Author's note: ... yeah I got nothin'. I forgot in the last chapter but you can read about wand woods here.

Like the house sorting this is just a matter of personal opinion. Enjoy~!

Honestly, how does he know half the things he does?

The question had been so utterly unexpected that it had caused Daesung to choke on his soup, prompting a bark of a laugh from his friend, leaving him trying to simultaneously stop choking and glare at him which only resulted in Seungri laughing so hard tears came out of his eyes, banging his hand against the table repeatedly.

He kicks a stone sitting innocently in his way, feeling oddly petulant. It hadn’t been that funny. Okay, fine, maybe just a little bit funny, Daesung would probably have laughed if he could have seen his own face too. It’s fruitless to try and get Seungri to reveal his sources but he’s still going to try and harass him later over it, partly because he’s curious and also because it did make him choke on his food. Foot that he had been enjoying at that, he thinks, kicking another harmless little stone and watching it bounce off the cobbled street.

“Having a bad day?”

… Merlin have mercy and strike him down right now. The question is light and teasing but it may as well have been shouted at him for all the little attention he gave to its tone when that deep, rich voice reached his ears. He exhales imperceptibly, shudders just a little as the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It’s ridiculous, how much he’s reacting and how quickly his mind correctly identified that voice considering he only heard it once.

It’d be rude not to respond so Daesung braces himself and turns his head to look at Seunghyun who is currently standing near a shop’s display, wearing a different set of robes from last time but just as neat and classy, with no glasses obscuring his gorgeous face. His cheekbones stand out more than ever, his smile seems a little shy but his gaze feels ever more intense without the lenses to dull it. And for all that he’s standing there looking like the most handsome man he’s ever seen, all that Daesung can think about is that they’re not near Gringotts and it’s Tuesday.

“It’s not Friday,” the world seems slow around him, slightly sluggish and hazy as opposed to Seunghyun’s sharp features and it takes a few seconds for the realization of what he said to sink in, mortification following hot behind it. Really, Daesung? It’s not Friday? He’s probably aware, wizards do have calendars – useful but slightly weird ones that talk with you, going over your daily and weekly to-do list and this really isn’t the time to be thinking about that, is it?

Colour finally rushes to his face as he feels Seunghyun stare at him, nodding calmly with a small “no” as to agree that it is not, in fact, Friday. Daesung is debating whether or not excusing himself and hastily getting away would be more or less embarrassing than just standing there when a shift in the man’s expression catches his attention. He clears his throat awkwardly, looking as if he wants to say something but is uncertain on whether or not it’s a good idea. There’s a faint blush of pink around his nose, more pronounced at the top of his ears and all of Daesung’s previous mortification fades momentarily as his head tilts to observe it better. Is he… is he flushing? 

“I-“ something flickers across his face again before it settles on a polite smile, making him feel vaguely disappointed. “We… didn’t introduce ourselves properly last time. Seunghyun Choi,” surprise must be showing on his own face because Seunghyun laughs as he offers his hand. It takes him barely a second to grasp it and offer his own name in exchange.  Some of the tension is gone, making it easier for him to smile, even if his embarrassment lingers a little. It seems his new acquaintance isn’t done surprising him, however, as he quickly looks around before aiming another smile at Daesung. “Forgive me for being forward but… are you free? “

At the beginning of his sixth year he had a talk with his Potions professor, explaining that he didn’t sign up for his class despite getting the required O.W.Ls result. It had been a difficult conversation since the man was his favourite teacher and he had actually been good at the class but shaking his head now seems just as difficult at the moment, especially when he sees the corners of Seunhyun’s lips drop slightly. “I only took a break for lunch,” the answer’s rushed, his throat burning with the need to explain himself despite him owning nothing to the man. “I need to go back to work.”  

His words sound inadequate to his own ears but it seems to work as the former Slytherin’s smile returns with a nod, the curve to his lips seeming kind and understanding to him. “May I walk you there?”  There’s not really any reason for him to say no so Daesung agrees, laughing a little awkwardly but much more comfortable this time around. He wonders if the formal speech is a pureblood thing – Jiyong had always seemed casual with him bar the occasional odd saying but he seems a bit atypical in a lot of things.

“Are you usually free on Fridays?” there aren’t too many people around but Daesung still hopes they don’t seem too odd a pair. He wonders, for a second, how – not if – Seungri is going to find out about this before shaking his head at the question, reddening again at the memory of his most eloquent speech minutes earlier. “No, not really. My free day depends on how busy the shop is, how my studying is going and what tasks my master has for me to do. That Friday was an exception.”

