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Kai has two books open on his lap, one used as a prop while he does last minute revisions on his Charms paper. Beside him, the fireplace crackles in continuous intervals, the warm, orange light casting a soft, bright glow against the wrinkles of distress on his face.
"Hueningie?"
Kai's jaw clenches; working in the Hufflepuff common room always had its downsides, one of which is being (quite rudely) interrupted in this life-or-death situation. (And yes, he knows he's being dramatic, but he's barely passing the subject, so in a way, it is that serious.)
For a split second, he considers plainly ignoring whoever was now looming over him, partially blocking the fireplace in the process. But in Helga Hufflepuff's good conscience, Kai finds he simply just can't, so with a defeated sigh he looks up and sees none other than Choi Soobin, fifth year Hufflepuff prefect who also happens to be his childhood friend.
He blinks, noting the determined way Soobin's holding himself, all tight shoulders and clenched fists by his sides.
"Um, yes, hyung?" Kai does a mental rundown of the common room rules, coming up with nothing that could possibly earn him a warning from the prefect.
"Hueningie, I need your help."
Kai blinks yet again, then looks around, noting that a few first years are watching their interaction warily, clearly intimidated by all 185cm of Soobin and his prefect title.
Meanwhile, Soobin has taken to kneeling in front of him, hands clasped and eyes shut as he all but whines, "Please!"
Kai sighs, clearly defeated as he finally nods, pushing his homework to the side to make room for Soobin who immediately sits by him.
Soobin does a quick scan of the room too, and after making sure no one was within earshot, he turns to Kai and says rather conspiratorially, "You're friends with Kang Taehyun, right?"
Kai frowns, the mention of his Ravenclaw friend clearly unexpected. Nevertheless, he nods his head and waits for Soobin to continue.
"Good," Soobin nods, mostly to himself, then, "because I need you to ask him how to make an Invigoration Draught."
"A what?" Kai raises his eyebrows in surprise, watching as Soobin takes a piece of parchment before carefully writing the two words down.
"It's a potion." Soobin supplies as he hands the paper over. "It's supposed to give the drinker lots of energy."
Kai reads the words over and over until it finally clicks in the back of his mind. "Isn't this supposed to be really complicated? I remember reading about it in Potions before."
That's enough to bring back the determined look on Soobin's face, nodding his head earnestly as he says, "That's why I need you to ask Taehyun-sshi for me. I already tried the library but ended up sleeping before I could find the recipe for it."
"Why, though?" Kai finally asks the question that's been nudging at him since Soobin mentioned the potion in the first place. "What do you need this kind of potion for?"
Of all the reactions he was expecting, the least was Soobin's cheeks flushing pink, which he quickly hides by looking away.
"Nothing!" he replies in a tone that clearly indicates it was anything but nothing. "I'm just curious, that's all!"
"Okay..." Kai almost feels bad for him; throughout the years they grew up together, Soobin still cannot lie to save his life. And just as he's just about to say it out loud, the clock in the common room chimes to indicate his Charms class is starting in five minutes.
With a quick flick of his wand, Soobin arranges Kai's things in a neat pile, handing them over with a sickly sweet smile.
"Don't forget!" Kai hears Soobin call out as he makes a beeline for the exit, his heart sinking when realizes that he never did manage to complete his homework.
*
Twenty minutes into Charms, Kai discreetly slips Taehyun the piece of parchment Soobin had written on, having made sure they were sitting beside each other before class had started.
Taehyun's eyes run over the words, a frown creasing his features. He makes to turn to Kai, who widens his eyes and gestures to their professor up front. Catching on immediately, Taehyun dips his quill in ink before scrawling his reply. He quickly hands the paper back to Kai, who reads:
This potion is way beyond our current curriculum. This is O.W.L. level advanced.
This finally sheds some light on Soobin's embarrassment earlier, and to the favor he's asking in the first place. Being a fifth year meant that O.W.L. exams were fast approaching, so it's understandable that he'd ask for help, despite the fact it's from students two years under him.
So you don't know how to make it?
Kai knows the exact moment Taehyun reads his reply from the resounding snort that fills the room. The professor gives them a curious glance, to which Taehyun shoots an innocent smile, enough to placate her in continuing the lecture with her monotonous tone.
Of course I know how to make it. I'll write the recipe down then give it to you by the end of the class.
Kai swears he can hear Taehyun's offended tone as he reads the hastily scrawled reply, but he smiles brightly nonetheless, tucking the paper away since he deemed their exchange as done.
That is until Taehyun pushes another piece of parchment into his hands, the words neatly written:
You owe me a butterbeer next weekend for this.
Kai gives him a thumbs up with the same bright smile, reminding himself to bribe Soobin for the money before handing over the recipe.
*
Kai dangles the rolled up parchment right under Soobin's nose, his reflexes quick enough to keep it just out of reach when Soobin tries to grab it.
"Hueningie..." They're standing just outside the Hufflepuff common room, and it's obvious that Soobin wants the ordeal done and over with before anyone else shows up.
Kai uses the extra pressure to his advantage, his palm outstretched as he says, "That'll be ten sickles."
Soobin sputters, clearly taken aback since they never agreed on any form of payment in the first place. Kai wriggles his fingers, coaxing Soobin with a teasing voice, "Come on, hyung. It's a small price to pay if you want to pass your O.W.L. exam."
