The last thing Byun Baekhyun registers before being hit slap bang in the middle of the face by a football is the thought that these muggle sports are far too dangerous.

He hears his name being called just before impact, a hesitant warning of what is to come, but it proves to be useless when the ball has already left the ground and is hurtling in his direction at a speed unbeknownst to man. One moment he is on his feet - albeit quite wobbly and unsure from having been attacked so many times already - and the next he is on his back, howling at the pain in his cheeks and nose with two pairs of feet charging at him from across the garden. 

“Are you alright, Baekhyun?”

He feels a hand gently touching his shoulder. He has half a mind to shake them off and deliver a swift kick to whatever body part is nearest, but his face hurts too much and he doesn’t think he has the energy to move. Besides, he knows that voice, and any satisfaction he would get from jabbing its owner would be heartily and brutally returned in kind. The moral and physical implications are enough to rival the stinging throb of his poor battered face.

“You know, when I said the job of the goalie was to stop the ball, I didn’t mean with that ruddy great nose of yours.”

The owner of this voice, however, is fair game. Baekhyun wastes no time in kneeing his friend in the gut, shoving him into the ground and scrambling on top of him to grip his neck in a complicated headlock. The other boy yelps out and struggles to break free, but it’s useless. Baekhyun may not be able to play football, but one of the things he can do is hold a pretty steady headlock.

“ing bastard, you did that on purpose!” he snarls playfully, grinding his free fist against the other’s curly haired scalp. “I ought to rip your fat head from your shoulders, Park Chanyeol, you absolute ballbag!”

For as bold as he often claims to be, Chanyeol is quick to submit. The boy is six feet of bone and hard muscle - which he has been working on meticulously since he recovered from his illness the year before - and he seems to have forgotten that he could very well hoist Baekhyun over his head if he really wanted to, turning to jelly under Baekhyun’s torments almost immediately.

“Kyungsoo, please! Help me!”

Do Kyungsoo, the newest and smallest edition to their friend group (not that Baekhyun would ever say it to his face) stands nearby. Baekhyun looks up to find him watching them quietly with his hands on his hips. His face is as blank as always, but there’s a tiny smirk tugging at his lips that betrays his amusement.

“Sorry, Chanyeol. This is entirely out of my control.”

Baekhyun can’t help but laugh. His grip loosens just enough for Chanyeol to remember his strength and shove an elbow into his ribs, throwing him off entirely. Baekhyun replies by tickling Chanyeol under the arms, earning him a shocked, betrayed gasp and a kick to the shin. They scratch and scrabble in the grass, each trying their hardest to get the upper hand; hissing soon turns to laughter, and for a moment it feels like they’re at school again, wasting time between lessons at the lake instead of churning up the grass at the bottom of Chanyeol’s garden.

The school in question is the wonderfully secret and in all ways magical Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The boys have gone there since they were eleven years old; it was where Baekhyun and Chanyeol met for the first time, and where Chanyeol and Kyungsoo slowly (and somewhat chaotically) kindled their relationship. At the age of seventeen they have grown into fine young men and undeniably worthy wizards, each capable of displaying a vast array of talents and skills that set them apart from their peers in more ways than one. Talents and skills that they seem to be using to grind each other’s faces into the flowerbeds.

“It’s not my fault you’re at sports,” Chanyeol teases between raucous giggles. He’s somehow managed to find his way onto the other’s back, pulling one of Baekhyun’s legs over his shoulder to maximum effect. “Literally all you have to do is stop the ball going through the net and you can’t even do that right.”

The net, Baekhyun’s notes waspishly, is a two and a half metre long gap between an empty plant pot and a battered pair of Chanyeol’s sister’s old walking boots. As for the ball, the ruddy thing is about a decade old. The torn and fraying fabric gives way to several protruding lumps of worn rubber reminiscent of large pus-filled boils. It’s not exactly the most refined of setups, but apparently this is the way Chanyeol and his sister - half blood children raised primarily by their muggle mother - have been playing since before they could stand on two feet. Baekhyun doesn’t see the point in complaining if his words are just going to fall on deaf ears.

