glaring at the boy. Jeno sighs. Donghyuck always did childish things around others especially the Gryffindors. Something about them pissed Donghyuck off. Donghyuck said it was their stupidity which they thought meant bravery while Jeno knew it was because of Mark. Donghyuck blamed the Gryffindors for making Mark think that Donghyuck was evil.

 

Jeno waits for the last few people and the Professor to arrive so that they could start off with the class. Potions wasn’t something he liked a lot despite getting an Outstanding in it. He opens his book and starts writing down notes with his quill. Whoever printed this book made mistakes and he wasn’t going to risk his spotless academic record on this. He looks up when he hears the sound of chair scraping in front of him. He looks up to see Jaemin staring at him, half shocked and half worried. Jeno just goes back to reading his book. He didn’t need to look so worried. It was none of Jeno’s business regarding the bathroom issue and neither did he care why the boy was crying. Though he did take a look at The Prophet this morning and had guessed why.

 

“Jaemin.” Donghyuck nods.

 

“Donghyuck.” Jaemin greets. “Didn’t know you’d be taking Potions as well.”

 

“Yes well I didn’t expect that either but Jeno here is a genius you see.” Donghyuck grins and Jeno rolls his eyes. “He helped me study and voila an E in Potions! I’m sure Jeno can help me keep at least an A this year.”

 

“What did you get in Potions for OWLs?” Renjun asked. Renjun reminded Jeno of himself sometimes in a way that despite what everyone said he still stuck by Jaemin’s side. It must be even harder for Renjun seeing that Jaemin’s father was a known death eater now.

 

“Outstanding.” Jeno answered.

 

Renjun nodded, impressed. “What about the rest?”

 

“Ten Os.”

 

Donghyuck patted him on the back proudly, Renjun nodded impressed and Jaemin stared at him.

 

“You should have been in Ravenclaw.” Renjun said.

 

Jeno smiled and Donghyuck snorted.

 

“Trust me Huang he is too nice to be in Ravenclaw. Not that I’m saying you guys are rude but he is a Hufflepuff through and through.”

 

“That’s a shame. All the points Ravenclaw could have gotten thanks to you.” Renjun shakes his head.

 

He was more like Donghyuck than Jeno. But he was good. Jeno glanced at Jaemin who seemed to be smiling at Renjun and Donghyuck. It was known that Renjun wasn’t very popular among his housemates because of Jaemin and looking at Jaemin now it was clear he didn’t like it.

 

Jeno could relate and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t throw him off how he was finding similarity with the boy starting with their dead mothers and now just being happy when their friend was happy.

 

Jaemin looked at him as if he could hear his thoughts and slowly smiled softly at him. Probably thanking him for not treating Renjun like a plague or perhaps for the bathroom. Either ways Jeno smiled back at him because he could understand him.

 

And Jaemin Na looked kind of pretty when he smiled.

*

“You want me to train the younger Hufflepuffs? For what again?”

 

When Mark called Jeno to the Gryffindor dorm and said they had to meet urgently regarding the DA he didn’t expect that it would be this.

 

“Proper defense. The class is teaching them all the wrong stuff Jeno. We have to teach them the right thing. You need to teach Hufflepuff the proper defense spells not dark ones.” Mark ordered.

 

“You want me to train the younger ones to become what? An army? I thought we agreed to keep the kids out of this Mark.” Jeno gritted.

 

He was glad that the common room was empty because he certainly did not want anyone to see him scream at Mark. Using excuses like that to just train the younger ones to fight? Was Mark crazy?

 

“I’m not telling you to teach them how to fight Jeno! Simple defense! They aren’t learning what we have learned! They are learning dark spells-”

 

“And you want us to pull a Harry and what form our own defense classes like he did in his fifth year? Wake up Mark! Things are different now. If we get caught there is no Dumbledore to protect us now. The twins will end us!” Jeno was fuming.

 

“I thought we all agreed we’d do whatever it takes to fight against the Carrows. Or did you forget all about it Jeno?” Mark countered.

 

“I forgot nothing but I’m not willing to drag eleven year old kids into this mess. Owl students is the most I am willing to teach or if you’re insisting the fourth years. We keep the first, second and third year out of this.” Jeno snapped.

 

“If you’re losing sight of our goal for freedom because of Do-”

 

“Dare bring Hyuck into this and I won’t hesitate to walk out of this thing. He is one of the reasons I’m still fighting for this. I don’t want him to end up with a mark on his arm.” He jabbed Mark hard on his chest. “You may have have abandoned him for your reputation but not me. Don’t you ever drag him into this mess Mark Lee.”

 

Mark stepped back slowly seeing how pissed Jeno was. This wasn’t the first time Mark and Jeno argued because of Donghyuck and it wouldn’t be the last but Jeno wouldn’t stand down if Mark was being ridiculous. He’d be talking to Neville and Ginny directly if he had to.

