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Chapter Text

“Do you reckon there’s really a squid in here, or is it just a legend?”

“You’ll be able to tell me once you get in Slytherin and have to sleep by the lake.”

“Or you could tell me right now.” The curly-haired boy pushed his friend at lightning speed and she shrieked. Her fingers dug into the wood, the tips of her long hair dipping into the ominous water.

Katsuki Yuuri grimaced as the canoe rocked back and forth. He was just beginning to decide if this was how his experience at Hogwarts was going to be, he didn’t want any part of it when he spotted the lights of the castle through the mist. He let his grip on the boat's sides inch apart, finger by finger.

“First years, come with me! If you’re a transfer, follow Professor Snape.” The directions came from a willowy figure with an unexpectedly authoritative voice.

Yuuri craned his neck as the boat hit rock, just in time to see the woman head toward the doors. He scrambled out of the boat, following the few taller students over to an unpleasant-looking man with a large nose. If it hadn’t been for his sallow skin, Yuuri was sure he would’ve blended in with the dark surroundings.

No one in the group said a word as they followed the bubbling first years past the intimidating doors into the castle. The bright mahogany floors and intricate lighting made Yuuri feel out of place.

“Oh, look!” cried out the girl who had been on his canoe.

The rest of the first years rushed around her and peered past the corner.

"It's the Great Hall!" exclaimed a boy, and chatter broke out among the group.

“Silence,” Professor Snape commanded, and they immediately quieted under his daunting voice, turning toward him with wide eyes. A few backed up, tripping on the trails of each other’s cloaks.

“Thank you, Severus,” replied the older woman.

He gave her a stiff nod and turned the corner. Immediately, Yuuri could hear the noise of the hall dampen.

In the bright lighting of the castle, Yuuri recognized the woman as Professor McGonagall. She had been the one who had approved of his transfer application and written him the news. Her long, dark robes and pointy hat made her look half a meter taller than she was.

“Transfers will go first, from youngest to oldest. Following them will be first years in alphabetical order. When your name is called, go around the corner and put on the Sorting Hat.” She gestured to where Professor Snape had disappeared. “After the hat Sorts you, you may join your House table. Dinner will be served after the Sorting and a short speech from our Headmaster.”

Yuuri gulped. He knew the Sorting was a necessary task, but he had been hoping it would be in private. That meant the whole school would be watching while—

“Turner, Brendan.”

The skinny boy with curly blond hair standing next to Yuuri walked forward with a timid gait.

Only ten seconds later, Yuuri heard a booming, “GRYFFINDOR!”

Professor McGonagall called another name and Yuuri began to go over what he knew about the Houses, which wasn’t much beyond their colors and traditional values.

That, and every House but Hufflepuff was hosting tryouts for a new Seeker this year. Considering Quidditch had been one of his reasons for coming, Yuuri had no trouble eliminating Hufflepuff. The first years on the canoe hadn’t sounded too fond of Slytherin, and if their conversation was to be trusted, Yuuri wasn't too keen on sleeping by the lake either.

Greatest of all, though, he knew with certainty that he wasn’t brave. In fact, his anxious personality was the opposite of the daring Gryffindors'.

“Katsuki, Yuuri.”

His heart leapt out of his chest as he skittered over, receiving a firm nod from Professor McGonagall. He had hoped his good grades from Mahoutokoro would be enough to get himself on her good side, but he was realizing quickly it would take a lot more.

A grand hall lay before him as he hurried toward the stool. He wondered if the four tables could see how much he was shaking as he placed the dusty hat on his head. Choosing to ignore the hundreds of students in front of him, he instead studied the marvelous starry sky and glowing candles.

Yuuri knew the hat must’ve been magical. It must be, in order to prod inside his mind and evaluate his personality. But he hadn’t expected a gravelly voice to accompany whatever enchantment was coursing through him.

Hm, very studious and sensible, the hat considered.

Yes, Yuuri tried to send his agreement toward it. I take comfort in knowledge.

So you want Ravenclaw, then? Funny, you’ve got something else in you. I daresay you’re a—

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Yuuri jumped up, sure the surprise was clear on his face. It appeared a good portion of the table covered in scarlet seemed to have the same reaction. Apparently, stumbling up to the stool wasn’t typical Gryffindor behavior.

What? he shot at the hat in a last attempt. There was a dreadful silence and Yuuri hastily placed it back on the stool and hurried down to the table. Silently thanking the odds, he sat down next to a burly, dark-haired boy he’d seen on the boats. He looked too old to be a first year, and he had foreign features etched across his face.

With the comfort that someone next to him was going through the same thing that he was, Yuuri sat patiently through the remainder of the Sorting.

As the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore rose to speak, Yuuri let his gaze wander across the Great Hall. He tried not to linger too long on the Ravenclaw table where he longed to be, so he focused instead on where the Slytherins sat. Unlike the excited-looking Hufflepuffs or the silent Ravenclaws, most appeared bored. His eyes swept across the table, past a group of tall boys until he felt his mouth drop open.

There, drumming his fingers on the table, was the Seeker of the Quiberon Quafflepunchers himself—Viktor Nikiforov.

Yuuri’s throat went dry. To say he was a fan of Viktor's was an understatement. Yet somehow he had always assumed Viktor had gone to Beauxbatons, which was closer to where he played for the Quafflepunchers.

Even seeing Viktor in such an informal setting, at school, seemed strange. He’d announced he’d be taking a year off of Quidditch so he could further pursue his studies, but it was hard to believe the star lived a life outside of the pitch.

Merlin's beard. He wouldn't try out for the Slytherin team, would he? If Yuuri had to play against Viktor Nikiforov, he was sure his chances of helping his House win the Quidditch Cup would be about the same as befriending a troll.

His only comfort was that Viktor was a year older, so they wouldn’t have any classes together. But still—

The only thing that stopped him from a full-blown analysis of the situation was the sudden appearance of food in front of him. A second later, a boy with long brown hair next to him spoke up.

“I’m Leo,” he said, offering one hand out while shoveling some roast beef onto his plate with the other.

“And I’m Guang Hong,” added a shorter boy on the other side of Leo, leaning so he could meet Yuuri’s eyes. “Where did you transfer from?”

“Ah,” Yuuri said with great relief that he wouldn’t have to be the one to initiate a conversation. “I’m Yuuri. Mahoutokoro in Japan. I’m a fourth year.”

“Us too.” Guang Hong smiled. “Why’d you make the move?”

“The classes weren’t as in depth.” Yuuri swallowed his words, not wanting to sound stuffy. Maybe it would’ve been okay at the Ravenclaw table, but not at Gryffindor. “And the Quidditch program wasn’t as formal. I still loved it there, but I just wanted a change.”

Leo looked up with interest at this.

“Don’t tell me,” he said. “Seeker?”

“Er, yes.” Yuuri frowned. Was that some sort of problem at Hogwarts?

“Me too,” Leo said. “Heard there’s going to be a lot of competition this year.”

Guang Hong smiled politely and continued the conversation for a minute until it reached its end. All the while, Leo piled food into his mouth, mumbling about how he hadn’t eaten in hours.

It didn’t take long for Yuuri to feel alone again, so he listened into the other conversations at the table and pushed the Yorkshire pudding around his plate until it became soggy.

Hogwarts was supposed to be his new beginning, where he could be whoever he wanted. More specifically, the more courageous version of himself that only came out when he was flying. So why did he feel more nervous than ever as he sat at the table of the brave, across the room from someone he had only dreamed to one day meet?

***

Yuuri’s first day was not going well.

He had woken up in a room with four other people, profusely wishing he could at least sleep alone. Breakfast was bustling with excitement, this time from all the Houses.

Transfiguration was the first class of the day, one he dreaded the second he stepped in the door. The desks were grouped in twos, and he didn’t know anyone except for Leo and Guang Hong, who at least had the sympathy to give him an apologetic glance. Eventually, a quiet girl named Isabella made her way over and took the empty seat next to him.

Isabella ended up being nice enough, but Yuuri turned his attention toward taking down Professor McGonagall’s lesson in great detail. Thanks to his lack of friends, Yuuri was sure he had the best Transfiguration notes out of the whole class.

To his disappointment, Charms with Professor Flitwick was with the Ravenclaws as well. By the time he and Isabella wound up sitting together again, Yuuri began to wish he had been put in Hufflepuff or Slytherin where he might at least find a friend.

Yet again, he found himself with nothing better to do than to take down every word that came out of Professor Flitwick’s mouth. When he assigned a paper that received a groan from almost every student, Yuuri had no complaints. At least he would have something to do later that night.

Yes, Yuuri decided. He definitely would’ve been better as a Ravenclaw.

Third period was free. Yuuri sagged in relief when he made it out of Charms and chose to opt-out of lunch. Instead, following the convoluted directions of several ghosts, he finally made it to the library to get a head start on the Charms assignment. If his social life was lacking, he could at least excel at what he came to Hogwarts to do.

He was just finishing on his outline when he noticed how many students were filing into the library as third period started. His quiet calm quickly turned into dismay—he had been hoping for a peaceful place to study, but by now there was at least one person at every table. Whispers spilled across the room and not a single book was open besides his own. Understandably, Madam Pince was having a heart attack.

“Excuse me,” chirped a bright voice.

Yuuri spun around.

“May I sit here?”

“Oh...of course,” Yuuri stuttered.

The boy was swathed in oversize Hufflepuff robes and he sat down, sighing as he dropped his bag.

“Phichit Chulanont,” he said, holding out a hand.

“Katsuki Yuuri, but er, call me Yuuri. In Japan we say the last name first,” he said, shaking Phichit’s hand.

“Don’t worry. The library isn’t always this crowded. Wait until we’re a month in and no one will bother to come here unless they want to get work done,” Phichit said. “And you won’t have to worry about strangers wanting to sit with you.”

Yuuri couldn’t help but smile shyly back at him.

“You read my mind,” he admitted. “I’m not the best at talking to people.”

“Well, I haven’t seen you around before. You’re a transfer, right?”

Yuuri nodded.

“That makes it ten times harder to talk to people. You’d be surprised at how friendly people are in their first year. By second year, most people have found their groups and it’s clear who’s at the top of the social ladder. It can be pretty intimidating coming into that right away.”

“Who’s that?” Yuuri asked, deciding this would be useful knowledge in navigating his first week. He had a good feeling it would be either the Gryffindors or Slytherins.

“A lot of the Quidditch players, especially the Seekers and Chasers.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. Whether it was because he was about to tell a deep secret or because Madam Pince was straying closer to the pair, Yuuri wasn’t sure. “Viktor Nikiforov and Christophe Giacometti, along with all their friends are probably the most popular. They’re Slytherins.”

Yuuri swallowed hard.

“I-I’m a fan of his flying. Viktor’s, I mean. I’m a Seeker too. Or, well, at least I was for the past three years at my old school. I’m trying out this Thursday.”

Phichit beamed at the news. “I’m a Chaser on the Hufflepuff team. I got lucky. There were only four of us trying out for all three positions, so only one person got cut.” He leaned in even closer, eyes shining. “And if you want any juicy secrets on Viktor, I’ve been in a few of his classes throughout the years. I just came from Muggle Studies with him. I think everyone was pretty surprised he even took the class.”

“Why?” Yuuri asked, entranced, even though he had sworn he wouldn’t obsess over Viktor—from what he had just learned from Phichit, he was probably already tired of people swooning over him.

“Well, nothing against him, but he comes from a rich, Pure-blood family. Not the type of wizard I would expect to try and learn about Muggles. I reckon he’s only taking it because it’s an easy class. Then again, every class is easy for him.”

Yuuri felt his mouth go dry. So Viktor was exactly who he wanted to be—well-liked, a great Quidditch player, and a star student.

Phichit must’ve taken his silence as a sign to change the subject, as he straightened up and pulled his schedule out of his bag. A few Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrappers came with it, but he brushed them aside. They floated to the floor, earning a glare from Madam Pince.

“Wanna compare?”

“I’m a fourth year,” Yuuri said with some guilt. Having a friend in one of his classes would’ve been nice.

“I am too.” Phichit grinned, setting his schedule on the table.

“I thought you had classes with Viktor.” A funny feeling was settling in Yuuri’s stomach. “And he’s a fifth year, isn’t he?”

“Nope,” Phichit said. “He’s a fourth year like us. I’m pretty sure he’s a year older but the years got messed up when he moved or something.”

“Oh.” Yuuri’s mind spun in a thousand directions, but he forced himself to dig into his bag and set his schedule onto the table next to Phichit’s instead.

Sure enough, they had three classes together.

“Look!” Phichit grinned. “We’ve got History of Magic first thing tomorrow, then Divination after lunch, and Herbology right after that. And the same thing on Friday!”

“I’m dreading having History of Magic in the morning. We had something similar at my old school and it was such a bore,” Yuuri said. Even so, he couldn’t hide that his cheeks were growing warm with happiness. Phichit was easy to talk to, and having the same classes meant they could study together: a chance to get to know each other better.

“What?!” Phichit exclaimed out of nowhere. “You have two free blocks Wednesday morning? That means you can sleep in until, like, noon!”

Yuuri glanced at his schedule again, even though he’d memorized it the first day he’d gotten it, then took a look at Phichit’s.

“Well here,” he pointed out, “you’ve got two free periods after lunch on Wednesday. You could go to bed right at noon!”

Phichit laughed. “You’re right. Hey, what do you say about—”

“Third block is over! Get out of here and take your books with you! Detention to anyone who leaves something behind!” Madam Pince bellowed with a menacing glint in her eyes.

Yuuri scrambled up. Say something, he commanded himself.

“Er, maybe since we both have third block free, we can meet Thursday again and study together? It seems like we’ll get some kind of homework in History of Magic.” He paused. “But only if you want to, obviously. It’s totally fine if you don’t.”

Phichit placed a hand on his arm as he stood up.

“That’d be great, Yuuri! We can even do it twice a week! Meet every Monday and Thursday at this table?” he asked, his eyes sunny.

Yuuri let a smile spread across his face. Finally, he was making a friend.

“Sounds good,” he wavered, trying not to sound too excited.

Madam Pince yelled again and the two winced.

“Never seen her that mad,” Phichit hissed out of the corner of his mouth. “Better go. See you, Yuuri!”

Madam Pince locked eyes with Yuuri, and he scurried away without another word.

***

Potions was held in the dim-lit dungeons with Professor Snape, who Yuuri remembered from the previous night. He was just beginning to wonder if he was part vampire, but that train of thought disappeared as fast as it had come.

It wasn’t because of the dozens of massive bronze cauldrons that were bubbling over with some green liquid, nor the hundreds of clear jars stacked to the ceiling, each filled to the brim with various shrubs and unknown body parts. It wasn’t even the looming look on Professor Snape’s face as he stood stoically next to the chalkboard reading Fourth Year Potions.

It was, however, the mass of students crowded around one another, all with green crests on their robes.

More specifically, Yuuri was staring at Viktor Nikiforov.

Granted, he’d spent a lot of time staring at Viktor Nikiforov in his years: a few seconds captured on each poster in his room, a blur in the air at the European Championships, a glimpse of his head through the Great Hall.

But the Viktor sitting near the front of the room was a very clear Viktor. Alive and breathing and normal Viktor.

His legs were propped up on the desk in front of him, and he was talking to a tall boy with blond hair and emerald eyes. Despite the carefree manner, he still looked polished, and more than a little intimidating.

Yuuri willed himself to move forward, taking a seat at the back of the room, as far from Viktor as possible. His hands were shaking, although he wasn’t sure why—actually, he was, but he was trying not to think about the fact that Viktor Nikiforov was five meters away from him.

“We will now begin,” drawled Professor Snape, waving his wand at the board. A list appeared in scrawling white letters.

Yuuri pushed his glasses closer to his eyes and squinted and—oh no.

“These will be your partners for the year. As with previous years, you will be required to brew in the same cauldron, and you must report the same results on every assignment. Failure to do so will result in severe consequences. You have one minute to arrange yourselves so you’re sitting together.”

Maybe it was a blessing; maybe it was a curse. Maybe Yuuri needed new glasses. Or maybe, just maybe, right across from his name was one he knew all too well.

Yuuri tried to duck his head so he could be a little more conspicuous as he watched the tall boy stride over after saying a final remark to his blond friend. He gave up halfway through and full-on stared as Viktor came into full view.

“You’re Yuuri, right?” He smiled so brightly Yuuri thought he might faint.

“Er, yeah. How’d you know?” He cleared the other side of the desk as Viktor plopped down next to him and pulled out the Potions textbook.

“You’re one of the two new students here, and I took a guess,” he said. He tapped his fingers for a brief second, then turned toward Yuuri.

“Oh...right,” he said. Viktor opened his mouth again as if he was going to say something, but just as quickly, Professor Snape interrupted.

“Turn to page two hundred. This will be your first assessment. You have until the end of class to complete the potion with your partner. If you wish to pass this course, I advise that you start now.”

Yuuri swallowed. He turned to Viktor who had already paged through his textbook and was pulling out a cauldron from under the desk.

“Excellent. It’s a Girding Potion,” Viktor said in a pleased manner. “I’ve done a thousand of these.”

“You have?” Yuuri asked in astonishment.

“Only joking,” Viktor replied, grabbing a vial of fairy wings. “I reckon closer to a hundred or so.”

“Right.” Yuuri gulped, glancing down at the textbook. “Er, the first step is to add one set of fairy wings.”

“Already did that,” Viktor said, murmuring a quick heating spell and humming. “We add the doxy eggs after it turns turquoise, right?”

Yuuri nodded feverishly. He was beginning to realize Phichit hadn’t been exaggerating when he had said Viktor was smart. Yuuri was used to being at the top of his class at Mahoutokoro, but it was becoming painfully clear that it would take a lot more work at Hogwarts.

“This part usually takes fifteen minutes or so.” Viktor shrugged. “So, tell me about yourself.” He propped his head on his hand and leaned on his elbow to stare at Yuuri with his brilliant blue eyes.

“Er, I play Quidditch.” He immediately cursed at himself. Like Viktor would care about you playing Quidditch.

“Ah, me too! Looks like we have something in common already.” He glanced at the potion and flicked his wand, the flame growing larger.

“We-we’re not supposed to do that.” Yuuri hesitated. “It says here it’s supposed to stay at medium heat.”

“Don’t worry. This just speeds it up. Snape loves when you use shortcuts that aren’t in the book.” He paused. “Or at least if he sees the finished product and not the shortcut.” He winced like he’d discovered this himself before.

“Sure,” he said in an effort to be easygoing. It was clear Viktor knew what he was doing. “Er, so are you the Seeker for the Slytherin team?”

Viktor laughed, passing Yuuri the dragonfly thoraxes along with a knife.

“Unfortunately not. Plus my little cousin is trying out this year and I wouldn’t want to take away his chance. I’m fine with being on the Quafflepunchers.”

“But you’re taking a break from them, right?” Yuuri insisted, nicking his finger and pulling away with a hiss.

“So you keep up with my interviews?” Viktor grinned delightedly. “Always nice to meet a fan.” He must have seen Yuuri’s shocked face before he hurried in, “I’m only joking, Yuuri. Are you trying out for the Gryffindor team?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri mumbled. He didn’t think he’d ever get over how Viktor had said his name, drawing out the ‘u’s with an admirable smile. “I’m a Seeker too.”

“Excellent!” Viktor exclaimed. “If you ever want some pointers, I’d be happy to watch and—shit.” He grabbed his wand to reduce the flame immediately as a plume of smoke came up from the cauldron.

“Nikiforov,” Professor Snape boomed, shooting both of them a poisonous glare.

“Apologies, Professor.” Viktor kept a grin on his face. Turning back to Yuuri, he smiled deeper. “Should’ve been keeping an eye on that, sorry. If we add the flying seahorses now, we should be able to fix this.”

If it had been any other person who messed up the potion, Yuuri would’ve been furious. But with those eyes and that look, he realized with a sinking feeling that Viktor might be able to get away with anything. So he didn’t bother to mention that the seahorses were part of the second to last step, and instead returned a tentative smile.

“Okay,” he said, throwing a few of them in at a time until the cauldron turned a bright pink.

“Then the dragonflies,” Viktor said, leaning over to look at the half-chopped dragonflies on Yuuri’s platter. “Oh,” he remarked on afterthought and grabbed another vial of them, chopping them in an instant and throwing them in the cauldron.

Immediately, it turned the deep green they were looking for, and Viktor waved Professor Snape over.

Yuuri flushed, staring down at his carelessly cut dragonflies while Professor Snape examined the potion. The pieces were uneven, and a puddle of juices was collecting in the middle of the board. It wasn’t his fault that talking to Viktor made his hands shake out of control.

Professor Snape approved of their potion, giving them both full marks and allowing them to leave early, leaving Yuuri sighing with relief in his seat.

“See you, Giacometti,” Viktor called to the blond boy he’d been sitting by at the beginning of class. He was supervising Guang Hong as he added the doxy eggs into the potion.

The name caught Yuuri’s attention. So that was Viktor’s best friend, Christophe Giacometti.

“You better be at the party on Thursday.” Christophe winked back, and they shared a smile.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Viktor replied, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

Yuuri realized he was staring. Hastily, he gathered his textbook and quill and shoved them into his bag. As Viktor reached the door, Yuuri followed him out, all the while wondering how he was going to survive Potions for the rest of the year.

***

The next morning was considerably better than Monday. Remembering how Quidditch had been a common ground for both Phichit and Viktor, Yuuri brought it up again to Leo and Guang Hong. Leo was all too excited to talk about Quidditch with him and didn’t seem put off that they were trying out for the same position. Even Guang Hong threw in a comment every few minutes.

By the time breakfast had ended, Yuuri was in a much better mood. As the three strolled into the History of Magic room, he reveled in the knowledge that he could sit by someone he knew. Leo and Guang Hong were quick to find a desk together, so he walked over to where Phichit sat, chatting to a good-looking boy.

Just as he was beginning to doubt Phichit, wondering if he would rather sit with the boy he was talking to, he turned around with a grin.

“Yuuri! Meet Michele. He’s the Seeker on the Hufflepuff team.” He gestured for Yuuri to sit. “Michele, this is Yuuri. He’s trying out for Gryffindor.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure if he liked Phichit introducing him as the person trying out for Gryffindor—he had planned to lie low so if he didn’t make the team he would disappoint as few people as possible. But he was grateful to see another friendly face, and Michele flashed him a smile.

“Nice to meet you Yuuri. I’m guessing you’re a Seeker too?”

He nodded. “I hope. No promises, though.”

“Well, I’d love to play against you sometime. You came at a tough time, though. I heard there’s a lot of people trying out this year. The last Seeker held the position from his second to his seventh year so a lot of Gryffindors are trying to get their shot at it now that they’ve finally got a chance.”

Yuuri swallowed.

“I’m sure you’ll do great, though!” Phichit added in. “You mentioned you had two classes with Ravenclaws yesterday, right? Did you see Michele’s sister Sara? She’s got long dark hair.”

“Er, I can’t recall,” he admitted. “I met a lot of new people yesterday.”

“True,” conceded Phichit, then his voice dropped to a whisper so only the three of them could hear. “Hey, did you have a class with Viktor?”

Yuuri would be lying if he said Viktor hadn’t been on his mind all morning.

“Why are you saying it like that?” he whispered. “But yeah, we’re partners in Potions. For the whole year.”

“Phichit loves to make everything dramatic.” Michele laughed. “But to be fair, I reckon anyone in their right mind would be freaking out. One of Sara’s friends was his partner in Defense Against the Dark Arts our second year and she told me he crushed her in every duel. Wasn’t too fun for her but I’m sure it’d be nice when you’re working with him.”

Yuuri allowed a sheepish smile. “He did make the potion pretty easily. I’ll have to contribute more next time. And I’ve got Defense Against the Dark Arts next, either with Ravenclaws or Slytherins.”

“You must have it with Slytherins,” Phichit said, “because we had it yesterday with the Ravenclaws.”

Yuuri’s stomach dropped, saved from a response as Professor Binns walked—or rather, floated—in the door. He’d seen several ghosts back in Japan and a few in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but he’d never been taught by one before.

He wondered if the reason he was teaching was because he’d lived through some of the experiences firsthand. He even almost thought it might make the class more interesting until the professor opened his mouth and the most dreadfully boring voice filled the room.

He leaned back in his seat, noticing Michele do the same on the other side of Phichit.

It was going to be a long morning.

“We’ll start with a review of the key concepts we covered in your third year. Can anyone recall when the largest goblin rebellions took place?”

Yuuri almost missed the question thanks to his soporific tone.

Put your hand up, he told himself. He had never been the type of person to raise his hand in class, but he had also promised himself Hogwarts would be where he would start over, rebuild himself and become the person he’d always wanted to be. He knew the answer, but—

“The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,” called out Michele, sparing Yuuri from answering.

He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or disappointed. He settled back into his seat, a heaviness taking over. With the knowledge that any Gryffindor should be able to answer a question in front of twenty people, he had never felt so out of place.

***

True to Phichit’s logic, Yuuri was greeted with the sight of Viktor in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He was sitting at an empty desk in the front of the room, but he was backward in his chair, talking to the students behind him.

A small blond boy who Yuuri didn’t remember from Potions was leaning across the aisle to talk to him, along with the sole Gryffindor in the friend group who Yuuri hadn’t yet learned the name of.

Then, to his surprise, Viktor’s eyes flickered up and met his.

“Yuuri,” he said with mild interest, “Georgi and Chris have left me sitting alone. Come here.” He patted the seat next to him like he was doing him a favor.

Yuuri swallowed, left with no choice but to sit next to him. He felt the gaze of half the Gryffindors on his back as he crossed the distance and took the empty seat. It was quite clear to him that it wasn’t every day the new student—especially a Gryffindor at that—got invited to sit next to Viktor Nikiforov.

He was thankful that he at least wouldn’t have to speak to him: he thought he might throw up if he did. Viktor was already back to his conversation with the rest of the Slytherin boys, and Yuuri focused his eyes on the wood of the desk.

“Ah, yes, Yuuri’s trying out for Seeker too.”

Yuuri gulped, deciding he might as well turn around in his chair. He was met by the gaze of four Slytherins and a Gryffindor.

“What?!” spat out the blond boy.

“I forgot! This is Yurio,” said Viktor, “the cousin I mentioned before. You have similar names. He’s only in his third year but they let him take this class with the rest of us because he’s so good.” He smiled down at the boy who was still glaring at Yuuri without saying a word.

“Er, well, nice to meet you Yurio,” he said, trying to stay calm. It was pretty hard when Viktor Nikiforov’s cousin regarded him as the scum of the world.

“It’s just Yuri,” he hissed back.

“No it’s not,” said the red-haired Gryffindor.

“Shut up, Mila.”

She ignored him, instead giving a bright smile to Yuuri. “It’s good to see another Gryffindor here. I’m used to being outnumbered. Oh, and I’m the other person trying out for Seeker, in case you were wondering.”

Great.

“Well good luck to us both then,” he salvaged with a smile. “I didn’t mean to intrude, er, I just heard my name.” He began to turn around again before Viktor placed a hand on his arm. Part of him wanted to never wash that arm again.

“No, no, Yuuri, you must have misunderstood. Like Mila said, we could use another Gryffindor.” He pointed to a dark-haired Slytherin with blue eyeshadow and a distant look on his face. “That’s Georgi.”

“And I’m Christophe Giacometti,” spoke the taller blond boy who’d been studying him. He had a deep voice and light green eyes. “Are you single by any chance? Because—”

“We were talking about Quidditch, right?” Viktor shot Chris a venomous glare and Yuuri sank deeper into his seat. He wasn’t quite sure why Professor Slughorn hadn’t started class yet, but he was hoping it would be soon.

“Nice build, you have. No surprise you’re trying out for Quidditch,” Chris continued as he examined Yuuri. “You have good eyes, too.”

Yuuri swallowed, hard. He was sure Chris had good intentions, yet he had never been looked at like that before.

“Oh come on.” Viktor rolled his eyes. “You’re making him uncomfortable.” Then to Yuuri, he sighed. “Chris does this with everyone he meets.”

“My apologies, Yuuri.” Chris offered him a hand that Viktor knocked out of the air.

“Quidditch,” Viktor repeated.

Yurio let out a hacking cough.

“Yes, of course,” Mila continued, her eyes bustling with amusement. “You’re new here, right? I haven’t seen you fly yet. When did you start?”

If he hadn’t known better, it might’ve seemed like Mila was trying to size up her competition, but her blue eyes were earnest as she searched his face.

He was overly aware that Viktor was watching him, but the fact that the two weren’t alone made it much easier to talk. Summoning whatever bravery was in him, he spoke as modestly as he could.

“I transferred from Mahoutokoro, the wizarding school in Japan. My old dance instructor recommended I try flying, so I started the summer before and made the team as a first year. We won the championship two out of the three years I played,” he added shyly, “but I had a great team too. It definitely wasn’t all me.”

“Well that’s refreshing,” Yurio snapped, but his tightened brows relaxed a little. “Viktor is always bragging about his wins.”

“I am not!” Viktor exclaimed indignantly. The rest of them laughed, and Yuuri forced himself to join in.

“Welcome everybody,” Professor Slughorn announced grandly, and Yuuri swiveled back to the front. “This subject, in my opinion, is the most important one that you could ever learn here at Hogwarts. I’m pleased to see so many familiar faces. Nikiforov.” He felt Viktor smile next to him. “Giacometti,” he added jovially. “Ah, and even little Plisetsky.”

Yuuri could feel the Gryffindors’ moods drop at the acknowledgement of three Slytherins.

“Oh ho! A new student as well! Katsudon, is it?” He squinted at the page, ignoring the laughs of half the class.

“Yes, sir. But it’s Katsuki, actually. Sir.” Yuuri gulped.

Professor Slughorn seemed to find this amusing as he peered down at him. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be calling me Horace in a few weeks’ time. Any friend of Nikiforov’s is a friend of mine.”

Yuuri felt his face flush again, about to correct him, but Viktor shot him a triumphant glance that shut him up immediately. He wasn’t exactly sure when they had become friends.

“Alright,” Professor Slughorn continued absentmindedly. “Otabek Altin and Katsuki, you’ll be partners. I thought I’d put the two new students together.” He smiled to himself like it was genius. “Nikiforov, I’ve put you with Miss Babicheva but only if you two can work together. We’re not repeating last year, and I mean it.”

As he read off the rest of the names, Yuuri searched the room and realized the stoic boy who’d been with him the first night must be Otabek. It seemed the boy had figured it out too, as he made his way toward him, taking Viktor’s empty seat.

“Otabek,” he said, offering no other introduction.

“Right, erm, Yuuri,” he replied, not daring to say anything else.

Professor Slughorn covered the details of their first assignment which consisted of reading a chapter and taking notes then practicing the pronunciation of the spells. When Yuuri turned back to Otabek, he was watching him curiously.

“I saw you in Transfiguration and Charms yesterday,” Otabek said. “I thought I’d offer a deal of sorts. Neither of us knows anyone in Ravenclaw, so instead of searching for a partner every day, how about we go with each other? Not as friends, obviously, but to save ourselves from the embarrassment.”

He felt a wave of relief wash over him. Leo and Guang Hong were inseparable, and it was clear Mila was the most popular girl in their year. It would’ve been nice to have a good friend in Gryffindor, but Yuuri nodded gratefully. Maybe he’d warm up after some time.

“It’s a deal,” he said, and just like that, Otabek dove back into the textbook, starting to read.

By the time class was over, Yuuri had several pages of quality notes for the essay on werewolf defenses due on Friday, and better yet, had completely forgotten Viktor was only a few rows behind him.

***

Phichit was convinced Professor Trelawney was a goddess on Earth.

“You…you will find joy…” She paused, letting a few seconds pass, hand still pointed at the Hufflepuff, “in new life.”

Ignoring the laughs, Phichit grinned, then nudged Yuuri.

“I reckon it’s a sign, don’t you? I’ll have to visit the Headmaster and get him to bend the rules so I can get a hamster,” he said. “And if he doesn’t, then he’ll be denying me of joy. And then I’ll write to the Minister…”

“Right.” Yuuri hid his smile as Professor Trelawney whirled around again, mouth open wide.

“The girl with the red hair.” She trembled, and Mila straightened up in her seat, eyes shining eagerly. “I had a Sight last night, and—”

In an instant, she burst into tears and everyone leaned farther forward in anticipation. That was, except Phichit, who looked ready to make her a cup of tea and weave her a handkerchief out of gold.

“Yes?” Mila beamed impatiently.

“It is you who will suffer a quick but painful death this year.”

Everyone settled back into their seats unconcerned, as if this was a normal occurrence in Divination.

Yuuri was starting to wonder what type of school Hogwarts was.

“Okay,” Mila said, “do you know more specifically when? Because I’d like to plan ahead. You see, my crush still hasn’t asked me out and—”

The rest of the room burst out laughing. Only Professor Trelawney and Phichit kept the horrified looks on their faces. Even Yuuri was beginning to lighten up. She had to be joking. Maybe it was her way of getting the class’s attention on the first day.

“All I can see is that it is this year. Do not take your downfall lightly,” she said in a low voice. The Gryffindors looked bored already and the rest of the students had started chatting with each other.

She removed her thick glasses for a second, wiping them on her robes before putting them on again and glancing at Yuuri. His stomach dropped.

“Please open your textbooks to page fourteen. We’ll start this year with a unit on crystal balls. Red hair, start us off.”

Yuuri relaxed ever so slightly.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Mila said, voice hushed in a dramatic whisper. “It’s strange, I’ve got the worst feeling that if I have to read, I might, you know...” She scanned the room with wide eyes. “Die.”

A snicker spread among the students and it was exactly the reminder Yuuri needed that whatever Professor Trelawney would predict in the coming months was nonsense.

***

Yuuri’s second day left him much more excited than the first. After Divination ended, he, Phichit, and Michele had walked to Herbology together. They’d gotten off with no homework, only hands covered with dirt. Despite cleaning them with a simple charm, they still lingered with the smell of radishes.

Now he stood in the middle of the massive Quidditch pitch with Phichit by his side, both of them admiring it.

“This is so much bigger than at Mahoutokoro,” Yuuri marveled. “We could’ve played three games on here at the same time.”

“Now that’s an idea to run by Madam Hooch,” Phichit grinned. “Should we just warm up today so you can get used to the field?”

“That’d be good,” Yuuri said. “I have a bad habit of overstressing before games or tryouts. I want to take this one slowly. I reckon there’s not much I can do in two days to improve, so as long as I don’t worry too much about it, I’ll be fine.”

“Good call,” said Phichit. “I was talking to Leo earlier and apparently there are seven people trying out for Gryffindor Seeker. The good news is the youngest trying out are fourth years, like us, so if you don’t make it and neither do Leo or Mila, you’ll still have a chance to try out again in a few years.”

“Seven?!” he squeaked. “The most I’ve tried out against was two or three.” Suddenly the wind seemed very cold and his Nimbus 2001 too big in his gloved hand. The pitch, although empty, was humming with an energy that couldn’t be contained.

“Don’t worry,” Phichit said. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. You never know—you might surprise yourself.”

Yuuri could tell he was trying to console him, but it wasn’t working. Maybe he should’ve practiced more over the summer. But at the same time, he knew there was nothing he could do to get better, at least on his own. He thoroughly enjoyed flying by himself, even practicing. But when he was put in front of a crowd, it sometimes got the best of him.

Phichit had already mounted his broom, and Yuuri hurried to do the same. The two shared a nod before kicking off.

Yuuri had never thought he’d like flying. He had been the type of child that was terrified of everything, but flying hadn’t made him fear falling. Instead, being above everything made him feel fearless—when no one was watching, at least.

Sure, he had come to Hogwarts to learn beyond what Mahoutokoro could teach him, but Quidditch had also been a big factor. And when he ascended into the air in record speed, leaving everything else behind and staring down at the pitch with its glorious golden hoops and massive stands, he knew he had made the right decision.

Swooping down, the air on his face and the wind brushing his hair back, he felt more comfortable than he had since he’d arrived. There was something indescribable about flying when there was no Snitch to catch or points to keep track of.

He forgot about everything else, twisting and turning until his muscles were sore and his fingers were frozen from the cold September air.

He lost himself. The sky grew darker and darker but all he was aware of was the cool wood of his broom and the aching of his thighs.

When Yuuri finally landed, he was shivering like crazy and Phichit was sitting in the stands smiling at him.

“I can’t believe it’s already dusk,” he said, getting up to join Yuuri as they walked back to the castle. “I was going to wait for you, but it got cold, so I went to put my broom away. When I got back you were still flying, and you looked so mesmerized. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Yuuri flushed. “Sorry. I haven’t flown in a while, and who knows how many assignments we’ll get tomorrow. It might be the last time I get to practice before Thursday.” He grimaced. “You didn’t have to stay.”

“I didn’t.” Phichit offered his arm and Yuuri looped his around it. “But I did. So when you conquer tryouts and everyone in Gryffindor is wishing they were you, you better mention how your friend was your biggest supporter. And when I win my first match in November, I’ll tell everyone how my friend helped me too.”

Something warm inside of his heart threatened to explode. Friend. Why had he doubted himself so much? As long as he made the team on Thursday, he had nothing to worry about.

***

Yuuri woke up at half past noon. He was still wearing his socks from the previous night, and he’d forgotten to take off his glasses. Luckily, he only had two classes that day, starting with double Arithmancy, and Astronomy later that night.

As he brushed his teeth in the bathroom which seemed much emptier without four other boys in it, he tried to figure out who would be in his classes. He knew Leo and Guang Hong were both taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, so they wouldn’t be in Arithmancy. Phichit was taking Muggle Studies and Divination, and all he knew was that Viktor was taking Muggle Studies.

That struck him as a little odd, as Phichit too had pointed out. But thankfully, he was having a much easier time picturing the sophisticated wizard sitting in a grueling session of Ancient Runes rather than Arithmancy, so he sighed happily and spit out the minty toothpaste, satisfied as it swirled down the drain.

Grabbing just his Arithmancy textbook and a quill, not even bothering to bring his bag, Yuuri headed down what he hoped was the right hall. He hummed, looking out the grand window overlooking the bright blue lake as he turned the corner.

The humming stopped the moment his shoulder hit someone’s chest.

His textbook flew right out of his hands, but with some Quidditch reflex, he managed to keep a hold of his quill and his balance.

“Yuuri!” beamed Viktor. “Where are you headed?” He knelt to pick up Yuuri’s textbook.

“Sorry,” Yuuri mumbled, all confidence lost as he brushed his robes off with haste.

“Arithmancy, then,” Viktor said, answering his own question. He looked up from Yuuri’s textbook and handed it back to him. “Let’s walk together! You were going the wrong way, just so you know.”

“Oh.” Yuuri hurried to match Viktor’s pace.

“So did your old school have Arithmancy, or are you jumping in now?” Viktor asked.

“Mahoutokoro offered similar electives to Hogwarts,” Yuuri said. “So they weren’t the exact same, but yeah, I took the equivalents to Arithmancy, Divination, and Ancient Runes there.”

“And how are the Hogwarts versions holding up, so far?” Viktor smiled.

“Well, I’m not taking Ancient Runes because I thought three electives might be a bit much in a new school.” Yuuri swallowed. “But Divination is a little more, er, unconventional than in Japan.”

Viktor laughed.

“Erm.” Yuuri frowned. “You’re not going to Arithmancy too, are you?”

“You sound surprised,” Viktor remarked, reaching a heavy wooden door and holding it open for him with his foot.

“Well, it’s a bit of Muggle subject, isn’t it?” he edged with a strong desire to see how Viktor could counter that. From Phichit’s description of him, Yuuri thought it was suspicious that Viktor was taking the two most Muggle-like electives that were offered.

The classroom was surprisingly cozy, with no more than twelve single desks, half of them already full.

“Well, that’s why. My parents didn’t bother hiring a tutor to teach me.” Viktor yawned, pulling up a chair for Yuuri. “So I taught myself, but I couldn’t learn everything with limited resources. And I’d much rather sit through a class that I haven’t learned much about rather than Ancient Runes or Divination.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, blinking. “I didn’t realize you spent so much time on your studies. I kind of thought—well, your career was already decided.” Something about hearing Viktor admit he hadn’t learned the contents of the class ten times over made him more confident. Finally, he might have the upper hand.

Viktor looked amused.

“Did you think I woke up every morning and played Quidditch until the sun set?” Viktor asked.

“Sort of.” Yuuri looked up, a flash of delight running through him at the sight of Viktor smiling.

“Speaking of Quidditch, you have tryouts on Friday, right?” 

His mood dampened.

“No, tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Viktor paused. “I promised Chris I’d go to his party tomorrow. That’s probably why Yurio and Mila couldn’t make it. I thought they were avoiding it on purpose. Which sort of made sense. With Yurio at least.”

“Oh,” repeated Yuuri awkwardly. On the other hand, if Viktor had been there, he might’ve been too focused on him to fly anyway. He was starting to feel like if tryouts didn’t go according to plan, the only person he’d have to blame would be himself.

Summoning his courage, he directed the topic away from Quidditch.

“Have you had Astronomy yet? It’s my only class left. I’ve got it with either Ravenclaws or Slytherins.”

“We probably have it together,” Viktor said thoughtfully. “Tonight at eleven?”

“Right,” confirmed Yuuri with a slight pit of dread. So that meant he had four classes with Viktor. Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy and Astronomy. Four three-hour blocks throughout one week where his greatest inspiration would be in the same room as him.

Yet as class started and Viktor asked him for help on a few questions, Yuuri felt his worries begin to ebb away. It seemed that as long as he was the one teaching Viktor, rather than the other way around, he felt much more comfortable.

“So what’s the Heart Number again?” Viktor had his head propped on his hand and he was gazing at Yuuri with large blue eyes. “And how do you calculate it?”

“Well.” Yuuri gulped, forcing himself to look away and instead focus on Viktor’s paper in front of him. “It’s the number that represents what you don’t show other people. So it could be secrets or feelings you try to hide. It’s the most insightful of the three, and you get it by adding up the corresponding numbers of the vowels in your name.”

“Thanks,” Viktor said, taking his parchment back.

“Wait,” Yuuri noted, “you had that question right in the first place.”

“Just wanted to make sure,” Viktor replied with a devious look on his face. “You’re a great teacher by the way.”

He blushed, turning back to his own textbook and focusing on the last problem. He was a great teacher? What was that supposed to mean?

It was only a moment before he was interrupted again

“Yuuri,” Viktor said. “What are the traits of someone with a seven Character Number like?”

“We’re not even learning that today,” Yuuri said suspiciously, sneaking a glance at him.

“I just want to get a head start.” He glanced at Yuuri with innocent eyes.

“They often exceed in perception, especially in social situations.” Yuuri wracked his brain from last year. “They’re typically hard-working and bright, which leads them to sometimes be more arrogant and boastful than others. But I think if—”

He stopped abruptly, realizing he’d said enough.

“If?” Viktor continued, eyebrows raised.

“Nothing,” Yuuri bit back. “We’ll probably learn the rest next class.”

“Next class?” Viktor asked with a smirk on his face. “I have to wait that long? Can’t you tell me more?” He leaned forward, almost out of his seat.

“No,” Yuuri sputtered. “I’ve got to work.”

“Of course. Sorry.” As quickly as he’d snuck forward, Viktor settled back into his seat obediently and the two fell silent.

His heart was pounding, and he forced himself to focus back on the paper and ignore the chattering of the students around him. Class. Quidditch. Friends. That was all he had to worry about, and he already had a friend. Viktor was too much trouble and he didn’t need to waste his time with him. All he had to do was make it through Astronomy and the day would be over.

***

True to his word, Otabek found Yuuri in Transfiguration and the two sat together, taking comfort in one another’s silence. If it hadn’t been tryout day, he would’ve been able to focus on the lesson in front of him. Instead, his thoughts wandered until Professor McGonagall called on him.

“Katsuki, remind the class when your essay is due,” she said, giving him a warning look.

His mind whirled, but he was relieved to see he’d written it down on the bottom of his parchment amid his musings.

“Next class, Monday,” he replied.

“Exactly.” She turned to face the whole class, her strict face not budging. “I am aware that Quidditch tryouts are tonight for all Houses, but this is only the first class of the day, and you have plenty of time to worry about that later. Focus on the lesson or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

He swallowed his embarrassment. Had he been that obvious? But to his relief, it seemed he wasn’t the only one. The girl he realized must be Michele’s twin sister, Sara, exchanged an uneasy look with Mila. Otabek shifted next to him and he could’ve sworn he heard Leo’s quill drop on his desk behind him.

“Good,” Professor McGonagall continued. No one had uttered a word, but it seemed their expressions had been apologetic enough. “Now, who can read the next passage for me?”

Charms was just as miserable as Transfiguration, but Professor Flitwick was much more understanding, allowing them to spend the second half of the hour studying.

Mila even dared to ask if they could leave early to get in more practice, but it seemed that was where he drew the line. He ended up sputtering angrily at her, although Yuuri had the subtle feeling that if a Ravenclaw had asked, he would have been more than happy to comply.

It seemed everyone at Hogwarts, even the professors, took Quidditch very seriously.

A creeping feeling that his choice to not practice more had been a bad one was starting to take over.

***

“I had a dream last night that Professor Trelawney was forcing me to eat marmalade, otherwise she was going to lock me in a cage with an elephant. It’s weird because I like elephants, but I was terrified of them at the time.” Phichit was lounged across two chairs at the table, paging through his Divination dream log.

“Hmm,” Yuuri mumbled. “Sorry, what was that?”

“You’re thinking about tryouts, aren’t you?”

“Sorry,” he repeated. “I just feel like I should’ve practiced more. I didn’t realize it would be this intense. I keep forgetting how big of an event Quidditch is here.”

Phichit straightened up instantly to comfort him.

“What do you say we push this Divination homework off until tonight and we can go practice? We’ve still got nearly an hour left until our last class.”

Yuuri’s instinct was to refuse and insist they kept studying. He didn’t want to inconvenience Phichit, but he reminded himself they were friends. Friends. 

“Okay." He caved, shutting his book. “Let’s go.”

***

Potions wasn’t too bad, thanks to Viktor who did the work for them, again demonstrating some suspicious shortcuts. Yuuri spent half the class with his head on his desk, pretending to watch the potion while Viktor busied himself with cutting the ingredients.

Yuuri left class with a sick stomach and a ‘good luck’ from Viktor that somehow left him even more nervous.

***

Yuuri’s time spent alone in the common room while everyone else was at dinner left him a little calmer. Whatever happened, it didn’t make him any less of a person.

Right?

The door opened and Yuuri straightened, grabbing the book nearest to him and flipping it open, pretending he was occupied.

“I didn’t know you were such a fan of Bathilda Bagshot,” noted Otabek, standing alone while the door behind him shut.

Yuuri winced. It appeared he wasn’t fooling him.

“Her use of metaphors is impeccable,” he said, closing the textbook and throwing it onto his pillow.

“I’m assuming you’re going to tryouts.” Otabek crossed the room to stand in front of him.

“So are you,” Yuuri realized, noticing the broom in his hand. “Please don’t tell me you want to be Seeker too.” He was surprised they were even talking, but his observations of the other boy told him they were quite similar, and he didn’t want him to be a competitor.

“Beater,” Otabek said in a surprised voice. “I didn’t mark you as the Seeker type, though.”

“What’s that?” Yuuri glanced at him, surprised at how easy it was to have a conversation with someone he spent most of his time silent around.

“A confident jock. With a bit of arrogance too,” Otabek replied drily. “I assumed it was part of the job description.”

Yuuri shrugged. It was true: most Seekers had to be confident. The fate of the game depended on them and they had to be strong enough to face that type of pressure.

“Guess I’m out of luck, then,” he said, meaning it to be a joke, but inadvertently letting his insecurity show through.

“Well, I’ll be rooting for you,” Otabek said in a steady tone. “Forget yourself out there and I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

If only it was that easy. But even as the two boys made their way down to the Quidditch pitch in silence, his words still echoed in his mind.

The sun was already starting to set, and Yuuri hoped he would be done flying by the time it was dark. Unfortunately, it seemed half the school had shown up to watch. Yuuri tried his best to filter them out, and the two made their way to the gathering of students standing in Gryffindor robes in the center of the pitch.

In the middle was JJ, one of the youngest ever Quidditch Captains, shouting directions over the noise of the crowd. As a few more students arrived, he signaled at Madam Hooch. She blew her whistle, quieting everyone in an instant.

“Alright! I’m sure most of you know the current Gryffindor team, but for the transfers or new students, I’ll introduce them,” JJ called out. “I’m the first Beater and our three Chasers are Anya Kuznetsov, Emil Nekola, and Yuuko Kinuko.” Yuuri saw the pretty Japanese girl standing proudly next to a larger boy that he recognized with little effort. So transfers from Mahoutokoro have made the team before.

“And our Keeper is Takeshi Nishigori.” The boy next to Yuuko smiled. “So that leaves one Beater position open, and also Seeker. Seekers will be trying out first, so if you’re a Beater, head over there.” He pointed to a portion of the stands that had been sectioned off.

Phichit had been right, Yuuri realized with a pang. There were six other people besides him left standing, Leo and Mila being the only ones he recognized.

“Right,” JJ continued. “Looks like that leaves seven of you, so I’ll divide you into two groups.” He paused before pointing to Yuuri, Leo, and a taller boy. “You three will be our first group, and the rest of you will be the second. It’s pretty straightforward. We’re running tryouts like the years before. I’ll release the Snitch and the people who catch it first from each group will then face off. Whoever catches it after that will be our new Seeker.”

No second chances, Yuuri thought with a sinking feeling. He couldn’t allow himself to get distracted.

“Mount your brooms.”

He swung his leg around his Nimbus 2001, gripping the wood with shaking hands.

A collective yell came from the crowd and he turned to look, surprised to see people of all Houses cheering. Except—

One look.

It was enough to make him feel like he had just been Petrified, and whatever confidence he’d been holding onto disappeared in an instant.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he have a party to be getting ready for?

Viktor Nikiforov was about to watch Yuuri fly.

“On three!” JJ yelled, ignoring the crowd. “One, two, three!”

Chapter Text

Yuuri pushed off with his leg and immediately shot into the air, his broomstick carrying him far above Leo and the other boy. His plan was to scour the pitch from as high as possible so he would only have to look in one direction.

Could it be? But the glint that caught his eye was only the setting sun reflecting off the hoops. Taking a steadying breath, Yuuri risked a look at the crowd. There was a mass of blue on one side and he wondered if they were all there to size up their competition. There was no doubt Phichit was in the smaller crowd of yellow.

And then the Slytherins…Yuuri couldn’t recall how many Quidditch matches he had watched with Viktor being carried off by his team, the whole stadium screaming for France’s endless victories. And now the boy himself was watching Yuuri fly.

Which, he remembered, he was doing a terrible job at. He tried to focus on the air below him again, but the Snitch was nowhere to be seen. It seemed Leo was having just as hard of a time as he was, and the other boy was nowhere to be seen.

Was Viktor watching him right now? Or maybe he was friends with the other two and wanted one of them to win. If that was the case, how would he react if Yuuri did win?

He bit back his worries, deciding to take a risk and swoop closer to the ground. At least he might have a better view of the Snitch then.

The audience had seemed to get a bit bored, probably expecting an immediate catch. But as soon as the thought crossed Yuuri’s mind, someone pointed, and a roar erupted from the crowd. 

Yuuri swiveled around on instinct. His trained eyes spotted the Snitch glittering close to him, and surprisingly, it wasn’t in the hand of anyone.

With someone unknown reflex, he tilted the broom to a near ninety-degree angle, gripping onto the wood with tight fingers. The crowd seemed to love this, and he heard shouts even louder than before.

But faster than he could see, as his fingers were a second away from grasping victory, another broom jabbed into his side. He was pushed away, one hand still outstretched as the two tumbled through the air.

Falling quickly, Yuuri gripped his broom with one hand, the pitch a blur around him. Summoning every ounce of strength into his arm, he heaved himself back on, ten meters from the ground. He could see the crowd in crystal clear now, and he swore for a second he met Viktor’s eyes.

He shook it off, although his hands were shaking as he ascended, and he wasn’t sure if it was from his plummet or something—someone—else.

The boy who’d stopped Yuuri from catching the Snitch was back on his broom as well, but the Snitch was nowhere in sight.

Would a better player like Viktor have been able to catch it? Yuuri gnawed at his lip. Maybe if he’d spent more time practicing over the summer, he would’ve been able to.

“Shut up and focus,” he mumbled to himself, circling the hoops on the left of the field.

If there was anything he had learned from the near-victory, it was that if the Snitch was in the view of the audience, they would make it known. His next thought was that it was above, but Leo and the other boy were still searching with no luck.

What would Viktor do? In order to be the youngest international Quidditch champion, his success had to be more than athleticism.

His brain, he realized. He had to outthink the rest of the players. As long as the crowd was quiet, the Snitch was out of their sight. Right now, Leo and the other boy were still circled above, close to the clouds. If it was there, he’d have no chance.

He had to do what he hated most—take a risk.

Yuuri took an abrupt turn, swooping past the crowd so close he heard a girl let out a shriek. He risked another look at Viktor, but all he saw was a blur of green. His foot nicked the metal rail as he swiveled around to look back in front of him. He had to focus.

He swept around behind the stands, now out of the pitch, trying to still his pounding heart. What was Viktor thinking right now? That he was crazy or—

A glitter of gold caught his eye and he turned as fast as he could, but the elusive Snitch was already far ahead of him.

If only you hadn’t been thinking about Viktor, he scolded himself. His eye caught its trail as it went under the stands.

He heard the woosh of a broom behind him. With no time to waste, he flattened himself onto his broom as best he could and directed it under the stands. The metal beams that held the bleachers up flashed overhead and Yuuri steadied his broom. His breath hitched as he heard whoever was behind him hit one of them, followed by a yelp that sounded very much like Leo.

The crowd was going crazy above him, stomping on the metal so loud his head was pounding like crazy. At the end of the stands, swathed in the blinding light of the setting sun, the other boy was waiting with a hand outstretched for the Snitch to come to him, not daring to enter.

Yuuri pushed forward faster, leaning so far forward on his broom that his hand barely had room to grip. If only he could—

Joy spread through him as his fingers closed around the wing of the Snitch. Half a second later, he pulled back as far as he could, but still barreled into the other boy waiting at the end. The two fell onto the ground, broomsticks toppling over one another as Leo plummeted out of the stands as well. He dodged them in time but still ended up on the ground, a few meters away.

For a second, Yuuri couldn’t breathe. Then he heard a shout from above, and he tilted his head up at the golden sky, watching students pile on top of one another to see from the side of the stands.

Remembering the Snitch in his hand that was no longer fighting his grasp, he lifted it in the air in triumph.

“He got it! He got it!” shouted a Hufflepuff and in an instant, JJ was over to them, and then Yuuri was on his feet, offering a hand to the boy he’d collided into. The boy bitterly accepted it, standing as well and brushing off his robes.

He felt a pair of arms around him and was surprised to see it was Leo, with a streak of mud across his cheek.

“You did it, Yuuri!” he yelled, finally letting go as JJ gave him an affirming nod.

“Congratulations. I suggest you get a drink and rest before you have to face off with the winner of the next round. You can go sit where I have the Beaters at the moment.” He raised a hand to point across the field.

“Thanks,” Yuuri said, still in disbelief. “Oh.” He let go of the Snitch. It fluttered its crumpled wings as JJ took a hold of it.

The captain walked off with it to where Mila was standing with another girl and two boys, one a redhead like her.

It didn’t sink in until he had crossed the field, earning a cheer from everyone. His vision was swimming as he sat down next to Otabek, still breathing hard.

“Here.” He handed Yuuri his empty water bottle. “That was pretty impressive.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri said. His mind was still catching up to everything that had happened.

The other two Beaters didn’t say a word, and after a quick Aguamenti, he settled into the seat to watch.

Seeing how close the competition was, he was torn. He watched the rest of the students mount their brooms, preparing to take off.

Anyone but Mila should be his logical choice, knowing if she was the winner and then proceeded to beat Yuuri as well, he wouldn’t be able to play for the rest of his time at Hogwarts. If any of the others won, they’d graduate before him and he’d at least have another chance to try out.

But the girl had been so welcoming to him that day in Potions that he didn’t want to wish her ill, especially seeing how well-liked she was among all the Houses.

“Hello, Yuuri,” said a voice dangerously close to his ear.

Yuuri choked on his water. Without needing to look over, he knew Viktor was right next to him.

“Why are you always where I least expect you to be?” Yuuri asked with surprising confidence.

“What do you mean?” Viktor shrugged. “It’s not like anyone’s going to kick me out.”

It was becoming very apparent that Viktor could get away with anything, thanks to his combination of charm, wit, and intelligence.

“Right,” he muttered, ignoring the question.

“You were great out there,” Viktor said.

He tried not to take it too personally. It wasn’t like Viktor Nikiforov was complimenting his flying.

“Thanks,” he said.

“It was interesting watching you fly. I was a bit worried when you started. You seemed nervous, like your mind wasn’t fully committed to the game.”

He was right. He wondered if Viktor knew it was partly his fault.

“Then,” he continued, “missing the Snitch and being so close to winning seemed to do something to you. It was like you became a different person. I think you took a lot of people by surprise.”

“Did I surprise you?” Yuuri blurted out.

“Yes.”

What?

“But you...you’re like, known for surprising people,” he sputtered out.

“Hmm,” Viktor replied. “I hadn’t realized you had watched that many of my matches.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said in defense, “I’ve just watched a lot of Quidditch. The Quafflepunchers have been winning for the past few years so I’ve seen a lot of their games.”

“Right,” Viktor said in the same voice as before.

Yuuri glanced at him and saw his eyes were glued on the pitch. He willed himself to watch as well and noticed Mila was headed toward one of the hoops on the far side of the pitch.

She flattened herself, clinging to the broom, red hair streaming behind her in a short ponytail. He couldn’t see too far, but the roar of the crowd said enough. She flew right through the hoop, coming clean out the other side with a hand held high in the sky, grinning from ear to ear.

It was very clear that the crowd loved her. No one had been cheering that loud for him.

“Gryffindor hasn’t had a female Seeker for a while,” Viktor murmured so quietly he almost missed it.

“Will you be mad if I win?” Yuuri wondered out loud. “Do you think they will?” He gestured at the crowd, which was still going crazy as she landed, handing the Snitch to JJ.

“Of course not,” Viktor assured him. “They just don’t know you yet.”

“You don’t know me either,” said Yuuri. He wasn’t sure where all of his boldness was coming from, but it had to be a combination of nerves and terror.

Viktor raised his eyebrows and smiled as if to contradict him. This was ridiculous, Yuuri thought—they had only just met three days ago.

“Just do your best. Surprise me.”

And with that, Yuuri set his jaw straight and stood up.

***

The first five minutes were a blur. Yuuri had hoped the Snitch would be easier to catch once he’d already won one game because of his boosted confidence, but if anything, the added pressure made it harder.

Now everyone knew his name. And if he didn’t win, he’d be known forever as the boy who tried out for Quidditch and almost made it but didn’t.

He began to sweat profusely at the thought of losing, and he maneuvered his broomstick toward the sky, rising high.

What had Viktor said? Surprise me. That was how he’d won last time, so all he had to do was—

No. The second he realized what was happening, he tilted his broom down at such a steep angle he thought he might fall off. But there was Mila, so much closer to the Snitch, only a few meters from the ground.

He pushed his legs forward in desperation, suddenly not caring about hitting the ground. He was so close and—

His fingers grasped around something, but it was only Mila’s robes. The two pulled up just in time before smashing into the turf and Mila stood victorious with the Snitch in her hand, its wings still beating furiously.

The stands exploded.

She turned to say something to him, but he grabbed his broom, offering her a ‘congratulations’ before the rest of the stands reached them and rushed off as fast as he could.

“Yuuri!” He heard someone call out. It could’ve been Phichit, maybe, or Viktor, or even Otabek, but he kept pushing through the people streaming toward them until he was far from the pitch.

Past the broom shed.

Into the castle.

Up the stairs.

The castle was, as to be expected on the Thursday of Quidditch tryouts, empty. Still, he quickened his pace, mindlessly climbing stairs until he reached an obscure hallway on the seventh floor holding only a tapestry that pictured trolls surrounding a man. Pacing back and forth, he finally let his tears slip.

How had he ever thought he could fit in at Hogwarts? He should’ve stayed in Japan where everything was safe and where he could see his family every weekend.

All he wanted was to be home again. To feel his mother’s arms and see his old school with its polished floors and cozy classrooms.

He choked out another sob, abandoning all hopes of being secretive.

“Is someone there?” croaked an old voice. “Mrs. Norris, what do you see?”

Filch, he realized with a start. Phichit had mentioned the pesky Hogwarts caretaker and his cat, plus his obsession with finding students who were breaking rules.

Not that he was breaking any, but he didn’t exactly want to be caught crying in his Quidditch robes.

He stopped pacing, looking up to see which way Filch was coming from. As he turned around, he noticed a door that he could’ve sworn wasn’t there before.

A loud mew came from the right, and Yuuri didn’t hesitate, pulling himself into the abandoned classroom.

Except it wasn’t a classroom at all.

It was exactly like his bedroom at home. How was it even possible?

His dark framed bed sat quaintly in the corner, topped with white sheets and the orange comforter he used during the winter. And there was his desk with the lamp and a single houseplant. Even the various Viktor Nikiforov posters spread across the wall in a hauntingly ironic fashion.

He marveled at the sight of it. There was no way he had accidentally arrived back home unless there was some method of magical travel that he didn’t know about.

But as he leaned against the door to listen, he could hear Filch muttering to himself. He was still in the castle.

Perhaps Professor McGonagall had seen how lonely he’d been in class and had arranged for everything to be bought and shipped to the castle, he considered.

Yet she barely knew his name and, yep, Viktor’s signature on that limited edition Quiberon Quafflepunchers poster was exactly the same as the one at home. The loop of the ‘o’s and the way his ‘v’ drifted off into a perfect heart.

He’d almost forgotten why he’d been crying until he noticed the broomstick in his hand. Puzzled, he opened his wardrobe where he usually stored his broom and found a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of biscuits instead.

He let the Nimbus 2001 drop to the ground and took the food, settling onto his bed.

It would only be so long before tryouts ended and everyone would come back in, so he sat numbly, eating the biscuits one after another.

Finally, when he’d demolished all six biscuits and couldn’t stomach any more coffee, he set the empty plate and cup onto his desk.

He wished he knew the time, but his sense was lost the moment he picked up his pillow and gave a sniff.

It smelled like home. Any worry he had dissipated. It wasn’t like the Gryffindors would miss him, so he slipped under the covers, basking in what he’d been longing for since he’d arrived in Scotland five days ago.

Exhausted, Yuuri fell into a heavy sleep.

***

Although he’d had a five-hour nap last evening—conveniently woken by an alarm clock that had been set for fifteen minutes before curfew—then another eight hours of sleep back in his dormitory, Yuuri was still exhausted by first hour.

He skipped breakfast, telling himself it was for the extra half hour of sleep, but also felt great relief knowing he wouldn’t have to face the Gryffindors who watched him yesterday.

Strategically, he entered History of Magic at the last moment possible to spare himself from too much conversation.

“You were great yesterday!” Phichit bubbled, pulling him over.

“It’s a shame you didn’t win,” Michele said. “I would’ve liked to play against you. But like Phichit said, you were really good.”

No I wasn’t, he thought to himself. The only thing worse than failing and seeing people disappointed in him was the pity compliments. But he didn’t want to fall into that hole, so he forced a small smile.

“Thanks.”

Phichit looked like he was going to say something else, but Professor Binns entered, his pale, bland complexion a welcome change from the bright faces around him.

If there was anyone he could count on not knowing a thing about the tryouts, it was Professor Binns.

While the rest of the class was a bore, he was thankful for the silence and instead spent his time worrying about Defense Against the Dark Arts.

“Don’t forget to read section four before next class,” said Professor Binns with a hint more conviction than the rest of his words, which was enough to jolt Yuuri back into focus. He snuck a glance at the clock, startled to see only a few seconds left in class.

The moment the minute hand struck the ten, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs jumped up with such energy that Yuuri flinched, shoving the textbook he hadn’t even opened into his bag.

“Bye, Yuuri!” called Phichit.

He spared him a wave before rushing down three flights of stairs until he was on the second floor.

A wave of nausea passed through him as he entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, thankful he and Otabek were required to sit together. He couldn’t even bear to look at any of Viktor’s friends.

He had heard Yurio had become the new Slytherin Seeker with ease, beating out the rest of the students in a matter of minutes, despite them all being years older. Combined with Mila’s success and Viktor’s overall fame, he knew with a pang that he had no place among them.

He managed to avoid all their eyes, instead focusing on putting extra care into removing his textbook from his bag.

Yuuri risked a glance at the group, horrified to see Viktor’s gaze had landed on him. He whirled around in his chair to face Otabek.

“Talk to me,” he said through gritted teeth and surprising ferocity.

Without blinking an eye, the other boy launched into an incredibly detailed retelling of the Beater tryouts the night before.

Yuuri settled into his chair, trying very hard to focus on what Otabek was saying. A minute in, he conveniently dropped his quill, turning to make sure Viktor was no longer looking at him.

Thankfully, Professor Slughorn started class seconds before Otabek ran out of thrilling descriptions of the exact texture of his broomstick wood.

He gave him a grateful smile and said his congratulations on the other boy’s win.

“Please pass forward your werewolf essay,” Professor Slughorn said.

Shit.

He’d been so caught up on tryouts for the past three days that he’d completely forgotten about the essay. After a few panic-stricken seconds, he also remembered the dream diary he was supposed to fill out for Divination later that day.

“Essay?” JJ asked in front of him, hand outstretched.

“Er, I forgot.” Yuuri squirmed. It was the first time he’d seen the captain since tryouts, and he wasn’t exactly giving off the best impression.

“Okay.” JJ shrugged, and Yuuri relaxed minimally. At least he didn’t seem too bothered about that type of thing.

Why does his opinion matter? It's not like you’re playing with him, anyway. 

Someone else’s opinion did matter, though, and for what felt like the hundredth time since class had started, Yuuri dared another look at Viktor. He handed Slughorn a pile of essays with a bright smile.

If Viktor could not only balance school, a social life, and Quidditch at the same time, but excel at all three, why couldn’t Yuuri?

***

Yuuri skipped lunch so he could catch up on the assignments he had forgotten. No matter how much his stomach protested, he figured the last thing he wanted to do was see the Gryffindors anyway.

In Divination, he was scolded by Professor Trelawney for having a ‘closed mind,’ though he supposed if one professor were to insult him, he’d prefer it to be her. There was no more talk of prophecies, or Mila’s coming death, leaving the majority of the class bored.

He had almost fallen asleep during Herbology when Professor Sprout announced they would be analyzing various types of dirt. Yawning his way through class, he let Phichit and Michele do most of the work. He apologized at the end, but Phichit shushed him, telling him it was alright.

Hours after gulping down dinner and finally making it back to the common room, Yuuri found himself staring in the mirror, caught up in his debate over skipping Astronomy for the sole reason that Viktor and his friends would be there. A knock on the door made him bite his lip and think twice.

Be a Gryffindor, he told himself, and he took a large gulp before allowing JJ in the bathroom and walking to Astronomy with Leo and Guang Hong.

And there he was, wishing he could be focused on the night sky rather than petrified that Viktor would come talk to him.

His worst fear was confirmed right after Professor Sinistra announced they would have to stargaze for the rest of the hour for some sort of immersion activity.

As if he wanted to spend any more time trapped with his thoughts.

“Yuuri, come stargaze with me.”

He felt a tap on his shoulder, dreading every second it took to turn to face Viktor.

Everything in him wanted to say no, that he was going to stay with the other Gryffindors, but he felt his feet move forward against his will.

He was relieved when Viktor led him past the rest of the Slytherins and Mila who were laying on the ground together. They ended up at the edge of the observatory overlooking the Great Lake.

After the minute of tense silence that it took Yuuri to realize Viktor really meant stargazing, not talking, he blurted out the question that had been eating away at him.

“Why were you at tryouts?”

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up. It was apparent he hadn’t expected Yuuri to initiate a conversation.

“I got Chris to change his annual party to February, right around his birthday. That way, Mila and Yurio wouldn’t have to miss it. Plus, I was interested in seeing you fly.”

Oh.

“I didn’t make it.” Yuuri swallowed. “So I’m not sure how worthwhile of a decision that was.”

“It doesn’t matter if you won or not. Anyone in their right mind would be able to tell you’re a talented Quidditch player.”

He almost stopped breathing. Five days ago, he’d seen his idol for the first time and now he was complimenting him? Nothing about it felt real. It couldn’t be real.

There was something unsettling about Hogwarts, from the second he’d been Sorted into Gryffindor. The chances of Viktor being in so many of his classes, that strange appearance of his bedroom when he’d needed it the most...

“You don’t have to be nice to make me feel better about myself,” he said quietly. “I know I messed up.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. If you had put your mind to it, you would’ve won with ease.”

Something about the cool confidence with which he said it gave Yuuri the sudden twisted urge to scream back that it wasn’t that easy, that he had tried. But he stayed silent, eyes flickering up to meet Viktor’s. They were deep blue in the dark, and he swore he might be able to see the stars in them if he looked any longer.

“I have a proposition for you,” Viktor said, his voice dipping low in the night air. “I told you my parents never hired someone to teach me Arithmancy or Muggle Studies, and the latter isn’t going so great. You’re a Muggle-born. So help me with Muggle Studies and I’ll coach you in Quidditch.”

Yuuri’s breath caught at the offer and he forced himself to look back at the stars.

“Why would you coach me? It’s over. The position won’t be free until we graduate.”

“Because I saw something puzzling happen,” Viktor said. “It was like you alternated between two different people when you were flying. You started out nervous, no doubt. Then something kicked in and you got the Snitch. You intrigue me, Yuuri. And if I could help you always be in that state of mind, you would have a real shot at professional teams.” He paused, then asked again. “It would be an easy deal. I help you and you help me.”

Yuuri’s heart was pounding out of his chest, but he kept his eyes glued to the stars. Never mind the fact that he was only planning to play Quidditch for as long as he was at Hogwarts. As long as he was helping Viktor too then he wouldn’t owe him a favor, right?

“Okay,” he allowed, and that was all there was to it. They fell silent and stood gazing at the dark abyss before them, not moving for what felt like a long, long time.

***

The next few days passed in a blur. Yuuri spent the majority of his first weekend at Hogwarts with Phichit, who was showing him around the castle. He learned of a small staircase that only appeared on Tuesdays, leading him from History of Magic to Defense Against the Dark Arts twice as fast as before.

On Monday, he discovered Viktor also had two free periods Wednesday mornings, so the two agreed to spend the time focused on Muggle Studies at the library.

But when Wednesday came, Yuuri found a small crowd of students standing outside of the library.

Viktor beckoned him over.

“Looks like Madam Pince has had enough with the crowded library.” He pointed to the sign posted on the closed doors. “Only prefects and Heads of Houses can study in there. The rest of us can only go in to borrow books.”

“That’s…” Yuuri swallowed. “Not good.”

Obviously.

“Where are we going to study?” Viktor asked as they walked away aimlessly, turning down a hallway Yuuri had never been through before.

“Can’t we go to one of our common rooms?” Yuuri offered. He hadn’t seen any Gryffindors bring anyone from another House in yet, but he didn’t see what was stopping them.

“Not really,” Viktor said. “The founders wanted our common rooms to be like a second home, so it’s unacceptable to invite anyone else in. Unless it’s a party, of course. We do have our priorities here.”

“Oh,” he said dumbly. There was an awkward silence before he tried again.

“What about an empty classroom?”

“People only use those to hook up,” Viktor replied, kicking at a quill on the ground. Sensing the tension, he hurried on. “Either way, it’d be hard to find one during school hours. After classes are over, there are some, but they’re most likely full while we’ve got free periods.”

“Oh,” Yuuri repeated.

Viktor seemed at ease, but Yuuri was gripping his bag with white knuckles, focusing very hard on not tripping. Why was talking to Viktor so hard? Sure, he wasn’t the best at conversing, but with Phichit everything flowed.

Was it because Viktor was some Quidditch prodigy?

Oh. Quidditch. Memories of the night of tryouts flowed back to him and he found himself suggesting something that made Viktor’s eyes light up.

***

“Are you sure it’s here?” Viktor asked, glancing down the corridor for the fifth time.

“I think so,” Yuuri said, searching for some sort of proof. “Yes! I remember that tapestry.” He pointed at the green trolls brandishing their weapons, the man cowering below them.

Viktor stared at it, but no recognition passed through his face.

“It must be a magical room that only appears at specific times. What exactly were you doing at the time that you found it?”

“Er.” Somehow admitting he’d been crying his eyes out didn’t sound too desirable.

“I just came from tryouts. I was holding my broomstick,” he said.

Viktor shook his head.

“It wouldn’t be that specific. And you said it was your bedroom and that’s got nothing to do with Quidditch.”

“Filch was there,” Yuuri said. “And Mrs. Norris. I wanted a place to hide, and when I looked up, it was there. It did kind of appear out of nowhere, now that I think about it.”

“Hm,” Viktor said. “I doubt Filch came up with it. The man’s dumber than a doorknob. Let’s try to wish we had a place to study.”

He felt a bit foolish standing there and trying to yell at the blank wall in front of him to open up. After twenty seconds of nothing, Viktor sighed.

“Was there anything else? Were you tapping your fingers while you passed by? Maybe humming? Did you run by here?”

“No, I was here for a while,” Yuuri said. “I was—oh!” He saw Viktor’s face brighten.

“I was pacing, back and forth.”

“Excellent.” Viktor grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his side so the two could pace in stride. “Make sure you keep what we want in mind.”

A place to study, a place to study, a place to—

Something changed in Yuuri’s peripheral vision and he looked up in delight, meeting Viktor’s eyes.

Where there had once been nothing, a door stood. Without wasting a second, Viktor strode forward to open it.

“I’m excited to see what your bedroom in Japan looks like,” he said.

“Wait!” Yuuri blurted out. The posters—

But it was too late—Viktor had opened the door.

“This is your room?” he asked, his surprise apparent.

A second later, Viktor stood back, giving him a view of what was inside. Yuuri’s jaw dropped.

“No,” he said. He stepped tentatively inside to get a better view and heard the door shut as Viktor joined him.

It was a dark room with no windows, only lit by candles that were floating similarly to the ones in the Great Hall. It was about the same size as his bedroom and had a desk with two chairs facing one another. There was an alarm clock sitting by a stack of fresh parchment and two quills.

“Look,” Viktor said, pulling a book off of a large shelf, the last piece of furniture in the room. 

“Lumos.” Yuuri raised his wand to read the cover. “Le Souper de Beaucaire by Napoleon Bonaparte.”

“The Supper at Beaucaire,” Viktor translated, lighting his own wand and reading off the other books on the shelf. “The Old Regime and the Revolution, Fatal Purity, Reflections on the Revolution in France.”

“They’re all on France,” Yuuri said. “What does that mean?”

“Yuuri,” Viktor breathed, placing Le Souper de Beaucaire back on the shelf. “We’re learning about the Muggle’s French Revolution right now. It was what I intended to study today.”

“So the room…” He paused, taking it in: a desk perfect for two people to study, supplies to take notes, and a whole shelf of books for what they needed to learn.

“...gives you exactly what you need,” Viktor finished in awe. “I’ve never heard of anything like this. Even my parents never mentioned it.” His fingers trailed over the desk in wonder. “I doubt many people know about it.”

Realization struck Yuuri.

“After tryouts,” he admitted, “I was missing home. That was when I was pacing. I must have wished I could be there again. I didn’t notice it had appeared until I needed a place to hide from Filch.”

“Incredible,” Viktor said, pulling one of the floating candles out of the air and studying it. “I wonder what else it could become if you wanted it to.”

Suddenly an alarm trilled out and his eyes darted to the clock sitting on the desk.

“What time is it?” Viktor asked over the noise, muttering a charm to reset it, plunging them in silence again.

“It’s eleven-thirty,” he answered himself. “Time for lunch.”

“So we won’t ever lose track of time,” Yuuri realized.

“Brilliant.” Viktor turned back, the angles of his face cast in shadows. “You might’ve stumbled on the greatest secret this castle holds.”

“We,” Yuuri corrected. “I wouldn’t have thought twice about it if we hadn’t needed a place to study.”

“Yes.” Viktor smiled, setting down the candle. “We.”

***

Wednesday passed with a breeze, and soon it was third period on Thursday, leaving Yuuri and Phichit on their way to the library. Any awkwardness that remained from tryouts had dissipated. It seemed that Phichit understood the last thing Yuuri wanted to do was talk about it.

“How was your lunch? That’s the first time I’ve dared to touch those tuna sandwiches, but wow they were good.” Phichit sighed in content.

“Fine.” Yuuri grimaced. “Although Leo and Guang Hong weren’t there so it was a bit uneventful. Even when they are, I find myself leaving early.”

“Same,” said Phichit. “Although I leave early because I don’t have enough time to finish my homework.”

“Is there always this much work here?” Yuuri asked. “I mean there definitely wasn’t at Mahoutokoro, but it might just be because we have O.W.L.s next year.”

“You’re right,” Phichit said. “That’s all the professors go on about. I can’t imagine how terrible the load is going to be next year when we actually have O.W.L.s.”

Yuuri shuddered. Then his mood sank instantly, although it wasn’t at the thought of their workload.

He’d completely forgotten that the library was selectively closed for students and he turned to make a face at Phichit.

“Where should we go to study instead?” he asked.

“Was it closed yesterday?” Phichit asked, curiosity edging into his voice. “You were studying with Viktor, right?”

“We, er.” Yuuri swallowed. He wasn’t sure why, but he was struck by the sudden wanting for the dark room they’d found to be something for them and them only. He was very aware that Viktor could be showing it to his friends, but from the way the other boy had been so in awe of it, something told him he felt the same as Yuuri.

“We wandered around until we found an empty corridor,” he lied. “One where there aren’t a lot of classes. Then we just sat there and studied. It was a bit distracting because people kept walking by, but it worked fine.”

If he could tell he was lying, Phichit didn’t say a word. On the contrary, his eyes lit up.

“Oh, Yuuri! You’re going to love this!” Phichit grabbed his hand and broke out into a jog, leading a very startled Yuuri down several flights of stairs.

“Where are we going?” he asked, finally dropping Phichit’s hand as he turned the corner to a dim-lit hallway. There was a large painting of a bowl of fruit at the end.

“Yuuri, meet some of my best friends!” He reached out, tickling the pear. 

Yuuri jumped back as it squealed, squirming around, knocking into the banana and twisting into a green doorknob.

“What?!” he gasped, looking at the doorway in front of him. It seemed he wasn’t the only person who had found a secret room.

He followed his friend in, expecting to see another small, empty room perfect for studying. Instead, they were greeted by a cluster of voices.

“Phichit is here!” croaked an old house elf sitting on top of a table. It was one of the five in the grand room, which Yuuri noticed must have been modeled to be identical to the layout of the Great Hall.

Dozens of house elves were perched around the room, and Phichit was already waving and calling some by their names.

“Hokey!” Phichit’s face split into a grin as he came back to the elf that had announced his arrival. “This is my friend, Yuuri.”

“Hi,” Yuuri said, still marveling at the large room. The air was warm from the massive fireplace at the end.

Phichit gestured for him to sit down and began to explain.

“All the food you eat in the Great Hall is made by the elves here. Michele and I found them in our first year when we got lost on our way back to the Hufflepuff common room. We don’t come very often but we might start now that the library is closed. Besides, the house elves are the best.” He gestured around the room. The house elves appeared to feel the same, their wide eyes looking up at Phichit in awe.

“Wow,” Yuuri breathed out, taking it all in. The warmth, the quiet clutter, and the fresh assortment of smells. “I’m so glad you brought me here.”

“You’ve got such a kind heart.” Phichit smiled at him. “I know you’ll all be friends in no time. And you were saying how you didn’t like to eat with your House sometimes, so I thought since we study right after lunch, we could come here instead and get more work done at the same time.”

It was perfect. He wondered how many other secrets the castle held. How many other creatures or people were living in the passages, how many other magical rooms there were to discover. Suddenly the emptiness he had felt about the strange nature of the castle seemed to transform into wonder.

“Thank you,” he whispered. It was so rare for someone to truly listen to him and remember the things he said during pointless moments. It was even more touching that Phichit was introducing him to something that had been a secret of his for years.

“That’s what friends are for,” the boy said. Then his face twisted into a grimace and he pulled out his History of Magic book. “Now, I hate to kill the mood, but do you have any clue what the Giant Wars were about?”

***

“What do you mean you’re not flying with me?” Yuuri asked, standing in front of Viktor on the pitch.

“How would I be able to coach you if I were busy flying?” Viktor countered with an infuriating smile. His teeth were blinding.

It was already Saturday, but it was clear any progress that had been made on Wednesday was gone. Viktor was back to his perfect self, which was making Yuuri his very anxious self.

“So you’re just going to sit there while I fly and analyze my every move?”

He gaped as Viktor nodded with a glint of amusement in his eye.

As if that was going to help him get any better.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Viktor waved a hand at him before sitting down on the bench closest to him.

“I don’t think this is going to help. I—”

A single look from Viktor shut him up.

“Okay.” He swallowed, then mounted his broom ungracefully.

Was there even a way to mount a broom gracefully? He wondered how Viktor mounted his broom. Did he swing his leg up, or lower the broom then step over it? Maybe a combination of both.

Shut up, he told himself and kicked off the ground.

He tried to still his shaky hands and gave the pitch a long glance. As expected, there was no sign of the Snitch anywhere. He assumed once he found it, the session would be over.

In that case, the sooner the better.

“Loosen up!” he heard Viktor call from below. As soon as he took a calming breath to stop gripping the broom so hard, he started jittering again.

He decided to cross the pitch. At least he didn’t have to compete against someone. Besides himself, that was.

“Yuuri,” Viktor sighed.

He looked down, letting his broom dip as well. Beginner’s mistake.

“What?”

“Tell me what the job of the Seeker is.”

“Er.” He gulped. Was that a trick question? “To catch the Snitch, right?”

“Right. So actually look for it instead of flying in a straight line.”

Yuuri’s face burned. He gave a stiff nod that Viktor could barely see and decided to head up higher. Maybe it would be easier to pretend Viktor wasn’t there if he was farther from the ground.

It worked. Sort of. After ten more minutes of endless searching, Yuuri noticed his thighs weren’t clenched anymore and his fingers had stopped shaking. He took a few more deep breaths and shifted on his broom.

He had almost forgotten about Viktor until he heard him call his name. He grimaced, tension flooding back into his body. There was no chance he’d find the Snitch now.

Slowing down, he flew back to the ground, unable to meet Viktor’s eyes.

“Come sit by me,” he said in a surprisingly soft voice.

Yuuri complied, playing with the handle of his broom to avoid eye contact further.

“What’s wrong?”

How was he supposed to explain that there was nothing wrong and he was still terrible? He considered playing it off like he wasn’t even a good Seeker, but he remembered he had told Viktor he had been Seeker at Mahoutokoro.

“It’s just an off day. Sorry.” The words tasted foreign and bitter in his mouth. He still wasn’t looking at Viktor, but he could tell he wouldn’t believe him.

Instead of pressing, Viktor asked again, “Do you know why you lost at tryouts?”

Yes. I got distracted by the pressure put on me. I lack the confidence needed to be a Seeker and you should stop wasting your time on me.

“No.”

“It’s strange,” Viktor said. “Because in the first game I was sure you wouldn’t win. You were far too nervous even though it was clear you had more skill than the other two. But then you snapped into focus and your movements became more determined. Like you were daring the others to beat you. Sometimes you’re unbeatable and sometimes you look like you couldn’t care less about the game.”

“I don’t know,” Yuuri muttered, now pretending to be entranced by a loose thread on his robes. He almost scoffed. If he couldn’t fix himself even when he’d known what was wrong for years, he was sure Viktor wouldn’t be able to either.

“Don’t worry,” Viktor said. “Give me some time and I’ll figure out how to coach you. Soon enough you’ll be able to beat me!”

He was believing his act, and it made Yuuri sick.

Viktor patted his back, then retracted his hand like it had never happened.

“That’s enough for today,” he said.

“What about the Snitch?” Yuuri asked.

“What about the Snitch?” Viktor repeated in a different tone.

“I mean, it’s still out there.”

“Oh. Right.” He paused. “I’ll go get it with one of the school brooms. You can head in, though. It looks like others are coming to use the pitch.”

There was nothing he wanted more than to see Viktor fly, but he was right—a group of first year girls were coming closer, all holding school Cleansweep Sevens. He headed off with a pang, glancing back as they giggled, approaching Viktor.

A big smile spread across Viktor’s face and he exchanged a few words before three of the girls simultaneously stuck their brooms out for him to take. He laughed and grabbed one, then flew into the air with such grace it looked like he was flying his usual Firebolt.

Yuuri was halfway back to the castle, the figures at the pitch barely visible before he heard a cheer, only three minutes after he’d left.

He was getting coached by the boy who was regarded as one of the best Seekers in the world. He had hoped his urge to impress his idol would’ve been great enough to bring out his skill, but if anything, flying in front of him made everything worse.

***

Despite the disappointing practice and the tension between him and Viktor, Yuuri found himself looking forward to the rest of the week. He was now finished with two weeks at Hogwarts and if nothing else, his forgotten assignment in Defense Against the Dark Arts had only made him more determined to succeed academically.

If only the same could be said for Quidditch.

Monday was one of his most relaxing days as it consisted of two classes in the morning where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick kept him busy with work. After that, he was able to unwind in the kitchen with the house elves and Phichit and get most of his schoolwork done with the bonus of delicious food.

The day ended with Potions, and all awkwardness diffused from the weekend. Viktor was his cheerful self again as they finished their assigned potion halfway through class, leaving the rest of the time to study.

Although he would be lying if he said he hadn’t been distracted by Viktor the whole time.

Tuesday was a blur as well, and soon it was Wednesday and he was sitting in the dark room across from Viktor with a textbook on the French Revolution sat on the desk in front of them.

“Who was the queen at the time?”

“Marie Antoinette,” Viktor answered with ease as he fiddled with the quill.

“Why did the people dislike her?”

“She was from Austria, and France wasn’t on the best terms with them. Oh, and she threw massive parties and wore expensive gowns while the peasants were suffering.”

“Right. What percent of the population were peasants?”

“Er, like twenty, right?”

“What?” Yuuri blurted out. “Viktor. You’ve gotten this right the past three times I asked.”

The same thing had been happening for the past hour. When Yuuri had started quizzing him, he’d gotten a few right with surprising accuracy, then his performance dropped immediately as he failed to answer even the most basic questions. That had continued, Yuuri being as patient as he could, until now.

“Sorry,” Viktor said. “Was it closer to sixty percent?”

“More like ninety-eight,” Yuuri muttered, then shut the book. “Maybe we should take a break.”

He figured Viktor must be struggling with something that was taking his focus away from studying. He clearly knew the material, but there was something off about it, like he wasn’t fully committed.

“No, no. I’ll try harder,” Viktor hurried out. “Keep asking me questions.”

Yuuri racked his brain, trying to think of something they hadn’t covered yet.

“Why are you taking a break from Quidditch?” he burst out before biting his lip.

Instead of laughing, or even refusing to answer, Viktor shrugged and sat back in his chair, eyes cast down.

“Sorry,” Yuuri said, too quickly. “I was just curious. I didn’t mean to intrude. We can go back to Muggle Studies.”

“It’s okay.” Viktor shook his head. “You can ask me anything.”

“Oh,” Yuuri replied and focused his stare on the flickering candles above them. “Are you going back next year? To France, I mean? So that you can play for them again.”

“I always attended Hogwarts while playing for them,” Viktor said. “I just never really said it. I let most people assume I go to Beauxbatons in order to preserve whatever privacy’s left in my life.”

It made surprising sense to Yuuri, and he felt himself relax under the trance of Viktor’s voice.

“I missed a lot of school for matches, but Floo Powder made transportation easier. The captain asked me to attend Beauxbatons so I could go to more practices and stuff.” He shrugged. “I always said no, and she got even more annoyed when I wanted to take a year off. They haven’t been doing that well this year because they’ve been using a temporary replacement. She said two years is all I get off, and if I don’t return by then, they’ll hold tryouts and replace me for good this time.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, dumbfounded. If there was one thing he had misunderstood about Viktor, it was the idea that he had a stress-free life. Before he’d arrived at Hogwarts, he had thought the star spent all his time playing Quidditch and didn’t bother focusing on school. He hadn’t thought Viktor would put time into education when he already had one of the highest paying jobs, but it was now apparent how much Viktor loved learning magic—they were more similar than he could’ve imagined.

“I don’t know what I’ll do,” continued Viktor. “My parents want me to take placement exams that will allow me to graduate after my fifth year.”

From the tone of his voice, Yuuri didn’t need to ask to know that leaving Hogwarts was the last thing Viktor wanted to do.

***

It was hard to believe that it had been over two months since Yuuri had entered Hogwarts for the first time, truly alone.

The rest of September and October had passed quickly, and it was already the second week of November.

His and Phichit’s friendship had only grown stronger, especially during their study sessions in the kitchens where they would eat katsudon together (and almost always forget they were supposed to be studying).

His time spent with Viktor was a little more complicated, however. He always found himself looking forward to Wednesday mornings and their time in the dark room, as hard as he tried not to get his hopes up. They’d moved onto a new topic of study, but like Phichit, they often ended up talking about their personal lives.

He now knew about Viktor’s family in Russia and their long history in the Wizarding World. He had to pretend to be surprised when he heard Viktor had a dog (not like he’d gotten one of the same breed and named it after him). He learned all the inside secrets of major league Quidditch and what it was like to play in front of hundreds and thousands of people. And Viktor didn’t hesitate to tell him about the constant media attention from being the youngest Seeker to ever win an international Quidditch championship.

But despite how much he knew about Viktor, there was still something missing. He shared the surface level things but never told him how he felt and rarely expressed any emotion besides happiness and positivity.

Any progress they made toward becoming more open with each other was erased on Saturdays, their weekly practices. Viktor insisted Yuuri keep playing for him, even if it took him forever to find the Snitch, and he left every practice mortified, sure he would be unable to face him again in class.

Yet he always felt himself warm up again, Viktor pulling him right back after they drifted apart. It didn’t hurt that he was also a lifesaver in Potions, always ensuring they finished early and had time left to revise.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had become one of his favorite classes as Viktor, Chris, Georgi, Mila, and even Yurio, would crowd around his and Otabek’s desk and talk until class started. He’d never seen Otabek or Yurio talk that much individually, and everyone seemed surprised at their unlikely friendship.

Sometimes Slughorn would even join in too, happy to see his favorite students getting along.

“You’re coming to the Quidditch match this Sunday, right?” Yurio demanded that Friday.

“I’ve got a lot of homework to do.” Yuuri gave a well-practiced shrug. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it.”

“Oh, come on,” Chris said. “Yurio and Mila are facing off. You can’t miss that! Even Otabek will be there.”

“He’s right,” Viktor said with a dreamy look on his face. “There are only six matches each year. You can’t miss a single one. Even though I was traveling in and out last year, I tried my best to go to as many as I could. The whole school turns up for them. Even the professors.”

“I don’t really like crowds.” He cringed. “And I’ve already pushed off enough Transfiguration work, especially with midterms coming up. I think Phichit got a camera though, so I can get him to record it for me.”

“Midterms aren’t until the end of January,” scoffed Georgi. “You’ve still got three months.”

“I’ll tell Minerva to extend the due date for you.” Viktor rolled his eyes. “And watching it back isn’t nearly as good as it is live. I’ve seen many Quidditch games in my life and there’s nothing more special than being in the middle of the crowd and feeling the energy it gives off.”

Yuuri could imagine it would be pretty special, but he ignored him, not wanting to admit his real reservations.

“Hey.” Otabek frowned. “Professor McGonagall’s one of the most serious teachers here! I’ve been doing my work perfectly and she still won’t crack a smile at me. How are you on a first-name basis?”

The rest of the group with the exception of Yuuri, who was equally as curious, laughed like they knew something he didn’t.

“I’ll tell you if Yuuri comes to the match.” Viktor smiled. Then added a wink.

Yuuri swooned.

***

“Yuuri! Are you coming to the Quidditch match?” asked Phichit excitedly. Well, as excited as someone could be while wrestling a teething plant into a bucket.

His look said enough.

“What?!”

“You’re joking, right?” Michele asked, shaking his head in disbelief and picking up his shovel.

“You can’t miss a Hogwarts Quidditch match.” Phichit rolled his eyes. “It’s probably, like, illegal or something.”

“I’ll go to the next one,” Yuuri said, with little intention to do so. At least that would be Hufflepuff playing against Ravenclaw. He wasn’t sure he could handle seeing Mila playing where he could’ve been quite yet. The match would be another reminder of his inability to get any better at Quidditch.

“You better,” Michele said. “I’m playing against Sara, and I hate to admit that she’s gotten a lot better this summer. I’ll need all the support I can get.”

“Consider it.” Phichit patted his arm, then brushed off the dirt he’d gotten on his robes with a grimace.

“I will,” promised Yuuri.

***

It was November sixth. He didn’t go to the match. Gryffindor ended up beating Slytherin and Yurio ignored Mila for a week straight before he gave up and started talking to her again. There was a glint of amusement in her eyes the whole time.

***

It was November twenty-sixth and Yuuri had just come back from the Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw game, a little disappointed that Ravenclaw won, though proud of Phichit for scoring five times. If anything, his and Michele’s loss made them more determined to spend more time practicing. Yuuri went to watch one of the practices. His fingers itched to be around a broom, playing a game again.

***

It was November twenty-ninth, a Wednesday, and Yuuri’s fifteenth birthday. He was too hesitant to bring it up to Viktor during their free periods, or even during Arithmancy.

He didn’t want any of the extra attention.

So he spent the day in the Gryffindor common room writing an essay for History of Magic while Phichit and Michele were busy practicing.

He kept waiting for a letter from his parents, his sister, anyone. Nothing came.

It was November twenty-ninth and Katsuki Yuuri spent his birthday alone.

***

It was December first and the letter finally arrived during breakfast. He read the first line and nearly burst into tears at the sight of his mother’s handwriting. He left the Great Hall as quickly as he had come.

***

It was December second and Yuuri was strolling alongside Phichit and Michele in Hogsmeade, snow whirling down around the trio. It was more than he’d ever seen back in Japan, and because most of the Christmases he’d spent at home were green, the snow felt rather festive.

Unsurprisingly, every shop was full of people, mostly students who were grateful to leave the castle grounds for the first time that year. Others were desperate to get holiday gifts for their family, as the next Hogsmeade trip would be Christmas weekend when most students would already be home for break.

As much as it had been great to hear from his mother, he had been a little hurt to hear that the rest of his family had planned a three-week trip to Australia which started before he got out of school and ended after his break.

That left him with only one option—to stay at Hogwarts during Christmas. He tried to look on the positive side (at least he’d have plenty of time to explore the castle), but the thought of being alone on his favorite holiday was enough to make his heart sink.

“Do you think I should get Chocolate Frogs or make a nice card for my mum?” pondered Phichit, glancing back at Honeydukes.

“A card,” Yuuri said after a little deliberation. “It’s more meaningful. Mums like that type of thing.”

“Agreed,” Michele said. “Sara got me sweets last year and they were gone by the end of the day.”

“Hey!” Phichit pointed to the right. “Let’s go in The Three Broomsticks! You’ll love it, Yuuri.”

“Butterbeer would be pretty good right now,” Michele said, and the three boys headed into the stone pub that was bustling with life.

“Do they have Butterbeer back in Japan?” Phichit asked, craning his head to try and find an empty table.

“No, but I’ve heard—”

“Katsudon, get over here!”

Yuuri turned in the direction of the voice, spotting Yurio and Otabek sitting at a table in the back which had been pushed against another that seated Viktor, Mila, Chris, and Georgi.

“Katsudon?” Phichit asked questionably, but followed Yuuri over to them.