“This isn't a sport, this is legalised assault.” He uses his trapped leg to poke his captor in the back of the head. “You’re just jealous I can kick the ball further than you.”

“Booting it into the neighbour’s pond two houses down doesn’t count, dickhead.” 

They scrimmage in the grass some more. 

Far up above them, the sun beats down unforgivingly. Summer has come thick and fast, bringing their penultimate year at Hogwarts to a hot, somewhat sweaty end. At this point in August, the heat is starting to get to everyone, manifesting in ways all British people are inherently designed to find abhorrent. The boys are dressed in as little clothing as they can to survive the oppressive heat, and it does little to protect them from bumps or scratches as the two fighters tumble over each other over pebbles and twigs and thorns in the grass. Summer has quickly developed into everyone’s least favourite season, and many have been praying for it to be over as soon as possible.

Baekhyun, however, thinks it’s wonderful. Summer means long days and cool nights, it means ice cream and lemonade and Mrs Park’s freshly baked rhubarb and apple crumble, and it means spending just over a month alone with his best friends, free from the restrictions and responsibilities of education. N.E.W.T’s are approaching at a terrifying speed. Summer helps Baekhyun forget the hurdles that loom menacingly on the horizon. 

They haven’t even received their results from their end of year exams yet, but after all the chaos that occurred during their sixth year, Baekhyun is more than happy to eat his weight in ice lollies and roll around in the dirt with his friend’s knee pressing between his shoulder blades if it means pretending that these hot, sticky days never have to end. He hasn’t been able to scrap around with his friends for months, especially since Chanyeol got sick. He’s desperate to make the most of it, and has been doing his best all summer to spend as much time with the people he loves most as he can before it’s too late.

It’s just a shame not all of them could make it.

After a few minutes of enthusiastic slapping, they tire out enough to flop off each other and lay sprawled out on their backs on the ground. Baekhyun’s hair and clothes stick to his body with puddles of sweat and grime, and beside him Chanyeol is faring no better. Their exhaustion doesn’t stop them from getting a few more lazy jabs in before silently agreeing to call it quits, the sun having grown far too strong for them to find the energy to move again. Above them, Kyungsoo surveys the scene with a sweaty arched brow, punctured football and walking boots tucked securely under his arms.

“If you’re both quite finished,” he says reservedly, pushing his wire framed glasses further up his nose, “Chanyeol’s mum has been calling us for lunch for the past three minutes now.”

. Lifting his head, Baekhyun peers down the length of the garden to see Mrs Park standing in the doorway of her little countryside home, arms crossed irritably over a frilly apron. There are stains on her sleeves and flour in her straight black hair. She looks not one bit impressed with their actions. 

“Hi, Young-mi,” Baekhyun grins. Chanyeol elbows him in the arm. 

“Hi, Mum. Sorry, we couldn’t hear you.”

Her frown intensifies.

The boys immediately scramble up from the ground and sprint over to the house as fast as their legs can carry them, Kyungsoo trailing behind them at a more languid pace. Mrs Park barely opens to chide them before all three boys are packed into her tiny kitchen, smiling politely from ear to ear with equally as sheepish expressions on their sun-kissed faces.

She gives them a look, and they immediately dive into their respective jobs. Chanyeol grabs a stack of plates from a nearby cupboard and sets them around the dining room table as Baekhyun rummages in the cutlery drawer for the appropriate amount of spoons, forks and knives (and one pair of chopsticks for Mrs Park, upon her request). Kyungsoo carries a small stack of glasses over to the table before retrieving a jug of chilled water from the fridge, placing it in the centre. 

Within minutes the table is set. Mrs Park reminds the boys to wash their hands - and for Baekhyun and Chanyeol to change their clothes due to the large amounts of grass and dirt they’ve unknowingly been sprinkling all over the place - and when they get back downstairs their lunch is already waiting for them, spread out like a buffet in large salad bowls and small serving plates across the table.

“Wow, Young-mi, this looks delicious!” 