 

“Magic isn’t good or bad. It depends on the user. Just because they are teaching them the wrong things doesn’t mean they are going to follow that path. We need to set an example for them and that doesn’t include asking them to risk their life. Do you even know what kind of punishment the Carrows are going to give the children? It’s going to make Umbridge’s medieval quills look like a joke.”

 

Jeno shakes his head and leaves Mark in the common room. He didn’t have the energy left to explain to Mark things that he needs to be more understanding. It’s war now and if he wasn’t going to adapt to changes well then it would only cause his downfall and Jeno didn’t want to see that. He cared for him. Despite everything he did Mark was still his friend.

 

“You know this castle is ancient right? Stomp around any harder and you’re going to break something.”

 

“You’re a bit far from the Slytherin common room. I could give you detention for sneaking out you know that right?”

 

Jaemin grins at Jeno. “You could but you wouldn’t. Beside I was using the prefects washroom. The bath there is magnificent by the way. I don’t feel like using the normal bath anymore.”

 

He looked far too happy for a boy who was crying over his dead mother a few days ago. Jeno supposes he should be thankful that the boy wasn’t crying but he didn’t understand why he was grinning at him as if the two of them were friends as if the longest conversation they ever had wasn’t about crushing the bean instead of cutting it to add it into the potion.

 

“Shouldn’t you be heading down to the dorm? If the Carrows catch you-”

 

“Then they will walk away.” Jaemin cut him off. “I’m a Slytherin with a death eater as a father remember? They won’t give a damn. In fact, they just might award me more points!”

 

Jeno wasn’t sure but Jaemin almost sounded bitter. It’s almost as if he wanted the Carrows to just punish him like they would do with the other students. What a brat. He didn’t know how lucky he was that he gets away from trouble and he could also save others. He just wanted to act like a child.

 

“Stop being a brat.”

 

“What?” Jaemin asked, confused.

 

“You heard me. They won’t do to you right and you’re just roaming around the castle to what? Show off? If you have power then use it in the right way.”

 

“What?” Jaemin sneered. “In the Gryffindor way? Self sacrificing bull?”

 

“Didn’t know that Slytherin is the house for angsty teens. Thought it was supposed to be the house for people who are cunning and ambitious. But guess I was wrong.” Jeno rolled his eyes. “If you had brains you’d know that I was talking about making sure the Carrows don’t catch anyone else by making some excuses for them but well.”

 

Jeno started walking back to his dorms. He might have sounded rude but Jeno and many other prefects were trying and failing to do what Jaemin could be doing so easily and he was just giving up. He was leaning against the wall wearing his pyjamas knowing that it goes against the rules just so he could show his father something?

 

What a stupid boy he was and Jeno couldn’t be bothered with such stupidity. If Jaemin Na wanted to be reckless then he could go ahead and do whatever he wanted as long as he didn’t drag Jeno along with him.

*

Jaemin didn’t know how he ended up like this with Jeno glaring at him, his face splattered with the what is supposed to their work of the day and Slughorn looking down disapprovingly on both of them.

 

Well actually he did know but in his defense it was all Slughorn’s fault for pairing him up with Jeno for today when Renjun and Donghyuck were available. And it was Jeno’s fault for being a smartass and thinking Jaemin doesn’t know how to make the potion (he didn’t but that’s why the text book exists). He followed the instruction and added three spider’s legs instead of two like Jeno instructed. He might have done it out of spite after his behaviour last night but it was written in the book to add three spider legs and the potion just...blasted.

 

“It was clearly written in the board to add two not three Mr. Na. Were you not paying attention? This is NEWT year not OWLs. It’s harder and if you don’t pay attention and note things down it will be harmful!” Slughorn lectured.

 

“I’m sorry Professor.” Jaemin muttered.

 

“Mr. Lee were you not seeing the ingredients he was adding?”

 

“I was Professor but I just turned for a second to cut the roots and-”

 

“It’s a group work. You should be working together!” He chided. “I won’t be giving you two detention.”

 

Thank god. Jaemin really didn’t need the guilt of getting Jeno into trouble when the boy did nothing except for tell him to do things the right away. Not to mention the Carrows would love to torture Jeno in their own way and Jaemin didn’t want that.

 

“But you will have to stay back for this week after your classes are done and clean my inventory and whatever mess the first years make.”

 

Jaemin starts to protest but Jeno shuts him up with a glare. He wanted to protest but he didn’t want to make it worse. He got them in enough of a mess as it was and he didn’t want to make it worse. Not that he cared about Jeno he just didn’t want to get into more trouble himself.

 

“After classes are over both of you must be here.” Slughorn then waved them off.

 

Jeno marched off with his bag before Jaemin could apologise which was rude. Well they could play the same game and if Jeno wanted to ignore him then so be it.