“It’s his nickname for me,” Yuuri admitted, his cheeks flushed. “Slughorn called me that on the first day and he still hasn’t forgotten it.”

Phichit and Michele knew of Viktor, Mila, Chris, Georgi, and Otabek because they were in the same year, but they hadn’t known Yurio until Yuuri had brought him up the other day.

“This is Phichit,” he said to the group, “and Michele.”

“Hufflepuffs, huh?” Yurio asked, eyeing them both warily. “Well, I guess it’d be rude to not offer you a seat.”

“That was still kind of rude,” Chris remarked offhandedly, sliding an extra drink to Yuuri.

“I think we have Herbology together.” Mila smiled at them both, then fixed her blue eyes on Michele. “Your sister’s really hot.”

“Oh,” he said with a start.

There was a tense moment before he spoke again, this time defensively.

“She’s only fifteen.”

Mila waved her hand like she was dismissing the thought and turned back to Georgi.

“You’re already fifteen?” Yuuri asked. He’d always been one of the older students. “When’s your birthday?”

“September thirteenth,” he said. “When’s yours?”

Yuuri winced.

“Er, November twenty-ninth,” he blurted out.

“November twenty-ninth?” Yurio asked, breaking off his conversation with Otabek. He looked personally offended.

He gave a weak nod, horrified to see the whole table staring at him.

“Katsuki Yuuri,” Phichit said in a dangerous voice. “That was last week, wasn’t it?”

“It was Wednesday,” he managed out and downed his drink.

“Wednesday?” Mila asked. “We had Astronomy together. You could’ve said something.”

“Sorry?” he offered.

Chris was the first to react positively, lifting his drink with a gallant smile.

“Cheers, and a happy late birthday to Yuuri.”

He shot him a grateful look as even Phichit and Michele raised their imaginary drinks and pretended to clink them at the middle of the two tables.

“To Yuuri,” they all said, and his heart warmed considerably.

There was only one person who was silent.

***

“Yuuri.” He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he stopped. Viktor was standing behind him as the rest of the group headed up to the castle.

He jutted a slim finger behind him toward the frozen lake and the rocks surrounding it.

“We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

The lake was glistening silver in the sunlight, the crevices of ice blinding. Yuuri squinted past it and turned to the sky. It had stopped snowing as soon as they had left Hogsmeade, and now it was a light blue with streaks of white, black-tailed gulls spotting the sky.

Finally, he looked back at Viktor who was staring at the rocks they were sitting on. For the first time, he seemed subdued—unsure of himself.

“Every time I come here,” said Viktor, “I’m reminded of St. Petersburg, where I heard the seagulls in the early morning. I never thought I’d leave that city, so I never used to notice the seagulls’ cries. Do you ever have times like that?”

It was odd, hearing Viktor ask him a question that was something more than How was your day?

He wasn’t sure how to answer, so instead, he said what he’d been wanting to tell him.

“One time, the Beater on my team in Mahoutokoro got into an accident. I was pretty torn up with worry. I was in the hospital waiting room with her, but when she hugged me to comfort me, I shoved her away without thinking about it.”

Viktor was silent before asking.

“Why?”

“I didn’t want her to think I was feeling unsettled. I felt like she was intruding on my feelings or something, and I hated it. But then I realized that my family never treated me like a weakling. They all had faith that I’d keep growing as a person and they never stepped over the line.” He stopped, still staring at the glittering lake, even when spots grew in his vision.

“Yuuri, you’re not weak. No one else thinks that either.” Viktor paused. “What do you want me to be to you? A father figure?”

“No.”

“A brother, then? A friend?”

“Mm,” he murmured. A friend would be nice.

“Then your boyfriend I guess,” concluded Viktor in such a voice that Yuuri couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

“No!” He stood up, the moment already lost. Viktor gazed back up at him with wide eyes.

“I want you to stay who you are, Viktor. I’ve always looked up to you. I haven’t been practicing well because I didn’t want you to see my shortcomings. It made me too distracted and I was unable to focus in front of you.”

He took a deep breath, a little relieved to see Viktor didn’t look surprised. So he’d known all along, then.

“It’s like you act too...perfect,” he said in a smaller voice. “That was already my perception of you when I came here, but it’s worse when I try to perform in front of you. I don’t mind studying together because it’s me teaching you, but with Quidditch, you outshine me too much.”

Viktor studied him, a finger on his chin.

“There’s nothing wrong with your physical skill. The problem lies in your mentality. You need to become more confident in yourself and I haven’t figured out how to bring that out of you yet.”

“No one has,” he said, watching as Viktor stood up to join him. Not that anyone besides himself had ever tried.

“I’m trying,” he said, eyes staring intensely into his.

A gull squawked beside them and Yuuri jumped back, gathering the sweets from Honeydukes in his arms.

“One last thing,” Viktor said. “You don’t have to be afraid to tell me about yourself. Like if it’s your birthday.”

“Alright.” Yuuri swallowed. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew something had changed between them. “I’ll see you in Potions on Monday.”

“Yes.” Viktor smiled. “I’ll see you.”

When I open up, Yuuri thought, he meets me where I am.

***

It was hard for Yuuri to focus when there was snow streaming down outside of the grand windows in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Despite it only being the first week of December, he found himself surrounded by festive decorations, and the snow only made him more excited for Christmas—although he wasn’t excited to be spending it alone.

“Are you headed back to Switzerland?” Mila hugged her legs, her head nestled between her knees and tilted toward Chris.

“Of course,” he said dreamily. “I love Hogwarts, but I couldn’t imagine spending Christmas anywhere but home. You’re going to Russia, right?”

“Obviously.” She grinned. “Yurio, Viktor, Georgi, and I are all going together.”

“My parents insist on holding their annual dinner party for all their friends and acquaintances again. Which means the whole country is going to show up.” Viktor sighed. “So much for getting a break.”

“I’m dreading Christmas break solely because that means I have to go to Viktor’s party,” Yurio said, digging in his bag for his textbook. “I despise his parents and everything they do.”

Yuuri would’ve been at least a little insulted if Yurio had said that about his family, although Viktor seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

“They’re the worst,” he agreed with a rare face of disgust. “I’d do anything to stay here at Hogwarts over break.”

“Oh, come off it,” Mila said. “Your mother is lovely.”

Even Chris let out a laugh at that.

“Don’t lie, Mila. She’s abysmal.”

“Where are you going for break?” Yurio turned to Otabek who, alongside Yuuri, had been listening to the conversation without saying a word.

“I’m going home to Kazakhstan,” he said. “I haven’t seen my parents in a while.”

“And you, Yuuri?” Viktor smiled at him. “Back to Japan?”

“Er, no, actually,” he said, trying not to let his disappointment show through. “My family planned a trip to Australia and they’re leaving before our break starts.”

“What?!” exclaimed Yurio. “But it’s your first time living in a different country. They can go to Australia anytime.”

“Can’t you Floo powder over there?” asked Georgi.

Yuuri shrugged. He had considered meeting his parents that way, but it seemed too risky. If he messed up in the slightest, he could end up in the middle of a country he’d never been to before.

Plus, the way the letter had been written, it seemed like the vacation was for just his parents and sister. He wasn’t sure when he’d been excluded from the family plans, but he also didn’t want to intrude.

“It’s okay,” he lied. “I’ll see them this summer and we write so often it feels like I barely left. I don’t mind being away for a few more months, and staying at Hogwarts over break should be fun.”

“But…” Yurio continued. Yuuri was flattered to see him looking upset on his behalf. “You’ll be alone. Unless one of your Hufflepuff friends is staying.”

“No.” He shrugged as if to show it was no big deal to him. “They’re both heading home. But it’s okay. There’ll still be a few students at least—and the professors.”

Yurio looked like he wanted to argue more, but Slughorn entered the room and the conversation was dropped.

The snow kept falling.

***

“It’s a shame we’re spending our free periods in a room with no windows,” Viktor said wistfully, his face amber in the candlelight.

“Well, I doubt we’d get much work done if we were watching the snow,” Yuuri said. He pulled a book off the stack in front of him. “But I’m sure we could ask the room and it would change.”

“It doesn’t snow much in Japan, does it?” Viktor asked him, shifting so his cheekbones were hidden in the shadows.

It happened every time they were together. They would be talking about Muggle Studies or Quidditch, then Viktor would ask some question to get them off-topic. Before he knew it, they’d be discussing something completely different.

But Yuuri didn’t mind. Especially since their talk a few days ago, he could tell Viktor was making an effort to be more human

“Not where I live. It’s rare to have a white Christmas.”

“You’ll have one here, though,” he said in a very inconclusive voice.

Yuuri nodded, afraid of where the conversation was turning.

“You don’t seem too happy about staying here over holiday break.” He leaned forward. “Why don’t you come to Russia with me?”

Yuuri was speechless for a second. His first thought was that there was no way he would fit in with Viktor’s family at all.

“What?” Viktor asked, sitting back in his chair like he had closed the deal already. To Yuuri’s surprise, he looked serious.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “They haven’t seen you in a while and I wouldn’t want them to stress about having another guest in the home. Plus I don’t mind staying here at Hogwarts. It won’t be as bad as it seems, I’m sure.”

“Trust me,” said Viktor. “They couldn’t care less if I came home or not. And for the record, I’m not an idiot. I can tell you’re upset your family is going somewhere without you, and you have every right to be. If anyone can understand distant families, it’s me.”

Yuuri paused. He didn’t like the idea that Viktor might know him better than he initially thought. First with his insecurity at Quidditch, then his stress over the holidays. Viktor’s uncanny ability to hide his thoughts was a very dangerous one.

His first instinct was to decline Viktor’s offer and steer him back on track, but he remembered the conversation they’d had before. There was only so much Viktor could do to bring them closer. He had to open up as well.

“It’s just strange,” he admitted. “My parents have never been like this before. They’ve always been supportive of everything I’ve wanted to do and helped me even when I didn’t need it. I guess I assumed they’d be thrilled to have me come home like before.”

“I guess I’ve gotten used to being ignored, whereas you…it’s odd that they’re being so distant out of nowhere.” Viktor took a breath. “I know you’ll spend your whole break overthinking everything if you have nothing better to do.”

With a heavy pang, Yuuri weighed his words and realized he was right. So much for having a restful break.

“So stay with me for a few days at least. Maybe the first couple days of break, since that’s when the party is. Then we can come back to Hogwarts and my parents won’t think too much of it.”

It was exactly what Yuuri had needed to hear. He wouldn’t be asking too much of Viktor’s parents—he couldn’t see them being as dreadful as everyone else seemed to—and he’d be able to get out of the castle for a bit but come back and spend the holidays where he felt comfortable.

“Okay,” he said, and a look of surprise passed across Viktor’s face.

“Really?”

“I...yes,” Yuuri decided. Viktor’s lips curled up ever so slightly. “Really.”

***

Saturday was one of the warmest days in a long time, wiping any traces of the week’s snow. It was either this or the fact that it was his first Quidditch lesson with Viktor since their talk by the lake that Yuuri was feeling a bit downcast.

He spent breakfast talking with Otabek, mostly about Quidditch as it was one of the many things they had in common.

“Are you not going to eat anything?” he asked, staring at Yuuri’s still-full plate twenty minutes into breakfast.

“I had some fruit.” He pointed at the small pile of cantaloupe that was otherwise untouched in the middle of the Gryffindor table.

“Haven’t you been doing this for weeks? Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not,” Yuuri said, unsure of his answer even as he spoke. “I guess I shouldn’t be, either. I just don’t know what he’ll have me do. We’re probably trying something new today.”

“Well good luck,” Otabek said and helped himself to another waffle.

As soon as he finished breakfast, Yuuri made his way down to the Quidditch pitch, surprised at how empty it was. Although the snow was gone, it was still chilly, and he wished he’d worn a thicker sweater under his robes. He spotted Viktor waving at him underneath the giant hoops.

“Yuuri,” he greeted as he reached him, his breath coming out in short, frosty puffs. “Today we’re going to relax a bit.”

“That sounds good,” he said cautiously, then glanced back at Viktor. His gleaming Firebolt was perched in his gloved hand, each twig completely straight. The wood was a glossy dark color, the handle smooth and completely unblemished.

Suddenly his Nimbus 2001 felt like a joke.

“I thought we could fly together with nothing to worry about,” he said, spinning the Firebolt around between his fingers offhandedly.

“No Snitch?” Yuuri asked.

“No Snitch,” Viktor confirmed, then swung a leg around his broom, causing Yuuri to echo him. “We can just fly next to one another and talk. I think the first challenge you need to overcome is the new environment and the new people. If you’re able to get comfortable flying with me in this pitch to the point where you forget you’re flying, then we can move on.”

They took off at the same time, and Viktor slowed his broom to match the Nimbus’s acceleration as they ascended to just below the clouds, then leveled out.

“I do tend to think about other people too much while I’m flying,” Yuuri admitted, adjusting his fingers as they moved forward.

“I thought so,” Viktor said. “Once you get comfortable flying with me, we can invite some others to fly too. Mila, Yurio, Otabek, your Hufflepuff friends too, if you’d like. I’m just not sure how I can get you used to flying with people who aren’t your friends.”

“I think I’ll be okay,” Yuuri said. “I’m usually more, er, nervous, when I’m with friends because I know them well and then I get worried that they’ll judge me for whatever happens. When I’m with strangers, I don’t even know them so if I mess up it won’t matter since I’ll probably only see them once or twice around the castle. Does that make sense?”

“Er, yeah,” Viktor said.

He looked completely lost.

“How do you do it, then?” Yuuri asked enviously.

“Do what?”

“Escape. When you’re playing a match, how do you push your feelings aside and focus on the game?”

Viktor turned to give him an odd look as they swerved past the tops of the stands.

“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought of it...it just happens automatically I suppose.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said with a pang. So whatever his problem was, it wasn’t normal.

“It’s okay though,” Viktor hurried in, sensing his disappointment. “We can work through it. You’ll be the best Seeker here by the time we graduate.”

“For what?” he asked, not wanting to dance around the topic any longer. He glanced down at his fingers as he gathered his thoughts. He really should have brought thicker gloves. “Mila will be the Seeker for as long as I’m here. I’ve blown my chance.”

“For a job of course,” Viktor said. The tip of his nose was pink from the frigid air.

“A job,” Yuuri repeated. Right. He’d almost forgotten that was what Viktor thought he was doing.

“I’m sure you could make a regional team when you graduate. Someone’s bound to retire in the next few years,” he said thoughtfully. “The Kestrels’ Seeker is getting pretty old…”

“Viktor.” The name still felt foreign on his tongue. “I’m not getting a job as a Quidditch player.”

“What do you mean?” The surprise was clear in Viktor’s voice.

“I’m not that good.” He saw Viktor open his mouth so he hurried on before he could interrupt. “Plus I’d like a more stable job, like at the Ministry or something.”

The horror on Viktor’s face was imminent.

“A desk job,” he said as if testing out the words for the first time. “I mean, wouldn’t you get bored? I couldn’t even imagine—”

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said a little defensively. “Boring is good.”

They dropped the topic.

“Let’s go a little lower. You look like you’re freezing.” Viktor dipped his broom, much to Yuuri’s relief.

“It’s much colder here in Scotland than it is in Japan. That, or it’s just a particularly bad winter.”

“Oh I’m sure you’ll love it in St. Petersburg,” Viktor said with a grin. That explained why he looked so comfortable even in the freezing weather.

Yuuri found himself smiling back, the tension from earlier forgotten.

“Do you know what we’ll be doing there?”

“It’s up to us,” Viktor said. “Well, besides the banquet Friday night. My parents are big believers in tradition, so we have to have tons of gatherings and parties every year. As if they couldn’t get more obnoxious.”

“Right.” Yuuri swallowed. He remembered the others talking about it in their last Defense Against the Dark Arts class. “Is it in honor of anything?”

“Well I like to pretend it’s thrown for my birthday,” Viktor said, a touch of exasperation in his voice. “But my parents seem to have forgotten I was born on Christmas Day. So, no. It’s just them upholding their social status and hosting random parties to showcase their wealth.”

Right. Viktor’s birthday was on Christmas Day. Now he had to get him something extra special. Yuuri bit his lip, thinking furiously.

“They don’t know your birthday?” he asked finally. “Didn’t your mum, er, give birth to you?”

“Well that was years ago,” Viktor said in a thin voice. “Now they couldn’t care less.”

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. There he had been, earlier that week complaining about one trip his parents wanted to take without him.

Viktor was silent.

***

It turned out Viktor’s idea of flying and talking with him had worked. He’d been so occupied making conversation that he only remembered a few times in the beginning that he was flying. The slight progress made him excited for their next practice, a welcome change from the usual dread he felt.

The week before break flew by, despite the professors busying them all with a myriad of assignments, insisting that when they came back two weeks later they would otherwise forget what they’d learned.

It was finally Wednesday. By the end of the day, most students would be gone for the holidays. The Gryffindor common room was already clearing out, and noticeably quieter than a couple of hours ago.

Although Yuuri was leaving the next day with Viktor, he agreed to meet Phichit and Michele in the kitchens where they could exchange gifts before they left.

“Sorry I didn’t wrap them,” he apologized as he passed each of them a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans.

Both the boys were looking at him strangely. Michele had a confused look, while Phichit’s was more of amusement.

“Did you plan this?” Michele asked before reaching below the table and pulling out two more boxes. “I practically bought them for all of my friends. And my sister.”

“I swear I didn’t know.” Yuuri laughed, putting his hands up as a gesture of innocence.

Phichit was oddly silent, for once.

“Erm...” he started. Then, without wasting any more time, he grabbed two packages next to him. They were shaped awfully like, well…boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans.

Yuuri used his wand to unwrap the packaging and as his suspicions were confirmed, the three boys doubled over. One of the house elves (who happened to be sporting a knitted hat that looked suspiciously like Phichit’s handwork) poked his head out from the kitchens to make sure they were alright.

As soon as they calmed down, they opened one of Phichit’s boxes first and Yuuri swallowed in relief when he detected the yellow bean was lemon, not rotten egg.

Just as Michele was spitting out an earwax flavored bean, Phichit reached into his bag and pulled out a thick envelope.

“I forgot something. It isn’t really a present,” he said, “but it’s for you, Yuuri.”

Puzzled, he pulled it open, and photographs of him and Viktor flying drifted onto the table.

“They’re from when I begged you to let me watch your practice session a few days ago. I had my camera with me, and I thought you would like them.”

Yuuri found himself stuck staring at one of the photos, their cloaks flying behind them so elegantly it looked like a scene from a movie. Viktor was turning his head toward him with a laugh. As if he was back in the sky, a smile spread over Yuuri’s face.

“Thanks,” he murmured, paging through the rest with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

The moment was ruined as soon as Michele let out a large cough and a dark red bean flew across the table.

“I can’t tell if that was cinnamon or earthworm, but either way it was absolutely disgusting.”

***

The common room was emptier than Yuuri had ever seen it. All of the Gryffindors had left for the holidays already, except for two sixth year girls who were chatting by the fireplace and a first year boy who was scribbling down notes with a quill that looked ready to snap.

Yuuri had woken up far too late to make it to breakfast, so he spent the next two hours catching up on all the homework he really should’ve been doing during the extensive Quidditch practices and times spent tutoring Viktor.

As he was nearing the end of his essay on the ethics of Unforgivable Curses for Defense Against the Dark Arts, the two girls who must have gone through at least five games of chess finally got up and left the common room.

Yuuri glanced at the clock sitting above the crackling fireplace and decided to pack up and go to lunch, hoping someone he knew would be there.

His first clue that the whole castle was empty was the fact that the Fat Lady’s portrait was ajar, and she was fast asleep, letting anyone walk in or out without the password.

Except for one or two, the staircases stayed surprisingly still, and he made his way down to the Great Hall with no trouble, seeing only one student, the Ravenclaw Isabella on his way.

The Great Hall was an even stranger sight, the large tables replaced by a smaller one seating around twenty people. Nevertheless, the snow was streaming from the ceiling and there was a large pine tree at the head of the hall where the professors usually ate.

He was relieved to see the only Slytherin there was Viktor, and he slid into the spot next to him.

There was a low buzz of conversation around the table and Viktor turned to him.

“I’m not keen on spending too much time at home, so I talked to Minerva and she said we could Floo powder out of here at five,” he said, delicately picking up a single pea with his spoon.

“Okay,” he agreed, putting a helping of mashed potatoes onto his plate. “Will we have dinner here or there?”

“Here, if that’s alright,” Viktor replied with a pained expression. “Meals with my parents are dreadful. Plus it’ll be late when we get there because of time zones. They’ll likely have finished eating already.”

“Okay,” Yuuri repeated. He couldn’t imagine what it was about Viktor’s parents that made him not even want to eat a meal with them. An uneasy feeling reminded him he would be finding out soon enough.

***

Yuuri was quite pleased with the amount of schoolwork he’d gotten through by the time he was standing in Professor McGonagall’s office, stuffed full of the roast potatoes and cranberry-glazed ham the house elves had served for dinner.

“Do you want to go first?” Viktor asked, handing him a sprinkle of Floo powder and directing him toward the fireplace, leaving him with little choice.

“Sure,” he said, although he would rather do anything than show up at Viktor’s house alone, even if it was just for a second.

“Say ‘Nikiforov Manor,’” he said with a false tone and slumped shoulders. Clearly, Yuuri was not the only one dreading the arrival.

Manor. Of course. Foolishly, he had almost forgotten exactly what he was getting himself into. It was no secret Viktor’s parents were well known in the Wizarding World. Even the riches Viktor must have gotten from his first year flying for the Quafflepunchers could be enough for Yuuri’s family to live off of for years.

“Nikiforov Manor,” he said, and stepped into the fire before he could stop himself. Everything twisted around him for a dragged out second and there was a blur of green, then brown, and—

His feet hit the ground and he grabbed the mantelpiece above him to avoid falling over. As everything fell into focus, he stared dumbstruck at the room in front of him.

It was half the size of the Great Hall but just as grand. There was a table that seated twelve people, the chairs decorated with ornate backs of gold that were probably worth more than Yuuri’s whole house.

In the seats at the heads of the table, as far apart as possible, were two tall, silver-haired people, both staring at Yuuri. He removed his hand from the white mantle with a start, wincing when he saw the ashy imprint it had left behind.

Hoping to break the silence, he turned back to them. Just as he opened his mouth to utter an apology, there was a loud whoosh and Viktor appeared next to him.

“Viktor,” said his mother in an unwavering voice. “We’ve been waiting for you to start dinner. You didn’t mention you would be this late.”

Yuuri’s stomach sank as he noticed the silver platters across the table—indication of perhaps a larger feast than the one he’d just had at Hogwarts.

“We already ate,” Viktor replied. “Yuuri and I are pretty tired so we’re going to head off to our rooms. Right, Yuuri?”

“Er, yeah,” he agreed quickly.

“Nonsense. He looks like he could eat some more. Sit down.” She waved her wand and two seats slid out from the table.

“You can’t say things like that, Mother,” Viktor bit back with a strained tone but crossed the room nonetheless.

Yes, Yuuri decided as he neared closer to the chair: it was definitely worth more than his house. Maybe even twice as much.

“I can say what I want, Viktor,” she replied calmly, then flicked her wand.

Yuuri was starting to get a taste of why Viktor didn’t want to be alone at home.

A scrawny looking house elf Apparated into the dining room with a loud crack that made Yuuri jump in his seat.

“Lord, Lady Nikiforov,” he said in a shallow voice, dipping his head toward them each. “Sir,” he added, noticing Viktor.

He ignored Yuuri completely.

“Tonight, we have an appetizer of Spinach and Goat Cheese Tartlets and two main courses of Cherry Balsamic Pork Loin and Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna. Lastly is Okroshka Soup.” He pulled the covers off of each of the platters, steam rising from each. “Dessert will be available upon request.”

The elf snapped his fingers, and a portion of each dish appeared on the silver plates in front of them before he Disapparated away with another crack.

Yuuri felt faintly like throwing up, but he forced himself to take a bite of the lasagna.

It was rich with flavor, and he began to push his food around on his plate, sure he wouldn’t be able to manage another bite.

The meal dragged on, time ticking by ever so slowly.

Finally, just when Yuuri thought his eyelids were about to drop, Lord Nikiforov stood up, his plate empty.

“Ekaterina,” he said, looking only at Viktor’s mother. “I must be off to bed immediately. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

“Us too,” Viktor said, grabbing Yuuri’s arm and pulling him up, although they both still had plates full of food.

She gave them a look, then exchanged a few words in Russian with Lord Nikiforov, all before sighing.

“Very well.”

Viktor didn’t let go of his arm until they were out of the dining room, where he blew out a long breath of air.

“Sorry about that,” he muttered, directing him to a large staircase with a railing that looked too expensive to touch.

“It’s okay,” Yuuri said quickly. “Your parents are very, er, refined.”

“We’ll have to have breakfast with my mother tomorrow, but my father should be gone already,” Viktor said, leading him down a hall lit by torches floating off the walls. It left an eerie shroud of darkness down the center, but after they passed only a few more doors, Viktor drew to a stop.

“This’ll be your room. If you need anything, you can ring the bell on your nightstand and a house elf will come.” He bit his lip before continuing in a lower voice, “Tomorrow will be more fun. I promise. We can get out of the house and spend the day downtown.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri lied. “Dinner wasn’t that bad.”

Viktor just gave him a knowing look before turning and heading back the way he had come.

Gulping, Yuuri opened the door. Immediately, fire flared up from torches around the room, giving it an orange glow.

The first thing he noticed was the four-poster bed that resembled the ones in the Gryffindor common room. The ceilings were high, and a chandelier hung above, spreading another layer of light across the room.

A small table was accompanied by two armchairs with blankets draped so carefully on their backs that it made Yuuri wonder when someone had last stayed in the room. In the corner was a stone fireplace, and while it was crackling, the room felt far from home.

After standing by the door for a few minutes, Yuuri willed himself to move, cringing as his shoes sank into the thick carpet on his way to the door that led to a bathroom.

The bathroom was dark as well, with mahogany wood lining the cabinets. There was a clay pot that held a plant that looked like it hadn’t been tended to in years. Yuuri neared the edge of the clawfoot marble bathtub it was perched on and recoiled when he recognized it as monkshood.

But after that dinner, he supposed it wasn’t that surprising that the Nikiforovs kept a poisonous plant as decoration for their guests.

He met his own eyes in the large mirror, skipping past the ornate gold frame and studying his blue glasses and unruly hair. His black sweater seemed out of place in the manor full of delicate treasures and large rooms. There was too much empty space, and suddenly it didn’t seem too hard to understand why Viktor would rather stay at Hogwarts than see his family again.

***

Crack! Yuuri woke with a start, scrambling up to a sitting position, his legs swamped by thick, rose-colored blankets.

“Sooty has been instructed to tell Sir Viktor’s guest that breakfast will be served in fifteen minutes in the breakfast hall,” he said, bowing so low that his nose touched the carpet.

“Er.” He yawned. “Th—”

The elf disappeared without another word and Yuuri blinked at the room. The large window overlooking the snow-covered garden let sunlight stream in, and the room no longer felt as suffocating as the night before.

He rolled out of bed, his feet plunging into the carpet as he trudged toward the bathroom, still wincing at the bright sun.

Ten minutes later, after he’d gotten dressed, he heard a knock at the door and hurried to put his shoes back on before opening it to Viktor.

The light shining on his face illuminated his thin nose and turned his eyes an even lighter blue. He was dressed in Muggle clothes as well—expensive ones, no doubt—and they framed his tall body, a welcome change from the typical Hogwarts robes and green tie.

“Morning. Are you ready?” he asked, any trace of his darker mood from the night before gone.

The boys made their way down the hall, silence falling between them. It was considerably brighter thanks to the light from the window at the end, opposite the double marble staircase. They took the right stairs, Yuuri putting his focus toward not tripping.

“As I mentioned last night,” Viktor said in a low voice, stopping before a pillar, “my dear mother will be at breakfast. As long as you’re polite as you always are and sit up straight, she shouldn’t even notice you.”

“Right,” Yuuri said, nerves edging back in as Viktor led him around the corner to a room. To his surprise, it was different from the one they had eaten dinner in: smaller, but it had large windows which did wonders for making it feel welcoming.

To Yuuri’s relief, the platters were already revealed and instead of a fancy quiche or lavish waffles, there was a stack of steaming pancakes and a bowl of fruit. He’d never been more excited to see normal food.

Lady Nikiforov had already started eating, but she paused when they entered, gesturing for them both to sit.

“Viktor,” she said, fixing Yuuri with a piercing stare, her eyes just as blue as her son’s. “You never introduced me.”

“Yes I did. Didn’t you get my letter?” he asked, then continued once he saw his mother’s expression of confusion. “Of course you didn’t,” he muttered. “This is Yuuri.”

“Like your cousin,” she remarked.

“No,” Viktor said through gritted teeth. “He’s Japanese. It’s different.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said quickly. “Er, thank you for having me, Lady Nikiforov.”

“Which of your other friends are coming to the banquet tonight, again?” she asked, dismissing Yuuri by turning a delicately raised eyebrow to Viktor.

“Georgi Popovich, Mila Babicheva and Christophe Giacometti,” he said stiffly. “As usual.”

“Ah, the Babichevas.” She allowed a small smile across her pale lips. “They’re always lovely guests. The Giacomettis on the other hand…” She tapped the tablecloth with her thin finger, a snake ring curling around it.

“They’re lovely guests as well,” Viktor spat out with surprising venom.

“Right. Our Swiss friends,” she said in a voice that sounded far from agreeable. “I trust you have your dress robes for tonight ready? Both of you, that is?”

Dress robes?

Viktor was quick to respond.

“Of course,” he said smoothly. “Yuuri’s going to borrow some of my old robes. Which we should probably sort out as soon as possible since we need plenty of time to prepare for the banquet.”

Lady Nikiforov’s eyes cut into Viktor as he stood up and Yuuri quickly followed his lead, wistfully looking down at the half-eaten pancake still warm on his plate.

She gave him a shallow nod and they left as quickly as they’d come in.

“I’m sorry she’s like that.” Viktor ran his hand through his hair as they made their way up the staircase and turned to the left. When Yuuri got a good look at his face, it was etched with worry.

“It’s okay, really. It’s nice to get out of the castle either way,” he said with an urge to remove the frown on Viktor’s face.

To his surprise, a smile did appear as they stopped in front of a wooden paneled door at the end of the hallway.

“This will make your day better,” Viktor said with conviction and opened the door to a room even larger than Yuuri’s.

It was more modern and much brighter; the ceiling, walls, fireplace, and armchairs were all white, only accented by light blue and grey pillows. The openness made it more welcoming than Yuuri’s room, although he was still shocked that this was where Viktor spent all of the summer holidays. After all, there was no trace that someone was living there—no posters, no personalized decorations, not even a wrinkle in the sheets.

Then Yuuri’s eyes fell on the rug at the far end of the room, and the mop of brown fur that jumped up from it.

“Come here Makkachin!” Viktor called out, kneeling down. With a bit of fascination, Yuuri watched his eyes light up as the poodle barreled toward him, pink tongue out.

“Hi there!” Yuuri couldn’t help but smile as the dog dodged Viktor and pushed him over, licking his face repeatedly.

“This is my best friend.” Viktor grinned, pulling Makkachin off of him and burying his face into his fur.

It took twenty minutes for them to finally detach from Makkachin and make it to Viktor’s closet to pick out his dress robes.

***

Viktor broke the news that they had to leave Makkachin at home because it would be too cold for the old dog, but they walked down the snowy, bustling street cheerful nonetheless.

Yuuri was wrapped up in a big coat, and he still couldn’t feel his fingers, so he was relieved when they finally reached a round building and stepped inside.

“You’re back,” grumbled an old man sitting behind a desk.

“And I’ve brought a friend this time,” Viktor replied happily.

“Yakov Feltsman,” he said, holding out a gloved hand that Yuuri shook.

“I’m Yuuri,” he said, his hand pink from the cold. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“There’s a lesson going on in there,” Yakov said, pointing his thumb back at the door, “but you can go to the outside rink. It should be empty.”

Yuuri wasn’t too keen on going outside again but he followed Viktor out the backdoor anyway.

There was a clearing of ice, and they trudged through the snow until they reached the edge, where two pairs of skates lay.

“I used to skate when I was younger,” Viktor said. “I ended up quitting because I had to focus on Quidditch, but I still love to come back when I can. I thought it’d be a fun way to spend the day before we have to deal with...tonight.”

“I’ve never skated,” Yuuri admitted as he started to tie the laces with frozen hands.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.” Viktor even dared to wink at him and Yuuri turned back to the skates, thankful that his face was already red from the cold.

He stood up, his left hand shooting out to grab Viktor’s arm to stop himself from falling.

“Sorry.” He flushed, but Viktor took both his hands in return and pulled him forward, eliciting a yelp.

“Viktor!” he gasped as he glided forward, feet shaking underneath him.

“Okay, okay.” Viktor laughed as he let go of one of Yuuri’s hands and swung around so he was next to him.

They moved together, one step at a time, and Yuuri found himself unable to lose the smile on his face.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed skating,” Viktor said as they made their first loop around.

“Hm?” asked Yuuri, still focused intensely on moving his feet forward.

“Like the seagulls,” he replied slowly. “The ones here in St. Petersburg. I always thought I would go to Koldovstoretz, the Russian wizarding school. But then my parents heard about the Quidditch program at Hogwarts and enrolled me there instead.”

“Wow,” Yuuri said. “It was hard enough for me to leave Japan this year. I can’t imagine leaving everything behind when you were only eleven.”

“Twelve,” Viktor corrected him. “Koldovstoretz starts students a year later. By the time my parents realized they wanted me to go to Hogwarts, it was too late, so I had to start when I was a year older than everyone.”

“It wasn’t hard to fit in though, was it?” Yuuri asked, now being able to glide a bit instead of lifting his feet.

“I was lucky that I made friends quickly. Once I started trying out for national teams in my second year, everyone suddenly wanted to be my friend. It made it easier to call Scotland home. But when I came back after my first year, I didn’t realize how many things I missed about Russia.”

“I suppose it’ll be the same when I go back to Japan for the summer,” Yuuri said. He hadn’t considered what it would be like, but like Viktor, Hogwarts was more familiar to him than the quaint house in Japan now.

“Exactly. I was surprised to hear people speaking my language and seeing the birds I used to watch every morning. I took everything in and promised myself to remember it. Then when I went back to Hogwarts for my second year, I missed everything about Russia. It’s the same with skating. My parents weren’t too happy I was getting so good at a Muggle sport, so they made sure I spent all my time on Quidditch instead.”

Viktor pulled to a stop, then turned to face him.

“But you know, once I lost skating, I craved everything about it. So I know I’ll remember today forever.”

***

“Viktor, answer the door, would you?”

Yuuri followed him to the grand double doors, where he spotted a familiar blond boy.

“Katsudon?” Yurio asked, stepping in the foyer and throwing his coat on a hook, revealing his dress robes that had a tiger print bow tie.

An older man, presumably their grandfather, stood beside Yurio, carrying a package.

“Yeah.” Yuuri smiled. “I’ve been staying with Viktor, but we’re going back to Hogwarts tomorrow.”

“Hmph,” he said, then his eyes lit up in realization. “You’ve met his parents then. Aren’t they the worst?”

“Erm,” he replied, shooting a glance at Viktor who was taking the package from their grandfather with a smile.

He was saved from an answer as the door opened again and Mila and Georgi burst in, their parents behind them.

Yuuri’s head was spinning by the time the rest of the guests had arrived. The only one missing was Chris, and it seemed Lady Nikiforov was reaching the end of her patience.

She waved her wand with a flourish and led the guests toward a room with a table that fit around forty people. Yuuri briefly wondered how many rooms they had dedicated purely to eating, then decided he would rather not know the answer.

Lord Nikiforov was already seated at the head, and Viktor ushered the three of them to seats in the middle of the table, as far as possible from either of his parents at the ends.

After an elaborate speech on tradition and the holidays, when the collective grumbling of stomachs reached a high, the food was finally revealed and Yuuri dug in with relief.

“We’re not late, are we?” A dark-haired man had entered, and next to him was Chris, dressed in a deep emerald suit. His eyes fell on what could only be Viktor, as a large smirk grew.

“Not at all.” Lady Nikiforov gave them a thin smile, and Yuuri saw Mila bite her lip to avoid a smile of her own.

“Excellent,” said Chris in his deep voice, and grabbed the seat next to Yuuri.

“You have to be late every time, don’t you?” Viktor asked in a low voice, his eyes glimmering with amusement.

“Drives your mother mad, so might as well,” Chris answered, the self-satisfied smile on his face remaining even as he turned his attention to the plate.

Ravished from the long day, Yuuri scarfed down his food at a surprising rate. Although they’d only been apart for a few days, he found himself catching up with the others like it’d been years.

“Then he asked me out like I hadn’t just seen him for the first time in my life. So I told him I was dating Georgi,” Mila said in a hushed voice.

“Of course,” Georgi said, “he didn’t believe her.”

“So then.” She grinned, the candles behind her glinting on her scarlet hair and flushed cheeks. “I kissed him right in the middle of the store.”

“That was when her mum found us in the aisle.” Georgi sighed. “And she just asked me two hours ago if we were ‘courting.’”

“And yesterday she asked me the same,” Mila said, clearly amused. “Little does she know, the love of my life is back at Hogwarts.”

Yurio spit his pumpkin juice all over the white tablecloth, earning a laugh from them all.

At the head of the table, Lady Nikiforov looked ready to petrify her nephew. Seconds later, the stain spread inward and disappeared.

“Please. Do you even know if she likes girls?”

Yuuri realized they must be talking about Sara, recalling the interaction between Michele and Mila at Hogsmeade.

“I’m working on it,” she said with a pout, although her face was still bright and eyes earnest. “Do you know what she said to me the other day? I couldn’t believe it…”

***

As dinner came to an end, they were ushered into a grand hall, snow whirling down from the ceiling and dusting the ground, crunching under each step. It reminded Yuuri of Hogwarts, and a funny feeling emerged in his chest. How was it that after only two days away, he was missing the castle? Mahoutokoro had never felt like home to him.

“Wow.” Georgi’s jaw dropped. He was standing on his tiptoes and craning his neck, although he was easily as tall as most of the people in the room.

“What?” Viktor asked, glancing around as the soft music started and the wizards and witches moved into pairs, sweeping around the hall, their robes and dresses flying behind them as they twirled.

“Who’s that?” He pointed across the room where a brown-haired girl in a silver dress stood alone near the drinks table, red lipstick accenting her lips.

“I haven’t the faintest clue,” Viktor said. “My parents know too many people.”

“She’s either a fourth or fifth year. She’s a Gryffindor though, right?” Chris asked.

“Her name’s Anya. We share a dorm so she’s definitely a fourth year. And we’re on the same Quidditch team,” Mila said, she too on her tiptoes despite wearing heels. “You also have had many classes with her over the years, might I mention.”

By the time she finished, Georgi had already disappeared.

“Maybe my mum will stop pestering me about when we’re getting married now,” she remarked, then turned to Yurio. “Wanna dance?”

His lips turned into a face of disgust but after he glanced around to make sure no one was watching, he shrugged and was led off immediately.

Now Yuuri was left standing with Viktor and Chris, unsure of what to say.

“Let’s dance, Yuuri,” Chris offered with a wink, and before he could reply, he’d grabbed his hand.

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you have him for the rest of the night after a dance or two.” Chris shot a glance back at Viktor.

“Oh!” Yuuri gasped as Chris pulled him onto the dance floor.

For a minute they just danced, perhaps a little closer than Yuuri would have liked, although he didn’t mind too much. As the song shifted to something quieter, and there was just the sound of chatter in the background, Chris initiated the conversation in a low voice.

“Viktor looks happy,” he said.

“He does?” Yuuri asked, his voice shooting up at the end. “Every time his parents say something, he looks like he wants to disappear.”

“Trust me,” Chris said, lifting his arm, his sleeve trailing behind as Yuuri twirled around, thankful that he’d taken dance lessons for years. “He’s always been miserable at home. He seems much better this year.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, unsure of how to reply.

“It’s nice of you to stay with him. It’s pretty clear he appreciates it. You know that, right?”

“He was the one who offered,” Yuuri said hastily. “I reckon he felt bad that I couldn’t go home and spend Christmas in Japan or see my family.”

“Well, isn’t that lovely,” Chris said with a smile. “It seems neither of you wanted to be alone and you found a way to spend the holiday together.”

“You’re not...are you mad?” Yuuri asked unsteadily.

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” he asked and Yuuri let out a tiny sigh of relief.

“I don’t know,” he said uncomfortably. “Maybe because I’m the new student who came into your friend group and I don’t fit in like the rest of you.”

“Hm?” Chris prompted as the music built into a gentle piano piece.

“I mean, you’re all confident and well, charming,” he said, unsure of how else to put it. “The whole school likes you all.”

“I’m glad to hear you think I’m charming,” Chris replied, narrowing his golden-green eyes. “But really.” He leaned forward and dipped Yuuri. “I believe you’ll find that you’re more likeable than you think.”

Without another word, he left, his cloak swirling behind him as he made his way toward another boy, one with long brown hair.

Yuuri slipped off the dance floor in a daze. He spotted Georgi and the mystery Gryffindor girl—what had Mila said her name was?—dancing on the far side of the hall. Mila was drinking a glass of firewhisky and chatting with Lady Nikiforov. Yurio was sulking near the dessert table by himself with a plate of half-eaten macarons.

Yuuri made his decision and headed toward Yurio who greeted him with a look only a little less than a glare.

“I saw you dancing with Chris,” he said, swallowing a cream macaron in one bite. “How was it?”

“Er,” he said, still at a loss for words. “Interesting. It was interesting.”

“Sounds about right.” He shrugged, then offered his plate to Yuuri. “Macaron?”

***

Yuuri woke from a pleasant dream, eyelids fluttering several times before he squinted at the large window in his room. The snow outside was reflecting the blinding sun, so he turned away, burying his face in his pillow for a few seconds before sitting up, pushing the heavy covers off, and putting his glasses on.

He heard a knock and mumbled something unintelligible.

“Morning!” Viktor burst in, Makkachin bounding in before he could reply.

“Hey!” He grinned as the poodle jumped onto the bed, greeting him with a wet lick.

“He really likes you.” Viktor smiled. “It’s a shame I have to leave him for so long.”

“When are we leaving?” Yuuri asked, catching his reflection from the mirror in the bathroom and patting his hair down. Makkachin pressed against his leg, curling up next to him.

“As soon as possible,” Viktor said, although he still sat down on the bed and scratched Makkachin under the chin.

Yuuri’s heart melted.

“Okay,” he said, forgetting what he’d even asked.

“I’ll leave you some time to get ready.” It could’ve been Yuuri’s imagination, but his voice sounded thicker, quieter. “Meet you downstairs?”

***

Ten minutes later, dressed back in his Hogwarts robes and with his wand in his pocket, Yuuri made his way to where Viktor was waiting for him.

“We have to go through the parlor,” Viktor told him, and Yuuri could tell from his tone that his parents were waiting in there.

He considered what Chris had told him last night, about how miserable Viktor was at home. He thought it had been bad enough for the past two days, but thinking about how lonely Viktor would be with no one else around made him involuntarily shudder.

Lord and Lady Nikiforov were standing in the parlor. It was lined with dark wooden floors and white sitting chairs accented with gold. At the end of the room was a marble fireplace, offset by a white cauldron full of Floo powder.

“You’re leaving already,” remarked Lord Nikiforov, although he looked and sounded like he couldn’t care less.

“That’s right,” Viktor said, straightening his posture as he turned to face them. Yuuri found himself doing the same, wondering if he should thank the Nikiforovs or stay quiet unless spoken to.

“It was enlightening to meet you,” Lord Nikiforov said, directing his piercing gaze at Yuuri.

He felt every part of him being scrutinized.

“Same to you. I appreciate you letting me stay,” he said, shrinking back against the fireplace.

“It was a pleasure,” he replied in a voice that suggested he’d rather eat slugs than have him stay in his home again.

“It’s interesting to see Viktor is making some new friends,” Lady Nikiforov said finally. Her cool voice wrapped the room in a tight chill.

“I hope you are focusing on your studies, however,” Viktor’s father added disdainfully. “Do remember you don’t need to spend so much time fooling around with your friends.”

“Of course,” Viktor replied, his voice as detached as his parents. “But forming connections with people my age is important.”

“Right. With important families. Anything else is unnecessary,” he shot back, and Yuuri sank. He didn’t dare risk a look at Viktor’s face.

“We better be off.” Viktor didn’t even bother to smile at them before grabbing a pinch of Floo powder and throwing it in the fire. “Hogwarts!” he yelled.

Emerald flames rose and Viktor disappeared.

“Er, bye, then,” Yuuri said, grabbing Floo powder and disappearing into the flames as quickly as he could.

A second later he landed on the much less polished floor of Professor McGonagall’s office.

Viktor was in the middle of letting out a huge sigh while dusting off his robes.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to be out of there. Sorry again for...them.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said quickly. “They were courteous enough.”

He was lying. Viktor could tell.

“Thanks anyway.” He squeezed his arm. “Let’s get out of here before Minerva thinks we’re trying to snoop.”

***

The mood at Hogwarts was pleasant and quiet, just how Yuuri liked it, but it was hard to believe it was already Christmas Eve. He tried not to think about all the years he had spent with his family, so when Viktor suggested they go to Hogsmeade, he took the opportunity to get out of the castle and his own thoughts.

Especially after visiting Nikiforov Manor and seeing how empty Viktor’s room was, Yuuri felt more than ever that he had to get him something sentimental that he could keep as a reminder that they were friends. Hogsmeade was his chance.

The opportunity presented itself as they were strolling down the snowy streets, surprisingly busy even without the Hogwarts students. It appeared all of the town had come to get last-minute Christmas gifts.

“Let’s go in here,” Viktor suggested, pointing at one of the larger shops in Hogsmeade.

They pushed through the crowd that had gathered around the front cases until they were inside, facing aisles and aisles of miscellaneous objects.

“Should we split up?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor agreed and was quick to move toward the greenery section, stopping by a pot of flowers that changed colors.

Yuuri made his way through the back of the shop, browsing the shelves in the hope that he’d see something that just felt right. He spotted some clothes and moved closer to see the price on a dark grey scarf. He winced and shoved it back on the rack.

It was only when he spotted the poster of the wizard wearing the scarf that the idea struck him.

Most of the frames on the shelf were excessively flashy; one said ‘Happy Birthday’ but the font kept changing, and another was a horrible shade of magenta. But underneath a frame with flashing letters was a simple black one with no magical embellishments.

As Yuuri reached down to pick it up, he heard footsteps approaching.

“Are you almost done?” Viktor asked him, his hands empty.

“Er, yeah, just getting this for my...mum,” he decided.

“Nice,” Viktor said, then bent down to take one. “Maybe I’ll give a framed picture to Georgi. He likes that kind of stuff and his birthday is soon.”

“Is it right after yours?” Yuuri asked as they went to pay. He handed over three Knuts and Viktor did the same.

“Yep. He’s a year younger, though. Only Chris and I are turning sixteen this year.” He shot a smile at the young witch behind the counter.

As they grabbed their bags to leave, Yuuri didn’t miss the way she blushed furiously and Viktor didn’t spare her a second glance.

“Should we go to The Three Broomsticks?” Yuuri suggested as they stepped outside. The sky was clear, but it was freezing, and snow was beginning to fall. Viktor was only wearing thin, fashionable robes, and Yuuri shivered just remembering how cold it had been in St. Petersburg.

“Sounds good,” he agreed, snowflakes getting caught in his silver eyelashes.

It wasn’t until later, when they sat at the barstools with Butterbeers in both of their hands, that Yuuri realized not once that day had he felt awkward or worried about impressing Viktor. Somehow, his company had become normal.

It was unforeseen and more than a little unbelievable, and Yuuri liked it.

***

The first thing Yuuri saw when he woke up on Christmas Day was a large barn owl with an envelope tied to its foot sitting on his trunk.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, sitting up and showing his empty hands before untying it. “I don’t have any treats.”

The owl hooted, clearly annoyed, and flew out of the dormitory, leaving Yuuri with the thick envelope. There were two letters inside plus a torn piece of parchment.

Yuuri,

We’re happy to hear that you’ve made some friends and hope this owl reaches you before Christmas Day. Hopefully your time with Viktor was restful and you were sure to thank his family for letting you stay. Australia has been lovely so far and it’s a shame you couldn’t come. We’ve been thinking of you and hope you’re doing well. Keep up with your studies and we’ll see you in a few months. Your father sends his best wishes as well.

Katsuki Hiroko

Yuuri swallowed hard, looking at the familiar handwriting, puzzled at how distant it seemed. It had only been four months since he’d seen his family last, and already he felt like a stranger.

Pushing the letter aside, he opened the next, pleased to see it was from his sister.

Yuuri!

I hope Hogwarts is treating you well! Mum told me you’re staying over at Viktor’s??? As in...Viktor Nikiforov??? I’m pretty sure there’s only one Viktor Nikiforov in the world so you better tell me ALL ABOUT HIM when you get home this summer. I’ll be waiting.

Mari <3

P.S. Happy Christmas

He smiled at her letter, remembering the times when she watched Quidditch matches with him and bought him exclusive special edition posters of Viktor. That led him to the last note—the one that hadn’t been in the envelope. It was only one line long.

Meet me in the room whenever you wake up.

Filled with sudden excitement, the letter from his parents forgotten, Yuuri grabbed the package by his bedside table and scrambled out of the dormitory.

After running down three flights of stairs, he made it to the room where they studied. He paced back and forth, unable to stop the bounce in his step before the door appeared. When he opened it, Viktor was sitting at the desk with his wand pointed at the endless ceiling.

“That’ll do it,” he murmured before waving his wand.

Slowly but surely, snow began to stream down.

“Where’d you learn that?” Yuuri beamed.

“Just picked it up somewhere,” he said, a small smile on his face.

“I got something for you,” Yuuri said, and handed Viktor his gift. “Happy Christmas and Happy Birthday,” he added shyly as Viktor unwrapped it with a smile.

Encased in the black frame was Phichit’s picture of them flying together during a lesson, their cloaks streaming behind them. Their cheeks were tinged pink from either the cold or the fact that they were laughing, eyes on one another.

“Wow,” he breathed, then met his eyes. “Thanks, Yuuri. I really like it.”

“No problem,” he answered, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Sorry it’s a little simple.”

“It’s perfect,” Viktor decided and set it down. He pushed the long, thin package that had been sitting on the desk toward Yuuri.

His bubble of happiness vanished, and a sickly feeling settled into his stomach as he carefully pushed away the tissue paper.

The stick of ebony wood and the carved word Firebolt were all Yuuri needed to see.

“Oh, Viktor,” he said, too quickly, and pushed it back toward him. “I can’t take this.”

“Why not?” he asked, sounding hurt.

“It’s just...” He swallowed hard and looked up at Viktor. “It’s too much. It’s just not right, you know?”

“I don’t,” Viktor responded, his voice stinging. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I do, but I can’t take it,” Yuuri said firmly. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I took something like this for free.”

For a moment, he thought Viktor might get mad at him, or maybe think he was being picky. How could he explain that the Firebolt was worth more Galleons than his family even had? That he would’ve preferred something smaller, more meaningful...

But instead, Viktor shifted in his seat to deflate the tension.

“I understand.”

***

It was New Year’s Eve, six days since Christmas Day. Neither of them spoke of their uncomfortable encounter and instead spent their time studying together as if nothing had happened.

Yuuri headed back to his dormitory after breakfast, relishing in the last few days the castle would be empty before classes started again.

On his nightstand was a framed picture of two boys holding hands and spinning in circles on the ice with wide smiles.

On the back was a note:

Yakov gave this to me while we were in St. Petersburg. I hope this present is a little better than the last.

P.S. This time it’s meant just for you.

Chapter Text

Exams were starting and Yuuri was in a frenzy. He and Viktor had decided to put the Quidditch practices on a hold—well, mostly him—so there would be enough time for studying.

Yuuri took consolation in the fact that Phichit had told him it was the last year they would have midterms, since O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s only tested at the end of the year, but it didn’t make him any less stressed.

“How?” exclaimed Michele, prodding the four-legged textbook with his wand. He sighed loudly, glancing at Yuuri for help.

“Here, I’ll do it,” Phichit said with zero confidence and waved his wand dramatically. It worked—sort of. Now there was a speckled white cat on the table, its tail raised haughtily. Upon further examination, Yuuri noticed the black spots were words.

“This is hopeless,” Michele said, flipping aimlessly through their real Transfiguration textbook. “How in the name of Merlin's saggy left bollock are we supposed to be able to transform medium-sized animals by Wednesday?”

“Monday for me,” Yuuri said miserably. “Thanks.” He brightened at the house elf that handed him a plate of steaming biscuits.

“Oh come on, you’ve already got it down,” Phichit complained, plucking a chocolate chip out of the biscuit and crushing it with his fingers before licking the gooey remains off.

“Yeah, show us how to do it.” Michele shut the book with a thud. “If McGonagall can’t teach me, then maybe you can.”

“I can’t transform anything that big,” Yuuri said. “Maybe she’ll give me a small cat.”

“Just try.” Michele sighed, resting his head on the table and watching the cat with pitiful eyes.

Yuuri gathered up all the wit he had and pointed his wand at the cat which shrank away from him. There was a poof and then a furry textbook sat on the table. Behind the patches of white, Quidditch Through the Ages could be read in gold print.

“Well at least yours doesn’t walk,” Michele grumbled, shoving another biscuit into his mouth.

“Let’s try Transfiguration another day,” Phichit said, and although they knew pushing it off would do no good, they hastily agreed.

“What about Charms?” Yuuri suggested. Unlike Transfiguration, Charms was less systematic and required more emotion in the spells, which meant he wasn’t the best at it. He was still confident he could do well as long as he mastered each charm, but it meant hours of work for each.

“What was the exam last year?” asked Phichit, reaching over to the large stack of textbooks they had brought down to the kitchen to study.

“It was Cheering Charms at Mahoutokoro,” Yuuri recalled.

“I could use one of those right now,” muttered Michele, glancing over at Phichit’s notes.

“It’ll probably be the Summoning Charm this year,” Phichit said. “Flitwick made us take two full scrolls of parchment on it and we’ve been practicing nonstop.”

“Accio.” Yuuri pointed his wand desperately at the biscuit sitting on the plate a meter away from him.

It didn’t move.

“You’ve got to say it more like Accio,” Phichit explained, and the biscuit flew toward him. “Just position your wand like this…”

***

“How did you know that?” Yuuri asked in disbelief, staring at Viktor’s half-lit face.

They had finally managed to get the dark room to transform into something a little brighter, with a large bay window that showed the expansive castle grounds.

“I must have remembered it from class or something,” he said, picking at the end of his quill.

“But it’s under the homework reading and you told me you didn’t do this part yet.” He glanced through the questions printed in the textbook. They went on and on, in such intricate detail that even Yuuri didn’t know the answers to them. He was becoming very glad he hadn’t taken Muggle Studies as a third elective.

“I probably skimmed it or something.” Viktor sighed. “Can you quiz me on the French Revolution? I think I forgot most of it.”

The studying dragged on, each minute leaving Yuuri feeling less productive than the last.

Phichit had helped him with the Summoning Spell, and he was now able to reach objects within a few meters’ radius. A little more practice would leave him feeling confident for Charms.

Transfiguration, on the other hand, would require hours before he was even close to what Professor McGonagall expected of them. A sinking feeling in his stomach told him she wouldn’t be too generous with her scoring, either.

Potions was a paired assessment, which Yuuri was eternally grateful for. Professor Snape didn’t seem to like him very much—probably because he was a Gryffindor—but as long as he was partnered with Viktor, he couldn’t dock too many points.

He had History of Magic the next day, early in the morning, and his studying had not ceased. It seemed Professor Binns was unaware that no one had been paying attention all year and proclaimed that the exam would be extremely easy, but the review questions had left Yuuri stumped. Because no one he knew had taken notes, he was now reading straight from a textbook on the Goblin Rebellions and trying to memorize any fact that was mentioned at least twice.

He was lucky there was no real way to measure one’s skill in Divination, and with all the time History of Magic was taking up, he had already decided on and memorized a fake prophecy for the exam if Professor Trelawney asked. Phichit, on the other hand, was entranced in the class and had even asked for extra lessons.

That left Defense Against the Dark Arts, a class that Yuuri had dreaded attending at the beginning of the year, but now enjoyed immensely. Slughorn could be a bit boring at times, but he tried his best to make the class interesting, and most of it was spent dueling. He’d even told them last week that their exam would be a duel, and he and Otabek had practiced together for hours in anticipation.

The last two exams he had were on Wednesday: Arithmancy and Astronomy. At least with Viktor’s company, both were pleasant and easy.

Midterms were starting all too soon, and while Yuuri enjoyed the time spent with Viktor, his mind was itching to do some studying of his own.

But he pushed it back. He would help Viktor, even if it took away from the things he had to do. He wasn’t sure why, but as he looked back at Viktor who was rambling on about peasants and kings and queens, he knew he wouldn’t regret it.

***

What four factors must be taken into account when performing a Transfiguration spell?

The moment Professor McGonagall announced they’d be having a written quiz before the skills exam, Yuuri’s stomach dropped.

The class was divided, the Ravenclaws looking smug and the Gryffindors glancing at each other with panic clear on their faces. At least he wasn’t the only one that had assumed he wouldn’t need to study his notes.

“Miss Crispino, you must keep your mouth shut,” Professor McGonagall snapped, and heads turned to Sara who had undoubtedly been whispering answers into Mila’s ear.

The large clock at the head of the room ticked on, and Yuuri forced himself to think. Concentration, viciousness, wand power, and— He glanced around in desperation, then forced himself to move onto the next question.

“Your time is up. Pass your exams forward. Gryffindors, join me in the corridor for your exam.”

Body weight! Yuuri scrawled it down just in time. Satisfied with his answer, he handed his parchment to Guang Hong in front of him.

As they made their way outside, Yuuri’s suspicions were confirmed. A tawny barn owl was sitting on a post, its talons digging into the wood.

“Your task is to transform this owl into an Intermediate Transfiguration textbook. Points will be awarded for the success of the transformation and if the book stays balanced on the post.”

JJ stepped up first, but his wand movement was a little too stiff and although the book stayed on top of the post, it had a large feather protruding from its spine.

Professor McGonagall wrote something down, her gaze stern. She transformed it back and nodded to Leo.

Yuuri held his breath and watched as Leo stepped up and waved his wand. The book still had two legs attached to it. Because of this, it stayed on the post, but Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and turned to her paper again.

Finally, it was his turn, and his hand was trembling so badly that he was afraid his wand would slip. He muttered the incantation, his wand only quivering at the very end, and the owl popped into a book but fell with a deadening thud on the ground.

She lifted it with her wand, and to his relief, there was no sign it had just been a living thing. Satisfied, Yuuri made his way to the back of the line and watched as each student took their turn.

It was clear what they had to do in Charms from the single pillow sitting on a table. The desks were pushed up against the walls, leaving the classroom open. There was a shimmering circle stretching five meters around the pillow, and Professor Flitwick stood next to it in the center.

Five meters. He could do that.

“Alright, alright, you know what’s coming. Line up here.” He waved his wand, and the students scrambled around, leaving Yuuri at the front of the line.

“Accio Pillow!” he said, his wand outstretched. He grinned in relief when the pillow flew straight to him, hitting him in the chest.

“Bravo! Full marks, Katsuki! Now, Babicheva, step up, yes, you’re next…”

Yuuri stepped back glowing and promised himself to thank Phichit a thousand times over.

Potions was a breeze as expected, and although Professor Snape gave him a nasty glare as he chatted while Viktor added the ingredients, he grudgingly told them they’d aced it. Or, rather, that their potion was “substantial, although it could’ve been better.”

From the look on Viktor’s face, Yuuri knew there was no way it could've been any better.

***

“My dear, have you felt any unwelcome presences around you this year?” Professor Trelawney had her eyes glued on Mila through her thick glasses. She was moving her hands around a crystal ball, which Yuuri was pretty sure was just for the dramatic effect.

“Oh, absolutely.” She smiled angelically. “I think my end is near.”

Professor Trelawney just regarded her with sad eyes and nodded solemnly. “It is because Pluto is nearing alignment with Neptune.”

“Really,” she said, straight-faced. “I thought it was due to Saturn’s orbit.”

“Ah, well. One who is new to Divination may think the same,” she said, and Phichit nodded along with her.

“Mr. Katsuki, what do you see in your crystal ball?” she asked, and everyone turned to look at him, some with pity on their faces.

“I see a broomstick,” he recited in a hushed tone, “flying through the clouds and, oh! There’s someone on it holding the Snitch…”

“Perhaps you could be seeing the outcome of the next Quidditch match! What color are the robes?”

“Hmm,” Yuuri said, waiting a full five seconds before pretending to catch a glimpse, “they’re green.”

“Slytherin, hm?” she pondered, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “My own ball had just told me it will be a Hufflepuff victory, but I suppose not everyone has as clear of a Sight as me.”

“Professor, Hufflepuff isn’t even playing in the next match,” Mila called out, and a slow snicker spread in the room.

“Is that so, dear?” Professor Trelawney asked, and if she was embarrassed, she didn’t show it.

“Yes,” Mila said, shooting Yuuri a grin.

“If you say so…” She fixed her attention upon a Slytherin girl Yuuri didn’t know. “Miss Eliot, what are the Fates saying to you today?”

***

The last month of Yuuri’s life had been fairly uneventful, with the exception of exams, which he’d ended up passing with near-full marks. The excitement came as he sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts in the company of his friends.

“I’m going to hire strippers,” Chris decided. “There’s no doubt about that. This party has to be the best one yet. The question is how I’ll be able to get them into Hogwarts.”

They were discussing his plans for his birthday, which included the rescheduled party from the beginning of the year.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to.” Viktor sighed, like it was the greatest inconvenience in the world.

Yurio just made a face. “You’re both disgusting.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll understand when you’re older.” Chris winked, and Yurio’s face contorted even more than before.

“What if you get someone from inside the school to strip? That way you wouldn’t have to smuggle anyone in,” suggested Mila, looking amused.

Yuuri was relieved to see Chris seemed to be the only one who was taking it seriously.

A Slytherin girl in front of them turned back to look, then whispered something to her friend. They both made faces at each other.

“Get a pole,” Viktor said. “And some firewhisky. You’ll have more than a few strippers by the end of the night.”

“You’re a genius, Nikiforov,” Chris marveled.

And that was that.

***

February brought even colder weather, but the excitement in the Great Hall during lunch was warmer and more enthusiastic than ever before. It was Chris’s birthday, or perhaps equally as important, Valentine’s Day.

The unspoken theme this year was to send anonymous notes through the school owls to fellow classmates. Yuuri had discovered this earlier while trying to mail a letter to his sister and finding there were no owls left.

To his equal surprise and fluster, he spotted a dark brown owl flying toward him before dropping a box. All around him, the Gryffindors were tearing open their own packages and notes, finding heart-shaped chocolates that beat at the heart rate of whoever had sent it and notes with letters cut out from newspapers like in Muggle spy movies.

As Yuuri peeled open the package addressed to him, he was a bit disappointed to see it was just from his sister: a box of assorted chocolate hearts.

“Ooh, who’s that from?” Leo asked, leaning over. He apparently had an admirer, as there was an opened envelope sitting on the edge of his plate.

“No one,” he said quickly. Despite not needing a relationship with classwork and Quidditch lessons to keep him busy, Yuuri was still a little insecure about the fact that every other Gryffindor seemed to have gotten some type of affirmation that they were attractive.

“I got this, but I’m not sure who it’s from,” Leo said, staring at the card that showed two halves of a heart moving toward one another. The image would reset every few seconds and play over so smoothly that even Professor Flitwick would’ve been proud.

It wasn’t very hard to tell who had charmed the card, however, as Guang Hong sat across from them with very red cheeks, eating the chocolate covered pretzels at an alarming rate as if to make up for his lack of conversation.

Leo was still sitting there, dumbfounded and staring at the card over and over again, and for a moment, Yuuri almost liked Valentine’s Day.

It only lasted for a second though, before the food vanished and he headed off to Arithmancy, hopeful that they could pretend it was a normal day there.

“Alright everyone, please settle down.” Professor Vector smiled, waving her wand as the numbers on the chalkboard were erased. “I have a few notes I’ve been asked to hand out to people in this class. Apparently, there weren’t enough owls.”

Yuuri sighed, wishing the class would start already.

“Nikiforov, this one’s for you.” She put it on his desk face down and if Yuuri wasn’t mistaken, he saw Viktor roll his eyes.

“This one too, and well, here’s another…”

Yuuri watched as the pile of Valentines from her hand built onto Viktor’s desk, each one causing Viktor to look even more bored—perhaps even a little annoyed.

“Thanks,” he said as she handed him the last one and she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

“Well, that’s all! We can move onto the number seven now. Do you remember last class when I mentioned Bridget Wenlock? Her work is instrumental when it comes to understanding the complex history...”

As Professor Vector continued and waved her wand so writing appeared on the blackboard, Yuuri only watched out of the corner of his eye. Viktor grabbed the stack of red, pink, and white and opened his bag, which was unusually full.

Yuuri saw why soon enough—it was crammed with notes and countless boxes of chocolates he must have received during lunch. There was even a suspicious-looking vial the same distinctive pearl color as Amortentia. Viktor’s hair covered his eye as he bent down, trying to fasten the buttons, and they both winced at the sound of a thread splitting.

“You okay there, Nikiforov?” Professor Vector asked, and Yuuri quickly looked up.

“Of course,” he said smoothly. “Might I add that what I find interesting about Bridget Wenlock are the lengths she went to keep her work private? Is it true that she wrote exclusively in invisible ink?”

Professor Vector beamed at this. “Excellent, Nikiforov. You bring up a compelling detail. I hadn’t planned to cover it, but since we have the time…”

All Yuuri had wanted and still wanted, was to be wanted. Viktor had plenty of that, and Yuuri got a funny feeling in his stomach as he sank back into his chair and forced himself to write. After all, he had to get his work done in class so he’d be able to make it to Chris’s party that night.

***

“He actually got a stripper pole?” asked Phichit, craning his neck toward the center of the room. “I thought you were joking!”

“I was,” Yuuri said. “I didn’t know he would.”

“This is insane. I’ve never been in here before. Oh, look at the squid!”

Yuuri tried to see, but there were too many heads in the way and the blaring torches made it hard to focus his eyes on anything.

“You made it!” Mila pushed her way through a circle of people, emerging in front of Yuuri. “I thought you didn’t like crowds very much.”

“I don’t,” he said, and winced as someone turned the volume of the magical radio up higher.

“Loosen up a bit.” She smiled and nudged his shoulder. “Viktor’s here, but considering over half the school is, you might have a hard time finding him. I came here with Otabek and he’s nowhere to be found either.”

“Thanks,” he half-shouted so she could hear, and a guy—was it Georgi?—called her name. She turned around, then a second later, a hand grabbed her and pulled her toward the dance floor.

“Yuuri?”

“Right here!” He glanced behind him, thankful to see he hadn’t lost Phichit.

“Yuuri!” someone else called, and Yuuri blinked at the sight of Chris standing next to him.

“You look good.” The older boy grinned, then put his arm around Phichit. “I was just talking to your friend. He’s great.”

Phichit looked confused but was taking it surprisingly well as he tilted his head toward Chris in a friendly manner.

“Why don’t you have a drink?” Chris suggested, nodding toward the table. There were rows upon rows of glasses bubbling over with what he presumed was firewhisky.

“Er, I don’t drink,” he said as Chris shrugged.

“Okay, well, I’m stealing your friend. We’ll be back in a bit.” And with that, Phichit shot him an apologetic glance before heading off with Chris into the denser pack of people near the center of the room.

“Sorry!” called a girl in a bright yellow dress as she bumped into him. Yuuri felt liquid douse his left leg and he winced, stepping back.

“Hey!” another girl snapped.

He stumbled forward, realizing he had stepped on her toes. With a spinning head, suddenly the table of drinks seemed very welcoming, so he took a deep breath and made his way over.

Just one should be enough to numb everything a bit, Yuuri figured. Firewhisky was supposed to make things more fun, right? He tried not to think too deeply about it as he picked up the delicate glass and studied it for a second.

A single sip made his throat burn, and his face contorted involuntarily. As he pulled back to look at it again, he decided Chris must have some pretty unseemly connections.

“Sorry, mate!” Someone bumped into him from behind, and his drink sloshed forward, missing a girl’s dress by mere centimeters.

“You’re good,” he said, not wanting to turn around and see who it was. He paused, looking at what was left of his drink, and downed it.

Now his hands fought for something to do, searching for pockets in his old dress robes. When they came up with nothing, he swallowed away his burning throat and grabbed another glass on his way to the center of the room.

The heat of the crowd was surrounding a muscled seventh year, one of the Beaters on the Hufflepuff team. He was circling the pole, an abandoned drink on the ground.

Yuuri strained his neck to see for just a second longer before someone cut into his way.

“Excuse me,” came a voice from behind him.

He turned and was met by a very delicate looking girl. He recognized her as one of the Slytherins who sat near him in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

“What?” he asked. His brain felt fuzzy, and her lips pressed together. He wondered if it came across as rude, so he took a few more mouthfuls of his drink.

“Oh. Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to dance,” she said, rather loudly so she could be heard. There were now whistles coming from behind him, and he turned to see the Hufflepuff had taken off his shirt.

“Okay,” he replied dumbfoundedly, then reached awkwardly around for a place to put his drink. When he found none, he tipped his head back and swallowed the whole thing, then set it on the ground, hoping no one would step on it.

“Great,” she said and grabbed both of his hands. She pulled him toward the other side of the room where the students were a mass of bodies dancing to the heavy beat of the music. It had been so loud that Yuuri had almost forgotten it was playing, but now it was pounding into his head rather viciously.

At first, he was conscious of his steps, not wanting to crush the Slytherin girl’s toes or bump into other people, but soon enough someone shoved another drink in his hand. He drank it a bit too quickly, but he found himself relaxing, his shoulders coming undone just a little more.

The girl reached up and pulled his head down to meet hers, twisting her lips around his. He made a noise of surprise, but the music covered it.

It was rather nice kissing her, he decided. She tasted of firewhisky—or maybe that was just him—and was now pressed up against him as they moved to the beat of the music.

“I’ve seen you around and I really like you,” came a voice in his ear. “Hopefully we can continue this past tonight.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure what she had just told him, so he chose to nod and then reach down to kiss her again.

They continued snogging for what could’ve been between a few seconds to an hour—Yuuri wasn’t really sure. At one point he found himself discarding his outer robes and then attaching himself back to the girl who seemed very pleased.

They danced their way over to the drinks table, where he grabbed another. It didn’t taste very good at this point, and he felt a bit sick to his stomach, but he was probably just dizzy from the dancing.

A cold drink would probably help, anyway.

As the night wore on, everything seemed to become brighter and louder. At one point he heard Chris call him over, and maybe it was getting a little hot, so he took his tie off.

Yes, that felt much better.

“Get rid of that shirt!” someone called and the girl next to him who was clutching his sweaty hand nodded vigorously.

The music seemed to slow and Yuuri found himself more and more comfortable. What a nice feeling it was, to not worry about everything there was going on.

***

“Yuuri?”

“Mm,” he mumbled and rolled back into his pillow.

“Yuuri, you have to get up.”

He opened his eyes slowly, everything out of focus.

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

Otabek was standing next to his bed, the rest of the dormitory empty.

“Breakfast is almost over. You need to get to class. Er, if you’re able to.”

Yuuri glanced around, still taking in everything. His head was pounding and his stomach felt tight.

“Water?” he cracked out and sat up, his throat dry.

“Er, I can get you some, but I have to go soon. Transfiguration is starting in two minutes. Do you want me to tell Professor McGonagall you’ll be late?

Yuuri couldn’t tell if Otabek was acting weirdly or if his mind was making things up, but every time he blinked, the room refocused and now he was painfully aware that his whole body was aching, not just his stomach.

“You can go ahead,” he said, dazing in and out. “Tell her I’m not feeling well.”

“Okay, well, try to get up and do something before Charms starts,” he advised, and then rushed out, bag flying behind him.

Yuuri swung his feet over the edge of his bed, everything numb.

Oh. I wear glasses. That’s why everything’s so blurry. Yuuri reached for his glasses and winced as everything came into agonizing focus. The red drapes of the Gryffindor dormitory almost hurt his eyes in their sharp detail.

He made his way to the bathroom. The tiles were freezing cold under his bare feet as he hobbled over to the sink.

He looked terrible.

There were circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. There was a word written on his arm, but the ink was too smudged to tell what it had said. Why had he—?

It struck him in the chest, hard—the party. He had gone to Chris’s party...right? He remembered the music, and talking to Phichit briefly.

But funnily enough, he couldn’t remember anything else. Maybe he had shown up for the beginning and left quickly and had just been so tired he’d forgotten. Maybe he was sick and that was why he felt so terrible.

Suddenly, a bitter taste in his mouth ruptured and he dashed toward the toilet, clutching his glasses against his face as he threw up his guts, his whole body racking until it was limp.

He sat back against the frigid wall, his stomach still throbbing. What in the name of Merlin’s beard had happened at Chris’s party last night?

***

“It’s good to have you back in class,” Chris said as he sat down in Defense Against the Dark Arts. “Didn’t see you in Potions yesterday.”

“Yeah, I felt pretty terrible yesterday,” he said. “Sorry I didn’t stay too long at your party. I think I came down with something.”

He confidently concluded that he must have left early, considering Phichit hadn’t brought it up at all during their free period yesterday, or in History of Magic that morning.

“What do you mean you didn’t stay too long?” Mila looked puzzled. Her eyebrows were drawn tightly together. “Do you not—?”

“He left early, remember?” Viktor bit in, and they all fell silent.

She gave him a worried glance that Yuuri might have noticed had he not been busy pulling out his quill and then looking back at them.

“Oh, right,” she said a little too late.

Yurio looked very upset by this all, and he wasn’t meeting Yuuri’s eyes, rather deciding to direct his looks at Otabek. They seemed to be having a conversation without even speaking.

In fact, it seemed everyone was in on something that he didn’t know. Maybe he’d missed a joke in Potions yesterday. Or at the party.

“Hey, Yuuri,” said a voice from in front of them. It was a girl with a petite face and long brown hair that was nearly half her height.

“Er, hi,” he replied. He wondered briefly how she knew his name.

“I just wanted to say, well,”—her friend let out a shrewd giggle—“if you need help getting caught up on the Potions homework, let’s just say you know where to find me.” With that, she turned back, shooting her friend a gleeful smile and pretending to busy herself with the work in front of her.

“Right,” he said, a bit awkwardly. He then whispered to Georgi, who was the closest to him, “What’s her name?”

She must have heard because he caught sight of her mousy brown hair swinging behind her as she met his eyes for a second. She turned back just as quickly, whispering furiously to her friend.

“You don’t know her name?” Georgi asked, loud enough for the whole class to hear.

“Shut up, Georgi,” Yurio said at the same volume, if not louder. “He’s only joking, right, Yuuri?”

Yuuri frowned, positive he had never spoken to her in his life.

“This is a joke, right?” he asked, and his confusion only multiplied as Yurio shook his head faster than a house elf could Disapparate. He stopped the moment the girl turned back around, her eyes wide.

To his absolute dismay, she stood up, her face red and turning blotchier by the second. She then proceeded to rush out of the room, brushing past a bewildered Slughorn.

“Oh dear,” Slughorn said, as he dusted off his robes and did a double-take. “Is she alright?”

“No.” Her friend stood up defiantly and sent a dirty glare toward their group. “Her name is Iris Eliot, by the way. And she is not alright.”

And with that, she too stormed out of the room, leaving a very stunned Yuuri.

“Oh dear,” Slughorn repeated, breaking the silence. “Is she alright?”

***

Anything that had seemed off after the fourteenth of February slowly dissipated into nothing and Yuuri was beginning to forget the whole incident. Mostly. Only his relationship with Viktor remained a bit more distant since then, although it might’ve been that they were spending less time together now due to the increasing amounts of schoolwork they were assigned.

The month was coming to an end, but he had made time to attend the Ravenclaw versus Slytherin match. He found himself sitting among the Hufflepuffs with Phichit. Michele was busy serving detention with Professor McGonagall for getting twelve percent on a quiz, which Yuuri hadn’t known was even possible. The other boy had accepted his fate bravely though, making Phichit and Yuuri promise to fill him in on the match later.

“Here they come!” Phichit cheered as the Ravenclaws flew in on an assortment of Cleansweep Sevens and Nimbus 2000s. They circled the pitch, attracting cheers from everyone.

A louder cheer overtook the stands as the Slytherins came out. Yuuri almost laughed when he saw Yurio was half the height of the Keeper but kept it in only because of his unspoken fondness for the boy.

His eyes swept a little farther, and his heart dropped out of his chest as he spotted the girl from Defense Against the Dark Arts—Iris, her name was.

Again, he racked his brain, but he couldn’t recall ever talking to her before. Maybe they’d met during tryouts? But then again, he remembered every second of that day, and she had played no role in it.

“Hey Phichit—” he said, but Madam Hooch cut him off. As she spoke, a spell reverberated her voice around the packed pitch.

“Welcome to the third Inter-House Quidditch game,” she said, and the crowd went wild as if the match had already started.

“What?” hissed Phichit over the screams all around them.

“Nothing,” Yuuri said. “I’ll ask you later.”

The crowd roared as the Ravenclaws settled into formation on the field. They were led by a burly looking Beater that Yuuri recognized as Margaret Vardo, a fifth year.

The cheers only got louder as Riley Cabello, a blonde Chaser waved, and Sara beamed from beside her. It was clear they were the most popular on the team, probably due to their good looks and athleticism.

As the Slytherins pulled to a stop across from the Ravenclaws, the volume escalated.

“It would be the third year that Ravenclaw’s won the Cup,” Phichit said in his ear. “Most of the school is with Slytherin for this one.”

Finally, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the teams took off. One of the Ravenclaw Chasers grabbed the Quaffle almost immediately.

“What were you going to say earlier?” Phichit asked him.

“Well, I just saw—”

Madam Hooch’s voice interrupted him again. “And they’re off! Cabello already has the Quaffle, but Slytherin Keeper Rook is in a good position right now. She’ll have a hard time getting it in.”

“You saw what?” Phichit scooted closer so he could hear.

“This girl—Iris I think her name is,” Yuuri started.

“Yeah, she’s—”

“Cabello misses! Brilliant save from Rook there! Is he still on his broom? Oh, oh!”

The Slytherin Keeper was holding on for dear life and one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, Eleanora Cuyper, directed a nasty Bludger at him. By some miracle, it hit him from below and gave him the boost to pull back onto his broom, but he looked severely scarred.

“Er, anyway,” Phichit continued, although both of the boys had their eyes glued to the game. “She’s a Chaser on the team. I don’t know her very well but she only made it this year—”

“Kolar has got the Quaffle after a little bit of a toss-up there with Linard, but he’s really got it, and—what’s he doing?!” Madam Hooch cut off her announcement as the Ravenclaw Chaser threw the hard-earned Quaffle straight toward the hoops where Rook, the Slytherin Keeper, was to block it easily.

The Slytherins booed joyously, wicked grins clear on their faces, but the Ravenclaws responded by cheering even louder to encourage their team.

“So she only made it this year?” Yuuri asked, leaning even closer and taking advantage of the lapse in commentary.

“Yeah, I mean I have a few classes with her but all she does is giggle and gossip. I think she’s from Cyprus, but she came here in our second y—”

“Slytherin’s got possession of the Quaffle! Linard looks ready to score and oh!”

A Bludger whacked the side of Luca Vesely’s head and she spun off course, leaving nothing to block the Quaffle from sinking into the middle hoop.

“Penalty!” Yuuri shrunk back as Phichit jumped up furiously. He was one of the few, and the Hufflepuffs beside them glared until he sat back down.

“I thought you wanted Slytherin to win,” Yuuri said, bewildered.

“Yeah, well. That was dirty.” He scowled.

Yuuri hid his smile behind his red and gold scarf.

“Slytherin ten–zero!” called Madam Hooch. “Linard has the Quaffle again! And he’s looping around! Well, it seems Vesely is back on her broom. Poels, I’m warning you, if you aim another Bludger at—”

Deeming it an uneventful moment in the game, Yuuri prompted Phichit again.

“Any reason she would know me?”

“Er,” Phichit started, his eyes darting back and forth between Yuuri and the game. He seemed transfixed, although Linard was doing nothing but circling the pitch, which was causing the stomping of the stands to get louder and louder, building up the anticipation.

“Has someone seen the Snitch?” Yuuri asked. He turned his eyes up toward the sky, but Phichit didn’t seem to be looking there either.

“Sorry. I just got a bit distracted, Yuuri. I mean, she...” He stumbled and paused as if waiting for Madam Hooch to interrupt him.

“Linard shoots and he’s in! Just barely in reach of Vesely’s fingers! And Cabello has the Quaffle! Good catch there…”

“Slytherin’s in really good shape today,” Phichit said, the words spilling out quickly. “Their first match, they were flattened by Gryffindor. And Ravenclaw already won against us, which means they must have done some intensive training. The Chasers and Keepers especially are moving so quickly you’d think they all had Firebolts.”

Yuuri squirmed a little uncomfortably at that, not wanting to think about Christmas Day.

“Who do you reckon is in the running for the Cup?” he asked.

“Well if Ravenclaw can pull this match off, they’ll have won two and almost certainly be near the top. Unless Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are playing and keep gathering points, then all three could be. But I’ve got to admit our practices haven’t been going as well as we want them to.”

“Hmm,” Yuuri replied complacently, his mind still on Iris.

“Slytherin is at forty–twenty but it looks like Cabello has a plan up there.”

Indeed, Riley Cabello had the Quaffle again and was circling just like Iris, building up the cheers of the crowds. A group of three young Ravenclaws was holding a large sign with a life-size painting of her that was waving its wand and smiling.

A cheer came from the Ravenclaw section, and a groan from Phichit, but Yuuri ignored it and tried to ask again.

“So about Iris…could I have met her at Chris’s party or something?”

He struck home. Phichit blinked hard. His eyes remained on the game, but they had a far out look.

“Yuuri. Well, are you sure you want to talk about this?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Phichit didn’t meet his eyes.

“It’s just...if you don’t remember, maybe you shouldn’t…”

“I...I wasn’t there that long, was I? I was ill or something.”

After replaying the few details he could remember so many times over, Yuuri could barely remember what he knew had happened for sure and what he had reasoned out to be true.

“Ill,” Phichit repeated slowly. “Yeah, you were ill.”

A roar emerged from the Ravenclaw section again and Yuuri distinctly heard Madam Hooch’s excitement.

“An incredible comeback from Ravenclaw! Eliot is getting tired, and Rook is getting sloppy. Cabello is pulling them ahead and yes! Ravenclaw seventy–forty! Now would be a good time for the Snitch, Crispino. Or Plisetsky, I suppose, yes,” she added as a model of a serpent being levitated by the Slytherins opened its mouth and hissed. A blue tongue made out of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrappers extended limply.

“I hope Yurio catches it,” Phichit sighed dreamily, but Yuuri didn’t miss the forced sound to his voice.

“Phichit.” He was on the edge of the bench now, aware of how the metal was cutting into his robe and the cold was seeping through.

“Fine. You have to act like you knew all along when you’re around her, okay?” Phichit demanded, turning to face Yuuri at last. He nodded firmly, relieved to finally be getting some answers and put it all behind him.

“I went away with Chris, and when I came back, the two of you were dancing. I’m not sure who asked who,” he said, “but then Chris started asking for the dances to break up and to do some other activities and that’s when you left. You...you did say you weren’t feeling well. You were only there for maybe twenty minutes. You danced, and that’s it. Or at least that's all I saw.”

A breath of relief escaped Yuuri’s lips, visible in the icy puff in the air. It all made sense. Finally, it all made sense.

Without warning, a volley of students raised their arms, their oversized sleeves falling back and exposing their skin to the frigid air. Their fingers were pointed at the sky, and what started as a few gasps turned into a thunderous collection of voices, half protestant and the other half joyous.

Yuuri glanced up and gasped in fury. He’d missed it: Sara Crispino was flying down with the Snitch in her right hand. Her hair that had been braided into a bun at the beginning of the game was now flowing freely behind her.

“What?!” exclaimed Phichit and the two rose to their feet, although Yuuri didn’t know whether it was to show their support or bitterness.

Either way, Yuuri found himself standing on his tiptoes in excitement, watching as the students shouted their lungs out, the Ravenclaws hugging strangers and the Slytherin serpent abandoned. Caught up in the whirlwind of Hogwarts, he had forgotten how much he loved Quidditch. If only he had been good enough to make the team…

***

“I thought we could do something a little different today,” said Viktor, pacing the empty Quidditch pitch. His boots sank into the layer of slush that covered the Hogwarts grounds.

Maybe Yuuri would’ve been more excited if he didn’t say this every time they had practice.

“What are we doing?” he asked, squinting critically at a group of girls who were sitting outside of the pitch and watching, presumably there for Viktor.

“I was thinking,” Viktor said, and one of the girls leaned forward in anticipation. “It’s always been me teaching you.”

“Well, you are, you know, considered one of the best Seekers in the world. I’m not sure there’s much I could do for you,” Yuuri said.

Viktor ignored this.

“I thought you could coach me today. Pay attention to my form and strategy and call out anything you see me doing wrong. I can try to mess up a few things, otherwise you’ll have nothing to correct.” He winked good-naturedly.

“Viktor, I think I’d feel a bit…” Yuuri grasped for the right word before deciding on the obvious choice, “Foolish.”

“Just do it.” Viktor rolled his eyes before throwing a leg over his Firebolt.

“I’m not good at taking control,” he said, stalling.

“Sure you’re not,” mumbled Viktor with a single raised eyebrow pointed at a pile of particularly muddy slush on the ground.

“What?” Yuuri frowned. He was having a hard time hearing over the squeals of the girls adjacent to them. He might have heard him wrong, but...it wouldn’t be the first scornful, and frankly unwarranted comment he’d heard from him in the past few weeks.

“Nothing,” Viktor replied, although he sounded a bit haughty. “Just get on your broom and let’s go.”

The lesson surprisingly went well, and Yuuri found himself falling easily into place, correcting Viktor’s position and techniques for scanning the pitch, even properly avoiding their unsolicited audience. Constantly leaning off-center on his broom for a whole hour left his legs aching, and they ended up sitting on a patch of the pitch that Viktor cleared with his wand.

The girls were now long gone, and the two of them were silent. Yuuri couldn’t help but still be disturbed by how different they felt since December. Everything had happened so quickly and now that they were slowing down, it was like they were moving further and further apart.

“Viktor,” he said, and he saw his companion’s head lift instinctively. He didn’t dare look at his face. “I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you doing this for me. I know you could be doing so many other things and coaching me probably isn’t your favorite activity—well, I know it isn’t.”

“Why’s that?” Viktor piped in. His voice was strange, but there was an edge to it that told Yuuri he was curious.

“Well.” Yuuri considered shutting up, but he’d been bothered for months and he wanted to set the record straight. “I felt like I was really getting to know you in December, even in January too. We spent so much time together studying, but now you just seem more...distant.” Viktor’s head raised infinitesimally again. “It’s like time moved too fast.”

There was a long silence. Yuuri felt calmer than he thought he would have. He was thankful for whatever time he had with Viktor. Spending moments with him had never been an expectation, rather a gift.

“I hope to be around you more,” said Viktor in a much softer voice. It was the one he remembered. “You don’t have to feel like I’m doing you a favor. We have the deal, remember? And for the record...I do enjoy coaching you.”

Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat, although he wasn’t sure why. They had a deal. Right. Viktor would put up with teaching him, uphold his side of the bargain in order to pass Muggle Studies.

“It’s my fault I’ve been acting off,” Viktor continued, not sensing Yuuri’s mental stumbling. “You have me back. Wholeheartedly.”

***

Already, March was emerging and the next Quidditch match was starting. This time, Yuuri was sitting among the Slytherin crowd, as Phichit and Michele were both on the field with the rest of their team in canary yellow robes. A few meters away was the Gryffindor team, Mila and Otabek engaged in the team’s conversation. Madam Hooch stood between them in formal black robes, her magical whistle floating next to her head.

“Who do you think is going to win?” asked Georgi. He had red lipstick on in his support for Gryffindor.

“I’d be embarrassed if Gryffindor lost.” Yurio scowled.

Yuuri wasn’t quite sure if it was because he had lost to them, or because he was supporting his friends. It was likely that he and Otabek were the closest to each other, despite knowing Viktor, Mila, Chris, and Georgi for much longer.

“Gryffindor. Mila is lightning fast on her broom,” Chris said, an admirable look in his eyes. “I hope Hufflepuff can pull out a win this year, though. And I’d rather them win against Gryffindor now than Slytherin next game.”

“Our team is screwed,” muttered Yurio. “Our Beaters aren’t good for anything, and our Keeper is so blind he wouldn’t see a hippogriff right in front of him.”

“I would feel a bit bad if Hufflepuff didn’t,” Yuuri admitted. “I mean, it would be disappointing to work hard and not win anything all year.”

Viktor and Chris exchanged a glance that Yuuri missed. He was too distracted by Madam Hooch bringing the balls onto the pitch with her wand.

“You’re too good for this school,” Viktor said. “Nearly everyone here would love to see at least one team burn.”

“It would be nice for everyone to have at least one win,” Yuuri said.

“I think it’s possible,” Georgi said offhandedly. “I mean, Slytherin won the first game, then Ravenclaw. So if either of them won again last game, then Hufflepuff won this time…” He paused, doing the work in his head. “Then Gryffindor could win the next match and they all would have won one.”

“But for the Cup, it’s the points that matter either way,” Yurio said grudgingly. “Because we were so ahead in the first game, even though Mila caught the Snitch, Gryffindor only won by twenty points.”

“So technically, if Slytherin won the next one by a lot, and the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw game finished quickly, maybe we could win the Cup…”

The game started slowly, the Chasers practically exchanging the Quaffle every turn, until they reached eighty–eighty and Viktor was yawning, certainly having seen much more interesting matches in his life.

But then—

“A team in the lead!” exclaimed Madam Hooch, clearly relieved. “Gryffindor is twenty ahead. Nice shot there Kuznetsov! And she’s already got the Quaffle again!”

It was like the crowd had arisen from a deep slumber, people suddenly bustling with excitement.

Georgi had to be the only person in the audience who looked disappointed.

“I hope no one likes Anya too much,” he grumbled. “I mean, we’ve been talking ever since December, but I still haven’t found the right time to ask her out. I don’t see her very often, and I don’t even know if she has a boyfriend. But if I ask her out now, then she might think I just like her because she’s good at Quidditch...”

“Shut up, Georgi. We’re trying to enjoy the game,” Yurio said. It was hard to detect the brotherly affection underneath his annoyed tone, but it was there nonetheless.

“Gryffindor one twenty–eighty! Babicheva and Crispino still look lost up there. It would be a good time to get the Snitch…”

“Hey!” Viktor said, his trained eyes fixing on a Bludger that was moving unusually fast.

“Otabek will get it,” Yurio said, and he was right—the boy visibly urged his broom to move faster. A second later, he hit the Bludger down to the ground with a smack, keeping it far from Mila.

“That doesn’t fit Quidditch regulations,” Viktor said, the suspicion still present in his voice. “It’s going way too fast.”

“It’s fine, old man.” Yurio settled back into the bleachers, leaning on Georgi’s knee.

Madam Hooch was apprehensive too, her beady eyes following how quickly the ball ricocheted off the pole of one of the large hoops and sped back into the air. This time JJ got it, hitting it so meatily with his club that it shot right through one of the goal hoops and out of the pitch.

He should become a Chaser with that aim, Yuuri thought. He was in admiration of how each of the players moved fluidly, encouraging and feeding off of the crowd’s energy.

“Chulanont scores again!” announced Madam Hooch, earning a few groans from the Gryffindors. Yuuri, however, was thrilled that his friend’s hard work was paying off.

“We’re back to Gryffindor at 130 and Hufflepuff at 120!” she called out.

“This is going to be a close match,” Viktor said, his voice cautious. “It all relies on Mila and Michele.”

Yuuri involuntarily shuddered at just the thought of the amount of pressure Mila must be under. To make matters worse, the Bludger kept heading upward, almost like it was unbalanced, causing both the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Beaters to rush up and take care of it. At one point it persisted so much that JJ pulled his broom up against Otabek’s and they exchanged a few words.

A minute later, JJ zoomed down to the hoops where the other Bludger was and Otabek hovered around Mila.

“Who do you think is going to get the Snitch?” asked Yuuri anxiously. The activity below where the hoops were was now being ignored.

“It’s hard to tell,” Yurio said, his head craned above the sea of green.

“Mila,” Viktor said certainly, and Yuuri felt a pang for Michele.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud and the Bludger hit home, or almost. The twigs on the back of Michele’s broom were almost flattened and he clung on as it took a nosedive.

“Someone take care of that damn Bludger!” yelled Madam Hooch. Otabek and one of the Hufflepuff Beaters who Yuuri did not know were going after it as quickly as they could, but their training and brooms weren’t meant for such fast speeds.

Finally, Madam Hooch groped the open air near her and grabbed her whistle, blowing it in an ear-splitting screech.

Yuuri’s hands flew to his ears, and he wasn’t alone. Viktor and Chris both swore heavily and Georgi jumped half a meter in the air, causing Yurio to nearly tumble forward.

“TIME OUT!” she bellowed. Michele was first to the ground, his broom already carrying him there safely, then JJ and the Chasers and Keepers. Otabek and Mila flew down together, followed by the Hufflepuffs.

She was now speaking furiously with them all and Professor McGonagall hurried out, Professor Sprout right behind her. Instantly, the students all around turned to talk to one another. The pitch was buzzing with an uncontained, nervous sort of excitement.

“That Bludger’s still going up there,” Chris observed. Indeed it was, now flying in circles until its course suddenly smoothed out and it drifted to the ground like it was strung on a rope. It reached Professor McGonagall who flicked her wand, sending it to the ground. A swell of red and yellow, plus the three professors obscured the crowd’s view as they all leaned to look at it.

“I knew it was going to cause problems,” Viktor said. “Do you remember the 1944 World Cup when—”

Yuuri never found out what happened at the 1944 Quidditch World Cup because Madam Hooch was already ushering the two Heads of Houses off the field. The pitch went silent, or as silent as it could be, as she set the Bludger back into the sky with her wand.

“It’s okay now?” Yuuri was taken aback. Already, Michele was being handed a new broom.

“That was fast.” Viktor frowned.

The game started up again, Phichit taking possession of the Quaffle, but being blocked by Takeshi, a former Mahoutokoro student Yuuri had seen around in the halls a few times since tryouts.

The Bludger seemed to be normal for only a few seconds before its course became jagged once more and it steadily rose into the air.

“What’s going on?” Yuuri asked, now alarmed. Hadn’t they just checked it?

It was moving even faster, and students were jumping up in the stands, pointing. Mila and Michele were moving far too high to see that the Bludger was headed toward them.

Even Madam Hooch, with her eagle eyes, was busy watching the action unfold right in front of her as Anya scored right past Lin’s outstretched arm.

There was a yell and Yuuri’s heart stopped. Had the Bludger hit someone?

But it was Mila, speeding to the center of the field at a slight decline. The Snitch! She had spotted the Snitch!

However, the yells of the crowd were not encouraging in the slightest. Even a Gryffindor was holding her hands out and shaking them vigorously. Yuuri saw why the same moment Yurio exclaimed:

“It’s going to hit her!”

Mila had her eyes fixed on the Snitch and neither Otabek nor JJ had any hope of reaching her fast enough. The Bludger slammed into her stomach just as her hand closed around the Snitch and she was knocked off her broom, suspended for a moment before falling quickly, the broom still floating above.

