Transfiguration had always been a subject Jinyoung enjoyed, but teaching it, he was coming to find, could be a bit hair-raising.

He'd only narrowly missed his robes being turned into Merlin knows what in his last lesson of the day, rowdy third years who weren't paying attention to where they were pointing their wands.

After a month as a student teacher at Hogwarts, he figured it was high time he went out for a drink.

He considered apparating the rest of the way as soon as he set foot out of the main gate; but considering he could see the lights twinkling inside the windows of the houses, he figured it would be lazy. He should figure out where the potholes were before he had to walk back inebriated anyway.

A muttered 'lumos' gave him the light to navigate the well-worn path- well, it had been beaten down by students over the years, he supposed- he reckoned he could drink a bit easier with that knowledge.

The Three Broomsticks was warm and mostly empty, the chatter of the patrons that were there providing a counterpoint to the radio playing in the background (The Weird Sisters, he thought the song was by- he remembered his parents playing their stuff when he was younger).

The redhead behind the bar grinned at him as he approached.

'Jinyoung!' Mark greeted, 'I thought you declared you were going to set a good example for the students while teaching and not drink. That lasted long.'

Jinyoung rolled his eyes as he took a seat. 'Wasn't I drunk when I said that?' he asked, and Mark nodded. 'Then there we go. Pour me a Butterbeer, will you?'

'Starting slow, or here for the company?' Mark asked as he got a tankard.

'The former,' Jinyoung replied easily, 'Taught a bunch of murderous thirteen year old Gryffindors last lesson, I'd say I deserved it. Celebrate life and all.'

'Murderous thirteen year olds,' Mark repeated, humour in his voice.

'Okay, it was probably an accident,' Jinyoung admitted, 'And they were very contrite. But still.'

'So aside from the occasional brush with death, how are you finding teaching?' Mark asked.

Jinyoung shrugged. 'I'm enjoying it. I mean, I'm normally just assisting, and some of the kids are so very difficult, but it's rewarding. A seventh year Gryffindor told me that the first years don't know how lucky they are to have me, so that was nice.' He paused. 'I mean, it was after laughing at his friend asking why I was making his life difficult instead of partying like other guys my age, so....'

Mark burst out laughing. 'He said that?'

Jinyoung nodded. 'I thought Hufflepuff's were supposed to be nice. I try not to take it personally, he was at his wit's end with the spell. Transfiguration isn't his best subject, I think he's regretting taking it to NEWT level.'

'So you're having fun?' Mark said, words coloured with amusement.

Jinyoung sighed. 'I suppose. It's nice to actually speak to someone my own age. Everyone in the castle is either far too old or illegal.'

Mark raised an eyebrow. 'That's an interesting detail to not, if all you want to do is talk.'

'It's been a while, okay,' Jinyoung defended, hiding behind his glass. 'I was so focussed on the job and stuff I didn't think that I was essentially booking myself in for a stretch of celibacy.'

'I think you're dramatising a bit,' Mark said with a grin, 'And I'm willing to help out on the conversation front only.'

Jinyoung laughed. 'What happened to all those times you said you love me?' he teased.

'Those were because you got me drunk,' Mark replied, unphased.

'Drunk words are true words.'

Mark levelled a pointed look at the glass in front of Jinyoung.

'Butterbeer hardly counts as alcohol, it doesn't even have an age limit to drink it,' Jinyoung pointed out.

'So you're not going to order anything else?'

Jinyoung paused. 'Okay, I'll let you off for this one. Only because I'm not particularly hot on the idea of sleeping with you.'

'That's not what you said-'

'Under the influence of alcohol,' Jinyoung cut in.

'Drunk words are true words,' Mark mimicked and Jinyoung laughed.

The bell above the door jingled and Mark looked over Jinyoung's head, his face splitting into a wide grin.

'Well, you might be in luck.'

'Hmm?' Jinyoung twisted in his seat to see a wizard dressed in black robes, some kind of weird round hat with a protruding bit on his head. 'What?'

'Nothing,' Mark said as the guy grinned widely.

'Mark!' the stranger said exuberantly, attracting glances from the other patrons, a few of them seeming to recognise him, greeting him friendlily as he passed.

'Is he famous?' Jinyoung asked Mark as an aside, watching the guy's progress, 'Should I know who he is?'

'Nah, he's just friendly,' Mark told him, eyes fixed on the guy and he nodded to him as he neared. 'Sup, Jackson.'

