“Dance lessons?!” Suho squeaks, looking alarmed. 

Professor Sprout has just announced that all students will be required to take dance lessons twice a week for three months to prepare for the Winter Ball that is coming up.

Lay looks excited for once in Herbology, his eyes lighting up.

Luhan looks indifferent.

But Suho looks like he wants to run screaming from the room in terror.

“They can’t force us to take dance lessons,” he says indignantly to his friends once they’ve left the greenhouses.

It’s cold outside, and a thin layer of sparkling frost lays over everything even though most of the snow had melted last week.

Suho would have thought it made Hogwarts even more beautiful if he wasn’t so worried about dance lessons.

“Awww, come on. It won’t be so bad,” a voice says from behind Suho, startling him, and the next thing he knows, Kai is there, an arm slung gracefully over Suho’s shoulders.

Suho still isn’t used to Kai talking to him so much.

Ever since the Hogsmeade incident, Kai has been talking to Suho everywhere.

In the library, in the Great Hall.

In the bathroom.

Suho sighs, ignoring Luhan’s smirk and Lay’s frown.

“You’re just saying that dance lessons won’t be that bad because you can dance,” Suho says, his nervousness returning.

Kai is a dancer anyways, and a good one at that, so of course he doesn’t need to worry about making a fool of himself in front of everyone.

In front of...

Suho’s eyes stray towards Lay, and then back again quickly.

Lay is still glaring at Kai, at Kai’s arm which is still draped over Suho’s shoulders.

Suho doesn’t really notice due to his own pre-occupied thoughts, but Kai does.

“Relax unicorn-boy,” he says, grinning at Lay. “I’m not going to steal your boyfriend.”

Everyone’s reaction is instantaneous.

Luhan, who had been silent the whole time Kai and Suho were talking, barks out a laugh.

Lay’s mouth falls open in surprise, and his cheeks flush.

Suho looks at Kai in confusion for a second before realization hits him and he chokes in embarrassment as blood rushes to his cheeks.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” both Suho and Lay shout at the same time.

Kai had been saying something along the lines of he could steal Suho if he wanted to because he was just that attractive, but Suho’s and Lay’s identical shouts interrupted him.

The two were awkwardly avoiding eye contact with each other, and Kai saw a perfect opportunity.

“So since you two aren’t together,” Kai begins, not removing his arm from Suho’s shoulders, “I guess it’s okay if I do this.”

Before Suho can stop him, Kai has swooped down and kissed Suho on the cheek.

Luhan’s mouth drops open this time, along with Suho’s.

Lay looks murderous for a second before he lunges for Kai, who darts away, laughing maniacally.

Luhan and Suho watch as Lay chases Kai all the way back to the castle, the two running boys slipping and falling on the frost-covered lawn, one yelling and the other grinning and laughing like an idiot. 

Luhan hums. “Lay seems pretty upset,” he says, eyeing Suho, whose face is completely red now.

“He’s my best friend,” Suho says weakly. “He’s just being protective.”

Luhan hums again. He isn’t convinced that’s all Lay is.

“This is going to be interesting,” is all Luhan can think as he takes in the Great Hall.

The hall has been cleared of all of its tables and benches. Even the teachers’ table is gone, replaced by a dusty, old record player with a giant speaker curling over the top.

Luhan had seen Professor McGonagall levitating the teachers’ table out of the Great Hall earlier that day. 

Tons of students now mill around the hall, the sound of their chattering drowning out everything else.

“At least the whole school isn’t here,” Lay is saying to Suho, who looks like he’s going to be sick.

Luhan and Lay had almost had to drag Suho out of the Hufflepuff common room, where Suho had been hiding behind a large, potted plant. Lay had finally convinced Suho to go by agreeing to hold his hand. Luhan had wanted to snigger at the scene the two had made walking down the halls, but Lay’s poisonous look had stopped him.

Now here they are, standing in the entrance to the Great Hall.

The candles float above their heads, reflected a thousand times by the gilt-stained mirrors set up around the hall.

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