Madam Hooch realized too late, blowing her whistle in vain. It did nothing but agitate the crowd even more.

By some miracle, she began to slow as she was around ten meters from the ground, but it was hard to tell if it did anything to help. A few seconds later it was over and Yuuri shut his eyes as her body slammed into the ground. A silent gasp escaped his mouth.

Viktor was up in a flash and was already taking the steps of the stands three at a time. Yurio followed him, and as Georgi and Chris got up too, Yuuri pushed through a group of people to make his way down.

The Headmaster was moving toward Mila and he reached her body the moment Yuuri felt his feet hit the soft grass of the pitch.

“Is she okay?” demanded Viktor. “Why did the game continue when there was something wrong with the Bludger? Who deemed it okay? Why didn’t anyone slow her f—”

“Calm down, Nikiforov,” boomed Professor Snape, one of the many professors who had come onto the pitch. “Step aside.”

“Like hell we will!” yelled Yurio with such fury that Professor Dumbledore’s head turned toward him.

“Is she alright?” Yuuri felt the words escape from his mouth, unsure he’d even triggered them. Already, other students were crowding around and he was losing his view. A bubble of panic rose inside of him.

Professor Trelawney had her head raised to the sky and she was waving her arms wildly, babbling something incoherent.

The prophecy, Yuuri’s heart sank. She’d really been right. No one had taken her seriously, saying that Mila would die. Maybe if he’d listened, he could’ve warned her and—

“Miss Babicheva will be fine. I need everyone out of here so I can escort her to the castle where Madam Pomfrey is waiting,” announced Professor Dumbledore. His voice was calm and sure, and it seemed to work a spell on the pitch as the collective panic fell to a lull.

“Hey.” Viktor grasped his wrist and muttered into his ear. “She’s going to be okay. They’re not going to let us do anything. Let’s go.”

Yuuri let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, and suddenly the details of the pitch came back into focus.

Viktor’s hand never left his wrist as they made their way up to the castle.

***

“They’re pissed. At me. Of all people! I almost died and they’re mad at me!” exclaimed Mila. It had been almost two months since the accident, which had been deemed a case of a rogue Bludger.

Although it was the beginning of class, it seemed everyone was holding their breaths to hear what Mila had to say. After all, it was the first time she’d been back in class since the match in early March. Even Slughorn was leaning in, watching their conversation with his dark, shining eyes.

“Georgi, are you even listening to me?” Mila asked, and immediately Georgi looked up from his scrap of parchment. He’d doodled a heart with an arrow through it.

“We’re listening.” Viktor smiled as if they hadn't heard the story countless times in the hospital wing.

“Well, they were so mad when I saw them, and I asked why. I mean shouldn’t they be relieved?”

“And then they said ‘Why would you play Quidditch when it’s such a dangerous sport? You need to quit immediately!’” continued Yurio.

“Yeah, but then I said—”

“‘You can pry my broomstick out of my dead hands, Mum,’” Chris finished in a high voice.

“Exactly. Then she turned such a deep shade of green you would’ve thought she was modeling for the Slytherin team.” Mila smirked. “So be sure to watch Gryffindor’s next match at the end of May.” She raised her voice for the whole class, indicating the story was over.

Yuuri shook his head with a small smile on his face then turned back down to his notes. After all, he had plans that night.

***

“Are you sure this is the right place?” asked Chris, staring dubiously at the portrait of fruit. He watched as Yuuri tickled the pear and it swung open to reveal a firelit room.

“I told you Phichit doesn’t settle for normal,” Yuuri said, leading him over to the closest table which was stacked with sweets.

“That’s right I don’t.” Phichit grinned. “You two are the last to arrive! Well, besides Hokey. He insisted on not sitting down with us.” He then added in a low whisper, “I told him he couldn’t refuse the birthday boy, but he still did. The nerve…”

To Yuuri’s surprise, Chris let out a throaty laugh.

“Ah, Phichit, if only we were all as good of people as you.”

Phichit turned a shade darker and Yuuri took this as a good time to officially start the party. There were only four of them, Chris, Yuuri, Michele, and of course Phichit, but they were sure to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ so loudly that it would be a miracle if the whole castle couldn’t hear. Even Hokey joined in.

“Thank you,” Phichit was grinning ear to ear. “Especially to my newfound friends this year. What a marvelous birthday it has been!”

And although the pace of assignments had picked up as exams were nearing and it was hard to carve out a free evening, Yuuri was glad he had come. So when Phichit insisted he eat more, he devoured some Chocolate Frogs and rice pudding until his stomach hurt and the conversation died down.

“I’d love to stay,” he finally said as the debate on the Chudley Cannons came to an end. “But I have a massive stack of Herbology diagrams waiting to be annotated in the Gryffindor common room.”

They said their goodbyes and last Happy Birthdays to Phichit and Yuuri finally emerged from the kitchen. He was making his way to the Gryffindor common room when a voice came from behind him.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Yuuri turned around, surprised to see JJ rushing up the stairs after him.

“What is it?” Yuuri asked, stopping so they were the same height, thanks to a few stairs.

“It’s Mila.” JJ’s face was gray. “Her parents have taken away her broom and they won’t allow her to play.”

Yuuri wasn’t even close to processing what this meant when JJ gave him a final, pointed look.

“You better be at practice Tuesday night. You’re the new Gryffindor Seeker.”

Chapter Text

“I heard,” Viktor said before Yuuri could spill out a single word. “Mila told me.”

“This is terrible,” Yuuri said. “It’s the last match of the year which means the win is relying on me. Which is going to make me even more nervous. And I’m going to—”

“Calm down,” Viktor said. He was always so sure of himself. “You’re going to calm down. You’re not getting anywhere thinking like that. We’ll work through it, okay?”

Yuuri was not okay. Thankfully the Astronomy Tower was only lit by the dim moon and stars, so no one could see the tension on his face.

“Can we meet more than once a week, then?” Yuuri took a shuddering breath, trying to adopt Viktor’s collected composure. “I’m not ready at all.”

To his surprise, Viktor shook his head.

“If we meet more often, then you’ll put less effort into each practice.” Yuuri opened his mouth to object, but Viktor didn’t pause. “Besides, you’ve always been ready to win. You only lack confidence. Sure, our time constraint just went from three years to three weeks, but it’s entirely possible.”

Yuuri’s cheeks burned against a sudden gust of cool wind.

Remember who you’re talking to. Take a step back. He complied, doing his best to match Viktor’s even tone.

“Sorry, you’re right. I’ll er—I have to ask Otabek something.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder and didn’t dare process Viktor’s face as he rushed away.

Three practices with Viktor. That was all he had to prepare for the match.

***

Yuuri was paying surprisingly good attention to Professor Binns lecture on the effects of prejudice against goblins and giants in the modern world and how they stemmed from centuries ago. That was until he remembered his first official team practice was that night. Then he spent the rest of the hour thinking about all of the things that could go wrong.

First, Takeshi and Yuuko would think he was stupid for coming to Hogwarts like them. Then he would take so long to find the Snitch that Otabek would direct a Bludger at him and pretend not to know him. Next, JJ would be so disgusted that he’d take him off the team and incessantly tell everyone for the next three years that he was awful at Quidditch. And then—

The bells sounded.

“Are you alright, Yuuri?” This came from Michele.

“Yeah,” he said in the most inconspicuous tone he could muster. “What’s up?”

“You just looked really out of it. I’m glad you’re the new Seeker,” he added brightly, “but I still feel really bad for Mila.”

“Me too,” Yuuri said, shoving his untouched notes in his bag. “I mean, she won fair and square and she shouldn’t have to quit just because of some rogue Bludger. It doesn’t seem right for me to replace her.”

“Well,” Phichit said in the sort of voice Yuuri knew he couldn’t argue with. “You’re the reserve Seeker. And you won that, fair and square. So don’t feel bad.”

“I guess,” Yuuri murmured as they headed down the stairs and turned the corner to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

“See you later.” Michele waved, and Phichit gave Yuuri a look—the kind of look that implied they would be talking later.

He shrugged it off and entered the classroom.

“Yuuri! How are you?” Mila exclaimed, bright as ever. “Did I ever thank you? Because I was dreading having to play against Sara. It’s almost a blessing in disguise that my parents are being so absurd. Obviously I’ll miss it, but...”

“Can you still play?” he asked, the guilt hitting him once again. “Like out of matches and just for fun?”

“No,” she replied sullenly. “But my parents really have no way of knowing. The matches always make the back of the Daily Prophet, so that’s out. But if I’m just flying recreationally, the news shouldn’t get out of the castle.”

“Well that’s good, I suppose,” he said, although his mind was still going in circles. “I mean, if you ever convince your parents otherwise, don’t hold back on getting the position back, because I’m, well…”

“Terrified?” she smiled. “The team isn’t that intimidating. JJ may seem a bit, er,”—she lowered her voice—“egotistical.” Yurio snorted. “But he’s a great captain. I mean you have to be super good to be made Quidditch Captain in your third year. And Otabek, of course.” She glanced over at him. “Takeshi, Yuuko, Emil, and Anya are all really nice too. They won’t care if you’re not perfect during practice, so you have nothing to worry about.”

This did little to reduce his worrying, but he supposed not much could.

“Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri,” swelled Slughorn, who, once again, had crept over to listen to their conversation. “Landed yourself a position on the Quidditch team, hm?”

“Er, yeah,” he answered, aware of the many eyes on him.

“Hmph.” Slughorn sniffed. “Well, I can’t wish you luck as my loyalties lie with the Slytherins, but we’ll see how you do. We’ll see…”

Yuuri shot a curious glance at the rest of them, who had known Slughorn for much longer.

“He loves collecting people,” Viktor said the moment he was out of earshot. “The moment I got here, I got this little invite, for the Slug Club.”

“Slug Club?” asked Otabek curiously.

“His group of well-connected people,” explained Yurio. “I think all of us got invites, although only Georgi really goes.”

“Except for his beginning of the year banquet.” Mila grimaced. “We all show up for that, typically. I mean he’s a nice enough professor but Merlin’s beard, could he get any more conceited?”

“Why were you all invited?” Yuuri let the curiosity play into his voice, hoping he didn’t sound jealous. He truly wasn’t—he only wanted to keep the conversation off of Quidditch.

“Well,” Viktor said. “We all come from Pure-blood families. Nothing really bad about him, of course. He just wants to be well-respected by everyone. It gets him benefits, too. He knows all of the right people in all of the right places.”

“You’re not missing out on much.” Mila shivered.

“Hey,” Viktor said abruptly, like he’d just thought of something. “Would you want to meet on Saturday for practice?”

Right. He knew Viktor had changed the topic to make him feel better, but now he was back to worrying.

“Sounds good.”

***

“I’m sure you’ve all noticed that Yuuri’s here now,” JJ said. His broom was perched on his lap. “We’ve also lost Mila, but we’re still going to win the next match because we’re the best team in the school.”

“That’s right, JJ,” Yuuko said, giving Yuuri a small smile.

Otabek and Mila had been right, Yuuri realized. Everyone was friendly enough, and JJ wasn’t raging about the news like he’d expected him to be.

“Enough talking,” the captain said, standing up from the bench. “Since we have a new team member, we better just work on the basics. I’ll hit the Bludgers toward you.” He nodded at Yuuri’s pale face. “Otabek, you work on defense. Anya, Emil, Yuuko, practice passing, shooting, and communication. Takeshi, you’re defending. We’ll just try to create a game environment while Yuuri finds the Snitch.”

“Sounds good,” Anya lilted. She looked like she was far-off in some other world.

“Let’s go!”

Yuuri kicked off smoothly, already feeling some of the weight drop from his shoulders. He’d made it through the beginning, and all that was left was the Snitch, and then it’d be over. The sun was already sinking steadily, the sky on the west end of the pitch a brilliant orange. He swiveled, hoping the sun would reflect off of the Snitch and it would stand out against the dark sky.

“Duck!” Otabek bellowed, and he swooped wildly as a Bludger cruised overhead.

“Sorry.” The boy frowned. “JJ hit that one too hard.”

“It’s okay.” Yuuri let out a breath. “Thanks for the warning.”

They parted again and he swallowed, trying to focus again. The sun was going lower and lower and the light was leaving. At least no one below him was paying attention to what he was doing. He could hear Yuuko laughing uncontrollably at something Takeshi had said, and seconds later, a shout from JJ, undoubtedly directed at them.

“Focus,” he reprimanded himself, then glanced around to make sure no one had been close enough to hear him.

Then his eye caught on something moving. It could just be JJ’s broom, but...

His heart skipped a beat, and he pointed his broom to the other side of the pitch, training his vision to stay fixed on the Snitch. It was fluttering in the center of one of the hoops.

Seconds later, his hands clasped around it and relief coursed through him.

“Get down!” This time the warning came from JJ who had presumably just hit another Bludger at him, not realizing he’d gotten the Snitch. But before he could act, Yuuri heard a satisfying smack of the bat and Otabek’s voice a second later.

“I got it this time.” He grinned. “Good job, Yuuri.”

“Impressive,” JJ remarked. “Especially since it’s getting dark out. We’ll meet again on Sunday. Until then, get some rest.”

Yuuri gave a nod, feeling oddly satisfied.

“We are going to flatten Ravenclaw,” he heard, and a smile played on his lips.

One game at the end of the year. That was all he had to worry about.

***

“You don’t need your broom.”

Those were the first words Yuuri heard as he entered the Quidditch pitch and approached Viktor, who was lying on the grassy ground.

It wasn’t exactly reassuring.

But he put it down anyway, because, well, it was Viktor Nikiforov.

“You’re here to teach Katsuki Yuuri how to fly, right?”

“Very funny. Lie down.” Viktor patted the spot next to him leaving Yuuri no choice but to obey.

“So what are we doing?” he said a bit impatiently, turning over on his side to look at Viktor.

Bad idea. His eyes were enthralling in the spring sunlight.

“I’m going to give you some advice,” Viktor said calmly, placing an arm under his head and meeting Yuuri’s gaze.

“Why?”

“Because we’ve already established there’s nothing wrong with your Seeking skills besides your mentality. Your practice on Tuesday proved that again.”

“I guess,” Yuuri said, squinting through the light. “But won’t flying help build my confidence in my physical ability?”

“I’m sure you already have enough confidence in your physical ability,” muttered Viktor offhandedly.

“What?” Yuuri blinked.

Viktor turned back up to the sky.

“What I always do the night before a match is visualize everything going perfectly. It’s important to be specific.”

“Like?” Yuuri asked.

 “Like,” Viktor said, settling back in the grass, “I’d wake up in my apartment in France and there would be just enough eggs to make an omelet. Then I would flip them at the exact right time and the pan would sizzle as I rinsed it out. I’d have some orange juice and it’d be chilly but not so cold I’d be shivering. I would leave the apartment and not forget the keys, then run into a teammate while on my way to the stadium. There’d be no crazy reporters or fans and our captain would give the perfect speech—the type that gets my veins buzzing. I would take off on my right foot. First, Bulgaria would score, and it would seem like they were going to win. But that would add to the suspense, and, well...you know how it ends.”

Yuuri did know how it ended. That had been the Quidditch Cup Viktor had won for his team two years ago—the one that put his name out for everyone to know.

“Okay,” he said. “So I imagine how everything is going to fall in line.”

“Exactly. And when you finally do it for real, you’ll feel more confident because it’ll be the second or third time you’ve done it.”

It made sense, Yuuri had to admit.

“When the time does come, get there with maybe half an hour to spare. Enough time so you’re not rushed, but not so much that it causes you to worry more. Would you like my personal recommendation?”

A smile played over Yuuri’s lips as Viktor’s eyes danced to his. “Sure.”

“I’d go with Otabek since he’s done it a few times before.”

“Right. I’ll see what time he wants to go.” Yuuri looked back at the sky, closing his eyes from the blinding sun.

“My other tip is harder, but focus on your task rather than the outcome of the game. Your whole goal is to catch the Snitch, but if you get so caught up in that, you’ll have trouble. Think, I have to get to the other side of the pitch. I have to avoid that Bludger. Small things. If you set too large of a goal, you might worry too much since the outcome is so far away.”

“Do you use all of those? Or did you, when you flew?” It was unusual, talking in the past tense. He almost forgot the days of posters and begging his parents to let him go to a match. Now, when Viktor returned to Quidditch, watching him would be an entirely different experience.

“Of course,” Viktor replied in a voice he seemed to use only for him. “They made me the Seeker I am. Other people have been through what you’re facing. I promised I’d help you overcome it and I’m a man of my word.”

Yuuri’s eyes remained closed, but inside of him, something great threatened to burst.

***

It seemed everything in Yuuri’s life was revolving around Quidditch. He had hoped the assignments would come to a lull by the last month of the school year, but he still found himself staying up to midnight. It was now May, and the professors were relentless in preparing them for exams.

Thankfully, there was one class he could count on not having to study for.

“You still think I’m going to die? Was one brush not enough for you?” Mila’s voice was clear as ever and for a moment, he imagined her arguing with Death itself, protesting that she still had things to do, girls to ask out.

“My dear, it’s written in the stars…”

The team practices were going alright, although he still lacked the spark he needed to feel any more confident. That, he was relying on his last two practices with Viktor for.

***

“Excellent, Yuuri.” Viktor beamed as he handed the fluttering Snitch over proudly. “What were you thinking about while you were flying?”

“I don’t know.” Yuuri grinned despite himself. “I just felt like I had to win. I mean, this is the second to last practice, right? And I didn’t want to waste your time, so something just clicked and I got it.”

“That’s the side of you I need to come out, and I’ve been trying all damn year.” Viktor elbowed him. “Remember when you couldn’t even fly in front of me? Perfect. This is perfect.” He turned to muttering, the Snitch still crumpled in his hand.

“I still have a long way to go,” Yuuri hurried, not wanting Viktor’s expectations to rise too high.

“Of course, of course. But progress, Yuuri! We’re making progress!”

He left practice with a light heart, bouncing every other step. If only I could pull everything together for the match and catch the Snitch. How wonderful would that be? That had always been his wish, but now it seemed more achievable than ever.

***

“Slytherin, for sure,” Mila said confidently. “Yurio’s been practicing for ages. Every night I see him down on the pitch. I’m determined he’ll win, especially because they haven’t won a match yet. If nothing else, out of pure spite. Imagine being beaten by Hufflepuff.”

Yuuri laughed and brushed off the guilt he felt toward Michele and Phichit. He knew it was only a little House rivalry.

He sat in the Slytherin section with Mila, Viktor, and Chris, which was already dulling his support for Hufflepuff. Georgi had started going out with Anya and was in the Gryffindor section with her.

“What do you reckon, Viktor?” Chris asked.

“It’s hard to tell. We’ll have to see,” was all he said.

Mila cast her eyes up to the sky fondly.

“Attention everyone!” Madam Hooch’s voice reverberated around them and immediately people’s voices turned to whispers, trying to cram in last second predictions.

“Let’s welcome our Slytherin team…”

Yurio looked especially small compared to the rest of the team. It was only in times like these that Yuuri remembered he was only a third year student.

Once the Hufflepuffs came out as well and the captains shook hands, Madam Hooch began to unravel a long-winded explanation of the points, as it was the last game the two Houses would be playing for the year.

“Hufflepuff has 180 points and Slytherin is at 130 points. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are leading this year, at 490 and 310, respectively.”

“That means you have to catch the Snitch when we’re no less than forty behind,” Mila whispered in his ear.

“However, if this match were to be stretched out and each side had more than three hundred points, it’s possible one of them could take the win, very much like the phenomenon in the 1872 World Cup. But we mustn't get ahead of ourselves. To our Hufflepuff captain, Nathaniel Lester, and Slytherin Chaser Bruce Timber, who are both graduating this year, best of luck on your last game.” She spoke fondly at the two tall boys dressed in yellow and green, but the applause was only polite. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the game to begin.

“Without further commentary, let us begin in three, two, one!”

Yurio shot off so quickly that Yuuri saw him thirty meters in the air after a single blink. He was a whir of emerald, making the rest of the players look like they were under an Impediment Jinx.

“He needs to slow down,” muttered Viktor. “And stop showing off.”

“Do you think he’ll get it at that rate?” Mila asked. “I mean he has a nice broom, but he seems more focused on looking good than actually catching the Snitch.”

“Exactly.” Viktor sat back like the game was already over. “I’ve told him a thousand times but he never listens.”

Yuuri, however, was on the edge of his seat, eyes glued to the sky. He had to observe everything he could to prepare for the match looming in two weeks.

“Slytherin scores!” Madam Hooch cheered. “And Eliot’s got the Quaffle again. Crispino better watch out up there, he’s got a Bludger on his tail. But ah, looks like someone’s taken care of it…”

“If Yurio just keeps Sara’s brother from getting the Snitch for long enough, it looks like his team will cover the points,” Mila huffed. “But of course, he’s trying to find it and paying no attention to the other Seeker.”

“How much experience does he have?” Yuuri asked. “I mean he must be pretty good to have made it in his third year, but you two seem to have a lot of criticism for him.”

“He’s good,” Viktor replied shortly. “But too focused on his performance so he doesn’t end up doing well. Similar, but also a polar opposite from you. He ends up wanting to look good and shows off too much. As soon as he can tone it down and use his skills for the better, he’ll be great.”

“Trouble is, he never listens to us.” Mila shook her head. “Which I got, like, three years ago, but he’s fourteen now. You’d think he’d have gotten over his rebellious phase.”

“I don’t know,” Chris said, deliberately casual. “He listens to me.”

“Only because you encourage him with your questionable behaviors,” Viktor replied drily, then straightened, casting Yuuri a look of appreciation. “Wow, Yuuri. That was a good shot from your friend!”

The crowd seemed to think so too, with the exception of the Slytherins. Phichit had shot the Quaffle right through Rook’s legs. His smile was blinding even thirty meters away.

“He’s been practicing a lot,” Yuuri said. “I’m glad it’s paying off.”

“Ninety–twenty to the Slytherins!” Madam Hooch announced, her voice picking up. “Chulanont’s been the only one to score on the Hufflepuff team so far.”

“How’s Michele at Seeking? He made it last year, right?” Chris gazed at the field like he was picking his next prey.

“He’s good. I haven’t really seen him fly besides in the games, though,” Yuuri admitted, and their attention fell back on the match at hand.

He’d forgotten about Iris, but it seemed she was scoring more shots than anyone else on her team. She flew almost without using her hands, guiding the broom with her thighs and tossing the ball toward the goal without hesitation.

The Hufflepuff Keeper, a young girl called Rosaline Lin, was furiously trying to block them, but the lightning-fast work of the Slytherins nearly threw her off her broom a few times.

“Eliot is passing to Timber, and yes! What a beautiful throw there! Nice try Lin, nice try…It looks like Plisetsky and Crispino are still searching for the Snitch, but there’s a lot of Bludgers following them around. Where are the Beaters? Oh, and Hawes scores! One twenty to thirty, Slytherin in the lead still.”

Yuuri turned his attention toward the Seekers, studying their every move. They seemed to be doing the same thing he was usually doing, except Michele was diving, and—sure enough, the Snitch was glittering at the foot of the hoops. Yurio just seemed to notice this and with no dignity holding him back, he pointed his broom directly at Michele, accelerating at an alarming speed that tested even his Nimbus 2001.

“He’s so stupid. So stupid! He’s going to hurt himself!” Mila gritted her teeth, eyes flashing. Yuuri didn’t doubt that she would hex him for not being more careful the second the game was over.

There was a deafening roar that shook the stadium, and for a second Yuuri thought Michele had caught the Snitch.

“Penalty! A dirty, loathsome attempt to sabotage the Hufflepuff Seeker!”

To Yuuri’s surprise, Chris was laughing as everyone settled back down, and he finally saw the heap of green and yellow where the Snitch had once been.

“What did he do?!” Mila exclaimed, furious. She too had been too short to see the action unfold.

“Grabbed onto the end of his broom and swung him around,” Viktor said, struggling to keep a straight face. “I mean, it wasn’t very smart, but at least it worked…”

“Chulanont’s free to take the shot. Yes, that means away from the hoops, Rook,” Madam Hooch snapped.

“C’mon Phichit,” Yuuri whispered under his breath, terrified that if he said it any louder, he’d be devoured by the angry-looking sixth years in front of him.

Seconds later, Phichit shot the Quaffle cleanly through the hoop on the far right and the Slytherins groaned in unison.

“Very well, very well, that’s one twenty to forty, in favor of Slytherin. Now Timber has the Quaffle again, and—good save, Lin, not sure if it was an accident, but it was a good save...”

“That’s all the penalty there is?” Yuuri asked. “Ten points?”

“It allows for quality entertainment,” Viktor allowed with a small smile. “You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a dirty game of Quidditch.”

“Remember in our second year?” Chris asked, and it seemed they all knew what he was talking about because Mila doubled over laughing.

“Madam Hooch’s face was a shade of red that could rival the Gryffindor uniforms. She was blowing her whistle at least every five seconds—”

“And then the Gryffindor and Slytherin Seekers had a wrestling match on their brooms as they fell!”

“Were they okay?” Yuuri could only imagine what would happen if that had been him.

“They both hit the ground pretty hard and Madam Pomfrey had to take them to the hospital wing.” Chris grinned. “Then they continued the match a few days later when they’d both recovered and Slytherin caught the Snitch within the first minute.”

“They were both seventh years,” Mila said. “I think they were friends just trying to get a laugh out of their last year.”

“Hooch was so mad. Said it ruined the spirit of Quidditch and it was going to give us a bad reputation,” Viktor said. “But if anything, it made it even more popular. Everyone talked about the match for months, and at the next one, the pitch was full of new people who wanted to play after hearing about it.”

“That was when I started,” Mila said fondly. “If only I could still play…”

Yuuri wasn’t quite sure what to say in response to that, but he was saved by a sudden swoop from Michele. Before he knew it, the boy came back up, his hand raised high in the air, clutching the Snitch.

“What?!” Mila’s mouth fell open. “Hufflepuff won?!”

But the Slytherin team looked far from upset. They were clutching each other with excitement.

“Slytherin won!” Viktor shot up straight. “They must have been over 150 points ahead and Michele decided to just end it! What a great game!” His smile was as clear as day and he clapped with real excitement.

It was no doubt he loved everything about Quidditch.

“Poor Yurio,” Mila whispered awkwardly. “That’s the last match, and he still hasn’t caught the Snitch in his first year.”

“Maybe he’ll listen to us, then.” Viktor sighed. “Or it might just make matters worse.”

“Either way,” said Chris firmly. “Let’s go congratulate him.”

Yuuri felt himself getting to his feet and following the three of them down the quickly emptying stands. The sun was starting to set, and it cast a golden glow upon the faces around him.

It was magical, he thought.

The person he was now was the person he’d only dreamed to be nine months ago when he’d come to Hogwarts. All that was left to do was overcome his fear and win the match.

***

Yuuri came from his second to last practice drained. His robes were heavier than ever, and it had been dark for hours. The match was so close now that his performance was only declining in the team practices.

They had done the same exercise as his first team practice, except it had been so hard to focus, especially since he’d just been studying for History of Magic. Several times, his attention had slipped away from the Snitch and fallen into something about the goblin wars.

JJ had been furious and hadn’t held back in yelling at them all, although from the overcast looks on his team’s faces, Yuuri knew it was his fault.

Now he was headed toward the dark room. Upon reaching it, he paced a few times and then threw the door open with relief.

“I didn’t think you were coming.” Viktor sat alone at the desk, a stack of parchment and open textbook in front of him.

“Sorry,” he said, the guilt hitting him. “Practice took forever. I can help you study now if it’s not too late. You’re on the development of electricity, right?”

“Nonsense.” Viktor stood up. “I’m just finishing up the essay. And you need to get some rest.”

Yuuri wanted to protest, but his body gave way and he slumped against the door in defeat.

“Hey,” Viktor said reassuringly. “I’ll walk you back to the Gryffindor tower. Tomorrow will be better, okay?”

I hope so.

***

Viktor was right, as always. After a long bath that morning and fresh clothes, he felt much better. There was only one more practice with Viktor, starting in just a few minutes. And as he walked to the pitch, munching on a bagel Otabek had left him on his bed, he thought back to when he’d accepted the deal with Viktor—how nervous he’d been to meet the person behind his favorite Quidditch star.

Now it was the last time he would receive a lesson from him.

The final match indicated their deal was over. If he won, Viktor would have succeeded in coaching him and they’d be done. And if he lost, he would be proven unteachable, and that would be that.

All he needed was one last, quiet session with Viktor to prepare him for what was to come.

Instead, he was met with a crowd.

“Phichit?” Yuuri asked in disbelief as the figures came in view. “What are you doing here?”

Lined up with their broomsticks was a group of people he’d grown to know well over the year. In the middle was Viktor.

“Hey, Yuuri,” he said, eyes sparkling. “I thought the only way to prepare you for a match would be to have a match of our own.”

“A match of our own?” He stared at them as the pieces fell into place.

“Team one will be yours. Your Beater will be Otabek. Yurio will Keep for your team, and Phichit and Chris will be the Chasers. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough people to get three Chasers.” He grinned sheepishly. “The second team will have Georgi as a Beater and Mila and Sara as Chasers.”

“Mila!” Yuuri beamed. “You got your broom back?”

“I worked it out with my parents,” she explained. She was snuggled up close to Sara—the pretty Ravenclaw with long, full hair. “They decided to give me an exception to help out a friend.”

Yuuri was just surprised Sara had shown up, considering he had to play against her for the real match.

“I’ll be the Keeper, and Michele will play against you as the Seeker,” Viktor finished proudly.

Michele didn’t look too pleased, although Yuuri had a tugging suspicion it was due to Sara’s proximity to Mila, not his position on the team.

“Er, thanks everyone,” Yuuri said a bit shyly. “This is really great.” He felt overwhelmed, perhaps because he’d never imagined so many people would show up to do something for him.

“Alright!” Viktor clapped his hands together. “Let’s get started!”

Yuuri flew into the air, delighted at the way the wind pushed back his hair, pressing the frames of his glasses into his skin. He flew a few safe meters above the hoops and decided to pause and watch what was going on below. After all, it was probably the only time he’d feel truly relaxed during a Quidditch game.

Otabek hit a nasty Bludger right toward Viktor, and at the same moment, Phichit threw the Quaffle toward the lower hoop. Viktor dodged the Bludger, just barely blocking the Quaffle with the same movement.

“Are you kidding me?” Chris yelled angrily, hovering on one side of the pitch. Yuuri had forgotten some of them weren’t Quidditch players.

“I’d like to say that was on purpose!” Viktor turned his Firebolt back around with such ease Yuuri’s eyes bulged from his head. He was watching Viktor Nikiforov play a match of Quidditch right in front of him. That was still hard to grasp sometimes.

“Heads up, Yuuri!” Mila threw a hand over her mouth as Yuuri moved just in time, feeling the Bludger Georgi had carefully aimed at him brush his shoulder. “Sorry! I forgot I’m not on your team!”

Sara hurtled toward Mila with a smile on her face. With the Quaffle in her arm, she tossed it to the redhead. Mila was so entranced that she only barely caught it with her fingertips.

“Watch out Yurio,” she warned and threw it with such force that it hit Yurio straight in the chest. He flew back a meter, carrying the ball with him through the hoop.

“Does that count?” Michele asked from a few meters away. Yuuri spurred his broom upward, remembering that he had a Snitch to worry about. It was only when he had crossed the field to the other side that he realized there was a smile frozen on his face.

He paused again, this time farther from the action, and watched as Viktor blocked another goal flawlessly, earning a groan from Phichit. Chris yelled something he couldn’t hear, and Yuuri watched as a Bludger tailed him ruthlessly.

“I’m sorry!” Georgi yelled before hitting it the other way, “I know he’s not on our team!”

Yuuri laughed again, then turned his broom, squinting as he searched for the Snitch in the clear blue sky.

It was then that he spotted it zooming in between the posts of the stadium on his side. His breath caught in his throat. But no one was watching, and Michele was engrossed in the Chasers—especially Sara—so Yuuri carefully angled his broom away, and when he looked behind him, it was gone.

It wouldn’t be that bad if the game lasted a little longer.

“Arghh!”

The Quaffle flew right through the middle hoop. Phichit and Chris cheered as Viktor let out a frustrated groan, a smile still apparent on his face.

“Take that!” A second later, Mila threw the Quaffle past Yurio, earning a one-armed hug from Sara that Yuuri was sure he would be hearing thousands of recounts of within the next few class periods.

Yurio yelled something back at her that Yuuri wouldn’t dare say in front of anyone, causing a spill of laughter to fill the pitch. It was radiant.

He watched for just a second longer, then refocused with the understanding that if he didn’t get the Snitch soon, Michele would.

The smell of blossoms filled the air as he swooped low past the side of the pitch close to the gardens. He saw Professor Sprout tending to a moving plant, its flowers growing rapidly, then dying, then regrowing once again. Professor Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures instructor, was talking to her animatedly with an unusually large spider nestled in his hand.

Suddenly, something flashed across his vision and he turned his head up to a view of the whole castle covered in dark stone and vines. There, just a few meters out of the pitch, was the Snitch, whirling in circles like it too was excited. Yuuri flew up, and just as he heard a yell of celebration from Phichit, he closed the gap.

And as he so effortlessly felt the laced wings of the Snitch beating in between his fingertips, he felt a tinge of sorrow, for he would have wished for that game to last forever.

***

“You’re a lifesaver, JJ,” Yuuko proclaimed, sprawled across the locker room bench, her head in Takeshi’s lap.

“Well, it’s our last practice. I want you all to get a good rest tonight,” the fourth year said gruffly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be in bed by eight,” Emil promised solemnly, earning a smile from them all.

“I reckon we’ve really got this,” Otabek said firmly from beside him. “We’ve done all we can to prepare. Ravenclaw won’t stand a chance tomorrow.”

JJ let out a sigh of comfort. “Sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll fly like kings.”

“And queens,” Anya added, a smile present on her small lips.

“Right,” JJ allowed. “Kings and queens.”

***

The cheers of the crowd were a thousand times louder when you were on the field, Yuuri realized.

The rest of the team was silent, all preoccupied with their own thoughts until Professor McGonagall opened the door a crack and slid in.

“Hello, Professor.” It was JJ who spoke, his tone mellower than usual.

“Leroy,” she acknowledged him tersely. “The Ravenclaw team is out there waiting for you. Whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll go first.” JJ leapt to his feet, all energy back. He grabbed his broom. Slowly, Otabek rose to his feet, then Yuuko, Anya, Emil, and Takeshi followed him. Yuuri stood, a few fingers splayed across one of the lockers for extra support.

You must be a Gryffindor for a reason, he told himself. You can do this.

If he had thought the crowd had been loud inside the locker room, he wasn’t prepared in the slightest for when the door opened and JJ flew forward.

“Remember, Katsuki,” came a voice beside him. It was Professor McGonagall. “Please don’t catch the Snitch until you’re forty points above. I do not think I would hear the end of it from Professor Flitwick if we got second place.”

Somehow, that gave him the courage to step forward and swing his leg over the broom. His whole body was numb when he gave her a nod in return.

As they flew onto the field, the cheers and shouts only got louder. Yuuri didn’t dare look to see if Viktor was watching.

This time, he didn’t need to.

“Thank you everyone for attending the final Quidditch match of this year.” Madam Hooch was deep in her speech, although it was clear no one could care less—they just wanted the match to begin.

The crowd cheered again as Ravenclaw flew into position.

Yuuri’s eardrums nearly exploded as Riley and Sara waved in unison. Sara smiled, putting her head on Riley’s shoulder in sisterly affection.

“The Gryffindors have a new fourth year making his Seeking debut, Yuuri Katsuki!”

Yuuri was surprised at how many people there were cheering his name, and it only made his knees tremble more.

“To conclude this year of Quidditch, the final match will start on my mark. Get ready!”

Yuuri swung his leg over his broom, watching as the rest of the players did the same.

“Set!”

He crouched down low, putting his weight toward the back. He knew Sara was only flying a Cleansweep Eleven, which meant speed would be his greatest friend against her.

“GO!”

Accompanied by a collective cheer, Yuuri kicked off as fast as he could, rising to dizzying heights in a matter of seconds. There was no point in trying to find the Snitch right away, as he had to wait until they were forty points above Ravenclaw, otherwise they’d win the match but lose the Cup. As long as he kept an eye on Sara, he could observe the game for a while.

Aiming to slow his heart, he started lapping the pitch and watching what was going on.

He had thought the Gryffindor team would be in peak shape—and they were—but the Ravenclaw team was too. Yuuko was racing alongside Riley Cabello, trying to knock the Quaffle out of her hands without earning a penalty at the same time.

“Out of the way, Yuuri!” JJ called.

He swerved as a Bludger flew past him and sank into the arm of the Ravenclaw Beater Cuyper. Unfortunately, she had just fired back, sending a Bludger that hit Yuuri, nearly throwing him off his broom. It caused a groan from both sides of the audience.

“Alright there?” Otabek asked.

Before Yuuri could answer, Otabek was off, hitting the Bludger toward Riley Cabello down below, who was still struggling with Yuuko.

Finally, the Quaffle came free and Yuuko grabbed it, tossing to Emil, the ball narrowly dodging Ailill Zaal’s hands. Emil threw hard, and though it barely made it past Luca Vesely’s arm, it soared through the hoops.

“Gryffindor ten, Ravenclaw zero!” Madam Hooch cried out. She seemed eager to see someone besides Ravenclaw take the Cup.

Their victory didn’t last long. Cabello had gotten the Quaffle again and she passed it to Kolar who passed it right back, avoiding collision with a well-aimed Bludger from JJ. As she lined up with the hoops, she threw the Quaffle with all her might. It hit Takeshi’s chest and the Gryffindors exploded again.

“A worthy try! A worthy try!” Madam Hooch nearly jumped up and down with excitement.

The Ravenclaws had gotten the Quaffle again, but Anya managed to steal it from Zaal, and Yuuri imagined somewhere in the sea of Slytherin green, Georgi was beaming with pride.

“Having fun, Yuuri?” It was Sara, to his surprise, and her voice was far from unfriendly.

“It’s quite entertaining from up here.” He shot her a shy smile. “Seen the Snitch yet, by any chance?”

She just flashed him a grin then turned her broom the other way. “You wish.”

Yuuri scanned the area but still saw no trace of the Snitch, so he turned back to the game below. Right as he did, Zaal scored, barely making it past Takeshi who threw up his hands in brief frustration.

“Gryffindor twenty, Ravenclaw ten! And Kuznetsov has already gotten the Quaffle again, but—ouch!”

Yuuri winced as Anya was hit square in the back with a Bludger and tumbled to the ground, a heap on her broom. Luckily, she had only fallen a few meters, and by the time she raced back into the air, Yuuko had the Quaffle. She shot it right past Vesely, the Ravenclaw Keeper.

“Gryffindor thirty, Ravenclaw ten!”

Yuuri looked around, startled. Sara was out of his sight, so he stopped hovering and cruised around the pitch to find her. If only they could last until they were twenty more points ahead…

His sudden movement had the crowd wild, thinking he’d seen something. Sara must have thought so too as she came zooming out from under the stands only to give him a wry grin, holding up her empty hands.

“Gryffindor forty and Cabello shoots! That brings Ravenclaw up to twenty!”

Yuuri risked a glance downward and saw Takeshi rubbing his cheek in pain. Luckily, Emil had gotten the Quaffle back and was racing down the field at breakneck speed—an impressive feat on his Cleansweep Seven. The red ball streaked right past Vesely who was preoccupied with fixing a button on her robe. This performance evoked some very strong words from the Ravenclaw captain, Margaret Vardo, and cheers from the Gryffindors.

Focus, Yuuri reminded himself. They were now thirty points up. He just had to wait until—there. The Snitch was swooping close to the ground right below him. Sara was on the other side of the field.

You could end it now, the little voice inside him poked, it would be so easy...you would win the match for all of Gryffindor. You don’t need the Cup.

Shut up, he told the voice. As if on cue, JJ moved right under him, just barely deflecting a Bludger from hitting him in the face. By the time he glanced down again, the Snitch was gone.

“Cabello scores again! Gryffindor is still leading at fifty, but Ravenclaw is only twenty behind!” It was the most animated Yuuri had seen Madam Hooch. Jumping up and down on the announcer’s stand, her whistle was floating so close to her face that he would be surprised if she didn’t accidentally blow it.

Below him, Emil was a streak of scarlet, dodging in between Bludgers and blurs of blue Ravenclaws. He hurled the Quaffle toward the left hoop with solid strength and Vesely didn’t even bother to try and block it.

“She’s not the best, is she?” Otabek pulled up next to him, bat in hand.

“Ravenclaw did win twice, didn’t they?” Yuuri shrugged.

“It’s their Chasers.” Otabek grimaced. “It doesn’t matter if they let a bunch of balls in if they’re putting a lot in at the same time. Look at them right now, they’re—”

He was off in a second, and Yuuri saw why. Yuuko had gotten a hold of the Quaffle for what seemed like the thousandth time, but there was a Bludger following her, causing her to move away from the hoops. But sure enough, Otabek was able to bat it away and her shot was clear as she flung it effortlessly through the middle hoop.

Something shifted inside of Yuuri. Gryffindor was now forty points above, which it seemed the whole crowd was trying to tell him, their shouts illuminating the pitch.

He spun his broom, urging it to move forward while keeping an eye on Sara who was above him. His brain was working on overtime, balancing between staying on the broom and frantically searching the air for the Snitch.

With a startle that almost had him tumbling off his broom, he saw Sara circle around and head the other way. He craned his neck to see where she was going. She couldn’t have seen the Snitch already, could she?

However, her movements were far too slow and predictable for her to have seen it, and as she began to loop back toward him, he realized she had just been faking. He turned back to see where he was going and suddenly his breath caught.

The Snitch was right there, plain as day, glittering against the contrast of the stands. It was far below him, only a few meters from the ground.

Sara had lined up above him, and Yuuri decided to mirror her trick. Keeping an eye on the scoreboard and the Quaffle to make sure the score wasn’t changing, he tilted his broom up, unable to hide his smile when Sara jolted up as well.

A second was all he needed to jerk his broom in the opposite direction, aware that every eye was on him. He could hear Sara’s broom turn behind him and he knew he had to go quickly. Willing every fear to go away, he barreled headfirst toward the Snitch, keeping his body nearly off the broom and his arm extended.

Everything went slow as he grabbed the Golden Snitch by its wing. The sound around him went from loud to thunderous. Just in time, he jumped off his broom and fell for the last meter of his descent, tears in his eyes.

After that, everything sped up, and he immediately felt hands tugging at him. They were unfamiliar, but he took them anyway, fighting to stand and spotting JJ’s delighted expression.

A second later, Otabek, the boy he’d known as quiet from the very first day barreled into him, yelling louder than he thought was humanly possible. Then came a few more thumps as Yuuko, Takeshi, Emil, and Anya surrounded them, grasping every part of him as proof that they were connected; they were a team.

“WE DID IT!” JJ was crying, something Yuuri had not thought was even possible.

“We did it.” Yuuko’s voice was quieter than his, but it emitted just as much excitement. She squeezed Yuuri’s shoulder.

In the center of it all, the Snitch still hanging weakly from his hand, Yuuri let out the words he had been hoping to say all year.

“We did it.”

***

“I figured it out.” Viktor was stretched out on the newest addition to the dark room, a two-person couch with an infinite number of pillows. It was tucked perfectly in the space between two bookshelves.

“Hm?” Yuuri looked up, taking the tip of his quill out of his mouth and stretching his cramped hand. For the past hour, he had been working on the Potions essay Professor Snape had demanded they write in addition to their exam, with much help from Viktor.

“This room. I was reading about the castle in the library yesterday and it mentioned a room that had everything you needed in it at the right time.” He rolled over to eye Yuuri, who straightened, intrigued. “It’s called the Room of Requirement. They’re not sure, but it may have been created by Helga Hufflepuff.”

“Well that’s one mystery solved.” Yuuri settled back in his chair and reached for a cup of coffee that appeared generously. “It’s like getting closure.”

“Closure, hm?” Viktor flicked his wand toward nothing in particular. “That’s a specific word to use.”

“I mean, everything’s coming to an end, isn’t it?” Yuuri let out. Our deal is over, he wanted to say, you helped me with Quidditch and now we have no reason to meet anymore.

“I suppose so.” If Viktor knew what Yuuri was hinting at, he showed no inclination to respond. “But we’re still going to see each other again next year. And we’ll have most of the same classes.”

“I guess.” Yuuri hummed, turning back to his essay with minor interest, trying to act nonchalant.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

Yuuri looked up in surprise again, then nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I guess we have.”

“Remember the first time we met? I thought you hated me or something because you didn’t answer my questions and you acted so odd.”

Yuuri made a sharp noise in his throat.

“You thought I was weird?”

“Well, not weird.” Viktor let out a familiar laugh and it spread across the room like warm honey. “Just different. Then I found out you were a fan, and I was still confused about why you were being so cold.”

“You thought I was being cold?” Yuuri scrunched up his shoulders in embarrassment. “Oh no…”

Viktor only laughed again. “Well, at least we can be proud of our development. Look where we are now.”

“Yeah.” Yuuri met his eyes. Many perceptions he had of Viktor had changed over the years, but his eyes had stayed the same. They were just as blue as they’d always been.

***

“Pass the pus, Katsuki Yuuri!”

That was one sentence Yuuri had not expected to hear when he had applied to Hogwarts, but he did as Phichit asked, sliding the lime green bowl with a pulsating lump of plant pus toward him.

“How do you have that much already?!” Leo exclaimed, feverishly squeezing the pus out of a skimpy yellow plant. Beside him, Guang Hong was mashing it as quickly as he could, and Otabek was digging another plant up from the dirt.

“Just get your fingers right in there.” Michele grinned wickedly at them and handed Yuuri another plant.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Phichit said in a sweet tone that resembled a mother’s.

“How’s it coming, boys?” Professor Sprout wiped her hands on the plaid apron tied along her waist.

Michele said something that would have lost Hufflepuff at least ten points if Professor Sprout heard, so Yuuri instead chose to listen to Phichit.

“Much better than an exam, Professor.” He glowed while beating the pulp furiously with his fist.

“I thought you might enjoy a pus collecting contest.” She beamed right back at him. “Plus Rubeus was needing some for his Blast-Ended Skrewts. I was fairly sure they have nothing to do with pus, but he insisted it was necessary…” She moved on, and immediately it was back to business, Yuuri thrusting his fingers shamelessly into the plant and scraping out the pus then throwing it into the bowl gleefully.

“Pass the pus!”

And so it continued.

***

“I think I’m going to miss this place a lot,” Yuuri admitted as he slowly folded his socks into his trunk one by one. “More than I thought I would at the beginning of the year, that’s for sure.”

“It’s grown on me too,” Otabek replied a little sorrowfully. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this castle had a mind of its own. Make no mistake, I miss Kazakhstan like crazy, but there’s something about Hogwarts that feels like home.”

“I knew I wasn’t the only one.” Yuuri smiled wistfully and he stood to take his Nimbus 2001 and place it on top of the clothes in his trunk. He let his fingers linger on the handle. “I feel a little guilty toward my family at the thought of wanting to stay here forever.”

They finished packing at the same time, and while there was something very final about shutting his trunk and locking it shut, Yuuri felt lighter than he had at all that year. Exams were over, and he had passed with surprisingly high marks that he would be happy to bring home to his family.

At the thought of his family, he remembered the letter he’d gotten that morning. He had read it only a few times but already knew every word.

Yuuri,

It’ll only be a few days—or maybe sooner depending on when this letter arrives—before we see you again. Your father, sister, and I miss you and hope you learned a lot at Hogwarts this year. We’re delighted to see your marks from your first semester and hope the exams you recently completed are just as satisfactory. There’s more I’d like to say, but it can wait until you’re home.

See you soon,

Katsuki Hiroko

Their concern about his exams was no surprise to him. Because his sister was a witch, his parents had had plenty of time to figure out the Wizarding World’s system of education and make sure that Yuuri matched their expectations, wizard or not.

As for what she had to say, Yuuri had no clue. Nevertheless, it was an improvement from the letter he’d received before the winter holidays.

“Ready?” asked Otabek, levitating his trunk with his wand and holding the door open for him.

They made their way down the grassy hill leading toward the carriages, meeting up with Phichit along the way. The sun streamed down, and Yuuri basked in it. The carriages rocked back and forth, leading them to the platform where hundreds of students boarded onto the steaming red train.

***

“How were the rest of your exams?” Yuuri asked as he settled back into the cushioned seat and watched the green trees flash by.

“Good,” Phichit said between mouthfuls of a Chocolate Frog. “I’m not sure how I did on that ghastly Muggle Studies exam, but I think the rest were fine.”

“I hope Viktor did alright,” Yuuri said. “He was studying really hard.”

Phichit laughed and popped the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. “If only the rest of us were like him,” he said before straightening up.

“What do you mean?” Yuuri tore his attention away from the trees.

“What do you mean?” Phichit looked at him now, eyebrows joined together.

“I just meant I hope he did okay. I was helping him study all year.”

“You were what?” Phichit straightened, doing nothing to hide the look of surprise on his face.

“I mean, I’m a Muggle-born, you know...I had to learn that type of stuff before.” Yuuri shrugged and shrank into his chair a little. Was it considered unusual to know a lot about Muggles without taking the class?

“No,” Phichit choked out. “Not that...I mean, you’re sure he asked you for help?”

“Hey,” Yuuri said a little defensively. “I don’t know why he did either, but yeah, I guess he just...I don’t know…” He trailed off uncertainly. “Is that surprising to you?”

“Oh. I just—oh.” Phichit’s face flashed through several emotions within the second Yuuri stared at him.

When he spoke again, he spoke tentatively, leaning forward. “It’s not like that, Yuuri, I just meant…”

“What?” Yuuri felt the space between them growing as he leaned back, trying to keep his face masked.

“I mean, well, we were in the same class, obviously, and he knew everything the second he walked in the door.”

It didn’t register at first, and Yuuri could only react in disbelief.

“He can’t have...I spent hours teaching him the material…”

“Yuuri, Professor Burbage had us take a pre-exam on the first day, and, well, I was sitting next to him. He finished within ten minutes and when we got them back the next class, he had received full marks.”

Yuuri’s head spun, mostly in confusion. He wouldn’t have cheated, would he? But seeing how high of standards he had to live up to with his parents, it was possible...and maybe that was why he wanted extra tutoring...so that he could learn the material before they learned it in class...yes, Yuuri decided. It made sense. So why did his stomach feel so weird?

“Maybe you should go talk to him,” Phichit said, and before Yuuri could even reply, he jumped up. “Stay here. I’ll go get him, alright?”

“I—alright.” Yuuri frowned as he heard the compartment door shut. He stared down at the ground, then back out the window. In the reflection, he saw Viktor coming seconds before the knock, and he got to his feet to let him in.

They sat down facing one another, leaving Yuuri unsure of what to even say.

Viktor broke the silence.

“Phichit said you wanted to talk to me.”

Yuuri gulped.

“It’s really not a big deal. He was just er, well, we were just talking, and he mentioned you were good at Muggle Studies...” He left it off there, hoping he wouldn’t have to say any more.

“Well, of course. I couldn’t have done it without you—” Something in Viktor’s face registered and he sat back with difficulty. “Oh.”

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said. “I was hoping you’d explain.”

“You deserve an explanation.” To his surprise, Viktor’s face was tinged with pink, and for the first time since he’d met him, he was avoiding his eyes.

“It sounds really bad,” Viktor started.

That’s not very reassuring. Yuuri braced himself.

 “I meant to tell you. I swear. It’s just—as the year progressed, it got harder and harder to do, and well, there came a time, after holiday break, when I thought it was too late, and maybe I could get away with it.”

“Just say it,” Yuuri blurted out and looked up once again. Viktor’s face was even redder.

“I knew the whole course back to back,” Viktor sputtered out. “Just like Arithmancy, my parents didn’t teach it to me because it was about Muggles, but I learned it on my own anyway. I took the class just to spite them, and I didn’t think anything would come out of it. Until I met you, at least. Or more specifically, until you helped me in Arithmancy and I saw you fly at tryouts.”

“You wasted my time.” Yuuri let out a breath, but not out of contempt. “I spent hours every week helping you.”

“I just wanted to get to know you!” Viktor exclaimed, taking them both aback. “The only time you seemed comfortable around me was in Arithmancy when I asked you for help. After I found out you looked up to me as a Quidditch player, I realized you were probably nervous because you thought I was better than you. But when you were teaching me, it was like we were equals, and you didn’t mind so much.”

Yuuri stared at him, still dumbfounded, and Viktor continued more slowly.

“I figured if I found a way for you to continuously help me with something, we’d get to know each other—maybe even become friends. But I knew you wouldn’t accept without something on your end.”

“Not because you’re selfish, no,” Viktor hurried on. It’s just...you would have felt like I was just doing it to make fun of you or something. I know you would have,” he said. “So when I saw you at tryouts, I was delighted that there was something you weren’t flawless at. It was the perfect opportunity. So I offered my help in exchange for yours.”

They both let out a breath at the same time, and then there was a long pause, Yuuri unsure of what to say.

Then, he laughed.

“You—you, Viktor Nikiforov, wanted to spend time with me?” Yuuri gaped at him. His body lit up at the lack of Viktor’s refusal. “You pretended not to know an entire course so you could get to know me? And endured hours of content you already knew?”

“Please don’t be upset,” Viktor said in a small voice, although he was already sitting up a little straighter.

“I just...” Yuuri struggled to put together the right words. “This whole year I’ve been worried about being too annoying, too clingy, and you’re telling me all this time—?”

“It won’t happen again,” Viktor offered, and then they both laughed, and Yuuri wanted to shout at him in delight: are you even real?

“I mean when you play it back...the first Arithmancy lesson, the offer so carefully crafted...it makes sense.” Yuuri looked at Viktor, glowing so brightly he felt they might both explode.

I just wanted to get to know you.

“I thought it might.” Viktor laughed. “Does that mean I’m forgiven?”

“I mean…” Yuuri stared at him, not sure he knew any word in the world but yes . It had always only ever been a yes with Viktor. He couldn’t stay away.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

“You owe me double the Potions tutoring next year,” Yuuri finally managed out.

“Deal.”

The trees cleared in the corner of his eye, and he caught a look at the sinking sun. The sky was cotton candy pink, dotted with flecks of gold and streaks of plum. Beneath, a clear lake reflected the colors, a few gulls spotting the image.

And the train moved on.

Chapter Text

“You’ve got to be joking,” Phichit said, staring Yuuri down. “You’re taking Ancient Runes?”

“What?” he retorted. “I took a year of it back at Mahoutokoro, and only dropped it last year because I was worried it might be too much.”

“But you’re not even dropping Divination or Arithmancy.” Phichit gaped at him. “So you only have two free periods?”

“I’ll—”

“Not to mention, everyone else has taken it for a year more than you, meaning you’ll have to catch up!”

“I’ll make it work,” Yuuri said. “I already wrote to Professor Babbling over the summer and I’m nearly caught up. Plus we have double free blocks on Wednesday afternoon. We can study for ages then.”

“It is O.W.L. year, too,” Michele said from beside Phichit. “Which is great because there are no more midterms, but it also means we’re not getting a minute of sleep the whole year.”

Next to him was Sara, looking very comfortable next to her new girlfriend, the Ravenclaw Chaser, Riley Cabello.

Yuuri had yet to hear Mila’s opinion on this.

Phichit shook his head, then handed Yuuri’s schedule back to him and settled into the plush seat of the Hogwarts Express, which was still waiting to leave the station.

Suddenly, the compartment door flung open and Chris entered, sleeves billowing wide. He was followed by some very familiar faces.

“Is there enough room for us all?” He plopped down next to Yuuri without a greeting and surveyed the two empty seats.

“Why don’t we just kick some kids out of another compartment?” Yurio glowered. He had grown a lot in the past summer.

He wasn’t the only one. Next to him stood Viktor, who looked very amused. His hair had grown out a little more and he was already dressed in black robes that brought out the color in his face.

“Don’t forget you used to be an itty bitty third year,” muttered a familiar voice from behind them. Viktor took the seat next to Chris, and Yurio sat down at the end, leaving Mila standing with Georgi and Anya behind her.

“I reckon you’re going to have to find anoth—” Chris started, but it wasn’t necessary.

Mila’s face turned pale as she caught sight of Riley and Sara’s hands touching. Any trace of humor evaporated from her face as she raised her head haughtily.

“Georgi, let’s go to another compartment.” She tossed her hair back, and Georgi, too wrapped up in his hand-holding, didn't notice until she gripped his shoulder, pulling him and Anya away.

“Well this is going to be a fun year,” said Viktor. Yuuri felt a smile spreading across his face, although he wasn’t quite sure why. He wiped it off as quickly as it had come.

“Why the hell are you taking Ancient Runes?”

Yuuri was flung back to reality. Chris was staring at the schedule on Yuuri’s lap with a look of disbelief.

“Why does everyone seem to have a problem with that?” he demanded. This time, he was armed with more of a rationale. “I think it’s an interesting subject and—”

“You’re crazy.” Chris rolled his eyes. “That’s all. But hey, at least we have Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch this year. Having it right before lunch last year was an absolute drag.”

“Will you be in our class again this year, Yurio?” Yuuri asked, leaning forward so he could see the smaller blond on the seat by the compartment door.

But before he could answer, Viktor met his eyes and smiled. “Even better. Why don’t you tell them the good news, Yurio?”

This only made Yurio grow red with anger, and he folded his arms in the most offensive way possible before announcing in a small voice:

“I’ve skipped a year.”

Viktor radiated like a proud parent.

“Now we’ll have Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Astronomy together!”

“Oh.” Yuuri flushed. “Well, congratulations, Yurio.”

“Speaking of congratulations,” Chris said. “Is anyone here a prefect?”

Yuuri scanned the compartment to see everyone shaking their heads.

“Are you?” Sara asked curiously.

“Not a chance,” Chris said. Then, on afterthought, he added, “Mila is, though.”

The compartment filled with the clamor of the train tracks beneath them.

***

“I don’t get why it’s such a big deal,” Yuuri told Mila and Otabek at the Gryffindor table between smatterings of applause.

“It’s just—”

“MacConnell, Sholto,” Professor McGonagall read out at the head of the Great Hall.

“It’s O.W.L. year and the workload is already crazy enough,” Mila said. “How are you going to have time for fun stuff like parties and dating?”

Yuuri wasn’t ever quite sure what House Sholto MacConnell got Sorted into because he choked on his tongue at the sound of that.

“Dating?!” he yelped incredulously.

“Well sure.” Mila lowered her voice as Omeldon, Neil’s name was read out. “Even last year there were a million girls interested in you. And guys. If you’re into that.”

“RAVENCLAW!”

“Oh good,” she muttered. “I couldn’t stand having a kid called Neil in this House.”

“What do you have against the name Neil?” Yuuri asked. It was a fair name if he thought so himself.

“Nothing.” It was Otabek that replied this time. “You’re just in a bad mood because of Riley and Sara, aren’t you?”

Mila’s face dropped and she groaned. “Why did you have to bring that up?”

Otabek shrugged, but all three of them knew he was right.

They sat through a session of “Spiros, Fiona” (Gryffindor), “Uliana, Evi” (Slytherin), and lastly “Yabes, Philip,” who ended up being a Hufflepuff.

When the food finally arrived, Yuuri dug in, not realizing how hungry he was until he swallowed a bite of katsudon.

All around him, warm light emitted from the floating candles, and the silver platters clinked, full of everything from roasted duck and scampi to eggplant parmesan and fried rice. Forks and knives clattered throughout the sea of black robes, which the occasional ghost drifted through. The smell of warm food and the broad expanse of space around—it was indescribable.

And as he and Otabek made their way up the seven flights of stairs and into their dormitory, then Yuuri climbed into his bed, his limbs leaden, he breathed a sigh of content. At last, he was home.

***

“I love starting my mornings off with insufferable heat and death,” Mila announced as Professor Trelawney closed the trapdoor, imprisoning them all in the small classroom with the boiling fireplaces. She, of course, ignored this.

“Today we will be practicing the art of tasseomancy,” she began, waving her wand up and down in loops, which had to be purely for the dramatic effect.

“That’s tea leaf reading,” whispered Phichit excitedly. He already had a silver mug in front of him.

She set them to work only a few minutes later, with no greetings, as if it weren’t the first day of the school year.

“Help me out here,” Yuuri said, staring at the clump of dark leaves at the bottom of his cup. If he looked at it straight on, it was sort of like a kite. He spotted Professor Trelawney at the table close to theirs and scrambled to look at his key. Wishes will come true. Wish for something good today!

“That’s definitely a mountain,” Phichit said. “Er, at least from this angle. But Professor Trelawney told me to look at it with the handle on the left, so technically it’s more of an acorn.” Lowering his voice, he leaned forward, “But just look at both and write down which one you’d rather experience.”

Smiling, Yuuri glanced at the prediction for the mountain which read Pack your bags! You’re headed on a journey. Deciding he would much rather stay safe and sound in the castle, he turned the worn textbook to the acorn, wondering how many other students had used the same book, clueless as he was. Unexpected gold! it read, Check your account at Gringotts soon!

He scribbled it down, satisfied.

“Katsuki Yuuri,” Professor Trelawney said eerily. “Pass me that mug, would you?”

Last year she hadn’t been able to predict much about his future and he crossed his fingers under the tablecloth, hoping the same would be true again.

The glasses slipped from her nose, cracking in two on the ground. She paid no attention.

“Ah, my boy, my boy…” She patted him on the shoulder, before spilling her insight. “A cross...it could be worse I suppose, could be worse…” She ambled away, only stopping to quickly murmur a Reparo for her glasses.

“What’s a cross?” Yuuri asked, dumbfounded. Finding the section in his book, he read aloud, “Trials and suffering. Dark days are ahead—you are in grave danger,” before an “oh.”

“Don’t worry,” Phichit said, shooting quick glances behind him. “Her prediction about Mila didn’t come true, did it?”

It was a contrast from his usual undying support of Professor Trelawney, which forced Yuuri to put the teacup down, and instead of saying Well it came pretty close to true, didn’t it? he smiled gratefully.

“You’re right.”

***

Their Arithmancy class had been considered small last year, and it was even smaller now. As a result, Professor Vector let them sit where they wanted. Feeling much more confident than last year, Yuuri slid into the seat next to Viktor without a second thought.

“Hey.” Viktor greeted him with a small smile. Today was the first time Yuuri had seen him clearly in three months. His glance on the train had only revealed that his hair had grown a little, but Yuuri could see that more was different now. His nose and cheekbones were more defined, and he was a lot taller than Yuuri remembered.

“Hey,” Yuuri said softly, then cleared his throat. “How was your first class?”

“Spectacular,” Viktor answered gloriously. He then clarified, to Yuuri’s blank face, “It was a free period.”

“Ah.” Yuuri bit back a smile. “Have you suddenly forgotten the whole course material for Arithmancy?”

“Unfortunately so.” Viktor laughed. “I reckon I’m going to need your help. For the rest of the year, that is.”

It was still marvelous to Yuuri that while he’d spent every second overanalyzing Viktor’s words and actions, searching for any sign that he was tired and annoyed of him, it had been Viktor all along that had been wanting more time with him.

If only you had more faith in yourself sometimes, the little voice inside of his head told him, maybe you’d find yourself taking advantage of that time rather than worrying about everything.

But as Professor Vector started class, Yuuri caught one shy look at Viktor and decided he was quite happy with how they had turned out.

***

Yuuri found himself breathing a sigh of comfort as he entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, spotting the large and boisterous professor at the head of the room. A lot had changed in one year, he decided.

“Ah, Katsuki.” Professor Slughorn waved, heads turning to look at them. Yuuri smiled and sat down next to Georgi whose brand new bottle of ink was nearly half-empty thanks to his endless doodles of Anya on the empty pages in the back of his textbook.

“Professor.” He met his eyes.

“Hmph.” Slughorn waved his stubby hand airily, then attempted to crouch down in front of his desk with much difficulty, before finally conjuring a stool from the back of the room. “Now, Yuuri, my boy...I thought I might ask you something…”

In between Slughorn’s dramatic pauses, Yuuri racked his brains for what he could possibly be getting to. He recalled the conversation near the end of the last year where Viktor and the others had introduced him to Slughorn’s obsession with prize students, although he wasn’t quite sure what would qualify him as one of those now. After all, he was the same quiet, Muggle-born transfer he had been last year—maybe with a trace of a little more confidence.

“Yes, Professor?” He kept his eyes open and earnest.

“You see, I’ve taken a liking to you over the past year, and well, after that performance last year, I must say I’m quite impressed with your flying skills,”—there it was—“so perhaps you’d like to join me for a party next Sunday?”

“Oh,” Yuuri said. “I’ll see if I can come, but I might be busy with schoolwork and all, sir.”

Slughorn smiled jovially and patted the desk in front of him before standing up and saying, “Think about it, my boy. Just keep it in mind…”

He turned away to talk to two Slytherin girls and Yuuri swiveled his chair around to face the rest of the conversation.

“I see you’ve gotten your first invite to the Slug Club.” Mila cracked a grin. “Don’t worry. We’re all going so you can tag along with us.”

“We figure if we at least go to the first one, he stops bothering us for the rest of the year,” Chris said solemnly.

“I hate this class,” Yurio said as he slid into a seat just a few seconds before the bells sounded. “What’s the point of calling it Defense Against the Dark Arts if we barely fight anyone in it?”

Yuuri saw Otabek’s lips curl upward and he wondered if he had the same foolish look whenever Viktor said something that wasn’t particularly amusing.

“Good afternoon, class, good afternoon.” Slughorn now stood behind the podium only a meter away, waving his wand dramatically at the board to reveal the lessons for the day. “I’m thrilled to have you all back here. Yes, even you, Nikiforov. It looks like your little cousin has joined us yet again, hm?”

Yuuri didn’t need to look behind to know that Yurio was scowling at being called Viktor’s little cousin.

“Katsuki, Babicheva, Giacometti…very good to see you all again.” He trailed off, then clapped his hands together again. “Now! We must not linger too long!”

The unmentioned students stared blankly at him.

“Let’s first get the partners for this year sorted out. At the top of the list, I’ve got Babicheva. You’re going to be with Popovich. Georgi, did you hear me?” Georgi jerked his head up, spilling the ink all over his scarily intricate drawing of Anya’s plump lips.

“Yes, Professor,” he said, widening his eyes. They were shadowed with a dusty purple.

“Next, we have Katsuki and Miss Iris Eliot—two Quidditch players, is that right?”

Yuuri’s stomach turned upside down. He made frantic eye contact with Professor Slughorn, who was still going down the list, begging him to say he’d messed up the names and it was all one very big joke.

Of course, out of the nineteen other students, he would be stuck with the one whom he had apparently danced with at Chris’s birthday party last year.

Otabek was the only one kind enough to give him a sympathetic look as they got up, ready to switch seats. Viktor seemed to be too entranced in the glossary of Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts to spare him a glance.

“Hi,” Iris trilled in her slight Cyprus accent. “How are you?”

“Er.” Yuuri took a seat. “Alright. You?”

“Great,” she continued with a smile on her face. “I’m so glad we’re going to be partners in this class!”

Her simpering attitude was a complete turnaround from the year before when she had been furious about his apparent denial of the previous night’s events.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. Then, deciding he would rather say it now than later, he blurted out, “Listen, Iris, I’m sorry about last year...I was having a rough morning and the memory didn’t really come back until later. I didn’t mean to blow you off like that. Hopefully we can still be friends.”

For a second, she looked taken aback and he wondered if she might be mad. But she recovered just as quickly and flashed her teeth at him.

“That’s okay, Yuuri. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other all over again!”

***

“She totally likes you,” Phichit said. He was a little too enthusiastic, slamming down the pot of Mandrakes and earning a glare from Professor Sprout.

“She might have been being sarcastic,” Yuuri said. “I mean, I was completely rude to her last year. I can’t imagine why she would like me.”

“Definitely not,” Phichit assured him. “That just means that she really likes you. Otherwise she would’ve been over you by now, especially after that, er, incident.”

“I think so, too,” Michele chimed in. “Plus she said she couldn’t wait to get to know you, which basically means she wants to—”

“Boys, boys.” Professor Sprout stopped by their table, tapping her grubby fingernails on the wood. “We haven’t got all day, now, have we?”

The problem with talking to Phichit and Michele, Yuuri realized, was that they assumed he wanted Iris to like him.

They busied themselves for the next minute, enough for her to go away, before turning back to talk.

“How was Ancient Runes, by the way?” Michele asked him, picking a single leaf apart mindlessly. “Did you know anyone in it?”

“Yurio. But we didn’t really talk.” Yuuri shrugged. “The class itself was interesting. I enjoyed it.”

Michele rolled his eyes, like the idea of enjoying Ancient Runes was impossible.

Yuuri was being truthful, though. He’d been a little nervous knowing he had some catching up to do in the class, but Professor Babbling had been kind enough to offer a pile of books that could help him cover the remaining material. He didn’t bother to mention the dark room—or what Viktor had discovered was called the Room of Requirement—would have all the supplies he needed and more.

It was much more interesting than Divination, as well. There was more logic and memorization to be done, as opposed to sitting in the sweltering heat, randomly conjuring images and prophecies out of soggy tea leaves and clouded magic balls.

In fact, his fifth year had started better than all the other years combined. At Mahoutokoro, he hadn’t particularly enjoyed seeing anyone. And the year before, well, that had been a mess of being new, fretting over Quidditch, and his constant stress whenever he was in the same room as Viktor.

Charms which he’d had the day before, and Transfiguration which he’d had just before lunch had both gone smoothly, although he was partnered with Sara in Charms. It would’ve been fine last year when they had been on friendly terms, but he was uncomfortably aware that she and Mila were fighting considering how coldly Sara had regarded him.

If one person’s attitude had changed toward him in favor, it was Professor McGonagall. She didn’t call on him once, and even gave him a thin-lipped smile—practically a miracle for her—on his way out. Last year’s match was doing him more favors than he thought.

Still, he had one more class to go that day: Potions. And he was really starting to regret that he blindly went along with Viktor all of last year, now that he would have to pull his own weight with his new partner. Combined with Professor Snape’s dislike for any Gryffindor, he couldn’t anticipate it going well.

“Muggle Studies was a bore,” Phichit said, and Yuuri realized their conversation had been continuing without him. “I might consider dropping it, especially now that Professor Burbage keeps calling me out over the fact that I got a P on the exam last year.”

“I mean, that’s not too bad.” Yuuri winced. “But don’t you need two electives still?”

“I could take Care of Magical Creatures,” he considered, then turned across the table to Leo and Guang Hong. “Aren’t you two in that class?”

“Oh yeah.” Leo grinned. “Easiest exam there was. All we had to do was explain the proper diet for a Blast-Ended Skrewt to Professor Hagrid. And he went over it about ten minutes before he asked.”

“It’s true,” Guang Hong admitted. “I’m sure you'd have no problem catching up.”

“Interesting,” Phichit said, then shot Yuuri a convincing look.

“Excuse me, Yuuri,” interrupted a blonde Hufflepuff girl with large blue eyes. “Could you pass me the earmuffs?”

Yuuri glanced over and handed her the earmuffs he hadn’t used at all. She gave him a small smile and wave before heading back to her station.

“That was weird,” he muttered, then glared at Phichit and Michele. “Why are you two laughing?!”

***

Sure enough, Professor Snape’s black eyes bore into his as he announced that he would be partnering up with Yurio. At the very least, Yuuri knew he must be smart enough to have skipped a year.

Yurio delivered the bad news as they started boiling the water at their station.

“You better know how to do Potions, because I hate it.”

“How can you hate a whole subject?” Yuuri asked patiently, his head spinning as he flipped through the worn textbook.

“I just do,” Yurio replied, like it explained everything. “So you’re doing the whole thing for me.”

“You have to at least try.” Yuuri winced, trying to keep his tone as quiet as possible. “I’m not very good at it either.”

“That’s because Viktor did everything for you last year, didn’t he?” Yurio smirked.

Yuuri peeked up from the Mediterranean dragonfly thoraxes he was chopping, momentarily perplexed. He wondered how Yurio had even known they were partners, given that he had still been in third year Potions.

“He told me everything about his Potions lessons with Yuuri.” He dragged out his name dramatically, as if to widen the contrast between them.

“I mean, he definitely did most of the work,” Yuuri said carefully. He didn’t understand Yurio. Sometimes he felt like they were the same age and could actually be friends, but other times, he acted like the little rich kid who sneered at every chance he got.

“I guess he always does, anyway,” Yurio finished, and he was back to the Yurio that Yuuri had grown to know piece by piece.

Taking advantage of the subject change, Yuuri guided their talk away from Viktor, which was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as he wasn’t quite sure what their relationship was. Was Viktor more of a father figure to Yurio? Certainly not a brother, otherwise Yurio would act a little kinder, at least.

“What electives are you taking this year, Yurio?” he asked kindly.

“Study of Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures,” Yurio said, stirring the Potion.

“All four?” Yuuri asked. “That doesn’t leave you with much free time, does it?”

“You’re only taking one less than that.” He huffed. “So why are you acting like it’s a big deal? I’m not a kid anymore.”

So that was it, Yuuri realized. With all the news of him skipping a year, all the students and professors must have been treating him like he was less capable.

For the second time, he decided to change the subject to lessen the stiffness in the air.

“How’s Quidditch, then?” he tried again, dropping the cubed dragonfly thoraxes into the boiling water. Steam rose almost immediately, and he checked the book to make sure he had done it correctly.

“Why do you care?”

Yuuri cast his eyes up to the arched ceiling and sighed loudly, although he was sure it couldn’t be heard over the steam. Defense Against the Dark Arts with a girl he’d humiliated, and now Potions with an angsty teenager who refused to hold a conversation with him. What was next?

***

“I’ve decided upon a new training drill for us,” JJ said boldly. He was standing in the middle of the field with his broomstick in one hand.

“You do realize whatever hell you’re about to put us through, you have to go through too, right?” Yuuko complained. She was sitting on the grass, her head on Takeshi’s shoulder. His hand ran through her fine hair slowly. Yuuri briefly wondered if it was weird for them to take orders from someone who was two years younger than them.

“It should be no sweat for me.” He puffed out his chest, the shiny Quidditch Captain badge on his robes.

“JJ, it’s our first practice,” begged Anya. “And we got the Cup last year anyway, so why can’t we keep our old training regimen?”

“That’s the challenge.” He pointed at Yuuko and Takeshi, beckoning for them to stand up. They obliged grudgingly. “Losing will have only made everyone else even more determined. We’ve got to get the Cup this year, otherwise everyone will think it was just a fluke.”

“You have a point, I guess,” Emil admitted, and that settled it.

Their task was to walk with their broomsticks between their legs at a squatting position, all the way down the length of the Quidditch field and back twelve times. Unfortunately, Yuuri’s legs were on fire by the time he made it halfway down once, and Anya actually collapsed two laps in, earning a noise of disappointment from JJ. Emil and Yuuko fell out at around the same time as Yuuri who accounted for making it four and a half laps only due to his history of dancing and the various thigh exercises he practiced then. Otabek only made it a few more meters before he too gave up, rolling over on his back.

Even a very red-faced JJ conceded after six laps, still insisting all the way back to the locker room that it would help them. Takeshi followed behind, drying his sweat-soaked robes with a flick of his wand.

“Next time—” JJ heaved. “Next time...we’ll go...a little...a little farther.”

As they gathered their broomsticks with leaden arms, Yuuko sighed.

“What’s the point in practicing for Quidditch without actually flying?”

Maybe if JJ had had enough energy to respond, he would’ve said something about having the muscle to maneuver between players.

To everyone’s relief, he didn’t.

***

Yuuri wasn’t quite sure why he and Viktor were in the Room of Requirement, but he wasn’t complaining. The room had changed a little from before, and although it was still the same size, there were now two windows overlooking the lake and the Quidditch pitch. The size of the bookshelves had severely reduced and the couch was a little bigger, leaving the desk and two chairs the main workspace.

The candles from the ceiling were now gone, and the light came from the windows, making the name ‘dark room’ unsuitable. Thus, the proper name, the Room of Requirement, had stuck.

Viktor was currently engrossed in a book dedicated purely to the number nine, which Yuuri figured was some Arithmancy homework he hadn’t gotten to yet as he was currently swamped with the extra Potions essay he’d been assigned at the failure of completing the potion in time. Although he was supposed to be working on it with Yurio, he much preferred to do it by himself.

“Viktor?” he asked, and Viktor’s head jolted up, his hair covering his left eye.

“Hm?” He picked up a scrap of parchment lying on the armrest of the couch and closed the book. “Is that Potions?” he asked eagerly. One desperate nod from Yuuri was all it took for him to leap up and sit down across from him.

“We didn’t learn any of this in class,” Yuuri protested, pointing toward the first question that was supposed to guide his essay.

Explain what mistake would cause the Draught of Peace to take on a smell of lilacs rather than the intended achievement of delilahs.

“Hey, this isn’t too bad,” Viktor reassured him in a voice that he practically melted in.

“I don’t even know the difference between lilacs and delilahs,” Yuuri said, “and certainly not what they smell like.”

Viktor tapped his fingers on his chin for a second, then a smile spread across his face and he waved his holly wand. For a second, nothing happened, then two flowers appeared out of nowhere.

“Wow!” Yuuri exclaimed, his eyes darting around where they had appeared from thin air. “That’s N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is,” Viktor said, holding the two flowers to him. One had four petals and was a light purple color, presumably the lilac; the other was dome-shaped, the center a deep orange and spreading outward into a pale yellow.

Yuuri took a tentative smell of both, a smile stuck on his face while he did so. The lilac was a little sweeter, and the delilah was a bit more pungent.

“Okay,” he said slowly, “I think I can tell the difference.”

“Ah,” Viktor said, and set the flowers down on the table. “I suppose that doesn’t really help. It just seemed impressive in my head. Let me tell you the answer.”

Yuuri laughed, his head warm and dizzy—from the flowers, he told himself—then turned his parchment toward Viktor so he could read it.

“Let’s see.” Viktor hummed softly. “Well usually buckthorn is an effective replacement for delilah, and considering that’s added in the third step of the Draught of Peace, I’d say that’s the one you would replace. However, I doubt we have many unicorn horns in stock, so is that really the answer he’s asking for? Of course, only a pinch would be needed but…”

Finally, after sketching out several scenarios with Yuuri’s quill, Viktor handed his parchment back to him.

“It’s brilliant, really.” His cheeks were bright with excitement. “I mean he should’ve taught it to us before expecting you to do this level of work...I would have expected him to at least give you someone to work with, but really, it’s fascinating…”

He launched into an explanation that made absolutely no sense to Yuuri, so instead, he focused on the way he talked: barely moving his lips until he reached the rolling ‘r’s.

“Does that make sense?” he asked and Yuuri blinked once.

“Not really, but I can look at the notes later,” he said a bit sheepishly. “Thanks.”

Viktor grinned.

“Any time. And is that an assignment for Charms? If you wanted some help…”

At that moment, Yuuri swore Viktor could’ve asked him to jump into the Great Lake or ride a hippogriff and he still would’ve somehow wound up saying yes.

***

“Remember: we’re going to flatten them,” JJ yelled, standing on top of the locker room bench. “We’ve got the best Keeper in the world. Yes, you Takeshi. Not to mention, three smashing Chasers.”

“Aw, JJ.” Yuuko pretended to fan herself. “I’m flattered but be careful saying that to Anya. You wouldn’t want to have to have a talk with her scary goth boyfriend.”

Anya looked as if she were about to interrupt, although there was really nothing to correct, so she just allowed a small smile to play across her lips.

Ignoring them, JJ continued, using his broomstick as a staff, “Of course, we have Altin, who always gets the Bludgers that I can’t. And I’ll never forget the time he hit a Bludger at the Quaffle and intercepted it from going through the hoop.” He shook his head proudly. “And Yuuri, where do I even start…”

He was saved from whatever JJ had to say, as Professor McGonagall opened the door. With her came the cold, early November wind, and the sound from the stands bled into their ears as she beckoned them forward.

It grew louder as they went out onto the field, Yuuri’s fingers shaking slightly as his feet hit the grass, each thud of his heart bringing him one step closer to the center of the pitch.

If you hadn’t spent so much time doing other things, maybe you’d be more prepared for the match. The little voice in Yuuri’s head was starting to annoy him more and more each time it made an appearance, so he stuffed it behind all his other worries, instinctively smiling as his name was announced.

Only a few seconds later, he had mounted his broom, and he waited for Madam Hooch’s command as she introduced the players. He spotted Yurio at the end of the line of emerald green and hoped things wouldn’t be awkward during Potions no matter the outcome of the match. Or rather, more awkward than they already were.

He must’ve missed the signal to go because it was only after seeing a blur of red next to him take off that his leg reflexively pushed off the ground. It carried him steadily into the air, although he was still a solid ten meters behind the others. An extra push of his broom leveled them out, and he carried himself farther, a safe hundred meters into the sky, flushed in embarrassment.

JJ had told him to catch the Snitch the moment he saw it, not wanting to drag the game out too long. That made his job easier, although it also meant he had to focus, which was difficult when he had so many thoughts festering in his mind.

“A fresh start from Eliot, and the Quaffle makes it through the hoop! Ten points to Slytherin!” Madam Hooch announced.

Yuuri took a quick look downward. Embarrassingly enough, he’d forgotten about Iris completely. However, it seemed she was doing well enough on her own, as she had the Quaffle again. This time, she was blocked by Takeshi, earning a groan of sympathy from most of the crowd, with only the Gryffindors cheering loudly.

A Bludger whacked Yuuri hard in the shoulder and he dived to the left, hearing JJ’s apologetic voice from behind him.

“Sorry, sorry, he hit it too fast at you…”

“It’s okay!” Yuuri called back over the wind, then set back to work in finding the Snitch. He cruised around the pitch, passing Yurio only once. Slytherin was at thirty points now, and Gryffindor at ten, which was only stressing him out more.

Last year, everything had been in slow motion and every second of his spare time had been dedicated to preparing for the match, but now he quite literally didn’t have the time. Not only was there extra work from his added elective, but it was O.W.L. year like Phichit and Mila had been so kind to remind him.

The professors didn’t seem to possess any drop of sympathy, and the work piled on faster and faster. There was a point where he fell asleep writing one of the three Transfiguration essays assigned on the same day and seriously relinquished all hope of getting an O.W.L. in that subject.

“Watch out, loser,” growled a voice a meter from his face.

Yuuri winced when he registered the blur that was Yurio speeding past him.

At first he thought a Bludger was coming toward him, but he spotted both of them down by the Chasers. Then, he watched Yurio crouched low on his broom, hand outstretched—

Yuuri gulped, throwing all of his weight toward the front of his broom and urging it forward, even though he knew there was no hope.

Yet Yurio only looked behind him and met his eyes, then straightened on his broom, guiding it the other way.

He was faking, Yuuri realized with a rush of relief. It might have been a blessing in disguise though because he spun around in newfound frustration, and his nose hit something cold. Blinking rapidly, he jetted his broom backward and reached up easily, grabbing the Snitch hovering by his face.

For a second, it seemed no one even saw him, and he wondered if he was actually going mad. But then he saw arms raise from the Hufflepuff section, and it soon spread. There were some shouts of anger from the Slytherin section, but then overwhelming applause and yells.

Yuuri hovered for a bit, and yet even as Madam Hooch’s whistle sounded and he turned his broom on autopilot to cruise back down to the center of the pitch, he felt numb. He had been lucky, and that was all.

Cheers upon cheers erupted, steadily growing, as if they saw him as some hero who had caught the Snitch within the first twenty minutes. Cheers upon cheers that he didn’t deserve.

***

“Well, I thought you were pretty good,” Viktor said, scribbling out the properties of Wolfsbane Potion on a piece of parchment.

Yuuri shrugged.

“How’s Yurio? He wasn’t in Potions,” he grumbled. Then, under his breath, added, “Which, of course, earned me extra homework, again.”

“Sulking over the match,” Viktor said, then spotted Yuuri’s face. “Oh, don’t feel bad. It’s all he ever does these days. I thought he was over his ‘I hate everyone’ phase, but it looks like he was just getting started. Can’t even hold a conversation with him these days.”

“Do you reckon it has to do with skipping a year?” Yuuri dropped his quill in resignation. “I noticed he felt like I was treating him like a little kid. It got me thinking maybe that’s what all the professors are doing now.”

“Maybe,” Viktor said. “Or maybe it’s because of Quidditch. I mean, he hasn’t caught the Snitch once since he became Seeker. I’d say it’s a combination of his fault and bad luck. I mean, he doesn’t have the best technique, but you’d assume he would have caught at least once by now.”

“That makes sense,” said Yuuri. “Or maybe he just feels stressed socially. All of his friends are older than him.”

“Wouldn’t that just make him feel cooler, then?” Viktor shrugged. “Kids are so difficult to understand. And pesky.”

“He’s only two years younger than you.” Yuuri smiled.

“Exactly.” Viktor finally looked up, setting his quill down in satisfaction. “Practically a baby.”

Yuuri shook his head in amusement. Why was it that everything Viktor said these days was making him smile?

“Anyway, I just hope he’s not beating himself up about it too much.” Yuuri caught a glance at the clock and began to pack his bag. He’d promised to meet Phichit for the second half of their free period.

“For the person you are, you seem to care a lot about other people’s feelings,” Viktor said from his chair just as Yuuri stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“It means.” Viktor followed his pursuit, getting up on his feet and walking him to the door. “You’re telling me about how Yurio shouldn’t stress out too much about missing the Snitch, and yet you’re the one talking yourself down because you almost didn’t catch it. Maybe you should take your own advice sometime.”

Yuuri stared at him, unsure of what to say. His eyes were flaring blue.

He cleared his throat.

“Er, yeah. I...I have to go.”

Viktor took a step back.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Yuuri repeated back to him, and opened the door, stepping outside. A moment later, he blurted out quickly, “To see Phichit, I mean. I promised I’d study with him.”

Viktor tilted his head slightly, the strands of grey hair caught on his nose, crevices of his left eye showing through. A slight wind swept through the corridor, and Yuuri bit his lip.

“I know,” Viktor said after an insufferably long amount of time. “You told me.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, shifting his bag on his shoulder. “Well, bye, then.”

Viktor raised his hand slightly and gave him a wave, the only prompt Yuuri needed to skitter down the halls. He made it down seven flights of stairs and finally toward the kitchens. It didn’t hit him how tense he was until the portrait of fruit tilted open and the warm air and smell of food wafted over. The stress diffused even more when he spotted Phichit sitting and talking to a house elf. The house elf hurried away as soon as he saw Yuuri enter.

“Sorry I’m late,” Yuuri said, dropping his heavy bag on the ground. “I got caught up in things.”

“Let me guess,” Phichit said with an amused expression that Yuuri couldn’t quite figure out. “You were with Viktor.”

Yuuri pulled out his History of Magic textbook, then paused, face under the table.

“How’d you know that?” He let the book fall onto the table.

Phichit’s lips pressed together in a smile that seemed like a secret just for them, except this time, Yuuri happened to not be in on the secret.

“Never mind that.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice, although Yuuri doubted the house elves would be the type to listen in and spread whatever secret he was about to spill. “Just tell me one thing.”

“What?” Yuuri pushed up his glasses before they could fall off his nose.

“So, you and—”

“Why is it so hot in here?”

The portrait swung open and Michele emerged, dumping his bag on the table next to them.

“That would be because of the massive fireplace,” Yuuri replied drily. He winced at how it came out and blamed it on his curiosity over what Phichit had been trying to say. He would just have to remember to ask him about it later.

“I forgot,” Phichit said loudly. “It’s okay that I invited Michele to study with us, right?”

“Of course.” Yuuri smiled, any frustration gone.

“Great!” Phichit said. “Anyway, I’ve been meaning to ask this since last class. Do either of you know what the significance of the International Warlock Convention of 1289 was? Because I swear the moment Professor Binns mentioned warlocks, which was about two minutes into class, I thought of this fantastic daydream plot. Actually, do you want to hear that instead?”

Yuuri set down his quill with a smile.

“History of Magic can wait,” agreed Michele.

“Excellent,” Phichit replied, sitting back. “So it all started when he mentioned the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards. Now the only word I heard was ‘medieval,’ but it got me thinking…”

***

Yuuri wasn’t sure what he was expecting from something called the Slug Club, although this certainly wasn’t it.

“Am I overdressed?” Chris asked casually, leaning against the banister of the staircase. He was in ruffled green dress robes, and Yuuri had to admire him—no one else could pull a look like that off.

Viktor wore only a plain white dress shirt, but his hair was styled more than usual and he looked effortlessly put together. The corners of his lips turned up as Chris spoke, and he met Yuuri’s eyes for a second, then looked away.

“I think you look great,” Mila said in a serious voice. Her eyes sparkled as she ushered him down the stairs. She was in a gold dress so short that Yuuri wasn’t sure if she was trying to intimidate or attract a date that night.

“Where’s Georgi?” Yuuri asked. On second thought, he added, “And Yurio?”

“They’re both not coming,” Viktor said, jumping over the trick step. “Georgi because he wanted to spend time with his beloved Anya, and Yurio because he’s a little shit.”

Mila gasped, horrified. “He is not.”

Chris roared with laughter, attracting glances from a group of first and second year girls who were dressed in large sweaters, clearly not on their way to Slughorn’s event. Two girls looked at each other and blushed deep red, then the whole group scurried away when they saw Yuuri looking at them.

“We look a bit out of place, don’t we?” Yuuri asked nervously. “I forgot not everyone knows about Slughorn’s parties.”

“Don’t worry, Yuuri.” Chris grinned. “You’ll get used to the fame soon enough.”

After a few more minutes of walking, they passed the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. They kept going down the hallway, with the flickering candles acting as the only source of light. Viktor, who was leading the way, stopped at the end in front of a pair of double doors which had a protruding slithering snake across the gap. He tapped his wand on the doorknob, waiting a few seconds before it swung open on its own.

Inside was a dimly lit banquet hall, glowing green lanterns floating from the ceiling. Most of the students were coupled off and swaying back and forth to the strangely familiar music that seemed to be coming from the other side. A few turned to look at them as they entered and Yuuri hoped he wouldn’t see anyone he knew, feeling severely underdressed in his black dress shirt and pants.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Mila whispered from his side. “This is his highest budget meeting the whole year. His wages aren’t great enough to host extravagant parties every other month.”

Suddenly, Viktor fell back between them, leaving Chris to lead the four of them.

“Merlin’s beard,” he muttered, quiet enough so only their little group could hear. “I think I hooked up with both of those girls this summer and it appears they’re friends.”

He nodded toward two blondes, one in a red velvet dress, a high slit cut on the side, and the other who wore a frilly rose gold gown with a pearl necklace and elegant white gloves—an outfit that looked like it belonged in the twentieth century.

Mila whacked his arm disapprovingly, or so Yuuri assumed judging from his wince of pain.

Meanwhile, Chris approached both of the girls without a falter in his step, throwing a wink behind his shoulder at Viktor.

“So that’s why you were too busy to answer my letters this summer,” Mila complained as they found a table for four.

“I was doing other things, too,” Viktor protested. He grabbed a drink from the passing house elf.

“Sure,” Mila replied, wrinkling her nose.

“How was your love life this summer?” Viktor asked in a knowing voice. He took a sip of firewhisky, eyebrows raised over the glass.

“Don’t,” warned Mila in a dangerous voice. It was too dark to tell for sure, but Yuuri assumed she was glaring at him, still sensitive about Sara’s new relationship.

“Why I wasn’t even talking to you, Mila.” Viktor sniffed dramatically, then turned so he was facing him. “Any romantic escapades this summer, Yuuri?”

Yuuri was glad it was too dark for anyone to see the flush spreading across his cheeks.

“Er,” he started.

He was saved graciously by Slughorn, who was wearing a robe that made Chris’s look like a tablecloth.

“You three made it.” He paused by their table, a glass of Butterbeer hovering by his chest. “Katsuki, how are you enjoying the banquet?”

So he can be formal when he wants, Yuuri thought, but instead said, “It’s very fancy. I’ve never been to anything quite this elaborate before, sir.”

That was a lie, of course. Viktor’s party last Christmas had been much more sophisticated. Nonetheless, it seemed to be exactly what Slughorn wanted to hear, and he hummed in approval, moving along.

A moment later, a well-dressed seventh year that Yuuri recognized as Graham Kolar—one of the Chasers on the Ravenclaw team—took the empty seat.

After eyeing Mila up and down for a plain second, he extended his hand graciously, asking if she’d like to dance.

Mila made the quickest of faces to Yuuri and Viktor before pretending to think about it, then getting up. The two disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

“And just like that, we’ve been ditched,” Viktor said, downing the firewhisky. “Do you want to walk around?”

Although he didn’t, Yuuri shrugged and found his legs complying. He followed Viktor through the dance floor, his heart beating a little faster than usual.

“Excuse me.” A girl in a dress even shorter than Mila’s grabbed Yuuri’s hand and he retracted quickly like he’d touched ice. He saw Viktor stop to wait in the corner of his eye.

“Is your friend single?” she asked. She was loud enough for Viktor to hear, but kept her eyes fixed on Yuuri.

“Er.” Yuuri took a few steps back. “I’m not sure.”

She let out a heavy sigh like it was the most inconvenient thing in the world, but instead of asking Viktor herself, she slunk away into the crowd.

“You’re not sure?” Viktor asked, clearly amused. He grabbed Yuuri’s hand, pulling him into the mass of moving bodies. “Don’t you think I’d tell you if I was dating someone?”

Yuuri flushed, but with a stroke of bravery, retorted, “You didn’t mention any girls over the summer.”

Viktor simply smiled, taking his other hand as well and guiding them to the back of his neck. Yuuri’s throat dried as he felt the space between the soft strands of Viktor’s hair and the cuff of his shirt. They swayed back and forth casually, Viktor’s lithe fingers framing his hips.

Perhaps one glass of firewhisky was already too much for Viktor to drink.

“They didn’t mean anything,” he said in a low voice. “I was only having fun.”

Even if he had said it intending to comfort Yuuri, it only did the opposite. It was in times like these that he remembered Viktor would be seventeen in just a few months, despite only being in his fifth year. How was he supposed to tell if anything they did was just ‘having fun’ or not?

Not that you’re doing anything. He felt his own fingers stiffen in response.

“You’re not...mad, are you?” Viktor asked, taking his silence as disapproval.

“No,” Yuuri said a little too quickly. He’s not yours, he reminded himself calmly, he can do whatever he wants. “Just curious.”

“You’re not upset with Mila, though.” Viktor refused to drop the topic, and they continued swaying back and forth, even as the song changed. “For taking a dance when her heart so clearly belongs to someone else. She’s not even into guys at all.”

“Oh,” Yuuri responded numbly. “I thought she was at least bi or something.”

“Nope.” Viktor laughed lightly. “She dated one guy once and decided pretty quickly they were better off being friends. Why did you think that?”

“Dunno. I guess I just know more people who are bi than gay.” He shrugged, although he knew Viktor couldn’t see under the dim green lights.

“Are you?”

Yuuri nearly choked, hating himself for setting up the question perfectly. But he was rather curious, and there was a fair chance Viktor would drink too much to remember anything the next morning, so...

“Are you?”

Viktor seemed unphased, although his fingers dug a little deeper into Yuuri’s hips.

“First my hookups, and now my sexuality? Why are you so interested in my dating life, Katsuki Yuuri?” He spoke in a low, teasing voice, but it was enough to send Yuuri back to not speaking.

After twenty seconds more of silence apart from the thrumming music and background chatter, Viktor finally spoke.

“I like both,” he said. “I’m bisexual.”

Something dangerous threatened to break out of Yuuri’s chest, but instead, he matched Viktor’s even tone.

“Me too,” he said. “I’m bi, I mean.” Not that there was anything else he would be referring to, but he couldn’t take the long silences between everything Viktor said. At least it was a change to his quickfire, witty responses that Yuuri had grown used to.

“Hmm.”

Hmm?