*

Spending his day on an unofficial detention wasn’t what Jeno wanted. On the first day of their ‘detention’ Jeno had ignored Jaemin and focused on his work instead. Which meant he did all the work. He didn’t trust Jaemin with preparing the ingredients for the second year like Slughorn asked them to after the spider legs incident.

 

“You do realise I can help you right?” Jaemin asked.

 

Jeno ignored him and continued on with crushing the roots for the third years. He still had to grind about twenty more before he could leave and since he was doing it alone it would probably be better for Jaemin Na to keep his mouth shut and let him continue on his work while the other sat down waving his wand and creating tiny sparks or making objects fly.

 

“Jeno let me help you. You clearly need some-”

 

“What I need is for you to shut up.” Jeno snarled. “The whole reason why we’re even here is because you were being a stubborn prick. If you just listened to me I could be out there helping the students who need me instead of being stuck here grinding roots.”

 

“Okay listen I know you’re mad but-”

 

“You don’t know !” Jeno slammed the  on the table and turned around to face Jaemin who froze when he saw how angry Jeno was.

 

Jeno was furious. Yesterday he came back to hear that a third year had been charged by the Slytherin Prefect over nothing and now her detention would be decided by the Carrows.

 

It was Jeno’s turn to be on duty yesterday but because of this the Slytherin prefect had to come in and replace him. It was his fault that a third year was now going to be punished by a Death Eater because Jeno was stuck here. And it was all Jaemin’s fault. He would never know what it was like to live in fear because he was born privileged. Like Donghyuck was but while Donghyuck would use that privilege to help others, Jaemin would abuse it trying to do stupid things and see how far that privilege would extend just for the kick of it or for whatever reason. Jeno didn’t care. He couldn’t be bothered about it because right now there could be an eleven year old suffering at the hands of the death eater but Jeno couldn’t do anything because he was stuck here.

 

“You will never know what it’s like to live in fear. You don’t know what it’s like to be stuck here grinding roots because you can’t risk being expelled from this school while a death eater could grab a child for no reason and torture them for fun. You don’t know Jaemin except roaming around as if you want to get into the trouble you won’t because you’re a ing pure blooded Slytherin while the rest of us are half blood trash who could be killed any second and no one would protest.”

 

Jeno supposed he should be thankful that the classroom was down in the dungeon and enchanted so that no one could hear him shouting at Jaemin like that. He didn’t like screaming and most of the time when he was mad he would take his broom and go for a run but that didn’t seem possible now.

 

Jaemin stared at him quietly as if he was waiting for..more? Was he waiting for Jeno to scream at him even more?

 

“Are you done?” Jaemin asked casually as if Jeno hadn’t screamed at him.

 

“What?”

 

“I asked if you’re done with screaming at me so that I can speak. So do I have your permission?” Jaemin smiled sarcastically. “Good now since you’re done screaming I want to first apologise for getting you into trouble. It wasn’t my intention and I’m truly sorry.”

 

That wasn’t what Jeno expected. He expected a snarky reply from Jaemin. In fact, he didn’t expect Jaemin to even reply. He should have just been ashamed and backed away and then let Jeno continue on his work so that they didn’t have to talk again.

 

“Now onto the whole privileged thing,”

 

The way he smiled made Jeno feel uncomfortable. It was as if he had nothing to be happy about. Jaemin looked as if he was tired of the world when he smiled at Jeno humorlessly.

 

“Privilege didn’t stop the Dark Lord from murdering my mother in front of me. I wonder where that privilege was when Bellatrix Lestrange dragged her and threw her to the Dark Lord’s feet and he killed her while my father held me so that I couldn’t run to save her. She was a pureblood. She a Slytherin. But she was murdered.”

 

Jaemin stepped closer to Jeno who was rendered speechless after hearing what Jaemin had just said. He, like many others believed that the death of Lady Na was a freak accident but hearing Jaemin now.

 

Was this why Jaemin was crying? Not because he was just devastated at his mother’s death but because she was murdered in front of him and he was powerless to save her. Jeno had lost his mother as well but to see your own mother die in front of your eyes like that...he couldn’t imagine what that would be like.

 

“There’s your privilege Jeno Lee. That’s the privilege you think I have. Being watched all the time by these sick bastard and knowing that I have to take that ing tattoo so that I don’t die. I don’t have a choice and that’s the price of the privilege.”

 

Jaemin stepped back and turned around marching away. Jeno was too shocked to notice the way Jaemin’s eyes had shone with unshed tears. He didn’t know that Jaemin was crying as he walked away.

 

No, Jeno Lee turned back towards the table and started grinding the roots thinking about what Jaemin had just said to him. He had always resented Mark for not seeing the other side to a story which in their case would Donghyuck and now he did the same with Jaemin. Sure not everyone had a story to doing something unreasonable but