Baekhyun slips into a chair and ignores the pointed glare Chanyeol sends him from across the table. Kyungsoo takes the chair next to him and starts pouring water into the nearest glasses.  They wait until Mrs Park has settled herself down with a cup of tea before digging in, empty stomachs aching to be fat and full. 

Each salad bowl and plate is loaded to the brim with delicious pastas, cold cuts and cheeses; it’s a light lunch, just enough to satisfy them until dinner, but more than plentiful. Baekhyun scoops himself large amounts of ham and potato salad and gets to work shoving as much of it between two slices of bread as he can, all the while doing his very best to swipe at Chanyeol’s long boney legs under the table.

About halfway through the meal, Mrs Park stands up to refill her tea. “Oh, Kyungsoo, tell me what you think of the sausage rolls,” she says fondly over her shoulder. “Chanyeol told me you like them so I made extra.”

Kyungsoo, who was already part way through his fifth sausage roll, struggles to fight a smile and hides his face behind his drinking glass. “They’re wonderful, Mrs Park,” he stutters shyly. “D-Did you put apple in the sausage? I think I can taste some.”

“Call me Young-mi, please. And I did, yes. I’m so glad you like them, I’ve never put apple in sausage rolls before but I thought I’d give it a go to liven them up a bit. Are you sure they’re alright?”

“They’re delicious, Young-mi,” Baekhyun grins through a full mouth. “Best ones yet.”

“Kyungsoo’s got an orchard in his garden, Mum,” pipes Chanyeol, and Mrs Park launches into questions about gardening and fruit preservation and all sorts of things that catch the poor Slytherin off guard. The blush on his face increases tenfold. He’s not so used to the attention, Baekhyun reasons, and it’s difficult to be shy when you’re surrounded by people as warm and welcoming as the Park family. Kyungsoo handles it well, answering her questions politely and smiling sweetly when Mrs Park offers to make his family a pie from the fruits of the Do orchard.

Baekhyun listens to the conversation quietly. Moreover, he watches the subtle shifts of Chanyeol’s face as he smiles softly at the boy next to him. He’s undeniably smitten - you don’t need to be a genius to see the admiration in those almond eyes of his. He sees the same look on Kyungsoo, when he thinks no one is looking. If Baekhyun hadn’t been witness to their slow and clumsy relationship himself (a fact he reminds them of often, to the risk of his own health) he would suspect it had always been this way. In a way, it had been.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are curiosities to all that know them. They never act like a couple in public, have never once kissed or embraced under the watchful eyes of others, but they don’t need to. Baekhyun doesn’t really know what to call them, mainly because they haven’t even named themselves yet, as complicated as their relationship is. Boyfriends seems too adolescent, but lovers is altogether too strong. They’re not together, but also not separate. They’re just them, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, tricked by fate and one pretentious arsehole into finding each other after years of lost looks and broken hearts. They’re made for each other, in a way. Baekhyun can’t wait to see how the rest of their lives unfurl.

They are about halfway through their meal when a loud screeching pierces the air. Everyone looks up just in time to see a large, dark feathered owl with four letters held tightly its claws swoop in through the open back door. It lands in the middle of the table, knocking over a bowl of pasta like it weighs barely anything at all, and hoots haughtily as Mrs Park lets out a high-pitched scream and dashes out of the room with her apron tangled around her arm.

“Crikey,” Chanyeol yelps as the owl folds its wings back against its body. “It’s alright, Mum, it’s not going to hurt you!” 

“Get it out of my kitchen!” Mrs Park screams in reply from somewhere deep inside the house. Even though both of her children possess magic and have been receiving post by owl for many years, she still isn’t used to seeing the beautiful birds up close. Especially when they come crash landing into the house during lunch and throw pasta all over the floor.

“What the hell was that for, you dumb bird?” Baekhyun groans. There’s pesto all over his bare feet. “Look at all the mess you’ve made.”

The owl snaps at him, unhappy at being talked to in such a manner. Chanyeol soothes it with soft on its feathered head before reaching down to take the letters from between its claws. When he’s retrieved them all, the owl hoots tiredly and bobs its head to drink from Kyungsoo’s water glass before launching up from the table and soaring back outside.