“Dance with me,” Viktor murmured, pulling him a little closer and wrapping his arms around him. Yuuri could feel his hands meeting at the small of his back.

“I am dancing with you.” He swallowed, barely audible.

“I know,” Viktor said, even softer than Yuuri had been. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”

***

“I’m so glad it’s Friday tomorrow,” Iris said. “I can’t wait to go to Hogsmeade!” She looked sideways as if she expected Yuuri to react just as enthusiastically.

“Er, yeah,” he replied, noticing her glance. “It should be really fun, I guess.”

“I haven’t been there in forever it seems.” She settled back into her chair. “Mum only brought me in August before school started, but it’s not the same as when you go with all of your friends.”

Despite not ever going to Hogsmeade alone, Yuuri could see what she meant. He couldn’t imagine grabbing a Butterbeer by himself or seeing the pubs and shops without bustling students.

“I agree,” he said a bit plainly, forcing himself to come up with more of an answer to avoid the awkward silence that she was always so eager to fill. “I went with my friends last year and I can’t imagine going with anyone else.”

Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say because she suddenly sat up straight. She set her wand down as a bookmark between pages 690 and 691 of The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts, as if whatever she was about to say or do required all of her energy.

“I actually wanted to ask you something, Yuuri.” She said his name lightly, and she widened her soft brown eyes.

He forced himself to look at her.

“Yes?” He put as much disinterest into the word as possible without coming off as rude. He had a suspicion this would be a game he’d be playing quite a lot over the next year.

“You said you couldn’t imagine going to Hogsmeade with anyone but your friends, but maybe since we’re partners and friends, we could go together. Just the two of us. Oh!” she squealed, putting her hands together. “And maybe we could go to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop!”

“Oh,” Yuuri said delicately, about to open his mouth and decline before a thought tickled the back of his mind. Haven't you always wanted to be desired? At least give her a chance. It was right, he supposed. Whatever had happened with Viktor that night was forgotten in the depths of the following early morning. They had gone back to their easy friendship, and Yuuri had to wonder if Viktor even remembered anything.

Why he was even thinking of Viktor when he had nothing to do with the conversation, he wasn’t sure.

So he gave her the biggest smile he could muster. “Sure, Iris. That would be fun.”

“Great!” She beamed and this time, he only felt a flash of guilt. “It’s a date, then!”

Yuuri winced at the sound of that but gave her an encouraging nod. It wasn’t like they were actually dating or anything, and she probably just wanted to get to know him better. And they certainly weren’t going to start dating. Maybe she’d turn out to be more interesting at Hogsmeade and he wouldn’t regret saying yes.

***

“I can’t believe you’re going on a date,” Michele said enviously. “And she’s a Quidditch player, too.”

“Our little boy is all grown up.” Phichit sniffed dramatically and Yuuri shook them both off laughing, but his stomach remained tight. He wasn’t nervous, so what was it? And—should he be nervous?

“It’s not a date,” he sighed, knowing full well Iris had called it so.

“Yuuri!” a voice squealed, and he was forced to turn, spotting Iris. She was dressed in a red coat with gold buttons and black leggings.

“Hi,” he replied, walking over to her. Immediately, his mind went blank—and not in a starstruck way. “Er...it’s cold, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes.” Iris smiled, looking enraptured already, although it was possibly the most boring thing he could’ve said. “My hands are freezing.”

Yuuri turned around to see if Phichit and Michele were still there to chaff him, but there was just a bustle of people through the snow-lacking streets of Hogsmeade.

After a moment, he realized it was uncharacteristically silent considering he was with Iris. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was saying my hand was cold.” She frowned as they made their way toward Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. “Maybe you should hold it.”

At this, Yuuri choked on the cold air, leaving him hacking up one big cough before looking at her in surprise. Her hand was outstretched, small and pink in the November air.

“Okay,” he agreed pitifully, not sure what else there was to say. She took his hand happily, weaving her fingers in between his. It didn’t feel very nice, if he was being honest. Was this what hand-holding was supposed to feel like it? He had a hard time believing that, seeing as it was something people enjoyed doing.

As they approached Madam Puddifoot’s, Yuuri found himself walking faster and faster, trying to avoid the stares of passing students. When they finally stepped into the warm shop, Yuuri let out a breath of relief.

Iris finally loosened and dropped her clutch on his hand, and he, in turn, scanned the shop, hoping there would be no one he knew around.

To his absolute horror, he spotted Riley and Sara in the back, snogging most graphically. They had been sitting in a two-person booth, but it appeared Sara had gone to sit on Riley’s lap, and now her hair was dangerously close to dipping into the untouched coffee sitting on their table.

“What do you want?” Iris asked, surveying the menu with vague interest.

“Oh.” Yuuri glanced up and picked the first thing he saw, an almond croissant. Then, a terrible thought came to his mind. Was he supposed to pay? She was already digging out her purse, and he didn’t want her to go telling all of her friends how he was a horrible date.

“I’ll pay,” he said quickly, and she flushed, a smile in her eyes as she shut the clasp on her purse like she’d been expecting it the whole time.

“Wow, thank you.” She batted her eyes. “I’ll have a Butterbeer and a biscuit.”

She bounced on her feet as Yuuri ordered and reluctantly handed over eight Knuts. Much to his relief, they found a table on the opposite side of the shop as Riley and Sara. The two had now resorted to moving their hands all over one another like they’d never see each other again. Even Yuuri was starting to get sickened at the sight, and he had no feelings for either of them—Mila’s disgust was becoming less and less unreasonable.

“So I was telling my friend, Marlene,” Iris said, and Yuuri forced himself to pay attention, rationing out small bites of his croissant. “‘I’m going on this date today, but I don’t know what to wear!’ And of course, she decided to help me out, because that’s what good friends do.” She giggled at that.

“Mhm,” Yuuri said vaguely, losing his focus on her glass of Butterbeer.

“She told me she’d pick out an outfit for today, so once I got out of the bath, I went to my bed expecting a perfect look.” She lowered her voice, energized by her own story. “And Yuuri, it was terrible!”

“Oh.” Yuuri was starting to wish he’d gotten a cup of tea too. Not that he was particularly a big fan of tea, and not because they were at a tea shop, but more because it would’ve given him something to do besides listen to Iris. “Wow.”

“The buttons on my jacket didn’t even match my necklace! The shirt she picked was one of those ugly oversized Christmas sweaters, and I’ve never seen it before in my life. I think she might’ve stolen it from one of our roommates.” She laughed.

Buttons on a coat? Who cares about that? Surely all girls weren’t like this, Yuuri thought; after all, Mila was quite nice and always had interesting things to say.

“Anyway,” Iris went on, noticing his silence. “After we sorted out the outfit fiasco”—Yuuri made a noise in the back of his throat—“she asked me about you.”

“Oh?” She had his attention now, and he sat up straighter. If there was one thing he wanted to find out today, it was exactly what her intentions were.

“I told her you were incredible.”

Yuuri couldn’t quite tell why he wasn’t excited. After all, he’d been waiting his whole life to hear that type of validation, that someone saw him as more than a friend, and appreciated every bit of him. He gave her a small smile, but it felt all wrong.

“She said she didn’t quite get that,” Iris continued. “So I told her all about it. How you make me feel.”

There was a pit in Yuuri’s stomach that was sinking lower and lower. What had he gotten himself into? But he just tilted his head and listened.

“I asked her if she’d ever gotten excited about someone. It’s hard to explain, but...you know when you see someone and your whole body lights up? And you’re not quite sure how it happened because you didn’t ever think of them in that way, really, and then suddenly, everything clicks. And after that revelation, you start to see that everything about them is perfect, even the things you didn’t like before. You know? And it just hits you hard and makes you think wow, this person is all I’ve ever wanted. How could I have not seen it before?”

And somehow, he knew.

Chapter Text

“I don’t remember it being this cold last year,” Mila said. She hugged herself through her thin robes, her scarlet and gold tie flapping in the wind.

“I don’t even remember last year,” Chris said, finally turning into an empty row near the very top of the Quidditch pitch.

Yuuri’s ears were already reaching their threshold and the match hadn’t started yet. He too was shivering, although he had been a bit more sensible and had brought a coat to go over his robes. Still, he had a feeling his fingers and ears would be frozen by the time the game was over. He slid into the row right next to Viktor who was, of course, wearing designer winter apparel.

“Bleh.” Mila, two people away, made a face and jerked her thumb back at Georgi and Anya who had not paused after sitting down and were snogging passionately.

How they thought a loud Quidditch game with hundreds of students was romantic, Yuuri wasn’t sure.

“You’re just mad because you’re single,” Chris said with a smirk.

“Vik-Viktor’s single too,” she chattered, drawing her fingers into the arms of her robes.

“True. But Viktor’s probably not disgusted.” Chris turned. “Are you, Viktor?”

“I am not,” Viktor declared, snowflakes catching on his pale lips as he spoke. “I am beyond delighted by my friend’s newfound romance.”

Chris grinned triumphantly, Mila snorted, and Yuuri smiled.

“Well I know someone who’s single and most certainly appalled by Georgi’s never-ending public display of affection,” Mila said. “He’s short, blond, a bit of a pain in the ass but we all love him any—”

“Yurio is not single,” Chris burst out in a laugh. “Might I remind you…”

It had become a bit of a joke among the four of them—well, five, when Georgi wasn’t with Anya, which was becoming pretty rare—that Yurio and Otabek were secretly a couple. Their teasing had only increased a few days ago when they found out Otabek had gotten sick and by the evening, Yurio was too (“A bit suspicious, isn’t it?” Viktor had announced gleefully).

“Ladies and gentlemen.” Madam Hooch’s voice spread around, forcing the conversation to whispers.

“Today is the second Inter-House Quidditch match of the year, in which Ravenclaw will be playing Hufflepuff.”

“Psst, Yuuri!”

He felt a poke on his arm and his stomach coiled in dread.

“Hey, Iris,” he whispered, hoping Viktor wouldn’t feel him pull away. He took one look at her petite face and mousy brown hair, already frizzy from the snow and wind, then glanced back down the row.

Georgi, Anya, Mila, and Chris were all staring at them as if they were an exhibit. Viktor, notably, was looking pointedly at the back of a Ravenclaw poster a few rows ahead of them as if he could cause it to burn if he stared long and hard enough. He probably could, Yuuri thought a second later.

“This year, the Ravenclaw team is led by Captain Margaret Vardo, Beater alongside Eleanora Cuyper. Keeping is Luca Vesely, and Graham Kolar, Ailill Zaal, and Riley Cabello are the Chasers!”

She must have called Sara’s name, although it couldn’t be heard over the explosion of cheers from Riley’s name.

“Hi.” Iris frowned and scooted down next to him. “I heard it was your birthday a few days ago! Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve gotten you something!”

“Oh.” Several excuses flashed through Yuuri’s head before he decided to settle for the half-truth. “I didn’t really celebrate it this year and I didn’t want any presents. I figured it didn’t matter if I mentioned it a few days late.”

For a second, she looked like she might be upset. Yuuri prayed she wouldn’t, and after a few long seconds, she smiled like she’d already forgotten about it. “Okay. I’ll remember for next year, though!”

“Good to know.” Yuuri swallowed and turned back to the game, willing for her to quiet down.

“Ian Hughes is the captain of the Hufflepuff team!” Madam Hooch called. “Beater along with Adriana Goldsmith. Chasers are Phichit Chulanont, Kimberly Baker, and Charles Hawes! The Keeper, continuing from last year, is Rosaline Lin, and twin brother of the Ravenclaw Seeker is Michele CRISPINO!”

The players flew forward as soon as Madam Hooch gave the word, although they looked a little amusing dressed in chunky robes contrary to the usual sleek Quidditch wear. Yuuri suspected it had been a last-minute change caused by the snow that had started falling that morning, and he was eternally grateful that Gryffindor’s next game wasn’t until the beginning of March.

Immediately, Ravenclaw had gotten a hold of the Quaffle and Iris cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting her support past her big floppy mittens.

Mila’s look turned poisonous and Chris looked like he was trying not to laugh. Viktor was still staring at the Ravenclaw poster and Yuuri was starting to become concerned for its safety.

The snow was whirling around, gathering and becoming thicker and thicker. By now, Yuuri had to squint to see, and Mila’s robes were completely soaked. Someone scored, but even with the bright canary and cobalt, it appeared no one could tell who, so a half-hearted cheer came from the crowd. Yuuri bit on his chapped lips and tried to wipe his glasses, but it was useless.

Suddenly, he felt someone curl around his right arm and he remembered Iris was sitting next to him. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement and her hair looked almost white as it was covered in snow.

For a strange moment, Yuuri noticed that she was rather very pretty. Despite her plain features, they came together nicely, and happiness radiated from her.

Then the twinge of annoyance came back and he tried to draw his arm closer to himself so she would get the hint and pull away. Instead, she snuggled into him further.

“Cabello scores again!” Madam Hooch called, and Yuuri bit back his disappointment. Last year the Hufflepuffs had only won one game and he had hated seeing how upset Phichit and Michele had been.

By the time Ravenclaw scored again, the snow was so thick that he could barely see the row in front of them, and Anya’s face looked hazy.

“Ouch! The Seekers have collided—or not?!” Although he couldn’t see her, Yuuri could imagine Madam Hooch craning her neck up in confusion.

“A valiant effort from Baker...unfortunately the hoops are ten meters to the left, but it’s hard to see in these conditions.”

Yuuri swallowed a worried noise, taking off his glasses to wipe them again and turning to Viktor next to him, trying to ignore Iris. The Ravenclaw poster that had earlier been the target of his vision was now being used as a roof for the student.

“Can you tell who’s win—”

“Time out!” Madam Hooch yelled, and conversation took over immediately.

“I can’t see anything,” complained Mila. “It’s either because of the snow or my eyes have frozen over and I’m going blind.”

“Who do you reckon’s going to win?” Chris asked. Like Viktor, his coat was stylish but thin, and his nose was a light shade of pink from the cold. The emerald hue in his hat brought out the green of his eyes, which Yuuri thought was rather nice—although he had always preferred blue eyes for whatever reason.

“Probably Ravenclaw,” muttered Mila. Then in a sad voice, she added, “Sara’s really good. Better than her brother, at least. Sorry, Yuuri.”

“You can’t still be moping over Sara.” Chris frowned. “There’s plenty of fish in the sea, dear. And you’re one hell of a catch. You know, if you weren’t gay…”

“Do you not want Ravenclaw to win?” Yuuri asked, not wanting to hear what Chris was about to hypothetically offer while Iris was wrapped up next to him.

“No.” Mila scowled, having seemed to have taken Chris’s gentle scolding seriously. “If they were going to earn my respect, they’d first have to stop being so snotty. I’d hate it if they won.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure if she was just mad at Riley for dating Sara, or if she was mad at Sara too. Every so often, she’d get a wistful, sad look on her face after scorning Sara. He wondered what made her feel the need to be rude when she clearly still liked her.

“I hope Ravenclaw is winning,” Iris said in a superior tone from his side. “Hufflepuff is too easy of a match and I want to play a real team.”

Yuuri’s brain almost stopped working.

It was Viktor, who had remained silent for almost twenty minutes, that spoke. “Last I remember, Hufflepuff beat you last year. I’m not sure how much that says about them, because Yuri Plisetsky is the only person on the Slytherin team with real talent, but I don’t think it’s fitting for you to say such things when you’re not any better.”

If he hadn’t been so cold, Yuuri’s jaw would’ve dropped wide open. Chris’s eyes were darting imperceptibly between the three of them, his dark eyebrows drawn together.

Iris’s grip on Yuuri’s arm went still. She stared wide-eyed at Viktor, and Yuuri found himself, in a sort of selfish way, admiring how dark Viktor’s eyes were as he stared her down.

After a pause that felt as if it stretched on for minutes, Yuuri realized everyone was waiting for him to be the peacemaker.

Right. Iris was with him.

“Hey,” he said hastily. “We can all like different teams, right? And I’m sure Iris was just joking…” No one seemed to be budging. “The same way we all make fun of the other teams. It’s naturally a part of liking Quidditch.” He swallowed the sour taste in his mouth, wanting nothing more than to be on Viktor’s side. He was right, after all—it was a rude thing to say, much more than simple teasing, and Phichit was his friend as well. Or was he just agreeing with Viktor because he was...well, Viktor?

“I, for one, am an international Quidditch player, and I would never say such a nasty and immature thing toward another team,” Viktor said in the iciest voice Yuuri had heard yet, then turned away with his jaw set out strongly.

This time, Yuuri had nothing to say.

“‘Scuse us,” Georgi muttered. He and Anya had apparently not heard the conversation, or they had chosen to forget it had ever happened like Yuuri was strongly considering doing. They shuffled along the bleachers, and Yuuri leaned back, taking the opportunity to reflect on how much he hated the moment.

“It’s so cold,” Anya murmured dreamily. Her bare hand, however, was clutching Georgi’s rather than resting in her pocket, so Yuuri had a feeling she wasn’t that cold. That, or she was willing to get frostbite for the comforts of love.

With a sudden motion, Viktor stood.

“There’s no use in staying any longer when I have two feet of Potions work waiting for me in the Slytherin common room.” He swept his grey scarf behind his long black coat and ran a hand through his hair before following Georgi and Anya out of the row and heading down to exit the pitch.

Iris, who had been silent through the exchange, suddenly let go of Yuuri’s arm. He lost the warmth he hadn’t realized he’d been appreciating when she stood up, dusting her pants off with great dignity.

“I think I should get going.” She met his eyes only. “I’ll see you later, Yuuri.”

“Oh,” he replied dumbly. Five minutes ago he would’ve been relieved, but now he just felt the guilt seeping through him. When had he become that type of person? “Yeah. I’ll see you in Defense Against the Dark Arts on Monday.”

But she had already turned and was climbing down the stairs, disappearing into the snow.

There was a beat of apparent silence, while the game raged on.

“Katsuki Yuuri,” drawled Chris from beside him. “When I first met you, I didn’t realize you’d be a heartbreaker.”

Yuuri frowned. Sure, he felt guilty, but he didn’t realize he’d been so rude everyone could see through it.

“I’ll talk to her on Monday,” he said. “I’ll explain I didn’t mean to come off like that and I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Chris just gave him a sympathetic smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I wasn’t talking about her.”

***

Ravenclaw ended up winning the match, as Iris had hoped. She gushed about in Defense Against the Dark Arts the next week before Yuuri could even apologize. It seemed any tension or awkwardness had been erased over the rest of the weekend, and he was relieved. It was nice to have a friend who didn’t hold grudges.

Despite the mini victory that week, the weather only got worse and worse, leaving no good time to practice Quidditch. Eventually, JJ temporarily canceled the weekly practices until the weather got better, where they were to “work twice as hard.” Yuuri found himself inching toward winter break, telling himself that he was almost there as each week went by.

On top of all the pre-O.W.L. coursework, he was falling sick, probably karma for making fun of Yurio and Otabek. Already he was feeling the side effects, losing all motivation to study and staying in bed for hours on end. He got a note from Iris that he preferred to forget the sappy contents of, and a house elf (sent by Phichit) delivered him tea for several days in a row.

With a rolling stomach and a nose that was either stuffed or dripping uncontrollably, Yuuri skipped three days of classes and only really talked to Otabek and JJ when they weren’t in class. It was one of the few times he despised the rule about not going to other dormitories, for he was growing lonely confined to his bed.

Thankfully, Otabek was consistently bringing him what he was missing in class, which meant he was actually on top of schoolwork for the first time. The moment December twenty-first came, he would be able to hop onto his flight to Japan to see his family again without any assignments weighing on his mind.

As soon as the weather cleared up and practices resumed, JJ took to telling him what he missed in practice. It was starting to drive Yuuri mad, although he knew the captain meant well. Every description of flying had him itching to get up and get moving, but he knew if he tried, the contents of his stomach would be hurled over his maroon bed sheets.

Finally, on the last day before break, Yuuri was able to make it to class, sitting down next to Iris. The holiday spirit was compelling him to be nicer, so he gave her a big smile when she turned to him.

“We’ve got to exchange presents before you leave!” she exclaimed excitedly, and a pit of dread formed in his stomach.

It was worth a try, he supposed.

“Oh, maybe we could do it after I get back? I-I was going to get you something in Japan,” he lied.

“Sure.” She beamed as if this only excited her more.

That was the problem with Iris, he decided. No matter what he did, she kept coming back.

Yurio shot Yuuri a look, conveying more disgust than any normal person could manage out in conversation.

“Back to work, Plisetsky,” said Professor Slughorn. “I know the holidays are almost here, but if we don’t get this counter-jinx down before class lets out, you’re all going to have to practice it over break, and I don’t want angry owls from your parents…”

***

Yuuri wasn’t sure what felt different the moment his eyes flew open. Then everything registered—that he was on a plane going back to Japan, that the pilot was on the intercom telling everyone to buckle their seatbelts because they were descending, and that he could breathe clearly for the first time in what felt like forever.

He gazed at his reflection in the small television and let a small smile spread onto his face. His stomach felt fine—better than ever, really—and any trace of sickness had disappeared during his twelve-hour nap.

A good start, he thought, suddenly elated. And I get to see my family in less than an hour.

That was the thought he kept with him as he got off the bustling plane, grabbing his luggage as quickly as he could. He would have much rathered to Floo powder over, but his parents were yet to secure the family fireplace and he didn’t know anyone nearby in Japan well enough to ask, so he opted for the Muggle transportation. It was what he had grown up with, anyway, so he didn’t mind too much. His lips curled up at the thought of Viktor or another one of his Pure-blooded friends using such exotic forms of travel, and he wondered how they would react.

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri whirled around, spotting his parents on the far side of the airport with ease. Hoping not to attract too much attention but also drawn by them, he half-walked, half-ran toward them. He stopped short, resisting the urge to barrel into their arms by smiling with as much warmth as he could.

“Hi,” he said shyly. Then, “Where’s Mari?”

While he loved his parents, he was closest to Mari. She knew him better than anyone else in the whole country and had been his one real friend until he’d left for Hogwarts. She’d gone to Australia the same year to study, and he hadn’t even seen her over the summer because she’d been traveling with her boyfriend. Seeing her again was long overdue.

It had been too long. Already, all the things he couldn’t wait to tell her were building up inside him.

“She’s arriving tomorrow.” His mother smiled. “Should we head back to the house?”

It was within walking distance, but as soon as they stepped out, Yuuri couldn’t help but feel out of place in the country he’d grown up in.

During the summer, he’d been busy helping out, so most of his time had been spent indoors or in the hot springs that his parents ran. Outside in the street for the first time in a while, he felt like a tourist.

When did that happen?

As he walked through the front door and his parents shut it behind him, something immediately felt off.

“Where’s Vicchan?” He bit his lip, expecting his beloved dog to run up to him at the sound of the door. Even the name sounded odd now, after meeting and becoming friends with the boy he’d named him after.

“Oh.” His mother’s face fell. “He’s just at the vet getting a checkup. We dropped him off right before we went to pick you up. We thought you’d be fine without him for a few hours today. After all, it’s almost dark.”

Hating to see his parents upset, Yuuri kicked himself internally. Why did he feel so...strange? “It’s okay. I was just surprised.”

“We were going to make cookies, like the old times,” his father started cautiously. “Gingerbread and orange white chocolate. Yours and Mari’s favorites. That way she’ll be able to grab some when she arrives tomorrow. Would you like to join us?”

It was so incredibly formal, yet what Yuuri should’ve expected. If there was one thing he’d learned returning to Hasetsu after nine months of not seeing his family, it was how much he’d magnified them. Maybe it was because he had been so alone back in Japan that their love seemed all he needed, but meeting his friends at Hogwarts had made him realize just how alone he felt. Maybe he had cherished that type of love before, but now it felt barren.

“Okay.” He swallowed. “I’d like to see my room first, though, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.” His mother smiled quickly. “Just come down whenever you’re ready. We’ll be making the dough.”

Yuuri padded upstairs, opening the door to his modest room, the last rays of light fading onto his orange bedspread. The walls looked bare still, even though it had been months since he’d taken all but one of his posters of Viktor off the wall. He just didn’t have the heart to take down the signed one.

It had been strange to go to bed staring at pictures of his friend, but he figured he could keep at least one. Either way, they weren’t the same as before. They were Viktor of course, but they weren’t Viktor.

Yuuri dropped his bag and reached under his bed for the posters he had been unable to throw away. No matter how many times he’d run out before the sun rose, holding them over the recycle bin, he could never tell himself to let go. 

Paging through, Yuuri stopped at one poster that pictured Viktor flattened down on a broom, his once long hair tied in a ponytail that was coming undone. He had a hardened look on his face, one that he put on in competition and Yuuri was yet to see in person.

Viktor had always been an idol for Yuuri, too far in the sky to reach. Even when he’d been given the chance, like when he’d seen him for the first time at Hogwarts, there was an emotional barrier.

Now, he was one of his closest friends. The face Viktor put on for posters and games was foreign to Yuuri, having spent so much time getting to know his real side.

Stop it, he reprimanded himself. Last holiday break he had spent his time with Viktor, but only because his family had been visiting his sister and he had felt odd joining in. This year he was lucky to be with them, and he wasn’t going to waste his break thinking about what he could be doing with Viktor.

A bitter taste passed through his mouth for a second. He wondered if the other boy would be spending Christmas with any of their friends. Maybe Mila or Chris or Georgi.

It was an effort to push any unwarranted jealousy away, although he preferred not to think about the less favorable situation either: Viktor spending his birthday and the holidays alone, stuck with his detached parents.

As Yuuri’s eyes cast his room, he noticed how much emptier it felt. After a prolonged moment, he realized it was Vicchan’s bed that was missing.

Pushing the posters back away, Yuuri got up and headed downstairs, forcing himself to cheer up.

“Mum,” he called halfheartedly. The smell of sweet spices hit his nose, and he wasn’t sure if it was the nostalgia or the fact that he hadn’t been able to smell for a week, but he almost teared up.

“Yes?” She turned around, her short hair tied in a ponytail. She had one arm around the bowl that his father was mixing.

“Did you move Vicchan’s bed?” he asked, feeling a little childish. “I noticed it wasn’t there.”

“Oh, Yuuri,” she said. “I moved it to the back of the house. I thought he might get lonely always going in there to sleep when you’re not there.”

But it’s always been in my room, Yuuri thought stupidly, you can’t just move it.

“That makes sense.” He tried swallowing away the strange feeling that had been pressing on his throat since he’d boarded the flight to Japan. “Can I help with the cookies?”

“Of course.” This time it was his dad who spoke. He handed him the spatula. “Would you mix this up for me? I’m going to check the oven.”

This was home, Yuuri told himself repeatedly as he watched the flour, sugar, and eggs blend into one and go around in the bowl. He was going to enjoy the weeks he had in Japan and stop getting so upset over everything that had changed in the short time he’d been gone.

His parents, his sister, the city, and Vicchan’s bed were all small differences he wouldn’t have been concerned about two years ago. Really, the only thing that had changed was him.

Yet still, beyond his newfound maturity and friends, something felt off.

***

Yuuri was walking down the stairs, already feeling much fresher than the leaden night before when a loud voice came from the bottom.

“There he is!”

“Mari!” he exclaimed, forgetting himself and throwing himself into her arms. She smelled of smoke, a new hobby she’d taken up over her time away—one that he wasn’t too fond of.

“Little brother.” She grinned and pulled away. “You’ve got another friend who wants to see you too.” She looked to the open door and Yuuri followed her gaze.

“Vicchan!” he called out and watched his mother let more lead onto the leash.

He buried his face into his poodle’s neck and smiled against Vicchan’s soft curls. He smelled like the vet and medication, but he was still jumping up and down and licking Yuuri’s face.

“I missed you,” he cooed, pulling his ears up and letting them flop down like he had done almost every day of his life with Vicchan.

“We were going to head out to Nanatsugama and I thought we could bring Vicchan.” His mother handed him the leash as Yuuri stood up, still smiling down at his dog.

“We were there when we were little. Did you know that, Yuuri?” Mari reached down to give Vicchan a friendly pat. “I only remember the cliffs and the blue ocean.”

“There are markets, too,” Yuuri’s father said, grabbing a light coat and stepping outside. It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and there wasn’t a trace of snow on the ground, despite it being the day before Christmas Eve.

“That’s where we’re heading first.” Yuuri’s mum shut the door behind them. “After we get something to eat, we can go to the most popular spot, which is what you remember, Mari. The ocean is beautiful, and there’s even a hike that goes up on the cliffs to give a better view.”

“And Mum promised we could go to Hado Misaki later in the day. Supposedly they got snow and the water is frozen over there.”

“What about the springs?” Yuuri asked, pulling Vicchan along as they walked down the path to the bus stop.

“I got Minako to take over for the day. She should get over in a few hours,” his mother said as the gravel crunched underneath their shoes. “Today’s all about you.”

***

Despite living near the ocean for most of his life, Yuuri wasn’t a fan of seafood. So when the intense smell of fish hit his nose, he almost stopped walking. After a relatively short bus ride, they’d finally reached the markets.

The sound of conversation and birds ahead filled his ears, the staggering coast to the left. Mari was right, the ocean was a deep blue, and the waves reflected the sunlight, making it almost blinding.

“I know you haven’t had breakfast yet, Yuuri, but I thought we could grab lunch here,” his mum offered. “And get something for Vicchan too.”

Vicchan was on the edge of his leash on his hind legs, begging for food from a vendor. Yuuri laughed, his heart lightening at the sight. He pulled on the leash, apologizing.

“Ooh, we could go over there!” Mari pointed farther down at a large stand with a huge display of sushi. Across from it, there were tables overlooking the ocean.

She slung her arm around Yuuri and smiled down at him. At least that was what it felt like. She was only a centimeter taller than him, but he’d always see her as his big sister.

“Enjoying your day so far, Yuuri?”

“I am.” Yuuri smiled, not even meaning for his eyes to flick toward Vicchan who was tugging on his bright blue leash. “It’s nice to be home. Strange, but nice.”

“Mum wanted to just stay home for the time that you were going to be here, you know,” Mari said, a little quieter as they made their way down. “I got here early this morning and talked her out of it. I figured you’d be all weird with nothing to do.”

“I would be,” Yuuri said. It was scary how well Mari knew him. He wasn’t sure how she was able to predict how he’d feel when even he hadn’t known. “It was how I felt last night. But now, it’s...a new day. And everything’s back to normal.”

“Good to know.” She flashed him a grin and took away her arm. “By the way, you never got to tell me about Hogwarts. And Vik—”

“Is this the one, Mari?” they heard from behind.

Mari stuck her tongue out at Yuuri, and they fell back in line with their parents.

“Let’s get that!” She pointed at a full plate of vegetable rolls, Yuuri’s favorite. “Oh, and the one with squid!”

Smiling, Yuuri pulled Vicchan close and told them he would go find a seat while they ordered.

“That’s a beautiful dog you have there,” said an older boy, cleaning up a table for four. “I’m just leaving, by the way—you can have this.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri said, becoming shy immediately. He let Vicchan out a little more, and the boy knelt to pet him. “And thanks for the table too.”

He just grinned and squinted against the light. “Is that your girlfriend you were walking with?”

Typical, Yuuri thought. Mari always had people asking about her.

“No, she’s my sister.” He shot the boy an awkward look. “But she has a boyfriend of over a year. Sorry.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about her.” The boy grinned, leaving the air open for conversation.

Yuuri’s cheeks flushed and he subconsciously pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Ah. I actually go to school in Scotland. I’m just back here for the holidays.”

“What a shame.” The boy had an attractive air to him. He seemed so sure of himself without it quite reaching arrogance, and he was tall and charming. “I’ll see you around in the next few days, then.” He gave Vicchan one more pet, then left with a lazy wave.

“Oh good, you got a table,” Mari said, taking three heavy plates of sushi from their parents and placing them down. “Who was that?”

“No one,” Yuuri said before hooking Vicchan’s leash around the table. “Looks delicious.” He nodded toward the sushi.

Mari rolled her eyes and waved her hand to invite him to start eating. She immediately started up a conversation with their parents about something her boyfriend had done back in Australia, leaving Yuuri to look down at the waves crashing against the rocks below. 

At first, it was the seagulls above that reminded him of Viktor, and what he had said about appreciating things before they were gone. He couldn’t help but remember last year when Viktor had told him about his contract with the Quafflepunchers—how he was to leave after his fifth year or lose his position.

The moment he started to notice that the blue of the ocean rather matched Viktor’s eyes, he stopped his train of thought. Why he was thinking of Viktor when he was unrelated to anything that was going on, Yuuri wasn’t sure. It seemed to be something that he was doing more and more of lately.

“Enough of me talking,” Mari said, halfway through a plate of shrimp sushi that made Yuuri’s stomach coil. “I haven’t heard from you yet, little brother. How’s Hogwarts? More importantly…” She smirked. “How’s Viktor?”

Yuuri shot her a warning glance. Only she knew his past obsession with Viktor to its fullest extent. She had been the one to get him the posters and take him to the matches. As far as he was concerned, his parents only knew Viktor as an idol that represented his love for some magical sport.

Mari wiggled her eyebrows and gave him a look that implied they’d be talking later.

“It’s good,” Yuuri said concisely. “I really like the Quidditch. It’s much more competitive than at Mahoutokoro, which I think is good for me, and it’s more like real Quidditch teams too. There’s even a Cup for the team that scores the most points over the year. The whole school loves it. Even those who don’t play themselves.”

“And how are your classes going?” Yuuri’s father asked, looking up at him through his glasses. Despite his father being shorter than him by almost a few inches now, Yuuri always felt like he was being scrutinized somehow.

“Good as well,” Yuuri said. “The material is much more challenging than back at Mahoutokoro and I think it’s furthering my education—”

Mari choked on the sip of guava juice she was taking, a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Yuuri kicked her under the table.

“Bless you, Mari. I feel like I’m learning more, and there’s also a wider range of classes to choose from, so I can pursue what I’m interested in.”

“Excellent.” Yuuri’s mother patted him on the shoulder. “I’m so proud of you, Yuuri. Of course we miss you around the house, but I’m happy you’re getting the right education for you. Now, do you think we should go on that hike before the two o’clock wave hits?”

It stung a little that his parents were only concerned about academics, but he pushed it back. At least Mari was concerned about his social life and well-being. That was just how his parents were, and he knew they still cared. Even if his memory of them before wasn’t so...vacant.

“Come on, Vicchan.” He smiled, taking his leash again. “We’re going on a walk!”

He’d never seen his dog so excited before.

***

“Mum, don’t the rocks look like tofu?” Mari had a hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

“I’m not seeing it.” Yuuri watched the waves washing over the uniform slabs of rock sitting near the shore below.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Mari replied, but not without affection. She had lit another cigarette, causing Vicchan to bury his nose between Yuuri’s legs. Both of them had found this quite adorable.

“I don’t like how high up we are,” Yuuri said. One step and he would be falling to his death, only a thin rope holding him back.

“I thought you played Quidditch,” Mari said, and she dropped the cigarette on the grassy ground near the edge.

“I know, but this is different.” Yuuri paused. “Like we’re on the edge of the world or something.”

Mari rolled her eyes, but he knew she was listening and thinking about what he was saying. She always did. If he were younger, he would’ve thought family was obligated to do such a thing.

She kicked the cigarette, still burning its last embers, off the cliff. Yuuri watched as it plummeted, a spark he strained his eyes to see until it was crushed by the dizzying waves below.

***

“When did you learn to ice skate?” Mari asked, surprised. She glided effortlessly along the thick ice off of Hado Misaki, wisps of her short hair framed by the setting sun.

“Viktor taught me.” Yuuri smiled without meaning to as he slid forward.

“Don’t go too far!” called their mother, sitting on the edge next to their father. The two had opted out of skating, but Mari had insisted that Yuuri come with her.

“We won’t!” Mari yelled back before turning to Yuuri. “Ooh, when?”

“Holiday break.” Yuuri sighed, knowing what was coming—a full interrogation of their friendship.

“And what did you two do over holiday break? I bet he taught you a lot of moves, didn’t he?”

Yuuri reached out to push her but she skated back, laughing.

“It’s just a lighthearted joke.” She grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him farther out.

“How about I ask you what you and your boyfriend spend your time doing, then?” Yuuri laughed, despite everything.

“Oh, Yuuri, I could tell you volumes.” She spun around so he didn’t have to face the sun. “Unlike you, I am very open about my sex life.”

“Viktor and I are not having sex!” Yuuri said indignantly. “We’re not even dating! We’re friends!”

His sexuality was no secret to Mari, although he had never told her explicitly. It had always just been a train of her assuming and him never denying. His parents, however, were either very oblivious or quietly accepting. He wasn’t exactly sure which one he would prefer.

“Sounds like something someone who’s having sex with Viktor Nikiforov would say." She smirked, then paused. “On second thought, I think anyone in their right mind would be proud of that. That boy is gorgeous.”

“Gross. He’s sixteen. You’re nineteen. You also have a boyfriend, if that counts for anything.”

Seventeen, tomorrow, he remembered.

“Right.” Mari grinned. “Well if you won’t spill the juicy details, then tell me about, you know, the boring stuff. Like the exact color of his eyes and how good he is at Quidditch.”

“That’s not boring,” Yuuri said without thinking, which earned a sly smile from Mari. “And he has blue eyes, but you can’t pretend you didn’t know that.” The truth was, Yuuri knew a million ways to describe Viktor’s eyes, and at least half of them didn’t have the word blue in them.

“Mm, only because of your obsession.” Mari pulled him to the right as they changed the direction they were skating.

“I haven’t really seen him play since I’ve been at Hogwarts,” Yuuri admitted. “Except when he coached me b—”

Mari dropped his hand violently and slid to a stop, grinding her blades into the ice so harshly that Yuuri winced. He held his breath for the terrifying second he was convinced the ice would cave in.

“VIKTOR NIKIFOROV COACHED YOU?!”

“Er, yeah,” Yuuri said, racking his brain. He had mentioned it…hadn’t he?

“Oh my God,” Mari said. “I mean I would’ve thought you’d be too nervous to function in front of him, but I guess you’re friends so…”

“I was.” Yuuri choked out a laugh. “I screwed up during tryouts just because he was there. And then we got assigned as partners in Potions and I could barely do anything right while sitting next to him. The lessons with him were the worst though,” he said with a wry smile. Never had he thought he’d be looking back fondly on those memories. “I got so nervous I didn’t even catch the Snitch the first time and he had to go up there and get it himself.”

“He didn’t!” Mari laughed, her mouth wide open. They had stopped skating now, so caught up in conversation.

“He did. And with a whole crowd of first year girls watching!” This part was a little less of a fond memory, although funny nonetheless.

“Yuuri.” Mari laughed. “You have, like, connections. I’m offended there were no cute boys at Mahoutokoro that I could’ve fallen in love with.”

“You won’t believe what else he did.” Yuuri slid forward and leaned in, about to spill the secret he hadn’t told anyone. But Mari was his sister, and no one would have his back like her. He couldn’t help it around her—he wanted to tell her everything. He felt giddy for the first time in ages.

“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“You know how I said he showed up to tryouts? Well, I was shocked because he was supposed to be going to a party. But he had them move it so he could watch me play. And one of his other friends too, but…”

“Yuuri he looooves you!” Mari squealed, acting as if she were the younger sibling.

“There’s something else too.” Yuuri’s stomach squirmed, his blood pumping. He had to get it all out, but he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he liked hearing it from Mari that they had something special. “He was taking Muggle Studies and told me he wasn’t getting a lot of the material, so he wanted my help.”

“Aww.” Mari’s cheeks were red from excitement.

“Last year I found out on the train back that he lied. He already knew the course material and just asked me for help all year so we could spend time together. At first I was mad but then—”

Mari let out a gasp, jumping up in excitement. “Yuuri, how have you not—”

A low noise came from under them and Yuuri looked down, casually at first.

Apparently Mari saw the same thing he did—the spreading, spidery crack forming between them on the ice—because they both looked up and met each other’s eyes for a second. Then time sped up and she grabbed his hand, the two clumsily skating back to the shore.

They slowed, letting their skates pull them back in. At first, Yuuri thought he was out of breath because of the skating, but then he realized he was laughing, breaths coming out fast and hard, fogging the air, caught in the pink light of the sun.

“Hey boy.” Yuuri’s skates hit the rocks, not far from where their parents were sitting. Vicchan stood proudly, wagging his tail.

“You’re the cutest dog in the world.” Mari patted him furiously, kneeling on the ice and kissing him on the nose. “The cutest.”

“Hey, that’s my job.” Yuuri tangled his fingers in his dog’s curled fur, picking him up and staring at his perfect face adoringly. “Vicchan, you are the cutest dog in the world.”

Mari grinned. She pulled off her skates then clambered onto the rocks with only thin socks on. “He’ll always love you best, Yuuri.”

Yuuri put Vicchan back down, watching as he ran to Mari, jumping in circles excitedly. Quickly taking off his skates and leaving them on the edge of the ice, Yuuri joined her.

“So is it weird being close to him after all these years?” Mari said casually as he found a rock close to hers and sat down, gathering Vicchan in his lap.

“Hm,” he said, shooting his sister a grin. She’d been gone for a while and the last time they’d talked had been ages ago, but nothing had changed. If there was one person Yuuri liked to talk about nonstop, it was Viktor. “He’s like the Viktor we see in newspapers and matches, but at the same time he’s really not.”

Mari raised her eyebrows, clearly intrigued.

“It’s hard to explain,” sighed Yuuri, pulling Vicchan closer. The poodle was snuggled against his chest, his floppy ears as cute as ever. “On one hand, he’s not fake and I couldn’t imagine him saying something he didn’t mean. He’s the real deal, you know? All charming and funny like he always is. But there’s just another level to him that he doesn’t show to everyone that’s, I don’t know, a little…”

Suddenly feeling like he was sharing too much, Yuuri pulled back from his thoughts of Viktor. The sun had almost set entirely, and a chill was starting to arrive. The sky was still faded pink, but he was losing his earlier momentum.

“A little what?” Mari asked, petting Vicchan mindlessly.

“A little different,” Yuuri decided. “I can’t really explain it.”

“You seem happy,” Mari remarked.

Yuuri was taken aback, expecting her to pry more or go on about how they were perfect for each other. He knew she had only been joking, but some uncontrollable part of himself felt an ache each time she mentioned what they could be.

“I am,” he said softly, feeling Vicchan’s head flop against his chest. Seconds later, the dog fell asleep and Yuuri’s heart contracted. “I wasn’t sure I would be, but I have more friends than I ever have before. I look forward to waking up each morning.”

“Happiness looks good on you.” Mari barely smiled, but the warmth was all where it mattered—in her dark brown eyes, shadowed by the last of the light.

“Are you?” Yuuri blurted out, his hands still pressed in Vicchan’s soft fur, drawing as much warmth to himself as he could.

“Hm?”

“Happy. Are you?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, a tinge of uncertainty in her voice. “I’m not sad, or afraid, or angry.” She tapped her foot methodically. “I moved away from home because I was so tired of the sameness of it all, and I’m in a wonderful country. I’ve got a boyfriend who’s nothing but kind to me. But am I happy? I don’t know, Yuuri.”

“People always say that before you can be loved you have to love yourself, but I don’t think that’s true,” Yuuri murmured, not sure where the words spilling from his mouth were coming from. “I’m not an expert on love, but I think the two go hand in hand. Sometimes, other people are the ones who teach you to love yourself, even if they don’t mean it. Maybe the same goes for happiness. You don’t have to find it yourself, and maybe you’ll meet someone who teaches you what happiness is.”

“And what is happiness to you?” Mari tilted back her head, staring up at the sky.

“Today,” Yuuri said, surprising himself. “Today’s Christmas Eve, and Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I miss being young and excited, and I know I’m only sixteen and it probably sounds foolish to you, but I needed today to make sure I didn’t forget about you or myself while I was away in Scotland.”

“Did you know Dad hates dogs?” Mari suddenly said, eyes glued to the sky. Her knees were drawn up to her body and she hugged herself, chin resting on them. “I overheard him arguing with Mum after you asked for Vicchan. It took her ages to convince him. Do you know why she was eventually able to?”

Yuuri shook his head.

“They were worried you were lonely, and they thought you needed someone else. Someone who couldn’t talk and would just be there whenever you needed. When you went to Hogwarts, I was terrified because you never did well in new environments, especially without us. Especially without Vicchan. I thought you needed him. But you don’t anymore.”

“I do.” Yuuri tugged his resting dog into his chest defensively. “I still need him as much as I always have.”

“No you don’t,” Mari said, surprisingly strong. She turned to look Yuuri straight in the eye. “I haven’t been home in a year and a half and I was shocked to see you this morning. You really are a completely different person. In a good way. I’m trying to take in every second I can with you because I know you’ll be out of here as soon as you graduate.”

“That’s not true,” Yuuri said. “Hasetsu is my home.”

“Then what’s Hogwarts to you?” 

He was silent, but not deliberately. He didn’t know the answer.

“Maybe Hasetsu was your home, but since you left, your heart has been elsewhere. You love the castle and the classes and the Quidditch and the people. I’ve already seen it happening, but a few more years there, and you’ll have found yourself. I can promise you that.” She sniffled slightly. “And I’m really, really happy for you because I know you’ve struggled with that for so long.”

Yuuri heard a shout, then blinked, suddenly aware of how dark it had become.

“Coming!” Mari called, not breaking her gaze. “Yuuri, just know, even if you don’t leave Hogwarts as the same person as when you entered, you’ll always be my brother.”

***

“It’s Christmas Day!” came an energetic voice from downstairs. Yuuri rolled over in his bed, squinting and covering his eyes from the sun piercing through his gauzy curtains.

It’s Viktor’s birthday, he thought in a half-groggy state, then shot up in bed, suddenly awake, a sudden childish excitement coming across him.

The smell of eggnog and the gingerbread cookies they’d made two nights ago (although it felt like much longer) wafted up to his room, and Yuuri slid out of his bed, barefoot on the comfortably cool wooden floorboards.

He threw on a black and grey sweatshirt, hesitating only because the weather in Japan felt warm compared to Scotland’s unusually chilling winter. He opened his door, took a look at the single poster on his wall, then jogged down the stairs until he reached the landing, slowing to a walk so he wouldn’t look excited enough to merit a remark from his sister.

“Yuuri’s finally awake.” Mari grinned. “Mum wouldn’t let me wake you. She insisted you needed as much rest as possible.” She beckoned him over to the tree, a modest pile of presents resting underneath.

“Did you get enough sleep, Yuuri?” asked their mother, carrying a tray of cookies. Next to her was their father, expertly holding four mugs between his two hands. Mari ran forward to grab two and relieve him, handing one to Yuuri.

“I did.” Yuuri smiled. “It’s nice to sleep in my own bed.”

“I miss being able to sleep through the night,” sighed their father, settling down on the floor and letting out a groan.

“What keeps you up at night, dear Father?” Mari grinned. “The accumulated horrors of life?”

“Old age,” he said.

Yuuri smiled into his cup of eggnog.

They began to settle down together on the floor. Mari grabbed two gingerbread cookies stuck together, elicited a satisfying crunch by breaking them in half, and instinctively handed one to Yuuri.

“Did you exchange presents with your friends last year, Yuuri?” his mother asked, as if the guilt of excluding him was finally sinking in.

“Yes,” Yuuri said, munching on the cookie. “I just got a lot of candy—Wizarding World candy, that is.”

“What did Viktor get you?” Mari shot him an innocent smile.

Yuuri paused, his mouth going dry. The Firebolt was the first thing that shot through his mind, then the framed magical picture of course, of the two spinning in dizzy circles on the ice in Saint Petersburg. Yuuri had kept it in his trunk all year at Hogwarts, afraid damage or questions might come if he left it out. It was only when he had come home for the summer that he took it out, leaving it on his bedside table. He wanted that memory to stay between him and Viktor, and no one else.

“Candy,” Yuuri lied straight through his teeth. “Like I said, that’s what most people give one another there. Maybe it’s a gift-giving tradition or something. I’m not sure.”

“Hm.” Mari turned back to the plate of cookies, grabbing another, then staring hungrily at the Christmas tree. “Can we open presents now?”

“Sure.” Their mother chuckled. “Why don’t you go first, Mari?”

Mari dropped the forgotten cookie and reached for a large, silver present, lithely tearing it open with her nails.

“Cool! A snow globe!” she said, looking at Yuuri.

“A little piece of Japan you can keep with you while you’re in Australia...even if it doesn’t snow that much here,” Yuuri said shyly.

Mari shook it happily, picking up the cookie she’d set down and munching on it again, watching the snow whirl down.

“Pass me the red box, would you, Mari?” their father asked, and Mari complied.

“This one’s from Yuuri and me,” she said.

Yuuri set down his mug of eggnog, waiting for their father to open the box of colored bow ties, something he shamelessly collected. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet without thinking.

“Vicchan!” he exclaimed. “We forgot him!”

Hiroko and Toshiya both paled, though Yuuri didn’t notice. He was already hurrying toward the back of the house near the hot springs where Vicchan’s bed had been moved, feeling like a little kid again. The dog was probably still snoozing since they’d gotten back late the previous night.

“Hey.” Yuuri scratched under his neck. Vicchan’s eyes opened slowly as Yuuri grazed a bump beneath his curly fur.

Unused to the slow awakening, Yuuri frowned and stood up, looking for the bag of dog food.

“Late start?” he cooed. He finally spotted the bag and grabbed it off the lower shelf deftly. “Some food will wake you up.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure at what moment he realized something was wrong. He searched for the silver food bowl that had Vicchan’s name carved in Yuuri’s childish handwriting. By the time he saw it, uncharacteristically full, his body was already tense and buzzing.

Vicchan had closed his eyes again and was stretched out, something he never did. Yuuri picked him up desperately.

“What’s wrong, boy?” he murmured, cradling Vicchan back and forth. “Why are you so sleepy? You always eat your food right away.”

There was a bitter, guilty feeling in Yuuri’s stomach, although he knew whatever had happened was not his fault.

“Mum!” he called out, surprising himself. He had thought the first person he’d go to was Mari, but he couldn’t think with that terrible feeling filling him to the brim, threatening to explode. “Mum!”

“I’m right here, Yuuri.”

He spun around, spotting his mother with a worried look on her face. Worried and weary, but not surprised.

“I think something’s wrong with Vicchan,” he spilled out, every word feeling like a jumble. “He won’t stay awake and I was going to fill his bowl up with his favorite food because today’s Christmas but he didn’t even care when the bag rustled and then I looked at his bowl and it’s still full from yesterday and I know we didn’t feed him at home yesterday so that means this is from the day before and he would never not eat his food and—”

“How about we take him to the vet?” his mother suggested, carefully reaching toward Yuuri in a voice that sounded like it was suggestive only for his sake.

Yuuri hugged Vicchan to his chest childishly, not wanting to let go. His mother’s arms fell to her sides.

“I’ll grab the keys,” she said calmly, and jogged out on her bare feet. As soon as she was out of sight, Yuuri heard the footsteps fade to a walk and a brief mumble of conversation.

I can’t believe I was really worried about being sick on the way here or my Potions essay that I don’t know if I’ll earn an O on or telling my parents about Viktor when Vicchan could be seriously ill, Yuuri thought as he padded his way toward the front of the house in a trance. Please, let Vicchan be okay. I’ll do anything.

***

“Maybe you should stay outside in the waiting room, Yuuri,” suggested his mother all too kindly, taking Yuuri’s hand and gently pushing it toward the door handle.

“He’s my dog,” Yuuri said. “I want to find out what’s wrong with him.”

The vet looked uncomfortably between Yuuri and his parents, waiting for a decision to be made. She had Vicchan laying on a table with a strip of paper, a setting too white for Yuuri to comprehend. The lights were far too bright, leaving his vision swimming.

“Perhaps it would be best if you all waited outside.” The vet cleared her throat authoritatively, but there was still sympathy in her voice. “Being alone will help me see how Vicchan’s doing more efficiently, and then we can talk about the options once I’m done examining him. At this point, though, I’m not sure what we can do.”

“You have to do everything you can,” Yuuri said fiercely. A year ago he wouldn’t have dared talk to anyone like that, but he didn’t care.

Maybe Mari was right. Maybe he had changed, even if it was just a bit.

“Yuuri. You heard her.”

This time it was Yuuri’s dad who spoke, firmly. “We should head out and let her do her job.”

Yuuri felt like he was blazing. Something was wrong. Something was so, so wrong. “Everything. You have to do everything to make him better.”

She blinked, and then looked down.

“Yuuri,” his mother said. “Let’s go.”

This time, he listened. He followed his parents out the translucent glass door to the waiting room. Only Mari sat there, reading a magazine. Her legs were crossed and her knees were jittering up and down.

There was a moment of painful silence as they all sat down, Yuuri on the far end away from the rest of his family.

Finally, Mari spoke.

“So you’re not going to tell him?” she asked, head raised high.

Yuuri wanted to ask Tell me what? but the question was already there, lingering in the air.

“Almost three months after you left for Hogwarts last year, we took Vicchan to the vet for his annual checkup. When we came to pick him up, we saw the same energetic dog we’ve always known—maybe a little sadder since you had left. But this time, our vet looked worried. She asked us to step inside and talk with her.”

Without even hearing what had happened, Yuuri knew where the story was going and all he could think was A year. Vicchan’s been sick for over a year and I haven’t noticed.

“Malignant lymphoma.” His mother spoke levelly, as if she’d been practicing it for a long time. Only later, did it occur to Yuuri that she probably had been—nervous every time she got a letter from him that he'd be asking how Vicchan was doing, or that he would spot something wrong. “Last month, she told us he might only have a few more months before he reached stage five.

“We-we thought we might have longer. That he’d at least make it through to the new year and then we could put him down,” Yuuri’s father said in a voice that wasn’t not sorrowful, but also toned heavily with inconvenience.

Put him down.

“And what?” Yuuri demanded, standing up. He felt foolish, because he had nowhere to go, but doing so made him feel more powerful. “Just hope I forget about him? It’s not like I don’t matter when I’m gone, you know. I’m still a part of the family, in case you forgot.”

“We never thought that,” his dad said hurriedly. “We were going to tell you over the summer, but we dreaded every day leading up to the day you came, afraid of how you’d react. And then you seemed so happy when you arrived that we decided we didn’t want to ruin that. We started thinking that maybe you weren’t as dependent on Vicchan as you used to be. So we pushed the date off again, every week saying we’d tell you the next. Eventually we got to August without you knowing, and we thought if we told you then, the grief would interfere with your studies at Hogwarts, so—”

“As if my studies are more important than my dog!” Yuuri burst out. As he took a shuddering breath, a conversation entered his mind.

I do, he had said, I still need him as much as I always have.

Mari had protested, just yesterday: No you don’t.

“You knew too,” Yuuri said. “You’re my sister and you tried to wean me off Vicchan. You were manipulating me. Not telling me why.”

“We were the ones who made the decision, Yuuri.” His mother’s face was pale. “We asked Mari not to tell you before you were ready.”

“I trusted you more than anyone.” Yuuri didn’t take his eyes off of Mari. “I don’t care about the excuses they’re making for you. You’re my sister and you’re supposed to tell me everything. You know I would have.”

Hot tears were flowing down his cheeks and he didn’t care that he was making a scene in front of the receptionist.

Because for once, it all made sense.

Why his mother had written the letter telling him of their plans to visit Australia the previous year. How it had been so carefully crafted to make him feel like he wasn’t invited. How it kept him from going home. Kept him from asking questions.

Why Mari hadn’t been there over the summer—she probably didn’t trust herself to lie to him for that long.

Why when he had come home just a few days ago, his parents seemed more distant than he had ever remembered.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

The vet was poking her head out of the door. If she was surprised to see the blank, hurt faces of his family, she didn’t show a trace of it.

“Vicchan has been in a lot of pain.” She widened the door so someone could walk in. An invitation. “I think at this point it would be best if we were to let him go.”

“Stay here,” Yuuri said suddenly. He was facing his family. Slightly surprised, he considered how calm he could make his voice when he felt anything but. “I’ll see him off. I don’t want you in there.”

The shock hit the most on Mari’s face, but Yuuri didn’t care.

Everything was white, he noted as he followed the vet back into the examination room. In offices and clinics and hospitals. How strange, then, that it was not the color of mourning.

***

Mari left the next morning, something about a spontaneous New Year’s party her boyfriend was hosting.

Yuuri stayed in his room and packed.

He wasn’t leaving for another week.

When he was done, he dumped out his suitcase and tossed up his clothes. Then he started again.

***

It was a relief to be back at Hogwarts by New Year’s Day.

Chapter Text

For once, Yuuri was relieved when holiday break was over. He was not relieved, however, to hear the boys’ alarm ring at six-fifty in the morning. Rolling over and groaning, he stared up at the dusty ceiling.

“Turn that blasted alarm off,” grumbled Leo. He had just gotten back the night before and had spent hours telling them about how much he missed America, a distraction Yuuri had gladly engaged in.

“I just woke up,” said JJ, face snuggled into his pillow. It was hard to believe he was the same person who yelled commands at them during Quidditch practice. He was shirtless even in the cold winter, which Yuuri did not understand, and his pale, muscled shoulders stood out against the deep red sheets.

Eventually it was Otabek who got up, wobbling slightly as he stood. He hit the button, drowning them in silence before heading off to the bathroom.

Yuuri let out a huff of breath into his pillow, hugging it tightly for a moment. The image of Vicchan would not leave his head. It had been all he could think about for the past few days.

He had gotten a letter from his mother, and then another from his father the next day, both separately apologizing for how they handled the situation. Yuuri didn’t care. He could’ve spent hours more with Vicchan over the summer if he had known...made him more comfortable...prepared emotionally.

Before he could upset himself any further, Yuuri forced himself to get up, eyes groggy and vision blurry as he stumbled into the bathroom.

“G’morning,” Otabek mumbled, rummaging through one of the drawers in search of his toothbrush.

“Mm,” Yuuri replied incoherently. He thrust his head underneath the ice-cold water, relishing in the way his senses flew. He rubbed away the grit from around his eyes and the tears still pressed into his face from the previous afternoon.

A second later, the door opened again and Guang Hong entered, heading immediately to the baths.

As Yuuri finally pulled back, he was surprised at how...well, normal he looked. Compared to how he felt, at least. His face was clean, and his hair wasn’t as much of a mess as it usually was in the morning. A tuft of black was sticking up in the back, but that was an easy fix. There were dark circles under his eyes, though—circles that should’ve gone away after weeks of rest during break but had only grown deeper.

“I’m not last.” JJ entered the bathroom, hands raised triumphantly. How he already had enough energy for the five of them, Yuuri wasn’t sure.

“Wow,” Otabek said into a towel in the driest voice possible.

“Careful, Altin, or I’ll have you kicked off the team,” JJ said, striding over. “You too, Yuuri, if you don’t move from the sink right now.”

Despite himself, Yuuri smiled. “If it means I never have to run down the field holding my broomstick between my legs again, then I think I might never move.”

“Very funny,” JJ said. “But my face needs serious help before I can go to class.”

***

“I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Babicheva,” said Professor Trelawney, peering up at her over her thick-rimmed glasses.

“My loss?” Mila smiled brightly.

“Over the holidays, of course. Did your dog not pass?”

Yuuri’s heart caught in his chest. There was no way—

“I’m sorry Professor, but I don’t have a dog.”

There was a snicker around the room and Yuuri let himself breathe again. She was merely guessing. After all, Mila had been probably moping about Sara taking Riley home to spend the holidays together, and a dying pet was common enough that it would be a reasonable prediction.

Still, his face must have paled dramatically, because as soon as Professor Trelawney dismissed them to do their crystal ball gazing, Phichit nudged him.

“You okay?” he asked, flipping through their textbook to find the page on image identification.

“Fine,” Yuuri said, maybe a little too quickly.

“Want to talk about it?” Phichit dragged the crystal ball over, the cloudy contents whirling around.

“No. I mean—” Yuuri gave his friend a look. “I didn’t even say anything was wrong.”

“Yes you did,” Phichit said matter-of-factly, straightening his yellow tie. “I could hear it in your tone.”

A smile found its way onto Yuuri’s face. He wasn’t sure how, because ever since Christmas Day, he had felt like his body was dipped in cold wax and there was nothing he could do but sludge along.

Why was he keeping this to himself? The only three people who knew, he was furious with. He didn’t exactly want to talk about Vicchan, but Phichit was the best listener he knew. And as much as he disliked her at the moment, Mari had been right about one thing—he had changed. Maybe the old Yuuri would’ve kept it a secret, but he had people he could rely on now.

“We could go to the kitchens after second block ends,” suggested Phichit, his tone expertly light. “To study, or talk, if you’d like. And eat, of course.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed. He was surprised at how easy it was. “Just us?”

“Just us.” Phichit gave him a winning smile.

***

“I was just informed that we had homework over break,” were the first words Viktor said to Yuuri in two weeks.

“Who told you?” Yuuri tried for a smile. He wasn’t sure if it worked. Something about seeing Viktor made his chest ache.

Maybe it was his name.

“Professor Vector as I walked in the door,” he said. “Can I see your answers?”

Yuuri wordlessly passed the work he’d done weeks ago to Viktor, swallowing a ball of pain down his throat.

“Er, really?” Viktor said, holding the parchment completely still in the air.

Yuuri waved his hand, hoping he seemed just tired. “I know you know it all anyway, so what harm can it do?”

“That’s a very un-Yuuri-like thing to say.” Viktor tossed him a rewarding smile.

Flirt, Yuuri thought bitterly. Maybe a few weeks ago, he would’ve melted over the look Viktor gave him, but right now, nothing seemed to matter.

He was still staring at the desk in front of him when Professor Vector entered the room, holding new rolls of parchment.

“Welcome back from break,” she said, reaching the front of the class. “Today, you’ll be working with partners on the history of the Heart Number in literature. I would like an essay from each pair turned in after an hour is up, and we will spend the last few minutes of class sharing and discussing the questions I gave you over break. I’ll be assigning partners.”

The only time Yuuri was ever glad to hear that statement was when he didn’t have any friends in the class he was in. But even with Viktor sitting next to him—no, especially, with Viktor sitting next to him, he was overly thankful.

“Viktor and Drusilla,” said Professor Vector.

“Damn,” muttered Viktor and gave Yuuri the third unrequited smile of the day. “We would’ve killed it.”

“Mhm,” Yuuri replied, pretending he was listening for his name and couldn’t talk. He was a little surprised to see Viktor draw back like he was hurt.

“And finally, Isabella, you’ll be working with Yuuri,” Professor Vector finished. “Come up with your partner and choose a scroll!”

Viktor’s chair scraped from beside him as he walked to the front of the room, nodding courteously at the Slytherin with dark brown hair and bangs.

She blushed.

***

“My favorite salad dressing is definitely French,” sighed Phichit dreamily. “I used to hate salads but turns out that’s because I hadn’t been eating real salads. Italian’s a front runner but ranch is a big no-no. It reminds me of this one m—”

“You know, if you want me to talk about whatever is bothering me, I can.” Yuuri smiled, poking his fork at his salad. He hit a cherry tomato, which burst, squirting onto his cloak.

“Were you not enjoying my salad dressing monologue?” Phichit pretended to be hurt. “Yuuri, you know I’ve been practicing that for weeks.”

There was a pause, and then Phichit quieted.

“My dog died.”

Phichit’s face fell instantly. His fork dropped onto his salad, the handle immediately drowned in French dressing.

“Oh.” He reached to pick up his fork, then thought twice, dropping his hand. “I’m sorry.” His voice was honest and clear, prompting Yuuri to relax into the conversation.

Before he knew it, tears began to slip down his cheeks. Dammit, he thought furiously. You went almost twenty-four hours without crying and you just had to start picturing his face again.

“I’ve had him since I was ten.” Yuuri’s voice was surprisingly level at the start. “I was kind of a quiet kid and my parents got him for me because they knew I needed a friend or someone to talk to. Someone who I didn’t have to worry about liking me or anything.”

“That makes sense.” Phichit nodded solemnly.

“When I first got him, he was just a puppy.” This came out as a sniffle and Yuuri bit his lip, then willed himself to keep going. “And he was my best friend. Better than any of the kids from school. His bed was in my room, and I told him all my secrets, and he would lick my face and jump around when I was sad.”

Phichit reached across the table and grabbed Yuuri’s hand.

“Then when I moved here, I somehow managed without him. Apparently when I came back, my parents thought I didn’t need him in the same way. Even though they knew he had been sick for over six months by then, they kept it hidden and never told me. They didn't want me to get upset. As if it was going to just go away.”

Phichit was frowning, like he wanted Yuuri to think twice about reprimanding his parents. That was the way he was: always seeing the best in everyone, considering every perspective. But he didn’t say a word, giving Yuuri the space to continue.

And so he told the story, diving into every detail of the perfect last day by the markets and the coast and the lake. When he reached Christmas Day, his cheeks were soaked.

“I was ready to give up anything in the world for him.” Yuuri sniffled. “I remember praying to some higher magical being, saying that I’d give up Hogwarts and my friends and everything if I could have him for just a little longer.”

“How do you feel? Now, I mean.” Phichit sipped carefully on one of the two hot chocolates a house elf had brought over to them. Kindly, she had not given Yuuri a strange look, just bowed and walked back to the other side of the room.

“Sad?” Yuuri shrugged. “I guess that’s what it is, but it doesn’t feel like it. It feels like the whole world is muted. As if I’m underwater or something, and every joke or smile takes a decade to reach me. By the time it does, I don’t feel like being happy at all.”

“Surreal?” Phichit asked.

“I guess...yeah, that’s the word.” Yuuri wiped one of his cheeks. “Like it’ll never get better. But I know it will eventually.”

“You seemed, er, upset, at your parents, earlier while you were telling the story,” prompted Phichit. “I would be mad in the moment, too, if I found out they were hiding such an awful secret from me. But do you still feel that way?”

“I think so,” Yuuri said. “Partly because of that, but also just the way I felt when I got there. Like they had forgotten about me or I was suddenly an intruder upon their life. But mostly, yeah, it was Vicchan. They knew for over a year and didn’t tell me. What if I had spent my break somewhere else, or it had all happened a few weeks sooner and I never gave Vicchan the wonderful last day he deserved?”

“Vicchan?” Phichit asked, struggling to place the name.

Yuuri sucked in a breath. He hadn’t meant for the name to slip, but it was too late to backtrack now.

“I-I named my dog Vicchan.”

There was a beat. Phichit wasn’t stupid, but he also wasn’t cruel.

“Yuuri, it might not be my place to say this, but have you spoken to Viktor at all? About what happened? I can’t help but believe that you two are great friends, and you seem happy around him. I want to be here for you, and I will, but I think you could benefit from talking to him too.”

“No.” Yuuri shook his head fervently. “Just no.”

“Is it because of your dog’s name?” Phichit asked gently.

Yuuri stopped to give it real thought, but shook his head again.

“I don’t think so. I’m not sure, but it just doesn’t feel right to tell him. Vicchan is a piece of home, and...Viktor is just...here.” Yuuri was being truthful to an extent, but the real reason was that he couldn’t shake the feeling that Viktor wanted to hear nothing of his problems.

***

“Unfortunately, the esteemed Professor Snape is ill,” was the best sentence Yuuri had heard all week. Surprisingly, it was Slughorn who spoke. He was addressing the Potions class, wearing some of his finest robes. “He asked me to take over today, even though I just saw you all yesterday.” Slughorn chuckled at this, although there was nothing remotely funny about it.

Iris smiled and leaned her head on Yuuri’s shoulder.

He stiffened.

Without Professor Snape in the room, the students had scrambled to sit by their friends rather than their assigned partners. Iris, of course, had sought him out first.

“He instructed that today you practice making a Draught of Peace, which I’d like to remind you is a very complex potion. If not done successfully, the subject could permanently enter a coma. Of course, we will not be testing your potions on anyone, as you’re only O.W.L. level students.” He laughed to himself again. “But I thought that we could make Potions class a little extra interesting today!” He brought his hands together, waiting for someone to ask.

“What are we doing, Professor Slughorn?” Viktor had a lazy smile on his face, his feet propped up on the chair of the person in front of him, which happened to be a very indignant Yurio.

“Thank you, Nikiforov! Ten points to Slytherin…”

Mila cut a foul look at Yuuri, although it didn’t last for long. No one could hate Slughorn’s cheerful mood, which was a welcome change from Professor Snape.

“I got some help from the house elves and had them hide the four main ingredients around the castle,” he announced gleefully. “It’ll be a little scavenger hunt of sorts. You may work with whomever you wish as long as you don’t tell Professor Snape. We all have to be back to the room by the next half hour, so you have a good amount of time.”

Immediately, an excited chatter broke out, soon joined by the sound of chairs clambering. Yuuri couldn’t help but think he would much rather be sitting in a lecture so he wouldn’t have to talk to Iris, but at least he now had the chance to split away from her and search with someone else.

“I’m so glad we get to do this together.” Iris tugged on his robe as they got up. “I love working with you!”

“Yeah.” Yuuri took a breath, realizing he was stuck with her. “Me too, Iris.”

She beamed, and he sped up, hopeful to catch up to Viktor, Mila, and Chris who were walking together. Then, remembering how Arithmancy had gone, he suddenly pivoted.

“Hey, Iris, let’s go with, er...” He scanned the others he knew. “Yurio and Otabek,” he decided, and hurried to catch up to them.

“Okay,” Iris said, sounding a little puzzled. “Yurio’s nice. He’s on the Quidditch team with me.”

“Yurio!” Yuuri pulled up next to him. “Good to see you.”

Yurio sighed insufferably. “Katsudon.”

Otabek hid a smile by lifting the slip of parchment with the ingredients they needed.

“Hey, Yuuri. Hi, Iris. I say we check the sixth floor first—I was on my way down from there earlier and saw Slughorn lurking around. We might be able to find an ingredient or two nearby,” he suggested, polite as always.

Yuuri was getting a lurking suspicion that he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stand Iris.

Three flights up and legs already aching (Yuuri told himself the next Quidditch match wasn’t until March and he still had time to get into shape before then), the stairs began to move.

“Fuck,” Yurio said.

Yuuri grabbed the railing tightly as they swung around, now facing the entrance to the library. He exchanged a glance with Otabek, avoiding Iris’s brown eyes as they followed his every movement.

“We might as well try.” Otabek shrugged, and the quartet tramped into the library.

Madam Pince welcomed them with steely eyes, and Yuuri didn’t doubt for a second that she would give them detention if even a hair was out of place.

“Ooh, look!” Iris grabbed Yuuri’s hand and pointed it to the opposite side of the library, where Leo and Guang Hong were reaching into a gap between books and pulling out thick vials.

Yuuri yanked his hand away as kindly as possible. “Nice eye, Iris,” he forced out.

“Thanks.” She beamed as they walked over, earning scared eyes from a group of second year girls. One turned and whispered to her friend while pointing at the four of them. They giggled, and Iris gave them a look Yuuri couldn’t quite decipher.

“Excellent,” Otabek said, handing Yuuri one vial. It contained a blinding white powder, just barely dusting the bottom.

“Crushed unicorn horn,” Yurio noted.

“Want to hold this?” Yuuri asked with a flash of brilliance, handing it to Iris when she nodded. If he got her to hold the ingredients, she wouldn’t be able to keep grabbing his hand.

“Now we can go to the sixth floor.” Otabek nodded at the stairwell right outside the library that had just moved toward them.

Yuuri’s legs burned as they ran up step after step. He noticed the sinking feeling that had been in his stomach, persisting for what had seemed like forever, was less now. That had been happening a lot lately. He would finally be enjoying himself, and then it’d hit him that he was supposed to be mourning, supposed to be mad and upset.

“I see it,” said Otabek.

“Ooh, syrup of hellebore,” Iris said gleefully, grabbing a bottle for the two of them.

“Halfway done.” Otabek crossed the second ingredient off their list, using his knee as a hard surface. “Any other ideas?”

“Found something?” Chris called out. He was striding toward them, Mila and Viktor behind him. The two were laughing hysterically at something, their voices bouncing off the stone walls.

“Oh hey, Yurio! And Yuuri,” Mila said. “Good to see you too, Otabek.” Either she had gotten tired of listing names, or she was purposefully leaving someone out.

Thankfully, Iris seemed preoccupied with shaking the syrup of hellebore and watching it change from light brown to orange.

“I was looking for you earlier.” Viktor reached over Yuuri’s shoulder to grab a vial. “Then Mila kindly informed me you’d already left.”

“Sorry,” Yuuri lied. A crushing feeling was quickly ruining his mood. “Yurio and Otabek were already leaving and I wanted to get a head start so we’d have as much time as possible for the potion.”

“Hmm.” Viktor tapped the vial with his long fingers, then smiled at Yuuri carefully. It didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Let’s study together after this class, okay? We haven’t talked in a while.”

“We just had Arithmancy yesterday,” Yuuri protested lifelessly.

“Well if you don’t want to, we don’t have to.” He frowned. “You know, you’ve been acting quite str—”

“Okay,” Yuuri said quickly. “I mean, okay, let’s study. I’ll see you later, then.”

This time, he was the one to grab the edge of Iris’s robe and drag her down the hallway, not letting go until they had turned the corner and were halfway down the stairs. Even then, he felt as if Viktor’s eyes were still on him.

***

“How was your break?” Yuuri asked before Viktor could even sit down. The other boy dropped his bag and pulled out a piece of parchment before answering.

“It was nice, I suppose. I had Chris stay with me this year to keep me company. We went sledding nearly every day.” This he said with a smile, and the pace began to pick up. “The first day, we went to this café that they just built. Their hot chocolate is unbelievably good. We probably bought out half the store.” He laughed, and Yuuri felt a stab of anger, and then guilt for feeling that way.

Although he was close to Mila too, Yuuri assumed Chris was Viktor’s best friend. Not to mention, he was quite attractive: tall and tanned, only two months younger than Viktor, and he had those golden-green eyes. They were similar in personality too, both confident and unapologetic, charismatic and more than a little flirtatious.

“Anyway, you’ll have to ask him about the girl in the purple coat,” Viktor finished with a grin. “I don’t think I can give that story full justice.” He must have taken Yuuri’s silence as an encouragement to go on because after a slight pause, he kept talking. “We took Makka out, all over St. Petersburg, since the poor boy’s always locked up inside.”

Of course, Yuuri thought. This time the pang came in a sharp jab. For a second he felt like the air had been punched out of him, and he wondered how mental discomfort could cause physical pain.

Seeming to have run out of anecdotes to tell, Viktor gave Yuuri a gentle smile. “How about you? You went to Hasetsu to see your family, right?”

It took a second for Yuuri to realize he was asking him a question. He cleared his throat in surprise.

“Yeah, er, it was really nice…” He trailed off. “My sister wasn’t home over summer, so it was my first time seeing her in a while. That was nice.” He tried for a smile. For a terrifying moment, he wondered if he was smiling wrong. It felt rather like spelling a word out so many times that it didn’t even look like a word anymore.

“That is really nice,” Viktor replied teasingly. “So you got to see your parents again, right? How was that?”

“It was fine,” Yuuri said with a surprising amount of bitterness.

Viktor looked taken aback by this. “I see.”

Yuuri shifted his gaze back to the blank piece of parchment in front of him.

Finally, the chair pulled back, and Yuuri wondered for a horrible moment if Viktor was going to get up and leave and request to never see him again. And for that petrifying second, he imagined himself desperately apologizing for acting so odd and begging him to stay.

But Viktor was just getting up to search through the bookshelf, his back to Yuuri.

As if his mind had been waiting for this, Yuuri’s eyes began to water. He was filled with discomfort, awkwardness, anger, and despair.

You are not crying, he commanded himself. But maybe, it would force him to explain everything, and then maybe he would stop feeling so distant, and they would go back to normal and—Yuuri sniffed.

“You okay?” Viktor turned around, a dark blue hardcover book under one arm.

To his relief, Yuuri’s cheeks felt dry. He lifted his chin, hoping the light wouldn’t strike his eyes.

“I’m fine. I think I might be getting sick again. That’s all.” Before his composure broke, Yuuri got up, grabbing his bag that he hadn’t even bothered to open and slinging it over his shoulder. “Actually, I should probably go get some rest. I’m not feeling well.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” snapped Viktor, intercepting Yuuri three steps from the door. Softening his voice, he stepped closer so they were only a stride apart, forcing Yuuri to look up at him. Thankfully, the tears had retreated rapidly. “Yuuri, I know something’s bothering you and I hate seeing you like this. Like only half of you is present. Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll help you.”

Yuuri felt a cool hand slip into his own and he shivered, his eyes focused on the thin, sharp bridge of Viktor’s nose. He could imagine spilling and Viktor reassuring him, being kind as always and maybe even hugging him, telling him everything would be okay.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t show that side of himself to Viktor when he already felt too vulnerable around him.

With as much willpower as he possessed, Yuuri pulled his hand out of Viktor’s.

“Nothing’s wrong. Really. I’m just tired and coming down with another cold, as I said.”

He felt like he was walking in slow motion as he took the last few steps to the door and opened it. He glanced back at Viktor for a second, even though every nerve in his body screamed at him not to.

Viktor was watching him, his face smooth as ever. “Say whatever you want, Yuuri.” He dropped the hand that was still slightly curled up from taking Yuuri’s. “But you’re a terrible liar.”

***

“I can’t believe you have a date,” Michele complained. “Not in a bad way. Like you’re great, but I don’t know anyone who’s actually with someone else on Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s not even Valentine’s Day yet,” Yuuri sighed, hands buried in his long coat pockets. It felt like he was being forced to deflect one challenge after the other: Vicchan, the building piles of schoolwork from unforgiving professors, his destructive grief that somehow made him lash out at Viktor and only made him more upset, and the persisting challenge of dealing with Iris. All he wanted was a break from it all.

“Michele has a point,” Phichit said. “Whether you’re single or not, Valentine’s Day always seems to be terrible.”

“It is the worst,” Michele said. Then, as both Phichit and Yuuri saw coming, he casually mentioned, “My sister has a date.”

Yuuri smiled vaguely under his scarf, looking down at the cobblestone leading into Hogsmeade. There was a thin layer of snow, just enough to feel Christmassy again.

“Remind me of her name again?” Phichit teased him.

“Riley Cabello,” Michele said, like she was the bane of his existence. “Virtually perfect. Great Chaser. On the same team as Sara. Two years older. There’s only one problem.”

“Let me guess.” Phichit laughed. “She’s dating your sister.”

“Exactly.”

“Why don’t you want Sara to date anyone?” Yuuri asked for probably the twelfth time. It wasn’t that Michele was evasive or unclear in his responses, but Yuuri just didn’t quite grasp the logic.

“Because she’s my sister,” Michele groaned. “I don’t want some guy or girl breaking her heart.”

“You can’t just stop her from dating anyone because you’re afraid she’s going to get her heart broken,” Phichit said. “Then she’ll be forever alone and a thousand times sadder.”

“And she’s probably very capable of defending herself from unwanted lovers,” Yuuri added.

“She’s gorgeous, though.” Michele frowned. “That came out weird. But you know, objectively speaking. If she weren’t my sister. She’s one of the prettiest girls in the school. Which means people are going to take advantage of her.”

“She’s also talented and smart,” Phichit reassured him. “And she’s not going to have you next to her for the rest of her life, so there’s no point in being bitter now.”

“If you say so,” Michele said, unconvinced. Then he pointed ahead as they entered the village through the whirl of snow. “There’s your girlfriend, Yuuri.”

Yuuri kicked savagely at the ground just to get out all the frustration he had before they neared Iris.

“Hey, Yuuri!” She ran forward, giving him a big hug.

To be fair, Yuuri did think she was pretty, especially with the snow sticking to her eyelashes. She had large, floppy mittens on and a stitched hat that read Quafflepunchers.

Yuuri was caught up in the irony of her hat, but as soon as he felt Michele slap his shoulder in a very masculine way before walking away with Phichit, it sunk in that he had to spend the next few hours with her.

“Where do you want to go?” Yuuri asked cautiously. She grabbed his hand, and he had no choice but to oblige, thankful for the layers between them.

“Let’s go to Madam Puddifoot’s,” she said. Her smile was glistening as they started walking, causing a deep ache in Yuuri’s chest.

“Okay.” He had to force cheerfulness into his voice. For her, he told himself. “It’s where our first date was.”

“Right!” She beamed, looking surprised that he had actually remembered.

In between moments of staggered conversation, Yuuri spotted two Ravenclaws looking at them. Both of their eyes scanned Yuuri as they passed, and he heard giggles from behind him.

Iris chose to ignore this. She asked Yuuri if he was going to Chris’s party, which was taking place on his birthday again.

“No,” Yuuri said a little firmer than he had intended. “I have a lot of homework I’ve been pushing off that needs to be done next week.”

“You always have homework,” Iris whined. “That, or Quidditch practice.”

“Sorry. I’m busy a lot.” Yuuri winced, although he was feeling sorrier for himself than Iris.

“I still think you should go,” Iris said stubbornly, as they neared Madam Puddifoot’s. She held the door open for him.

To his utter relief, Yuuri didn’t spot anyone he knew. There were a few people with Hogwarts scarves, but they all looked either a few years younger or older.

“Are you going?” Yuuri asked, maybe a little too hopefully. Please say yes and meet some other guy who will treat you well. You can fall in love with him and take him out on dates and I won’t be offended in the slightest.

“Not if you’re not going,” Iris said with much restraint, leading him over to a table for two near the back. “I don’t want you to think I’m off with some other guy.” She laughed.

“I know you wouldn’t do that.” Yuuri tried to return her level of amusement, although he was regrettably, dead serious.

He was also wondering when exactly their strange relationship—if it could even be called that—had become exclusive.

“You’re really not going, though?” Iris’s face was crestfallen. “But we had so much fun last year. That was where we met!”

Fun? We danced for ten minutes. At least, that had been what Phichit had told him, and Phichit was the most trustworthy person he knew.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” Yuuri tried to keep his face blank. “I’m just really busy. Plus I’m sure Chris will host more parties in the future.” This, at least, was truthful. What wasn’t, was that he was not planning on going to any of those either.

“Hmph.” Iris frowned, then brightened all of the sudden again. The girl was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, except her ups were much more frequent than her downs. “Oh! I forgot to tell you. I had the best idea the other day of how we could spend more time together.”

Great.

“What’s that?”

“Well since you’re always busy studying, I thought we could study together. Then we’d be getting work done, and we’d be in one another’s company!”

“Oh,” Yuuri started awkwardly. “Yeah, that’d be nice. I feel like we’d end up talking for most of the time, though.” He laughed, hoping this would distract her from setting up a formal study session.

“Well that’s the point!” Her eyes gleamed as she leaned forward and pecked his cheek. Yuuri kindly resisted the urge to wipe the sticky feeling of lip gloss off.

“Maybe,” Yuuri said.

A frown passed over her face and the guilt hit once again. She was being so nice, and he was—well, he was the uncommitted boy who was leading her on. The kind of person who made him so scared of being in a relationship himself. When had he transformed into his own fear?

“I have intensive practices every day after class,” Iris said. “That goes up until the match on the twenty-fourth. Maybe we could meet the day after?” This time her tone was a little less bubbly, as if she was ready to be let down.

“Sure!” Yuuri exclaimed quickly. “That would be great.”

Happiness flooded into her features and he immediately felt better. He could sacrifice some time with her if it meant she stayed satisfied. “Really?”

“Really,” Yuuri promised.

“You’re the best.” She smiled, then got up. “I’ll order something for us. You can stay here.”

“Actually, I have to use the bathroom,” Yuuri said quickly, standing up as well. His head was spinning, and he felt sick. “I’ll run over to The Three Broomsticks.”

“Okay.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Yuuri felt better as soon as he made it outside, the cool air and wet snow hitting his face. He cherished the walk over to The Three Broomsticks, deciding he might as well go in even if it had only been an excuse to get some fresh air.

“Yuuri!”

It was Viktor, a bright spot in the mahogany walls and bustling movement.

“We were wondering where you were,” he said, gesturing to a large booth in the back. Mila, Chris, Georgi, Anya, Otabek, and Yurio were all caught up in conversation, sitting in front of mugs of Butterbeer. “Come join us!”

Although their recent meetings and classes had been filled with occasional awkward moments, Yuuri had tried his best to act normal around Viktor again. For a glorious second, he pictured just ditching Iris completely and saying he got caught up or couldn’t find her. He longed for nothing more than to sit down with the rest of his friends and enjoy a good drink and finally relax. But he took a deep breath and shook his head.

“Iris is waiting for me,” he explained as casually as possible. “I need to head back to Madam Puddifoot’s in a second.”

Viktor’s face was immediately wiped blank. “I see,” he said, his voice cold. “I forgot you had a girlfriend.”

Yuuri wasn’t exactly sure what to say.

“Er, yeah.”

“Well don’t let me keep you then.” Viktor waved his hand carelessly. “Better get back as soon as you can, otherwise you’ll find her crying about how you won’t hold her hand in public.”

Before Yuuri even had a chance to open his mouth again, Viktor had turned on his heel and was moving against the flow of people back to his table.

Move, he told himself, knowing just how stupid he looked. Holding his head high, hoping Viktor was watching him, Yuuri walked out of The Three Broomsticks, crossing the snow back to Madam Puddifoot’s. He spotted Iris with two mugs and a plate of biscuits, and he hurried over, sliding back into his seat.

“Hey,” she said happily, nodding toward the biscuits. “I hope you like oatmeal raisin.”

“I do,” Yuuri said. He even grabbed one to prove it. “Thanks for paying. I’ll get the next one.”

The next one.

“Of course,” she said. “My parents always told me to pay for one of the first two dates. Actually, this is probably the perfect time to mention I’ve been telling my mum so much about you.”

Yuuri’s heart stopped before he gathered himself again.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” she gushed. “She’s really happy for me, and my dad is too. They want to meet you so bad. I told them maybe over the summer.”

“Hmm,” Yuuri said as Iris rambled on.

We’ve been on two dates and she calls me her boyfriend. And now she wants me to meet her parents. While staring at a collection of teacups on the wall, Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder if relationships were really fun or if they all felt so painfully difficult.

***

“It’s Valentine’s Day, bitches.”

Yuuri was realizing one sentence at a time that JJ had had too much to drink the night before. It was Valentine’s Day, though, and heart-shaped pancakes and disgusting sugared desserts lined every inch of the table. It had been decorated in red and pink, and although Yuuri appreciated the house elves’ effort, he kind of hated it.

“Are you single this year, JJ?” Mila asked with a knowing, amused glint in her eye. She, contrary to Yurio and Chris’s prediction, was taking Valentine’s Day quite well, although Yuuri suspected it would all go away as soon as they had Charms with Sara, who was undoubtedly being smothered in gifts by Riley.

“Hopefully not by the end of the day.” His smile glistened, teeth annoyingly straight and white.

“Who’s the lucky girl?” Mila asked with visible excitement. “It’s about time someone I know gets in a relationship. This year has been so dry.”

“Can’t say until she gets my rose.” JJ smiled secretly. “We’ll find out if she meets me in the Astronomy Tower at midnight tonight.”

Mila pretended to throw up into her cup of hot chocolate, which was piled with a sickening number of pink marshmallows.

Suddenly the plates vanished, clearing the table. Mila frowned, hand held out toward where her mug had been.

“Look!” Guang Hong called out, pointing as owls soared in from overhead. “The valentines are coming.”

JJ’s cheeks turned sickly pale, and Yuuri realized the confident captain was actually nervous about some girl getting his letter.

“Oh, gross,” Mila remarked nonchalantly. She was staring straight ahead at the Ravenclaw table. Yuuri had to shift in his seat to spot Sara taking a package off of an owl with a knowing, smitten smile. Riley sat next to her—or more accurately, she sat with Sara practically on her lap. They both had matching heart stickers on their cheeks.

“Oh, come on,” JJ said sharply, seeming to have broken from his nervous trance. “Don’t even bother to look at her.”

It was too late, though. Mila had fallen silent for the first time since Yuuri had met her. She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the Great Hall without another word.

When Yuuri leaned over to see from her perspective, he saw Sara and Riley break away from a kiss, then rest their foreheads together. The happiness was plain on their faces.

“Poor Mila,” Guang Hong said. “I wish Sara knew how much she was hurting her.”

“She’s allowed to date whoever she wants,” JJ said, surprisingly defensive. “Mila just has to get over it.”

“Hasn’t Sara been pretty nasty to her, though?” Yuuri asked, speaking from his own experience. He had been surprised at how cold and detached Sara had acted toward him in Transfiguration and Charms because he was friends with Mila. He could only imagine how Sara was treating her.

“I think Mila confessed or something,” Leo said, leaning in. “But it was right after Sara started dating Riley because that was the only time she got the courage to do it. She was so caught up in the moment that she expected Sara to break up with Riley or something, and Sara got offended that she even suggested that. They’ve been at odds the whole year now. Or that’s what I heard, at least.”

“I wonder if Sara likes her,” Otabek said, despite being quiet for most of the conversation. “They were really good friends last year, and she said the year before they talked a lot too.”

“I mean it doesn’t exactly take a genius to tell that Mila’s in love with her,” JJ said flippantly. “She was pretty obvious, and I think if Sara did like her, she would’ve been able to tell and wouldn’t have started dating Riley.”

“You never know,” Otabek said. “Maybe Riley was the one who asked her out and she figured Mila wasn’t making a move so she might as well have some fun, then it just turned into something more serious.”

“And,” added Guang Hong softly. “Maybe it was painfully obvious to all of us, but some people are pretty oblivious when it comes to that type of thing. Sara could’ve written Mila’s friendliness off as just that, and nothing more.”

Yuuri stared down at the table, suddenly sick to his stomach without knowing why.

***

Yuuri felt like he was in a repeat of last year, watching as Professor Vector closed the Arithmancy door and strode to the front of the room with a stack of valentines.

“Nikiforov, you might as well just take all of these,” she sighed, after reading the third one off as his. “If there’s anything that’s not yours, just pass it back when we have work time.”

Yuuri couldn’t help but notice that Viktor didn’t bother to look at the valentines. Instead, he opened his bag, revealing the smushed chocolate and flower petals stuck on his parchment rolls, and shoved the whole stack in. They stuck out, so he grabbed his wand, muttering a quick charm, and the inside of the bag expanded by a few centimeters.

“While it is Valentine’s Day, we are learning some very complex ideas today. I hope you can all spare an hour away from looking at your cards and turn to page 616 of your textbook.”

Yuuri glanced behind him, surprised to see many students shamefully shove away various gifts and notes. Even Isabella turned red and put down the rose she had been sniffing.

“Start reading by yourself and when you get to the next section, stop. We’ll start discussing when everyone’s ready.”

Yuuri risked another look at Viktor, who had now given up any effort to be nice to him ever since Hogsmeade a few days ago. He couldn’t imagine why Viktor was so upset with him. He knew he had been distant lately, and sometimes his perpetual frustration made him irrationally difficult, but it couldn’t all be because he had refused to tell Viktor what was bothering him, could it?

***

“You’re coming,” Yurio commanded.

Yuuri groaned, spread haphazardly over an armchair in the Gryffindor common room. It was mainly empty, everyone either at Chris’s party or upstairs, asleep.

“How did you even get in here?” Yuuri rubbed his eyes, although he didn’t feel tired at all. “I thought you weren’t supposed to go in other House’s common rooms.”

“I guess that’s my fault,” Otabek said, emerging from the dormitory stairs. He didn’t look ashamed, though. “I gave him the password so we could go down there together.”

Yurio shot Yuuri a superior look, arms still crossed. “You are not going to sit here all alone reading a book on Ancient Runes when there’s a fantastic party going on seven floors below us.”

“I told Iris I wasn’t going,” Yuuri said, the thought of her weighing him down. The two had exchanged presents during lunch. Yuuri bought her last-minute chocolates, which looked a little lackluster compared to the card and hand-knit scarf she had given him.

“Yeah, and you also hate dating her, so that means nothing,” Yurio said, pulling out his wand and Summoning Yuuri’s book.

“Hey!” Yuuri got up, holding his hand out. “I have an essay to write by first block tomorrow.”

“Liar,” Yurio snapped, although he tossed the book back. “We have Ancient Runes together, you shithead. The essay isn’t due until March, and frankly, the fact that you’ve already started researching for it is appalling. Now since you’re up already, go get something to wear and come back down. We’re not leaving without you.”

Yuuri shot Otabek a pathetic look, although he was already growing convinced. He would just have to pop in for a few minutes, maybe get something to eat, and once he lost Yurio and Otabek, he could leave easily. Iris wouldn’t even know he went, and he’d be back to the comfort of the common room before he knew it.

“Fine,” he said, grabbing his stack of notes. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

***

“Honestly I think you’re crazy for not coming earlier,” Yurio said loudly. It was the only way he could be heard over the music. “Last year was so fun. Don’t you agree, Otabek?”

Yuuri could tell Yurio had already had a firewhisky or two because he’d never heard the younger boy so positive or talkative.

Instead of answering, Otabek just flashed Yurio a rare smile, and the two gazed at each other for a second before wiping the expressions off of their faces. They turned back to Yuuri almost in unison.

“Aren’t you going to dance with someone, or something?” Yurio asked. “You’re at a party, you know.”

“No,” Yuuri said firmly. “Last year I danced with someone and ended up dating them.”

“And you’re not happy with how that turned out?” asked Otabek at the same time that Yurio laughed.

“Oh, you did a lot more than dance.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yuuri frowned, straightening the collar of his shirt. He had gone as casual as possible, but not so casual that he would stand out.

“Nothing,” Otabek said. He seemed to pale for a second, but Yuuri figured it must be the lighting. “Hey, do you know where the snack table is, Yurio?”

“It’s in the back,” Yurio said in a bored voice, his green eyes scanning the room. After a second, he turned to Otabek. “Actually, I’ll take you there. Yuuri, you can stay here. We’ll be back in a moment.”

Before Yuuri could protest, the two pushed themselves away, and they were lost in the dark crowd. A second later, Yuuri felt a hand grab his shoulder.

He flinched, twisting away to come face to face with—Viktor.

“What are you doing here?” Viktor asked, his voice strange. He had a loose black tie on and a white dress shirt, strands of hair pasted to his forehead with sweat. His eyes were hard to look at in the dark, but Yuuri didn’t need to see them to know what they looked like.

“Am I not invited?” Yuuri replied snappishly, more so than he had meant.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Viktor said. Without further explanation, he grabbed his hand and dragged him across the dance floor toward a side room.

As soon as Viktor shut the door and the music became muted, Yuuri’s eardrums pounded thickly. He felt his eyes adjust and he made out the shape of two beds and a pile of clothes.

“What are you doing?” Yuuri asked. He felt dizzy, like he had drunk some firewhisky, although he knew he hadn’t touched the drinks table at all: he hadn’t even gotten a chance.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Viktor repeated in an agitated voice. He must have taken his wand out because a second later, a torch flickered alive on the wall behind Yuuri. He could now see Viktor clearly, although his face was still lined with shadows.

“You already said that,” Yuuri said, more annoyed than ever. As if Viktor could tell him what to do. “Are you going to explain, or can I go back in there now?

Viktor seemed to pick up on his anger, and his face turned hostile in response. “I just thought you would’ve learned from last year,” he said coolly, folding his arms.

“There’s nothing wrong with having fun,” Yuuri shot back, remembering the girls at Slughorn’s party that Viktor had been deliberate to ignore.

It seemed like ages ago. Merlin, he felt like a different person now. The shock of it made him recoil, and he suddenly wanted to apologize to Viktor.

“Well, while you might not think so,” said Viktor before he got the chance, “I think there’s a problem when you get near-naked and pole dance in front of half the school.”

“I’d never do that,” Yuuri retorted, his jaw clenched. “I wasn’t even planning on staying that long.”

Viktor let out a very harsh laugh. “No one told you?”

“Told me what exactly?

“You haven’t noticed how people look at you? Where everyone knows you from?” Viktor’s eyes were burning darkly. “You didn’t think Quidditch made you that popular, did you?”

“What do you mean?” Yuuri snapped back. What else could anyone know him from besides Quidditch?

“Chris’s party. Last year,” Viktor said. “When you, you know, stripped and put on a show for everyone.”