'Haven't seen you for ages, man,' Jackson greeted, reaching over to give Mark some sort of odd handshake.

'You were in here two days ago,' Mark remarked dryly, already getting a glass for him.

'Oh yeah,' Jackson said thoughtfully, 'It was only two days ago. Fancy that. Anyway.' He eyed Jinyoung beside him. 'Aren't you going to introduce us, Mark? Hi, I'm Jackson Wang.' He held out his hand and Jinyoung shook it.

'Jinyoung Park.'

'Nice to meet you, man. I don't see you around here often, what do you do?' Jackson looked genuinely curious, and Jinyoung fought against narrowing his eyes in suspicion at him.

'I'm a student teacher at Hogwarts, it's my first visit here since school started,' Jinyoung shared and Jackson nodded.

'Cool, shaping young minds, important work.'

'Yeah, I'm enjoying it. What's on your head?' Jinyoung asked without preamble.

He heard Mark snort behind the bar and Jackson reached up to touch his head with a laugh.

'Oh yeah, this. It's called a snapback, it's a pretty popular Muggle fashion. I'm an freelance Introducer, I go around to Muggleborns' parents and families and explain to them about the wizarding world and introduce them to the idea of having a magical kid and guide them through that process, one of the kids introduced them to me,' Jackson explained, and then paused as if consideration before shrugging. 'And I might have become a little obsessed.'

'He has more snapbacks than robes,' Mark interjected and Jinyoung raised an eyebrow.

'You know the contents of his wardrobe.'

Mark flicked the cloth he held at Jinyoung. 'We're neighbours and schoolfriends.'

Jinyoung nodded. 'Is that it?' he inquired innocently.

Jackson let a cackle of laughter that caused Jinyoung to jump a little in surprise, looking at Jackson to find him grinning at him, throwing him a wink. 'You asking for him or for me?'

Jinyoung gave him a lingering once-over. 'How long did you say your wand was again?'

'Eleven and a half inches,' Jackson said without missing a beat, 'Bauhinia with a dragon heartstring, supple as anything.' He finished with another cheesy wink before bursting into laughter, making Jinyoung dissolve into laughter of his own. 'Hey, do you want a drink?' Jackson asked, 'Next round's on me.'

Jinyoung glanced at his unfinished Butterbeer. 'I have a drink.'

Jackson shrugged. 'So do I. Do you want something stronger?'

Jinyoung studied Jackson again and glanced at Mark, who wore a grin that looked suspiciously satisfied. Jinyoung scrunched his nose up at Mark briefly and shifted so he was facing more towards Jackson. 'Sure, why not.'

Jackson grinned, and Jinyoung wondered how he'd only met him minutes ago and it felt like he'd known him far longer.

'Bartender!' Jackson called boisterously, and Mark blinked where he stood right in front of him. 'Two of your finest reasonably-priced Firewhiskey's, please!'

One drink turned into two turned into three, and Jinyoung was laughing until his stomach hurt at Jackson's stories.

'You know, it's a portkey,' Jackson said conversationally as the fourth drink was put in front of him.

'What is?' Jinyoung asked, a little lost.

Jackson nodded at the slightly smoking firewhiskey. 'Yeah, next thing you know we'll be back at my place.'

Jinyoung spluttered into his drink- more with laughter than in embarrassment, and he was sure the heat running through him was only partly because of the firewhiskey.

Once he'd recovered, he downed the rest of his drink and set the glass down as delicately as he could manage. 'So, it's getting late, and I am quite drunk,' he said, 'My tolerance not being what it was, you know.'

'You haven't drunk for a month,' Mark muttered and Jinyoung ignored him.

'I think I'll need an to where I need to go,' Jinyoung said deliberately and Jackson downed his drink.

'Ready when you are.'

'So, Hogwarts is that way, right?' Jackson asked once they were outside and Jinyoung hummed in assent.

'Yeah, but which way's your place?'

Jackson blinked at him then grinned. 'Where you need to go, huh?'

Jinyoung let his lips curl upwards. 'I'm a teacher, I need to evaluate your wandwork.'

Jackson crowded Jinyoung up against the nearest flat surface, and Jinyoung let his hand rest against his chest, fingers trying to explore as much as he could. 'My wandwork is impeccable, thank you very much,' he murmured, 'O's all around.'

'Prove it,' Jinyoung breathed and Jackson's grin glowed bright in the night.

'Gladly.'