Baekhyun hobbles up from his chair and shuffles over to the kitchen counter. “Stupid bird,” he grumbles as he wipes his feet clean with paper towels. “My feet are all sticky now.”

“Anything important?” asks Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol’s lips curl into a worried frown. He looks up from the letters and grimaces at his friends, face quickly turning a sickly shade of grey.

“They’re from Hogwarts. I think we just got our grades back.”

The atmosphere in the room drops. Baekhyun stops scrubbing his feet and freezes with one foot in the air, stomach sinking as the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. Kyungsoo’s eyes are wide as he stares up at Chanyeol, who looks like he’s about to keel over. He reaches out to take Chanyeol’s free hand, rubbing his fingers gently between his own before standing up and pouring the contents of all the drinking glasses into the empty jug.

“Let’s clean up first,” he says. “Then we can open them.”

They shakily get to work. Chanyeol washes the dirty dishes in the sink as Kyungsoo heads outside to throw the leftover water on the flowerbeds. Baekhyun packs away the leftovers and cleans up the pasta on the floor and table. They finish in no time, and Chanyeol heads off to get his mother as Baekhyun and Kyungsoo settle in their seats, waiting with bated breath for their return.

Baekhyun stares at the pile of letters, which have been placed in the middle of the table. He’s been doing his best not to think about his end of year exam results all summer, but now they’re here he can’t fight the nervousness that twists in his stomach like the giant squid in the Black Lake. 

He didn’t exactly… try that year. Didn’t try at all, if he’s being honest with himself. There were more important things to worry about, and by the time exam season rolled around, he had already missed some of the most important lessons, putting him behind his other classmates to a significant degree. Baekhyun doesn’t regret skipping as many lessons as he did, but part of him does feel he should have picked up a text book or two every now and then to catch up on what he missed. He’s not the best at studying, not as determined as Chanyeol or as smart and quick witted as Jongdae, and he knows for a fact that the contents of that envelope are going to leave his parents very unhappy indeed.

Jongdae. Baekhyun’s stomach twists even further. Kim Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s other best friend, was supposed to be with them this summer, just like he has been every summer since first year. He’s been a constant presence at Baekhyun’s side since they first sat next to each other at their Sorting Ceremony, and there’s not a second that goes by that Baekhyun doesn’t wish he was with them right now. 

As it happens, Jongdae and his cousin, Minseok, were whisked away at the start of the summer holidays to South Korea, visiting the side of the family that never migrated to the UK all those decades ago. It’s been almost five weeks since they last saw each other. Baekhyun doesn’t know what the wizarding community in Korea is like, doesn’t know if the rest of his family are open to magic like his (and Minseok’s) parents are. Jongdae is more than capable, but Baekhyun can’t stop thinking about him. The moment he returns to England, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are going to smother him so much he’ll forget he ever left.

Baekhyun thinks about the last thing Jongdae said to him. They’d been here, in Chanyeol’s kitchen, and Jongdae had only been here for two days before his parents arrived to pick him up and take him away to the airport. Jongdae had whispered something softly in his ear, holding him in a goodbye hug that lasted just a bit too long to be entirely innocent.

“I’ll write to you as much as I can. I’m going to miss you so much, Baek. See you soon. I love you, mate.”

Baekhyun’s heart twists. He has yet to receive a single letter.

Chanyeol returns with a slightly less shaky Mrs Park. She lets out a gasp at the sight of the letters and hurries Chanyeol into the nearest chair with an excited grin on her face. It’s the complete opposite of her son, who looks as if he’s about to vomit all over himself at the drop of a hat. 

“Isn’t this exciting!” she chirps. “Are these the big ones?”

“No, that’s next year,” gurlges Chanyeol.

“Oh. Well it’s still exciting! Who’s going to open theirs first?”