Yuuri had been speechless many times in his life, but never quite as severely as in that moment.

“Or did you not know?” Viktor continued, pressing each word into him like a dull knife.

“I…” Yuuri’s head was spinning. He could no longer hear the music, although his heart was pounding loud enough to fill the apparent silence. A second later, another heavy track started, and people cheered.

“I think you should go,” Viktor said, deadly calm. “Before you embarrass yourself again, like last year. Go find your girlfriend and tell her you’re leaving.”

Iris, Yuuri recalled with sudden guilt. If he had really done what Viktor had said, then he must have been leading her on since the very beginning. Now that he thought about it, the only thing that could explain her infatuation with him afterward was that they had done more than dance. Probably kissed, and—Oh God...my first kiss was while I was drunk, and I have no memory of it.

“Iris isn’t here,” Yuuri blurted out, keeping his voice from trembling. He ignored the flash of surprise that Viktor’s carefully controlled face couldn’t hide. “But you’ve made it very clear in the last few days that you don’t want me anywhere you are, so I’ll leave,” he said.

“Yuuri,” Viktor said, suddenly sounding very worried, “I—”

Yuuri shut the door behind him. He was shaking and soaked with sweat, and he wasted no time. He pushed through the crowd, eyes burning, but he refused to lose sight of the green candle above the exit.

***

“It’s okay. Really, Phichit,” Yuuri said for the fiftieth time. He had to speak a little louder than he would’ve liked due to the buzzing of the crowd that had gathered in the Quidditch pitch. It had been nearly two weeks since the party, nearly two weeks since Yuuri had asked Phichit about what really happened last year, and nearly two weeks since Phichit had broken down and told him he hadn’t meant to lie and he had made a mistake.

Phichit was still apologizing.

“I feel terrible,” he moaned. “I thought I was, like, protecting you or something, which is so stupid because you don’t need protecting. And like, I thought everyone would forget about it—after all, I was one of the few people who wasn’t drunk that night. And I never thought You Know Who would use it against you.”

Yuuri moved his legs so that a group of boys could squeeze past them to the last few seats in their row.

Phichit had taken to using vague terms to avoid Viktor’s name, although Yuuri could tell Phichit didn’t detest him completely. It was something he loved and hated about Phichit—how fair he always was in tough situations. In fact, he had been quite defensive of Viktor’s behavior, saying that the two were just having communication issues and Yuuri’s grief was getting in the way of their friendship. 

That was, until Yuuri had admitted to how Viktor had been that night, which turned the conversation completely around to Phichit coming up with the best ways to get revenge.

Yet no matter how much he wanted to, Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to hate Viktor either. After all, he’d told him the truth. Not in the nicest way, but he had saved him from embarrassing himself again, and…

Phichit, of course, had told him this was nonsense and that he had every right to be upset at him, but suggested wearily that maybe they should talk it through if he really wanted to continue being his friend.

The answer was yes, obviously. But that was something he had to worry about later.

“Phichit, the only thing that could ever make me hate you is if you keep bringing this up,” Yuuri said. “We’re over it. Done.”

Phichit stuck out his lower lip. “Fine. No more mentions of He Who Must Not Be Named.”

Yuuri bit back a smile.

Just in time, Madam Hooch began to announce the players, and Michele leaned over to them.

“Who are you rooting for?”

“Slytherin,” Yuuri said immediately. “Yurio deserves to win.”

“Right. I forgot you guys were friends.” Michele wrinkled his nose. “And Iris is on the team, too, I guess. Personally, I hope Ravenclaw wins, although I’m conflicted because I want Sara to do well, but I also want Riley to not do well.”

Phichit laughed, hitting Michele lightly in the arm. “Give the girl a break. She’s a nice person.”

Michele was about to open his mouth and retort, but Madam Hooch’s voice cut into the crisp February air.

“Cabello has already got the Quaffle! That girl is headed straight for the goalposts, but—OH! Nice interception there, Eliot, and...she SCORES!”

The Slytherins cheered, and Yuuri watched as Iris did a victory lap around the stadium, her hair flowing freely behind her in a loose ponytail.

“Slytherin seems like they’re on top of things today,” Phichit said, his eyes darting back and forth. He was right, Yuuri realized, watching as Arthur Rook effortlessly blocked a goal from Riley, who was usually the star player. The Quaffle was already back to the Slytherins, who were moving rapidly as a team.

Yuuri hoped JJ was taking notes.

“Slytherin scores again!” yelled Madam Hooch. Just about every House but Ravenclaw cheered. From what he had learned last year, Yuuri knew the Ravenclaws had been winning the Cup for a while, so it made sense that no one wanted them to win again.

“I can’t believe it!” hissed Phichit, pointing as Rook blocked the Quaffle. It flew into the arms of Iris, and she whirled around on her broom. She didn’t even bother to make it halfway down the field before throwing a picture-perfect toss.

The Quaffle soared through the middle hoop with no opposition.

“I can’t tell if Slytherin is doing really well or Ravenclaw is just doing terrible!” yelled Michele, who seemed to have chosen to wish poorly upon Riley rather than wish the best for Sara’s team.

“Slytherin hasn’t won a match since last year, either!” Yuuri said, joining everyone else in standing to see better.

“Slytherin is up to fifty, Ravenclaw at ten…” Madam Hooch trailed off as Riley sped down the field, Quaffle in hand.

“OUCH!” Madam Hooch shouted, her silver hair a bright spot against the other side of the crowd.

One of the Slytherin Beaters had flung a vicious Bludger at Riley, nearly knocking her to the ground. She fumbled for a second, grabbing the broom as she fell, the Quaffle a fingertip away before—

“Slytherin has the Quaffle AGAIN!”

“Unbelievable,” muttered Phichit under his breath. “What training regimen have they been on?”

“Honestly.” Yuuri laughed. He felt light and happy, adrenaline coursing through him. Slytherin was now up seventy points, and he could see the glee evident in their movements, flashes of emerald taking extra loops and high fiving one another as they passed. They were holding off, waiting for Yurio to end it, he realized, and he felt a rush of hope for the younger boy.

“And Slytherin scores again!” Madam Hooch exclaimed. She was so loud that Yuuri doubted she needed her wand to magnify her voice any more.

“I hope Sara doesn’t take this too hard,” Michele said, grinning as if he’d already determined the fate of the game. “Not like it’s her fault the Keeper and Chasers aren’t doing well, but if she doesn’t swoop in soon, Slytherin could probably win without even getting the Snitch.”

“That’s what happened last year, right?” Yuuri asked. He remembered watching Michele catch the Snitch even though Slytherin had been hundreds ahead.

“Yeah.” Michele grimaced, eyes still glued on the game ahead of them. “We knew we couldn’t win going into that, and it got to the point where Slytherin was just racking up points.”

“Thankfully you brought Gryffindor to victory,” Phichit said, flashing Yuuri a smile. “What an iconic game.”

“Slytherin leading over Ravenclaw by ninety points!” Madam Hooch announced, rocking on the balls of her feet.

“If they keep this up, I’m going to be terrified when they play against us in a few months. They could be in line to win the Cup,” Phichit said, head raised high so he could see Riley and Iris intercept again, wrestling for the Quaffle. Riley came away with the red ball clutched to her chest, but the crowd spotted the Bludger fly toward her from twenty meters away.

Yuuri winced as she was smacked on the cheek and flew backward. The Quaffle fell out of her arms, ready for a Slytherin Chaser to swoop below and grab. Half the stadium was sympathetic groans, the other half delighted cheers.

“A nasty hit, but Cabello’s already back and flying,” Madam Hooch said, to the disdain of Michele.

“You’ve got to give Riley one thing.” Phichit grimaced as they all watched her speed after two players in green. “She has some guts.”

“Or low pain tolerance,” Michele said.

Something told Yuuri that even if someone took down a troll with their bare hands, Michele still wouldn’t find them suitable for his sister.

“Two Bludgers headed for the Seekers!” announced Madam Hooch, and every student’s head simultaneously turned up. Sara and Yurio were flying at dizzying heights, no doubt freezing. The sky was a brilliant blue, and Yuuri squinted hard, trying to see if anyone had spotted the Snitch.

He held his breath, hoping he would see Yurio pivot and go after something. Yuuri could tell the younger boy was losing confidence fast, having not caught the Snitch in any of the matches before. And despite everything, he wanted Yurio to succeed.

But instead, it was Sara who dived down, a Bludger tailing her. She was flying sharply toward the ground, hand outstretched, when Yuuri witnessed multiple things happen at once.

First, one of the Slytherin Beaters hurled her bat toward Sara at an alarming speed.

Second, as Sara dodged from the bat, the Bludger that had been following her caught up to her, ramming straight into the back of her broom. There was a horrible splintering sound, but it only propelled her forward faster.

And third, as Yuuri craned his neck up, he saw Yurio holding his hand out, fist in the air, with the unmistakable golden Snitch fluttering in between the fingers of his thick black gloves. There was a rumble of confusion, and then an overwhelming wave of applause and cheers.

Yuuri plugged his ears, though he could still hear Phichit screaming next to him:

“Sara was faking!”

“Yurio caught the Snitch!” Yuuri yelled out loud. “He really caught it!”

He forced himself to look up against the sun, and he watched as the Slytherin team sped to Yurio. They collided, a cluster of green in the sky.

***

The school was still buzzing with excitement the day after the match, and Yuuri left dinner in the Great Hall a few minutes earlier than usual—he was to meet Iris in an empty classroom so they could study. This time, he was actually excited to see her and congratulate her on the staggering win.

Pacing back and forth where they’d agreed to meet with a smile on his face, he heard footsteps and turned around, animated.

“Iris!” He surprised himself by opening his arms to welcome her into a hug.

Slowly, he dropped his arms as she stopped, clenching her books to her chest. Her face was serious and firm, which was a first.

“What’s wrong?” The bag on his shoulder suddenly felt very heavy.

“I think we need to have a small talk.” She stepped forward cautiously.

“Why?” Yuuri asked, his palms already sweating. Had he done something? “What happened?”

Her pink lips opened, then closed shakily. Then opened again.

“I think we should break up.”

Chapter Text

“Actually no,” Iris continued, jaw raised fearlessly. “I don’t think we should break up. I know we should, and I’m breaking up with you right now.”

“I—but—why?” Yuuri was at a loss for words. Everything around them was spinning and Iris was the only thing in focus. She looked over-saturated and painfully sharp.

“Why?” She crossed her arms, gathering speed as she went, her eyes blazing. “Because you clearly despise spending time with me and use any excuse you can to get away from me, whether it’s classwork or Quidditch. You refuse to hold my hand or look at me when I talk, and you always invite other people to hang out with us so you don’t have to be alone with me. Not to mention, not once, except for when you were drunk, have you ever kissed me with any passion at all.”

It wasn’t that Yuuri hadn’t realized all those things, but laid out, they sounded worse than he could’ve imagined. The guilt was spreading slowly from his throat and taking over his whole body. He had been delusional to think that she wouldn’t notice, or she wouldn’t care, but he hadn’t fathomed she’d confront him about it.

“And finally, it’s obvious that you’re embarrassed to be around me,” she said. “You know, if you’re not into a girl, you should just break up with her.”

Yuuri didn’t know what to say. Knowing full well that he had messed up beyond repair—although he didn’t exactly want to repair the situation—he chose to stay silent. The least he could do was look her in the eye, but he foolishly felt like crying, and his gaze quickly fell to her shoes.

“Fine,” Iris snapped. “Just don’t say anything. I wouldn’t have expected anything more from you.”

He saw her swivel on her foot and he opened his mouth to protest.

“Wait, Iris.” He swallowed, his swirling vision catching the glint of her hair swinging back as she turned to look at him.

“I reckon that’s the first time you’ve ever addressed me by my name,” she replied coldly. From the way her voice fluctuated at the end, he could tell she was barely keeping her anger from simmering over the top.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Sorry doesn’t make up for months of leading me on,” she scoffed.

Yuuri knew that.

“I know,” he said. “I’m not...I’m not denying anything you said.”

A flash of hurt passed over her face, and for a terrible second, he wondered if she had been hoping he would say she was wrong—that she had misunderstood and he still cared for her. That he always had.

“I know I was being a horrible boyfriend,” he said, finally meeting her eyes properly.

“No.” She didn’t flinch. “Not a horrible boyfriend. You were being a horrible person.”

“I know,” he repeated for the third time. “Would you believe me if I said I was sorry again?”

“No,” she said. Her brown eyes were carving holes in his, and he wanted to hex himself for ever believing she was shallow and delicate. “I don’t think you’re sorry for anything you did to me because you hated this relationship the moment it started. I was being stupid, hoping you just found it hard to express love. I kept holding onto that night, after all this time, because I knew that was real. I thought you were just being shy, but it took me a long time to realize you truly didn’t remember anything. As soon as I accepted that, everything made so much more sense. How it didn’t mean a thing. Looking back at everything you did, and all the signs of disinterest I worked so hard to write off. I was so foolish.”

She paused, but didn’t blink, and then continued when he said nothing.

“You know what helped me realize? I see you with your friends, especially the perfect Viktor Nikiforov. You always look so carefree with him. You were never like that with me. It forced me to take a long hard look at us, and I knew I had to stop making excuses for your behavior. Remember the day Professor Slughorn took over Potions for Professor Snape?”

Yuuri remembered.

“We had just made it to the second ingredient when we ran into Viktor. I could tell you two were fighting or something, but the way you looked at him, you seemed more in love with him than m—”

“Don’t say that,” Yuuri snapped before he could even process the words. The hair on his arms had risen, and his body pulsed with a large uncomfortableness, telling him something was wrong, wrong, wrong. She shouldn’t be saying that—not there, not in a corridor where anyone could walk by, not anywhere.

She cocked her head, eyebrows raised. “It’s true and you know it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yuuri said, his heart beating unusually fast. “We were having a disagreement which is why we were acting off. I don’t like him like that.”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “He’s also the reason I know you’re not a bad person, despite the awful way you treated me. Every time you’re around him, you light up. He drives you to be a better person and it’s written all over your face. I see the best of you when you’re with him. I don’t know if you choose to do that, but what I do know is that you chose to show the worst parts of yourself when you were with me.”

Yuuri struggled to relax his tight shoulders. He would’ve rathered she kept bringing up the despicable things he’d done, but there she was, talking about Viktor of all people.

“I didn’t mean to.” The words felt foreign on his tongue.

Why was he trying to save something he didn’t even want? He just needed them to end on good terms while simultaneously never having to talk to her again.

But that’s not going to happen now, he thought bitterly, because you were terrible to her and you can’t expect her to still tolerate you.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t pull away every time I held your hand or said you had to study every time I asked you to hang out. You meant it, Yuuri Katsuki.”

“My name is Katsuki Yuuri.”

“Fine, then, Katsuki Yuuri,” she spat. “You’re finally getting your wish. You never wanted to see me and now I don’t want to see you. Congratulations. You didn’t have to break my heart in the process.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated dumbly. “I didn’t know how to tell you.” But what type of Gryffindor was too much of a coward to break up with someone?

This seemed to set her on fire.

“YOU SAY, ‘I DON’T WANT TO DATE YOU,’ AND I SAY, ‘THAT’S OKAY, AT LEAST YOU TURNED ME DOWN BEFORE I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU!’”

“I—”

“WHEN SOMEONE GIVES YOU THEIR HEART, YOU—”

She broke off suddenly, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“You treat it like it like your own,” she whispered.

She was in love with me?

“And if that’s how you treat your own heart, then I’m truly sorry for you.”

Without another word from either of them, she spun around and ran down the hallway, turning at the nearest bend.

Yuuri didn’t bother going after her.

He closed his eyes and took a large, shuddering breath. His glasses felt heavy pressed against his nose. It wasn’t exactly grief—more shock.

He heard footsteps coming from behind him and his eyes shot open. He started walking quickly, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t get close enough to see him.

“Wait, Yuuri!”

He froze, then felt his body turn without his approval.

“Yuuri, I—er, are you crying?”

Viktor neared him so they were only a stride apart, then stopped. His features were drawn tightly, and all Yuuri could hear was a cacophony of Iris’s voice—a summation of all the things she had said just then about the boy that was standing right in front of him.

“Am I?” Yuuri wiped his face numbly, surprised at the result. He wondered when he’d started.

His fighting with Viktor seemed so pointless now. He hadn’t seen him clearly in so long, the large window behind them filtering rays of the sun onto his face. It didn’t help that Iris’s words were still cutting fresh in his mind, yet a guiltless, awful voice was worming its way into his head and asking...why stay away from someone he did enjoy spending time with?

“It doesn’t matter,” Viktor said quickly. “Listen, Yuuri, I’m sorry about Chris’s party. And Potions class. And that time we were studying. I’ve felt so disgusted with myself and—”

“You?” Yuuri asked incredulously. “You did nothing wrong.”

He sniffed, reaching to wipe away at his face.

Viktor must have thought he was crying about something he said, as his face turned a shade paler.

“Yuuri, I really did. You’re always so nice to me, and it was so wrong of me to—”

He stopped talking at the sound of footsteps from the crossing hall.

“Class is out.” Viktor glanced behind him. “Come on. Let’s go.”

For whatever reason, Yuuri found himself hurrying after Viktor, who had paused at the stairwell. Voices were coming from above.

“The Slytherin dorm is closer than the Room of Requirement,” Viktor said, then took one look at Yuuri, with the tears still clear on his face.

He whipped out his wand.

“Stay still,” Viktor commanded, then pointed it at Yuuri, who froze in place.

He muttered something under his breath, looking like he was concentrating very hard.

Then Yuuri felt the strangest sensation, as if he were being doused in a bucket of warm water. Yelping, he stepped away from Viktor.

“You have to be quiet,” Viktor said urgently. “It makes you invisible, not mute.”

“It makes me—oh.” Yuuri held out an arm and saw nothing except a ripple of air.

“I’m not the best at it,” Viktor said, “but it’ll do. Come on, people are starting to show up.”

Yuuri blinked. His mind was churning, and he wasn’t quite sure what was happening—had he really just seen Iris a minute ago? It felt like days. And what was Viktor doing here?

But when Viktor gestured for him to follow, Yuuri followed. And as they descended the stairs, he slowly came to his senses. They reached the entrance of the Slytherin common room and Viktor murmured the password.

It slid open with an ominous creak, as if the bones of the castle knew someone unknown was entering. The room was mostly empty, save for two fourth year girls who looked up immediately.

Yuuri didn’t doubt that they’d been waiting for Viktor’s return.

“Hi Viktor,” said one in an annoyingly high voice. Her hair was pulled back in an immaculate bun, her bangs cut perfectly straight. Her friend next to her smiled and waved, each finger moving pointedly.

“Hey, Vanessa.” He smiled tightly.

“Want to help us study?” she asked, giggling. “I heard you got one hundred and twelve percent on the fourth year Charms exam.”

“Nope,” he said modestly. “Don’t quite remember that happening. I’ve got to go deal with some business. See you girls later, though.” He waved, shooting a worried glance at Yuuri.

When Yuuri looked down, he saw his features were starting to fade back, the palest shadow of his cloak overlaying the dark hardwood. Just a step behind Viktor, he crossed the green-lit room to the far end.

Viktor paused in front of one of several heavy doors, murmuring another password before swinging it open and ushering Yuuri in.

“This is where you brought me during Chris’s party,” Yuuri said as soon as the door shut. He could see it better in the light, that there were, in fact, two beds and a pile of clothes in one corner.

The mere mention of the night turned Viktor’s features pained again. He sat down on one bed and looked up at Yuuri carefully.

“This is my room with Chris,” he started cautiously. “But that wasn’t the point of trying to talk to you earlier. I never got to apologize fully.”

You don’t need to apologize, the sensible part of him said, but the feeble part wanted to hear what he had to say.

“After the holidays, you were acting sort of distant, and, well, you’ve never been one to share whatever’s on your mind.” Viktor swallowed. “I hated seeing you hurting, and I thought if I were insistent enough, maybe if I pushed you, you would spill, and everything would be better.”

Yuuri started to open his mouth, but Viktor held up a hand.

“Let me finish,” he said, his gaze falling to the floor. An endearing curl of his silver hair hung over one of his eyes. “I was so wrong. I should’ve never tried to force you to say anything. It was none of my business and I was intruding upon your personal life, which was frankly both disrespectful and manipulative.”

“Viktor, stop,” Yuuri said, unable to let him go on. Something about being alone with Viktor was clearing his senses. He was starting to feel level-headed again, and he took a steadying breath. “It’s my fault, really, for not telling you something was bothering me. And it’s only expected that if your friend is upset, you’ll want to know what’s wrong. I should’ve been happy that you cared enough about me to ask.”

Viktor shook his head.

“I shouldn’t have kept asking. But there’s more. What I told you at Chris’s party...I shouldn’t have held it over your head like that. When I—when we, decided to just forget whatever happened and assume it wouldn’t hurt you, well, I should’ve let it go. Not used it against you.”

“I’m glad I found out,” Yuuri said. “But I’m over it now. If everyone else has known since then, then it shouldn’t matter.”

“I also have been incredibly rude to your girlfriend,” Viktor said in the most twisted voice yet. This time, his eyes flickered toward Yuuri. “I mocked her and picked at everything she said when it’s...when it’s clear that you care for her.”

“Shebrokeupwithme.” The words flew out of his mouth in a jumble.

Viktor seemed to get the message. His eyes widened and his lips moved for a moment before forming words.

“Oh,” he said. “Oh, I...I’m sorry. Was that why you were crying?”

“Yes,” Yuuri said, his head starting to spin again. “But I’m okay. I was just shocked. It was my fault.”

There was a tense, awkward silence, both of them working out something to say.

“It was my dog,” Yuuri blurted out suddenly, and without warning his eyes spilled over with a fresh round of tears he hadn’t realized had been building up. “Over the holidays, my dog died.”

A flash of something passed over Viktor’s face and his fingers twitched.

“I didn’t know you had a dog,” Viktor said softly, and then reached his hand toward Yuuri’s. He slipped his fingers between his, so slowly that Yuuri had every chance to pull away.

He didn’t.

Instead, he sank onto the dark green covers, hand still linked with Viktor’s.

“He was my best friend,” Yuuri said, feeling himself start to fall apart all over again. Images of Vicchan flashed through his head like a movie. “On Christmas Day, I found him sleeping. He hadn’t eaten. When I called my parents, they didn’t seem surprised.”

It felt reminiscent of when he had told Phichit, but now there were fewer details in his grasp. He wondered if the more he told the story, the more he would let go. If that was part of healing.

Viktor squeezed his hand and Yuuri shuddered. Now that he started, he couldn’t stop.

“They knew all along. They had known since I left for Hogwarts last year, and never told me.” Yuuri’s voice fell short. “He was my dog. They said they were trying to protect me, but I know they were lying. They were just too scared to tell me and kept it a secret at my expense.”

“I’m sorry,” Viktor whispered. His voice was soft, every feature of his face open and attentive.

“I hate it,” Yuuri said. He felt like a mess, but it was refreshing in a way. Somehow, he knew Viktor didn’t care, and there was nothing more reassuring. “I hate letting people know how I feel.”

“I’m glad you told me,” Viktor replied without a beat.

Yuuri turned his head down, closing his eyes, basking in the darkness. He felt Viktor’s hand slip out of his own, but he kept his eyes closed. Maybe if they stayed that way forever, he would never have to go back out and face the world.

“Can I—?”

Yuuri opened his eyes, surprised to see Viktor studying him intensely, hands twitching.

Yuuri nodded numbly.

He felt Viktor’s arms slide around his waist as they both shifted on the bed to face one another. Clumsily, Yuuri looped his arms around Viktor and put his head on his shoulder. He was warm and sturdy, and his mind flew back to Slughorn’s party, the only time they had been so close. A second later, Viktor’s hand made its way up his back, then down.

And at least for a heartbeat, everything was clear. Iris, Vicchan, his parents...they were all in the back of his mind, caged away by a thin veil. It was just him and Viktor.

After several moments, Yuuri forced himself to pull back, their arms still around one another but their faces apart.

“What was his name?” Viktor asked, voice low.

Yuuri’s heart missed a beat.

“Vicchan,” he mumbled. He expected his cheeks to redden. They didn’t, though, and he wondered what had changed.

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, but Yuuri commended him for at least trying to not look surprised. He knew that Viktor certainly didn’t speak Japanese, but it was obvious enough.

“I know no one can replace him.” Viktor studied him, his eyes flicking back and forth. “But you have me.”

Yuuri hugged him tighter and let his head fall back onto his shoulder.

He felt Viktor’s words against his neck as he spoke, his chest falling up and down.

“Wholeheartedly.”

Yuuri’s breath caught. It was the same thing he’d said after Yuuri had told him that he felt as if they were falling apart. You have me back. Wholeheartedly.

“Chris is spending tonight elsewhere,” Viktor mumbled. “Stay with me.”

Even if Yuuri had not wanted to, although he very much did, he wasn’t sure how he could possibly say no; Viktor’s voice was delicate and muffled, and the way he held Yuuri was unlike anything he had felt before.

***

Sometime in the early morning, Yuuri woke. For a second, he didn’t know where he was, but then he recalled the events of the previous evening and sank back into Chris’s pillow. Risking a glance to his right, he saw Viktor lying on his side across the small room. He was shirtless, toned arms curled around one of the two pillows on his bed.

Yuuri’s breath caught in his throat, and for a second, he could not breathe. The waves of moonlight fell on his face, a pale blue touching the silver of his hair and his paper skin. His face was made of all sharp angles, a thin nose and accentuated chin, but he looked soft and exquisite.

Beautiful.

He did not want to look away: not now, not ever.

The most beautiful person I have ever seen.

He stared until his eyelids fell shut and he succumbed to sleep once more.

***

“Yuuri, you have to wake up. I’m so sorry.”

Yuuri’s eyes blinked open. Registering the words, he shot up.

“I—erm.” Viktor was standing next to his bed, or Chris’s bed, rather. “I have free periods on Wednesday morning, you see.”

Yuuri rubbed his eyes blearily, realizing there wasn’t an immediate threat. He reached for his glasses, and suddenly things came into focus.

He almost wished they hadn’t.

Viktor looked striking in the pale light of the late morning. His hair was still a mess, although he had thrown on a shirt. His eyes were clearer than Yuuri had seen in weeks.

“So,” Viktor said after a long pause, his eyes scanning Yuuri. “I forgot that you have class, and it seems we both overslept, so, er…”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, then all of the sudden felt a wave of clarity pass through him. He felt lighter and renewed, like everything in the world had righted up and he was seeing normally again.

Not once had he appreciated the freshness of a new day in the past month and a half.

“I’m sorry,” Viktor repeated, although he sounded a little bewildered now. “I should’ve been thinking.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said. He swept the covers aside and stood up, reveling in the beauty of the day. “Really, it’s just History of Magic.”

“Oh!” Viktor laughed unexpectedly.

A smile spread across Yuuri’s lips at the thought of the endless possibilities. Now that he’d already missed the beginning class, he couldn’t possibly go interrupt, so his whole morning was free.

Suddenly the door was thrown open, and Viktor jumped back, looking startled.

“Chris!” he said.

The blond raised his eyebrows, then paused, looking back and forth between the two. He leaned against the doorframe, a lazy smirk spreading across his face.

“Well I can’t say I didn’t see this coming, but I rather hope you two weren’t doing blasphemous things in my bed.”

Yuuri flushed immediately. He shook his head furiously, hoping that would get the message across.

“Of course not,” Viktor said calmly.

“Hmm.” Chris just smiled, entering the room fully and shutting the door behind him. “Well, that’s a shame. I won’t lie and say I didn’t have a good time last night. In the Ravenclaw dormitory,” he added with a wink.

Viktor sighed. “Where you find these people, I don’t know.”

“Don’t pretend like anyone in this school would reject you,” Chris said, laughing easily. “You only have to make one little move and they’d be all over you.” He wrinkled his eyebrows in amusement. “Unless you have your sights set on someone in particular.”

“I don’t,” Viktor said levelly.

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably on his feet, suddenly feeling like an intruder.

“I’d better head back to the Gryffindor Tower,” he said. “Is the common room clear?”

“Yeah,” said Chris, his eagle eyes trained on Viktor.

“Alright.” Yuuri cleared his throat awkwardly. He paused to grab his wand off the bedside table. “Thanks for letting me stay over, Viktor.”

“Of course.” Viktor gave him a private smile.

Yuuri hoped Chris’s eyes weren’t still following him by the time he swung the door open and walked out.

True to Chris’s word, the common room was empty, and there was no Slytherin to see the boy in ruffled Gryffindor robes slip out.

As he made his way out of the dungeons, Yuuri tried to process all that had happened in the past twelve hours.

“Excuse me!”

It was a surprisingly bright voice for the rather odd woman he saw blocking his path. She was wearing a hideous grass-green dress with a puffy burgundy collar and sleeves. Her bright red lipstick was the only contrast to her pasty white skin, severely-curled blonde hair, and glass blue eyes. Unlike Viktor’s, they lacked warmth. They were filled with burning curiosity, reminding Yuuri of a hawk.

“You’re good,” mumbled Yuuri, pushing himself past, set straight on getting back to his room.

“I meant ‘excuse me’ in an imploring sense, not a pardoning one.” She chuckled, and Yuuri heard the clicking of her heels speed up behind him.

He gritted his teeth and stopped.

“What?” he asked, although he knew exactly what she meant.

“Oh ho!” She laughed. “It seems like I have some work to do. What do you say, Mr. Katsuki, about being my first interviewee?”

She pronounced his name horribly wrong, in a very English accent that would have made him wince if he didn’t have so many other questions on his mind, like why she was wearing a green dress with red heels and black fishnets when she looked at least forty years old, or what she was doing in the castle when she couldn’t possibly be a professor. Or how she knew his name in the first place.

“Er, I’m actually late to class,” he said awkwardly, hoping to look as uninteresting as possible. “We have a quiz today, so I need to be there as soon as possible.”

“Hmph.” She made a face. “I’ll get old Dumbledore to excuse you from it. He’s given me permission to interview students, anyway.” She tapped her long nails against her leg in a quick rhythm.

“Great,” Yuuri said, trying for the last time, “but I really don’t want to miss class, Madam.”

As he turned to leave, she reached out faster than he could react, latching her steely grip around his arm.

“Not so fast, Mr. Katsuki,” she scolded.

This time, the question must have been all over his face, as she let out a shrill of laughter.

“How rude of me not to introduce myself! You poor boy.” She squeezed his wrist, causing him to wince. “You must forgive me. You see, I’ve just seen so much about you and heard so little. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She held out her other hand. “Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet.”

***

“Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri.” She sighed, crossing her legs tightly. “You have no idea how excited I am to be talking with you.”

They were in an empty classroom, to Yuuri’s disdain. He would much rather be sleeping in his dormitory. Even sitting in History of Magic would be better than having to talk about himself to a random witch.

Yuuri wasn’t familiar with Scottish wizarding newspapers, although he had heard of the Daily Prophet since the owls brought the news during breakfast. And if Headmaster Dumbledore had granted Rita permission to be in the castle, she was likely conducting small interviews to get to know students. It hadn’t been uncommon back in Mahoutokoro.

“Let’s start by talking about Japan, your birthplace.” She gave him a powdery smile. “You were a transfer student last year, weren’t you? How was the transition? Did you find it hard to say goodbye to your friends and family? Or were you relieved? Disgruntled?”

“Er,” Yuuri said, taken aback. Immediately, an emerald green quill next to her began scratching on the paper. He wondered if it was dictating everything they said, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. The faster he answered, the sooner it would be over. “Yes, I mean I grew up in Hasetsu, so I attended Mahoutokoro School of Magic. It was really...nice. I had a few friends, so it was a little hard to come to Hogwarts, but I’m glad I did.”

“Hmm.” She clucked her tongue. “Not much of a sharer, are you?”

“Er, sorry.” Yuuri tried for a smile. “I’m not used to interviews.”

“Of course, of course. Just a small-town boy, moving to an intimidating school full of athletes and scholars alike.” She nodded to herself, then turned to the quill. “You got that?”

Since finding out his sister was a witch and he was a wizard, Yuuri had been exposed to a lot of surprising sights. Still, he couldn’t help staring as the quill fluttered into the air and bobbed back and forth as if it were nodding with a mind of its own.

“Let’s talk about Quidditch, then,” Rita said, tapping her fingers impatiently. “You’re the Seeker on the Gryffindor team, aren’t you? That’s how I first found out about you…”

“Er, well, yes,” Yuuri said lamely. “I mean, I used to play at Mahoutokoro, but there were much fewer students there, so this was pretty new for me.”

She gave him a thin-lipped smile and nodded, waiting for him to elaborate.

Feeling like he was giving a speech, Yuuri continued, choosing his words carefully. “In addition to playing, I love the team spirit Hogwarts has. The Quidditch matches are filled with excitement and I’ve never really seen anything like it except for at the big national games.”

He must have said something that piqued her interest because she straightened in an instant.

“Tell me more about some of the other matches you’ve been to, Yuuri. What teams are you a fan of? Any players that you particularly enjoy watching? Has anyone inspired you to become the fantastic Seeker you are now?”

Yuuri was starting to get a sinking feeling in his stomach, although he wasn’t sure why.

“I’ve been to a few,” he said warily. “I went to the Southeast Asian Quidditch Championships twice in a row, although I haven’t been since I came here. Other than that, I’ve been to mostly small, local games.”

“If I remember correctly,” she said, rubbing her black fingernail on her chin as if she were suddenly recalling something. The witch was clearly a reporter first, actress second. “You were at the European Quidditch Championships a few years ago, weren’t you?”

Having purposefully left this out due to the unsettled feeling he had, Yuuri pretended to think. Two can play this game, he thought triumphantly.

“Now that you mention it, I think I remember that.” He nodded as if it were all coming back to him. “I was pretty young though, so all I can remember is just being really excited. My sister snuck me up to the front row so that I could see better.”

“Well, if you don’t recall, the Quiberon Quafflepunchers won that year,” she said briskly, clearly getting impatient. Her quill was waiting by her side expectantly. “Viktor Nikiforov was said to be the young star of that year. The one who would take over the sport.”

Yuuri’s heart dropped in his chest. He should’ve known that this was where the conversation was going. Someone had probably noticed he was friends with Viktor, and it had only been a matter of time before he was asked about him.

“Oh yeah,” Yuuri said nonchalantly. “That was pretty crazy.”

Rita’s mouth turned down, then wavered, like she was deciding what to do next.

“I’m going to cut straight to the point, Mr. Katsuki, because you seem like a wonderful and successful boy, and I don’t want to waste your time. You have that History of Magic quiz that’s waiting for you, anyway.”

Yuuri didn’t want to know how she knew what class he was supposed to be in.

“Several local newspapers report about Hogwarts every month or so. Every year, they mention new members of the Quidditch teams, since several students have gone on to play for national, or even international teams, in rare cases. I didn’t even notice your name, although I’ll admit it was foolish of me.” She smiled like this was a compliment. “A few months later, you popped up again. You were spotted in St. Petersburg with Mr. Nikiforov, you see.”

Yuuri’s arms were starting to itch. He tried to keep his face as blank as possible, but he knew it was no use. He was an open book.

She gave a crisp smile of confirmation, looking very pleased with herself. “Yuuri, I’ll applaud you, because you’ve managed to stay off the charts since then, save for a few articles about small Quidditch matches here at Hogwarts.”

He stared blankly at her.

“Well, you must have figured out why I’d like to talk to you now,” she said, her voice dripping in something murky. “All I need is a few minutes of your time. I’d like you to talk about your relationship with Viktor Nikiforov, and then we can be done.”

Yuuri hoped the word relationship hadn’t made him physically flinch.

“Why do you need to know?” he asked, trying to keep the edge of his voice hidden.

“I think a better question would be what I need to know,” she countered with a smirk. “As you can imagine, Mr. Nikiforov has many long-standing connections. He’s friends with the Babichevas, seems to be on good terms with his close family, the Plisetskys, and has been seen many times with the Giacomettis and Popovichs. Why he would befriend a Muggle-born Japanese transfer student, has been quite a puzzle to all of us.”

“Maybe he doesn’t care about people’s blood status or ethnicity,” Yuuri said.

Acting as if she hadn’t heard him—although the quill certainly had: it was scribbling on the growing piece of parchment—she continued talking, her voice growing louder and more accusatory. “Now, Yuuri, take no offense by this, but Mr. Nikiforov is a successful and well-regarded wizard. Not only is he magically talented, but the whole Wizarding World knows him from his young but impressive Quidditch career. He has no need to be friends with anyone like you.”

“Then why do you suggest we are?” Yuuri challenged, although he would soon regret that he had.

“Well, to be quite forthright, I had been hoping this interview would answer that question and give reporters everywhere an answer.” She looked at him through her rectangular glasses. “That was until I spotted you coming out of the Slytherin common room, looking quite disheveled.”

The funny feeling that had been building up in Yuuri for the past ten minutes was becoming insufferable.

“That’s a bold assumption to make,” he said flatly, although he could feel his cheeks heating up uncontrollably.

“You choose your words so carefully, dear Yuuri.” She chuckled to herself, her quill writing faster and faster. “If it’s not that you are more than friends, then why were you, the Gryffindor Seeker, in the Slytherin common room?”

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said hotly. “Maybe I woke up earlier to work on an assignment with a Slytherin student.”

“A likely story.” Her smile grew larger. “Considering that you are an hour late for your very important History of Magic quiz.”

Yuuri opened his mouth, then closed it again hopelessly.

“We were just talking and lost track of time, alright?” he snapped. “Nothing of the sort that you’re suggesting.”

“Whatever you say.” She let out a peal of laughter. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Yuuri. You know many people would be jealous of you.”

“We didn—”

“Enough of that.” She gave him a light smile that did little to mask her terrible face. “I just have one more question for you, Yuuri.”

Not waiting for his response, she glanced over at her quill, which had filled nearly a whole roll of parchment.

“Excellent. Over the course of this interview, we have learned of your passion for Quidditch, and that you were a huge fan of the Quiberon Quafflepunchers and Viktor Nikiforov, even watching them play at the European Championships. You must also be aware, then, that Viktor Nikiforov has been offered his place back on the team if he leaves Hogwarts. He was given two years to make his decision.”

Yuuri hadn’t known until Viktor had told him himself, and as he had considered himself an expert on everything Viktor Nikiforov, he was more than a little disturbed that she knew of the negotiation.

“His two years are coming to an end, Yuuri, and he has still not put out a response to their offer. As far as we know, their current Seeker will be continuing next year. Some are speculating he’ll join a team to play in the International World Cup, but either way, he’ll be leaving Hogwarts.”

The pit in his stomach grew heavier.

“I don’t know,” he said. “He never mentioned it to me, so your guess is as good as mine. Probably better.”

“So secretive,” she said, sighing. “We’re going to have to work on this, I think.”

“You’re not staying around Hogwarts, are you?” he asked, his heartbeat picking up.

“Let’s not get off-topic,” she said, her lips curling up. “Now Yuuri, don’t take this the wrong way; I’m asking this question for the many dedicated fans out there. If you were such an avid fan of Mr. Nikiforov yourself for years, why is it that you’re now holding him back from his passion?”

“I’m what?” Yuuri asked, genuinely shocked this time.

“Well, let’s see.” Her smile grew. “During his third year at Hogwarts, he was playing for the Quiberon Quafflepunchers and missed a lot of school. He was just a kid, only fifteen, so the general public wasn’t surprised when he announced he was taking a one-year break. But people were surprised the next year when he still did not go back to the sport. They wondered what had changed.”

Yuuri was silent.

“Yuuri, I was pondering this very question myself for months, hoping to give fans everywhere an answer. It wasn’t until I saw the pictures taken of you and Mr. Nikiforov in St. Petersburg that I realized. This interview has done nothing but confirm my belief that you are the reason he has not left Hogwarts to play Quidditch.”

Yuuri stood up all of a sudden, his chair scraping back on the floor.

“That’s absurd,” he said. “Viktor makes his own decisions. He can take as long of a break as he wants. There’s no secret reason.”

But Rita just laughed and sat back in her chair.

“Very well, Mr. Katsuki. Thank you for your time. You should expect to see me around more often from now on, and hopefully, when you’re ready to share, we can talk more.”

“I shared all I know,” he said, his head buzzing.

Rita waved her wand at the door behind him, which flung open quite violently.

“We’ll see about that.”

***

“Where were you this morning?” Otabek asked as they made their way to the center of the pitch where the rest of the team was waiting.

“I was in the Slytherin dormitory,” Yuuri said, deciding he’d done enough lying for the day. He trusted Otabek either way, even as the boy gave him a questioning look before they reached JJ.

“Alright, you lot,” JJ said, looking very tired. “I know we haven’t had a match in a couple of months, but the time is nearing. We need a good comeback if we want to stand a chance for the Cup. We won against Slytherin earlier in the year which is good because right now they seem to be in line for the Cup, but if we want to get it again, we need to win all three.”

“We can do it easily,” Anya said. “Hufflepuff may have a good Seeker, but their Chasers are pitiful compared to us.”

Yuuri wanted to object and say that Phichit was a wonderful Chaser, although he had a feeling it wouldn’t be well received, so he stayed silent.

“That’s true,” JJ conceded. “Still, we need to practice as much as we can. Anything could go wrong.”

“We won last year,” Yuuko said confidently. “We can do it again.”

“I agree,” Takeshi said from next to her. “Hufflepuff has nothing on us. As long as we all put half as much effort as we did last year against Ravenclaw, we should win.”

This seemed to satisfy JJ.

“Alright.” He swung his broom from over his shoulder and planted it into the ground with a thud. “Then let’s go.”

***

“I can’t get it to work,” Yuuri protested, his head resting on the table.

“You just kind of…” Viktor waved his wand lazily and the quill disappeared. “...You know?”

Yuuri sat up, staring at where his quill had been. “I’m never going to get this down before the end of the year,” he said.

Viktor ran a hand through his hair. It was something Yuuri had noticed him doing when he was thinking hard.

“You just have to really think about it. Imagine the quill being gone. See the table under it. If you pretend, then it’ll happen.”

Yuuri shook his head, shutting his Transfiguration book and yawning.

“I don’t know how you do it so easily,” he remarked glumly, although he wasn’t really upset. Things were truly going better for him than they had in a while.

“You still have a few months,” Viktor said. “I’m sure Minerva will have us practicing every day.”

“You can Conjure objects too, right?” Yuuri said suddenly, feeling an urge to see Viktor do more magic.

“Sure,” Viktor said. “I’ve been working on doing it nonverbally and I think I have it down for smaller, inanimate objects, but other than that…” He grimaced.

“Bring my quill back,” Yuuri said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Viktor asked, his eyes sparkling.

Yuuri felt a brush and rush of cold air. When he looked down, his quill was resting just by his arm.

He beamed positively and Viktor settled back into his chair.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you how Quidditch has been going,” he said. “You haven’t had a match in so long that I nearly forgot about it.”

Yuuri shrugged, twirling his quill between his fingers and watching drops of ink spray across his parchment.

“It’s going alright, I suppose. I don’t know exactly how I’ll do, but the rest of the team seems pretty confident. I just don’t want to let them down,” he said, surprised at how readily he admitted it. Compared to last year, at least, where he would have rathered getting eaten alive by a hippogriff than telling Viktor any of his insecurities.

His heart missed a beat as Viktor reached over and grabbed his hand.

“You know, even though I tried to help you be less nervous about Quidditch last year, it’s always good to be at least a little nervous.”

Yuuri was having an unusually difficult time listening to what Viktor was saying. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from their hands, which were resting halfway between them, fingers interlocked. Was that going to become a normal thing between them now?

“I know,” he said quietly. “I just hate being anxious.”

“Okay.” Viktor squeezed his hand. “I didn’t want you to think that it was something you had to be cured of just because not everyone else is like you.”

“I…” But he didn’t know what to say, except that it seemed whenever he opened up, Viktor knew the right thing to say. In fact, he felt lighter than he had in the longest time. There was only one thing that was bothering him...

“Are you playing Quidditch next year?” he asked. The image of Rita Skeeter was burned into the back of his mind.

“Am I—” Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, then a certain look settled over his face and he slumped forward. “Oh. I don’t know yet.”

“Sorry,” Yuuri said quickly. “I was just curious.”

“It’s fine,” Viktor said. “Maybe I should talk about it.”

Yuuri was silent, trying to capture the way Viktor’s hand felt in his own, in the likely case that it never happened again.

“I think I told you this already,” Viktor said, taking the silence as confirmation. “But the Quafflepunchers’ captain said I wasn’t putting enough time into the team because I had to keep traveling from Scotland to France. I loved both the time I spent here and there, but I was only in my third year, and with winning the European Championships, it was all...a lot. So I decided I was going to take a year off.”

Yuuri nodded slowly.

“Well, that’s when he gave me the two-year ultimatum. If I don’t go back before next year, I’m off, and they’ll replace me for good.”

“Did you like them?” Yuuri asked. “Your teammates.”

“They were nice,” Viktor said, smiling. “All older than me, though, which made it hard to find my ground at first. I got close to a few members eventually. Over time.”

“Why don’t you find another team, then? One that’s more accommodating, I mean,” Yuuri said. “I’m sure a lot would be happy to have you.”

“I’ve thought about it.” Viktor shrugged. “But not many teams have openings, and I don’t know. I’d feel like I’m betraying Quiberon or something.”

“Well, you have time,” Yuuri said. He felt guilty, but he didn’t know why. “To make your choice.”

The corner of Viktor’s mouth curled up dryly.

“What do you think I should do, Yuuri?”

For a split second, Yuuri wondered if he knew about his interview with Rita. 

“I don’t know,” he lied thickly. “I mean, you clearly love Quidditch and all, but also, Hogwarts is where you’ve gone to school for so long.”

“And I have you.” Viktor pulled his hand up so their elbows were resting on the table.

“And your other friends, too,” he said, although it stung to remember that that was true. “Chris and Mila and Georgi…”

“You’re different,” Viktor said levelly, unabashed as Yuuri looked across to him in surprise.

Two forces inside his chest fought violently for those four seconds that they stared at one another before the bells signaling the end of their free period rang. One was Rita’s voice: this interview has done nothing but confirm my belief that you are the reason he has not left Hogwarts, the shame pouring over him like hot liquid. The other was softer, almost uncomfortable at how it tickled his insides in the sound of you’re different and the shape of Viktor’s fingers and the sight of clear blue.

***

“Game day,” said JJ solemnly, having switched seats with Guang Hong so he could sit across from Otabek and Yuuri at breakfast.

“Cheer up.”

It was a remark Yuuri never would have expected to hear from Otabek to JJ. He only wished he could take the advice as well.

“I am not as tense as Katsuki right now.” JJ nudged Yuuri’s plate. “Don’t mind me just worrying about how we’re going to do because I’m the youngest captain Gryffindor has had in ninety-eight years.”

“Humble,” Otabek said, piling more eggs onto his plate.

The smell alone made Yuuri nauseous. He had a piece of plain toast on his plate, which he had cut into halves and then fourths and then sixteenths, and then lost count.

The sound of beating wings approached them, and Yuuri looked up, surprised.

“There’s a lot of owls today,” he said.

“It’s the Prophet, probably.” JJ sighed. “Some reporter asked to interview me. I reckon they’re doing some look into the life at Hogwarts so a lot of people got the edition hoping their friends will be in it or something.”

Yuuri tensed. There were three large owls he had never seen before flying straight toward them.

“Merlin’s Beard,” JJ declared, pushing his plate aside so they would have a spot to land. Unfortunately, one large tawny owl’s claws dug into the pile of scrambled eggs on Otabek’s plate as it landed. Otabek looked as if he wanted to throw up.

“They’re for you,” JJ said suddenly, pulling a letter off and throwing it to him.

Yuuri realized why the owls were so big, just then. Each was carrying a good ten or fifteen letters, and the tawny one had a copy of the Daily Prophet rolled up in its claw.

“Don’t tell me there are more.” JJ groaned as another owl landed, much more gracefully than the others. This time there was only one letter attached, and JJ tossed it into the pile of nearly forty letters.

“What the hell did you do?” Otabek asked, his voice brimming with curiosity.

“No idea,” Yuuri said in a small voice, unrolling the paper.

He flinched. Plastered on the center of the front page, by Reporter Rita Skeeter was...

Public Turns to Blame Viktor Nikiforov’s Secret Lover for Drought from Quidditch

Muggle-born Katsuki Yuuri, a Japanese transfer student attending his fifth year at Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry, home to esteemed International Quidditch star and world favorite, Viktor Nikiforov, has boasted gleefully about holding him back from his passion.

“We just hit it off from the start.” Katsuki chuckled as he spoke, sitting across from me in an empty classroom. “Things grew from friendship, and from there on it was just one thing after the next. We figure we’re young, so why not?”

Upon being asked about what he thought of Nikiforov returning to play Quidditch to fulfill the Quiberon Quafflepunchers contract, Katsuki laughed. “Not a chance. At least not for as long as I have him wrapped up with me.”

Taking to the streets of London, I, Rita Skeeter, asked how the public felt about this statement from Katsuki. Many were indignant, a select minority even—

“What?!” Yuuri’s mouth had fallen open somewhere throughout the article. “I never—I didn’t say any of this! I swear I—”

He looked up, mortified to see half the Great Hall staring at him. Otabek’s eyebrows were drawn tightly together and his eyes were scanning the paper at an impossible speed. JJ had apparently seen the title to be enough and was staring at Yuuri in utter shock.

“A lot of people know that Skeeter isn’t reputable,” Otabek said firmly, and finally JJ blinked, his face pale. “Let’s go through the letters together. Maybe some of them are positive.”

“If everyone knows she’s fake, how does she get on the front page?” Yuuri gasped, still in shock. What must everyone be thinking right now?  What if Viktor had seen it? And they had just made up!

“I said a lot of people.” Otabek physically winced, having torn open the first letter. “Not everyone.”

“Let me see.” Yuuri grabbed the parchment from him, ignoring his weak protest.

A Muggle-born like you has no business even talking to Viktor Nikiforov. Even suggesting that you two are intimate is disrespectful to his family name. Get out of Hogwarts and leave him alone.

“This is ridiculous,” snapped JJ. His face had gone from white to scarlet. “Someone’s trying to tarnish the reputation of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. First, she interviews me, and then Yuuri...she probably made up some gnome shit about me too. People will figure it out soon enough.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Otabek said slowly. “I saw her interviewing Yuuri’s girlfriend the other day. You know, the one on the Slytherin team. I think she’s trying to get to everyone.”

“Whatever,” JJ said, his mouth taut with anger. “I’ll get her the next time I see her. Or report her or something. She can’t just go around twisting words and—Yuuri what are you doing?”

The first note still slick in his hands, Yuuri was reaching for another letter.

“Hey,” said Otabek quickly. “They’re all going to be trash. Don’t bother.”

“I need to see what they say,” Yuuri said numbly, ignoring JJ who was swatting his hand away.

“NO!” bellowed JJ, earning even more looks from everyone around them. “You have a game to play in half an hour and you are not getting distracted. Otabek’s right. Incendio!”

The letters set on fire in front of them and Yuuri yanked his hand back.

“Wait!” he said. “That letter! I need to see it.”

“No, Yuuri,” Otabek said. “Don’t bother listening to what people have to say. It’s just going to—”

“No, seriously!” Yuuri stood up and grabbed the letter that had arrived with the single owl. “I think someone sent this one personally. It came by itself.”

“Fine.” JJ threw up his hands in exhaustion. “But don’t you dare read it until later. You need to put this in the back of your head. Right now, the match is all we need to be worrying about.”

Yuuri clutched the letter tightly, feeling his pulse pounding through the thick paper. He glanced down to see his name scrawled across the front in pen—Muggle pen, in his mother’s handwriting.

***

“We’ve had a bit of a rough start this morning.” JJ paced back and forth on top of the bench in the locker room just outside the pitch. For the past fifteen minutes, the noise had only grown with more people filing in.

Yuuri gulped.

He still felt like he was in a trance, his vision sliding in and out of focus.

Viktor would be watching him, and he would be sitting with Chris and Mila and Georgi and Yurio, and certainly one of them would have seen the paper by now. One of them would have told him.

“Yuuri, are you paying attention?” asked JJ. He looked almost as worked up as Yuuri, and he remembered his comment from earlier. Youngest captain in nearly a century. Of course he was nervous. His legs were jittering as he tapped them on the wooden bench, up and down.

“Yes,” he lied.

“As we said, this should be an easy win,” Yuuko said encouragingly. “Hufflepuff is great and all but they’re not a strong team and we’ve won against them before.”

“And lost our damn Seeker along the way!” snapped JJ, jumping down from the bench.

So that was what he was stressed about. Yuuri remembered seeing Mila fall in slow motion, Trelawney waving her arms like crazy, and the fear that choked its way down his throat.

“But we got Yuuri too,” Yuuko said. “And Madam Hooch has been extra careful checking all the balls since then so that there are no malfunctions.”

“Exactly,” said Anya in a soft voice. Her lips were bright red, matching Georgi’s, no doubt.

She looked like she wanted to say more, but the door burst open. It was Professor McGonagall, looking slightly less stern than usual. Her eyes passed over Yuuri with no change in expression, and he wondered if she’d seen the Prophet.

“We’re ready, Professor,” said JJ, sounding slightly renewed.

“You’re flying out there in ten, nine...”

They began to arrange themselves, Yuuri’s hands sweating so much he could barely feel his broom handle. It was slick underneath his fingers.

“GO!” Professor McGonagall said, and they blasted out, Takeshi in the front and Yuuri in the back.

Yuuri’s scarlet robe flew behind him as they rose steadily until they reached the center of the field, just slightly above Madam Hooch.

Phichit was trying to make a face at him from the other half of the field, but Yuuri pretended not to see, swallowing hard and keeping his grip as firm as he could. Already, his fingers were starting to cramp up.

What did Phichit think? Hopefully not that he was a liar. He didn’t think he could handle Phichit being upset at him.

“First, the Snitch,” Madam Hooch said, letting the golden ball flutter out of the case. For a second, it hovered around Yuuri’s face, and he deliriously wondered what would happen if he grabbed it. But as soon as the thought came, the Snitch whizzed away, impossible to track.

“The Bludgers…”

The sturdy black balls flew out of the case with much enthusiasm. Before they could come back down, Madam Hooch let go of the worn, red Quaffle at the same time that she yelled, “GO!”

The cheers covered up any last-minute words JJ had for them, and Yuuri angled his broom upward, trying to rise above the action as quickly as he could, eyes focused on the partly cloudy sky.

A Bludger grazed the back of his head and he nearly tumbled off his broom, flinching. A loud groan came from the crowd below and his stomach lurched. An amateur mistake, he thought furiously.

He saw JJ fly past him a moment too late with his bat in hand. The captain gave him a terse nod, and Yuuri turned his attention back to rising higher.

Maybe he could just keep flying past the clouds and disappear from everything.

“Ten points to Hufflepuff, right away!” yelled Madam Hooch and Yuuri swiveled on his broom to see. As he did so, his fingers slipped and his heart skipped a beat. For the briefest of seconds, he only held himself to his broom with his legs. When he brought his fingers back down to the tempered wood, he felt his whole body shaking.

All you have to do is find the Snitch before Michele does, he commanded himself. Then you can mope about what Rita Skeeter wrote about you. Not now.

“ANOTHER SCORE! Twenty Hufflepuff, zero Gryffindor!”

This time, Yuuri didn’t dare look back on his broom, afraid of falling to his death.

As soon as you get the Snitch, this will be over. He scanned the sky for any trace of gold but came up empty.

“And Gryffindor SCORES! Nice one, Kuznetsov,” Madam Hooch said, and the Gryffindors roared their support down below.

It’s just a slow start, Yuuri told himself, not quite sure who he was trying to convince. That’s all.

“Any sign of the Snitch yet?”

It was JJ, causing Yuuri to nearly leap back on his broom.

“No,” he said, feeling defensive. “We’re only five minutes into the game, JJ.”

JJ just shrugged, then, having presumably spotted a Bludger down below, gave Yuuri a look before barreling toward the hoops, bat in hand.

Yuuri angled his broom carefully at the center of the pitch, keeping Michele in his line of sight and at the same time, clearing a view of what was going on below.

Yuuko seemed uncharacteristically jumpy, weaving between players with the Quaffle tucked under her arm. She kept glancing behind herself, and her broom wasn’t flying straight, jittering in different directions like she didn’t have full control.

Yuuri saw why in a moment, as JJ swung his bat at a Bludger that was getting too close to Anya. When JJ pulled back his bat, Yuuri could see it against the sandy ground below the hoops, shaking. If the Beaters were off, then the Bludgers might be a real threat to the Chasers, who were not supposed to have to worry about getting hit when they needed to focus all their attention on scoring.

“And Hawes INTERCEPTS NEKOLA!” shouted Madam Hooch, clearly delighted that the game was not going as many had expected.

“Hufflepuff sc—oh! Nishigori blocks and the Quaffle is back in the air…”

Yuuri let out a little sigh of relief. Takeshi, at least, was working at his best.

Suddenly, out of his peripheral vision, he saw a blur of yellow, and he was shooting forward before he even realized Michele had moved.

Michele was speeding to the other side of the pitch, although Yuuri couldn’t see the Snitch anywhere near the hoops—even at the moment, when thick clouds covered the sun’s penetrating rays, and the golden hoops didn’t reflect false alarms.

Shaking his head, Yuuri sped after Michele, deciding he’d rather look foolish and fall for a trick than lose the game.

His Nimbus 2001 was faster than Michele’s 2000, but he realized in vain that unless he spotted the Snitch himself and took a shortcut, there was no way he’d catch up in time.

He scanned the sky, hoping for a hint of victory, but where Michele was headed, he had no idea.

Loud cheers were coming from the crowd below. The students were clearly excited to see some action from the Seekers, but only a second later, Michele pulled even and began hovering again.

Yuuri frowned, squinting across the pitch and slowing. He hoped Michele had only been trying to throw him off, and he looked down just as a shot from Yuuko hit the Hufflepuff Seeker’s chest with a hardening thud.

The whole pitch groaned, Yuuri unsure if it was in sympathy for the Hufflepuffs or disappointment for the Gryffindors, who were now behind thirty points.

You just have to end this, he thought feverishly. But even as he did so, the motion began to return to his fingers, and his body started to relax. So far, the game had been pretty slow, nothing they couldn’t come back from, and it seemed both teams were suffering. Maybe if—

“CRISPINO HAS THE GOLDEN SNITCH!”

Yuuri’s ears filled with a buzzing noise and he felt faint, like he was going to fall off his broom. Sure enough, across the pitch, Michele was hovering in the same place Yuuri had last seen him, with the Golden Snitch clutched in his black-gloved hand, a cape of yellow flowing behind him, and bundles of canary shooting toward him, screaming, “We did it!”

A flash of red appeared to Yuuri’s right, and he closed his eyes, fingers drawn around his broom handle, cemented in place. He didn’t want to open his eyes and see the Gryffindors below or beside him.

They had lost any chance of the Cup because of him.

Chapter Text

“Surely there’s got to be some way to remember it,” Viktor said optimistically.

Yuuri was bent over his Spellman’s Syllabary for Ancient Runes, paging through the four pages he had to memorize. He missed the days when he and Viktor could spend their time in the Room of Requirement swearing they were going to study but ending up talking without any consequences.

“Ehwaz is Partnership and Eihwaz is Defense, and—wait. Is it the other way around?”

Yuuri shook his head, paging back and checking, his ink-smudged finger leaving traces on the pages. “No, you’re right.”

“Okay, so just think that partnership has an I in it, and so does Eihwaz...which might make you think that they match...but, really it’s the opposite. So each pair only has one I in it, and—”

Viktor stopped talking, seeing Yuuri’s face.

“Maybe you should—”

“Take a break,” Yuuri finished wearily.

“You’ll be okay,” Viktor said, faltering only when he saw the look Yuuri gave him. “We still have two and a half months before O.W.L.s.”

“Only two and a half months?” Yuuri closed the textbook reluctantly.

“Plenty of time,” Viktor decided in quite the tone Yuuri couldn’t argue with. “Can you help me with the Arithmancy work?”

He pulled his bag onto the desk and started rummaging through. Triumphantly, he pulled out the pages Professor Vector had assigned and slid them over to Yuuri.

“I get how to decipher both types, but when do you use the top method and when do you use the bottom?”

Yuuri bit his lip and flipped the page, trying to recall what he had scrawled down in his notes. There was a corner of a fresh sheet of paper peeking out, the color a stark tint lighter than the cream of the parchment. Something compelled Yuuri to pull it out, preparing to hand it to Viktor, but he froze halfway.

Public Turns to Blame Viktor Nikiforov’s Secret Lover for Drought from Quidditch

Yuuri’s stomach turned upside down as he stared at his own face playing over and over on the ripped-out front page.

His mind went blank.

The article had been just a few weeks ago, long enough that somehow, foolishly, he thought it might’ve slipped past Viktor.

“Yuuri—” Viktor started, and he hid his eyes, focusing on the blurry text in his hand. He didn’t want to see Viktor’s face or hear what he thought of him.

He felt the paper tugged from his fingers, forcing him to look up.

Say something!

“Viktor, I promise I didn’t say any of that.” He swallowed, his hand still frozen, thumb and index finger a hair apart. “She caught me coming out of the Slytherin common room that one morning, and just made assumptions from there. I told her she was wrong and that we were just friends, and she started accusing me of stealing you from Quidditch, and I told her that was the last thing I wanted to do, but she still put all of that in and twisted everything I said.”

Viktor had an expression on his face that Yuuri had never seen before. He was staring intensely at him, his eyebrows drawn tightly together, eyes unfocused. It was his turn now to hold the paper in his hand, not moving.

“Please believe me,” Yuuri said in a small voice. “She insisted on interviewing me and I don’t know why I didn’t just get up and leave, but I swear I didn’t say any of that.”

Yuuri was beginning to understand the emotion on Viktor’s blank face. His blue eyes were blazing, and his fingers were barely shaking.

“Are you mad?” Yuuri asked stupidly. Sitting in his chair in the same position for so long was starting to hurt. His muscles were still sore from their recent intensive Quidditch practices, but he was too scared to move.

“Yes,” Viktor said. He sounded surprisingly calm, without a tremor in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said, starting to feel his cheeks flame. “I should’ve just told her ‘no,’ and this would’ve never happened.”

“I’m not mad at you.” Viktor half-laughed. Finally, he broke his trance and he dropped the paper on the table. His eyes shifted down for a second, and he mumbled so quietly that Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear it or not: “I could never be mad at you.”

“Oh.” Yuuri shifted in his seat.

“And you don’t just say ‘no’ to Rita Skeeter,” Viktor added, looking up at him finally. He looked calmer, his anger below the surface. “She’s a devil, she is.”

Yuuri was quiet, not wanting to upset him. He felt the shame pouring in like a wave of heat, and suddenly he wanted to pull his robes off and run outside to fight the burning feeling consuming him.

“I got trash from her all the time.” Viktor sat up straight, his eyes moving uncharacteristically fast around the room like he was looking for something to hex. “I learned to deal with it quickly enough, but now she’s coming after you? It’s uncalled for. Disgusting, disgraceful, unprofessional, revolting.”

“It’s okay.” The lie slipped through Yuuri’s lips like it had been resting there all along, ready for its chance to break. He had always felt uncomfortable when people were upset, whether they were sad or scared or angry.

“No, it’s not!” Viktor got up suddenly, his chair sliding against the floor in an ear-splitting screech that bit the air. “Because now the whole school thinks we’re sleeping together!”

Admittedly, Yuuri wasn’t sure why this line hurt the most out of all of them. For some reason, he hadn’t thought about how Viktor would be ashamed to have such rumors spread about him. Ashamed to be associated with him.

That’s ridiculous, he told himself, his lips almost moving as the thought passed through his mind. He’s just upset.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Viktor said as an afterthought, running a hand through his hair wearily. “I just don’t like rumors being told about me. Especially when they involve my friends.”

“It’s okay,” Yuuri said again.

“And I believe you,” Viktor added, “by the way. That snake hasn’t written a truthful word in her life.”

Yuuri nodded slowly, the words feeling thick in his throat.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Viktor looked down at him, his hair mussed and pushed back.

“Believing me,” he said quietly. “I was worried that you would think…”

“I’ll always believe you,” Viktor repeated in the same voice. “You are my friend, you know.”

Yuuri let out a breath.

“What do you think I should do?”

“You?” asked Viktor, looking affronted. “You have enough to be worried about right now. Leave it to me.”

“I’m the one who started this problem,” Yuuri said, suddenly getting up so he didn’t feel like he was being stared down at. “I need to fix it.”

Viktor opened his mouth, and Yuuri could tell he was going to fight it, but then his expression changed, his face softening and opening up ever so slightly.

“Sure,” he said. “But tell me one more thing.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure Viktor intended any truth in agreeing, but he nodded anyway.

“What did the letters say?” He paused, shaking his head. “You know, the letters that you got as soon as the Prophet came out. Skeeter’s...well, she has a large audience.”

“I barely read any of them,” Yuuri said. “It was right before the match and JJ burned them right at the table.”

The image of his mother’s letter flashed in the back of his mind. It had been a few weeks since he had received it, but he had yet to read it. He had decided to open it after the last match, so his performance wouldn’t be influenced again.

Funnily enough, as much as he told himself that his parents’ opinions no longer mattered to him considering all the secrets they had kept from him, he was still terrified to open the envelope.

“What about the ones you did read?” Viktor asked. He was much more composed compared to his earlier outburst.

“Really, they only said they disapproved of our relationship.” Yuuri swallowed uncomfortably. “Alleged,” he added. “Alleged relationship.”

“And?” Viktor took a step closer.

“They didn’t like that I could be holding you back from Quidditch. I think they might be fans of you.”

“If they don’t respect you, then they’re no fan of mine,” Viktor replied easily, stepping forward once again so they were only a stride apart. “What else did they say?”

Yuuri looked up. He often forgot how much their height difference mattered until they were standing close to one another.

“That’s all I remember.” He frowned. “I tried to forget about it.”

Viktor sighed and took a tight step back.

“Fine. Are any students treating you differently?”

Yuuri had tried to forget the redhead sixth year girl who came up to him and earnestly asked what Viktor was like in bed, and the group of stubborn second year boys who had followed him around for two weeks telling him to leave Viktor alone. And he certainly wasn’t about to mention the constant stares he was getting, or the crisp sound of whispering that emerged every time he turned the corner.

“It doesn’t mean anything to me,” Yuuri said. “Whatever they say. As long as you know it’s not true. I don’t want to steal you from Quidditch, and I’m happy with our friendship.”

For some reason, neither of them looked overly pleased with that statement, but Viktor gave Yuuri a strained smile and a response in a voice just slightly offbeat.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

***

Yuuri had strongly considered not showing up to the second to last Quidditch game of the year, yet Otabek had insisted he go, if not only for the strategies they might pick up.

The sun was shining, a trait Yuuri had come to appreciate in Scotland. Back in Japan—especially Hasetsu, the city by the sea—many days were filled with clouds and misty rain.

The match had started already, although neither team had scored yet, both Keepers blocking whatever attempts were made.

“I miss Quidditch,” Mila sighed, her fiery-red hair framed by the sun, forming a halo of gold. She had her head on Chris’s shoulder and was staring longingly at the blue sky. Adriana Goldsmith was batting away a Bludger from Phichit, who was racing down the field, and two Slytherin Chasers—neither of them Iris—were trying to intercept him.

“Me too,” Viktor said matter-of-factly. He was sitting between Yuuri and Chris, his arm pressed against Yuuri’s through the thin fabric of their robes. The sun was beating down on them, making the point of contact hot, although the last thing Yuuri wanted to do was move.

“Me too,” Chris said, and Yuuri felt Viktor against him as he elbowed Chris, who yelled out in pain.

Mila laughed and moved her head so she wasn’t leaning on Chris anymore. Yuuri just barely caught her look to the Ravenclaw section next to them. When she focused back on the game, her eyes seemed more sunken.

“Nice try, Eliot, yet blocked again.” Madam Hooch spoke into her wand, an amplifying spell coming from it. It was the only time Yuuri had heard her so calm when commentating. He suspected once someone scored, her usual demeanor would resume.

Two Hufflepuffs flying far too fast for Yuuri to identify high-fived each other in the air as they crossed, and sped to opposite sides of the field.

Below Iris, Phichit had grabbed the Quaffle, his brown skin a flash in the air, smeared with the yellow of his robes. He took one shot, and for the first time in the game, it went through the hoops. It earned a cheer from everyone, even the Slytherins.

“FINALLY! HUFFLEPUFF SCORES, TEN TO—”

Suddenly another cheer erupted before the first was over, and Yuuri watched as Iris put the Quaffle through the hoops, Hufflepuff caught off guard.

“TEN TO TEN, ELIOT SCORING!”

“That was good,” Georgi said unapologetically.

Anya gave him a reproachful look.

“I reckon Slytherin’s got it in the bag,” Mila said grudgingly, lifting a hand to her face. She tilted her chin up to the sky, no doubt searching for Yurio. “They just have a slow start. That’s all.”

“Agreed,” Anya replied, and the two girls shot each other friendly looks. Sometimes Yuuri forgot that they used to be teammates, and also slept in the same dormitory.

Yuuri felt a little uncomfortable knowing that he had lost to Hufflepuff just two months ago and there they were, talking about how they stood no chance against Slytherin. But he reminded himself that his friends meant well. He wasn’t used to not having to feel paranoid about people having malicious intent when talking around him.

“So if Slytherin wins, then it’s either them or Ravenclaw for the Cup,” Mila said, still squinting. “But if Huff—MERLIN’S BEARD!”

Her scream pierced the air, and for a wavering second, it was the only shout, then people started pointing and Yuuri winced, forcing his eyes past the burning sun to see Yurio, dressed in emerald green, his blond hair just long enough to trail behind him in a ponytail. Sure enough, there was the Snitch, beating furiously in his hand.

The Chasers slowed, only then realizing what had happened. There was a flash as they all stopped, catching the attention of Madam Hooch. She looked up and her mouth fell open.

“That’s got to be a record!” Mila shouted as the Slytherin section started to cheer, the noise slowly building as more and more students realized the match was already over.

“I don’t believe it.”

Yuuri couldn’t look away as a smile spread across Viktor’s face and he got to his feet, bringing his hands together in applause, his eyes trailing the sky.

***

“I’ve been at Hogwarts for almost five years, and I’m still scared to try that sauce,” Leo mentioned casually as Yuuri’s hand paused over the dip for a flaky, buttered scone.

The Great Hall was bustling with more students than usual for a Sunday morning, and the owls were just starting to arrive.

“Oh no,” JJ said through a mouthful of eggs, as two owls landed in front of Yuuri.

Oh no, Yuuri echoed, his eyes drawn to the bundle of newspaper tied to one of its legs. He dropped the scone on his plate and reached over to untie it, but JJ swatted his hand away.

The captain had started sitting by him every day, taking the responsibility of making sure Yuuri didn’t see any more hate mail. He even made a show of burning every single letter he got, so often that Professor McGonagall once demanded to know what he was doing. Yuuri had been relieved to find out that she, at least, was not aware of Skeeter’s antics.

“I forgot about that bitch.” JJ frowned. “She didn’t interview you again, did she?” He pulled out the paper.

Yuuri didn’t dare reach to take a letter.

“No,” he said, feeling just as surprised. “I haven’t seen her around the school lately.”

A healthy pause.

“Er, JJ?”

JJ’s face had turned pale, his mouth moving slightly as he read the paper.

“Heads up,” Otabek muttered. “A bunch of Slytherins are staring at you. And it’s not Viktor.”

Yuuri ignored Otabek’s comment and snatched the paper from JJ, who showed little resistance.

Ex-Girlfriend of Viktor Nikiforov’s New Lover Dishes on His “Blatant Ignorance for Her Feelings”

Signs of trouble begin to brew in the mostly private relationship between Russian Quidditch superstar, Viktor Nikiforov, and Muggle-born Katsuki Yuuri. The ex-girlfriend of the latter reports Katsuki’s disrespect toward her and their relationship, including never-before-heard details on their harsh breakup.

“Honestly, I think I was stupid to fall for him,” says Iris Eliot, a fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. “I mean, he’s handsome, a great Quidditch player, and is friends with the popular crowd here. It’s all great, but he doesn’t talk much, and I really should’ve seen it coming.”

The “it” that Eliot refers to is their breakup following three months of a strained relationship.

“He’s a sick person, really,” Eliot announced to me angrily. “Plays with people’s feelings and breaks their hearts right after. I thought I had a chance with him, and he was sure to tell me exactly how he felt and how stupid I was for believing that.”

When asked about her advice for Viktor Nikiforov, Eliot just shook her head. “Viktor is a wonderful student, and someone I’ve really quite fancied my whole time here. I just hope that he can see past Yuuri’s charm.”

This time, Yuuri chose not to finish the article, his head buzzing with anger. He turned the paper over, not wanting to see Iris’s face flashing on the cover.

“I wonder how much of that was true,” JJ said. “She seems to get all the facts right, but the testimony is always skewed.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri snapped, getting up. “I wonder.”

“Hey,” JJ said quickly, and Otabek, along with half of the Gryffindor table, looked at him with either concern or curiosity. “I didn’t mean it like that, obviously. Her writing is all fake, but I just thought maybe Iris was mad and...”

Yuuri shook his head.

“I know. I need to talk to her.”

***

Considering the size of the castle, he found Iris surprisingly easily. She was sitting in the nook of one of the windows overlooking the lake on the sixth floor. She made eye contact as soon as his footsteps turned the corner.

“You read the article then, didn’t you,” she said, as less of a question and more of a statement. Her voice was tired, and she looked as if she’d been crying. She swung her legs off the nook and patted the cold stone next to her.

Cautiously, Yuuri sat down.

“How’d you know?”

Looking at her face, he didn’t know how to feel. She looked like she was going through something private that he should have never intruded upon. Her brown eyes were clear, despite her smudged eyelashes and faded cheeks. Being up close to her again hurt in a painful, shameful way.

It had been a long time since he’d looked at her closely. After they’d broken up, Yuuri had gone to Defense Against the Dark Arts filled with dread, only to find Slughorn telling him that he had switched up partners. How Iris convinced him, he wasn’t sure.

“Why else would you come looking for me?” She half-laughed, wringing her hands together in her lap.

When he said nothing, she continued, back to her worn-out voice. “You want to know if what I said in the article was true.”

“I know it’s not,” Yuuri said, surprising even himself. “Nothing she put in the article about me was true at all. She based it all on speculation and then wildly elaborated to make it more believable. But no, I don’t believe you said any of that.”

“I did.” She shrugged, her head raised without shame. “I’m not proud of anything I said, and those aren’t direct quotes, but she got to me right after we...right after we fell apart. I was pissed and heartbroken, and she yanked it all out of me.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said dumbly. He wasn’t mad, strangely enough.

“But you’re right,” Iris said. “Her articles are tangled in facts, which makes them all the more believable. Once people see one thing as true, they’ll begin to believe the rest.”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t deserve it,” Yuuri said.

“No,” she said, her voice strong. “You were an ass, and I put you in your place that night. But you were sorry, and we both got over it. For her to publish our private relationship for the whole Wizarding World to see—” Muggles too, Yuuri thought with his mother in mind. “—is insane and unprofessional. And for her to reflect it onto Viktor and even suggest that you would treat him that way, well, no one deserves that.”

“Viktor and I aren’t dating.” This was a sentence Yuuri was getting very tired of having to say over the past few months.

“Oh?” She cleared her throat. “Oh.”

“You’re not the only one to think that,” Yuuri said. “Her article was believable, I guess.”

“No, I just thought…never mind.” Iris shook her head. “They’re really not, I don’t think. But people love to take hold of them and make them bigger than they really are. If people have been asking you about the whole mess, that means they have doubts.”

“I suppose,” Yuuri said, although he had a feeling she was just trying to make him feel better.

“Trust me, though.” She gave him a look. “I’m sure everyone will have forgotten about it all over the summer. Next year everything will be back to normal. There will be some new drama, some new alleged relationship, and some new scandal.”

“Right.” Yuuri swallowed. “Thanks.”

“It’s whatever.” She shrugged. “But can you answer one thing for me?”

“Sure,” Yuuri said, forcing away the uncomfortableness. It was the least she deserved. One kernel of honesty after how he’d treated her.

“You really don’t like Viktor?”

Yuuri’s heart dropped.

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “Of course I like him.

“You know what I mean.” She rolled her eyes with a tinge of a smile returning to her face. “Like like him.”

Despite himself, the corners of Yuuri’s mouth turned up.

“No,” he replied, keeping his tone buoyant. “I don’t like him in that way. We’re just friends.” Seeing her face, he quickly added, “I promise.”

Not that his promises to her had meant much in the past.

“Okay.” She smiled, suddenly full of life and jumping up. “I hate to do this to you, but I think I’m going to be late for our Slytherin team party, and I don’t think our captain will be too mad but…”

“But Yurio will be,” Yuuri finished with a smile, then stood up. “Have fun.”

“Thanks.” She brightened. “Good luck on the last match, by the way. And please beat Ravenclaw.”

Yuuri laughed suddenly, and he wondered when the last time he had done that around her was.

“I’ll try.”

She skipped away, and he took the opposite corridor, hearing the bustle of students from a few floors below. Breakfast had to be finishing up, he realized, and he began to take the steps two at a time.

“Hey!” A third year boy stopped to look at him. “You’re the boy from the Daily Proph—”

Yuuri tuned out the rest of his sentence, choosing rather to listen to the sound of the birds outside the open windows.

“And he assigned us three feet of parchment due next class!” exclaimed a young Hufflepuff, walking alongside her friend. Her hands were stretched out far past three feet. “He said it’ll help us prepare for the exam, but how am I supposed to be revising if I have to write the essay too?”

Yuuri smiled to himself. It felt good, for the first time since he’d learned her name, to be at peace with Iris.

She was right, he decided. All he had to do was make it through the last Quidditch match of the season, take his O.W.L.s, and then it would be summer. Sure, he would have to talk to his parents at least a little. But three months always felt short, and once that was over, he would be back at Hogwarts, and Rita Skeeter’s rumors would be ancient history.

***

A place to talk to Viktor, a place to talk to Viktor, a place to—

The familiar rush of cool air brushed by his face, and Yuuri looked up in the dark. A pale beam of moonlight illuminated the door to the Room of Requirement.

“What are you doing out of bed this late?” growled a deep voice.

Yuuri whirled around, hands flat on the door.

“Viktor,” he hissed, his heart barely slowing.

“Sorry.” Viktor smirked, half of his face shining in the pale light of the moon. He was holding his wand close to his face, and as he lowered it, his voice went back to normal. “Voice-changing charm. I couldn’t resist.”

Yuuri shook his head, lightly hitting Viktor’s arm.

“Do not do that again.”

A candle flickered on, and then more followed, illuminating the room to reveal two chairs and a table. On it was a plate of biscuits, along with steaming mugs.

Meet me for coffee at midnight, said the note pressed into Yuuri’s hand as he sat down and slipped it into his cloak pocket.

“Why did you want to see me?” Yuuri asked, staring at Viktor’s face. It was a shadowy orange in the flickering candlelight.

“Just to talk,” Viktor said, shrugging. “I know you get nervous before matches. I was wondering what I could do to help.”

Yuuri laughed loosely, taking a sip of coffee. It burnt his tongue.

“Isn’t this a little late for that? The match is tomorrow.”

“I haven’t been seeing much of you lately, you know,” Viktor remarked in a careful voice. “We used to study together almost every day. But the past week you’ve been busy.”

“Sorry,” Yuuri said. “JJ insisted we practice every day leading up to the match.”

“So you haven’t been avoiding me?” Viktor tilted his head, a trace of amusement.

“Erm,” Yuuri started. He was relieved to see Viktor’s face was not entirely serious. “Well, not really. I have been busy, but also…”

Viktor suddenly reached out and took his hand, letting both rest on the table.

Yuuri’s heart jumped. Viktor’s composure remained relaxed, but he couldn’t escape the feeling of his lithe hand, burning warm from the coffee, resting around his own.

“I’m used to being blamed for my own failures,” he admitted quietly. “But this time, I’m anxious because my mistakes would reflect on you, too. I’ve been wondering if all this talk, all this conversation about us, has made you want to distance yourself from me just so the rumors would stop.”

“Of course not,” Viktor said, none too quickly.

“I know,” Yuuri replied, feeling defeated. From the look on Viktor’s face, he knew he didn’t understand. “I know because you’ve shown me no reason to believe that, and I know my mind likes to make up the worst-case scenarios, and I know I shouldn’t keep indulging in them.”

To his surprise, Viktor nodded, his hand still steady on Yuuri’s. He was listening, Yuuri realized. Really, truly listening.

“You asked me what you could do to help,” Yuuri said, barely a whisper. “Just have more faith than I do that I’ll win. You don’t have to say anything; just stand by me.”

“Don’t ever think that I won’t,” Viktor replied, the volume of his voice matching Yuuri’s. “I’ll always stand by you, and I would never try to distance myself from you because of what other people are saying.”

“Okay,” Yuuri whispered. “I guess I just thought that with these rumors, not just the first article, but the one that came out just this weekend, about—” He didn’t want to say Iris’s name in front of Viktor. “About...my past relationship. I thought you might think worse of me because there was some truth in what was said. Or that maybe you would get tired of me and decide that…”

Thankfully, Viktor didn’t let him finish, and he reached across the small table, placing a careful finger on Yuuri’s chin and lifting it so that he was forced to look him in the eye.

“You can’t possibly mean that,” Viktor said, his voice steady as ever. “I can’t imagine a single reason that I would ever think down on you or get bored of you. You’re kind, above all, but you’re also marvelously interesting and unique, and intelligent, which I am a thousand times over sorry for exploiting last year—”

Yuuri would’ve smiled, but he was too entranced. He didn’t want to give Viktor any reason to stop talking.

“But at the same time, not really, because it brought us closer.” Viktor bit his lip, and Yuuri saw the lines etched on his face. “What I meant to say was that I’ve never doubted you, and I...I do want to keep being your friend. And nothing’s going to change that.”

Yuuri couldn’t breathe, and he wondered what he looked like, only just barely aware his lips had parted. He was sure his eyes were wide, and his cheeks were probably red.

“Viktor,” he said. He wondered if it had been the years he had looked up to him and talked about him to Mari that led to how comfortably his name fit in his mouth. It was crisp, all soft around the edges, and it was a sugary rush when it slipped out.

“Yuuri.”

The word rolled off Viktor’s tongue and Yuuri wanted to cry at the delicacy of how he held his face and murmured his name and met his gaze proudly. He looked at him in a way that made him feel something new.

Yuuri’s eyes began to feel dry, but he didn’t dare blink, didn’t dare lose a precious second of the moment. Viktor’s face was highlighted in gold, the candlelight streaking under his nose and casting shadows of his eyelashes.

Had he really never noticed how beautiful he was?

His lips were soft and pink, and his thin nose was split, one side bright, and the other hidden in the darkness. His quaint silver hair was swept to one side, so exquisitely careless, and a few strands hung over his left eye.

His eyes...they reminded him of the crashing ocean against the coast in Hasetsu and the courageous spring sky of Scotland. Of the dark blue night that he only caught glimpses of in the small window of his dormitory, scattered with stars, like a child had flicked a brush heavy with white paint.

Yuuri was suddenly very aware, even more than before, of Viktor’s right hand resting on top of his, and his left hand cupped around his cheek, and the way his blue, blue eyes were staring right through his skin. He felt the jab of the table digging into his stomach, but it was the last thing on his mind when he was leaning closer to Viktor.

Slowly, too slowly to be true, Viktor’s hand pulled off of Yuuri’s and he moved it closer to him, reaching up to his face—

“Shit!” Yuuri jumped back, stumbling out of his seat. The chair toppled down, causing Viktor to stand up suddenly, both of their hands shooting back to themselves.

Scalding coffee was soaking through his thin shirt, leaving him frantically patting the sides of his robes for his wand.

“Tergeo!” Viktor had his wand out in an instant. “Shit. Tergeo!”

This time the charm worked and Yuuri felt the coffee instantly dry, the burning sensation disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.

“Are you—” Viktor cleared his throat, his voice coming out hoarse. “Er, are you okay?”

Yuuri nodded rapidly, letting his frantic hands drop to his sides. Had he ever heard Viktor stumble over his words before? He couldn’t recall.

“Er, yeah.”

They felt kilometers apart, and the air was colder than before.

“Sorry about that.” Viktor winced. “I was just…”

Just what? Yuuri wondered, What were you doing?

After a moment, he realized he had voiced his thoughts out loud, and he watched, still entranced, as Viktor took a few tentative steps toward him.

“I don’t know, Yuuri,” he mumbled thickly, grabbing both of his hands. “I don’t know.”

I don’t know. Of course I like him.

You know what I mean. Like like him.

No. I don’t like him in that way. We’re just friends. I promise.

“I should go,” Yuuri said suddenly, pulling away and shoving his hands in the pockets of his cloak. “I have a match tomorrow, and…”

But another reason wouldn’t come, and he wondered what he was doing to himself.

“And I have to get some rest.”

“Of course,” Viktor said, his voice suddenly brisk as he stepped back. “You should probably leave first. I’ll wait a few minutes before heading back to my dormitory. We don’t want another repeat of the Rita Skeeter incident.”

Yuuri swallowed hard. What had Iris said?

“Right,” he said, and stood staring at Viktor before he realized he was supposed to be leaving. He forced his feet to move toward the door.

Her articles are tangled in facts, which makes them all the more believable. Once people see one thing as true, they’ll begin to believe the rest.

***

“We have one goal.” JJ brought his broomstick down on the locker room bench with the emphasis of each word.

“And that goal is to beat Ravenclaw,” Anya finished. She had recently gotten bangs, and her hair was tied up in a sleek ponytail, her face heavy with makeup.

“Shut up, Anya.” JJ slammed the end of his Nimbus 2000 down, making Yuuri wince. “I’m the captain.”

Everyone laughed uneasily, even Yuuko who was usually the first to extract humor out of the tensest of situations. Today she was leaning against Takeshi, both of them dressed in their Quidditch robes and holding their broomsticks tightly.

“Ravenclaw is good,” Emil acknowledged. “But we beat them last year, and we can do it again.”

“We’ve been putting in more hours than them,” Yuuri added helpfully, although his voice was dry and shaky. “That has to count for something.”

“Right,” JJ said, regaining some of his usual composure. “You’re all right. We’re going into this with at least one thing that Ravenclaw doesn’t have: confidence.”

“Are we?” Anya asked, fastening the last button of her cloak.

“I don’t want to have to tell you to shut up again, Anya.”

“You kind of just did.”

Choosing to ignore this, Otabek threw in another point: “We also have the other Houses’ support. No one wants Ravenclaw to win, and if we beat them, then Slytherin will have the Cup.”

JJ was about to say something, but the door of the locker room opened, and they turned to see Professor McGonagall, wearing an uncharacteristic, brightly-adorned hat.

“Madam Hooch is announcing the teams and current scores. You’ll be flying out as soon as she finishes.”

Yuuri exchanged a worried glance with Otabek as they took their positions and mounted their brooms.

“I won’t let any Bludgers hit you,” Otabek said, smirking in a way only he could. “Just fly straight up there and keep your eyes peeled. The Ravenclaw Chasers are good. I know I don’t need to tell you, but the sooner you end the game the better.”

“I wasn’t planning on doing it any other way,” Yuuri said dryly.

He had barely looked back in front of him when he heard Professor McGonagall yell, “Go!”

He flew forward, letting the rush of the crowd wrap around him. He pulled to a halt in the center of the pitch and locked eyes with Sara. A year ago, he had been much shyer about it, but thinking about the way she’d treated Mila...no, he wouldn’t have any problem with winning this time around.

Below, Madam Hooch was speaking, presumably releasing the balls, but he couldn’t hear over the cheers of the crowd. He didn’t want to look around at the large turnout, knowing that doing so would only make him more nervous.

Just one look could cast him to pieces.

“And go!”

Yuuri blinked as the Quaffle was tossed into the air. Before his eyes opened again, he had already pointed his broom upward, following Otabek’s advice. He spotted Sara in the corner of his eye trailing him, aboard her Cleansweep Seven.

If she was anything like her twin, he thought, he better keep an eye on her.

“Ten points to Gryffindor, right away!”

Yuuri looked down in surprise, watching as Madam Hooch changed the scoreboard.

Emil was pumping his fist in the air as he crossed the pitch.

“Cabello has the Quaffle, taking it across the field and—OH!”

The whole stadium groaned as Riley and Takeshi collided with a sickening thud. Thankfully, Takeshi tilted his broom backward, and Riley let go of the Quaffle, dropping it right into Anya’s outstretched arm.

“Kuznetsov has the Quaffle—now she’s crossing the pitch again, but Vesely looks ready to block, and YES!” Madam Hooch shouted. “Excellent stretch Vesely, but—GRYFFINDOR HAS THE QUAFFLE AGAIN!”

Yuuri’s eyes darted back and forth as he watched Yuuko snatch the Quaffle from under the hoops and toss it to Emil, who flung the ball cleanly through the middle one with no opposition.

“TWENTY POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!” bellowed Madam Hooch, and the crowd roared.

“Hey!” Yuuri mumbled in alarm as Graham Kolar, a fifth year Chaser swooped the Quaffle up and rose steadily in the air, crossing the pitch above the rest of the Chasers.

“Your job is not to watch the match,” hissed a voice in his ear, and Yuuri nearly jumped off his broom in surprise.

JJ swept by him, completely letting go of his broom and snatching a Bludger right out of the air.

For one second, Yuuri held his breath, terrified as the Bludger pulled for its freedom. But JJ held on tight and positioned his bat, letting go of the Bludger and swinging.

“Duck!” yelled Margaret Vardo, the Ravenclaw captain and Beater. She shot a dirty look at JJ as the Bludger hit the back of Graham’s broom and nearly pushed it out in front of him.

The Quaffle fell from Kolar’s hand, leaving Yuuri biting his lip anxiously.

Yuuko and Ailill Zaal hit each other head-on and wrestled their way down to the ground, the Quaffle caught in between them.

“Keep looking for the Snitch!” shouted JJ as he whizzed away, moving lightly with only one hand on his broom and his bat slung over his shoulder.

He heard a cheer from below and tried not to worry as Madam Hooch shouted that Ravenclaw had scored. JJ was right: he had to get moving. It was good to be aware of how the points were stacking up, but at the end of the match, it was almost always the Snitch that mattered.

Keeping his eyes trained on Sara while also scanning the air nearby, he began to cross the pitch.

“Cabello SCORES! OH! And Nekola has the Quaffle and—Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are tied, but YES! NEKOLA SCORES!”

The Ravenclaws were still cheering as Emil sank the Quaffle through the hoop, and Yuuri remembered that it was the Chaser’s last year at Hogwarts.

Win this last match for him, he told himself with a sudden burst of energy, urging his broom forward. The faster he went around the pitch, the easier it would be to spot the Snitch.

The cheers came before he heard Madam Hooch shout, “GRYFFINDOR SCORES!”

He looked down, and then his breath caught. Just ten meters from him was the Snitch, fluttering close to the ground, reflecting the golden sunlight and piercing his eyes.

Without a thought, he began to urge his broom downward, pushing his arm out and spreading his fingers as wide as he could. His vision was fixed, and he could hear the cheers erupting, yet they sounded louder than they should be, as if—as if Ravenclaw was shouting too.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Sara edge into focus, her long black hair flying in two braids behind her. She was coming from the opposite direction.

His brain went into overdrive, calculating every position and angle that he could’ve only gained from years of watching professional matches. If he went for the Snitch, there was no chance he could beat her. Her aim was more accurate than his—one advantage of the Cleansweep Sevens—so the only thing he could do was...

The whole right side of Yuuri’s body braced for impact as he pulled even to the ground, directly in Sara’s path. Then there was a crippling THUD! and she slammed into him less than a second later, too close to have swerved.

With adrenaline coursing through him, Yuuri refused to look back. He shot upward, his vision never leaving the Snitch until he felt the beating of its wings against his gloves.

After a dull moment of silence, he realized people were screaming, screaming so loud that he had thought there had been nothing. His right ear was throbbing with pain, and he could barely breathe as he dropped his broom down and tumbled onto the grass. He stood shakily, holding the Golden Snitch for everyone to see.

People began to flood the field, and he saw green everywhere. A smile spread across his aching face.

“WE DID IT!” shouted a voice from behind. JJ landed beside him a second later.

“I’ve never seen Slytherins smile so much,” yelped Yuuko. She pulled up next to him and dropped her broom, throwing her arms around Takeshi.

“Yuuri!”

His heart stopped, and he felt the world quiet and slow, as Viktor ran toward him, arms outstretched. They collided, and as Yuuri fell backward, completely caught off guard, he felt Viktor’s lips lower onto his own.

Yuuri gasped before he let his lips fit into Viktor’s, and he thought for a second, his eyes wide open, that he had knocked his head too hard when he had hit Sara.

But sure enough, everything sped back up. They fell to the ground, though Yuuri couldn’t feel anything except Viktor slowly pulling away.

People were screaming even louder than before, and his vision was spinning, but somehow Viktor was as clear as day.

“That was the only thing I could think of to surprise you more than you’ve surprised me.”

***

“Alright, Mr. Katsuki. Just one more test from me,” the administrator, a short and stout wizard, said. He was tapping his quill on his score sheet, every click making Yuuri’s heart beat faster.

“I would like you to transform this—” He waved his wand, summoning a cornflower blue egg cup. “—so that it is twice its current size, and yellow.”

Easy, Yuuri thought with relief.

“Engorgio.” He turned his wand in almost a complete circle, and as he did, the egg cup swelled, cracks beginning to appear on the porcelain. “Colovaria!” He pointed his wand again and pulled away in satisfaction as the egg cup faded into a pale yellow that hid the buff-colored cracks underneath.

“Excellent, excellent,” mumbled the wizard, scribbling down notes.

Finally, he looked up at him, pushing his glasses down on his nose so he could make direct eye contact.

“Congratulations, Mr. Katsuki. You’ll be getting your scores either at the end of August or the beginning of September, when class starts.”

“Thank you!” Yuuri blurted out, relieved to have just completed his second to last O.W.L.

A moment later, he left the room with a slight skip in his step.

“Good luck!” he announced cheerily to a very scared-looking Guang Hong waiting outside.

“Er, thanks, Yuuri,” he managed out.

“I didn’t expect that,” remarked a light voice from beside Yuuri.

He spun to the side and saw Sara, having just come out of her testing room. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun and strands were falling out. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought she had run to catch up to him.

He instantly grew wary, recalling her cold glances to him at the beginning of the year, solely because he was friends with Mila.

“Expect what?” he asked, trying to keep his tone friendly.

“That.” She pointed to JJ and Isabella walking the opposite way, toward the Charms testing area. He had his arm around her, and she was talking frantically, met by frequent nods.

“Oh,” Yuuri said, taken aback as well. “Me neither, I guess.”

“They’re very different,” Sara continued, although Yuuri had the sneaking suspicion that she was trying to get him to say something.

JJ passed, giving Yuuri a friendly wave, not lifting his hand from Isabella’s shoulder.

Just as he was able to open his mouth to ask what Sara wanted, she spoke.

“I’m sorry for being such a bitch,” she said, grimacing.

Surprised, Yuuri turned to look at her fully.

“To you, and also to Mila, because she was my friend and I shouldn’t have reacted to what she told me the way I did.”

“You’re going to have to talk to her on that one,” Yuuri said. “You weren’t that bad to me, but I think she was a little more upset.”

“I know.” Sara nodded, her bun bobbing up and down. “I just don’t know how to approach her. We haven’t talked for months. Willingly, at least.”

And whose fault is that, exactly? Yuuri wanted to ask, feeling instantly protective of Mila, who had spent the whole year moping over Sara, so deeply that Yuuri swore he would never take that long to get over someone.

“Why do you want to talk to her all of a sudden?” Yuuri asked, looking down at his feet as they strode across the stone floor.