 Seunhyun listens quietly and nods, as if the details of his work week are somehow important. Their steps seem to echo loudly down the street but maybe it’s due to the general lack of noise around them. The Alley won’t be this quiet for much longer and Daesung finds himself wishing it would, much as that would probably be bad for business. His eyes catch glimpses of their reflection as they pass several store displays. It’s a little odd, warm brown hair and styled black, tanned and pale skin, worn muggle jeans and straight wizard robes, but… they don’t look nearly half bad walking together and not nearly as awkward as he would have thought.

Unfortunately, Ollivanders isn’t that far away from where they started walking and barely a few minutes pass before they arrive at the door. He hesitates a little, rocking back on his heels, and biting down on his bottom lip slightly before turning to him with a smile that is easily returned. “Thank you for walking me,” it had been a nice gesture on his part, especially after having to decline his offer.

There’s a moment of silent between then before Seunhyun lowers his head a little, that almost-bashful smile crossing his face again. “I don’t wish to come across as…” his voice trails off, tongue making a sharp cluck sound as he searches for an appropriate word. “Creepy?” Daesung offers cheekily, having to resist the urge to laugh at the slight nose twitch he gets in return  – a joking expression of distaste and somehow almost unbearably cute. 

“Yes. But I was wondering if I could… owl you? And perhaps when you have some free time…” His question trails off, slightly unsure but he seems relieved at the smile he gets for his inquiry. “Yeah, of course!” comes the immediate answer, and then, “you can just address them to the shop anyway, I spend most of my time here. We’ll… get together sometime?”

“Not on Friday, I imagine?” Daesung feels his cheeks blushing a deeper red but he can’t stop another laugh from escaping him. His hand twitches with the need to playfully poke the man in the arm, or swat at him but he settles for shaking his head instead. “No, probably not on Friday.” Honestly, at this point he wouldn’t ever be able to have a normal Friday ever again or at least one where he doesn’t feel like laughing every single time he remembers the day. Maybe it’s a curse. It’s not even the thirteenth.

“Alright then,” there it is, that hint of dimples again, before his teasing expression shifts into something gentler. “Have a nice day, Daesung. Thank you for allowing me to you,” a third flicker of hesitation crosses his face but  he shakes his head as it to push it aside  yet again, smiling one last time before turning around and starting to walk.

He waves, despite being fairly certain his parting acquaintance – friend? – can’t see it, even waits a couple of seconds after the fine black robes vanish out of sight before he breaths in and enters the store. It’s only when he does so that he realizes how cold it must have been outside, the warmth spreading over him and making him shudder slightly. All the buildings in the Alley are spelled to have an adjustable temperature inside of them, of course, but somewhere along their walk the cold had completely slipped from his mind.

“What happened?”

His master’s inquiry snaps him back to the present and Daesung blinks, tearing his gaze away from a random spot on the pilling shelves to look at her. She’s staring at him, hand batting away at the dread perpetually falling in front of her face, one eyebrow raised high in amusement. He’s not in trouble at least. The confusion must show clear on his face as usual because she chuckles, smirking a little with a glint in her eyes.

“You’re redder than a blood-flavoured lollipop.”

“Nothing,” is that his voice? His voice isn’t that high pitched and it doesn’t crack. Both of his cheeks flush a little deeper as he clears his throat and tries again, “nothing. It’s probably the cold”. The only answer sent his way is a noncommittal and utterly unconvinced uh hu before she’s waving him to the back room and telling him to organize the new materials that came around while he was out.

Daesung practically dashes away, thankful for the opportunity to be spared the embarrassing questions. Fingers shaking just a little, he takes his cloak off, draping it over the work bench, catching his breath for a few moments before trying to focus on the new boxes sitting in a corner. His master will handle the cores for now, but he needs to sort the woods into their appropriate places, beech and larch in particular since they’ve been running low on those.

It’s not a difficult task but one still worth of being done with attentiveness. And yet… his mind keeps drifting away from the dusty room to fine robes, dark hair and darker eyes, high cheekbones, a torturing hint of elusive, hiding dimples and a teasing spark he’d never have expected. Daesung isn’t dumb and he never has been but this isn’t the sort of thing he wants to think about or is even ready to acknowledge right now so, instead, he shakes his head and throws himself into the task ahead of him with renewed vigour.