The room is silent for a few moments. “I’ll go first,” says Kyungsoo. He leans forward to take the stack of letters and sort through them until he finds his own. He pauses for a second before popping open the purple wax seal of the Hogwarts coat of arms and slipping the letter out. Like all start of year letters, there are three sheets of parchment inside: one with greetings and instructions for the next year from the Deputy Headmaster, one with a long list of required equipment and textbooks, and the last with their end of year exam results. Kyungsoo forgoes the first two and heads straight for the latter. His brow is furrowed behind his glasses, eyes wide as he reads the parchment thoroughly. 

“What did you get?” asks Mrs Park.

“Three O ’s, two E ’s, and an A .”

“Merlin’s beard!” grins Baekhyun. The table erupts into cheers as Kyungsoo’s back is slapped and hugged by everyone present. “Three O’s ?! That’s bloody amazing, mate!”

“You should be very proud,” says Mrs Park, smiling at him softly. Beside him, Chanyeol’s face has turned a little less green, and he leans over to take Kyungsoo’s hand between his own, holding it tightly.

“Well done, Soo. Knew you’d do good.”

Kyungsoo looks like he’s about to explode from all the attention. “Thank you,” he says quietly, but Baekhyun can tell he’s overjoyed. It was a tough year for Kyungsoo as well, and the fact he came out of it with four Outstanding grades is beyond incredible. The Slytherin turns to him and points to the pile of letters, biting his bottom lip in an attempt to smother his smile. “Your turn next.”

The room goes quiet again. Baekhyun’s stomach begins to churn once again as he picks up his letter and pops the seal. He can’t tell if his hands are clammy from the heat or anxiety, and he fights down the urge to throw the whole letter in the bin as he slips out the sheet with his grades on, scanning over it nervously. If Kyungsoo did well, then surely he’ll be fine, right?

 

Charms - E

Transfiguration - O

Defense Against the Dark Arts - E

Potions - P

Herbology - A

 

The pin drops. “I can’t believe it,” he chokes, stomach now so low in his body he isn’t even sure he has one anymore. “I failed Potions.”

The faces around him turn from expectant to confused. “What?” says Chanyeol incredulously as Kyungsoo peers around Baekhyun’s shoulder to see for himself. “What do you mean you failed Potions?”

“He got a P,” says Kyungsoo, and to hear it out loud makes Baekhyun feel even worse. He actually failed Potions, perhaps the most important of all his subjects. He knew that his grades were going to be bad, but he never thought he’d actually fail at something. He hasn’t failed at anything since his third year! His parents… what will they say? He’s disappointed them so much already. How can he face them after this?

Across the table, Chanyeol smiles at him reassuringly. “A P ? A P ’s not even that bad, mate. You probably only failed by a few points anyway.”

“You don’t know that,” Baekhyun groans. He drops his head into his hands, whining defeatedly. “Ugh, my parents are going to kill me.”

“But look at your other grades,” says Kyungsoo. “E ’s in both Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, an A in Herbology, and an O in Transfiguration. Those are really good.”

“You got an O in Transfiguration? That’s brilliant, that exam was really hard as well!”

“Don’t let this one grade get you down, sweetheart,” Mrs Park soothes as she leans down to pop a kiss atop Baekhyun’s forehead, much to Chanyeol’s chagrin. “You have a whole year to set yourself straight, and then after that there’s no more school to worry about. I promise, my love, everything will sort itself out in the end.”

It’s just enough soothing to encourage him to ignore the glaring P on the page in front of him. They’re right, he should be proud of himself, even if he did fail a subject. To get an O after everything that’s happened to them is worthy of praise. He won’t have to deal with his parents for another week or so anyway. Folding up the parchment, Baekhyun puts the letter away and leans into Mrs Park’s comforting embrace a little more, promising himself that he’ll do better next time. Not that he really has a choice.

The room goes quiet again as all eyes flick over to Chanyeol. Out of the three, he’s the one everyone is most concerned about. His sickness had been long and hard, taking a toll on his body and health in ways Baekhyun can’t even imagine. Even now, almost a year after he first got sick, Chanyeol suffers from occasional panic attacks, and still has issues with his sleeping. To go through all that and still sit his exams at the end of the year… there’s no knowing what his results will be. His grades are more than just letters on a piece of parchment; they are a testament of how far he has come, and a premonition of how much further he needs to go.