“I broke up with Riley,” Sara said, and his head shot back up, all evasion gone. “Well, we mutually decided to break up.”

“And you want to be with Mila now that you’re done with Riley?” he asked, immediately regretting how harshly the words came out of his mouth.

A flash of hurt crossed through Sara’s face.

“I know. When you put it like that, it sounds terrible.” She bit her lip. “And this is going to sound even worse. It’s just that all this time with Riley, I’ve felt happy, and good, but we knew it wouldn’t really last. And...something about Mila is different.”

Yuuri’s mind went through a thousand snarky comebacks, but eventually, he felt his grip loosen on his wand, and he let out a breath. Was he really the most faultless person when it came to relationships?

No, he knew. He didn’t have any right to be criticizing her. Plus, the last thing he wanted was to keep hold of any grudges over the summer. She came to make amends with you and it’s not your job to hate her for playing Mila.

“You should talk to her, then,” he suggested. “I’m sure she’ll listen to you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, her eyes lit up and a smile split across her face.

“You really think so, Yuuri?”

“Sure.” He matched her smile. “As long as you’re honest, I reckon she’ll hear you out.”

Sara’s beam grew, and then, seeming infinitely more relaxed, she turned back to Yuuri. “I forgot to ask how you and Viktor have been! You two are so cute. I didn’t even know you were dating!”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, startled. Despite everything, he hadn’t seen Viktor since the kiss, which was partly his own doing. They had been rushed off the field for Slytherin’s victory lap and had gotten lost in the crowd, then Yuuri was taken to the hospital wing to be fixed up by Madam Pomfrey. The next day, exams had started, and he pushed off Viktor’s invitation to study. He knew that in order to perform his best, he had to keep Viktor distant in his mind.

But now it was the last day, with only his final exam, Defense Against the Dark Arts, to go.

“We’re not exactly, er, dating,” he said after some deliberation.

“Still figuring things out?” She laughed easily.

“Something like that,” Yuuri allowed, as they rounded the corner to the Great Hall where the Defense Against the Dark Arts written exam was taking place.

“Hey.” She nudged him. “Thanks for talking, and for the advice. And good luck. I’ve got to run to Herbology.”

“Of course. Thanks.” He gave her a half-wave before swallowing and trying to force his brain back into exam mode.

The five easiest identification signs of a werewolf are the pointed snout, the—

“Katsudon!” Yurio called from the back of the Great Hall. “Get over here!”

Yuuri shook his head, pushing his way past a few people and sliding into the seat next to him.

“Hey, Yurio.”

“Viktor wants to see you after this exam.” He rolled his eyes, sure to show his disgust as he enunciated his name. “He said to meet him on the wooden bridge on the third floor. The one near the Clock Tower.”

“Okay,” Yuuri muttered. Looking up, he gave Yurio a quick “thanks.”

“No problem,” Yurio declared in a voice that suggested just the opposite.

Yuuri turned back to the front, watching as Slughorn raced around, pulling last-minute preparations together.

“Hey Yurio,” he hissed, turning back to him.

“What?” he groaned.

“So if we have to use a jinx against a merperson, would that be—”

“Quiet, please,” said Slughorn, and instantly, the whole hall fell silent. “You have one hour for the written portion of this exam. Your time begins now.”

***

“Do you think you did well on the History of Magic exam?” Otabek asked, throwing a pile of books into his trunk. They landed with a heavy thud.

They were the last two in the dormitory; the other three boys had headed out to the common room for a brief last day celebration before the train arrived.

“I reckon I did okay.” Yuuri shrugged, carefully packing his Nimbus 2001 between two layers of clothing. “I completely forgot to study the formation of the International Confederation of Wizards, but I lucked out since there were only a few questions about it.”

“I thought that section was pretty easy, but I had to make up some random reason why the Warlocks of Liechtenstein refused to join.” Otabek sat on his trunk, forcing it shut and using his wand to buckle the clamps before it burst. Patting the trunk, he stood up. “I checked right after I left, and I didn’t even have it in my notes.”

“I had no idea either,” Yuuri said, then gestured to the stairs leading down to the common room. “I’ll join you in a second.”

“You sure?” Otabek asked, wiping his brow.

Yuuri nodded and waited until the other boy had made his way downstairs. He grabbed the last thing he had to pack: the letter he had been keeping hidden under his pillow since the start of March.

When he at last peeled open the envelope, he found two pieces of parchment. Dread curled in his stomach, but he sat back onto his four-poster bed and began to read.

Yuuri,

You know your father and I are unhappy with how things were left when your holiday break ended. We understand that you are upset about our mistake, although we both still believe it was the best choice for you. However, that is something we can discuss over your summer break, along with many other things. Nonetheless, we still expect you to uphold public decency and respect.

Yuuri, you know we always caution against making judgments or forming opinions before we hear the full story, and that is something we’ve tried to pass down to you. We also don’t know much of the Wizarding World, but we can only assume that the Daily Prophet is an esteemed journal given its universality, and we’re quite worried to see our son’s name in the headlines.

We believe that you know what we are referring to, and we hope to talk to you more during the summer about a few questions we have. We were under the impression that we had agreed, as a family, that you would be going to Hogwarts to further your education and expand opportunities, especially in the sport you’ve always had a talent for.

We hope that these terms are still being upheld. We anticipate seeing your exam results this year, as you’ve told us they’re especially important this time around. Wizard or not, we are highly invested in your academic success and hope that nothing or no one is distracting you from that.

Your father and I will be waiting to see you again. Until then, stay focused

Katsuki Hiroko

Yuuri bit his lip. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was supposed to feel. A part of him had thought that the consequences of the articles would’ve been written off by now, since the rumors had died down. But he knew his parents well: whatever conversation they wanted would be happening.

Pushing the letter from his mother aside, he began to unfurl the second one. But upon the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs, he shoved both the letters in his bag and stood up.

“Hey Yuuri,” Leo called. “A bunch of seventh years are putting on a show down there. You’ve gotta come see it.”

“Oh, thanks. I actually have to meet someone,” Yuuri said, glancing at the clock. Even just saying it shot a sharp feeling down his body. “Maybe I’ll be back in time.”

“Okay.” Leo shrugged, rummaging around in his trunk until he found whatever he was looking for. “See you, then.”

***

The wooden bridge led farther from the castle grounds, so Yuuri rarely used it. A slight breeze came through the sides, and it rustled his hair slightly.

There was no one else around, although it was about what he expected when the train was leaving in an hour. Everyone was surely busy: last-minute packing, celebrating, or saying their goodbyes.

Yuuri spotted Viktor before he saw him. He was wearing his thin spring robes and a loose green tie; his silver hair was swept over his eye and fluttering back and forth in the wind. Leaning his forearms on the railing, he was gazing out at the stone circle where fourth years had held owl races the previous year during one particularly warm weekend.

“Viktor,” he said, and he watched as the older boy turned, trying not to think of the last time they had seen one another on the crowded Quidditch field in front of the whole school.

Viktor’s face broke into a large grin and he crossed the distance between them in no time.

He looked ready to say something, but Yuuri beat him to it, forcing out the words he had been preparing for days.

“I can’t do this, Viktor.”

Viktor’s mouth dropped open. It was one of the rare times his emotions were so overt.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching to take one of Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri wasn’t sure which of them it was supposed to comfort, but he pulled back all the same.

He had been dreading this talk since Viktor had kissed him after the Quidditch game. Maybe since they had almost kissed in the Room of Requirement, or maybe since they had danced together at Slughorn’s banquet at the beginning of the year.

First, was his mother. Both his parents, really. He didn’t think they would be...against it, necessarily, but it wasn’t a conversation he was ready to have. And especially not after that letter.

There was also the reason he had held back in the first place, although it had taken weeks to realize. Although Iris had assured him that most people didn’t believe he was sleeping with Viktor and keeping him from Quidditch, she did bring up one important point: if he gave students at Hogwarts any confirmation of what Rita had written, such as having more than a friendship with Viktor, any of his integrity would be lost immediately.

He didn’t want to talk to his parents about his looming sexuality or have people hate him because they believed he was controlling Viktor, but he also knew how quickly Viktor would strike down those reasons. He had a strong sense of identity, and he was confident—he wouldn’t understand.

Yuuri swallowed hard and looked Viktor straight in the eye, something he had been practicing in his head over and over for the past week.

“I just—I don’t like you in that way,” he delivered, not without a bit of a stumble. “I’m sorry.”

Viktor slowly crossed his arms, all traces of warmth fading from his face.

“I know you’re lying.”

Yuuri gasped out loud.

“I’m not. You can’t just say things like that!”

“Yes I can—because it's true,” Viktor snapped. “There’s something you’re not telling me. It’s written all over your face.”

“That’s not fair,” Yuuri said, his heart beating too quickly. “You can’t just expect everyone to be in love with you.”

“I didn’t expect you to be in love with me,” Viktor retorted. “I thought, well, I know, you like me as more than a friend. And I do too. I kissed you in front of everyone.”

“I’m aware,” Yuuri said, his tone dropping as he suddenly lost the energy to be angry. “I’m sorry if my actions came across the wrong way.”

Another practiced line.

Unexpectedly, the heat drained out of Viktor as well, and he slumped back against the wooden railing.

Neither of them said anything, and Yuuri came to the horrible realization that the conversation was over.

This is what you wanted. But no—he corrected himself: Not what you wanted, but what you had to do.

Now go.

“Have you made your decision yet?”

The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“About the Quafflepunchers, I mean.”

Viktor stared down at their feet as he answered plainly, “Yeah. I’m staying.”

“What convinced you?” Yuuri asked.

“Who do you think?”

Yuuri physically stumbled back.

“Is that really such a surprise to you?” Viktor asked wryly. 

Yuuri opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“I cut myself off the other night, before the match. There was so much more I could’ve said about you. But you looked shocked, and I didn’t want to continue and put you off.”

Yuuri swallowed. He knew he should stop him, but his heart was beating rapidly: he didn’t have the courage.

“I wanted to tell you that you’re beautiful. That you are the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes upon, and you have the most beautiful soul I have had the privilege of getting to know. How blind you must be to really believe I would ever leave you. That I ever could. From the moment I saw you, there was no hope, and there never will be.”

“Don’t say that,” Yuuri choked out. No one had ever told him that this physically hurt. In his chest and spreading all around his body, pounding in his head and aching in his arms and legs. “You’ll find someone else.” Who’s more confident. Who’s not a coward. Who’s brave.

“You can’t know that,” Viktor said. His words sounded jagged, as if they had been ripped straight from his heart. “I won’t.”

“I can, and I do,” Yuuri said. The colors around him were smearing, and then all at once, they came into focus, looking greyer than before. “And you will.”

***

“Where’s Viktor?” were the first words that came out of Phichit’s mouth as Yuuri sat down across from him and Michele in the train compartment.

“Can we talk about...anything else?”

Phichit’s face changed instantly, his confusion masked. He reached into his bag and pulled out a pack of cards.

“Absolutely,” he said. “We can talk about how I am going to epically beat both of you in this game of Exploding Snap.”

***

Many games later, and many kilometers closer to King’s Cross, Yuuri’s eyes opened with great difficulty. Michele and Phichit were still sleeping, and the sun had just set, leaving the sky a pale blue.

Taking advantage of the last minutes of light, Yuuri reached into his bag, and pushed on his glasses, unfolding the unread letter at last.

My dearest brother,

You do not know how devastated I am at how things were left over the holidays. I’m writing this on New Year’s Day after the alleged New Year’s Party I had to attend. I’ll let you in on a secret: there was no party. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Maybe this secret will be a little more shocking to hear: maybe it was obvious to you, but our parents don’t know.

They never got me like you did, Yuuri, and I can say the same for you with confidence. This is why I have to apologize.

We always got one another. We trusted one another, and I shouldn’t have betrayed that trust. When I was let in on a secret that wasn’t right, I should have told you. There is nothing I regret more at this moment than how you found out about Vicchan. I know if our roles were reversed, you would’ve chosen me over them in a heartbeat. I’m sorry.

I’m not going to bother to convince you to forgive me. By the time you get this letter (I asked Mum to give it to you a few months in the future), you will have already forgiven me or not.

I’m writing to you because my boyfriend proposed last night.

I said no.

You see, something you told me on Christmas Eve stuck with me. You told me that you don’t always have to find happiness yourself, and it’s possible to meet someone who helps you find it.

I’m still searching. I tried so many times to convince myself he was the one, but I know exactly what I’m looking for now: someone who helps me find my happiness.

I’ll have hopefully moved to Cape Town by the time you get this. I’m out there chasing my happiness.

I hope you are too.

Love, always,

Mari

Chapter Text

“Room for one more?”

The compartment door slid shut as Phichit entered and plopped down next to Yuuri.

“We have to compare schedules!” Michele said.  He was sitting next to Sara, across from Yuuri.

“I’m not sure about mine yet,” Phichit frowned.  “I might drop Defense Against the Dark Arts. I barely passed with an A.”

“I dropped Divination and Astronomy,” Yuuri admitted.  “The temptation of having free nights was too great. That, and never seeing Professor Trelawney again.”

Sara grinned at that and then yawned, leaning her head on Michele’s shoulder.

Yuuri hadn’t talked to her since the last day of fifth year, although he had a feeling she hadn’t wasted a second in pursuing Mila.

“I can’t believe we’re N.E.W.T. level students now,” Phichit said dreamily.  “I still remember my first day at Hogwarts being excited about learning Wingardium Leviosa."

“Riley told me this year’s all about nonverbal spells,” Sara grimaced.  “And I barely passed my Charms exam.”

“You have History of Magic and Ancient Runes on Tuesday and Friday mornings?” Michele said, throwing Yuuri’s schedule back to him.  “I don’t know how you’ll survive. Those have to be the two most boring classes the school offers.”

“I second that.” Phichit took his schedule.  “But it’s really not that bad because you have fourth period free, and then the next day you don’t start class until the afternoon.”

“But it’s Arithmancy,”  Michele said in a disgusted tone.

“Doesn’t Viktor take Arithmancy too?” asked Sara innocently.  She was playing with the armrest between Michele and her.

Viktor was a touchy subject.  Yuuri had tried not to think about him over the summer, but whatever willpower he’d mustered up had been lost the second he arrived in Japan, holed up in his room for three months.  Mari was in Cape Town, true to her word, and he wanted nothing less in the world than to talk to his parents. He purposely woke up early to eat breakfast before them and spent most days writing to Phichit and Michele.

“Yeah,” Yuuri worked hard to keep his voice passive.

“What are you guys, anyway?” Sara’s long dark hair was spilling over her stylish beige coat. “Like, did you see one another over the summer and work things out?”

“No,” Yuuri answered, his voice wavering.  “We decided to just be friends.”

Sara’s carefully manicured eyebrows shot up and she didn’t bother to mask her surprise.

“Oh—I thought, well…”

The air in the compartment was beginning to get uncomfortable and stiffly hot.

“So are you still taking Astronomy, Sara?” Phichit asked.

“Er,” she sat up and dug out the parchment with her schedule.

Yuuri blinked.  Once. Twice. Refocused.

Phichit and Sara were now comparing classes, but from the way Michele was staring at Phichit’s feet, Yuuri knew the topic hadn’t been on her mind only.

***

“Before we start class, I want to make one thing very clear,” said Professor Snape, his feet planted into the dark floor of the Potions classroom.  “It was my wish that only students scoring an Outstanding on their O.W.L. exam would be allowed to continue this class at a N.E.W.T. level.”

Yuuri exchanged an uneasy glance to Otabek.  Both of them had scraped Exceeds Expectations last year.  The two were sitting together in the back left corner of the room, avoiding Viktor and Yurio, the only two Slytherin boys who had continued the class.

The situation was painfully and almost funnily reflective of fourth year, except this time Viktor was also trying to avoid Yuuri.

"However, your Headmaster has been insistent that all students are given the opportunity to prove themselves, even if incompetent,"  he drawled out the last word, beady black eyes digging around the room.  “This year will not be easy. If you don’t think you will be able to complete the daily work in and out of class and the level of expertise needed, then I suggest you leave now.”

The room was silent, and a few students in the front looked back to see if anyone was getting up.  There was no one.

“Very well,” said Professor Snape in a disapproving voice.  He then flourished his wand, waving at the chalkboard as names appeared.  “These will be your partners for your time as N.E.W.T. students, which will take you through seventh year as well.  Find a desk together and take out your copies of Advanced Potion Making.”

If Yuuri had thought just a few seconds ago that the class was strangely reflective of his fourth year, he stared up at the board in further disbelief.  Scrawled almost on the brink of illegibility was his name, Katsuki Yuuri, right next to, well...

“You’re Yuuri, right?”

Yuuri slowly turned to meet the face of the speaker.

“What?” he let out.

Viktor laughed casually, dropping his bag on the ground.  He took the seat where Otabek had just been before turning back to Yuuri.

“That’s the first thing I ever said to you,” he explained.  “When we were partners in Potions two years ago.”

Yuuri stared dumbly, drinking in every detail of his appearance that he had repainted too many times in his head over the summer.  He looked sharper and cleaner than before. Or maybe time had muted him over.

Taking his silence for confusion, Viktor drawled on.

“It was a joke,” he said.  “You do know what that is, right?”

Yuuri shook his head in exasperation, trying not to let every memory he had tried to repress for months flood back to him.

How blind you must be to really believe I would ever leave you.  That I ever could. From the moment I saw you, there was no hope, and there never will be.

But that was months ago.  And he’d told Viktor to move on.  There was no reason to bring back things that weren’t true anymore.

“So…” Yuuri scanned the room for some distraction.  “How was your summer?”

“Fine,” Viktor said curtly.

Yuuri bristled at his tone.  What was his problem?

“You have half an hour to make the Draught of Living Death with your partner.  If you are unable to do so, we’ll be talking after class and I may suggest a schedule change.”

Yuuri gulped.  Suddenly, he didn’t feel like arguing with Viktor anymore.

“Have you made this potion before?” he asked, doing his best to keep his tone even.

“Of course,” Viktor said briskly.  “Hand me the Infusion of Wormwood, will you?”

Annoyance rising up again, Yuuri pulled the green bottle off the shelf behind them and placed it deliberately in Viktor’s hand.  He watched as the other boy added a few drops into the bubbling cauldron, stared critically, then added a few more before capping it and handing it back to Yuuri.

“Is there any pre-crushed asphodel or do we need to do it ourselves?” Viktor asked his eyes not leaving the cauldron for a second.

“It calls for powdered root of asphodel,” Yuuri frowned, checking his book to make sure.

“Same thing,” Viktor rolled his eyes.  “Is there any?” he repeated impatiently.

“Why don’t you check?” Yuuri snapped, then before Viktor could even react, he mentally hexed himself.  “Sorry.”

“Is there a problem?” Viktor turned slowly.

“No,” Yuuri said on instinct.  “Well, yes, actually.”

Viktor blinked deliberately.

“I barely got an E on my O.W.L. last year and it doesn’t help that Professor Snape is taunting us all with expulsion from the class.  I’m not just going to sit around and do all the dirty work. Let me make the potion too, so I don’t fail the assessments. It’s not like you need any extra practice.”

He wondered, briefly, how they had already started arguing within five minutes of talking to one another.

“Fine,” Viktor sat back, pushing the cauldron over to him.  “But you’d have to be a fool to think Snape is being serious.”

“I’m sorry,”  Yuuri said.  “Not all of us get along in class with no trouble.  Excuse me for taking my professor seriously.”

Viktor scanned the room, lowering his voice, and Yuuri realized there were a few girls watching them.  Luckily, Professor Snape was on the other side of the room, probably threatening another student.

“Just make the potion before the Wormwood burns,” Viktor snapped, and Yuuri felt a small score of victory knowing that Viktor had given up fighting with him.

“Do you use the side of a knife on the asphodel or the pestle and mortar?” he asked, just the tiniest bit of triumph.

“Whatever you want,” Viktor answered sweetly, sitting back and putting his feet up, much to Yuuri’s annoyance.  “I thought you were making the potion.”

Gritting his teeth, Yuuri put his hand into the air.  Viktor was infuriatingly good at getting under his skin.

“Yes, Katsuki?” Professor Snape glided over to them.

“Should I use the side of a knife or a pestle for the root of asphodel?” he asked.

“Pestle, obviously,"  drawled Professor Snape, and walked away without another word.  Normally, Yuuri would’ve been upset by his comment, although all he cared about at the moment was annoying Viktor, so he began to crush the root of the white flower into fine pieces.

Carefully, Yuuri dumped the powdered root of asphodel into the cauldron, watching it bubble into a thick white substance.  He stirred twice, clockwise, after checking the book multiple times. He felt Viktor’s eyes watching him and tried to focus.

After peeling back the thin foil around the sloth brain, he dumped it in as well, the potion barely splashing as it devoured the brain, causing the liquid to become a sickly pink.

Satisfied, Yuuri looked at the book again.

Cut twelve Sopophorous beans and pour the juices into the potion.

Feeling a childish urge to please Viktor, he began to make straight, parallel cuts on the first bean, pleased that they were not sliding under the knife.

“What the hell are you doing?” Viktor asked, suddenly pulling his feet off their desk and pulling Yuuri’s hand away from the gray beans.

Yuuri snatched his wrist out of Viktor’s grip.

“I’m cutting the Sopophorous beans so that I can pour their juices in the potion,” he replied superiorly.

“You’re supposed to crush them,” Viktor said slowly, like this was common knowledge.  “And use thirteen, not twelve.”

“That’s not what the book says,” Yuuri said, keeping his boiling temper from reaching his voice.  He didn’t want to give Viktor that satisfaction. “Are you saying you’re smarter than Libatius Borage?”

Viktor furrowed his eyebrows and snatched the book.  Yuuri watched his eyes dart across the instructions several times before slamming it shut with a loud noise.

“Yeah, I reckon I am,” he said.  “No potion maker in their right mind would cut a Sopophorous bean if they could crush it just as easily.”

“Professor?” Yuuri called out, and Professor Snape walked over, deliberately slowly.

“What is it, Katsuki?”

“Should we crush or cut the Sopophorous beans?”

“Crush,” Professor Snape replied in a bored voice.

Viktor shot Yuuri a triumphant look.

“But the book says—”

“Crushing is more effective,” Professor Snape cut in.  “Part of being a successful potion maker is being able to use directions or books as guides for your memory and not letting them take over common sense.  This is a skill you should’ve learned by your fourth year and mastered in O.W.L.s. If you’re still struggling with that concept, then maybe this course isn’t for you.”

Without another word, he strode off at another calling, leaving Yuuri staring downward at the Sopophorous beans, his vision swimming.

“Fine,” he muttered to himself.  He would do whatever he could to pass the class, even if it meant sacrificing his dignity.  He began to crush the beans, and finally had a bowl full of sludgy paste.

“You need one more,” Viktor remarked in a bored voice.

“I have twelve shells,” Yuuri retorted.  “Unless you have another wonderful suggestion.”

“It’s not a suggestion,” Viktor sat up in his seat, grabbing the knife from him and taking another Sopophorous bean from the bag.  “I told you another Sopophorous bean is needed if you want your potion to turn out right.”

“No,” Yuuri snapped and took the knife back.  “We’re moving on.”

To his surprise, Viktor listened, although he didn’t hesitate to roll his eyes.

“Whatever you want.”

Since when was Viktor so...irritating?

Fuming, Yuuri dumped the juice in and stirred seven times counterclockwise.  He tried to hide his frown, as the potion was more of a cornflower blue, not the lilac it needed to be.  Before he could protest, Viktor grabbed the spoon from him and stirred once more, this time clockwise, then set it back down.

“What did you just do?” Yuuri asked furiously.  “You’re only supposed to—”

“Look,” Viktor said, his arms crossed, using only his eyes to direct him to the cauldron.

Yuuri cursed internally as he saw the potion had turned a pale pink, certainly passable as lilac.

“The light reflects on the Sopophorous beans,” Viktor began superiorly. “When amateurly mixed, they show a cooler tone but if you mix them the opposite way a reddish haze appears.”

“Time’s up,” announced Professor Snape, and there was a clutter of motion as the pair next to them nearly jumped out of their seats.  A Slytherin girl he did not know, dumped whole Sopophorous beans in, out of panic. Immediately the cauldron burst on fire and Professor Snape barely had to wave his wand to put out the flames.

“I’ll come and collect a sample from each partnership.  That is, if you have anything to give me,” he leered, giving a deliberate glance to two Gryffindor girls whose heavy cauldron was laying sideways on their desk, the contents pouring out.

“I presume I don’t need to tell you two to stay after class?” Professor Snape said to the pair in front of them.  Inconspicuously tilting his head up, Yuuri saw their potion was bright blue, like sugared Muggle treats, and was somehow bubbling at the brim of their cauldron.

They both gulped and looked down.

Next was Yurio and Otabek, who had somehow been partnered together.  Thanks to Yurio’s help, their potion was nearly clear, although it still had a tinge of lilac.  Professor Snape poured a bit into a vial and gave a rare, satisfactory nod. One of the Slytherin girls next to them actually let out a sigh of envy.

“And what do we have here?” Professor Snape stared down at their concoction, his beady black eyes studying it.

Yuuri shifted in his seat, watching him carefully pour some into a bottle and screw it shut.

“A bit on the hazy side, although passable,” he critiqued finally, inviting Yuuri to let out a breath of relief.  “A little more Sopophorous bean paste would have done the trick, though.”

Yuuri’s cheeks flamed as he walked to the next group.

He heard the heat on the cauldron turn off and he snuck a look over at Viktor, then was horrified to see he was staring at him.

For a second, Yuuri thought that Viktor was going to say something scathing, but instead he stayed silent, then broke their eye contact and began to clean up.

It was going to be a very long two years.

***

“I thought I ought to let you all know that I am pleased with the number of students who scored sufficient enough on their Transfiguration O.W.L.s last year to continue on at a N.E.W.T. level,” Professor McGonagall began.  “However, this class is much harder than last year, and I know many of you struggled with grasping Vanishment last year. This year we are starting Conjurement, which will be the hardest level of magic tested on your N.E.W.T.s.  I urge you to complete your work outside of class in a timely matter.”

Mila made a face at Yuuri from in front of him.

“Failure to do so twice in a row will result in detention.”

Mila swung around again and repeated her face, making Yuuri smile.

“Miss Babicheva, please turn around.”

She gave him a dodgy expression before sitting forward in her chair again.

“This leads me to my next point,” Professor McGonagall paced in front of them.  “I am aware that throughout the past five years of your education, I have allowed you to choose who you can work with.  However, as the coursework gets harder, even the most able of students struggle, especially when facing external interferences.”

Her crisp green eyes bore into everyone’s in the room.

“I’ll be reading off a list of names. You will find a seat with your partner, and we will start class.”

As soon as the names started to be listed, Mila tensed.  Yuuri ended up being paired with Sara, and he watched as Mila’s shoulders relaxed as he got up to go sit by her.

Sara shot him a relieved smile as they pulled out their copies of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration.

“We’ll be working on an advanced charm today,” Professor McGonagall stood at her podium, wand out.  “Say it with me: AH-viss!”

Sara let out a gasp of excitement as blue light came out of Professor McGonagall’s wand, and golden birds flew forward, circling the chandelier above them.

The dampened mood of the room peeled away and instantly everyone was clamoring to find the page in their books and holding their wands out excitedly like first years in their first Charms class.

The sound of Avis filled the air over Professor McGonagall’s insistent calls.

“No, no, no!  You’re holding your wand wrong!  Miss Babicheva, remember, bodyweight, viciousness, wand power and concentration!”

***

“Can anyone tell me what this plant is?” asked Professor Sprout.  She was holding her wand so hard her pudgy knuckles were white, clearly struggling to keep the shield charm around it.

“Venomous Tentacula!” called out a Hufflepuff girl.

“Excellent,” she gritted her teeth.  “And does anyone know what the effects of its bite are?”

The plant was green and spiky, and was moving wildly within the bubble it was confined in. 

“Er...death?” Phichit asked tentatively, as if he was hoping the answer would be just about anything else.

“Exactly,” she replied, and everyone stumbled back a few steps, Yuuri included.

“No, no,” she shook her head, face red with concentration.  “No need to be worried. Now when I let go, I want all of you to use a Severing Charm.  That should do the trick.”

Again, the students clamored back a bit more, raising their wands shakily.

“And go!”

There was a chorus of Diffindos and Yuuri watched as jets of bright green flew from their wands, striking the plant.  Limbs flew off and Professor Sprout beamed proudly. What was left of the plant were a few stubs, barely moving.

“Excellent!”

“Do you think it’s too late to transfer out?” hissed Michele in his ear.  Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.

***

“Alright class, I guess,” Yuuri said as he and Yurio got up from their desk.  They’d been partnered together, and the younger boy had been surprisingly easygoing.  At least compared to Viktor.

“Katsuki, Plisetsky,” Slughorn hovered around their desk.  “Just thought I’d remind you that you’re invited to the banquet this year.  Next Saturday, alright?”

“Alright,” Yurio shrugged, in a particularly good mood.  Yuuri had expected some sarcastic remark when they had been announced partners, but to his surprise the younger boy was nicer than ever.

“You too, Katsuki?” Slughorn chortled.

“Er, I’ll see,” Yuuri said, although the truth was that he was not showing up to any party that Viktor would be attending, at least not until they were on better terms.

***

“Hey, Yuuri!”

Yuuri turned around, watching as Otabek ran to catch up to him.  The Wednesday was misty and drizzling, the air so foggy that JJ had almost considered postponing tryouts.  Nevertheless, he had decided that whoever the new Chaser was had to be able to play in bad weather conditions, and insisted that the whole team show up to watch.

“Hi,” Yuuri greeted as they evened their paces.  “I don’t envy whoever’s trying out.”

“Me neither,” Otabek grimaced as his foot sank into the wet ground.  “You don’t remember if we had Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, do you?”

“I don’t think so,” Yuuri flashed back to the day before.  “No, remember Slughorn was super excited about Yurio getting a nonverbal spell down?”

“Right,” Otabek smiled as they reached the rest of the group.

Yuuko and Takeshi were huddled underneath Takeshi’s wand which was holding up a magical umbrella.  Anya had chosen to just suffer in the rain and had given up any effort to stay dry.

“Where’s JJ?” Yuuri asked, shivering.

“We were hoping he’d be with you,” Yuuko chattered, and Takeshi pulled her closer.

“He might just be a few minutes late,” shrugged Otabek.  “We should sit down.”

“G-good id-dea,” Anya said, clutching her shoulders as they sat in the front row of the teachers stands.

“Anyone you know trying out?” Takeshi asked good-heartedly.

Yuuri scanned the field, watching people file in, just getting out of class.  There was a rather large crowd of Gryffindors and he hoped they weren’t all trying out, otherwise they’d be stuck there all day.  However, there was also a good number of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, and a few Slytherins watching, either supporting their friends or sizing up the year’s competition.

“My friend Liliana is,” Anya shrugged.  “I’ve never seen her fly but she was talking about it in Divination this morning.”

“Hopefully we get someone good,” Yuuko said.  “This is Takeshi and mine’s last year and we are not losing the Cup.”

As if right on signal, Yuuri saw JJ arriving through the mist.  He had a smile on his face as he hurried over.

“Sorry you guys, I got a little caught up earlier.”
Yuuko gave a suspiciously disbelieving sneeze, although Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was just because she was cold.

“Let’s just get started,” Anya shivered.

“Agreed,” mumbled Yuuri.  His hair was already soaked and if the mist had prevented him from seeing, it didn’t matter because his glasses were splattered with drops of water and he didn’t want to pull his hands out of the thin pockets of his robes to clean them off.

“Takeshi,” JJ said in an empathetic voice.  “I’m going to need you to block hoops. Let’s say everyone who gets two or more in, can continue onto the next round, just to weed out the people who obviously can’t fly.”

“Okay,” Takeshi replied grudgingly.  He grabbed his broomstick and pocketed his wand, leaving Yuuko in the pouring rain.

“I’m already soaked anyway, I suppose,” she muttered to herself.

“You know, if JJ was going to be late, he could’ve just rescheduled,” Anya sighed sadly.  “I don’t think I’m ever going to be dry or warm again.”

“Listen up, everyone!” yelled JJ.  No one heard, so he pulled out his wand. “Sonorous!”   Halfway through the uttering of the spell, his voice became amplified, like Madam Hooch’s during a match.  “Anyone who is trying out for Chaser needs to come here. We’ll have you line up and shoot five shots and try to get them past Takeshi.  If you don’t get at least two in, better luck next year.”

A line started to pile up in front of JJ as Takeshi took off into the air, wasting no dreadful second.

“At least he has a plan,” muttered Anya.

The first girl began to shoot, but she clearly had never been on a broomstick before in her life.  Flying two feet up, she dropped the Quaffle and JJ blew his whistle angrily, pointing at her to get out.

Next were three boys in a row, all second years that Yuuri remembered faintly asking him about Viktor after Rita’s article came out last year.

The first boy shot the first two in, much to Anya’s displeasure (“The more people that qualify, the longer the tryouts are going to be!”), but then got so excited that he missed the next three, but still skipped off.  The second missed the first four, but still tried for the fifth futility, and made it in happily. Finally, the third boy actually got three in and went to join his other friend who had qualified.

Then was a rather pretty blonde girl, from what Yuuri could see.

“That’s Liliana!” Anya whispered excitedly over the pattering rain on the bleachers.

Liliana was fairly good, and she managed to get four out of the five goals in.

After eight more students tried out, and five qualified, the last person stepped up.  Yuuri had seen him shoving around in the line earlier to make sure he was the last to go, and he wondered if he was hoping Takeshi would be more tired.

Their Keeper didn’t waver though, still blocking two out.  However, Anya was practically asleep on Yuuko’s shoulder and Yuuri couldn’t feel his toes.

“Great,” muttered Otabek. “Now we only have to wait for eight more people to go through JJ’s next test.”

“At least it tells us one thing,” Yuuko remarked.  “Whoever we end up with will certainly be a dedicated member, having flown through this."

***

“I have no idea,” Phichit answered truthfully, handing the parchment back to Yuuri.

This was a sentence he had been hearing a lot lately, everyone succumbing to the excessive work sixth-year classes were providing, even though they were only three weeks into the new year.

“You were smart to not take Potions,” grumbled Yuuri, digging into his bowl of katsudon.  The kitchens were bright and warm, but he felt hopeless at the moment.

“I only got an A on the exam,” Phichit laughed.  “Professor Snape wouldn’t let me take it.”

“Well at least you don’t have monthly tests,” Yuuri gave him a dry smile.  “The worst part is that they’re not even in the book. He’s all about expanding knowledge outside of what we read, but none of us know what to do.”

When Professor Snape had announced that they would be constantly tested of their knowledge to make sure they were on track to pass the class, Yuuri hadn’t been too opposed to the idea.  However, when he handed them the first review sheet, he was stumped. Never had he seen any of the terms, and they hadn’t been anywhere in Advanced Potion Making.

“Did you check the library?” Phichit asked, breaking up his milk cake with his fingers.

“Yeah, and I found something but the text was too complicated to read,” Yuuri sighed.  “I’ve asked everyone and they don’t know what they’re doing either.”

That was only partly a lie, but he still felt guilty as it came out of his mouth.

“Yuuri?” Phichit suddenly spoke, his tone cautious.

“Er, yeah?” Yuuri looked up, worried.  “What’s wrong?”

“You know I don’t like to pry or anything,” he frowned down at his milk cake.  “So you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to…”

No good question ever started with this, Yuuri thought decidedly.

“But you and Viktor…”

It was definitely not going to be a good question, Yuuri confirmed to himself.

Phichit stopped.

“Er, you good?”

Yuuri realized how distressed his face must look, and he quickly occupied himself with eating another bite of chicken.

“Go on,” he waved awkwardly.

“I was just wondering what happened,” Phichit finished finally.  “I mean, I don’t know him too well but I have a feeling he’d definitely know whatever obscure details Snape wants you to.  And well last year, I mean, we all saw that Quidditch match.”

Yuuri physically winced.

“Then we got on the train and you didn’t want to talk about it,” Phichit shrugged.  “Which is fine but…”

“You’re curious,” Yuuri sighed.  “I guess we’re technically fighting.  I don’t know, really. We ended last year, er, okay.  We didn’t write to each other over the summer at all, and then we got partnered together in Potions and we were both a little...tense.  I think we took it out on each other and it still hasn’t really gone back to normal.”

Phichit pursed his lips, then leaned forward.

“Well, it sounds like you guys are still sort of friends, so maybe he could h—”

“Fine!” Yuuri suddenly got up out of the stool, getting a flash of motivation.  “I’ll do it.”

Phichit settled back and replied a satisfied smile on his face.

“I haven’t even suggested anything yet!”

***

“Can you—”

“Pass the powdered unicorn horn?” Viktor asked.  “Of course I can.”  He slid the jar over to Yuuri.  

Yuuri sighed internally.  They hadn’t been bitter for the past few classes, just coolly competitive, but Viktor seemed to be extra annoyed today.

“I was going to ask if you could meet me during lunch,” Yuuri replied, trying to keep his temper down.  “I need to talk to you.”

Viktor seemed genuinely surprised at this and he took a few seconds to answer, although when he did it was curt.

“Fine.”

Yuuri wondered what had flashed through his head in those long seconds.

***

Yuuri had nearly passed the Room of Requirement on his way there, he recounted, sitting at the desk.  He and Viktor hadn’t used it since last year, at midnight. He almost forgot that he had to pace back and forth three times, yet still the room was the same as usual.

Viktor, he supposed, was being deliberately late to make a statement.  It turned out he was right, as precisely five minutes after lunch had started, Viktor came in, looking bored, as if he’d been strolling around the school at a slower than leisurely pace.

He dropped his bag and sat down across from Yuuri.

“What do you want?”

For a second, Yuuri was so wrapped up in nostalgia, seeing Viktor in front of him on their own accord, once again, that he didn’t speak.

“I don’t have all day,” Viktor said in a bored voice that suggested just the opposite.

“I—” Yuuri blinked, suddenly looking down at his paper, remembering why they were there.  “I need help with the review sheet Professor Snape gave us for the test.”

“Hm,” Viktor said.  “That’s funny because you haven’t been seeming to want my help at all in class.”

Yuuri snapped.

“Can you stop being such a pretentious, sore ass!” he exclaimed and Viktor’s eyebrows shot up.  “The only reason I was being petty was because you were doing the same!”

“Strange,” Viktor replied, unfazed.  “Because I was under the impression I was doing the same thing.”

“If you don’t want to put whatever happened behind us,” Yuuri commanded through gritted teeth.  “That’s fine. We can stop talking completely. But you are the only person I know who would have any clue where to begin with this assignment and I will put aside our disagreement in order to pass this class.”

There was silence, then in an odd voice came:

“How many O.W.L.s did you get?”

“What?” Yuuri asked, taken aback.

“I got nine,” Viktor continued calmly.  “How many did you get?”

“Ten.” Yuuri added hurriedly, “But that’s only because I took more classes than you.”

“All Es and Os, I suppose?” Viktor asked, not bitterly.

“No,” Yuuri answered cautiously, trying to drag out any second of Viktor being back to normal.  “I got an A in Divination.”

“That doesn’t count,” Viktor said.

Yuuri said nothing.

“Do you see my point?” he asked.

“No,” Yuuri blinked.  Was there any point to this conversation?

“You’ve been working hard since you got to Hogwarts, and probably before that too.  You know, they don’t accept many foreign students here unless their grades are good.  Really good.”

“That’s not true,” Yuuri interjected.  “Everyone has good grades in their third year.”

“Do they really?” Viktor leaned forward, his blue eyes blazing.  “Because I think you’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.  Have you ever noticed that what seems easy to you is not for other people?  That what you’re stressed about, some people aren’t even considering because they’re still getting down the basics?”

“Not anymore,” Yuuri said in a small voice.  “Maybe back at Mahoutokoro, but no, not now.”

“Maybe it’s not noticeable to you,” Viktor shrugged.  “But I can tell. Every day in Potions you take down more notes than anyone else.  You come to class with your homework done, plus extra problems like that’s normal for you.  You’re always prepared for the tests but you still seem to be the most nervous person there.”

“That’s only because I’m struggling in Potions.  It’s my worst subject,” Yuuri said quietly. “And I am not prepared for the test at all.”

“That’s the thing!” Viktor exclaimed.  “You are not struggling in Potions!  You simply compare yourself with the best people in the class, and then feel behind!”

“And who are the best people in the class?” Yuuri asked in a muted voice.

“Me,” Viktor said plainly.  “My parents spent years of tutoring so that I could get a good job.  Then I turned out to be an athlete and then it became tutoring so that I could graduate early so I could play Quidditch sooner.  The only reason I know the coursework and beyond like it’s the easiest thing in the world is because the most talented witches and wizards in Russia taught me for years.”

This was by far the most confusing conversation they’d ever had, but all Yuuri knew right now was that his heart was aching with a silent joy that Viktor was back.  His Viktor.

“You always compare yourself to me.  In Quidditch and in class. It’s unfair for you to do that,” Viktor said.  “I’ve had extra years of education that you haven’t.”

“Okay,” Yuuri replied slowly.  Had he really observed all this during the first month of school?  “I don’t see what this has to do with anything.”

“Don’t you see?” Viktor pleaded.  “It has to do with everything.  With how you keep thinking I don’t care about you, or how you’re not good enough, or that people don’t like you as much as you like them.  You’re always comparing yourself.  When are you going to stop and realize half the school wants to be you?”

“What?"  Yuuri blurted out.  This was definitely not how he was expecting their lunch meeting to go.

“Sure, haven’t you seen people stare?” Viktor continued loudly.  “And whisper whenever you walk by? They’re not making fun of you.  They’re envious.”

“You don’t know that,” Yuuri said.  “You don’t know me.”

Viktor tilted his head up confidently.

“Then tell me what I said was wrong.  That anything I said isn’t true.”

Yuuri opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“I think you’re scared,” Viktor said softly.  “That someone has you figured out, and likes you for you.”

“What?” Yuuri gaped.  “Why are you saying these things?”

Is he thinking about…?

For once, Viktor had no witty comeback.  Instead, he sat back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Yuuri’s face.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged.  “Because we’ve been fighting for no good reason and I’ve had a lot of time to think about you.  Because I thought maybe hearing them out loud would help. Or maybe because I’m confused about how you feel and I want to let you know that you shouldn’t be afraid about telling me the truth.”

The truth.

They had been dancing around the conversation for months now.  Of course Yuuri hadn’t forgotten, and he knew Viktor had not either.  It was lingering in the air, swinging around as if it was daring someone to reach out and grab it, say something.

“I’ve told you all that I want to,” Yuuri said finally.  “Well, besides that I hate fighting with you. And I hate being mad at you because of how exhausting it is.  And I miss being your friend.”

Friend.

Viktor’s lips were pressed together tightly, like he wanted to say something.  Although he did not know when it had started, Yuuri’s heart was beating so quickly and loudly in his chest that he wondered if Viktor could hear.

“Alright,” he gave him a rewarding smile and Yuuri nearly fell apart in relief.  “Well, I hate fighting with you too.”

“That’s good to hear,” Yuuri said, and suddenly Viktor was laughing and while the tension was not yet gone, and Yuuri knew they would have much more to talk about in the coming time, he let himself go.

“Show me the sheet, will you?” Viktor asked him.  “I will personally make sure that you ace this test.”

***

“Thierry Dufort is his name,” Yuuko explained briskly.  “He’s a fifth year, transferred from Beauxbatons this year.”

“He’s younger than all of us, then,” Yuuri shrugged.  “He seems like he’ll fit in pretty easily.”

“Is this the Gryffindor team practice?” called out a sturdy, deep voice.

Yuuri swung around to see a tall boy, well over six feet, with bleached highlights and a Nimbus 2001 in his hand, strutting over.  He was dressed in his red Quidditch robes, and Yuuri wondered who was going to tell him that they only wore them during games.

“What else would it be?” asked Anya in a bored voice, although Yuuri could tell she was immediately suspicious of him, probably because he had beat Liliana.

“I only asked because I thought it would be polite,” he said briskly, then scanned the rest of them, all dressed in their everyday robes.  He had light golden eyes and a strong face, someone who looked like they should be beautiful but just wasn’t to him.

“We’re waiting for JJ,” Otabek replied, always a master at keeping his tone in check.  “Our captain.”

“I know that,” Thierry said coolly.

They fell to silence, and every time the wind rustled, Yuuri clutched his broom tighter, begging JJ to show up.

A minute passed.  Yuuri’s hand grew colder.  Then another minute.

“Does your captain know when practices are?” asked Thierry in a dubious voice.

“He’s your captain too, Dufort,” replied Anya coldly.  “And I think you’ll learn soon enough that to be a team, you need to have respect for each member.  Maybe back in Beauxbatons, you got to act however you wanted, but here we don’t get mad about someone being a few minutes late, or not being able to make it to a practice.”

Yuuri exchanged a glance with Otabek, brief enough so that Thierry didn’t notice.

“Alright,” he replied.  “My apologies.”

Yuuko had her lips pressed together in a thin, straight line, and Yuuri could tell she wanted to collapse in exhaustion against Takeshi, but she was holding it in for the sole purpose of giving Thierry a certain impression.  Anya turned back to the rest of them and so they stood there, brooms in hands, the only sound the wind around them.

“I think we should start practicing,” Thierry checked the sky expertly.  “It’s getting dark and if we want to be ready for our match in a few weeks, we had better start.”

He had a point, Yuuri thought bitterly.  Throughout this, he had not said a single word and he wondered if Thierry even knew their names.

“I’m sorry?” Yuuko asked daintily.  “Were you not aware that you are the youngest, least experienced, and least qualified to be giving orders around here?”

“Well someone has to do it,” Thierry responded calmly.  “The Captain hasn’t shown up and I certainly don’t want to freeze out here and wait until the sun sets to start moving.”

Yuuko looked as if a vein was popping in her neck.

“You agree with me, don’t you?”

Yuuri realized vaguely that Thierry was talking to him, his eagle-like face pointed straight at him.  Everyone else was looking now, too.

“You’re Viktor Nikiforov’s friend, aren’t you?” continued Thierry.  “I’ve seen your face all over the tabloids lately.”

“Have you?” Yuuri asked, his voice raising an octave.

“Sure,” Thierry gave him a smile like this was an impressive reason for them to be friends.  “I was actually excited to hear Viktor might be coming to Beauxbatons, but I guess he declined.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said uncomfortably.  “I guess he did.”

“So what do you say?” Thierry asked boldly.  “How about we get moving?”

The truth was, Yuuri’s hands were freezing, and the last rays of daylight were already sinking in the gray sky.  He felt an occasional drop of rain, and the sooner they left for the castle, the better. But there was also a matter of pride, one that everyone in the team was insistent on upkeeping.  He could tell from Yuuko’s tightly drawn face, and Takeshi’s lack of a smile, Anya’s cold words, and Otabek’s silence.

“We can warm up without JJ,” Yuuri conceded.  “Just so we can loosen our muscles. But then, we wait for him to show up before we do anything else.”

He risked a glance around the group, relieved to see even Yuuko looked grateful.  So even she was tired of defending JJ.

“Excellent,” Thierry clapped his hand on Yuuri’s back and he stiffened.  “Let’s take off, then!”

The rain began to pick up, as they wearily mounted their brooms and began to fly around the pitch.  Yuuri felt his thin robes wetten the faster he flew, and he could barely see through his glasses. As miserable as it was, no one wanted to stop flying.  Their warm-up had stretched almost ten minutes, but stopping meant succumbing to the rain and losing any warmth they had.

“Hey guys!”

Yuuri halted his broom faster than ever before, and Thierry, who had been tailing him the whole time nearly ran into him.

The team flew down, relieved to see JJ again.

He had a bright smile on his face, despite the miserable conditions, and was holding his broomstick buoyantly.

“Sorry I’m a bit late,” he joked.

No one laughed.

He scanned their faces, drenched with rain and exhaustion, then reached the end of the line, Thierry standing triumphantly, so as to say I told you so.

“I forgot to introduce you to our new member,” he clapped back.  Striding over to Thierry. “This is Thierry Dufort. He’s a fifth year, and he beat out all the other competition during tryouts.  No one will replace Emil, of course, but I’m pretty stoked for this season.”

“We know him well enough, by now,” Anya replied sweetly.  “But thanks, JJ. It’s good to see you again.”

“Of course,” JJ replied, looking dumbfounded.  “Again, sorry I was late. It won’t happen again.”

Thunder cracked across the dark sky.

***

“You’re going to do fantastic,” Viktor said confidently.

“Thanks,” Yuuri mumbled, his knee moving so fast up and down that it hit the underside of their table.

“I’m positive,” Viktor continued.  “We’re probably the two most prepared people in the room right now.”

Yuuri looked around amidst his panic and realized Viktor was right.  The two Slytherin girls next to them whose cauldron had caught on fire on the first day were looking around nervously.  He heard a Hufflepuff across the room ask if they had a test, and even Yurio was talking in a low voice to Otabek in front of them.

“Do you remember the thirteen known Everlasting Elixirs?” Yuuri asked suddenly.  “I know there’s Bab—”

“Hey,” Viktor patted his arm encouragingly.  Every touch sent a shiver down Yuuri’s spine.  “Don’t stress. Talking about it is only going to make you more nervous.”

Although Yuuri had left the Room of Requirement feeling good about Viktor, like they were back to normal, there was still something off.  Instead of scathing and brittle, Viktor had turned the exact opposite, almost sickly sweet. No longer were the teasing jokes or the harsh truths, and Yuuri was finding it harder and harder to talk to him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

“Silence,” announced Professor Snape, walking in with a stack of parchment.  He reached the podium at the front of the room and his eyes traveled slowly around, causing Yuuri to look too.  There were pieces of parchment and quills laid out on desks, people rampantly studying in their last moments.

“I won’t even bother to introduce the test, since I would assume you have all been studying and know what the content is by now.” Professor Snape’s eyes bore into Yuuri’s before moving away to their next victim.  “You have twenty minutes. Whatever you don’t complete will be marked incorrect.”

He raised his wand, and the parchment flew across the room, a piece landing on each person’s desk.

“Any student who talks or looks at any other student in this room will be deemed cheating,” said Professor Snape, strolling lazily between aisles now.  “Your time starts now.”

Yuuri flipped the parchment over, his hands shaking.  He didn’t dare look over at Viktor.

In no less than two paragraphs, explain what Golpalott’s Third Law entails, how it can be applied to the work completed so far in this class, and an example of a situation where it could be helpful.

Yuuri bit his lip, letting Viktor’s comforting voice flood through his head.  He could hear him saying Golpalott’s Third Law states that the antidote to a blended poison is more always more than the sum of its parts, meaning that…

***

“I needed this weekend,” Phichit moaned dramatically as they strolled down the streets of Hogsmeade.  “I feel like I’ve learned so much in the past two months that my brain’s going to explode.”

“I know the feeling,” agreed Michele, staring longingly at Honeydukes Sweetshop’s large display of candy through the front window.

It was one of the few times Yuuri had been to Hogsmeade and it wasn’t snowing, which still put him in a Christmassy mood, despite it only being the second of November.

“Like when you come out of class and you feel so crammed full that you’re afraid to even talk because you know you’re going to lose some of it?” Yuuri asked.

“Exactly,"  they both said at the same time.

“How’s Potions?” Phichit asked.  While he had technically passed, the O.W.L., Michele had failed with a modest P (“P for Potions!” he had told them jovially when he got the news).

“I haven’t gotten my test back yet,” Yuuri said anxiously, “but I felt like I knew most of the material.  And a lot of other people seemed confused so if I fail, I won’t be the only one.”

“Maybe Professor Snape will see how you did compared to everyone else and give you a good grade even if you got some stuff wrong,” Phichit said optimistically.

“Phichit, have you ever met Snape?” Michele laughed.

Yuuri couldn’t agree anymore.

“I reckon I’ll be okay,” he said modestly. Thanks to Viktor, he wanted to add, but thought twice about it.

“I honestly thought Divination would be easy,” Michele sighed, kicking at the cobblestone under their feet.  “But not gonna lie, it seems Professor Trelawney can actually teach us things when she wants to.”

“It’s all really fascinating though, isn’t it?” Phichit shrugged positively.  “We took a break from all the fortune telling and she’s been talking about how wizards think and all that.”

“She said it’ll make it easier to predict people’s futures if we get a read on what they’re like and know how they’re affected by past experiences,” Michele explained.  “Which would be great if any of us were going to become Seers and tell futures for a living.”

“Hey!” Phichit protested, always a fan of Professor Trelawney’s merit.  “It’s useful information to know.”

“Hm,” Yuuri smiled, playing along.  “What can you predict about me at this moment?”

“That you want to go into The Three Broomsticks, right now,” Phichit answered in a compelling, mystical voice, steering them to the right.

Laughing, Yuuri followed him in as they found a table near the front.

“I can order for us,” Yuuri offered.  “Three Butterbeers?”

Once he got a nod of confirmation from each of them, he headed over to the back of the pub, where Madam Rosmerta was taking orders from...none other than Yurio.

“Katsudon,” he said, looking surprised that he was even there.  “Interesting to see you here.”

“Is it?” Yuuri asked, slightly confused before realizing this was simply Yurio’s dramatic way of greeting everyone.

“Whatever,” Yurio rolled his eyes, like he was already bored of talking to him.  “You might as well sit down and wait. Madam Rosmerta says they’re low on Butterbeer on the moment and I just ordered six of them.”

Sure enough, Madam Rosmerta was telling off the next customer and waving her wand so that the sign switched to Busy.  She then rushed off, presumably back to the store room to see what she could find.

“Who are you here with?” Yuuri asked.

“Oh, the usual,” Yurio waved his hand dismissively.  “Otabek, Georgi, Anya, Mila, Viktor, Chris.”

Yuuri raised his eyebrows at the enunciation on Anya’s name, but decided against commenting at the last second.

“You better come sit with us,” Yurio said suddenly.  “They’ll be mad if I bumped into you and didn’t invite you over.”

“I’m here with Phichit and Michele,” Yuuri said regrettably.

“Just come say hi,” Yurio rolled his eyes like he was being ridiculous.

“Okay,” Yuuri shrugged, and followed the younger boy to the back of the pub where the others were sitting.

“Hey, Yuuri!” bubbled Mila, the first to see him.  “And Yurio! That’s funny!” She was clearly drunk, two empty glasses in front of her.

“Mila doesn’t hold her firewhiskey too well,” Chris sighed, his head propped up on his hand, watching her like an older brother.  “This is the last time we’re letting her have two drinks.”

“How did she even get them?” Yuuri shook his head, a smile painted on his face.

“Her and Rosmerta are friends,” explained Chris, sliding the two glasses farther away from her so she wouldn’t knock them over as she told a vivid story to Georgi and Anya across from her, waving her arms wildly.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Yuuri laughed.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Viktor invited politely, patting the space next to him on the wooden booth.  “Mila can budge over.”

“I’m just waiting for the Butterbeer,” Yuuri shook his head.  “Just thought I’d come over and say hello.”

Yurio shot him a surprised glance, then slid into the seat next to Otabek and started talking.

“In that case, I’ll go wait with you,” Viktor said suddenly, getting up and dusting off his pants.  “I need an iced water.”

“Okay,” Yuuri answered dubiously, although he wasn’t exactly sure he could deter Viktor if he tried.  There he was again, acting strangely polite as he stepped back, letting Yuuri go first.

“What’s up?” Viktor asked, which was not a strange question, until Yuuri heard it coming from his mouth.  What’s up was not Viktor Nikiforov vocabulary.

“Erm, not much,” Yuuri replied, feeling uncomfortable.

“How has Quidditch been going?” Viktor asked, humming softly as they joined back in line.

“Okay,” Yuuri lied without even thinking.  It only struck him, then, how weird it was.  Viktor was one of the few people he was honest with, at least, most of the time.  “Viktor, what are you doing?”

“Hmm?” Viktor swung to face him straight on, giving him his fullest attention.  “What do you mean?”

“Why are you acting so... strange? ” Yuuri gaped.  “First you act petty when the school year starts, and then we went back and forth for weeks with that, and I thought we were done being weird with one another.”

“Am I doing something wrong, now?” Viktor asked, and Yuuri felt a rush of happiness at the normalcy in his tone, even if it hadn’t meant to show.

“You’re being too...nice,” Yuuri finished slowly.  “Which I didn’t think was a thing until you started doing it.”

“Should I be offended?” Viktor deflected, although Yuuri decided was in vain since he looked quite offended either way.

“Can you stop answering my questions with questions?”

“That was a question.”

“Viktor—"  Then, Yuuri looked up triumphantly.  “Hey! You’re back.”

Viktor looked quite confused, then for whatever reason, let out a defeated sigh.

“Thank God, honestly,” Yuuri said, feeling happier than ever.  “Do you want to explain what that was about?”

To his surprise, Viktor didn’t look happy at all.  Instead, his face was drained. Maybe the being too nice thing had used up all his energy, Yuuri considered.

“Er, Viktor?”

Suddenly, Viktor stepped closer to him, as if he was trying not to be heard over the clamor of the pub.

“I thought maybe I was being too forward,” he said in an exhausted tone.

“Forward about what?” Yuuri asked, and then a pang later, realized.

“I was upset at first, that you didn’t write to me at all,” Viktor prattled on.  “Then I slowly realized that I didn’t either, and we were both being foolish so I couldn’t exactly hold it against you.  So once we fixed things, I thought maybe, maybe I should be nicer.”

“Viktor, you’re already as nice as I want you to be,” Yuuri said quickly.  They must look strange, he thought, two boys standing in the middle of a growing line in The Three Broomsticks, whispering to one another.

“I know!” Viktor promised.  “But I don’t know, once I started I couldn’t stop.  I thought it might change something. That you might give me a chance.”

Yuuri’s heart dropped.

“Viktor,” he began, and flushed when he realized he didn’t know how to continue his sentence.

“You can’t blame me,” Viktor whispered back.  “I went the whole summer without talking to you, and we left on such a terrible note.  I spent every day wondering what you thought of me.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri echoed once more, trying to collect his thoughts.  They fell from his fingertips and he wanted to stop time to gather every bit of reason he had.

He thought of you every day.

“I want you to act normal,” Yuuri let out shakily.  Luckily, the lie slipped out so easily, without thinking.  “I just want you to be like you always have been. I want you to be my friend again.  Like we were before. Before all of this happened.”

Viktor took a step back as though he’d been physically slapped across the face.  He looked as if he were about to say something, until Yuuri heard someone shout his name.

He whirled around and saw Phichit waving at him from over at their table.  He held up one finger and gave an apologetic look before turning back to Viktor.

But he was already gone.

***

“And GO!”

Yuuri tilted his broom up, feeling his body become weightless as he did.  His Nimbus 2001 rose towards the clouds steadily.

The rain had stopped just in time for the game, although Yuuri knew there was a chance it could start again, so he was determined to catch the Snitch as fast as he could.  The air was still misty, and he could barely see ten feet around him, which was not very promising.

“Gryffindor has a new Chaser this year, fifth-year Thierry Dufort,” announced Madam Hooch.  The excitement in her voice confirmed to Yuuri that she had not met Thierry yet. “Dufort transferred from Beauxbatons and was Seeker on his house team there.”

This, Yuuri did not know.

“Despite his inexperience in the position, he managed to beat out the other hopeful Gryffindors in tryouts, and is ready to demonstrate what he knows.”

Otabek flew by, seeming to appear out of the mist as he made a face at Yuuri.  He had his goggles on, which already had precipitate forming on them.

“Good luck on finding the Snitch out here,” he grimaced.

“Maybe I can get Thierry to do it for me,” Yuuri joked, staring down below as the fifth year carried the Quaffle all the way across the field.  As he reached the end, he shot. Sure enough, and a bit to Yuuri’s disappointment, the Quaffle went cleanly through the hoop and people began to cheer.

“A promising start for Gryffindor!  Ten to zero,” Madam Hooch said happily.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Otabek said.  “That boy didn’t bother pass to Anya or Yuuko who were much closer to the hoops.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he snatched JJ’s Bludger bat and used it to block the Gryffindor hoops while searching for the Snitch all at the same time.”

Yuuri laughed, feeling more relaxed than usual.  For one, he felt hidden up where no one could see, and there was no pressure for the Cup yet.

“I better head down there,” Otabek sighed.  “I’ll try to restrain from accidentally forgetting Thierry is on our team when a Bludger comes around.”

Without another word, Otabek flew lower, just in time to hit a Bludger away from Yuuko who was furiously holding her arms out and waving.

Thierry was speeding down the length of the pitch again, Quaffle tucked under his arm confidently.

Suddenly, a Slytherin Chaser, who Yuuri desperately hoped was Iris for the pure satisfaction of it, slammed into him and the Quaffle went flying.

“Foul!” he screamed suddenly, and if they hadn’t been looking before, every eye in the stadium turned to Thierry.  “That’s a foul! Timeout!”

“It seems Mister Dufort is trying to call a timeout,” Madam Hooch remarked curiously, and Yuuri heard muttering everywhere.

“Get MOVING!” bellowed Yuuko angrily, so loud that even Yuuri could hear.  “The Slytherins have the Quaffle.”

“But that’s a foul!” Thierry retorted.  “We need a timeout.”

Yuuri began flying lower, just so he could hear.

“Only our Captain can call timeouts!” Yuuko was yelling, her face almost purple.

Suddenly, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and Anya fell back from chasing two Slytherins with relief.

“What’s going on?” Otabek asked, pulling even with Yuuri.

“I don’t know,” Yuuri’s eyes traveled around before he saw JJ waving them over on the ground.

They flew down together, much to the annoyance of the crowd who was grumbling, most likely bored already.  Yuuri didn’t realize how wet his hair was until he saw JJ’s usually perfect quiff pasted against his forehead.

“What’s the problem, Dufort?” JJ asked angrily.  “I don’t like stopping matches. It seems like we’re plotting.”

“That was a foul!” snapped Thierry.  “That bitch slammed right into me!”

“That’s how Quidditch works, you fool,”  Yuuko retorted.  “Did you or did you not play for years back in France?!”

“We had different rules, back there,” Thierry sniffed, although he seemed embarrassed, the red in his cheeks changing from anger to shame.

“Clearly,” Yuuko drawled.  “Because you’re also supposed to pass to your teammates, instead of hogging the Quaffle the whole time.”

“I agree,” Anya replied, looking angry.  Her cheeks were pink and her hair was soaked.  “I was wide open and you were halfway across the field.  You could’ve passed, I could’ve shot and we would’ve gotten the points, but because you tried to take it all the way by yourself, you got intercepted.”

“In France, that’s not allowed,” Thierry repeated stubbornly.  “I didn’t know they could do that.”

JJ gave Yuuri a dubious look before turning back to his professional self.

“Whatever.  We’re wasting time out here,” he clapped his hands and mounted his broom again.  “Thierry, let Anya and Yuuko have the Quaffle too, sometimes. And watch out for other players.  Otabek, keep doing what you’re doing. And Yuuri, get up there and end this blasted match as soon as you can.”

“Amen,"  Yuuko scoffed, still fired up about Thierry.

JJ nodded at Madam Hooch who blew her whistle again, and they took off.  This time, Yuuri’s foot slipped in the sludge and he almost went flying forward before regaining his balance.

“Perera scores for Slytherin!” Madam Hooch shouted, and the crowd bustled with excitement, clearly happy the game was back on.

Yuuri searched the sky with renewed energy.  He could complain about the weather all he wanted, but Yurio was facing the same conditions.

He heard the crowd groan, and he tuned out Madam Hooch’s voice, not wanting to know who had collided with who or who had missed a shot.

Suddenly, he spotted a flash of gold and he pointed his broom forward with vigorous excitement.  It was just forty feet above him, and then twenty, and ten and—

Yuuri felt a Bludger slam into his chest and he flew backward, just barely holding onto his broom.

“Hey!” he shouted, but it was too late.  He watched in slow motion, scrambling to regain balance on his broom, forced to watch Yurio fly forward and grab the struggling Snitch in the palm of his soaked gloves.

Chapter Text

Although the sky was still morning grey, the sun was rising steadily, cold and clear.  The grass was a deep green as Yuuri walked swiftly alongside JJ and Otabek, all three of them holding their broomsticks and pulling their cloaks around close.

“Remind me again why we have morning practices?” mumbled Otabek into the collar of his robes.

“Because we lost the first match of the year and we need to win the next otherwise we’ll be an embarrassment to the house,” JJ said.

“Thank God you’re here,” Yuuko exclaimed brightly.  She had a cup, presumably full of coffee that both her and Takeshi were drinking from.

“We heard footsteps and thought they were Mister Thierry Dufart,” Anya added primly.

Yuuri was too tired to find any joke funny, and he was glad because any peal of laughter that had escaped disappeared as fast as it had come.

“Morning,” JJ said as Thierry approached them.

The younger French boy looked reproachful.  He hadn’t even thrown on his robes and was wearing a white t-shirt with sweatpants, his streaky blonde hair a mess.

“We were just discussing the match,” Takeshi threw in helpfully.  “We like to see what we can improve on and identify why we lost so it doesn’t happen again.”

“Yeah,” Anya bounced off of this with a much different tone. “So if someone doesn’t, say, know the rules to the game we can educate them.”

Thierry looked hurt for a split second.

“In France,” he sniffed highly,  “we do things a lot differently. I’ve never seen or played in such a dirty and disgusting game in my life.”

“Well seeing as how you played last match, that doesn’t say much,” Anya spat back.  “Because it looked like you’ve never been on a broomstick your whole life.”

“Anya—” JJ started.

“Actually, the way I remember it was that I scored the one and only goal,” Thierry snapped coldly, his broomstick digging into the ground.

“Maybe if you actually passed—”

“STOP IT!” JJ hollered, and even Yuuri, who had been staring with his mouth wide open, turned to look at him apprehensively.

“You’re acting like a bunch of Blast-ended Skrewts,” JJ said, running an irritated hand through his enviously perfect hair.  “I could be in bed right now, and yet I’m here because I actually want to get things done.”

“Fine,” Anya retorted, although it was directed more at Thierry than JJ.  “I, for one, thought the game was just a stroke of bad luck. We had a new team, not many practices to get to know each other, and the weather was terrible.”

Yuuri was going to say something, but only a yawn came out and he reached up to cover his mouth.  He did not want to look in a mirror and see the bags under his eyes or think about how hard it was to wake up in the mornings.  Lately, the only thing keeping him up at night was his desperation to do well in classes and winter break which was only weeks away.

“Great,” Yuuko clapped her hands together, although Yuuri could tell she was seething at Thierry too.  “I reckon we can all agree that a little more practice would do us some good, so why don’t we take a few laps around to warm up?”

“Sounds good,” Otabek said wearily, evidently trying to throw as much spirit into his voice as possible but failing.

Yuuri couldn’t relate more.

***

“Remember that it is never too late to speak to your Head of house and drop this class,” reminded Professor Snape in a bored tone, although it was the most excited Yuuri had ever seen him, probably at the prospect of not having to teach as many students.  “Some of you may want to after seeing your test score, which I’ll be passing back as you start brewing.”

At this, Yuuri’s heart dropped, but he felt Viktor nudge his knee against his under the table.

“You know he’s only saying that to scare everyone,” murmured Viktor under his breath.  “And you studied plenty.”

“Turn to page 747 of Advanced Potion Making,”  he directed, basking in the horrified looks from just about everyone but Viktor and Yurio.

Yuuri didn’t realize Viktor’s knee was still pressed against his until he reached under his desk to grab his book.

“The shelves and stockroom have all you need to brew an Elixir to Induce Euphoria.  You have one hour before I collect samples and evaluate them for next time.”

“I never got to ask you how you thought you did,” Viktor said as he muttered a quick Incendio.  A flame flickered alive under the cauldron.

“Fine,” Yuuri mumbled, a thousand scenarios running through his head at once.  “I might have messed up on the problems about Golpalott's Third Law but I thought I knew it pretty well.  I think it was just the wording that confused me.”

“Why don’t you crush the peppermint sprigs,” Viktor suggested in an amused voice and handed him the pestle and mortar.  “I’ve heard it’s very calming.”

“Sure you have.” Yuuri smiled without thinking.

“There’s no point in worrying about how you did now,” Viktor said in an encouraging voice.  “We took it a week ago and nothing’s going to speed up this period besides finishing this potion.”

“Right,” Yuuri pulled his clammy hands out from his robe pockets and began to crush the leaves, surprised at how the minty scent was actually a little calming.

Yuuri’s heart was beating unusually fast.  He knew he hadn’t done poorly, and he certainly would’ve passed, but if this was the easiest test of the year and he had done all he could to prepare for it.

“Katsuki, Nikiforov,” Professor Snape approached them, waving his wand to distribute their tests in front of them face down before moving on.

“I’m scared to look,” Yuuri blurted out, his fingers on the corner of the parchment.

“I got an O,” Viktor shrugged, causing a girl to the right of them to hear.

“What?!"  she exclaimed and immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, looking embarrassed and turning away, whispering to her friend fervently.

Yuuri bit his lip and turned the paper, his heart shaking in his chest.  In the top right corner, covering where he had scrawled his name was a large, black O.

Before he could react, Viktor grabbed it from him and grinned.

“I told you!  What were you worrying about?”

“Shh,” Yuuri hissed, but he couldn’t help marvel as the joy slid through his body.

“Sorry,” Viktor beamed, not looking sorry at all as he handed his test back to him.

“You have to help me study for the rest of the year, still,” Yuuri insisted suddenly.

At this, Viktor’s smile grew larger.

“I wouldn’t want to help anyone else.”

***

“I still don’t know how I’m going to memorize all the medicinal runes,” groaned Iris as they walked out of the Ancient Runes classroom together.

The two had been partnered together, and surprisingly, Yuuri found himself becoming closer to her than he had while they had been dating.

“Studying, studying, and lots of studying,” he said.  “It doesn’t help that Professor Babbling expects it all done before winter break.”

“Oopsies!”

A bold figure turned the corner, slamming right into Iris.  Yuuri jumped back as her books spilled out of her fallen bag.

“Oh my.”

“You?”  spluttered Iris.

Rita Skeeter brushed off her bright magenta dress with black polka dots and straightened herself happily.

“What an interesting pair to be walking around,” she remarked, beady green eyes darting between the two of them.

“Yeah it’s pretty crazy,” Iris deadpanned, and Yuuri knew that if not for her books laying all over the ground, she would have turned right around and left.

“Hmm,” Rita patted the pocket of her dress where Yuuri saw the outline of a pad of parchment.  “It’s been a while since I’ve talked to either of you, perhaps—”

“No,” Yuuri replied, cutting her off.

“Busy, are you?” she chuckled to herself, drawing her hand away from her pocket reluctantly.  “I won’t push, I suppose.”

Iris looked as taken aback as Yuuri felt.

“Now you’re not pushing?” she asked indignantly.  “What happened to you?”

Rita just smiled secretively, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

“Maybe I don’t need an interview to tell a story.”

With that, she strode away triumphantly, her bright aqua heels clicking on the stone ground of the castle, quill held at her side.

Yuuri immediately dropped down to help Iris pick up her books.

“Well that was weird,” Iris muttered.  “I don’t know if I’m happy she didn’t drag us into some room to talk to us or not.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure either.  He could still feel the effects of the two articles she’d written involving him last year.  Although no one directly came up to him anymore, all people knew was that Viktor was still at Hogwarts, and there was only one explanation for that.  Any extra attention he’d gotten or stares and whispers in the corridors had not gone away.

“After, erm, the last article last year,” Yuuri started carefully, “I didn’t see or hear about her anymore.  I was hoping she was gone for good.”

“I wonder how she managed to convince Headmaster Dumbledore,” Iris shook her head as they stood up, her bag packed again.  “Either way, whatever she’s up to now is no good.”

***

Iris was right.

He was almost expectant of the unusual cloud of owls entering the Great Hall.  This time, JJ was nowhere to be seen, and later, Yuuri noticed that Isabella wasn’t either.

“Dear God,” Otabek sighed.  “What happened this time?”

Yuuri shook his head as he reached to the leg of one of the owls that had landed on the Gryffindor table.  To his pleasant surprise, there were less owls than usual and much fewer letters.

“Read it out loud,” Mila begged, her blue eyes lively.

“Boy Trouble for Viktor Nikiforov?

Viktor Nikiforov has received much backlash from the Quidditch industry and fans due to his decision to remain at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and give up his position on the Quiberon Quafflepunchers, the team he brought to victory in the European Quidditch Championships.  But could he be regretting this decision now, just a few months into the new school year?

‘We’re just talking for now,’ Iris Eliot, sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry responded, patting her companion, Katsuki Yuuri on the arm fondly.

When asked of Viktor Nikiforov, Katsuki’s boyfriend, he just shook his head and laughed.

‘Viktor wouldn’t care, I’m sure.”  Then, a few moments later, he hurriedly asked to ‘not put that part in.’

Although Eliot and Katsuki seem to have been coming from their Study of Ancient Runes class, they seemed suspiciously casual, laughing and even holding hands.  As for Nikiforov, he was nowhere in sight. Anonymous sources at Hogwarts reported that the Japanese boy and prized Quidditch champion had not been spotted together since the year started.

‘They’re always fighting in Herbology,’ reported a Slytherin student—”

“We have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs,” Otabek rolled his eyes.  “Anyone would have to be incredibly thick to believe that.”

“Honestly, has this woman gone crazy?” Mila laughed.  “If she was so set on convincing everyone that you were dating Viktor last year, why’s she just undoing all of that?”

“Maybe she just wanted to do that so she could blame Yuuri for keeping Viktor away from Quidditch,” Otabek suggested, earning a laugh from Mila which Yuuri wished he could reciprocate.

“And now that he’s already chosen, she wants to break us up?” Yuuri shook his head.  “Why does she want Iris to be dating me again? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“She’s just trying to stir things around,” Mila said decidedly.  “Cause drama revolving around Viktor. I mean, he’s well-loved in the Quidditch world.  That’s what you get when you’re the Quafflepuncher’s most prized possession.  They've been dragging his name into things lately and he's been in the papers more, too.  So she’s probably trying to feed on that attention and earn their respect by seemingly defending him from you.”

Yuuri shook his head in exasperation, but he felt better than he had in the week leading up to the article.

“Whatever she’s doing, I think she’s lost her touch.”

This time, with no prompting needed from JJ, Yuuri cheerfully set the letters on fire.

***

“Do you get it now?” Viktor asked, tapping his quill on the table, leaving ink blots where he did.  It didn’t matter, Yuuri supposed. No matter what damage came to it during their studying, the next time they came to the Room of Requirement, it was always back to new.

“Dreamless Sleep Potion calms emotional trauma, while Dr. Ubbly’s Oblivious Unction reduces emotional scarring, and…”

“Elixir to Induce Euphoria lessens the side effects of what?” Viktor prompted.

“Anxiety?” Yuuri asked.  “No,” he took Viktor’s slight shake of head into account.  “I guess not. I don’t know.”

“Depression,” Viktor laughed, his eyes brighter than Yuuri had seen in awhile.

“Right,” Yuuri shook his head.  “Then, there’s the Draught of Peace which reduces anxiety to give a sense of peace.  Then Mimbulus Mimbletonia also temporarily cures anxiety by removing shyness.”

“I think you’ve got the mental antidotes down,” Viktor shut Advanced Potion Making.  “Now what’s the antidote to malaria?”

“A Bezoar?” Yuuri asked.  “Wait, no. Ashwinder eggs.”

“Right.  Bruise removal paste heals bruising, which is pretty self-explanatory.  What about a Deflating Draught?”

“Antidote for swelling, right?” Yuuri guessed.

“Yep,” Viktor put his chin on his hand that was propped up on the table as he thought.  “And Murtlap Essence?”

“That’s for cuts,” Yuuri answered readily.

“I reckon you’ll be good for the next test,” Viktor smiled.

“Give me one more,” Yuuri insisted.

“How about the Love Potion Antidote?” joked Viktor, sitting back in his chair.

Yuuri rolled his eyes but felt his cheeks warm slightly.  Although he and Viktor had finally settled back to normal, he was still touchy whenever the topic of romance came up.

“Thank you,” he said suddenly and Viktor raised his eyebrows.  “For helping me study. It’s probably really boring for you but you do it anyway.”

“Well,” Viktor shrugged modestly.  “I made you teach me Muggle Studies which is far more boring than Potions.”

“I got something in exchange that time,” Yuuri reasoned. “Quidditch lessons.”

Viktor just smiled.

“It was my pleasure.”

There was a beat of silence and Yuuri felt his breath leave his body.  It was in these rare, shadowed moments that he couldn’t block out the memories of last year.

“Can I ask you something?” Viktor breathed out softly.

“Sure,” Yuuri responded cautiously, his whole body on guard.

“Well, this morning I came late to breakfast and Chris was showing me the Prophet.”

“Oh!” Yuuri sat back in relief, the tension flowing out of his frame.  “Yeah, I don’t know what that was about.”

“So it wasn’t true?” Viktor puzzled.

“Wait—what do you mean?” Yuuri echoed his confusion.

Viktor stared dumbfoundedly at him.

“Of course it wasn’t true,” Yuuri answered, suddenly unsure of himself.  “I thought you knew Rita’s articles are never true.”

“Well, yeah,” Viktor said quickly.  “But they’re always, er, based on some fact, aren’t they?  I was just curious what you and Iris were doing. Or if you guys were even walking together,” he added.

“Er.” Yuuri blinked at the wall.  Why did Viktor care? The little voice in the back of his head was very quick to answer this, but he blocked it out.  He had been able to do so for months now and he wasn’t going to think about last year anymore. He had made his decision then, and Viktor was certainly over him by now.

“We were just walking from Ancient Runes to lunch.  We’re partners in that class, so…” Why exactly was he justifying his actions? “That’s why we were walking together,” he finished lamely.

“Oh,” Viktor replied dumbly.  “Did you guys get assigned together?”

Yuuri bit his lip and nearly winced at the intensity of his own action.

“No, we got to pick, but, er, she was the one to ask and I didn’t know anyone else.”

“Oh,” Viktor repeated, and the room suddenly felt sweltering hot.  Yuuri’s skin was buzzing alive and his fingertips were damp with sweat.

“Why were you wondering?” Yuuri prompted nervously.

“I was just curious,” Viktor answered, far too quickly. Even he looked highly uncomfortable.

“Okay,” Yuuri said.  “Well now you know, I guess.”

“So you guys aren’t dating, then?” Viktor blurted out, such a heavy question that Yuuri nearly jumped back.

“What!?”  he cleared his throat, trying to calm down.  “No, we’re not. We—just...no. No. No! Absolutely not.”

Viktor stared at him for an uncomfortably long period of time before he nodded in affirmation.

“I would’ve told you, you know,” Yuuri said suddenly.  “If we were dating.”

Despite meaning this in a helpful manner, Yuuri’s heart sank as Viktor’s face turned upside down once more.

“Alright,” he replied.  “Yeah, I guess.”

Yuuri’s cheeks flamed and he begged himself to move his hand from the table, to do something to break the tension, but he was frozen in place.

“Alright,” he choked out suddenly.  “Erm, could we go over the differences between the Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher, Bubotuber Pus, and Dittany again?”

“Of course,” Viktor said briskly, any trace of their conversation disappearing.  “So the Pimple Vanisher is just what it sounds like, it’s for minor blemishes. Bubotuber Pus is more for severe acne and Dittany is by far the most severe, for skin wounds like cuts or gashes.  I once knew a girl here, she’s graduated now, but she tried using Dittany on her acne and the whole school was talking about it because she ended up in the hospital wing. One day Chris and I snuck in to see what had happened and her face was covered in bright purple spots…”

Yuuri tried to focus on Viktor’s story, but he couldn't help think about Rita Skeeter.  How stupid he had been to believe the woman had been a fool, even just for a moment. The article wasn’t written to bother him or Iris, or even the school like they had been last year.  This time, it had been directed at Viktor.

***

“You’re telling me he wasn’t in his bed this morning?” Yuuko asked indignantly.

“Nope,” Yuuri shrugged, his cloak wrapped tightly around his shoulders to shield himself from the cool, morning air.

Yuuko shook her head.  “Boys.”

“Hey,” Takeshi said, earning a fond smile from her.

“He might still show up on time,” Otabek reasoned.

“He better,"  Anya sighed.  “Because Dufart is headed our way and I don’t want to hear a word from his mouth this morning and the only person that can shut him up is JJ.”

Yuuri turned and resisted the urge to wave at Thierry who he disliked hating, as annoying as he was.  The boy was holding out his wand and hovering seven cups in the air.

“Hey,” Thierry greeted, his voice deliberately friendly.  “I brought apple cider to warm us all up since it’s been getting cold.”

“Are you trying to confund us?” Yuuko wrinkled her nose, making no motion to take one of the drinks.

“Of course not,” Thierry replied, his voice painfully patient.  “I was just trying to make a peace offering.”

“Well I’m not drinking any apple cider that you had your hands on,” Anya sniffed, her thick hair covering her face.

Yuuri was stuck in between, not wanting to discourage Thierry, but also feeling a deep-running loyalty to his team, especially Yuuko who had always backed him up.

“No thanks,” he said quickly.  He hated the feeling of triumph he got as Anya looked at him approvingly.  Thierry had been rude to all of them, many times over, he decided.

“I already ate,” Otabek waved a hand, looking stiff and awkward as well.

“Alright,” Thierry pointed his wand and sent the apple cider cruising through the air where it landed on the bleachers without spilling a drop.  “Where’s JJ?”

“In bed,” Takeshi said, apparently hearing their earlier conversation, or just being observant in the slightest.  “With his g—”

“He had a rough day yesterday,” Anya said strongly.  “Georgi was telling me about it. Apparently there was a lot of homework in Care of Magical Creatures and they were up late.”

Takeshi shrugged to himself, although he looked sick of keeping the secret that wasn’t even a secret.

“I was just thinking that, I mean, the next match is this Friday,” Thierry tried.  “We could all sit together and discuss strategy so that we win our next game.”

Anya laughed, then deliberately clapped her hand over her mouth like she hadn’t meant to do so.

“Oops,” she giggled.  “I’ve just never heard a more preposterous proposition.”

Yuuri’s eyes bulged from his head and met Otabek’s, shaped by his raised eyebrows.

“Morning.”  It was JJ, strolling in without even his broomstick, a casual arm in the pocket of his robe.  “Everything good? Sorry I’m late.”

“Fine,” Thierry snapped.  “We’re doing just fine.”

“I wasn’t aware that you spoke for all of us,” Yuuko remarked casually, admiring her fingernails under the shy morning light.

“Allll-right,” JJ glanced across all of them, looking as if he was going to ask something, but decided against it.  Finally, he clapped his hands. “Alright! We’re a little late but if we skip a few laps of warm-up we’ll be right on track, so let’s get moving.”

Otabek gave Yuuri a wry look, shaking his head as they began to position to take off.

***

“Honestly, is the outcome of this match even a debate anymore?” Mila yawned.

“How are you tired?” Viktor smiled fondly at her.  “We’ve had the whole day off.”

“Divination,”  she huffed dramatically.  “Doesn’t help that Professor Trelawney hates me, which is just making her assign my class more work.  I was talking with this Hufflepuff and she said they only had to read three pages. Three pages!  We have six!”

Viktor looked as if he was going to laugh, and Yuuri watched as he exchanged an amused look with Chris.

“Since when did Professor Trelawney hate you?” Yuuri asked curiously.

“Oh, maybe since she told me I was going to die on the first day of fourth year.”

Yuuri laughed at that, and shook his head, turning back to the Quidditch pitch where the Ravenclaw team was talking with Madam Hooch as the stands were filling.

“Are you excited to watch Sara play?” Chris asked in a knowing voice.

“No,” Mila sobered up.  “I mean, I’m not not excited, I’m just fine.  No special feelings.”

“Hm,” Chris remarked, giving another look at Viktor.

“C’mon Mila,” Viktor rolled his eyes, leaning over to look at her.  “When are you guys going to start dating?”

“She was a bitch to me last year,” Mila rolled her eyes.  “I’m over her now.”

“Right,"  laughed Chris.  “That’s why you showed up in the Slytherin dorm three weeks into school, drunk and rambling about how much you liked her.”

“That was actually a month ago,” Mila said cheerfully.  “What can I say? I’m a changed woman.”

“Where are Yurio and Otabek?” Yuuri asked.  “I thought they were going to join us.”

“Probably in the same place that Georgi and Anya are,” Mila replied, earning a laugh from the rest of them before Madam Hooch cleared her throat, magnified across the pitch.

“We have our Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw team facing off today,” she began, launching into the names of each member.

“This is always my favorite match of the year,” Chris said happily as Sara Crispino rang through the stadium.  “Two twins competing against one another.”

“Do you think their parents keep give whoever wins more money for the holidays?” Mila asked lightly.

“Michele must be broke,” Chris remarked solemnly.

“You’re all terrible,” Yuuri protested, but didn’t bother hiding his smile.

“I mean, Hufflepuff just scored so maybe you’re onto something,” Chris said, nodding to the pitch.

Yuuri looked up in surprise.  Phichit had just scored, putting Hufflepuff off to a good start.

“Who’s the new Ravenclaw Chaser?” Yuuri asked, squinting.  Riley had graduated, leaving an open spot on the team.

“I’m not sure,” Viktor said, squinting his eyes.  Yuuri regretted looking over at him. The afternoon sun was caught in his eyelashes.  It felt like a piece of glass digging itself into his skin; painful and deep, but small enough to ignore.

“Some second year apparently,” Mila answered.

“Laird scores, bringing the score even!” Madam Hooch buzzed expectantly.

The little blonde girl pumped her hand in the air excitedly and nearly ran into a stand post, causing an echo of groans.

“When did second years get that small?” Chris complained lazily.  “I swear I was never that short.”

Mila leaned over so Chris wasn’t blocking her and rolled her eyes at Yuuri dramatically.

“Hawes shoots and—no! A pass to Baker who aims, and SCORE! Hufflepuff is in the lead, twenty to ten!”

“Do you ever get bored watching school matches?” Yuuri asked, quiet enough so only Viktor could hear.  For some reason, asking about his other life seemed strange and personal.

“No,” Viktor looked at him, puzzled.  “Why would I?”

“I don’t know,” Yuuri rubbed his face instinctively.  “You’ve seen professional matches. People with the same skill level as you.  Surely, they’re more thrilling and entertaining.”

“Maybe,” Viktor shrugged.  His eyes were flitting around, both of them avoiding one another in an awkward dance.  “But even though there are favorites here, it’s just not the same. People want teams to win in the, say, real world, because that’s the country they’re from or that’s what team their favorite player is on.  Here, people want teams like Hufflepuff to win because they barely get to win.”

“Hawes blocks a shot from Zaal, although well placed.  And Baker’s got the Quaffle, dodges Vesely there and YES!  Chulanont scores!”

Yuuri clapped enthusiastically for his friend, although he didn’t take his attention away from his conversation with Viktor.  Both of them had resorted to staring at a painfully bright patch of sun on the bleachers between them.

“But they’re just as entertaining?”

“No,” Viktor shrugged.  “I come because you come.  And everyone else. It’s just something you do.  It’s not necessarily boring but it’s like watching a first year make a potion.  Like you know everything by heart. And I want to take in everything about this school for as long as I can.”

“Because you thought you were going to leave,” Yuuri realized.  “But you’re still here.”

“Laird scores AGAIN!  Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff draw even!”

Yuuri peered over the heads of seventh years in front of him and saw the girl doing another victory lap, this time keeping both her hands on her broom.

“That’s part of it,” Viktor sighed.  “But like you said, I’m still here.”

“But it was your choice,” Yuuri said uncomfortably, knowing exactly why Viktor had made his choice the way he did.  He didn’t want to think about that moment, or any moment from that conversation. “If you knew you were going to miss Hogwarts so much, why didn’t you just choose to stay?”

“It wasn’t entirely my choice,” Viktor said in a very final voice, and he tipped his head upwards to watch the game.  Yuuri shrunk back, feeling embarrassed. Why he was trying to pry, he didn’t know.

The mood felt sour, yet as Hufflepuff scored yet again, Yuuri forced himself to clap and he felt himself getting back into the swing of things.  Viktor was a mystery, he decided. Not one conversation they had had this year had the ease that it used to, yet Viktor apologized over and over saying things would go back to normal.  What had changed?”

“The Crispinos seem to have spotted something up there!” called Madam Hooch excitedly as she peered up at the sky, encouraging everyone else to as well.

Yuuri put his hand above his eyes to create a shield from the sun as he looked upwards at the dizzying blue sky.

“Who seems to see it?” Mila called over the chorus of voices erupting.

“I think Sara!  She’s flying pretty quickly,” Chris answered, although he too was squinting up at the sky, unable to tell.

“But Michele looks more determined in his movement,” Viktor suggested.

“They’re diving!” shrieked one of the seventh year girls in front of them as she jumped out of her seat.

Yuuri lowered his hand in relief as the two twins, in stark opposite colors hurtled towards the stands, each edging one another out for a few seconds.

“It’s there!” Mila suddenly yelled, and heads swiveled around to see her pointing at the pillar ten feet behind them.  The Snitch was glittering in the sunlight, floating in place as if taunting the two to battle it out.

“Duck!” one of the girls in front of them yelled and the whole section did just that.  He heard a scream behind him, for a second alone in the air, and then a sudden burst of cheers joining it.

“Who won?!” Chris yelled.  Yuuri sat upright, turning around just in time to see Michele zoomed towards the front of the pitch triumphantly.

“WHAT!?” Mila screamed, jumping up in excitement.  The sun was catching on her red hair as she spun around in a circle, hands thrown in the air.  Yuuri watched her fondly, wishing he was that type of person, someone who could let go completely.

“Hey.”

Yuuri felt a gentle tug on his cloak and he turned to the right, where Viktor had a shy look on his face.  He was surprisingly still in the crowd of movement.

“Meet me in the Room of Requirement, okay?  I’m going to go change to something warmer but I’ll see you there.”

“Oh—okay,” Yuuri gave him a hopeful smile.  “Sure.”

Viktor squeezed his arm and then turned away, disappearing into the packed stands.

***

By the time Yuuri showed up, pacing back and forth in front of the room and slipping inside, he expected Viktor to already be there.  The room was a little different, this time hosting a large window overlooking the lake. Puzzled, he sat down at the table where they had studied countless times and waited.

“Hey.”

Yuuri stood up abruptly as Viktor walked over to him.  The sun was setting, and he looked bronze in the rich light.

“Happy birthday,” Viktor said shyly, pulling his hands out from behind his back and holding out a bouquet of blue roses.  “Sorry I didn’t get you much.”

“Oh!” Yuuri’s hand flew to his mouth.  “I didn’t think you’d remembered.”

Viktor set the flowers down on the table and then turned back to him, looking like he had a thousand things to say.

“It wasn’t much, but I know you wouldn’t have wanted much.”

Yuuri smiled, suddenly enchanted all over again.

“I haven’t gotten you anything for your birthday before.  I didn’t want it to go forgotten. You see, I’ve had enough forgotten birthdays that I know how terrible it feels.  Even if you don’t like being the center of attention.”

I do when I’m with you, Yuuri thought with a pang.

“Well, thank you,” he replied softly.  “You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

Viktor beamed.  “Of course. It’s your birthday.  So what do you want to talk about?”

“Hmm,” Yuuri shrugged.  “I’m not one for coming up with conversation.”

“Tell me about your exes,” Viktor leaned in playfully.

“No!” Yuuri yelped, waving his arm frantically.

“Let’s talk about me, then,” Viktor said cheerfully.  “My first girlfriend was three years older than me. I was fourteen at the time, which made it a bit weird.  See? It’s that easy.”

“I don’t have any exes,” Yuuri shrugged uncomfortably.  “Besides Iris, of course.” Admitting this made him feel inexperienced, especially sitting in front of Viktor who had no doubt been in plenty of casual relationships before.

“You what?  But…” Viktor looked genuinely surprised and Yuuri’s stomach shriveled in itself.  “How do you know you’re bisexual, then?”

“What do you mean?” Yuuri asked, growing increasingly more uncomfortable.  “I just know.”

“Oh,” Viktor looked confused.  “But if you’ve never tried…”

Yuuri suddenly smiled.  “Not everyone has to try everything out to know, Viktor.”

This seemed to settle the deal and Viktor shrugged.

“I guess.  So she was your first kiss, then?”

Yuuri bit his lip awkwardly.  He didn’t like to think about the fact that his first kiss, something he had anticipated for years, had been drunk, with a girl he didn’t know, in front of everyone he knew.

“Yeah,” he replied.

Better than it being with you.

“My first kiss was the girl I mentioned earlier,” Viktor said.  “We were on the same team, and we had just won a match. Afterward, we went out for pudding and she just kissed me in the middle of the restaurant.  Then we broke up two months later.”

Yuuri smiled.  “Who broke up with who?”

“She did it.  Then I went back to my room and cried for hours and hours, even though I didn’t really like her.  That’s just what you do when you’re fourteen though.”

Yuuri thought uncomfortably of Iris and their rocky breakup.

“I had another girlfriend after that, and then a boyfriend the summer after fourth year,” Viktor said casually, like he would reveal this to just anyone.  “That was the first time I had sex.”

Yuuri choked on air and he looked up at Viktor, wincing.

“What?” Viktor shrugged.  “It was pretty good, to be honest.  But I haven’t been in a relationship since then.  Just little things over the summer.”

“You’re just very open,” Yuuri forced out to Viktor who was looking very amused.  “And forward.”

“Well, there’s no point in hiding it.  I’m not ashamed of anything,” Viktor said.

Are you ashamed of kissing me?  he wanted to ask, but he reminded himself surely: Viktor had moved on.  He was making friendly conversation. If it hadn’t been before, it was clear now that the spontaneity of each of his relationships and Yuuri’s abrupt refusal would be enough for him to get over it.  He’d probably hooked up with more people over the last summer, anyways.

“It all just makes me wonder,” Viktor continued in the absence of Yuuri’s voice.  He was speaking softer now. “If I’ll ever find a lover.”

“What?” Yuuri blurted out.  He noted that they were still both standing, right in front of the large bay window, and he couldn’t help but run his eyes over Viktor.  A second later, he felt his cheeks flush. “How can you really think that?”

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up and Yuuri swallowed, unable to stop himself.

“I mean, do you not see the way people look at you?  Everywhere you go. You radiate confidence and happiness.  And you’re kind. That’s what surprised me the most about you, I guess.”  He ducked his head down, gathering his thoughts before he went on. “Of course someone will love you.”

Viktor was studying him sharply now, and Yuuri met his dark eyes.  They were darting around, looking very different from before, and Yuuri felt a pit in his stomach.  Had he given Viktor a bit of what he had worked so hard to destroy?

“Not if I’m lovable,” Viktor said quietly.  “No, I have proof of that. But if I’ll ever be able to fall in love.  That’s what I’m worried about.”

Yuuri’s heart missed a beat.

“I’ve been in relationships.  I’ve had sex with beautiful people.  I enjoyed them all, but they all end because I lose interest.  I wonder if I’m cut out to always be bouncing back and forth and never settling.”

“I think…”  Yuuri couldn’t think.  His eyes were still glued to Viktor’s face.  And his eyes were so deep blue that he felt dizzy.

“What?” Viktor only took a slight step forward, yet suddenly they were only a foot apart.  The sun had just sunken past the horizon, but the sky was still bright pink, and the last minutes of daylight were settling in.

“I…”

Yuuri was puzzled.  He’d never been speechless before, but nothing in relevance was coming to mind.  All he could see was Viktor whose face was carved out of gold, sucking in his attention.

“I don’t know,” he said finally, and he wondered what he had even been trying to say.

“What do you want?” Viktor asked softly, and his fingers were twitching closer to Yuuri’s.  “Please tell me.” His voice was barely audible, yet held a certain desperation that was driving Yuuri crazy.

And then, the last thing Yuuri saw was Viktor’s eyes fluttering shut before he leaned upwards, weaving his hands into his soft, silver hair, and kissed him.