For a moment, Kai wonders if he'd crossed a line by mentioning O.W.Ls in the first place, but Soobin looks neither shocked nor offended. Instead, he looks almost guilty, his downcast eyes and equally downturned mouth a dead giveaway.
Before Kai could think to ask, however, Soobin's reached into his robes, pulling out a coin purse to hand over the money as Kai gives him the recipe.
"Thank you, Hueningie." Soobin says sincerely, his bright disposition finally back as he holds the parchment close to him. "And you're right; it really is a small price to pay."
Then he squares his shoulders and says sternly, "And I better not see you going out to Hogsmeade to buy butterbeer, of all things."
*
"I never got to ask, but what did you need the Invigoration Draught for?" Taehyun asks, rubbing his hands together as the cold wind bites at their cheeks. Kai does the same, pressing his warm hands to his face.
They're walking back to Hogwarts after spending most of the day in Hosgmeade, Kai making good on his promise to buy Taehyun a bottle of butterbeer.
"Oh, it was for Soobin-hyung. I think he needed it for O.W.Ls."
Taehyun nods his head, looking around the scenery before pausing in his tracks. It's three steps later when Kai notices Taehyun is missing from his side, so he walks back and follows his friend's line of sight.
"Isn't that..."
"Soobin-hyung?" Kai finishes the sentence, frowning as he spots the familiar mop of dark hair just beyond the thick shrubbery. They quickly duck their heads as Soobin makes to turn to their direction, but another voice promptly stops him.
"What's wrong?"
Kai carefully moves to a safer hiding spot, with Taehyun following suit. Craning his neck behind a tree trunk, Kai manages to catch a glimpse of shockingly blue hair, but what catches his full attention is the familiar green and black color combination.
"That's Choi Yeonjun," Taehyun supplies helpfully. "from what I know, he's a sixth year and seeker for the Quidditch team."
A wave of dread passes over Kai as he watches Yeonjun stepping closer towards Soobin. He's never been one for stereotypes, but out of all the houses, Slytherins have always been the most intimidating to him. Not only was Slytherin infamous for housing dark wizards before, they also kept to themselves, making it hard for Kai to judge based on personal interactions instead of prejudices.
"It's nothing." Soobin responds, and Kai watches as he reaches into the inner pocket of his robe, extracting a small bottle filled with blue-green liquid that sparkled in the light.
Yeonjun tilts his head, watching with an almost child-like wonder. "Oh? You made an Invigoration Draught? Good for you, Soobinnie!"
The nickname catches Kai off-guard, drawing away to exchange puzzled looks with Taehyun. When Kai focuses back on Soobin, he can't help but notice that his ears have turned red.
"Thank you," Soobin says solemnly, ducking his head to look at the bottle for a moment. "it was really hard to make, though. I had to re-do it three times. I even had to ask my friend for the recipe."
Yeonjun's eyes soften at that, and it's in that moment when Kai realizes that he's no threat to Soobin at all.
"Well, it was worth it in the end, right?"
"Yes." Soobin says with unwavering resolution, shoulders bunching up as he takes a deep breath, then continues, "It's worth it because it's for you."
Oh, Kai thinks. He's starting to see the bigger picture now, the puzzle pieces from last week piecing themselves together in front of his very eyes.
"For me?" Yeonjun echoes, stammering as Soobin pushes the vial into his hands. "B-but why?"
"For the Quidditch match next week." Soobin's voice grows quiet, taking a timid step closer to Yeonjun. From this angle, Kai can see the slight tremble of his hands. "Please drink that by then. And–"
There's a pause, then an audible swallow.
"And think of me when you do. Think of me while you're playing. Think of me, and don't get hurt."
Yeonjun's cheeks have gone pink, the vial now pressed against his chest. There's a new shine to his eyes, the fondness so evident that Kai wonders why he ever thought Yeonjun was bad news for Soobin.
"...okay." Yeonjun responds, so soft that it barely reaches Kai. Soobin's entire composure relaxes after that, like that single word had affirmed an unspoken question hanging between them.
A weird sense of guilt settles over Kai by then, like he's witnessing a private moment that's meant only for the two of them. He's about to withdraw from his hiding spot with Taehyun in tow when he hears Yeonjun speak up once more.
"Thank you, Soobinnie. I'll try my best not to get hurt."
Then before Kai can even blink, Yeonjun steps towards Soobin, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek. Soobin barely lets out a gasp before Yeonjun's bolting away, or rather, towards where Kai and Taehyun are still huddled behind a tree.
Kai swears his heart leaps up his throat, but in the split second that Yeonjun whizzes by, he realizes that the older boy has his eyes squeezed shut, his entire face now pink as he continues running towards Hogwarts, his scarf whipping behind him.
Soobin's standing in the same spot, now fully facing them, but the dazed look in his eyes is enough indication that he hasn't taken notice of the two younger boys at all.
Taehyun nudges Kai then, a sly look on his face as he whispers, "Since we practically helped him with Yeonjun, I think Soobin-hyung owes us a lot more than ten sickles, huh?"
"...you're terrible." Kai says despite the identical grins on their faces. Soobin has a lot of explaining to do, but not before coughing up enough sickles for a month's worth of butterbeer.