“Are you okay, Yeol?”

“No,” Chanyeol croaks. His face has returned to its previous sickly grey colour. With a deep breath he takes his letter and holds it in his hands, popping the seal. He hesitates as he slips the letter from the envelope, hand hovering in mid air with all three sheets of parchment between his fingers. 

“Could you guys read it for me? I don’t think I can.”

“Sure,” says Kyungsoo. He takes the parchment from him and settles the pages down between himself and Baekhyun. Slowly, Kyungsoo removes the first two, leaving the final page on the table for everyone to see - everyone, that is, besides Chanyeol, who has hidden his face inside his large hands to avoid seeing anything at all. Baekhyun skims his eyes across the page. A warm feeling of elation swells inside him like sunlight reflecting off a sparkling lake.

“Mate, you’ve passed.”

Chanyeol’s head lifts from behind his hands. “Which ones?”

“All of them. You haven’t failed a thing.”

The sound of Chanyeol’s hands slamming down onto the table almost makes Baekhyun drop the parchment. “ off,” Chanyeol gawks, ignoring his mother’s shocked protests. “You’re having a laugh.”

“We’re not!” Kyungsoo skids the parchment across the table. “A ’s in Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense, and Charms, and an O in Care for Magical Creatures. See for yourself.”

Chanyeol takes the parchment and holds it so close to his face, his eyes cross. “Holy .” His voice is surging with shock and wonder. “I passed. I actually passed!”

The cheers and shouts of pride and congratulations surge to fill the room. “Well done, mate!” Baekhyun shouts as he shoots from his chair and tackles his best friend in a tight celebratory hug. He’s so proud of him, he feels like he might explode. Ten months ago he was certain his best friend was going to die; now he relishes in the feeling of Chanyeol’s long arms wrapping around him, squeezing him so hard the bones in his back pop. He only lets go to let Kyungsoo take his place, and the couple share a quick, no less emotional hug (and later, a gentle kiss when no one else is looking) that makes Mrs Park coo. Chanyeol’s eyes are red and a little watery, and the grey pallor of his cheeks has been washed away by a warm, lively pink that spreads all the way up to his ears.

“Couldn’t have done it without you guys. Love you, Baek, Soo. Love you, Mum.”

“Love you too, sweetheart,” Mrs Park says, pressing a kiss to her son’s cheek. “Now, I was planning on making burgers tonight, but seeing as this is a special occasion, what say you boys to some kimchi jjigae for dinner to celebrate?”

“Mum, that would be awesome!” beams Chanyeol, still holding Kyungsoo against him. His face turns a little bit sheepish before he asks, “could we have some soju too?”

Rolling her eyes, Mrs Park fixes her son with a fond but somewhat peeved stare. “Fine. But just one bottle. No more than that, do you understand?”

“Yes, Mum, thank you so much!”

“Thanks, Young-mi. You’re the best!”

Mrs Park lets out a yelp as she’s tackled on both sides by her boys. “Alright, alright, away with you now,” she laughs, wriggling out of their grasp. “I’ve got to pop to the shops to get a few things for the jjigae. Get yourselves outside now, enjoy the sun while it still lasts!”

With one last hug they let her go. Baekhyun’s stomach has risen from the depths of his torso all the way up to his chest. He’s so happy he can’t believe it - Chanyeol passed all of his exams! He’s so unbelievably proud of him - of all of them really - that his cheeks are starting to ache from smiling so much. The trio are jumping for joy as they skip outside, patting each other on the back and laughing merrily in the sun. Chanyeol picks up the discarded football and challenges the others to another game. The birds are singing and fat, fluffy bees are sipping happily on the pretty little flowers that span across the length garden. Baekhyun is certain nothing can dampen his mood.

“Hold on,” Kyungsoo says suddenly. “Wasn’t there another letter?”