Viktor let out a little gasp as their lips met, and Yuuri immediately felt his arms come around him.

At first, Yuuri didn’t know what to do, but Viktor pulled him closer so their bodies were touching, and moved his lips slowly against his.

Yuuri relaxed, running his hands through Viktor’s hair and moving his mouth surely against his.  He felt whole, he realized. That had been the strange feeling in his chest, which was now spilling across his body.

Their first kiss had been fast and hard, but right now, Viktor was working slowly on his bottom lip and he wondered what had stopped him from doing this sooner.  They were going painfully slow, like deep molasses and honey, yet it felt right, and Yuuri’s lips were tingling and he wondered if this was what it was supposed to feel like when you kissed someone.  Like the whole universe had stopped to stare and the sun was going to rise again just to put them in the light.

As Yuuri slid his hands down to his neck, they slowly pulled apart but remained close enough so they were still holding onto one another.

“I don’t think you know how long I was waiting for that to happen,” mumbled Viktor, his face painted in the colors of hope.

Hope.

“What’s wrong?” Viktor asked, looking a little less certain of himself but still endearingly smitten.

Nothing.  No one had ever read him as easily as Viktor and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.  And everything.

“When you’re searching for an answer, your eyes sparkle,” Viktor continued quietly.  “Even if you don’t say anything.”

“We can’t,” Yuuri mumbled out, tasting his own, stinging betrayal on his lips.

He had to look away as Viktor’s face fell.

“I should’ve known that was coming,” Viktor remarked bitterly, and his hands slid down Yuuri’s back to grab his hands.  “Look at me.”

Yuuri forced his eyes up jaggedly and drank in Viktor’s face, still inches from his own.

“There’s a chain,” Viktor whispered, his lips dark and barely moving.  His eyes were half shut and he seemed wrapped up in himself.

“What?”  Yuuri asked, puzzled.  He wanted to hold Viktor’s hands tighter and fall against his chest.  Even his feet were teetering at the thought.

“The chain on your neck,” said Viktor, his eyes opening like this was clear to him.  “It’s holding you back. Tell me what it is and we can figure it out. Whatever it is, it’ll be easier together.”

Yuuri stared at him, not blinking.  His breaths were shallow and the air between them was heavily charged.

For longer than a moment, he pictured getting up on his tip toes and kissing Viktor again, and then they’d fall back into a chair and kiss until their mouths hurt, and he would feel so wonderfully bliss and complete.  He wanted to lay with him forever and be held the way he had always longed for.

But he could hear the whispers that had plagued his memory echoing around, and he could see his parents’ faces as clear as day, burned into his mind.  He would do anything to protect himself, even if that meant turning Viktor down again.

“No!” he burst out so forcefully that Viktor took a step back, looking surprised.  “I just...please stop.”

“Stop what, exactly?” Viktor asked, his voice colder than before.

“Trying to make this, whatever it is, happen,” Yuuri begged, although he had hoped for it to come out as more of a command.

“You’re the one who kissed me!"  Viktor dropped his hands suddenly and Yuuri felt awkward, not knowing what to do with his.  “Why don’t you stop leading me on?”

“I’m not—”

“Leading me on?” Viktor finished, his voice uneven.  “Do you just go around snogging whoever?”

“I…”

You say ‘I don’t want to date you’ and I say ‘That’s okay at least you turned me down before I fell in love with you’.  When someone gives you their heart you treat it like your own.

“I made a mistake,” Yuuri choked out.  “I didn’t mean it like that, okay?”

“I don’t know,” Viktor drawled out coldly.  “The way you had your hands all over me didn’t feel like a mistake.”

Katsuki Yuuri, when I first met you I didn’t realize you’d be a heartbreaker.

“Fine,” Viktor remarked, walking over to the door.  “I see now you’re just not going to talk to me, so I won’t waste my time.”

It’s not like that, I didn’t mean to hurt you, Yuuri wanted to say.  I never did.

“Happy birthday,” was the last thing Yuuri heard before the door swept shut.

***

“An Inferius is a gaunt, sallow-skinned corpse, brought back from the dead,” Professor Slughorn announced in a bored voice.  “They resemble the person who they used to be, but there is usually one distinct physical feature that changes. Does anyone know what that is?”

There was a long pause before JJ raised his hand grudgingly.

“Cloudy white eyes, Professor.”

“Thank you, Leroy,” Slughorn grumbled, clearly not pleased at the lack of energy in the room.  “Now, I once had quite the remarkable experience coming face to face with an Inferius, but I won’t go into that…”

He led off as an invitation for a question, but there was another quiet beat and Yuuri scanned the room.  At least half the class had their heads propped up on their hands, and there were two Hufflepuffs sleeping in the back.  As his eyes passed across Viktor, he bit his lip.

Slughorn began to talk again, and much to his dismay, Yuuri heard Yurio’s curious voice peeping up beside him.  The two had been assigned partners in the class, meaning they had to sit next to one another each day.

“So what’s wrong with you and Nikiforov?” Yurio hissed into his ear.

“What?” whispered Yuuri, turning to look at the blond boy.  His hair was long enough to put in a ponytail now.

“Oh you know,” Yurio waved his hand sarcastically.  “Just the way in Potions yesterday you two looked absolutely miserable.”

Thankfully, Professor Snape had decided they’d be taking notes all class, so he and Viktor hadn’t uttered a single word to one another, although the tension had been high.

“Oh, that?” Yuuri muttered back, keeping an eye trained on Slughorn who was still talking.  “I think we were both just tired. Holiday break is almost coming up and it was the first class on a Monday.  It’s always rough.”

“Sure,” Yurio sneered.  “I’m not stupid, but okay.”

“Excellent.” Slughorn clapped his hands together.  “Expect a quiz about Inferi on Friday. Nothing too hard, no notes to study.  Just if you were paying attention, you should have no problem.”

Yurio kicked Yuuri under the table as if it was his fault that they both hadn’t been paying attention.

“Everyone get up, yes, even you Popovich,” Slughorn walked down the aisle between the two rows of desks.  “I think you all could use some moving around. Come meet me in the back of the room. And someone wake up Giacometti!”

Yuuri scurried over to the back to avoid walking evenly with Viktor, and thankfully Yurio didn’t mention it as he followed him over, arms crossed.

“I want two lines facing one another.  You should be facing your partner, and we’ll be rotating around.”

As the lines began to form, Yuuri noticed that he and Viktor were as far away from one another as possible, and he wondered if that was a coincidence.

“We’re going to be practicing nonverbal spells.  The partner closest to me will be sending a simple Expelliarmus over, and the partner on the far side will try to deflect it with Protego, nonverbally.  I don’t want to see any lips moving over on that side, alright?” he scanned them good-naturedly, and Yuuri suppressed a yawn.  “Next class we’ll switch roles, so let’s go.”

A chorus of Expelliarmus came from the other side and Yuuri channeled a furious Protego towards Yurio, pleased as his wand stayed firmly in his hand.  This was nothing new, and about half the class already had it down, so all he had to do was sit through another fifteen minutes of class, and he’d be free to go.

“Excellent Leroy, very good Eliot…” Slughorn looked pleased for the first time that day.  “Now I want the attacking side to all move one to the right and we’ll go again.”

Yuuri’s heart dropped, but then he remembered Viktor was still many people away.  A Hufflepuff stepped up where Yurio had been and Yuuri took a calming breath.

“Expelliarmus!"  the boy called and a jet of red shot out of his wand, but it stopped a foot away from Yuuri as the shield charm took over.

“Nice job, mate,” the Hufflepuff said and moved down the line.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

“Proteg— no!” Mila clapped her hand over her mouth.  “Sorry Professor,” she said, meeting a couple of laughs.  “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

Yuuri was now only three people away from Viktor, and he was beginning to sweat.  There were still five minutes left in class.

“Expelliarmus!"  Isabella exclaimed and Yuuri rocked back on his feet, his wand flying out of his grip.  “Sorry, Yuuri!”

He looked around and grabbed his wand, thankful that no one was watching.

“Next,” Slughorn said.

Please say we can go early, Yuuri begged, this time just barely deflecting the disarming spell from a Ravenclaw girl with sunken, tired eyes.

“Just two more, just two more…” Slughorn said, leaning against the desk closest to Yuuri.

“Expelliarmus,"  the girl across from Yuuri said, and the wand flew out of his hand.  Slughorn shook his head infinitesimally before standing up to circulate once again

“Last rotation…”

Yuuri wasn’t sure who looked at who first, but he met Viktor’s eyes and they both stared for a second, so quickly that Yuuri thought he imagined it.  Viktor opened his mouth, and Yuuri didn’t even bother to prepare the spell in his mind—he just locked his feet to the ground.

“Professor Slughorn?” Viktor asked, and Yuuri whipped around to follow the conversation.  “I’ve got to meet with Minerva right after class. Would you mind if I left a little early so I could be prompt?”

“Ah, alright…” Slughorn rolled up his sleeves.  “I’ll practice with Katsuki. You can go, Nikiforov.”

As Viktor walked past, their shoulders brushed and Yuuri swung around to watch him go.

“Ready Katsuki?”

Their eyes met, but this time it was Yuuri who broke the moment by facing Slughorn once more.

“Yes, Professor.”

***

“Crazy game, hm?” Iris said as Yuuri sat next to her.  Professor Babbling was busy writing a list of questions on the blackboard, leaving the class to chat.

“Oh, yeah,” Yuuri had to think furiously hard to even remember what had happened.  “I love Michele, but I really didn’t expect him to win.”

“The Hufflepuff team has been practicing double of last year I heard,” Iris kicked back in her chair.

“Yeah, Phichit and Michele have been so busy I barely see them anymore except for in class,” Yuuri said truthfully.  “But I guess it’s paying off.”

“That’s for sure,” Iris agreed. “I forgot to ask, how are your team practices?  With the new guy, Thierry, right?”

“Terrible,” Yuuri groaned.  “He doesn’t get along with anyone and he’s always going off about how Beauxbatons is so much better than Hogwarts and how the Quidditch there is better too.”

Iris raised her eyebrows.  “Why doesn’t anyone like him?  I assumed the girls would be all over him, considering he’s French and a good Quidditch player and all.”

“The only two girls on our team are Yuuko and Anya, and they’re both in relationships,” Yuuri said.  “But that’s not even it. He’s always trying to take over and be the leader, even when JJ is there. It’s insufferable.”

“Hm.”  This seemed to be news to Iris.  “I mean, is he not just having trouble adjusting to a new school and new team?”

“What?” Yuuri wondered out loud.

“Come on,” she said sensibly.  “We all heard him going off about a penalty or something in the match.  Clearly the Beauxbatons version of Quidditch is a little different than every other school and he was probably really embarrassed, especially because JJ was yelling at him and it was his first match of the year.  He just wanted to prove himself and become popular, but instead, he’s probably thinking he looked really stupid and worried he’s the one who lost the match for Gryffindor.”

“I don’t know…” Yuuri trailed off doubtfully.

“He had to move across the continent just three months ago!” Iris shook her head.  “Of course he hasn’t been the most approachable or emotionally stable. And I’m guessing you guys haven’t been the nicest to him either, based on how you described him.” She gave him a pointed look.

Yuuri remembered Thierry’s efforts to be nice, the apple cider and the suggestion to sit together.  Maybe he’d just wanted someone to sit with during the match.

“He did seem pretty hurt the other day...” he said, and Iris looked at him in triumph.

As he told her about the flashes of vulnerability he saw in Thierry every so often, he become more and more sure that she was right.

“It’s too late now, anyways,” he shrugged.  “Yuuko and Anya were being pretty nasty to him and he hasn’t tried anything since then.  I reckon we ruined it.”

“Please take out your copies of Advanced Rune Translation,"  Professor Babbling turned to face them just as Iris rolled her eyes.  “Your homework was to answer the questions on page 455. Who can start with question one?”

“No offense,” Iris said in a low voice, “but Gryffindors can be pretty stupid sometimes.”

“Thank you, Miss Yang,” Professor Babbling said as Isabella got up to write the first answer on the board.

“It’s not like you guys have turned him into a terrible person and he’s never going to be nice ever again,” she sighed.  “And I doubt he’s trying to be mean, he’s just trying to protect his reputation. He was obviously popular at Beauxbatons and now he’s become a nobody.  If you want him to be nice, you guys are going to have to make the first move this time. Be vulnerable and offer a truce. He’s tried too many times.”

Somehow, Yuuri couldn’t picture Anya and Yuuko being nice to Thierry out of the blue.  Instead, he asked, “How do you know he used to be popular?”

Iris rolled her eyes as Isabella walked back to her seat and Professor Babbling began to talk.

“Honestly!  Have you ever seen the guy?”

Yuuri didn’t know what she was talking about.

***

“Sorry, we have Quidditch practice,” Phichit said.

“Even on Hogsmeade weekend?” Yuuri groaned, brushing the soil off of his hands.

“Even on Hogsmeade weekend,” sighed Phichit.  “Why don’t you go with the Slytherin gang?”

“Yeah,” Otabek threw in helpfully.  “We were going to go to The Three Broomsticks together.  I was under the impression everyone thought you would be there.”

So apparently, not everyone had caught on as Yurio had.  That was comforting, at the least.

“Alright,” Yuuri said noncommittally.  “Maybe.”

“I thought you had to go holiday shopping, too,” Michele said, his face half-buried in the young Snargaluff plant.

“I guess,” Yuuri decided.  It wasn’t like it was just going to be him and Viktor, and he would rather spend an hour with his friends—even if it meant a few awkward glances—than go shopping alone.

***

“My parents are going to Wales without me,” Mila sighed.  “But that won’t stop me from crashing at our house and keeping the whole place to myself for two weeks.”

“Eight butterbeers?” Madam Rosmerta arrived at their table, sending the mugs sliding across the wood.

There was a pause as everyone grabbed their mugs before the conversation broke out again.

“Anya is coming over to my place,” Georgi said, hugging her close to him.

“I have to leave on Christmas Eve, though,” she pouted, leaning her head on Georgi’s shoulder.  “My parents want me home.”

“Well I’m sure you guys will have plenty of time to snuggle up while you’re together,” Chris said, taking a sip of his butterbeer.  He was sitting across from Yuuri, the two of them at the end of the booth. Right next to Chris was Viktor, and the two were at least making comfortable eye contact now.

“Are you going home, Yuuri?” Mila asked kindly.

“No,” he said, attempting to be casual.  “I’m actually staying here.”

“Oh,” she frowned.  “Why?”

“I just don’t feel like going home this year,” he said.

He recalled with great uncomfort that Viktor was the only one who would have any clue why, and he could feel his eyes glued to him.

“Alright,” she said brightly.  “Otabek, you’re going back to Kazakhstan, right?”

Yuuri had never loved her more than in that moment.

“Yep,” Otabek replied.  “I think we’re traveling a bit to go sledding in the mountains.  It should be pretty fun.”

Yuuri let his eyes stray to Georgi and Anya who were still cuddled up against one another.  The pub was bustling and warm, and even though it was yet to snow, it felt cozy, and he couldn’t help but wish he had something like they did.

“Does anyone actually know which…” Mila trailed off and Yuuri jerked his head over to see what was wrong.  Her blue eyes were trained on something behind him, and Yuuri turned to see.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” muttered Viktor, who had been unusually quiet through the whole conversation.

There was a mass of cameras and several wizards elbowing their way through the bar.  It only took a second for Yuuri to figure out they were headed straight towards their group.

“Mr. Nikiforov!” called a young man who looked just out of school.  He was dressed in abominable purple robes, hoisting a large camera on his left shoulder that looked ready to fall.

Viktor’s face turned blank and he turned away so he was facing the inside of the table.  Anya looked uncomfortable, Otabek seemed nonchalant, and the rest looked annoyed.

“Mr. Nikiforov, what would you say to the Quafflepunchers’s public statement aimed at you?  Do you have any words for them?” the man asked brightly. Yuuri kept his eyes trained on the table, but being at the edge, he could see a few other reporters pushing their way to try to get to the front.

“No,” Viktor said, keeping his face neutral and angled away.

Yuuri’s head was spinning, and although he knew he was nothing of interest to them, he couldn’t help but feel like he was in the shot, being scrutinized as well.

Suddenly, the younger man was pushed back and a wizard with an even larger camera blinded the booth with a large succession of photos.

“Please look this way, Mr. Nikiforov!” he said in an American accent.  “Just once, please.”

Yuuri turned his head slightly to see Viktor with his head bowed down slightly and surprisingly still.

“Hey!” a female voice called suddenly.  “It’s the Asian boy!”

Yuuri froze, his stomach dropping.  When he took a breath, he felt hollow inside.  The flashes were brighter now that half of them were aimed at him.

“Could you speak on your relationship with Mr. Nikiforov, sir?” someone asked, shoving a wand in his face, presumably with an Amplifying Charm.

Yuuri tried to ignore them like the rest were doing, although he felt hot and shaky inside and he couldn’t stop his fingers from bumping up and down against his knee.  It was getting hard to breathe, and he wondered why he had even decided to come.

Please leave, please leave please leave pleaseleave pleaseleavepleasepleaveplease…

“Turn your head, sir, just a little to the left,” Yuuri shut his eyes willing them to go away.  Someone reached out to touch his shoulder and he jerked away so he was pressed up against Yurio, eyes wide and heart racing.

With his vision swimming, Yuuri saw Viktor looking at him with a worried expression on his face.  Finally, Viktor turned just enough to look at Chris, much to the cameras’ delight.

Chris stood up abruptly and Yuuri swallowed, forcing his eyes to clear.  Everything came into focus, oversaturated and sharp.

“I’m sure you know who I am,” he said calmly.  The pictures began to subside and there was only one brave man, the one in purple, who was still recording.  “I’m afraid that touching my friend here,” he gestured to Yuuri, yet thankfully their eyes remained glued to Chris.  “Counts as physical harassment. So if you don’t want a hearing against the Giacomettis, then I suggest you leave and stay out of Hogsmeade on the weekends.”

The whole pub was silent.

“Oh,” Chris called after them as they began to turn around, cameras lowered.  “And make sure you spread the word.”

“My goodness,” Mila said, slumping back against the booth.  “Now my butterbeer has grown lukewarm.”

Yuuri forced out a smile and shifted away from Yurio, who he realized he was still embarrassingly close to.

The mood was ruined, as they continued to sip their butterbeer in silence.  Finally, Viktor set his mug down on the table with a clatter.

“I wonder who tipped them off,” he said, eerily calm.

“They probably didn’t need to be tipped off,” Yurio said sensibly.  “They all know when Hogwarts students go to Hogsmeade, and all they had to do was search the few most popular places.”

“No point worrying about it now,” Mila said kindly.  “They’ll get a few pictures to sell, maybe a trashy article, and that’s it.”

Viktor looked like he wanted to object, and it took a moment for Yuuri to realize he was staring at him.

“You’re right,” Viktor said slowly, draining the rest of his butterbeer.  Then, to the rest of them. "This place has gone stale. Want to go shopping?”

There was a chorus of agreement yet as Yuuri stood up to put on his coat, he could still feel the hand on his shoulder as if it has burned itself in forever.

***

“Yuuri!  Yuuri, wait up.”

Yuuri slowed his pace, eyes glued to his feet stepping one at a time on the cobblestone.

“I’m sorry.”

Surprised, he looked up.  He had expected to see Viktor, after all, his voice was recognizable from a mile away.  He hadn’t, however, expected him to say that.

“I’m sorry about your birthday and the things that I said,” Viktor huffed as he caught up with him.  “I shouldn’t have assumed that you’re supposed to like me or something. And I definitely shouldn’t have used your actions against you.”

Yuuri blinked, still silent.  Were they just going to keep going back and forth?  Fighting then making up, fighting then making up, over and over again?

“It’s okay,” he responded solemnly.  “I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

“Okay,” Viktor breathed out, looking relieved.  “I’m glad we’re over that.”

Yuuri agreed.  Although his stomach was still twisting and he had the horrible feeling like he was being watched, it was a slight weight lifted from his shoulders.

“One more thing,” began Viktor cautiously.  “Er, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri lied.  “I’m fine.”

“Right,” Viktor said, kicking a piece of gravel with his boot.  “Because you looked sort of upset.”

“I really am,” Yuuri met his eyes evenly.  “I was just a little shaken but I’m fine now.”

“I believe you,” Viktor said, too quickly.  Yuuri held his breath as he opened his mouth again, yet this time he had thankfully dropped the subject.  “Hey, I’m just happy we made up. So can you help me with my Christmas shopping?”

This is what you wanted, Yuuri told himself.  You aren’t fighting anymore.  Then, came another voice, well, why aren’t you happy?

Chapter Text

“You should spend Christmas with me.”

“What?” Yuuri’s head jerked up and his quill slid across his Potions homework.

“Tergeo,”   Viktor pointed his wand and the spot of ink dried up.  “I said,” he cleared his throat, putting his wand aside.  “You should spend Christmas with me. As in, come to St. Petersburg over break.  So that neither of us are alone.”

“Okay,” Yuuri said.

And that was how he ended up packing his trunk in the Gryffindor dormitory on a cloudy, Thursday morning.

“Where is my other Chudley Cannons sock?” Leo asked for the fourth time.

“Are you sure you’re not sitting on it?” Guang Hong said.

“Oh.”

“I thought you weren’t going anywhere for the holidays?” Otabek said, folding each of his clothes in two precise motions.  “Change of heart?”

“Change of plans.” Yuuri weighed his Arithmancy textbook in his hand, trying to decide if he’d get any work done over break.  “Viktor offered for me to go to Russia with him.”

“Oh,” Otabek said, pausing in the middle of a sweater.  “I thought you were...nevermind.”

“You were talking to Yurio, weren’t you?” Yuuri smiled lightly.  “I should’ve known.”

“In my defense,” Otabek said, “I didn’t even ask.  He just went off.”

“What did he say?” Yuuri leaned in, intrigued by what Yurio really thought about him.

“He said you two were pining,” Otabek laughed.  “Kept going on about how annoying it was to talk to both of you separately and listening to you suffer when it could be easily fixed if you just talked to one another.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes.  “Well, we’re over it now, for the record.”  He wasn’t entirely sure if this was true, but at least Viktor was acting accordingly, so he would too.

“Can I ask you something?” Otabek turned serious, although his dark eyes were burning with curiosity.  The chatter of Leo and Guang Hong was filling the quaint room in the Gryffindor Tower so Yuuri shrugged.

“Are you guys, you know…” Otabek gestured with his hands uselessly and Yuuri took comfort in the fact that he was just as awkward as him. 

“Can I ask you something?” Yuuri dropped the sock he was gripping.  Before Otabek could respond, he followed up with: “Are you?”

Otabek blinked slowly, then pulled back giving him a wry smile.

“I understand.”

***

“I can’t believe we made it through three and a half months of school.” Phichit was slumped back in his chair.  Professor Sprout, in a rare show of generosity, had allowed them to talk for the last few minutes of class.

“Longest three and a half months of my life,” Michele rubbed the dirt off his forehead.  “To think that we have midterms after break…”

“Don’t even,” Phichit grumbled.  “I don’t want to think about after break when it hasn’t even started yet.”

“I still have Quidditch practice,” Yuuri muttered to no one in particular.  “It’s Thursday before break and I have Quidditch practice.”

“Don’t show,” Michele suggested.  “I mean, maybe they’ll think that you left early for the holidays or something.”

“Finally.” Phichit got up when the bell rang, and Yuuri and Michele followed in his footsteps, heading out of the stuffy greenhouse.

“I was talking to Otabek this morning,” Yuuri said.  “He knows I’m here, unfortunately. And I have Charms with JJ next.”

“Speaking of JJ,” Michele nudged Yuuri and Phichit and nodded towards the tall Canadian who had Isabella pressed up against the corridor wall, snogging her fully.

“Professor Flitwick will be thrilled if they walk in late,” Yuuri said.  “How does he have time to do his homework, coach a Quidditch team, and somehow always be wrapped around her?”  To be fair, he was doing more of the last one than anything, although Yuuri didn’t mention this as they descended the stairs rapidly.

“Not a clue,” Michele said as he and Phichit branched off from Yuuri.  “If you don’t see us again, it’s because we failed our Transfiguration quiz and Professor McGonagall has gotten a hold of us.”

“Please send help, if so!” Phichit waved an arm dramatically and Yuuri shook his head but couldn’t help a smile.  He was so wrapped up in all the things he had to do that he didn’t look as he crossed the corner and smacked into—

“Sorry, Yuuri!” JJ said. “I’ve got to get to Charms!  Talk to you later!”

“JJ, we’re in the same Charms class,” Yuuri called after him half-heartedly.  When the other boy bolted down the hallway, Yuuri just shrugged to himself, turning to take the shortcut across the school.  He would’ve told JJ, but that’s what he got for scheduling morning practices.

***

“Why am I not surprised?” Yuuko growled.  “Seriously!” She threw her hands up in the air.

“He might still show,” Otabek said with a sarcastic bite.  “It’s not like we were coming from the same place or anything.”

Thierry was kneeling on the ground, tying his boots deftly with one hand and holding his broomstick from falling with the other.  Yuuri had become much more observant of the outsider ever since his talk with Iris, but he couldn’t bring himself to be any nicer.  Thankfully, Yuuko and Anya’s impatience had been more directed at JJ these days, although the tension remained.

“Anyone see him today?” Takeshi asked.  “He could’ve left early for the holidays.”

“We were just in our dormitory with him,” Yuuri admitted sourly.  “He didn’t mention leaving early.”

“He also didn’t mention any practice, so he might’ve forgotten,” Otabek said under his breath.

“Well, this is just great.” Anya had her arms folded against her chest.  From her messy hair, it appeared she had rushed down to be on time, only to find the Captain wasn’t even there.

“Was your team like this last year?  Because in France, the professors scheduled practice and captained the teams.  It was much more regulated there. It’s a shame Hogwarts won’t leave behind its outdated practices.”  Thierry had risen to his full six feet of annoyance once again. What Iris saw in him, Yuuri didn’t know.

“No, it wasn’t,” Anya snapped.  She drew her arms closer to herself as the wind blew, dusting her hair into her face.  “Funny how only one thing has changed.”

Yuuri bit his lip.  That was a little unfair of her, considering that JJ was the one at fault, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he could do in Thierry’s favor without meeting the utter disapproval of the girls.

“Well if you don’t want me here so badly, you could’ve said so,” Thierry said stiffly.

“I think I did,” Anya replied coldly.  “Many times, in fact.”

“Fine,” Thierry dug his foot into the ground.  “If you hate me that much then I’ll just quit.”

“You can’t just quit Quidditch,” Yuuko rolled her eyes, playing it cool.  Even despite her constant annoyance at Thierry, she looked genuinely worried.

“Mila did it last year,” Anya’s lips curved up in a dangerous smile.  “So what’s stopping you?”

“Anya,” Yuuri started, unable to keep quiet.  Thierry was scanning them all with a calculated look on his face.  “Calm down.”  

“What?” she snapped, her hair blowing harshly in the wind.  She didn’t bother to look at him.

“Leave Dufart alone,” Yuuko said firmly.

This time, Thierry looked up in pure surprise.  Whether it was from his hidden nickname or the fact that Yuuko, or anyone really, was sticking up for him, it was impossible to tell.

Anya didn’t move, but her frame relaxed ever so slightly and Yuuri knew the argument was over.  While JJ was their captain, whether he was there or not, Yuuko held the ultimate superiority. She was the oldest, save Takeshi, and she made sure they all knew where they stood.

“I’m going back up to the castle,” Anya said, her voice distant, and she began to walk, the frozen ground crunching beneath her feet.

“What was that all about?” Otabek murmured, staring in awe as she left.  “I knew she didn’t like you, but wow.”

Thierry looked even more surprised that they were including him in their conversation for once.

“This week has been tough for all of us,” Yuuri said hastily.  “She’s probably stressed about the last few classes before break.  And tired.”

“Maybe something happened between her and Georgi,” Takeshi suggested cautiously.

“They seemed fine at Hogsmeade,” Yuuri shrugged.

“A lot of things can happen in two weeks,” Otabek eyed him.  “Who knows. But I’ve never seen her like that before.”

“Whatever it was, it’s over now,” Yuuko said.  “We’re down two members but we can still get a good half an hour of practice in before we need to head back.”

As they began to position themselves to take off, Thierry brushed by Yuuri.

“Hey,” he said gruffly.  “Thanks for earlier.”

***

“Wait, so your shoulders brush, and then he says what?” Iris asked.

“He said, ‘thanks by the way,’” Yuuri frowned.  “Or ‘thanks for that.’ Or something like that. I forgot.”

“Come on,” Iris begged and Yuuri smiled at her.  It was surprising how easy it was to get along with her when the person she was into wasn’t him.

“I don’t remember the exact words,” Yuuri laughed.  “Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”

“Actually…” she drew her voice to a whisper, although Yuuri was pretty sure no one would be listening in.  “I’ve been talking to Marie—” One of her friends, that Yuuri had heard many things about in the past months.  “—And she says that he’s in her younger sister’s best friend’s class, and that she said that he said that he was spending winter break at Hogwarts.  Alone.”

“Oh,” Yuuri frowned.  “Is that a good thing?”

She whacked him with her quill, which ended up bringing more damage to the quill than Yuuri’s arm.

“Of course it is!  Because I’m staying here too, which means we’ll be two of the very few students in the castle and we’re bound to bump into one another.” She looked very pleased with herself as she said this.

“Wait,” Yuuri deliberated.  “Why are you staying here? I thought you were going back to Cyprus?”

“Er.” She looked shy of all a sudden and Yuuri nearly hit her back with his quill.

“You’re really missing out on seeing your family so you can maybe talk to Thierry?” he said.

“Hey!” she said.  “Let me remind you that you’re staying here to avoid seeing your family too.”

Yuuri bit his lip, suddenly unsure if he wanted to tell her.  He decided she’d find out soon enough as, like she mentioned, there would be few people staying at Hogwarts.

“I’m actually going to St. Petersburg,” he said, and her amber eyes flitted towards his.

“With—with Viktor?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri cleared his throat awkwardly.  “I was planning on staying here but I was talking about it and Viktor just wanted me to come along.  So, yeah.”

It really shouldn’t have been an awkward conversation, although Yuuri could tell that Viktor was still an uncomfortable topic between the two of them.  Back when they were dating, he had apparently been a sore spot for Iris.

“Well I’m sure that’ll be fun.” She tried to keep her tone light.  “So you can be spending your Christmas with him and I’ll be spending my Christmas with Thierry.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri echoed.  “It’ll be fun.”

***

“So Otabek told me you’re not fighting with Viktor anymore,” Yurio said as Professor Slughorn erased the board at the front of the room in the last remaining minutes of class.

“Hm,” Yuuri said, wondering how crazy he could drive Yurio.

“I just think it’s strange,” Yurio continued with an air of presumption.  “How you guys are always fighting these days.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri asked, digging through his bag to find a new pot of ink.  His old one was running dry.

“And now you’re spending the holidays together,” Yurio went on.  “Which is sort of funny. For a couple so different, I’m surprised he wants you to be around your parents.”

“We’re not a couple,” Yuuri blurted out, finally giving Yurio some satisfaction.  “And what’s that even supposed to mean?” He asked on second thought, “I’ve met his parents before.  Fourth year. Remember?”

“Yeah.”  It was Yurio’s turn to be noncommittal.  “But things have changed.”

“We haven’t changed,” Yuuri said defensively.

“I wasn’t talking about you two,” Yurio said.  “Although—”

“Scaring away my guest, Yurio?” Viktor approached them and Yuuri’s head shot up.

“Hi,” he said, unable to keep the smile off his face.  Two weeks with Viktor? No schoolwork?

“Hey,” Viktor used his wand to pull up a chair and sat facing them.

Yurio coughed an ugly cough.

“I’m going to go talk to Otabek.”

“What were you talking about?” Viktor asked, propping his head up.

“Nothing,” Yuuri answered evasively.  “I just need ten minutes to get all my bags ready.  Where should I meet you?”

“Minerva’s office,” Viktor said, paying no mind to Yuuri’s secrecy.  “We’re Floo-powdering out of there.”

“Should we eat something first?” Yuuri asked, thinking of the awful dinner from two years ago.

“I’m sure we’ll be forced into eating dinner,” Viktor rolled his eyes and stood up at the sound of the bell.  “So no. I’ll see you soon.”

***

In just ten minutes, Viktor’s casual mood had taken a dive.  Yuuri could tell he was nervous, although he wasn’t sure why.  From his last trip two years ago, and the way that Viktor talked about his parents, he knew they didn’t get along, although simple dislike couldn’t have made him this on edge.

“Are you okay?” Yuuri was always hesitant to ask Viktor about anything too personal, but his fingers were jumping up and down on the mantle of the fireplace in an uncharacteristic show of nerves.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall swept the door open, holding a jar of Floo powder.

“Katsuki,” she said sharply.  “I didn’t realize you were joining Nikiforov.”

It occurred to Yuuri that Professor McGonagall had never taught a class with the both of them in it, and she most definitely didn’t read The Daily Prophet.

“Viktor was kind enough to invite me, Professor,” he explained.  Viktor flashed a smile at that and he seemed to wash away all of his nerves at once.

“Thanks for letting us use your fireplace,” he said charmingly, as always.

“Not a problem,” she said, although her face remained severe.

“Well, you first?” Viktor asked, holding the jar out to Yuuri.

“Right.”  Left with little choice, Yuuri stepped one foot into the fireplace and took a pinch of the powder, hoping dearly that no one would be in the dining room this time.

“Nikiforov Manor,” Viktor reminded him as he stepped back.

“Nikiforov Manor!”  Yuuri felt the foreign sucking sensation as his body folded through another dimension before—thud.  His feet slammed into hard marble and he gripped the mantle to keep his balance.

To his utter relief, there was no one in the dining room where he had eaten dinner upon his arrival two years ago.

A second later, he nearly fell again as Viktor appeared right next to him.

“Sorry,” Viktor said, an arm snaking around his waist to keep him steady.  Yuuri’s cheeks flamed as he stepped out of the fireplace, Viktor’s arm falling off.

“Sir Viktor,” graveled a low voice and Yuuri jumped back.  Apparently, they hadn’t been alone.

An unusually tall house elf stepped into the doorway of the dining room and bowed stiffly.  “Lord and Lady Nikiforov request your presence in the South Dining Room. I am to escort you there.”  He looked as if there was no greater displeasure in the world, and didn’t bother to acknowledge Yuuri’s presence, although his eyes raked through him disapprovingly.

Viktor fell silent and beckoned for Yuuri to follow.  As they walked briskly through the lower floor of the manor, Yuuri couldn’t help but feel tiny against the elaborate place.  His shoes were scuffed and his sweater worn.

“Ah, excellent.  We get to be all close and personal,” Viktor muttered under his breath as they entered what had to be the South Dining Room.  It was smaller than the one that they had eaten in the previous time, yet the clothed table still sat fourteen people, which was quite the definition of ‘all close and personal.’

Viktor’s parents were sitting on opposite sides, both heads of the table, although there were newspapers spread and they looked a little more lively than last time.  They were speaking in Russian, but the conversation ceased as soon as their footsteps were audible.

Viktor’s movements turned stiff as they stepped onto the plush carpet.  Unsure of himself, Yuuri looked to Viktor for where to sit, and he was relieved when Viktor placed his hands on two seats next to one another.

Viktor’s mother, who Yuuri remembered as Ekaterina, spoke without looking up from her newspaper.

“You’re late,” she remarked coolly, eyes sweeping the news.  “We were waiting to start dinner.”

How kind, Yuuri thought.

“I’m sorry,” Viktor replied, his back ramrod straight against the chair.  “We got held up.”

Yuuri hid his surprise.  His memories were fuzzy, but he couldn’t remember Viktor ever being this uptight and bland at home.

Ekaterina seemed to ignore this and she turned upon the house elf who was still waiting at her feet.

“Wodkey, bring us dinner.”

“Of course, Lady Nikiforov,” he bowed down, his hooked and long nose touching the ground, and without rising, Disapparated away.

A second later, silver platters appeared on the table in front of each of them, similar to at Hogwarts, and a different elf appeared.

“The appetizer today will be Scallop Sashimi with Meyer Lemon Confit,” she squeaked, large green eyes darting around the room and taking in the extra company.  “Next, is Lamb Salad with Fregola and Pork Rillette. For dessert, upon the Lord or Lady’s request, will be Pirog dusted with powdered sugar.”

“Good,” dismissed Viktor’s father, and the house elf Disapparated with a loud crack.

The table fell silent again, and Yuuri watched carefully as everyone went for the Scallop Sashimi first.  The smell was sickening enough, so he began to pick away at the lemon, hoping it would hold him through.

“The Ministry was awful today,” Viktor’s father said, and his name came back to Yuuri in a flash of recognition—Yaroslav.

“Why’s that?” Ekaterina responded, still not looking up from the newspaper.

“Protests outside, all day long,” he said, intriguing Yuuri.  “Mudbloods saying they deserve better pay. Can you believe it?”

Yuuri drew back into his chair slightly, his heart racing and shocked that they’d used that word.  Especially when they knew he was Muggleborn.

He felt Viktor press his knee against his in an offer of comfort, but Yuuri didn’t dare look at him.  Although Ekaterina wouldn’t take her eyes off the table and Yaroslav seemed entranced by the salad, he felt like he was being watched.

“It is quite unbelievable,” Ekaterina agreed, her bony hand reaching for the glass of firewhiskey in front of her.  “They already have more rights than they should have and asking for more is plain ridiculous.”

“I know,” Yaroslav mirrored her by taking a sip of firewhiskey as well.  “The Ministry didn’t do anything about it either. Just let them stand outside all day.  They’ve really got to teach them a lesson and put them in their place.”

Yuuri shrunk into his chair even more.  He swirled his spoon around the Pork Rillette and felt vaguely like throwing up.  In any other circumstance, he would’ve thought Viktor’s parents were doing this to belittle him, or show their disapproval of his choice of friends, yet they seemed so distant that Yuuri couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t notice him at all.

Somehow Viktor had not moved at all, and was still sitting straight with a cool, neutral expression on his face.

“What do you think, Viktor?” Ekaterina turned their way, and her startling blue eyes pierced through Yuuri, pinning him to the spot before they slid to Viktor.

“Well,” Viktor said, finally giving Yuuri an excuse to look at him.  “I think everyone should have the right to voice their opinions…” he trailed off and Yuuri wanted to nudge him and tell him whatever he had to say to make his parents happy, Yuuri wouldn’t take personally.

“Everyone?” Ekaterina prompted coldly, her eyes zeroed in on his face now.

“I mean,” Viktor paled considerably.  “Wizards and witches. Real wizards and witches.”

“Which are?”

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Viktor’s eyes flitted towards the side to try to tell him something.

“Purebloods,” Viktor replied.  “And some half-bloods.”

Ekaterina seemed to be pleased with this answer and she now turned to Yuuri, apparently seeing Viktor’s earlier gesture.

“And you…” her lips curled up into a rare show of a smile, although it was an unpleasant one.  “What’s your opinion?”

The room grew hotter and Yuuri’s palms were sweating.  The almost imperceptible sound of Yaroslav’s chewing was making his stomach turn.

“About the protests?” Yuuri managed out as his mind raced.

“Clearly,” she drawled.

“Mother,” Viktor began, and only then was Yuuri aware of how deeply their knees were pressed against one another, bone to bone.

“Be quiet,” she held a hand up and Viktor visibly flinched.

“I don’t know,” Yuuri managed out.  “I hadn’t heard of them until just now.”

He let out a breath as Ekaterina seemed to accept this answer and let him slide.

“I see,” her smile grew.  “It’s so intriguing to see the viewpoints of people our son has befriended and seen fit to invite into the family home.”

The statement would’ve hurt more if Yuuri didn’t feel so queasy already.

“What do you think, Yaroslav?” Ekaterina moved on, those eyes meeting her husband’s in a deadly gaze.  The only difference was that he looked completely comfortable and held his own. His eyes, Yuuri noticed, were not the blue that Viktor and his mother shared, but instead a dark gray.

“I think that Mudbloods are getting ahead of themselves and they should be thrown back to where they belong,” he delivered calmly, mid-bite into the sweetbread dessert.  “At the feet of us true wizards.”

This seemed to be enough for Viktor, who suddenly pulled his chair back and stood up.

“We’re finished eating now,” he snapped.  “We’d like to go.”

Yuuri was just about to stand up when Ekaterina drew her chair back and rose, matching Viktor’s pose.  Although they were many feet apart and across the table, Yuuri could tell she was a few inches shorter than him, even in her heels.  Yet she held an unwavering power staring him down.

“Sit down,” she commanded and Viktor’s legs nearly gave out underneath him as he sat obediently.  “I thought we had established who was in control in this household.”

Yuuri couldn’t look anymore.  He stared down at the meal in front of him, his ears pounding.  Viktor must have nodded or done something, because the next thing he heard was Ekaterina’s strong voice once more.

“You may leave.”

Yuuri got up quickly, and Viktor slowly this time, and they retreated from the way they had come.

The manor was filled with absolute and suffocating silence as Viktor led him up the double staircase.  They continued down a poorly lit hallway, a few sparse candles lining the wall and surrounding each door.  Finally, they stopped near the end in front of what Yuuri assumed to be his room. About to say something to break the deafening silence, Yuuri opened his mouth but Viktor beat him to it.

“I’m so sorry,” he choked out, taking Yuuri aback.  Then he swallowed, regaining his composure. “It was selfish of me to bring you here.  To make you sit through that. I just didn’t want to be alone and when you said you weren’t going back to Japan this year I…”

“It’s okay, Viktor.”  He felt the shape of Viktor’s name slip out of his mouth without meaning to.  “Really. Whatever you said, I know you were just saying it to satisfy your parents.”

Viktor’s hand slipped around Yuuri’s wrist ever so delicately and Yuuri’s heart stopped.  His eyes were blue and wide.

“I didn’t know how to stop them,” Viktor whispered, his fingertips cool against Yuuri’s skin.  “I shouldn’t have let it happen.”

“Don’t worry,” Yuuri breathed, trying to be a voice of reason, which was becoming increasingly hard with how close Viktor was to him.  “I know who you are.”

Viktor’s eyes flitted shut and Yuuri was finally free to stare.  He was soft in the candlelight, and worry was etched across every line of his face.  Yuuri’s fingers itched to hold him and he was almost about to lose the self control he was barely gasping until Viktor’s eyes slid open again and he let go of Yuuri’s wrist, his touch lingering.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Yuuri,” he murmured.  “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Viktor.”

***

“Good morning to you, too!” Viktor exclaimed as Makkachin raced up to him, wagging his tail.  He dropped to the floor and picked up his Goldendoodle who promptly licked his face.

“Please tell me we’re bringing him,” Yuuri said, cooing as Makkachin scrambled out of Viktor’s arms.

“I was hoping you’d suggest that,” Viktor beamed. “Accio leash!”

As they got Makkachin ready to go outside, Yuuri reveled in how different Viktor’s mood was when his parents weren’t around.  Just last night, he had been on the verge of tears, yet he’d been at Yuuri’s door with a plate of French toast and a big smile on his face this morning.

“So where do you want to go?” Viktor asked as they crossed the street.  To Yuuri’s uncontainable delight, it was snowing.

“I don’t care,” he said as they headed down a quaint street.  Last year they had only gone out once and that was to skate which had been a very short walk, so this was the first time Yuuri was really getting to see the city.

“We can save the main tourist attractions for later in the trip,” Viktor said. “People like to come and see things for the holidays so it’ll probably be busy right now.”

Something in the lightness of Viktor’s voice told Yuuri that he was not keen on going for some other reason, but he didn’t ponder on it.

“Okay,” he said.  “This is great.”

“Would you—” Viktor hesitated.  “Would you like to hold Makka’s leash?  I wasn’t sure if…”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, taken off guard.  Suppressing images of Vicchan had become easier over time, so much so that he had almost forgotten it would be almost a year in just a few days.  “No, I mean, yeah. I’d like to.”

“Okay.” Viktor handed it to Yuuri and there were no further words needed.

“Oh my God!”

Yuuri looked back and Makkachin turned to look as if on cue.

“Oh my God!” Repeated the girl standing behind them.  Viktor too, had turned and she shrieked as she saw his face.  “I’m such a huge fan of you!” She looked unsure of what to do with herself.

“It’s good to meet you,” Viktor gave her a full smile and opened one of his arms to give her a half hug.

“I saw you play at the European Championships,” she gushed, and suddenly Yuuri was glad he had Makkachin to be occupied with.  “You were so good and you were right in front of my box when you caught the Snitch!  I have a gazillion pictures!”

“Thanks for supporting me,” Viktor smiled effortlessly, but he sounded off.  “I appreciate it.”

“Could I get a picture with you?” she asked.

As Viktor slid his arm easily around her shoulders, Yuuri felt a hot flash of jealousy and he internally chastised himself for being so possessive.  When he pulled back, it was quiet and quick.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed again, and waved before running off the other way, yelling someone’s name and another chorus of Oh my Gods.

“Does that happen a lot to you?” Yuuri teased, pushing away his discomfort and opting to continue the positive mood.

“More here than anywhere else,” Viktor shrugged.  “And it’s toned down since I temporarily retired, but people still remember me.”

“Does it bother you?” Yuuri asked as Viktor gestured for him to turn into a small cafe.

“Of course not,” Viktor smiled.  “It’s lovely that people give some of their time to support me.  Do you want anything?”

“Er,” Yuuri scanned the menu quickly.  “I’ll have a hot mocha.”

“Excellent,” said Viktor as he ordered and led Yuuri over to a table in the corner, converged between two windows.  The snow outside was falling thick, but the browns and reds of the shops were still visible and Yuuri wished he had a camera to capture the moment.

“So what do you want to do this afternoon?” Viktor asked as a waitress brought them their drinks and a cup of whipped cream for Makkachin.

He looked charming in the light of the window, wrapped up in a stylish gray coat with a scarf.  He held his hot mocha with his ring finger through the loop and the rest of his fingers wrapped around, and his hair covered his left eye when he bent to sip it.

Yes, Yuuri thought to himself.  He definitely wanted a camera.

“Sledding, tubing, skiing?” Viktor asked.  “It’s up to you.”

Yuuri blinked.  Forced himself to take a scalding sip instead of staring at Viktor.

“What about ice skating?” he asked.

Viktor perked up.  “Skating it is. Did I ever tell you—”

Yuuri turned around in his chair to see what it was.

Cameras.  Not as many as in Hogsmeade, but still too many.

His stomach began to tumble, but Viktor was acting too fast for Yuuri to panic.

“Damn,” he muttered.  “Come on.” He ignored the clicks and grabbed Makkachin’s leash.  Yuuri scrambled after him, up to the counter where a manager was standing.

“Can you let us out the back, please?” he asked.  The manager, a younger woman did a double-take when she saw his face and she put two and two together as the cameras crowded around the windows.

Maybe Viktor was more popular in St. Petersburg than he had let on.

“Sure,” she bubbled, and leaned in closer to him.  “And I won’t let them after you, either.”

“Thanks,” Viktor gave her a dizzying smile, and again Yuuri’s stomach twisted.  But as they moved through a back hall, the manager blocking it off from the flashes of the persisting paparazzi, Viktor gestured for him to go first out the door, and any envious feelings Yuuri had disappeared.

“We’re going to need to go back to the house,” Viktor said lowly, one hand stuffed in his pocket and the other with Makkachin’s leash draped around it.  “Someone must have spotted us and it won’t be long before the whole town shows up.”

“Is it always like this?” Yuuri asked breathlessly.  “I mean, Hogsmeade was much worse but…”

“Not usually.” Viktor let out a breath. “The Quafflepunchers have been bringing up my name a lot recently and it’s brought me back into the public eye.  Especially because I’m older now, I reckon it’s more acceptable to chase me around.”

Yuuri frowned and looked down at his boots in the snow.  He had stopped reading the papers after all of Rita Skeeter’s articles, so he was a little lost in the Quidditch world.

“I was getting sort of cold anyway, so it works out.”  Yuuri felt the urge to squeeze his hand, but he remembered they were several feet apart.  “I forgot how bad Russian winters are.”

“Skating tomorrow?” Viktor gave him a tentative smile.  “We should have time before the banquet.”

Right, he remembered.  Viktor had told him to bring dress robes for the annual Nikiforov tradition.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

***

“You brought your friend along again.” Yakov scratched his head as he handed them two pairs of skates.  “When was that, last? A year ago, two?”

“Two years ago,” Viktor smiled.  “You’re getting old.”

They had managed to take the short walk to the rink without being noticed by fans or cameramen, much to both of their reliefs.  There were, however, a group of students in the corner putting on their skates that kept pointing and whispering at Viktor.

“I have to teach a lesson,” Yakov said gruffly.  “We’ll be using the indoor rink for a bit then switching to one of the outdoor rinks, so you can go outside for now.”

“Do you come here often?” Yuuri asked as they strolled outside.  The sun was bright and the light shone off of yesterday’s snow in a blinding display.

“Not really,” Viktor admitted.  “I mean, Yakov is a wizard and so are all his students, but like I told you, it’s such a Muggle sport that my parents disapprove.”

“So not even during the summer?” Yuuri said, stepping through a pile of snow until they were at the edge of the ice.  They knelt to tie their skates.

“I was busy,” Viktor answered shortly.  “And the outdoor rinks were melted so there was only the indoor one which was used for lessons most of the time.”

“That’s a shame,” Yuuri said.  “You look like in a different life you would be born for the ice.”

It was true.  His hair and eyes were the color of ice and he had a thin, artistic frame.

Viktor smiled as he stood, offering him a hand.

Yuuri let himself be pulled to his feet, although he was a little disappointed when Viktor politely withdrew his hand as soon as he’d gained his balance on the ice.

The rink was different than the one they had skated on two years ago, which he knew, considering he still had the picture of the two of them skating in his dormitory.

The ice edged around a small array of trees.  There were green clumps growing on the branches, which were hanging low enough to run into.

“Have you skated since last time?” Viktor asked, weaving backward and looping around before sliding up next to Yuuri again.

“Once.” Yuuri flashed back to the lake with his parents, Mari, and Vicchan.  “You taught me pretty well, though.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” Viktor gave him a sweet smile, and then extended a hand, his expression edging into nervousness.  “Would you like to inch back into it?”

Realistically, Yuuri figured he’d be fine without Viktor’s help.  Maybe it was because they were away from Hogwarts where they were constantly surrounded by other people, or in a country where letters from his parents wouldn’t reach him.  Or maybe, he was looking for an excuse to let just a tiny bit of self control go.

He returned Viktor’s smile and took his hand.  There were layers of their mittens between them, after all.

Viktor skated slightly ahead of him, and Yuuri let his legs move slowly after him.  Just as he was about to break the silence, Viktor pulled them to a stop near a clump of trees.

Yuuri followed his gaze to see Yakov leading the group of kids who were bounding in the snow excitedly, all the way up to the rink where their eyes grew wide at the sight of Viktor.

“They got through the warm up pretty quickly,” Yakov said.  “Can you two head inside?”

“Are you dating?” suddenly blurted out the oldest looking of the girls.  She was clutching her pink hat in her fingers, eyes bright and eager.

Yuuri shut his eyes for the briefest of seconds and wished he could disappear.

“No,” Viktor laughed quickly.  It ended abruptly, despite his efforts to make it sound natural.  Yuuri realized that they were still holding hands and dropped Viktor’s, hoping it wasn’t too obvious.

“Well you’re standing under the mistletoe, so you have to kiss.”  She put her hand on her hip and Yakov looked ready to interrupt.

Yuuri’s cheeks flamed, and Viktor turned to look at him.  His heart stopped at the reminder of that kiss on his birthday in the Room of Requirement.  Was he really going to—?

Viktor leaned forward and his lips brushed the side of Yuuri’s cheek that was hidden from their audience.

“No fair!” the girl protested.

Viktor gave her an apologetic smile before skating forward and kneeling in front of her all in one fluid motion, leaving Yuuri standing alone and disoriented.

“I don’t make the rules,” he winked, and then to Yakov, “What a lively bunch of kids you have.”

Yuuri snapped out of his head, glad his cheeks were already pink from the cold, and joined Viktor in pulling his skates off.

“Hey,” Viktor said as they neared the main building.  He stopped, facing Yuuri. “Sorry if that was weird. You know kids.  She wouldn’t have given up.”

“N—no,” Yuuri’s teeth were chattering, the snow halfway up his calves.  “I didn’t mind. I mean, it wasn’t bad. I mean—it’s fine. Yeah.”

“Okay,” Viktor said, “because—”

Snow flew straight into Yuuri’s face and he was too shocked to pull back.

“I—”  he gasped at Viktor doubling over. “Viktor!”

Yuuri grabbed a chunk of snow and threw with such ferocity that Viktor didn’t have time to jump out of the way.  It slammed into his face, soaking his hair.

Yuuri barely had time to revel in his victory.  A second later, a snowball rammed into the side of his face and then a cloud so strong that Yuuri fell back into the bank of snow.  He looked up to Viktor who had his wand pointed at him.

“That is not fair,” Yuuri let out as Viktor towered over him, snow dusting his hair.

“Sorry,” Viktor smirked, another ball of snow ready in his gloved hand.  “I don’t make the rules.”

***

“Shh.”  Holding a finger up to his lips, Viktor dragged Yuuri across the marble floor and past a room with the door cracked open and voices coming from inside.  Yuuri jogged after him, their hands loosely holding one another’s.

The aftermath of the snowball fight left every part of their body cold and wet, but they were both giggling, running as quietly as they could up the grand stairs.  Suddenly, two steps above him, Viktor slipped.

He didn’t fall, but he turned back to Yuuri with his hand clapped around his mouth and his eyes bright, shaking from laughter.

And in that moment, the whole world stopped.

Because Yuuri hated when his hair got wet.  He hated running. He hated the cold and he hated the winter.

But with his hand clutched in Viktor’s, his heart racing, it hit him.

This was what he had left Mahoutokoro for.  Sure, there had been the academics part and the Quidditch part, but it had always been about a new beginning.  Finding friends who made him laugh and were excited to spend time with him.

He had left the hot springs and fish markets by the sea for the hope of starting over.  For something to bring him out of his own precise mind. For the type of person whose hand was in his own and the feelings he had when he was around him.

So this is what living is like.  Not just existing, but living.

And then, like a movie, everything sped back into motion and they were running up the stairs again, both of them out of breath.

Viktor skidded to a halt in front of his room, glancing back to Yuuri in feverish excitement as he threw the door open and shut it behind them.

“Let’s take a bath,” he announced.

“Okay.”  The word flew out of Yuuri’s mouth before he could even process what Viktor was saying.

Viktor led him forward, and suddenly Yuuri’s mind stalled.  What exactly were they doing? Was he dreaming?

He hesitated, trying to think things through.  He was going to be in a bath, mostly unclothed, with Viktor, who he had adamantly told over and over that he didn’t like.

“Yuuri?” Viktor’s voice was soft.  Their giddy rush was over, and now he looked worried.  “Is everything okay?” He squeezed his hand.

Since when did friends hold hands?

“I…” Yuuri had never had a rollercoaster of emotions in such a short period of time, and suddenly he felt dumb, standing one foot in the lush carpet of Viktor’s room and the other on the cool limestone tile of his bathroom.

“I would never, erm.” Even Viktor looked uncomfortable now.  “Try something, you know.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said.  “Oh.  No, it’s just—nevermind.  I got caught up in thought.” He gave Viktor what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“You sure?” Viktor’s face was open, and Yuuri wondered if he had felt something then, too.

“Yes,” he said firmly.

Finally, Viktor let go of his hand and shut the door behind them.  His bathroom was huge, with arched ceilings and a sink large enough to bathe in.  On the far side was a vanity and a rain shower, then the large stone tub to the right.

“Let’s just undress and get in at the same time,” Viktor said, and Yuuri wondered how much of it he had actually thought through.

“Right,” Yuuri said.

They stared at each other for a long moment until Viktor laughed nervously.

“Okay, I’ll turn the tub on then go over by the shower, and…”

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed and turned his back to Viktor.  As soon as he heard the taps twist off, he began to strip down to his boxers.  His hair and skin were still damp from the snow, and he tried not to look at himself in the mirror.

They both scurried over to the tub, mostly because they were shivering, and Yuuri was relieved as he slid in—careful to keep his eyes on the bubbles, of course—that it was pleasantly warm.

Although Viktor’s tub was large, his lanky frame made it so that their legs crossed a little in the middle.

“I reckon we have half an hour or so,” Viktor said.  “Guests should start arriving in an hour, and we’ll need some time to dress.”

“Sounds good.”  Yuuri had forgotten he didn’t have Viktor all to himself.  “Is the banquet similar each year or do you mix it up?”

“Pretty much the same,” Viktor shrugged, the water sloshing as he did.  “My parents hold too many events each year.  I reckon they’d run out of ideas.”  He emphasized the subject in a scathing voice.

“Can I ask you something?” Yuuri wondered, afraid he was treading into uncharted conversation.  When he got a half nod, he continued. “I know you don’t like your parents, and I see you don’t agree on things, but...they’re your parents, you know?  How did you grow up with them for so long and yet you’re so...stiff talking about them?”

“Is that really what you want to ask?” Viktor insinuated.  He sounded drained all of a sudden, tired beyond years.

“You seemed...intimidated by them,” Yuuri said slowly.  “Well, your mother mostly.”

“All my parents care about is pride and money,” Viktor tilted his head back, the light spilling across his face and shoulders.  “The first time I made them proud was when I got on the Quafflepunchers. The second time was when we won the European Championships.”

Yuuri hated himself for admiring Viktor in that moment.  His golden skin stretched across his bare body and his eyes were a rich, deep blue.  The expression on his face was twisted, but he couldn’t look away.

“You can imagine that they were upset when I wanted to return to Hogwarts.  Of course they wanted me to be schooled, but Beauxbatons was only a little less thorough and it would be more advantageous for me to stay on the team and go there.  Their anger only grew after I decided to stay for a fifth year. That was the first time I ever really made a decision for myself, so I didn’t realize how bad it would be.  Just seeing the way they changed was enough to convince me to take up the Quafflepunchers’ offer and transfer to Beauxbatons for my sixth year.”

And then something changed.

“I found reasons to stay,” Viktor ducked his eyes, as if he hadn't already declared his biggest reason to Yuuri.  “And when I told them, they weren’t exactly the happiest.”

A horrible feeling began to settle in Yuuri’s stomach.  He couldn’t avert his eyes, though.

“My father was worse at first.  He threatened a lot of things, but he’s always been all talk and no action.  It didn’t bother me and I knew he’d get over it. My mother was deadly silent when I broke the news and she stayed silent for days.  Finally, maybe two weeks into June, she got one of the house elves to fetch me.”

“Oh no,” escaped Yuuri’s lips and he felt stupid immediately afterward, but Viktor paid no attention.  He seemed to be intently focused on the bubbles right below Yuuri’s right clavicle.

“She basically told me that I had to retract my decision or I would regret it.”  Viktor’s voice was monotonous and subdued. “I told her that I wouldn’t and that Hogwarts was my home.  She took out her wand and just held it there.”

“She didn’t ever cast a spell,” Viktor said slowly.  “But it made me scared. Can you believe that? Viktor Nikiforov.  Scared.”

Yuuri opened his mouth, but no words came out.  Instead, he felt a tear slip down his cheek. Viktor hadn’t noticed yet, his eyes still unfocused.

“She had me go to her room every week and restate my decision.  Then she would grab my wrist and pull me close and tell me things...things that nobody deserves to hear.  And I had no choice but to let her. I reckon it was actually driving me insane by the time summer came to an end.  When it came time to go back to Hogwarts and I finally could talk to people again, real people, I was so relieved that I almost forgot how to act.  I was irritable and moody and it took nearly a month for me to realize I was unleashing all my pent up frustration.”

Then Viktor looked at Yuuri and there was silence.

“Are you crying?’ Viktor’s voice changed from emotionless to tender.

“It’s just…” Yuuri rubbed the tears away, although it just made his face more wet with the bathwater.  “I had no idea. You’re always so confident and strong that I never would’ve suspected...I don’t know.” 

“You can’t exactly break down when the whole world is watching you,” Viktor laughed hoarsely.  “Lucky for me, I’m good at hiding my feelings.”

“It has to get tiring, doesn’t it?” Yuuri said.  “To hold everything in?”

“Sometimes,” Viktor shrugged.  “You risk a lot when you put your feelings on the line, and I’ve found it tends to work out better if...” he trailed off, something left unsaid.

Yuuri’s head spun.  “Do you think you made the right choice?  About staying, I mean.”

“Absolutely.”  Viktor didn’t miss a beat.  “It’s a shame things didn’t work out with my parents, but there are some things I wouldn’t trade for the world.  And one of them was at Hogwarts.”

“Things didn’t work out?”  Yuuri said dubiously. He couldn’t understand how Viktor was so compliant with what had happened, as if it was expected.  “She—she’s awful.”

“It won’t last forever,” Viktor smiled bitterly.  “I just have to get the courage to end it.”

When Yuuri didn’t say anything, Viktor leaned back, the water covering his whole chest now.

“Let’s talk about something else.”

Yuuri was still in shock about Viktor, but he swallowed his questions and asked, “Like what?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue,” Yuuri said without hesitation.

Viktor’s lips curled up into a smile and he looked rich and beautiful in the gold light, his shaped shoulders peeking out of the bubbles.  Yuuri was having trouble breathing because how could someone be treated so terribly and still be so wonderful?

Yuuri felt Viktor studying him sharply, and something strange was happening.  Under those blue eyes, he didn’t feel plain or undesirable. He felt rare. Exquisite.  Beautiful.

“Why are you staring at me?” Yuuri whispered, meeting Viktor’s gaze unashamedly.

And Viktor’s smile grew ever so slightly, his eyes exploring every inch of Yuuri’s face.

“I’m captivated by you.”

The breath was sucked out of Yuuri and his mouth grew dry.  He couldn’t breathe.

And then Viktor sat up, and Yuuri slowly unstuck himself from the back of the tub, their knees sandwiched between each other.  And his vision smeared and all he could see was gold and deep, deep blue.

Yuuri didn’t know how it happened but all of a sudden Viktor was kissing him against the back of the tub and the water sloshed as he pulled his hands out to feel the small of his back.

Yuuri felt like he was breathing fresh air for the first time in weeks, and he pulled his hands out of the water to wrap them around Viktor’s neck and he sank back, his lips working furiously as they moved against one another.

Viktor’s tongue slipped into his mouth and Yuuri gasped, then pushed Viktor forward so now he was the one against the tub.  The water crashed and Yuuri climbed onto Viktor’s lap so he was finally taller than him and he bent to kiss him again.

Yuuri wasn’t capable of thinking when Viktor’s hands were roaming all over him, as if they were trying to memorize every inch of him.  His mouth was warm and every doubt that Yuuri had was beginning to disappear.

Telling his parents seemed so small, such a silly obstacle between them, and for the very first time in his life, Yuuri didn’t care what anyone else thought besides Viktor.  Whatever anyone had to say didn’t matter, as long as they were together.

Nothing was worth losing him.

Viktor bit Yuuri’s lower lip and he gasped into his mouth, and Viktor laughed and there was no better sound in the world.

Finally, he pulled back and slowly worked his way around Yuuri’s mouth.  Yuuri’s toes curled and he tilted his head back, and Viktor paused to move to his neck, and then…

He pulled away, and they were both panting, catching their breaths, but Viktor looked up at him, eyes wide and—detached?

With a cold start, Yuuri realized Viktor had just taken his hands off of him and feeling flustered, he scrambled back off his lap so their faces were a few feet apart.

“We can’t.”

“What?” Yuuri burst out, entirely taken aback.

“What?” repeated Viktor calmly, like he had not just kissed him.

“You can’t just—say that!”

“It’s what you’ve been doing to me all this time!” Viktor shouted, his face pink.  “How much longer would we have had to go on for you to do the same thing?”

“It’s different now,” Yuuri pleaded.  “I figured it out. I’m tired of pretending to myself that I don’t like you.”

“We can’t,” Viktor repeated.  “We can’t because I can’t. You should know it was just a delusion of mine that we could ever work out.”

Yuuri felt the breath get knocked out of him.

“That’s not true,” he said.  “I really do care about you. Last year, when you told me how you felt, I wanted to confess that I—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Viktor said flatly, cutting him off.  “My parents would never allow it.”

If Yuuri had felt shocked before, this was the final blow.

“Maybe we could persuade them…” he trailed off, knowing he had lost the fight.

“There’s no ‘we,’” Viktor stood up, sending a short wave of water out in every direction.  “‘Us’ will never work out and I’ve accepted that. It’s time that you do, too.”

The air was cold as Viktor stared down at him.

“I’ll be downstairs.  I’ll give you some time to clean up and go back to your room.  Be at the banquet at ten.”

And he stepped swiftly out of the tub, throwing on a robe that was hanging by the door, and left without another word.

Foolish.  So, so, foolish.

How could he think he was the only one with parents who might not approve of his relationship? How could he think Viktor’s parents would accept him dating a boy?  Especially a Muggleborn, at that.

Hopeless.

He wanted to cry, but nothing was coming out and he clenched his fists and buried his head into the cold water.  Every feeling trapped inside.

***

“Oh, Yuuri!” Mila waved her hand, beckoning him over.  The banquet hall seemed smaller than it had two years ago.

“Why weren’t you at dinner?” she asked.  “Viktor was acting all weird.”

Georgi was sipping a drink and Yurio looked like he was trying to look bored but it wasn’t working.  His green eyes were darting around the room, although his head was tilted into the small circle they were all making, obviously curious.

“I just wasn’t really hungry,” Yuuri shrugged.  “I thought it would be awkward if I sat there while everyone else ate and I didn’t want to look rude.”

“Oh well,” Mila said lightly, which was the first sign Yuuri got that she was drunk, because normal Mila would’ve pestered him with no mercy.

“How’s your break been so far, Georgi?” Yuuri asked, directing the conversation away from himself.  Inside, he felt strangely empty. After sitting in his too-large bed for an hour, listening to the chatter as guests arrived downstairs, he seemed to reach a sort of peace with himself.

“Great!” he said, looking more alive than ever.  “Anya came over. She had to leave this morning but we had the best holidays ever.  She met my parents, too.”

“That’s so cute,” Mila gushed, grabbing another drink from someone passing by with a tray.  “I wish I was in love.”

Yurio let out a horrendous cough at this, then straightened his bowtie and snuck Yuuri a glance.

“I think I want to marry her,” Georgi said.  Yuuri looked at him and suddenly wished he hadn’t.  Georgi’s eyes were shining and bright, and Yuuri’s heart ached.

“When did you know?” Yuuri asked suddenly and Yurio cut him a judgemental glare as if he had betrayed a pact to keep the conversation non-romantic.  “That you were in love?”

“It’s going to sound stupid,” Georgi said as softly as he could to still be heard over the party conversation.  “But I saw her in the morning and her hair was a mess, and she was still more beautiful than anyone else I had ever seen in my entire life.  Then later that night, I saw her talking with other people and she looked so elegant and put together and I realized I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side in life.”

“Aww,” Mila echoed, her eyes wide.  “What does it feel like?”

“Warmth.” Georgi was gazing out in the crowd.  “Like the best moments in life except it’s every moment when they’re with you.”

“God,” Yurio muttered under his breath.  “Can we talk about something else?”

“Like what?” Mila rolled her eyes.  “If you don’t like the conversation then you can go off with Chris and Viktor.”

Yurio didn’t budge.

“Where are Chris and Viktor, anyways?” Yuuri asked lightly, although his heart was already racing just by saying his name.

“Off dancing, I think,” Mila shrugged.  “Why?”

“No reason,” Yuuri said.  He grabbed a drink as someone walked by, solely for the purpose of having something to hold.  “Just curious.”

“When does this party even end?” Yurio groaned.  “It’s absolute torture.”

“At least you can dance with people,” Georgi said a little sadly.  “I don’t want Anya to think I’m cheating on her or something.”

“You both are such buzzkills,” Mila grumbled, patting down her hair nervously and scanning the room.  “Reckon I can get a drink up there? Viktor’s mum is sitting right next to them.”

“Oh, she loves you,” Yurio sighed.  “What’s she going to do? Tell your mum you’ve been drinking firewhiskey?”

“Want to come with me, Yuuri?” Mila asked, her eyes set on the drinks.

“Er, sure.”  Yuuri had no intention of being around Ekaterina, but he needed something to do besides stand around.

“Great,” she set out across the perimeter of the crowd, her strappy blue heels sinking into the small dusting of snow on the floor, giving Yuuri enough time to catch up to walk next to her.

“So were you really just ‘not hungry?’” she asked, ducking around a dipping couple.

Apparently, she wasn’t as drunk as Yuuri had thought.  That, or he was being very obvious.

“I don’t know,” said Yuuri evasively and she glared at him, not amused at all.

“If you’re expecting me to believe that, then you’re an idiot.”  She swung her head pointedly.

“Hi!”

A girl had approached them with an expression half between nervousness and excitement.  She was wearing a long black dress, and her hair fell past her shoulders in blonde curls.

“Hey,” Mila greeted in a wary voice, stopping to look at her.

“I was wondering if you’d like to dance,” the girl smiled, showing a row of perfectly white teeth.

For once, Mila looked completely taken aback.

“Oh!” The girl clapped a hand over her mouth.  “Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Rosaline.”

“I’m sorry,” Mila started, and Rosaline’s face fell.  “I’m actually—I just started seeing someone.”

“Oh,” Rosaline gave her a well-mannered smile.  “That’s alright. Thanks for your time.”

“Sure,” Mila waved and then leaned against the wall, the drink forgotten.

“Who are you seeing?” Yuuri wondered out loud.

“No one,” Mila said.

Oh.  A year ago, he wouldn’t have understood.  But now...

“I didn’t realize you were still…” he trailed off uncertainly.

“I don’t know,” Mila said.  “I should’ve just danced with her.  I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

“There’s no point in leading her on if you have no intention of being with her,” Yuuri said.

“I could’ve made it work,” Mila hesitated.  “I could make any relationship work if I really wanted to.”

“You—”

“Hey!  Katsudon!”

Yuuri swiveled around as Yurio grabbed his arm.

“I’ve got to talk to Katsudon,” Yurio said hastily.  “Sorry, Mila.”

“Erm,” she shook her head out of a daze.  “Okay. I’ll be at the drinks table.”

“What’s going on?” Yuuri asked, rubbing his arm where Yurio had grabbed him.

“Just come on the dance floor with me,” Yurio insisted, leaving no room for question.  He dragged Yuuri to the center of the room where there was a crowd of couples dancing.

“We stick out horribly,” Yuuri hissed.  Already, they were attracting looks.

“Fine,” Yurio put one of his hands on Yuuri’s forearm and drew him closer.

“Yurio, what are you doing?”  Yuuri demanded.  Yurio was searching the crowd furiously over Yuuri’s shoulder.

“I’m just looking for something—I have to show you…” Yurio stood on his tiptoes, taking one last look.  “They must have left.”

“Who are you looking for?  Who left?” Yuuri asked, looking around.

“I’m looking for—oh hell no!”  Yurio suddenly turned Yuuri around so he was facing outwards.  “See under that window on the left? There’s a door and…”

Yuuri saw clear as day and his heart lurched wildly.  There was Viktor, but he was wrapped around someone else with an unmistakable half cut of hair and tall frame.

“Chris?!”  Yuuri gaped.  “Why’s he with Chris?”

“That’s what I was trying to figure out,” Yurio hissed.  “They were dancing in the middle of the floor and snogging like no one was watching.”

“What?!”  Yuuri’s head swam as he tried to grapple what Yurio had said.  It was like the words had been cut up and jumbled around and all he heard was Chris and Viktor and snogging.

“They’re getting a room,” Yurio grimaced.

Yuuri’s heart lurched and he stood up on his toes once again, searching over the crowd of people.  Sure enough, Viktor had looked wrapped around Chris because he was. Their faces were too close together to be talking, and they stumbled out of the room, out of sight.

It was like a slap in the face.

Hadn’t Viktor just been telling him that his parents would never accept him if he was in a relationship with a boy?  And there he was, running off with Chris, in plain sight of his parents.

“I have to go,” Yuuri choked out, looking wildly at Yurio, hoping he’d understand.

“Okay,” Yurio said.  “Whatever.”

“No, I mean go,”  Yuuri said.  “Back to Hogwarts.”

He was already pushing his way to an exit, the one across from where Viktor and Chris had left.

“Yuuri!  Maybe you should think about—”

Thinking.  What use was that when all his thoughts were plagued with the image of a boy he had wanted so desperately that he’d forgotten why he protected himself in the first place?

***

Hogwarts was decorated with trees and tinsel and crackers.  It was Viktor’s birthday. When Yuuri’s favorite holiday had become Viktor’s birthday, he wasn’t sure.

***

A thousand miles away in a large manor in St. Petersburg, Russia, it was December 25th and Viktor Nikiforov spent his birthday alone.

Chapter Text

Morning was easily becoming the worst time of the day for Yuuri.  Morning was when he woke up groggily after a long holiday break, wishing he had a few more seconds of sleep, when all the things he was trying to forget came back to him in a rush of exhaustion.

Morning was also when he found himself walking down the length of the Quidditch field five minutes late.

“I almost thought you weren’t going to show up!” Yuuko said when he approached the rest of the team.  The rest of the team, besides JJ, that was.

“I told her you would,” Otabek said, smiling as much as anyone could on the first day back from break.

“Yeah, well we all thought that JJ was going to show up too, a long time ago,” Yuuko grinned lazily.

“I take it you had a good break?” Otabek yawned, sitting down on the bleachers next to Anya who looked more tired than usual.

Yuuko shared a private smile with Takeshi.  “Yep.”

Both Anya and Thierry were unusually quiet and Yuuri wondered if they were still thinking about the last practice.  In fact, Anya looked terrible. There were dark circles under her eyes and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Her arms were tightly crossed and her hair was in a messy ponytail that she had probably slept in.

He wondered if he looked as bad as she did.

“How was your break, Yuuri?” Yuuko asked.  “You went back to Japan, right?”

“Er, not this year.” Yuuri tried to sound as lighthearted as possible.  “I went to St. Petersburg.”

“That’s where Viktor Nikiforov is from, right?” Thierry spoke for the first time, catching Yuuri off guard.  It only occurred to him then that the fifth year might not know they were friends, especially because he had been new this year.

“Yeah…” Yuuri shifted his feet on the grass.  His hand that was wrapped around his Nimbus 2001 was itching to fly, but as JJ’s appearances at practice declined, so did their practice time.  Yuuko had assumed unofficial leadership and she loved to talk way too much.

He could see Otabek trying to catch his eye in his peripheral vision, probably trying to figure out what was wrong.  Only him and Anya knew that he had been with Viktor, and after how things had gone, he wanted it to stay like that.

“He’s very talented,” Thierry admitted gruffly, which was the first compliment Yuuri had ever heard him give out.

“Yeah,” Yuuri repeated slowly.  “He is.”

“Alright,” Yuuko said suddenly, looking just as confused as Yuuri.  “We should probably get started.”

Somehow, Yuuri decided, that would not be a conversation he would be sharing with Iris.

***

“Did you guys have a good break?” Phichit asked, bouncing into History of Magic and plopping down in the chair next to Michele.

Yuuri really wished people would stop asking that question.

“Sara and I went back to Naples,” Michele smiled fondly.  “It was much better than last Christmas because she didn’t have a girlfriend to bring along.”

“And you, Yuuri?”

“I went to Russia with Viktor,” Yuuri jumbled out as quickly as he could.  “It was fun.”

“Ooh,” Phichit leaned across the desk, intrigued.  “I forgot about that. What did you guys do?”

“Erm, we walked around a lot…” Yuuri wracked his brains.  There was the span of a few hours painted clear in his mind, but there was only one person he wanted to talk to about that.  Everything else they did seemed so long ago. “We went ice skating too.”

“For two weeks?” Michele looked dubious.  “You better be a world-renowned figure skater by now.”

Yuuri tried and failed to smile.

“What did you do for Christmas?” Phichit asked, eyes sparkling.  “That’s his birthday, right?”

“We just stayed at his house,” Yuuri said, his tongue thick and heavy in his mouth.  “And talked.”

“Oh,” Phichit drew back, looking a little confused but seeming to get the message.  “That sounds really...relaxed. It must’ve been fun.”

“It was,” Yuuri assured him.

***

The first thing I’ll say is hello like everything’s normal and then he’ll probably be polite back.  Then, if we have to keep talking I’ll bring up Quidditch so—

“Class is dismissed,” Professor Binns said.  “Don’t forget your essay on the Giant Wars is due next week on Tuesday.”

“Since when did he mention that?” Michele hissed as the trio made their way past the ghost to get out of the room.

“He assigned it before break,” Phichit said.  “I started but gave up halfway through so I might need to start fresh.

“Aren’t you coming this way?” Michele beckoned at their usual splitting point.

“I, er, have to grab something from the Hufflepuff dorm.  I forgot my Potions book,” Phichit waved, and Michele shrugged and headed off alone.

“What?” Yuuri asked wearily, knowing Phichit well enough to understand he wanted to talk.

“You seem to be acting...different,” Phichit observed.

“I’m tired,” Yuuri said, knowing how awful he sounded.

“I think we should study during lunch,” Phichit continued, unfazed.  “If you want to talk then we can, and if not then we can work on that essay.”

“What essay?” Yuuri was brought out of his reverie.

“The one on the Giant Wars,” Phichit offered a weak smile.  “The one I just reminded Michele about a minute ago.”

“Right,” Yuuri made a mental note to write that down.  “Okay.”

“Is that an ‘okay’ to the lunch study offer?” prompted Phichit as they reached the corner where they would really have to split if Phichit wanted to get to Potions on time.

“I guess so,” Yuuri agreed.

This time, he was rewarded with a real smile.

***

“I’ll have some teriyaki chicken,” Phichit said dreamily. “And maybe some broccoli with that.”

“Of course,” chirped Hokey.  “And you, sir?”

Yuuri pretended to be caught off guard so that he’d have more time to think.  “Maybe a sandwich or something, please. I don’t care what type.”

“Right away, sir!” The house elf scurried off, leaving Yuuri and Phichit facing each other on the table closest to the bustling fireplace.

“You can have any food in the world and you choose a sandwich?” Phichit looked at him as if he was crazy.  “Who are you?”

“I’m not very hungry.”  This at least, was the truth.  Ever since St. Petersburg, he hadn’t felt the motivation to do anything, including eating.  Some days he had just eaten breakfast, others lunch. He wondered each time if Viktor was being cooked up an extravagant meal that he didn’t want to eat too, a thousand miles away.

“Well nice to meet you, not very hungry,” Phichit said.  “But can I please have my friend back?”

“Phichit,”  Yuuri groaned into his hands.

“Thanks,” Phichit brightened as two house elves dropped off their food.  Yuuri’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich looked plain against the fancy dish Phichit had been served.

“So do you wanna talk or study?” Phichit asked, two bites into his chicken.  “Your choice. We can stop one and do the other whenever you want.”

Yuuri weighed the options carefully, despite thinking about them all of Ancient Runes while Iris detailed the exact words Thierry had said as they ‘accidentally’ bumped into one another while leaving the Great Hall.

“What do you want?” Yuuri asked.

“I want to talk,” said Phichit firmly.  “Because something is bothering you a lot and it’s good to let things out.  In my experience.”

“Then we’ll talk,” Yuuri decided.

He didn’t expect Phichit to look as surprised as he did.

“Oh,” Phichit said.  “Okay. Then...did it involve Viktor?”

Just hearing his name made Yuuri’s stomach twist.  With what emotion, he wasn’t sure.

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Phichit paused, waiting for him to elaborate.  “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Talking about Viktor felt intensely personal to Yuuri, and he wondered if it was right for him to share what they’d done.  Everyone knew about the kiss last year, but no one knew about the talk after that kiss, and Yuuri’s birthday, and St. Petersburg.

But then again, Phichit wasn’t close to Viktor and they never talked unless Yuuri happened to be around, so it wouldn’t be affecting much.

“Well,” Yuuri began, taking a shuddering deep breath.  “It started last year. After he…”

“Kissed you?” Phichit guessed.

“Yeah,” Yuuri swallowed.  “After he kissed me, we didn’t really see each other for a week because of how crazy O.W.L.s were.  So right before the train was scheduled to leave, he basically told me that we should date. And I turned him down.”

“Why?” Phichit blurted out, his eyes wide.

Because I was so caught up in what other people would think.  Because I didn’t want to hurt Iris. Because I was too scared to tell my parents.

Hearing the words coming from his own mouth sharply reminded him of how easy they could’ve been.  If only he had pushed aside those worries and dealt with them as soon as he could, then they wouldn’t be stuck like they were now.

“For stupid reasons,” Yuuri admitted, sinking lower on the bench of the table.  “I didn’t realize they were stupid until later, though.” He shook his head, dismissing the thought.  “We didn’t talk at all over the summer, and when we got back, there was this weird tension between us, but we figured it out, eventually.  And then, on my birthday after the match, we met up.”

Phichit had his head propped on his hand and was watching him lividly.

“I kissed him.” The words tasted strange in Yuuri’s mouth.  “I shouldn’t have caved, but right after, I told him I didn’t mean to.  He got upset and we started fighting for a few more days. Then we made up.  Again.”

“So you weren’t over him at this point?” Phichit asked.

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said.  “But after we made up, he invited me to Russia with him.  Then...things started to change. I just began to realize how much I valued him.” Yuuri shook his head.  He could see Viktor’s face looking down at him from two steps up, his hand clapped around his mouth and eyes tight with laughter.  “It was like nothing I’ve experienced before.”

“Do you love him?” Phichit asked all of a sudden and Yuuri stared at him, shocked.

“No,” he said.  “Definitely not.  I don’t think I really ever got the chance.  We were always in the middle of fighting or making up.”

Phichit was silent, and Yuuri knew he wanted to ask more.

“We began talking after that, and he kissed—or maybe I kissed him.  I can’t remember. And I’m not sure why, but at that moment, every reason I was holding back disappeared.  I was finally ready to stop rejecting him.” As Yuuri swallowed, he felt something sharp in his throat. “But he made it very clear that this time he had made the mistake and that we couldn’t be together.”

“I’m sorry.” Phichit patted his hand.

“That’s not it though,” Yuuri interjected, his voice surprisingly calm for the amount of turmoil it had caused.  “We went to this banquet his parents host every year, that night. And I didn’t really see him. I was just talking with Mila and Georgi and Yurio.  Then Yurio dragged me off and told me he had seen Viktor and Chris dancing.”

“Well they’re friends, right?” Phichit shrugged.  “They probably just…” he trailed off seeing Yuuri’s face.  “Okay, continue.”

“They were kissing, snogging, whatever,” Yuuri rushed.  “And I saw them leaving the banquet together before it was even halfway over.  I don’t know if they...did anything but—”

“Oh my God,” Phichit said slowly.  “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Yuuri said.  He would never be able to forget that image.  “Yurio saw it too, so I know I didn’t imagine it.”

“What did you say to him afterward?” Phichit leaned forward, intrigue written all over his face.

“I didn’t,” Yuuri said.  “I left right after I saw them and came back here.  I haven’t talked to him since then.”

Phichit struggled to process this and finally he sat back, dropping his fork, the teriyaki chicken forgotten.

“Have you seen him at all?”

“I will after lunch.” Yuuri’s stomach lurched.  “I have Defense Against the Dark Arts with him.”

“Wow,” Phichit marveled.  “I didn’t expect that from him.”

“The stupid thing is, I can’t even be mad,” Yuuri said.  “Because we weren’t dating and we weren’t even a thing. He told me he didn’t want to be with me so he’s free to do whatever he wants.”

“I know,” Phichit paused.  “But it’s still wrong of him.  Technically, it’s not like he cheated on you or anything, but it’s disrespectful to kiss someone else the same night.  Was he drunk or something?”

“Does it matter?” Yuuri asked.  “He still did whatever he did with Chris.”

“You...you said that he told you he didn’t want to be with you,” Phichit framed carefully.  “Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

Technically, Viktor hadn’t said he didn’t want to be with him, but he had said his parents wouldn’t allow it and that he had moved on.  Yet at the same time, many things had changed for Yuuri in that kiss; maybe the same was true for Viktor.

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said.  But the way he kissed you that night...

“I think you should talk to him,” Phichit said.  “A lot of the time, miscommunication makes things appear worse than they are, and maybe he can explain why he was with Chris.”

Yuuri made a face, but he already felt better not being the only person with that knowledge anymore.

“Even if he just says he made a mistake,” Phichit said pointedly.  “It’s better to have talked to him about it instead of dreading seeing him every day.  Get it over with and it’ll make things easier in the future. Plus aren’t you partners with him in at least one class?”

“Potions and Arithmancy,” Yuuri said slowly, as if he hadn’t been dreading both of the classes for the remainder of winter break.

“Well anyway,” Phichit shrugged.  “Talk to him. If he says something bad, then you can pine over something new for the weekend.  God knows how long you’ve been analyzing both of your actions considering how much time you had over winter break.”

Yuuri sighed. “Am I that obvious?”

“No,” Phichit got up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and picking up his empty plate.  “I just know you. Now good luck, and tell me what he says.”

***

Yuuri had tried.  He really had. But Viktor was sitting on the opposite side of the room with Chris, and Yuuri didn’t dare approach the two of them.  Instead, he spent the whole class period glancing over and praying he didn’t see them holding hands. Mila was there too, of course, but Georgi was missing, and she looked quieter than usual.

“You look really desperate, you know,” Yurio said helpfully as Professor Slughorn turned them loose to get a start on their homework in the last few minutes of class.

“Thanks,” Yuuri said dryly, risking another glance over at Viktor.

“Why don’t you just talk to him?” Yurio yawned, packing up his bag.  “He’s probably upset too.”

“What do you mean probably?”  Yuuri asked, ignoring the fact that he had been planning on talking to Viktor.  At least it was on Phichit’s accord, not Yurio’s.

“I mean, you literally just left without telling him,” Yurio said critically.  “And from the state you were in, I have a feeling you didn’t leave a note either.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Yuuri muttered.  “I mean you were at his house afterward and probably saw him today.  Don’t you know how he’s feeling?”

“If Viktor doesn’t want you to know something, he’s very good at hiding it,” Yurio snapped.  “He’s not exactly an emotional person. Besides, I haven’t talked to him since that night either.”

“Why?”  This caught Yuuri by surprise.  “You’re in the same House. You must’ve had a class or two together this morning.”

“I was ignoring him,” Yurio admitted stiffly.

“Oh,” Yuuri said.  He had learned by now that the key to getting Yurio to continue talking was to make comments, not questions.  If he thought that anyone wanted to know, he wouldn’t tell them.

“I thought he was an asshole,” Yurio said.  “For what he did to you.”

The bell rang and Yuuri got up slowly.

“Erm, thanks,” he said.  “Any advice on how to approach him?”

“Viktor!” Yurio bellowed across the room, causing a skittish Ravenclaw girl to jump.  “Get over here.”

“I asked for advice,”  Yuuri hissed, his palms sweating. “Not for you to actually—”

“Well, now you don’t have to approach him,” Yurio huffed.  “Have a fun conversation.”

Yurio expertly whisked himself away and Viktor stopped a few feet in front of him, looking between the two.  He seemed to get it and he walked up to Yuuri.

Seeing him up close was like a stab in the gut.  The last time he had was weeks ago, Viktor towering over him, shirtless and glistening from the bathwater.  Now he looked just as alluring but he was dressed in plain Slytherin robes.

“I think Yurio wants me to talk to you,” Viktor said.

Yuuri almost choked out in laughter because it was such a dumb thing to say.  How could he act like nothing had happened between them?

“Let’s go somewhere else or we’ll have an audience of one,” Viktor continued, ignoring Yuuri’s silence.  “And I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to accidentally mention what he heard elsewhere.”

Taking a backward glance at Professor Slughorn who immediately buried himself into a book, Yuuri followed Viktor out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, his mind whizzing with things to say.

“There’s no one in here,” Yuuri said, pointing at an empty classroom to the right.

“Alright,” Viktor said, closing the door halfway shut as they entered.

The room had high windows facing the Quidditch field and a circular arrangement of desks.

“I saw you that night,” Yuuri started, trying to wash away any feelings of worry.  He had a right to be mad, he reminded himself. “With Chris.”

“And?” Viktor asked, leaning against a desk and half sitting on it.

And?  Yuuri felt like shouting.  He couldn’t stand Viktor’s impassive face, his body stretched back as if he had never been more at ease.  But what could he say? Suddenly all his options seemed childish or ineffective.

“I was wondering why you chose to do it,” Yuuri said, trying to look as calm as possible.

“Define ‘it’,” Viktor waved his hand vaguely.

“I dunno,” Yuuri snapped.  “What did you do with him?”

“We had sex,” Viktor shot back and Yuuri winced at the intensity of the statement.

“You—what?”  he gaped.  “With Chris?”

“Yes, we had sex,” Viktor repeated casually.  “If you want me to go into detail I can. You see, it starts w—”

“Stop!” Yuuri exclaimed angrily.  “Stop it.  Why are you acting like this?”

“I daresay you’re the only one acting out of turn,” Viktor retorted.  “Why does it concern you what I do in my personal life? I didn’t realize I had to report my romantic escapades to you and get your stamp of approval.”

The only reason this statement hurt so much was because it was true.  And Yuuri stood, open-mouthed at the audacity of Viktor Nikiforov who he had never seen so careless before.

He hated him for being so calm and he hated him for using the word daresay and he hated him for grabbing ahold of his heart when he had tried so hard to stop it from happening.

Instead of expressing any of this in the slightest or getting anymore angry at Viktor, Yuuri asked something he probably shouldn’t have if his goal was to convince Viktor that he didn’t care.

“Are you dating him?”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business if I am,” Viktor said.

“It’s my business because you kissed me an hour before.  On the same night!” Yuuri exclaimed, feeling tears prick in the back of his eyes.

“Well,” Viktor said in a funny tone.  “I thought I made it clear that whatever we had was over. As far as I’m concerned, I had every right to do what I did.”

Another wave of anger, but mostly hurt, washed over Yuuri.  How had Viktor transformed into this? Just two weeks ago he had been holding his hand and helping him ice skate.

Yuuri sucked in a breath to try to keep it together.  Yet his voice came out watery and strained.

“I’ve never seen you like this before.”

Viktor’s mouth twisted like he was thinking of his next horrible line to inject.

But then quickly, so out of pace that Yuuri almost missed it, he said, “It’s easier to see you angry than it is to see you hurt.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” Viktor said, still leaning on the desk.  His shoulders were tighter than before, though, Yuuri noticed.

“You’re apologizing now?” Yuuri demanded.  “After everything you just spat at me?”

“Well I’m not sorry for sleeping with Chris,” Viktor countered.  “But I’m sorry that I hurt you in the process. I never wanted to do that.”

Yuuri hated him for being so confusing.  How could he turn on and off so quickly? Then, eyes trembling with tears, he silently turned and walked out of the room, all the while thinking to himself, But didn’t you?

***

“No hate mail today?” JJ asked optimistically, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.

“Apparently not,” Yuuri rolled his eyes.  He had stopped reading any form of news ever since the last article, but surprisingly, he had also stopped receiving any mail from angry wizards and witches.

“I actually haven’t seen any articles about you in a while,” Otabek marveled as he paged through the Daily Prophet.  “But look, there’s something about the Ravenclaw Chaser Graham Kolar right here…”

“I didn’t think Rita Skeeter was one to leave people alone,” Yuuri frowned.  “I’m not complaining, but I wonder why she stopped. Last time I talked to her she seemed like she had plenty to say about me.”

“Her last article about you was months ago and that was really weird, wasn’t it?” JJ considered.  “The one with Iris.”

Otabek looked down, suddenly intrigued in his breakfast.

“What is it?” Yuuri eyed him suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Otabek said.

Yuuri stared at him.  “If you know anything…”

“I don’t,” Otabek winced.  “But I heard Yurio saying something about her the other day…”

***

There hadn’t been many times in his almost three years at Hogwarts that Yuuri seriously considered skipping class, but this was one of them, which spoke to the severity of the situation.  Eventually, he decided against doing so, solely because he couldn’t manage to miss a single Potions class, especially when he didn’t have Viktor to catch him up.

“Morning, Katsuki,” Slughorn said jovially as he entered the classroom.  “Have a nice break?”

“Absolutely, Professor,” he replied with just enough genuineness that it would pass.  “Where’s Professor Snape?”

“He’s unfortunately feeling under the weather so he asked me to step in,” he patted Yuuri’s desk before moving on and talking with Otabek.

“Best news I’ve ever heard,” Yurio leaned across the desk between them.  “How’d your conversation go?”

“Erm...”

While he had talked with Viktor on Friday, which was now almost three days ago, Yuuri still didn’t know how they had left off.  He usually could tell when they were fighting or when they were friends, but now he wasn’t sure if Viktor had thought they were on good terms after apologizing.

“Nevermind,” Yurio said quickly.  “Don’t answer that.”

Yuuri shut his eyes, gathering his thoughts as he heard the chair slide next to him and a bag drop to the floor.

“Nikiforov!  Good to see you,” Slughorn broke off mid-conversation with an indignant looking Hufflepuff and bustled over.  In some other time, Yuuri would’ve looked up and smiled at Viktor and he would’ve nudged his knee under the table, and they would’ve laughed about Slughorn’s desperation as soon as he turned his back.

“Good to see you too, Professor,” Viktor said cheerfully, and Yuuri was struck by how, well, normal he sounded.  “Where’s Snape?”

“Sick,” he beamed.  “Asked me to step in and said I’m the second-best at Potions in the school…” He threw this in casually as if it was no big deal to him in the slightest.  “How was your winter break?”

“Ah, it was excellent,” Viktor returned his smile.  “Got to spend some quality time with my family and friends and celebrate the holidays.”

Yuuri wondered exactly, what quality time Viktor had been thinking about.

“And did the card I sent to your manor get received on time?”

Slughorn sends Viktor cards?

“Of course,” Viktor said with ease. “My family greatly appreciated the warm wishes.”

“Well,” Slughorn stood taller with pride.  “I’m always glad to support such an influential family.”

The bell rang and Slughorn sighed.

“Always cut short by time!” he said, puffing up his chest.  “I better start class.”

“Of course, sir,” Viktor said.  Yuuri had his eyes glued ahead onto Otabek’s back, but he could hear the smile in Viktor’s face and he could picture him perfectly.  Always the epitome of courtesy and perfection when he needed to be.

“Professor Snape left with me the lesson plan for today and it seems you’re all instructed to make an Elixir to Induce Euphoria with your partner and turn in a vial at the end of class.” Slughorn was met with a load of groans.  “Now, now,” he said disapprovingly. “If you need any help, I actually used to be Potions Master here at this school, even while Severus was just a boy…”

People seemed to think the prospect of Professor Snape being a kid to be very interesting, and suddenly a ramble of questions began to take place.

“Enough, enough,” Slughorn said cheerfully.  “You better all get started or Professor Snape will never ask me back.”

Yuuri grimaced, sinking his eyes into the wood of the desk in front of him.  Conversation started again as partners began to talk and grab ingredients.

Just as he was about to say something and break the silence, he saw Slughorn walking by.

“Professor,” he interjected quickly.  “I’m feeling a little ill from breakfast.  Can I step out for a minute?”

“Oh, alright,” he gave him a cheeky smile.  “I’m sure Nikiforov will be fine on his own for a few minutes.  Won’t you?”

Yuuri slipped out of the room, his heart pounding.  He could feel his whole body coursing like there was something in his veins that was choking him every time he was near Viktor.

He found a bathroom quickly and was relieved to see he was alone.  The morning sun streamed in from the tall windows and he slowed down, walking past the circle of sinks and trailing his hand on the cool stone.

As quickly as he had come, he heard footsteps and he rushed into an empty stall, shutting the door just in time.

The footsteps were slow, then they paused, and suddenly sped up.  Yuuri could barely breathe as he waited for them to pass, even though he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

BAM!