“Oh yeah,” says Chanyeol. He drops the football and jogs back inside, approaching seconds later with a small envelope in hand. He rubs his eyes as he reads the address, and after a few moments of pause, hands the letter to Baekhyun.

“What?” he asks.

“It’s for you.”

Baekhyun takes the letter. He recognises the elegant scrawl on the front, his name written by a hand he knows better than his own. The parchment is thick - expensive. Dread pools inside him as he tears the envelope open and pulls the letter free. 

 

Baekhyun,

 

Your brother arrived back from Paris last night. He is staying in England until further notice for work. As you leave for Hogwarts in two weeks, we request that you come home tomorrow for the remainder of the summer holidays to spend some time with him. He says he has some good news to tell us. I’m sure you’ve missed him as much as we have.

 

Hope you’re having a good time with your friends.

 

Love, Mother and Father.

 

He reads it out to them. Silence follows the final words. Baekhyun looks up to see Kyungsoo and Chanyeol staring at him cautiously. It’s no secret how he feels about his parents, and even if it was, they could surely see all they need to know from the look of defeat that spreads across his face like a rain cloud on a hot summer's day. 

“I’m sorry, mate,” sighs Chanyeol. He claps a hand on his friend’s shoulder, and it’s only mildly reassuring. “It’s only for a couple weeks.”

Baekhyun sighs and scrunches up the letter into a small ball in his hand. “Yeah. Just a couple weeks.” 

“We can visit you, if you want,” says Kyungsoo, nudging Baekhyun in the shoulder with a fist. “Take the edge off a bit.”

“No, it’s okay.” They wouldn’t let him have friends over anyway. “My brother’s there so it shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll be fine.”

With one last squeeze, Chanyeol lets go of his shoulder. “Yeah, it’ll be alright. You can always write to us if you need to vent.” He picks up the football and tosses it around at his feet. “Besides,” he says as a sly grin creeps onto his lips, “if you keep frowning like that you’ll be twice as ugly as you are now.”

The jab is so unexpected that it rips a laugh straight from Baekhyun’s lungs. “Park Chanyeol, you are on the right path to a slap, you know that?” he chuckles, disappointment quickly being forgotten in the light of his best friend’s smile. 

“Beat me at keepie-uppie’s and I’ll let you have one for free.”

Baekhyun has no idea what a keepie-uppie is, but it doesn’t stop him from charging forwards to kick the football from between Chanyeol’s feet. “You’re on!” he laughs just as Kyungsoo swoops in to steal the ball and trail it down the length of the garden. The others follow him, and soon they’re all shouting and swearing and laughing like nothing at all has changed. The birds are still singing, the sun is still shining, and the day is not yet over. Baekhyun loves his friends in more ways than he can count. Nothing, not even his parents, can make his time here count for nothing.

Tomorrow is just another day. Baekhyun does his best to forget.

 

---

 

Fun Fact: the legal drinking age in the wizarding world is seventeen, meaning that all the students in their final year at Hogwarts can consume alcohol if they wish to. It's a year younger than the legal drinking age in the UK, which is eighteen, which is why Mrs Park is hesitant to let them drink more than a bottle of soju even though the boys are technically old enough to do so. The drinking culture in the UK is very lax (you are allowed to consume small amounts of alcohol legally from the age of five - with parental permission - and it's not uncommon for people to have their first experiences with drinking in their early-mid teens) but someone has to keep our boys under control lmao.

This fic will have a couple instances of both casual and heavy drinking throughout - everyone is of legal age (both wizarding and otherwise) which is why I haven't tagged it, but I will add warnings to the relevant chapters just in case.

Anyways, hello my lovelies! here is the next chapter, please let me know what you think! I forgot to say in the previous authors note, but i'm planning on making these chapters a lot shorter than its prequel. That's why i've got so many planned lol, I just think it'll be easier for me to get them out quicker if they're not 30 odd pages long. Long distance writing is going to be a bit of a challenge for me I think, but i'll do my very best !!

as always, feel free to come yell at me on tumblr, or in the comments if you have any questions or simply just want to scream about stuff, i always reply and i'm always up for a chat!