There was a stream of purple light and Yuuri jumped out of the way, pinning himself against the side of the peeling stall as the door caved inwards.

“Wh—Yurio?!”   Yuuri stepped forward, over the broken door.  “What are you doing?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Yurio crossed his arms defensively, like this was a perfectly normal thing to do.

“What spell did you—you could’ve just knocked!” Yuuri glared at the wreckage of a stall.

“Knockback Jinx,” Yurio shrugged easily. “It’s very useful.”

Yuuri could not think of a single situation where he would ever use a jinx like that, but he decided Yurio and him lived very different lives.

“You’re so much better than this,” Yurio said, exasperation edging into his voice.  “I’m honestly offended that you left.”

“What?” Yuuri struggled.  “Listen, I just needed a break to gather myself.  I’m going back soon, okay?”

“It’s so miserable,” Yurio complained.  “Everyone is upset.  You’re pathetic, Georgi’s sad, Chris feels guilty, Viktor is—well, who knows what Viktor’s feeling these days.”

“Why’s Georgi sad?” Yuuri asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.  “I thought he was all lovestruck.”

“Not anymore,” Yurio grimaced.  “They broke up.”

“They—what?” This came as a surprise to Yuuri.  If any two people were to make it together, he would’ve said Georgi and Anya in a heartbeat.  Yet he remembered how Anya had treated Thierry and he wondered if Georgi had seen glimpses of that side of her.

“Yeah,” Yurio rattled on.  “And she didn’t even do it on person.  She just wrote him this shitty letter, and gave it to him before she left.  Then he saved it to read on his birthday because he thought it was going to be some sweet love letter.  And, well…”

“Oh my God,” Yuuri said, feeling defeated.  He remembered Anya in Quidditch practice, looking crushed.  Maybe the breakup hadn’t come easy to her either.

“And Chris feels bad, obviously because he slept with Viktor,” Yurio looked Yuuri straight on with his piercing green eyes.  “So I want to clear his name. He had no idea that you guys were dating, and we all had our suspicions of course but you two kept it all hidden and denied anything, so he had no way of knowing you two were a thing.  Viktor initiated it, and he followed along for a good time. He’s not romantically into Viktor, and he feels terrible knowing that the two of you were in the middle of something as well.”

“I get that,” Yuuri said wearily.  “You can tell him I’m not mad at him.”

“He also wants you to know that you’re invited to his party, if you choose to attend.”

Yuuri stared at him blankly.

“Okay,” Yurio threw his hands up in defense.  “I promised I’d mention it.”

Yuuri slumped back.

“This is an absolute mess,” he let out finally.  “How did I end up in all of this? I should’ve just been a Ravenclaw, then I never would’ve had Potions with Viktor, and I never would’ve gone to Chris’s stupid party fourth year, and I wouldn’t have hurt Iris and I wouldn’t have had Rita Skeeter writing articles about me and...wait.”

Yurio stared blankly at him, but there was something in his body language that begged the question.

“Otabek and I were just talking about how Rita Skeeter has finally been laying off on the article, and he suggested you might know something about it.”

“Not for sure,” Yurio smirked.  “But I saw Viktor talking to her in the corridors.  It was ages ago, around November, I think. Around the time she stopped.”

“Viktor?”  Yuuri’s palms grew cold.  “What do you think he was doing?”

“Dunno,” Yurio said.  “But I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“So you think he told her something that made her stop?” Yuuri wracked his brains at what he could have said that would’ve convinced Rita Skeeter, of all people.

“Viktor has a very powerful family,” Yurio grew quiet.  “He could always threaten her, but I doubt he would take that route.  Money is more likely.”

“You think…” Yuuri swallowed, his throat dry.  “You think he offered her money to stop writing about me?”

“I’m not sure,” Yurio struck him with a look.  “But what I do know is that he cares about you.  It’s not that far fetched, whatever he did.”

Yuuri scoffed. Funny way of showing it.  But he remembered Viktor’s furious look the first time Rita had targeted him, and then how distressed he had been seeing the last article, about him and Iris.  Suddenly the prospect of Viktor quietly paying her to leave him alone didn’t seem too far off.

“And you’re wrong, by the way,” Yurio kicked at a piece of the stall door.  “You don’t really wish none of that happened, and you would’ve been an awful Ravenclaw anyway.”

Yuuri frowned.

“You think you would’ve gone through the hell that was training for Quidditch when you were that nervous?  Or how you keep going back to Viktor when it seems all you do is fight? You have a fucking heart, Yuuri. Be proud it lead you here.”

Yuuri was frozen to the spot, staring in dumb shock.  How was it that the bratty cousin of Viktor Nikiforov had laid out his constant struggle of being a Gryffindor in a few simple sentences?

“One more thing,” Yurio practically had him pinned in the spot with his intense gaze.  “You can choose what to do with this information but I think you should know that Viktor was very troubled Friday night.  He looked like a complete mess and he barely came out of his room on Saturday. So whatever you told him, you threw him off.  You’re a Gryffindor through and through, so use your backbone and don’t let him ruin this. For either of you.”

Why are you telling me this?  Yuuri wanted to ask.

But all he said was “Okay,” and that was it.

“Great,” Yurio finally uncrossed his arms.  “Also I lied. There’s two things. Number two is you’re going to help me repair this bathroom stall.”

***

“There he is, the Gryffindor Seeker himself!” Michele grinned as Yuuri pushed past a group of first years to reach him and sit down on the stands.

“Says the Hufflepuff champion,” Yuuri teased him.  “You too, Phichit.”

“Thanks for the credit,” Phichit nudged him, sitting down so he was in between them.

“I can’t believe you decided to join us for once,” Michele prodded.  “I feel honored.” Yuuri did feel a little guilty that the last time he had sat with them had been fourth year.  Between matches of his own, he had always ended up with the Slytherins, Mila, and Otabek.

Today, Slytherin was playing against Ravenclaw, and Yurio would’ve been the only person capable of convincing him to sit with them.  So he had accepted Phichit’s invitation that was extended each time.

“I’m the honored one,” Yuuri smiled.  “Trust me.”

“Now can we all agree that Ravenclaw’s going to win?” Michele asked, the Saturday afternoon sun shining on his face.  Although it was the very last day of February, the weather was still quite warm for wintertime, and Yuuri was reveling in each second of it.

“Sure,” Yuuri said.  He knew Sara had an innate talent for Quidditch and nerves of steel.  She thrived off the crowd instead of sinking backward like Yuuri did.

“I agree,” Phichit said thoughtfully.  “Yurio’s good but Sara has a sharper eye.”

“Agreed,” came a third voice and Yuuri squinted against the sun, seeing the silhouette of JJ standing to his right.  “Can I sit here?”

“Sure,” Yuuri said a little dubiously, scooting closer to Phichit to make room.

“I won’t be long,” JJ sat, stretching his legs out.  “Promise.”

“What’s up?” Yuuri inquired.  He could feel Phichit and Michele turn to leave the two of them some privacy.

“I just wanted to apologize for missing practice,” JJ said, keeping his tone light.  “I really should’ve been there the past few times.”

True enough, in addition to the first practice back from break, JJ had missed the past three and it was starting to drive Yuuko insane.

“You should really apologize to the whole team,” Yuuri shrugged.  “I’m not mad. I reckon a few people are a little pressed that you’re scheduling practices you can’t make, though.”

“About that,” JJ grimaced.  “It’s not that I can’t make it...it’s just that I don’t really have any time at all.”

“Please welcome Ravenclaw to the field!” Madam Hooch’s voice came alive and there was a loud cheer from the right.

“We’re all busy,” Yuuri said awkwardly.  “I mean, all of us are at O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. levels.”

“I know,” JJ ran a hand through his hair as Madam Hooch announced the Slytherins.  “I know. It sounds so bad to act like I’m the only one who’s busy, but between everything I’m trying to balance, I just don’t really have time for biweekly practices sometimes.”

Yet you schedule them anyways, Yuuri thought.

“I get it,” Yuuri said.  “But my point is if you want to apologize you should do it in front of all of us.”

“Ready, set, GO!” Madam Hooch yelled and there was a small chorus of cheers.

“Point taken,” JJ shrugged.  “I just thought I’d stop by. In other news, you should be at the Gryffindor common room after the match.”

“Eliot scores ten points for Slytherin!” Madam Hooch called into her wand.

“What for?” Yuuri rubbed his forehead as the cheers escalated.

“You’ll see,” JJ smiled mysteriously.  “Also what happened with you and Eliot?  She seems like a great person for you.”

Yuuri almost laughed.  Things like this reminded him of just how little JJ knew him, even if they were casual friends.

“We didn’t work out,” Yuuri said vaguely.  “It’s fine, though. We’re still friends.”

“Hm,” JJ pondered.  “Oh well. I’ll see you later, then.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said and half waved as JJ slid away in the crowd of yellow.

“What was that about?” Phichit asked immediately as JJ was out of earshot.

“He wanted to apologize for not being at practice or something,” Yuuri shrugged. “It was a bit weird.”

“What’s going on in the Gryffindor common room later?” Michele asked.  “If it’s a party, can I come?”

“No clue,” Yuuri laughed.  “I haven’t heard anything about it until now.”

“Another twenty points to Slytherin!” Madam Hooch cheered.

“So,” Phichit said under his breath, loud enough so only Yuuri could hear.  “I’m kind of surprised to see you here.”

“I don’t want to miss a Quidditch match,” Yuuri answered modestly.

“I thought you and Viktor were okay?” Phichit said, ignoring Yuuri’s excuse.  “You said you made up with him nearly two months ago.”

Yuuri’s cheeks turned pink and he frantically scrambled for an explanation.  He had only really stretched the truth a little, to put Phichit at ease. Ever since the Potions class with Slughorn, Yuuri had taken what Yurio had told him into careful consideration.  Knowing that Viktor had been off-put by what he had said to him was proof that he was not as calm as he had acted to his face.

With that knowledge in hand, Yuuri had kept his head up and returned to class with a brisk, professional attitude and Viktor reacted similarly, which ended up with them working more productively than ever.

“We’re fine,” Yuuri muttered.  “But Yurio’s playing and I usually talk to him the most.”

“And for some reason, Otabek is still with the rest of them,” Phichit said critically.

“How do you know that?” Yuuri groaned as Ravenclaw scored.

“I guessed,” Phichit allowed a smile.  “But you get all weird when you’re talking about Viktor now.  I mean you used to do that too but it was a different type of weird.  A better weird. Now it’s a stiff, sad weird.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yuuri turned his eyes back to the game, trying to very unsubtly send Phichit a message.  These days his least favorite conversation topic was Viktor.

“Ravenclaw in the lead forty to twenty!”

“Since when did they get so ahead?” Phichit frowned, looking back at the game.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be talking,” Yuuri suggested, his annoyance getting the better of him.

“But talking is my favorite thing to do,” Phichit frowned.

“Shh,” Yuuri held a finger up to his lips.  When Phichit fell silent, Yuuri was surprised at how heavily he was breathing.  He felt as if he’d just come out of Quidditch practice soaked in sweat, except this was a cold feeling covering his body.  He was very good at repressing things, yet Viktor was not something or someone he wanted to forget.

He didn’t want to be professional and friendly with Viktor.  He wanted everything to be back to normal, but he was beginning to think they never could.

It had been two months and six days and neither of them had broken yet.  And how could Yuuri? Viktor’s actions had been a harsh reminder of why Yuuri had always been protective of himself, the fear that he would dedicate himself to someone and they wouldn’t reciprocate.  Viktor had slowed, if not stopped whatever progress he had made to breaking down Yuuri’s guard.

“Eliot scores another goal for Slytherin!” Madam Hooch exclaimed.  “Just barely making it through the hoop—nice try Vesely—and now only ten behind Ravenclaw!”

“Hey! Sara’s seen the Snitch!” Michele suddenly yelled, pointing right above their heads.

Come on, Yurio, Yuuri thought, but the crowd caught attention too late and the yells didn’t give Yurio enough time to cross the pitch.

“Crispino has spotted the Snitch AND SHE MIS—SHE’S GOT IT!”

Michele leaped to his feet, clapping proudly.

Yuuri craned his head up and saw Sara sheepishly wave, the Snitch in her hand.

Then, out of everything he had thought about during the match, Yuuri felt the strongest wish that he had been with the others, just to see Mila’s reaction.

***

Yuuri wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he told the Fat Lady the password and climbed in, but it certainly hadn’t been a mass of Gryffindors and a few Ravenclaws gathered in a crowd with drinks in their hands.

“How long have him and his girlfriend been dating?” whispered a girl near the entrance.  Yuuri looked up, surprised to see that the person in the center of attention was JJ.

“Now I rule the world…” JJ’s voice came out surprisingly rich and smooth.  “And the starry sky, spreading above…”

“Since when could he sing?” Otabek had come up next to Yuuri holding a mug of butterbeer.

“I don’t know.” Yuuri was as puzzled as Otabek.  “I took a detour to grab an Ancient Runes book from the library so I guess I’m late to the party.  What exactly is going on?”

“I’m as clueless as you,” shrugged Otabek.  “Some concert of sorts that JJ put together.”

“Well I’m not complaining,” Yuuri decided as JJ kicked into the chorus of his song.  “Where’s the food?”

“By the entrance to the boys dormitory,” Otabek pointed him over.  “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. Mila was looking for you. I don’t know where she went but she was just around here.”

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Yuuri promised and made his way over to the food.  Just as he was deciding between popcorn and crisps, he heard Mila’s voice approaching.

“Hey, Yuuri.”  She was still dressed in a large green sweater and had streaks of emerald on her cheeks.  Yuuri briefly wondered if she was supporting Slytherin because of Yurio or because she didn’t want a certain someone on the other team to win.

“Hi,” Yuuri regrettably turned away from the food.  “Otabek said you wanted to tell me something?”

“I’ll NEVER GIVE IN HOW HIGH THE MOUNTAINS RISE, KEEP LOOKING AHEAD!”

“Yeah,” Mila grimaced, deliberately casting her eyes towards JJ’s direction.  “Can we step out?”

“Sure,” Yuuri said, his nerves spiking up slightly.  The sound of I look in the mirror the king looks back at me followed them into the stairwell of the boy’s dormitory.

“A bit conceited, isn’t it?” Mila laughed awkwardly.  “‘I’m the king, no one defeats me.’”

Yuuri didn’t like that Mila was being awkward.  Something had to really be wrong. Then a possibility struck Yuuri.

“You didn’t come to talk to me about the Quidditch team, did you?” he asked suspiciously.  “Because if so, you have the wrong person.”

“What do you mean?” Mila climbed up a few steps and sat down so they were about the same height.  “The Gryffindor Quidditch team? What’s going on?”

“Erm,” Yuuri dodged the question. “Nevermind.  It’s nothing.”

“Okay,” she frowned, then the idea passed.  “What I wanted to talk to you about was Viktor.”

Yuuri barely suppressed the urge to leave.

“What?” she asked.  “Your face just dropped.”

“Everyone wants to talk to me about Viktor,” he said.  “In fact, no one wants to talk about anything besides Viktor.  Phichit, Yurio, and now you.”

“Well we’re concerned,” she frowned.  “No offense but you both look terrible and you never hang out with us anymore.”

“This isn’t about me not sitting with you guys at the match, is it?” Yuuri asked.

“Well, not directly,” Mila said.  “It’s about you not ever being around us anymore.”

Yuuri shifted on his feet uncomfortably.

“I heard what happened,” she said calmly.  “That Viktor and Chris were snogging at the party and you guys had something going on.”

“It was more than snogging,” Yuuri’s mouth was bitter but strangely, he didn’t feel bitterness towards Viktor.

It was a short victory as Mila tried to hide her surprise.  Quickly, she swallowed and pushed a lock of her red hair behind her ear.

“Wow,” she said stiffly.  “And he just told you that?”

“I went to talk to him,” Yuuri said slowly.  “And he told me, yeah.”

She looked down at her knees, trying to collect her thoughts.

“I know it hurts,” she spoke softly.  “But remember that it was just sex.”

“It’s not just sex,”  Yuuri cut her off.  “If he has ‘just sex’ all the time then what was I to him? Was I anything at all?”

“What do you mean?” Mila leaned forward, looking confused.  “You guys—”

“No!” Yuuri blurted out.  “We didn’t...but…” He didn’t know how to tell Mila without giving away their few personal moments.

“Was it an on and off type of thing?” she asked, surprisingly calm.  “Never lasting long enough to tell us?”

“I—I guess you could say that,” Yuuri paused.

“I didn’t know,” she frowned. “Actually I don’t think any of us knew.  Of course we could tell that you two had something...different. When he kissed you at the end of last year, we all saw it coming.  What we didn’t expect was him coming to us on the train without you.”

Yuuri felt a sickly feeling in his stomach and more than ever, he wished he could be more mad at Viktor.

“Then this year again, you were acting so strange, but we thought you were just taking a while to get over it,” she ran a hand through her hair.  “Really, it only clicked just now. You must have been falling apart and back together over and over.”

Yuuri was silent.  He didn’t want to think about his stolen moments with Viktor, hidden up in the Room of the Requirement or bathing in St. Petersburg.

“He kissed me the same night he was with Chris,” Yuuri remarked numbly.  “It was just a few hours later. After he cut things off between us.”

“Oh.” Mila’s face crumpled halfway.  “That’s why you were so troubled.”

“After school started up again, I talked to him and he had this...mask on,” Yuuri took a deep breath.  “That’s when he basically expressed to me that he didn’t think too much of what he did and made it out to be me overreacting.”

“I see,” Mila’s voice was strained and she looked physically torn in two.

“I don’t want you to stop being friends with him or whatever,” Yuuri said quickly.  “I don’t want him to be unhappy. Just please respect my choice to stay away from him, at least for a while.”

“But he misses you!” Mila exclaimed.  “We all do, I mean,” she added quickly.

Yuuri’s heart sped up.

“We still see each other.  Potions and Arithmancy and Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“You know what I mean,” she said.  “It’s clear as day. He obviously cares.”

He didn’t act like it, Yuuri thought, kneading his hands together between the thin lining of the pockets of his robes.

“Well, he can come tell me that himself,” Yuuri said.  “I don’t want to be around someone who is so careless with my feelings.”

Mila looked like she was going to say something very impulsive, but she slowly shut her mouth and then looked up at him shyly and began to speak slowly.

“I had a massive crush on Sara my fourth year.  I could never tell if she liked me back, but she was always playfully flirting.  We sort of fell into a rhythm and every day I swore I was falling more in love with her,” Mila murmured, her eyes distant.  “I thought I had it figured out. I over-exaggerated my place in her life, always daydreaming about our future and how she would think of me or ask me out.”

Yuuri slowly slid down against the wall so he was sitting as well, a few steps below Mila so now he was the one looking up at her.

“Summer came and I never got the courage to ask her.  For some foolish reason I believed I had all the time in the world to make her mine.  I had become so caught up in my fantasy where she loved me that I forgot the truth,” Mila grimaced.  “Then the unspeakable happened. She started going out with another girl.”

Yuuri remembered his shock seeing Sara with Riley on the first day of fifth year on the train.  He had gotten caught up in Mila’s fantasy too, he realized.

“Shortly after, I went to her and told her everything.  I poured out my entire heart and it wasn’t until she told me she was happy with Riley that I realized somehow she had consumed every part of me and that without her I had nothing left,” Mila smiled wryly.  “It sounds dramatic but I went to class afterward, still in shock. Professor McGonagall was talking about something and I propped my elbow up on the desk and got my head comfortable in my hand and then I realized I had nothing to think about besides her.  That’s when it all hit.”

Yuuri wondered if he had noticed at all.

“I was understandably heartbroken.  So I sludged through that year. Every damn Quidditch match, class period, breakfast, lunch, dinner.  I saw her and Riley and it was like a stab in the gut each time.” She shook her head. “I thought it would get better but I felt like every day it hurt worse and worse.  And then, one day, I got my perfect daydream.”

“She went to talk to you after O.W.L.s,” Yuuri said slowly.  “Didn’t she?”

“How’d you know?” Mila gave him a watery smile.

Because I told her to.

“Nevermind,” she said.  “That hurt too. That the moment she broke up with this girl, simply because she was graduating, that she was coming after me, expecting me to be there ready for her and for me to forgive her like I hadn’t suffered for a year.”

Yuuri was beginning to wonder what Mila’s story had to do with Viktor and him, when Mila let out a large sigh.

“I was cruel to her,” she laughed bitterly.  “Told her that I would never want to be with her after everything she did.  Called her names. Tried to make her feel as terrible as she had made me feel.”

Oh.

“I was trying to protect myself,” Mila said softly.  “The way I saw it was that I had given my heart to Sara and she had broken it.  When she finally came to me, I thought it was too good to be true so I threw my walls up and lashed out in the only way that seemed reasonable at the time.  I know she never meant to hurt me in the first place but for me, it hurt like hell. Only now can I look back and see that she must have thought I hated her or that I didn’t care about her at all.”

Oh.

“I know Viktor hurt you badly, and he showed a complete disregard for your feelings,” she took a deep breath.  “But he’s hurting too, Yuuri. I’m not telling you this to make you go back to him. I’m telling you so that you can maybe forgive him.  Please know that he’s not the emotionless player he sometimes acts like. He cares and hurts, so much more than anyone else, only that he’s just exceptionally good at hiding it.”

Oh.

***

“The Quaffle is in the air!  Players take off in three, two, ONE!”

Yuuri burst into the air, his scarlet cloak flying behind him as he fought against the wind.  His goggles were pressing against his glasses, which were pressing against his nose, and a dull pain was already setting in.

“Already, Kuznetsov has the Quaffle and she’s headed across the field to the Hufflepuff side—PASS!—intercepted by Chulanont—but she still has the Quaffle!”

Yuuri grimaced as he leveled out, the wind whipping his hair in different directions.  Their team was more in pieces than ever, JJ showing up to an average of one practice in every four, Anya silently bitter towards Thierry, and Yuuko losing her mind over the state of the team.

To make matters worse, if there were any three members that had the greatest strife against one another, it was the three people who needed to work together the most.  Yuuko was pissed at Anya for taking her treatment of Thierry too far. Thierry was annoyed with Anya’s constant belittlement, and Anya, although she had grown much more subdued after her breakup with Georgi, was resentful towards Yuuko and Thierry.

As if to prove Yuuri’s thoughts, he saw Yuuko darting down the field with the Quaffle tucked under her arm, zooming right past Thierry who was wide open.

There was a quiet groan from the stands and Yuuri bit his lip as Yuuko flew straight into a well-aimed Bludger from one of the Hufflepuff Beaters.

The Quaffle dropped and Yuuri looked away.

“Baker has the Quaffle!  Passes to Chulanont, who passes back to Baker, and—blocked by Nishigori!”

Yuuri smiled to himself, although he was riddled with nerves.  Of all of them, Takeshi seemed the least affected by the tension in the team.  As long as he kept blocking shots, they would be alright.

“Watch out!”

Yuuri ducked instinctively and a second later Otabek passed over him, cracking the Bludger down towards the Chasers.  Without stopping, he fluidly dived down, bat in one hand.

Renewed with energy, Yuuri began to circle the pitch, trying to ignore the faces pointed up towards him.  He began to wonder if Viktor was there, watching him. Would he be critical of his performance or stay silent and pretend he didn’t exist?  Maybe he could ask Yurio after the match…

“Crispino is after something!” Madam Hooch yelled vividly. 

Spinning around, Yuuri quickly scanned the pitch, trying to see where Michele was.  He spotted the other boy going in circles, far away from Yuuri.

Almost dreadfully, Yuuri began to make his way over, keeping his eyes peeled.  Michele was acting rather strangely, and as Yuuri got closer he even felt awkward, like they were supposed to say something to one another.

“Dufort scores ten points for Gryffindor!” Madam Hooch said.

Yuuri frowned, slowly realizing that Michele was faking.  He was still circling around the same area, so Yuuri turned sharply the other way.

“Hawkes scores!” Madam Hooch exclaimed, much more enthusiastic the second time.  “Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are now even!”

“Come on, Yuuri,” JJ pulled even to him.  “See the Snitch anywhere, yet?”

“If I had, I would be after it,” Yuuri gritted his teeth and keeping his eyes straight forward.

“Okay,” JJ said, sounding surprised.  Yuuri heard the wind blowing violently against JJ as he turned and headed down.

Then, out of some built-up spite for JJ, Yuuri stopped mid-air to watch the game below him.  Anya had the Quaffle again and was heading down to the Hufflepuff hoops.

Pass!  Yuuri thought as she sped past Thierry, who the Hufflepuffs hadn’t even bothered guarding anymore, seeing as Anya wasn’t planning on sharing her victory.  Even more comically was Yuuko who was moving her Cleansweep Seven as fast as it could go after Anya, trailing her like an opposer but clearly trying to back her up.

The crowd seemed to think the whole situation was very funny, and Yuuri heard a rumble of laughter.  Even Madam Hooch was presumably so bewildered she had momentarily stopped commentating.

“It seems the Gryffindor Chasers have forgotten what it means to be a team,” she remarked and the stands exploded with laughter.

Driven by his annoyance at the Chasers, Yuuri started to move again, his eyes darting around so quickly he was afraid they might rip themselves out of their sockets.

Michele appeared to have given up on his tactic of faking and had stopped to watch the game too.  The crowd was still a mix of boos and laughs, and Yuuri risked a glance down to see a Phichit sink the Quaffle into the middle ring, a foot away from Takeshi’s fingers.

“HUFFLEPUFF TAKES THE LEAD!” Madam Hooch yelled, clearly moving on from the Gryffindor comment.  Unfortunately, she was the only one, and Yuuri could still hear the bustle of amused voices below.

“Ow!”

A Bludger flew straight into Yuuri’s back and he nearly flew off his broom at the intensity of the impact.

“Sorry!” Otabek’s face was white as he nearly slipped off his own broom whacking the Bludger away.

“It’s okay,” Yuuri called back, his heart still racing.  He blinked, his vision blurry from the tears that gathered at the edge of his eyes without even thinking.  His vision closed for a second, then cleared, and there on the opposite side of the field, glittering in all its glory, was the golden Snitch.

Yuuri forgot about all strategy and subtlety.  He took off faster than before, pressed against his broom and sped straight across.

“Hawkes scores again, bringing the score up to thirty versus ten!”

Yuuri didn’t even see Michele in his peripheral vision, and he didn’t stop to look.  As he got closer and closer, he heard a few cries, but Madam Hooch was still preoccupied.

“I’m not exactly sure what Dufort is trying to do, seeing as he’s going backward—yes, those are the Gryffindor hoops.”

With a satisfying slam, Yuuri scooped the Snitch easily into his glove and tuned out the screams and cheers.

Except that they didn’t come.

He opened his eyes and saw Michele barreling towards him, and then he looked down to where Thierry was trying to turn around and go the other way, blocked by the Hufflepuff Chasers and one Beater.

Anya had stopped, her broom pointed at Thierry.  Yuuko was at the Gryffindor hoops next to Takeshi.

Suddenly feeling very awkward, Yuuri began to descend, now holding the Snitch against his broom.

“Yuuri!” JJ called.  “What are you doing?”

“I caught the Snitch,” Yuuri said, bewildered.  He held it up and JJ’s jaw dropped.

“You—”

He never heard what he did, because the crowd finally caught on and the cheers came.  The delay made them sound muted, far away.

***

The Gryffindor locker room was so quiet that any outsider would’ve thought they had just suffered a season’s loss.  Noticeably, they were at one member less than usual. JJ, of course, had left early, mumbling his excuses and giving his lame congratulations and ‘good work’ to the team.

Yuuko was the first to speak after that.

“That was a really good shot,” she cleared her throat, tapping her boot against the floor as she tied it.  “Thierry.”

There was a beat.

“Yeah,” Anya said in a strained voice.

Another beat.

Thierry set his broomstick down.

“Thanks, guys,” he said gruffly.

Yuuri could barely breathe, and yet as he took a hesitant breath, he felt the air flooding his lungs like the suffocating tension had been dropped a few notches.

It wasn’t much, he decided, but it was a start.  Later, he would wonder why and when he had begun to feel such a responsibility for everyone on the team.

“We won the match,” Otabek said blandly.  “We should all feel good about how we did today.”

Yuuko looked like she wanted to object, and she shared an unspoken look with Takeshi.

“If we want to win the Cup, we’ll have to win the last match by a lot,” she thought out carefully.  “The best thing that we can do is try and get everyone to attend the practices and work more as a team.  I’ve been at this school for almost a full seven years and I’ve never seen Hooch so disappointed.”

“It’s not just the Chasers,” Takeshi added.  “The three of you have the obvious part. But Otabek and JJ have to defend all of us, and we all need to support Yuuri to make sure when he catches the Snitch we’ll still win.  All of us need to do our part.”

“Maybe we should go back to practices three times a week,” Anya said quietly.  “I think we were all slacking because JJ wasn’t holding us accountable.”

“That’s a good idea,” Yuuko agreed, her voice only wavering at the end.

“I’m just wondering,” Thierry spoke, catching the attention of everyone.  “When I came here and joined the team, everyone had such an unconditional positive regard for JJ.  Something’s changed. I don’t think I’ve gotten to know the same person that you guys did. What happened?”

Yuuri wanted to answer, but he felt his brain grasping for an answer.  Eventually, it was Yuuko who set her face straight and looked him in the eye.

“He fell in love,” she said.  “That’s what happened.”

Chapter Text

April began on a rainy Monday, leaving a little more than half of the Potions class asleep with their heads on their desks.

“You will get your tests back shortly,” Professor Snape began the class coldly.  “If they were an indication of how well you’ll be doing on your N.E.W.T. exams in two months, then this year will be the record low of how many students pass Potions.”

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  Not being friends with Viktor was taking a toll on his Potions marks.  He thought he had pulled the test off alright, but Professor Snape had always been a tough grader.

“Today you will be making Amortentia with your partners,” he said, beady eyes drilling ahead.  “Someone tell me what Amortentia is. Plisetsky!”

His commanding tone rang in the air and Yuuri saw Otabek kick Yurio in the leg.  Yurio’s head shot up from the table.

“What?” he asked, his voice groggy.

“I asked,” Professor Snape walked forward and leaned over him, “what Amortentia is.”

“Love potion,” Yurio said quickly.  “The most powerful love potion there is.  Except it creates dangerous infatuation rather than love.”

“I see,” Professor Snape’s upper lip curled.  “Is that all?”

“It smells like what each person desires most in the world,” Yurio squared his shoulders, eyes still blinking from his short-lived nap.  “Amortentia is most identifiable by its mother of pearl sheen and spiral steam.”

“And how long does the potion take to make?” Professor Snape looked particularly insulted that Yurio had known how to answer his question.

“The ingredients can be put together in half an hour to an hour, but the potion has to sit for months before it becomes ready.” Yurio returned Professor Snape’s sinister smile.

“Correct,” Professor Snape turned away bitterly and began to pace up and down the rows of the room.  “You will have half an hour to make the potion. You and your partner will each submit a vial and the rest of the potion will be destroyed to ensure none of you get your hands on it.”

Yuuri saw two girls exchange regretful looks and he made a mental note to never get too close to them.

“I’ll be passing back tests while you work,” he announced, grabbing the stack of parchment at the head of the room.  “Your time starts now.”

Yuuri turned and looked at Viktor, the kind of look that he had gotten exceptionally good at doing over the past three months.  The look that avoided all eye contact, unfocusing his eyes just the slightest so he didn’t have to see the painful details of his face that he knew all too well.

“I’ll get the ingredients,” Yuuri said stiffly.  That was their routine. He got the ingredients and Viktor crushed and chopped and added, then Yuuri would stir.

He headed over to the storeroom and grabbed multiple jars of ingredients, feeling Yurio brush by him incidentally.

“Good luck with your potion,” Yurio smirked, taking a jar with rose thorns in it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yuuri said.

“I’m just saying good luck,” Yurio shrugged modestly, hiding his expression.  “No need to get pushy.”

“Whatever,” Yuuri replied, irritated.  He pushed his way out of the small room and sat back down next to Viktor, sliding the ingredients across the desk.

“Katsuki,” Professor Snape commented as he laid his test down in front of him and moved on, his long black robes breezing past Yuuri.

Gulping, Yuuri turned up the right corner of the paper.  A rush of relief came over him when he saw the Acceptable in the corner.  He had passed. Barely, but he had passed and that was all that mattered at the moment.

“You didn’t fail, did you?” Viktor’s voice broke the air.

“What?” Yuuri said, bewildered.  His conversations with Viktor had become few.  Knowing what he knew from Yurio and Mila, it was hard to believe that Viktor really cared about him at all anymore.  He wasn’t outright rude, but he was so distant as if they had never known each other at all.

“Your face went white when you saw your score,” Viktor said, starting to grind a chunk of unicorn horn against the table into a bowl.

Why were you looking at me?  Yuuri thought, but instead he said: 

“So what if I did?”

“Only curious,” Viktor remarked in an insufferably careless tone.

Yuuri felt like kicking something.

“Can you add the rose thorns and porcupine quills?” Viktor asked, still busy with the unicorn horn.

“Yeah,” Yuuri muttered, dumping the jar of rose thorns in and then selecting six porcupine quills and placing them in afterward.  He double-checked the instructions then stirred four times counterclockwise.

They worked in silence as the cauldron bubbled for a few minutes.  The moment the concoction turned lavender, Yuuri added a fresh sprig of peppermint and watched in satisfaction as the potion faded back to white.

“Here are the pearls,” Viktor said, sliding the tray of crushed pearls over.

“Can I have some pearls, Viktor?” One of the Hufflepuff girls who’d looked severely disappointed when Professor Snape said they wouldn’t get to keep the potions passed by their table, looking very awake and excited.

“We’re out,” Viktor gave her a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.  “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” she giggled and ran back to her table.

Yuuri got a little flash of satisfaction that Viktor had shut down her hopes, before somberly reminding himself that Viktor might as well have been friendlier to her than he was to him.

He tried to wipe the hostile look off of his face and turned back to the potion, watching as Viktor dumped the crushed unicorn horn in.

“Want to stir?” Viktor handed the spoon over to Yuuri, their fingers brushing.  He hoped his face didn’t show, and he stirred six times counterclockwise, ever so careful to make sure the potion didn’t splash.

“I think that’s good,” Yuuri said finally, pulling away and watching in admiration as the steam rose in spirals.

They worked silently, taking a vial each of the potion.

“Done already?” Professor Snape stood over their potion, looking at it critically before taking their vials.  “I hope you both feel confident. There’ll be a test next class on multiple potions we’ve made so far this year, along with a few we haven’t.  I trust you’ve both read the entirety of Advanced Potion Making by this time in the year.”

Yuuri had to stop himself from gaping and he almost asked if he was serious.  Most of their class time had been spent preparing for the few days they made potions, and even the ones they had made were a fraction of the large textbook.

“Of course,” Viktor said, making Yuuri sink lower into his seat.  Had he missed some kind of instruction at the beginning of the year?

“And you, Katsuki?” Professor Snape gave him a particularly cruel look.  “With your performance on the last test, you’ll need a lot of work to pass this time.”

Yuuri’s cheeks burned and his stomach sank.  Suddenly, his A didn’t seem passable at all.  Since when did he achieve the bare minimum?

“You two can leave as soon as you’ve cleaned up,” Professor Snape finished, seeming satisfied with the turmoil he’d created.

Yuuri stared blankly at his textbook in front of him, shame creeping up on him.  How would he be able to read and understand the entire textbook in two days? Surely, Professor Snape would understand if he asked for an extension…

“Aren’t you going to smell our potion before I clean it up?” Viktor cut into his thoughts.  “It’s not every day you get a vat of Amortentia sitting in front of you.”

“Erm,” Yuuri tried to clear his head but it was swimming with his eventual defeat.  He would just take one bad mark, he decided. There was nothing he could do. “No. I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Viktor looked like he was going to protest, and maybe in a different time he would have, but his tone was clipped and he pointed his wand at the cauldron.  “Tergeo.”   The potion vanished and Viktor started to wipe the remnants of powdered unicorn horn off the desk.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said suddenly, his head screaming at him to stop but his mouth moving on its own accord.  “Please help me study for the test.”

“What?” Viktor blurted out, eyes surprised.

“I’m going to fail.” The words flew out of Yuuri’s mouth desperately.

“Alright,” Viktor replied, the word so simple yet tangled in an intangible mess.

“Alright?” Yuuri repeated, barely believing what was happening.  Months of silence and spite and all he had to do was ask?

“Tomorrow after class,” Viktor said easily, getting up from his chair and throwing his bag over his shoulder.  “See you.”

Yuuri watched in disbelief as Viktor walked out of the room like nothing had happened.  It only occurred to him that Viktor hadn’t even told him where to meet. He knew, though.

As Yuuri pushed his chair back and stood up, he took a lingering glance at the empty cauldron.  He had lied to Viktor, earlier. He had taken a curious sniff of the potion when he had finished stirring it.

He hadn’t smelled anything.

***

“He asked me out!” Iris barreled into the room.  “He asked me out!”

Yuuri blinked, trying to process her words.  “Wait, Thierry? Asked you out?”

“Yes!” Her smile grew even larger, which Yuuri didn’t know was possible.  “I was just talking with him on the way here and he leaned in really close and asked if I was busy this weekend.  Then I told him no and he said we should go to Hogsmeade together! This weekend!”

“That’s, erm, great,” Yuuri was finding it hard to match her enthusiasm.  If only he wasn’t so nervous about later...“Where are you going?”

“I’m not sure yet,” she grinned.  “But I’m excited either way. I never really thought he’d like me, honestly.  I mean, he’s all French and he’s really good at Quidditch, and he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  You know?”

And somehow, he knew.

***

A knock away, Yuuri stopped to take a long breath and calm his heart from racing.  It’s just Viktor, he tried to tell himself, you’ve seen him a thousand times before.  But there was no such thing as just Viktor.  The last time they had been in the Room of Requirement together had been a long four months ago.

There was no point in waiting, he decided before leaving a short knock and opening the door.  Viktor was hunched up over the desk, scribbling something so intensely that he didn’t look up when Yuuri entered.  It was only when Yuuri got close enough to read what he was writing that Viktor noticed him.

“Sorry,” Viktor hastily folded the paper before Yuuri could pick up a word and shoved it into his bag.

“It’s okay,” Yuuri replied softly, taking a seat across from him.

There was a pause as Viktor screwed on the cap to his inkpot, his fingers smudged.

“So what do you need?” Viktor asked briskly, giving him a full look.  And although it was the first look, eye to eye, that they’d shared in so long, Yuuri would be lying if he said he forgot what Viktor looked like.

“I need help with Potions,” Yuuri began uncertainly.  “All of it. Whatever I need to know for next class. I pored through the book last night and there was too much.  I think I know Amortentia, Draught of Living Death, Everlasting Elixirs and the Hiccoughing Solution...all those we did in class,” Yuuri took a deep breath, trying to stop his voice from tripping over itself.  “But there are so many other potions, and I have no clue which ones to study.”

He slipped a peek at Viktor, ashamed at how easily he was falling back into things.  You’re not friends, he told himself furiously.

To some extent, Viktor looked very uneasy about something too, and Yuuri tried to remind himself of what Mila and Yurio had told him.  That Viktor cared. Maybe that had dissipated since then, but he had nothing to lose.

“The first thing you should know is that Snape wouldn’t ever just put random potions on a test,” Viktor said.  “There’s several that he’s brought up in class more than once, probably his way of dropping clues. Since you have limited time, I’d focus on Felix Felicis and Veritaserum.  Those are what he’ll include on the test.”

“How can you be so sure?” Yuuri wondered.  “Don’t you think he’d throw in some random potion that wasn’t even in the book just to make us all fail?”

Viktor laughed.

He actually laughed.

Yuuri’s heart contracted.

“That was a serious question,” he added, not daring to smile.

“As cruel as he seems, he’s a fair person,” Viktor acknowledged, sobering up.  “If you think about it, he probably doesn’t want half his class failing, or it’ll reflect badly on his teaching.  He genuinely wants us to do well, I reckon. If he puts something on one of the tests, it’s to prepare us for N.E.W.T.s.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Yuuri frowned.

“Well, if you must know,” Viktor shrugged.  “I’m not really sure. What I am sure about, though, is that I’m your only chance, and I’m also staggeringly good at Potions, so you should listen to me.”

Fair enough.

“Felix Felicis is a luck potion, right?” Yuuri recalled.  “That’s about all I know.”

“Molten gold color, invented by Zygmunt Budge, includes an Ashwinder egg, squill bulb, Murtlap tentacle, tincture of thyme, and…” Viktor’s eyebrows creased.  “Occamy eggshells. And powdered common rue, although crushed provides for a more pleasant taste.”

“Say that again?” Yuuri dug in his bag for a quill, his head spinning.

“Definitely know Zygmunt Budge made it,” Viktor considered thoughtfully.  “He was an important wizard. Occamy eggshells and the squill bulb are the most recognizable ingredients. Focus on those the most.”

Yuuri scrambled down the notes, feeling Viktor’s heavy gaze on him.

“Do you think he lived a perfect life?” The words flew out of Yuuri’s mouth without thinking.

“Zygmunt Budge?” The corner of his mouth twitched.  “Perhaps. Most likely not, though. I assume if you used liquid luck every day, you’d lose your purpose in life.  If everything’s going perfectly, then there’s no point in trying.”

“What would you do?” asked Yuuri.  “On your perfect day?”

“Hmm,” Viktor’s lips played at a smile.  “Eat a really nice breakfast. Maybe play some Quidditch.  Walk Makka. Nothing extravagant, I don’t think. I already have almost everything I need.  What about you?”

“I don’t know,” Yuuri said.  “Nothing extravagant either, though.  I’d just want the sun to be out and for it to be warm.”

“If that’s all you desire, then you must be pretty happy,” Viktor said.

Except he wasn’t.  The idea seemed alien at the moment because Yuuri had just been smiling a second ago and it was rushing back to him why he wasn’t supposed to be happy.

“What’s wrong?” Viktor leaned closer across the table, his movements tentative.

“I…” Yuuri swallowed roughly.  His throat stung. “I miss us being friends.”

Viktor jolted back and Yuuri’s stomach whirled.

“Oh,” Viktor said.  “I mean, I do too.”

Yuuri’s fingers itched to pull his robe tighter across his chest, paranoid Viktor could see his heart pounding wildly.

“We could…study more,” Viktor suggested unevenly.  “I mean, N.E.W.T.s are very important…”

Breathe out.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said slowly.  “I guess they are.”

He met Viktor’s eyes, mirroring his shaky smile.

And at last, he didn’t look away.

***

“Miss Babicheva, your eyebrows are still sky blue,” Professor McGonagall said crisply as they made their way back to their seats.

“Oh!” Mila grabbed her wand and pointed it at her head, clearly flustered.  “Crinus Muto!”

“For the next class, I’d like you all to return feeling confident about the spell we worked on today.” Professor McGonagall turned to the board to check the agenda.  “That’s all.”

As if she had planned it, the bell sounded just a second later and Yuuri got up from his seat.

“Are you headed to lunch?” Sara asked, and at first, Yuuri thought she was talking to him.  But when he followed her gaze, he saw she was looking at Mila.

“I have to make up a Divination test,” Mila gave an apologetic smile.  “I’ll see you in Charms later, though.”

“Okay, see you then,” Sara returned her smile and bounced out of the room.

“What was that all about?” Yuuri said, and Mila motioned for him to walk with her.

“What do you mean?” Mila smirked.

“You and Sara,” Yuuri rolled his eyes, knowing full well Mila just wanted him to say it out loud.

“We’re giving each other a chance,” Mila beamed.  “Taking it slow.”

“That’s great,” Yuuri smiled.  “You look happier.”

Mila blushed and drew to a stop at the stairs.  “Thanks. But one more thing, before I go. The Slytherin and Hufflepuff game is coming up soon.  You’re going to be there, right?”

“Er.” The game had been a bit of an issue in Yuuri’s mind.  Because Hufflepuff was playing, he wouldn’t be able to sit with Michele and Phichit.  Truly, his friendship with Viktor had improved, but they were nowhere near the same level of comfort they used to have.  Their conversation remained strictly on Potions and occasionally other classes, or Quidditch if they were feeling particularly conversational.

“Yuuri,”   she rolled her eyes.  “We are not repeating this again.  Come on.”

“Repeating what?” he played dumb.

“You not hanging out with us just because you and Viktor are having problems,” she looked at him sternly.  “I’m insulted that one person is keeping you away from our whole group.”

“I’ll go,” Yuuri compromised.  “But I can leave whenever I want, and you’re not going to make a big deal out of it.”

Mila drew her eyebrows together and nodded.

“Deal.”

***

“It’s fine,” Mila pushed her way through the crowd.  “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri muttered, strongly considering accidentally getting lost in the mess of people.

“You don’t even have to look at him,” she said, slowing as they reached the top of the stands.  “I’ll sit in between so that you’re on the end.”

“Okay,” Yuuri swallowed, wondering why he had agreed with Mila and whether it was too late to turn back.

“Hi, guys!” Mila greeted, unusually enthusiastic to see people she had seen almost every day of her life for years.

“Hey,” Chris said suspiciously, until his green eyes connected with Yuuri.  Whether he had tried to hide his surprise or not, his eyes widened. “Er, hey Yuuri.”

Yuuri forced a smile that he hoped didn’t look fake.

“We were just talking about how crazy it is that the year’s almost over,” Mila prompted and Yuuri gave her a blank stare as they sat down.  He tried not to notice Viktor who was on the other side of her. Of course.

“Only one more match after this,” Otabek said helpfully.  “And N.E.W.T. midterms are in a month.”

“I don’t know about all of you, but I’m excited for the year to end, even if it means we have to sit through some exams,” Mila shrugged.  “They’re only to help our professors see what they need to teach more of next year.”

“Agreed,” Chris said.  “Summer’s going to be bloody amazing.   I forgot what it feels like to not have any work to do.”

“What’s your hardest class?” Mila nudged Yuuri’s knee, prompting him to speak, then shot him a dirty look when Chris spoke instead.

“Transfiguration,” he said.  “Barely scraped an E last year and I was sure I failed my O.W.L.s.”

“Definitely Potions for me,” Otabek sighed.  “I swear Professor Snape gets more outrageous each day.”

“Me too,” Yuuri said, wincing in relief as Mila finally stopped pushing against his knee.  “Potions is rough.”

“And you, Viktor?” Mila grinned, anticipating his response.  “Nothing?”

“Hmm,” Viktor gave her what appeared to be a rare smile.  “Maybe Herbology.”

Later, Yuuri would remember that Viktor smiling was not a rare occurrence.  He just wasn’t around enough to see it as often as he used to.

“Oh that’s a tough one for sure,” Chris grinned and Yuuri felt a flash of jealousy before he reminded himself that he was being incredibly irrational.

“Ooh, they’re getting ready!” Mila pointed at the field.  “Yurio looks so cute!”

Yuuri was thankful for an excuse to look somewhere else besides the space between Viktor and Chris.

“You reckon Slytherin’ll win?” Chris squinted across the field as Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle up and blew her ear-splitting whistle.

“Probably,” Otabek had his eyes glued to the game long enough to see a Slytherin Chaser flying backward ram into a Bludger.  “Or maybe not.”

“Excuse me, Yuuri,” Mila said sweetly.  “I see Sara over there, I need to go talk to her.”

“Er, okay,” Yuuri tried to figure out what she was up to, but slid his legs to the side, pointing away from Viktor to let her past.  There was now a cold space between them.

There’s no need for this to be weird, he told himself. You talk enough in Potions now.

“Ten points to Slytherin!”

“So,” Chris leaned in across Viktor’s lap.  “Do you know if she’s actually seeing Sara?”
Yuuri was surprised Mila hadn’t shared the news, but she figured she’d be coming back with her so there was no point in being secretive.

“She told me they were,” he shrugged, trying to act casual.  He was having a very hard time not seeing Viktor’s hands all over Chris.  He was quite handsome, he figured. He had clear green eyes and a structured face and—

“Really?”

This time, it was Viktor who turned to Yuuri, his lips curved in a slight smile.

“They were going to walk to lunch together after Transfiguration,” Yuuri said.  “Mila had to do something, but yeah, they’re definitely talking again.”

“That’s good,” Chris’s eyes darted between them.  “Why are you sitting so far apart?”

“Mila’s—”

“Right here.”

Yuuri turned to see Mila standing with Sara next to her.

“Scoot over, Yuuri,” she gave him a triumphant grin.

Yuuri shot her a hideous look, moving slightly closer to Viktor, hyper-aware of the space between them.

“More,” Mila slid next to him.  “Or are you gonna make Sara sit half off the seat?”

“Of course not,” Yuuri said through gritted teeth, making sure to throw a nasty glare at her while she smiled serenely, a knowing look in her eye.  His and Viktor’s thighs were now touching and—

“Your girlfriend just scored,” Chris remarked very unhelpfully.

“We broke up over a year ago,” Yuuri replied.  “But thanks.”

Viktor let out a loud cough and Chris seemed to get the message, dropping the topic.

“Your friend just scored, Yuuri.”

This time, at least, he was right.  Phichit had just made an impressive shot into the middle of the Slytherin hoop and Madam Hooch seemed very pleased.

“CHULANONT SCORES!  HUFFLEPUFF IS NOW TIED WITH SLYTHERIN!”

“Are you nervous about the last match?” Viktor asked, quiet enough so it was only directed at Yuuri.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said cautiously.  He hadn’t expected Viktor to make conversation unless absolutely necessary.  “I mean, I always am.”

“Well,” Viktor offered him a shy smile.  “There’ll be plenty of people cheering you on.  Including me.”

Yuuri didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling him that more people hoping he’d do well just made him more stressed out rather than less, so he stayed silent and hoped he could communicate his thanks by an appreciative look.

It was meant to be a simple, quick smile, but Yuuri got caught up.

He had beautiful eyes.

“Ooh, look!”

Yuuri ripped himself away from the gaze and turned up to the sky where Sara was pointing.

“I think Mickey’s seen the Snitch!”

Mila rolled her eyes over at the rest of them; clearly, she and Sara didn’t agree on Quidditch teams.

“Yes!” Sara jumped up, clapping enthusiastically and Yuuri didn’t need to look up to hear the reluctant cheers and know the game was over.

Mila had turned back to her with an adoring gaze, this time, all differences forgotten.

***

“Yuuri,” Phichit paused.  Whether it was to take a bite of his sandwich or create a dramatic effect, Yuuri wasn’t sure.  “How many times have I helped you with one of your problems?”

“Er, a lot,” he admitted.

“And Michele?” Phichit swiveled around on the wooden bench of the kitchens.  “How many times have I helped you with one of your problems?”

“A lot,” Michele cocked his head.

“I think you see my point then,” Phichit slapped his hand on the table while Michele and Yuuri exchanged an amused look.

“What exactly was your point?” Michele was the one to ask.

“Hogwarts most certainly needs a counselor,” Phichit said.  “And I’m going to be the very first one.”

“You’re going to—?” Yuuri blinked.  “Oh.”

“Oh,” Michele echoed.  “Wow. That’s actually brilliant.”

“I couldn’t think of anything better for you,” Yuuri said earnestly and Phichit beamed.

“Really?”

“Agreed,” Michele said.  “You have a talent for getting people.  And you’re fair when you make suggestions.  I hate it in the moment when you don’t side with me right away, but it makes sense later on.  I reckon a lot of other people could benefit from that.”

Phichit’s smile grew and he clasped his hands together excitedly.

“I have to say,” Yuuri said.  “I always thought you were going to do something with Divination.  Become a Prophet or whatever. You were always so into that class. Back when I took it, at least.”

A wistful smile played on Phichit’s lips.  “I liked the idea of it, but each year that passed, something felt more and more wrong.  I realized it was Professor Trelawney.”

“Of course,” Michele snorted.

“She always used her predictions to tell people of distant threats, and scare or excite them about what their future would hold.”

“More scaring than exciting,” Yuuri said, thinking of Mila.

“Exactly,” Phichit shrugged.  “I don’t know, it’s still a cool class.  Everyone always talks so much about not living in the past, but I’ve found that there’s no point worrying about the future so much either.  If you spend your whole life thinking about what’s to come, you’ll never reach what you’ve been waiting for. So I’d rather work with people in the present, so that they can enjoy their life to the fullest.”

“Hold on,” Michele ducked and rummaged through his bag, pulling out a corner of a Charms paper, and a quill that he drowned in ink.  “Let me write that down. Say it again, Chulanont.”

“Oh,” Phichit smiled.  “Er. There’s no point in worrying so much about the future. If you spend your whole life thinking about what’s to come, you’ll never get to what you’ve been waiting for.”

***

“Big day, eh?” JJ was bouncing on the soles of his feet, peering over the line to the door to Professor McGonagall’s office.

“Yeah,” Yuuri had his arms crossed, out of nervousness rather than hostility, and he, too, was jittering around.  “What are you planning on saying to her?”

“I don’t know,” JJ said in a strained voice, as if he truly did not know.

The door flew open, and Mila strolled out, everyone’s now-silent eyes on her.

“She asked for Yuuri next,” Mila said simply, causing a rush of people to either tense or sigh in relief.

“Good luck,” JJ mumbled as Yuuri walked up to the door.

“You look as pale as a ghost,” Mila grabbed his wrist.  “You’ll be fine. Seriously.”

Yuuri shot her what he hoped was a grateful smile, then took a few cautious steps into Professor McGonagall’s office.  The door swung shut behind him, as the professor turned around in one of the two armchairs facing the fire.

Flashing back to him and Viktor leaving for Russia, Yuuri wondered if Professor McGonagall knew they weren’t talking anymore.  She hadn’t even known they were friends in the first place, but perhaps she had noticed.

“Have a seat, Katsuki,” she took a sip of tea and bent down to pick up a stack of parchment as Yuuri lowered himself into the armchair opposite of her, gripping his own hands together tightly.  “Let’s start with a simple question. What are your plans after you graduate from Hogwarts?”

“Well,” Yuuri swallowed.  He hoped she was joking about the simple part.  “I was hoping for a job at the Ministry. Something secure.  My top picks would be the Department of Magical Games and Sports, but I’m also interested in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, or the Ministry of Magic Research Committee.”

The Department of International Magical Cooperation was a bit of a stretch, although Yuuri decided to include it anyway.  He wasn’t sure how much he would enjoy the job, but he was basically guaranteed a position because he was bilingual.

Professor McGonagall peered through the top of her glasses and then looked back down at the parchment in her lap.  Yuuri wondered if she could tell he was holding his breath.

“You wish to remain in Great Britain, then?”

“Yes,” Yuuri replied.  He had put some thought to it, although he had no particular reason to go back to Japan.  He had built a home elsewhere.

“Your marks look excellent,” she said calmly.  “I must admit I was very pleased with your O.W.L.s.  Five Outstandings, four Exceeds Expectations, and one Acceptable, although that was in Divination, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think you were the problem there.”

“Oh,” Yuuri felt like he was going to faint.  “Thank you, Professor.”

“Alright,” she said briskly, flipping through the parchment.  “Rest assured, you won’t have a problem getting a position in any of those departments.  Most likely you’ll get a starting position, but that’s to be expected. I’ll put your name in for those departments and let you know as soon as offers come up next year.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Yuuri repeated, slowly taking in a breath.

“Why don’t you grab Leroy for me?” she pushed her glasses up and her nose wrinkled.  “I think we’ll be having a nice, long chat.”

“Erm,” Yuuri got up.  “Yeah.”

He swore he heard her mutter something about the responsibility of leadership under her breath as he reached the door.

“One more thing, Katsuki.”  She didn’t turn, so all Yuuri could see was the back of her chair and the silhouette of her tightly pulled bun against the burn of the fireplace as she said: “Please beat Ravenclaw next week.”

***

“We’re going to beat Ravenclaw,” JJ said boldly.

“What?” Anya’s voice was muffled as she slipped on her body guard.

“I said,”  JJ hopped up on the locker room bench, something that had been a bit of a forgotten tradition.  “We’re going to beat Ravenclaw.”

“Oh,” Anya slipped on her goggles.  “I guess we are.”

“Where’s your spirit?” JJ asked.  “Can I get some enthusiasm from anyone?  Takeshi? Yuuri?”

Yuuri pulled his weight off of his broom and tried to focus.

“Erm, yeah, if we all do our best…” Yuuri swallowed. “Er, Ravenclaw won’t stand a chance.”

“Hmph,” JJ plopped down on the bench.

One year ago, with a difference of a few days, of course, Viktor had kissed him.  He’d caught the Snitch and Viktor had come running down the field and knocked him over and he had been so surprised that if not for the constant buzz of gossip, he would have thought he imagined it.

Yuuri wondered if Viktor was in the audience, surrounded by Chris and Mila and Georgi and Yurio.  If he was thinking about him as well, whether it was regret or longing or something else. He wasn’t sure which he preferred.

“It’s fine, JJ,” Yuuko said calmly.  “Yuuri’s right. We all just need to do what we do each time, which is focus and work together.  Whatever happens will be okay.”

“Okay,” JJ got up, pacing back and forth. “Okay. So Anya, Yuuko, Thierry, you all know to pass to one another.  We worked on that in practice.”

“More like they did,” Otabek muttered under his breath from next to Yuuri.

“Of course,” Thierry replied seriously.

“Takeshi, you just—” JJ smiled, “just keep doing what you’ve been doing for the past five years.”

“Got it,” Takeshi shared a private smile with Yuuko.  “It’s our last match, so I’m prepared to give it all.”

“Yuuri, remember that you can’t get the Snitch until we’ve got sixty points,” JJ told him firmly.  “Even if it’s right in front of you. That’s the only way we can win.”

“You know we could just as easily lose,” Yuuri said nervously.  He didn’t like the idea of holding out on getting the Snitch. “Wouldn’t you rather get second place than third?”

“Go big or go home, Katsuki.  Otabek, you and I just need to…” JJ’s face twisted.

“Keep Bludgers away from our team and towards the other team?” Otabek suggested.

Before JJ could give his approval, the door opened and there was Professor McGonagall standing in front of them.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” JJ strode forward confidently and swung a leg over his broom.

Yuuri gulped as he heard the crowd’s cheers heighten, spotting streaks of blue fly out of the opposite side of the pitch.

“Please welcome the GRYFFINDORS!” Madam Hooch bellowed.  JJ took one last look back at them and then kicked off. A second later, Otabek followed, then Anya and Thierry and Yuuko, then Takeshi.

And then it was just Yuuri and Professor McGonagall and he didn’t dare look at her face as he mounted his broom and took off.

“Welcome everyone to the sixth and last Quidditch match of the year!” Madam Hooch bellowed, directly below Yuuri.  “This match will determine the winners of the INTER-HOUSE QUIDDITCH CUP!”

“The current standings are Slytherin in last place with 140 points, Gryffindor with 190, Ravenclaw at 210 points and Hufflepuff winning with 400!” Madam Hooch used her wand to roll up the scroll of parchment with the scores and turned to the case of balls.  The Bludgers and Snitch had already been released, leaving only the Quaffle.

“The match will start in three…” Madam Hooch bent down, unbuckling the strap.  Yuuri gripped his broom even tighter, looking up at the dizzying, untouchable blue sky.

If he hadn’t won last year, he wondered if Viktor still would’ve kissed him.  He’d probably wait, he decided. Maybe he would’ve waited to see him afterward, or he would’ve told him to go to the Room of Requirement and kissed him there.  Maybe then, they’d have time to talk and Yuuri wouldn’t have had the time to think of all the stupid reasons they wouldn’t work together. Maybe then, things would be different.

“GO!” The Quaffle flew into the air and Yuuri pulled his broom backward in surprise.  He really had to stop spacing out when the whole school was watching his every move, he noted to himself, flying higher up and as far from the Chasers as possible.

Sara was just a little behind him and Yuuri wondered who Mila was cheering for.  They had certainly grown closer over the year and Mila herself was a Gryffindor, but she was also utterly in love with Sara.

“Ravenclaw starts with the Quaffle, Kolar passes to Zaal and—INTERCEPTED by Duf—Zaal keeps the Quaffle!”

Yuuri bit his lip and scanned the field below.  Thierry was rubbing his arm as he sped back after them.  At least their team effort had improved, he supposed.

“Zaal shoots and scores!” The stands exploded and Yuuri was taken aback by how loud they were.  Unlike the previous matches, he wasn’t really sure where the students stood on who they wanted to win.  It only occurred to him then that Gryffindor had won the past two final matches, and they probably weren’t the crowd’s favorite.

“Come on, Takeshi,” Yuuri muttered.  He swiveled around to make sure Sara wasn’t near him, and spotted her on the opposite side of the field.  To his relief, she too was hovering and watching the game, probably waiting for Ravenclaw to get to a certain score as well.

“And Ravenclaw has the Quaffle again!” Madam Hooch said fervently into her wand. “Heading down the field, Laird SCORES!”

Yuuri’s guess was right.  The cheers outnumbered the Gryffindors.

“Kuznetsov now has the Quaffle, she manages to dodge Kolar and she’s on her way to the Ravenclaw side!” Madam Hooch announced.

Yuuri leaned forward on his broom, trying to see Anya closer without moving from his position in the sky.

“Bludger!” JJ hollered and Yuuri heard a twang come from below him, then a smack!  “Got it!”

“Thanks,” Yuuri grimaced, his hands now clammy.  “Did Anya—?”

“YES!” JJ pumped his bat in the air, met with a few cheers and more groans as he gave Yuuri a cheeky grin before speeding away.

Only fifty more points, Yuuri thought reassuringly.  With his newfound confidence, he started to move, deciding to circle around to maybe catch eye of the Snitch and keep watch without Sara noticing.

“Zaal catches the Quaffle—could he bring Ravenclaw to a secure lead?!” Madam Hooch’s voice rose half an octave as the bronze-skinned Ravenclaw Chaser sped down the length of the field.  “Kuznetsov blocks and—”

There was a large groan, this time different from what had become the usual Gryffindor-scored-again groan.  Yuuri winced and looked away as red sped into blue at an alarming rate.

He anticipated the sharp blow of a whistle, and when it didn’t come, he looked up cautiously.  Both Anya and Ailill were a mess on the ground, but they were both mounting their brooms again, the Quaffle now in Thierry’s possession.

He ducked underneath a Bludger and threw to Yuuko who ruthlessly slammed the back of her broom into Kolar and tossed the Quaffle which soared inches past Vesely’s fingertips, right into the middle hoop.

“Yes!” Yuuri cheered out loud.  Even the crowd grudgingly clapped and whistled and Yuuri began to feel his veins course with excitement.  Only four more shots from Gryffindor and he would be able to get the Snitch.

Speaking of...Yuuri turned his broom and began to trail Sara who was slowly flying lower and lower.  Her dark hair was tied back in a free-flowing braid and her blue robes made her look like she was part of the sky.

“Gryffindor scores!”

Already?  Sure enough, he could see a slightly battered Anya pumping her fist triumphantly as Zaal grabbed the Quaffle at the Ravenclaw end and began to make his way down.

“Come on,” Yuuri muttered, his eyes darting back and forth as JJ emerged seemingly from nowhere, bat in hand and Bludger a ten feet away—five, four, three, two, thud!   Zaal was knocked off his broom for the second time in the game, luckily only a few feet from the ground.  The Quaffle was swooped up by Thierry who wasted no time as he swiftly turned his broom and passed to Anya, who flew straight up to the hoops and threw with all her might.  Vesely, on the farthest hoop, didn’t even try to block the Quaffle.

“GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN!” Madam Hooch bellowed as the scoreboard changed to 40-20.

Yuuri grinned and looked up at the brilliant sky above him.  The sun was gold and—no.  About twenty feet above him was the Golden Snitch, hovering and twittering its little wings, as if taunting and daring him to go after it.

A loud cheer came from below and Yuuri risked a glance down, disappointed to see the Ravenclaw stands were jumping up and down in excitement.

Only two more shots, Yuuri shut his eyes and grimaced, half hoping the Snitch would disappear and half hoping it would still be there when he looked again.

Instead, when he opened his eyes, he saw someone else.

Yuuri froze.  In the background, he heard a cheer and a GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR!  coming from the stands, and he knew they must have scored again, but it was still not enough.  Sara was there hovering, still as the Snitch itself and eyes trained carefully on it. They flickered slightly to meet Yuuri’s, the air charged.

I can’t get it yet, Yuuri wanted to say hopelessly.  JJ would never forgive him if he went for it and took the Snitch when they were ten points away from winning the Cup.

Coincidentally, Ravenclaw was also ten points and the Snitch away from getting the Cup.

Their eyes met and both of them remained tense, poised perfectly on their brooms and ears tuned to the slightest of sound.

Then came a cheer and Yuuri nearly jumped.  He broke his gaze away from Sara and looked below to see who had scored, but no one had.  The crowd was cheering for them.  They had apparently noticed the two Seekers deadly still, ten feet away from one another in the middle of the whole sky.

Then his eyes went back to Sara.

To the Snitch.

Just do it, he told himself furiously.  But JJ said—

Quicker than he could even process, Sara was gone, and she had flown straight up and snatched the Snitch from between them.

The crowd exploded, and yet all that mattered at the moment was that Sara had the Snitch, and Yuuri didn’t.

“But…” Yuuri looked up at her dumbfounded.  It seemed she too, was not focused on the crowd or her impending teammates.  “You didn’t have enough points. You didn’t get the Cup.”

Sara smiled wryly as she leveled out next to him.  “I think Hufflepuff earned this one, fair and square.”

***

“Am I an idiot?  I don’t really feel like one.  But I think I am,” JJ scratched his head.

“Oh come off it,” Anya said suddenly.  “You’re not an idiot.”

“I mean, he did tell Yuuri not to get in the Snitch in any circumstance when we had below sixty points,” Yuuko wrinkled her nose.  “So he’s kind of an idiot.”

“I vote no,” Yuuri suggested helpfully, peeling off his boots as he sat down heavily on the locker room bench.  “You were taking a risk and we all knew it would either work or it wouldn’t. Plus we’ve got one more chance next year.”

“I agree with the previous respondent,” Otabek smiled.  “I think you’re clear from all accusations of idiocy, JJ.”

“Thanks, team,” JJ smiled wryly.  “Although I’m sorry that we didn’t win, for Yuuko and Takeshi’s sake.  It’s hard to believe it’s your last game and I’ve been flying on the same team as you two for the past five years.”

“Aw,” Yuuko beamed and kissed Takeshi on the cheek.  It was hard to believe for Yuuri too that they were still together.  He briefly considered asking her for relationship advice later. “You’re so sweet.”

“The team won’t be the same without you,” Otabek said.

“It was a pleasure to meet you,” Thierry said shyly, his accent thick and humble.  “I’m sorry we got off to a rocky start.”

“I’ve loved every second of it,” Takeshi smiled, pulling Yuuko closer.  “Truly.”

“Even the rainy morning practices,” Yuuko gushed.  “It was all so perfect.”

“Can I talk to Yuuri for a second?” JJ cut in, looking very strange.  “Alone.”

Yuuri scanned the locker room in confusion, expecting everyone else to mirror how he felt, but Yuuko just nodded quickly.

“Sure,” she said briskly.  “We’ll head out.”

“Okay…” Yuuri trailed off, hoping for an explanation as they filed out one by one.  Was he mad at him for not getting the Snitch? “What’s going on?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot,” JJ said as the door shut, silencing any of the chatter left from the people still leaving the match.  “About Quidditch. The team. My dedication and how it’s changed over the years.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Yuuri said hastily.  “If that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Well that was one point,” JJ shrugged.  “I owe an apology to everyone, but that’s not why I pulled you aside.”

“Okay,” Yuuri took a shaky breath, his mind racing at all the things he had done that JJ might’ve seen or taken offense to.

“Last year,” JJ hesitantly took a seat on the locker room bench across from Yuuri.  It gave him little comfort to know that he did not feel completely confident as well.  “I met an incredible girl.”

Yuuri bit his lip, sitting back slightly.  That definitely had not been where he had been expecting the conversation to go and he had no idea why JJ was speaking to him alone about his girlfriend.

“While she may seem quiet in class,” JJ said,  “she’s so vibrant and if there’s one thing she’s taught me, it’s how to live your life right.  I mean,” he paused, still smiling. “I don’t have it figured out yet. Not close at all.  But I remember wondering how she shined so brightly. Without even being talkative or loud, there’s just something so special about her.  She lives so unapologetically it’s remarkable the whole world doesn’t stop to stare.”

Yuuri blinked.  There was a certain image in his head, funny and warm and familiar, but he pushed it away.  That image had since then gone cold.

“I’m getting carried away,” JJ cleared his throat.  “I always had my heart set on some major league Quidditch team.  It seemed perfect at the time. And then I found myself unwillingly straying from Quidditch, dreading practice when I didn’t want to.  At first, I tried to convince myself I was just busy and stressed, that I’d fall back into it.”

But you didn’t.

“I think it was Isabella that helped me figure it out.  What we want when we’re young isn’t always what we’ll want for the rest of our lives.  I found a passion I’d buried for too long and that’s what I told Professor McGonagall I was going to pursue.”

“Music,” realized Yuuri.  “The whole concert going on in the common room.  That’s what it was about.”

“It only makes sense,” JJ swallowed.

“Of c—”

“I’m retiring from the team.”

“What?”  Yuuri dropped his wand.  “Wait. You’re what?”

“I was so honored to be appointed as Quidditch Captain in my third year.  I still am. And I’m so thankful for everything that came from that,” JJ said.  “But the team deserves someone who will be fully dedicated. Someone who will show up to practices and encourage the team.  Someone like you.”

“What?” Yuuri repeated.  He still wasn’t sure exactly what was happening and he felt his blood rush past his ears as he bent to pick up his wand.

“I told Professor McGonagall I was retiring before I graduated and she had to go talk to Headmaster Dumbledore to figure out the rules, but sure enough, I’m allowed to appoint my replacement.”

Silence fell.  Time seemed to slow down and Yuuri took a deep breath, trying to process what was happening.

“Don’t worry,” JJ said hastily.  “I’ll still help you next year. With coordinating schedules and planning practices and all that stuff.”

“I just…” Yuuri shook his head, his thoughts swarming in disbelief.  “Why me?”

“Thierry will have a chance after next year, and Yuuko and Takeshi are seventh years, so that left you, Otabek, and Anya.”

“Why not them?” Yuuri wondered.

“Anya is a good player, but she lacks the team spirit, encouragement and leadership needed,” JJ grimaced.  “She tends to be a little...judgy.”

“I don’t disagree,” Yuuri hid a smile.  “But why not Otabek?”

“Because I mentioned the subject to him and told him he was one of the contenders and he flat out said no.”

“You didn’t ask me,” Yuuri remarked.

“Oh, well,” JJ winked, back to his normal self as he sprung up from the bench.

“What?” Yuuri got up, following him to the door.  He could still hear distinct chatter from outside, although the majority of the crowd had to be gone.

“You would’ve said no.”

“But you asked—” Yuuri broke off, shaking his head as JJ slipped out and disappeared into the loose crowd.

“You look surprised,” came a small laugh from Yuuri’s left.

“Yuuko?” Yuuri turned away from the crowd to see the Japanese girl leaning against the outside wall of the locker room.  “You’re still here? And—wait, you know?”

“Of course I know.” She rolled her eyes. “JJ asked me for advice.”

“And you said me?” Yuuri gaped.  Although he had gotten to know Yuuko over the past years, she still felt untouchable to him.  It was hard to forget that she too, like Takeshi and himself, had come from Mahoutokoro and played on the Quidditch teams there.

“There was no one more fitting to take his place,” Yuuko turned serious, her head dipping down.  “Yuuri, you pursue your dreams and happiness wholeheartedly. And as ashamed as I am to admit it, I know a thing or two about sixth year gossip.  How you balance all that, I’m pretty impressed.”

Yuuri’s cheeks flamed, wondering exactly how much she knew, but he forced himself to keep nodding, his face neutral.

“I can see how heavily you take losses, but how quickly and determined you are when you bounce back,” Yuuko eyed him levelly.  “You take risks even when you don’t know if they’re going to work out, and I couldn’t be more proud to have been your fellow teammate for these past three years.  Well, more like two and a third.”

Yuuri gave her a watery smile.  His brain was slowly becoming mush with all the words that were being thrown at him.

“Think of me as a friend from home,” she said.  “If you go back to Japan, maybe you can drop by mine and Takeshi’s place.”

“You’re moving in together?” Yuuri beamed.  “Er, congrats. And wow, erm, thanks.”

Yuuko laughed a clear, free laugh.

“Just try not to freak out.”

***

“You have two minutes remaining,” Professor Snape said in such a deadpan voice that Yuuri could barely detect it from the rumble of chairs scooting closer to the table.

He only had one question left, which was What substance can be used as a cure for malaria?   Yuuri had crossed out Ashwinder eggs to put Glumbumble treacle, but now he was beginning to wonder if it really was Ashwinder eggs.  Or it could be Alihotsy leaves...or was that a poison?

Ashwinder eggs, Yuuri decided as he scribbled it down, hoping Professor Snape wouldn’t take points off solely for the fact that he’d written and crossed out three different answers previous to it.

“Thirty seconds left,” Professor Snape began to stroll down the aisle and his black eyes bore into Yuuri’s forehead.

One of the girls in front of Yuuri had startled at the time warning and spilled her inkpot which was now soaking into her robes and forming a puddle on the floor.

“Time. Is. Up.”

The papers flew from each of the student's hands and onto the desk of Professor Snape with a simple flick of his wand.

There was a large, collective breath and Yuuri began to feel his hands stop shaking.  There was nothing he could do about it now.

“You are dismissed,” Professor Snape made his way slowly back to the front of the room, and everyone leaped to their feet.

“How do you think you did?” Viktor asked, grabbing his bag.

“I feel okay,” Yuuri said as they made their way out of the room.  “I don’t think I studied the antidotes enough, but everything else was okay.  There was just one section I didn’t know, about Veritaserum...I knew the basic effects but nothing in depth so I definitely lost points there, but overall I don’t think I did too bad.”

“That’s good,” Viktor commented, sounding like he hadn’t been listening at all.  “Are you headed to the Gryffindor Tower?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, beginning to climb the steps up to the seventh floor. “I still need to pack a few things.”

“Good thing we have a few hours,” Viktor grimaced.  “I haven’t even started yet.”

“That sucks,” Yuuri stalled as they reached the top of the steps.

“Yeah,” Viktor paused and slowly drew to a stop.  “Erm, well, it’s been a crazy year.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri choked out a laugh.  He didn’t know why he felt so upset.  Maybe it was because he and Viktor were talking again and they had everything they needed to be back to normal again, but somehow they still weren’t.

Maybe you’re just not meant to be.

It struck him hard—the same thought he always pushed back whenever it came to him at night.  He wondered what his face looked like when it crossed his mind. If it looked like how it felt inside of him.  There were too many words to describe the emptiness, and none of them felt quite right enough: passive and somber, ghosted with lost opportunity.  Cold in a place that used to be warm.

How was this the same boy who had taken Yuuri’s breath away when he first saw him?  The boy who had made him so nervous he could barely fly, who made his fingers shake when he cut up ingredients for a potion?  The same boy who kissed him all soft and hard and fast and slow...who talked like honey, smiled like a spell?

He felt like they’d both aged years since Viktor had been crying in the hallway in front of the guest room, since he’d told his secrets in the bathtub.

“I guess I should go then,” Viktor said quietly. “I—I have to pack.”

“I guess,” Yuuri echoed.  He forced himself to look at Viktor, for the sake of memorizing every part he knew he already knew.  Tousled hair, thin nose, soft, pink, lips. All sharp angles and muted skin.

Blue eyes.

“Okay,” Viktor mumbled slowly, still not moving.  “I should go.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri whispered, barely audible.  “I’ll see you next year, then.”

“See you next year,” Viktor repeated, slowly pulling out of the gaze.  “Bye.”

“Bye.” Yuuri raised his hand halfway to wave, and watched Viktor walk the other way.  He dropped his hand and turned away as soon as he realized that Viktor was not looking back.

It felt final, this time.  Like they had been given the perfect chance, over and over and over again, and now the universe had given up on even trying.  The brutal truth began to hit, that the strangeness that had plagued them since the holidays would not ever go away. It was no longer temporary, some roadblock they would get over, but rather an indestructible wall.  Or the destruction of the path itself.

I need a place to be by myself, Yuuri thought with renewed energy as he paced back and forth.  I need a place to be by myself.  I need a place to be by myself. I need a place—

He felt the door open, halfway through the fourth sentence, and quickly went in, feeling the smallest of burdens lifted as he could finally be alone in private.  It was the same set up as where they studied, a large window overlooking the Quidditch pitch. The sky was pale blue, the sun beating down from directly above, and wisps of clouds drifted away.

So this is it, he thought as he walked up to the window.  No more tomorrows and next times.

He didn’t know when he began trembling, filled with such desperation for his younger self to have done something.

At some point, it could’ve been seconds or minutes or hours, he started shaking so much that he had to grip the back of one of the chairs, trying to breathe.

And then the door flew open.

Everything went still.

“I had to come back,” blurted out Viktor.

Yuuri’s hand dropped from the chair and he straightened, his mouth open as Viktor shut the door and strode forward.

“I turned around and watched you go in here and—” Viktor took a deep breath.  “I know you probably don’t want to hear anything from me about this, but I need to tell you.  Please just hear me out.”

Yuuri would’ve done anything for him—he’d known it for quite a while now—but he said nothing.  What was there to say?

“I can’t go all summer knowing I left you like this,” Viktor said, desperation shaking in his voice.  “Without telling you all that I feel.”

And then, not knowing why, Yuuri reached forward and grabbed one of Viktor’s hands, letting it hang between them and watching Viktor’s eyes widen.

“I never got to apologize,” Viktor burst out.  “Properly, I mean. I can’t tell you how much I regret that night and the days and weeks and months after.  You were right, just so you know. You had every right to feel upset. I couldn’t even believe that you still could bear to talk to me after that.”

Yuuri hesitantly squeezed his hand.

“I’ve told you before,” Viktor said, finally starting to slow down.  “But maybe I haven’t shown it and maybe that was the problem. Or maybe there was no problem.  I don’t know.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri got out before Viktor continued, holding Yuuri’s hand tighter.

“I told you last year how I felt,” Viktor took a wracking breath, eyes only dipping for a second.  “I know over the holidays, that night, I told you I had gotten over you. You need to know that that was a lie.”

Yuuri’s heart jumped.

“I was trying to protect myself,” Viktor said.  “I thought you were going to push me away again and maybe you would have—I don’t know.  It hurt so badly, to be that close to you and know I still couldn’t have you.”

“I wasn’t going to do it,” Yuuri said suddenly.  “I was going to stay that time.”

Viktor’s forehead creased and he looked physically pained.  “I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me or if you still feel how you did about me.  But no matter what it is, I had to tell you before it’s too late and I lose you completely forever.”

Yuuri stared and stared and stared and he knew it was too late to stop the uncontrollable hope that was blossoming in his chest.

“There was one thing that kept me going through these months,” Viktor said, gripping his hand like he was afraid he would slip away.  “I was in the library, reading some book about Hogwarts and I stumbled across a paragraph about the Room of Requirement. It said that the room only reveals itself to those who truly need it.  It made this very clear. While it may open up once or twice for a trivial need, studying and talking consistently for years was not normal.”

“Magic doesn’t have rules,” Yuuri said slowly.

“No,” Viktor said.  “But I know why it let us in, over and over when we could’ve found another place to study or talk.  It’s because we needed a place to be with one another. I didn’t need a place to study. I needed you.”

And there were the unspoken words hanging in the air, trembling between them.  Words Viktor didn’t need to say: I still do.

Yuuri’s breath caught in his throat and he wondered so fiercely how he had possibly gotten so lucky.

“I do too,” he breathed out, then straightened his hands and looked Viktor in the eye, feeling the weight come off of his chest.  “I’m not saying there aren't problems I still have to get through, but I found that there’s something that’s more important. I feel...I can’t even describe how I feel around you, Viktor.”

“Yuuri,” Viktor whispered, his face glowing.

“I want to try again,” Yuuri said quietly.  “This time without the secrets and pushing away.”

And then Viktor dropped his hand and reached upward to cup Yuuri’s face in his hands, his long fingers slipping behind his ears, looking down at him, his eyes clearer than they’d been in months.  His lips quirked up in a smile and he lowered his head.

“Then we have all the time in the world.”

***

Yuuri woke hours later, his eyes fluttering open.  Outside the train window, the sky was a deep blue. At first, he didn’t remember why he felt so giddy, but then everything caught up to him and he bit his lip, a smile spreading across his face.

Across from him, Chris had his head against the side of the compartment, sleeping, and Yurio was curled up across two seats.

And next to Yuuri, with eyes shut and lips just barely parted, shoulder just slept on, was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen.

Chapter Text

"An owl came a week ago," Michele brandished the shiny badge.  "Mum was more proud than I've ever seen her."

"You deserve it," Yuuri smiled, leaning back on the seat of the Hogwarts Express and watching the parents desperately hugging their children. “I wonder who the Gryffindor Heads are.”

"It wasn't you?" Phichit frowned.

"No," Yuuri shuddered in relief, watching a group of Ravenclaws pass by looking for seats.  “Quidditch Captain is enough for me.  My bet’s on JJ since he was Prefect last year.”

“Do you mind?”

The compartment door slid open and Yuuri’s heart jumped to his throat as he spotted the familiar mop of light grey hair behind Chris, Yurio, and Georgi.

“Not many empty compartments,” Chris said, plopping down next to Yuuri and causing Phichit to shift his feet so they wouldn’t touch.

“Where’s Sara?  I thought she was with you,” Michele cast another glance around as Viktor sat on the other side of Chris and Yurio and Georgi across from him.  Yuuri tried to get a glance at Viktor’s face, but Chris was blocking him.

“With Mila,” Chris shrugged, munching on a Chocolate Frog.

“Well obviously,” Michele said.  “But where is that?”

“I think I saw them walking with Otabek,” Yurio rolled his eyes, sinking back into the seat.

Yuuri met Phichit’s eye and he knew they had both been wondering if anything had happened between Sara and Mila.  More importantly, though, he was still trying to figure out what had happened between himself and Viktor.

Their quick resolve after months of fighting had been so abrupt that he thought he had dreamed it.  And when Viktor’s first letter arrived at Hasetsu, it was vague yet kind, and Yuuri replied in the same manner.  Now, he was finding it increasingly harder not to sneak looks at Viktor who had not yet spoken.

“It’s a nightmare honestly,” Michele sighed heavily.  “All she talks about is Mila-this, Mila-that.”

“That’s cute,” Georgi sighed.

The train slowly pulled forward, the rattle of the tracks picking up.

“Not when it’s all you hear about, every hour of every day for three months,” Michele cast his eyes skyward and Phichit gave Yuuri a hidden smile.  “She can’t possibly be that interesting.”

“That’s what happens when you’re in love,” Chris leaned forward.  “Congratulations on Head Boy, by the way.  If you want me to stop by the Hufflepuff dormitory ton—Ow. Shit.”

He winced in pain and Viktor withdrew his leg with a slight smirk.

“I have to go,” Michele stood up abruptly.  “Head duties.”

“Viktor thinks I have a problem,” Chris settled back as Michele exited, blocking Yuuri’s view of Viktor once more.

“You’ll have slept with the whole school by the time we graduate.” Viktor’s voice came out light and clear.

Yuuri let out a short breath.  That voice.

“It was a long and dry summer,” Chris grinned lazily.  “I need to make up for the lost time.”

“I’m going to vomit,” Yurio said nonchalantly as he opened The Daily Prophet.

Chris ignored him and his green eyes landed on Yuuri.

“You filled out well,” he said, taking his time to look Yuuri up and down.

“Erm,” Yuuri could feel his cheeks turning red.  “Thanks?”

“Stop it, Chris.”  This time it was Viktor speaking.  “You’re making him uncomfortable.”

“Hm,” Chris tore his eyes away, but not quickly enough for Yuuri to miss the burning amusement underneath.  “Jealous, much?”

He shut his eyes in embarrassment, willing the train to move faster.  Across from him, he could hear Phichit choking on a Pumpkin Pastie.

***

“You will be staying with the same partner you were assigned last year.”

This was all Yuuri needed to hear as he walked through the Potions doorway to know that he would have no trouble getting out of bed on Mondays and Thursdays.

“About time you showed up,” said Viktor, feet propped up on the same desk they had had the previous year.

“I’m not even late.” Yuuri couldn’t hide a smile as he slid into the seat next to Viktor.  It felt all too familiar as he bashfully drank in every feature of his face.  It was the first time he was seeing him so clearly in months.

“Cutting it close,” Viktor smirked as the bell rang loud and clear, as if proving his point.

“If you wish to chat with your classmates, this is the wrong class to be in,” Professor Snape assumed his position at the head of the room and extinguished every whisper in a matter of seconds.  “I have reviewed your progress assessments you took last year, and I am disappointed, yet not surprised, to say that few of you are on track to pass your N.E.W.T.s.”

Yuuri felt a flash of fear, but pushed it down, remembering Viktor’s words of reason from the year before about Professor Snape’s intimidation tactics.

“Take out a fresh roll of parchment and quill,” Professor Snape whirled around, waving his wand as words began to appear on the board.  “This year you will see in an increase in the number of lectures, and a two-foot essay will be due the class after each.”

Yuuri could not hide his expression to this however, as he turned and gaped at Viktor who looked like he had stumbled across a minor inconvenience.  Indignant whispers broke out but were silenced when Professor Snape cleared his throat loudly.

“Is there a problem, Altin?”

“No,” Otabek straightened in his seat, turning back away from Yurio.

“Good,” his eyes wandered back further before he turned back around to the board.  “And Nikiforov, get your feet off of the table.”

***

“It’s never a good sign when Professor McGonagall walks straight up to you at the end of class and tells you that you should drop,” Michele muttered sarcastically.

“You’re kidding,” Phichit’s mouth fell open.

“Seriously?” Yuuri leaned forward.

Already the first day had passed, and it had gone much quicker than he had thought it would.  Because they were all N.E.W.T. students, they kept the same schedule, and it had reduced his anxiety levels by a large amount.

“Yep,” Michele leaned in as well.  “Not the best start to being Head Boy.  She had this grave look on her face like someone had just died.  I was so terrified that when she told me I was sort of relieved.”

“What did she say exactly?” Phichit asked, his eyes wide.

“I think she was trying to be nice about it,” Michele grimaced.  “But you know her, anything she says comes off as patronizing.  Basically, she said she was looking over the exams we took last year and she thinks I won’t be able to sufficiently learn the course by the end of this year and I should focus my studies elsewhere.”

“So are you going to quit?” Yuuri said.

“I mean I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Michele ran a frustrated hand through his hair.  “Plus I think she’s right.  It’ll let me spend more time on other classes I have a better chance in.”

“Hey, Yuuri!”

Yuuri turned around in his chair to see Leo standing behind him with a cheeky grin on his face.

“Hey, Leo,” he said, a little surprised.  The two had never really clicked, although they weren’t unfriendly towards each other.  They slept in the same dorm and occasionally would make small talk while others weren’t around.

“Congratulations on becoming Captain,” Leo smiled.  “I was wondering when tryouts were.”

“Ah,” Yuuri had been ignoring the thought of tryouts, only posting the information in the Great Hall yesterday.  “Thanks.  They’re today, half an hour after we get out of our last class.”

“Cool,” Leo put his hands in the pockets of his robes. “I’ll be there.”

“Excellent,” Yuuri said before the memory of flying against Leo for the position of Seeker flashed through his mind.  “What position are you trying out for?”

“Oh,” Leo shrugged.  “Thought I’d try for Chaser this year.  I’ve been waiting for a spot to open up for a while.”

“Alright,” Yuuri said, pleasantly surprised.  He could picture easy-going Leo getting along well with Anya and Thierry.  He didn’t need any more conflicts this year, especially now that it was under his control.  “Good luck, then.”

After Leo wandered back to his seat and Professor Binns floated by, they began to pack their bags with only a few seconds left.

“Are you excited for some new members?” Phichit asked, following the rest of the class as they ducked out before the bell rang.

“I don’t know if anything can beat our old team,” Yuuri said.  “I mean, we weren’t perfect but we got along.  By the end of it all, at least.”

“But there’s plenty of good players out there as well,” Phichit said.  “You shouldn’t have trouble finding people.”

This, at least, Yuuri wasn’t worried about.  The number of people who had come up to him asking about the details of tryouts was the main reason he had set them so early in the week—to get them over with.

“JJ said he’d be there to help out,” Yuuri said.

“See?  It’ll all be fine,” Phichit said.  He only faltered as they spotted a familiar figure walking the opposite way.

“What’s she doing here?” Phichit hissed as he stopped in front of the Ancient Runes classroom.

“Dunno,” Yuuri watched as Rita Skeeter met his eyes across from the hall, then ducked her head adorned with a frilly purple hat and rushed past them.

Whatever Viktor had done, he had done well.

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri poked his head through the doorway and spotted Iris waving him over.

“I better go,” Yuuri said quickly.  “Thanks, Phichit.  Seriously.  You always know what to say.”

Phichit gave him a half-wave as they parted and Yuuri sat down across from Iris.

“I have good news,” she smiled.

“Do I want to know?” Yuuri edged cautiously, dropping his bag to the ground.

“Of course,” Iris rolled her eyes as Professor Babbling strode in, stopping to talk to a group of students in the back.  “It’s about my friend Sierra.  She’s my best friend, actually.”

“Never heard of her,” Yuuri frowned, wracking his memory.  He hoped she wasn’t another girl he had somehow met and forgotten.

“Don’t worry.  You’ve never met her before,” Iris said.  “She’s a year younger.”

“What is it then?” Yuuri asked obliviously.

“She,”  Iris leaned in like she was going to tell him a dangerous secret.  “Thinks you’re really cute.”

Yuuri pulled back, stunned.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” she sniffed.  “A lot of girls do, you know.”

“That’s the good news?”

“Okay,” she folded her arms.  “I lied.  It’s excellent news.  Wonderful.  Marvelous.  One might even say...superb.”

Yuuri stared blankly at her.

“Oh come on!” she nudged his arm. “It’s perfect.  You haven’t dated anyone in over a year, and she’s really nice and funny.  It’s your last year at Hogwarts.  Why not have some fun?”

Yuuri blinked slowly as her plan registered in his head—except…

“Er,” Yuuri swallowed back his words.  He still hadn’t really talked to Viktor about them, and he certainly had no interest in Iris’s friend, but considering that she was one of the reasons he had held back with Viktor, he couldn’t exactly tell her.

“That’s right,” Iris beamed positively. “You can’t even think of something wrong with it.”

“I just…” Yuuri’s eyes darted around, searching for a lead.

“You aren’t seeing anyone,” Iris hesitated.  “Right?”

“Well...right,” Yuuri said hastily.  “I guess...you have a point.  I’ll keep her in mind.”

“Excellent!” she clapped her hands together.  “Do you want me to introduce you?”

“Maybe later,” Yuuri said, trying to distract her by pulling out his Ancient Runes textbook.  “I have to deal with Quidditch right now.”

“Hmm,” Iris didn’t seem satisfied at that.  “Oh!  I know!  You can invite her to go as your date to Slughorn’s party!”

“What party?” Yuuri asked, a sinking feeling starting to settle in his stomach as he watched the gears turn in Iris’s head.

“Oh,” she waved her hand airily.  “I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon enough.”

***

“Ah, please, Katsuki, Nikiforov, Babicheva—yes, yes...gather ‘round, gather ‘round…” Professor Slughorn hustled them over as the last students wandered out of class.

Yuuri found himself standing very close to Viktor, suddenly getting the urge to reach out and brush his fingers against his.  He swallowed and resisted, feeling foolish.  There was still so much to discuss between the two of them.

“Now you all know that you’re welcome to attend the Slug Club any time…” Slughorn chuckled happily.  “But I always make a point to remind the members about the first banquet.  It’s just a few weeks away, right before the first Quidditch match of the season.  Now I hope to see you all there, alright?”

“Of course, Professor,” Viktor smiled and briefly cast a look at Yuuri.  He could see Mila’s eyes darting suspiciously between the two of them and he tried to ignore it.

“Giacometti, Popovich?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Chris smirked and Georgi looked very uncomfortable.  Yuuri had a feeling that he wouldn’t be attending the Slug Club.  In fact, he wasn’t exactly sure when Georgi had voluntarily gone to anything out of the ordinary since he and Anya had broken up.

“And you as well, Babicheva?”

“Depends,” she crossed her arms amusedly, leaning back on her heel.  “Can I bring my girlfriend?”

“Er,” Slughorn faltered.  “Remind me again…?”

“Sara Crispino,” Mila said.  “Ravenclaw Seeker, gorgeous, talented...”

“Yes,” Slughorn smiled, rubbing his hands together excitedly.  “Yes, of course.  I’m quite pleased with her performance here at Hogwarts.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she made it big out there.”

“Great,” Mila beamed.  “Then I, too, will be attending.”

“Excellent.” Slughorn was at least making an effort to not look too pleased with himself.  “You best be off now...I wouldn’t want to make you late to your afternoon plans…”

As they turned to leave, Viktor slowed down so they were out of earshot of the others.

“You’re headed down to the pitch, right?” Viktor asked as they turned out of the classroom.

“Yeah,” Yuuri took a deep breath.  “Tryouts start in half an hour.”

“Why are you nervous?” Viktor smiled.  “You’ve got the easiest job.”

“The easiest job was sitting on the sidelines and watching,” Yuuri stuffed his hands in the pockets of his robes.  “Now if I make the wrong decision, it’ll reflect on me and the whole team.”

“You worry too much,” Viktor bumped his shoulder, directing him to turn right.

“Where are we going, again?” Yuuri asked, adjusting his course of direction.

“I’m walking you to the Quidditch pitch,” Viktor said calmly.  “And I don’t want to go through the Great Hall, so we’re going out the back through the greenhouse.”

“Alright,” Yuuri said, pleasantly surprised.  He had been somewhat expecting that everything would start blowing up between them by the second day, yet Viktor was acting kind as ever.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Viktor said as they reached the greenhouse doors.  He held it open for Yuuri and stopped next to a large pot with vines growing out of it.

“Okay,” Yuuri swallowed.  He had so many questions to ask Viktor too.  How his summer had been alone with the Nikiforovs, if he knew what he did to Yuuri when they had quiet moments like this...

“Just to get it out of the way,” Viktor said, eyes flickering.  “We wrote to each other over the summer and everything, but I couldn’t really tell and I didn’t want to press it…” He shifted his feet on the dirt brushed floor.  “I mean, last year, we talked about...us.  I was wondering if you still felt the same, or if that was just something in the moment.”

There it was.  Yuuri could’ve sworn the swaying plants around them paused, awaiting his response.

“I—yeah, I did mean it.  I was hoping we would be...er…”  He struggled to find the right word before finishing lamely: “...a thing.”

“Thank God,” Viktor’s shoulders dropped and he tentatively reached out to take one of Yuuri’s hands.  “I spent the whole summer thinking about y—” he stumbled.  “That moment.  And I couldn’t tell, and maybe I could but I just got nervous.”

“I did too,” Yuuri finally let a little smile across his face.  “It was just so abrupt.”

“And I haven’t been able to, well, touch you or even look at you since then.” Viktor’s eyes were darting, his face tilted down as he stared at him.

Please kiss me, Yuuri thought all of a sudden, the need overtaking him abruptly.

“We better go,” Viktor said reluctantly, as Yuuri pressed his lips together in disappointment.  “I have to talk to Snape about something and you have to run tryouts.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, slowly stepping back without letting go of Viktor’s hand.  “We better.”

“I’ll see you again soon?” Viktor asked, fingers light on the back of his hand.  “Like, tomorrow?”

“In Arithmancy, you mean?” Yuuri answered back.

“Or outside of class.” A smile spread across Viktor’s face, and Yuuri was taken aback by how lovely he looked against the green in the background.

“I suppose we do have a lot to talk about,” Yuuri grinned wryly, his heart skipping out of his chest.

“And a lot to do,” Viktor winked, stepping back so now just their fingertips were brushing.

Yuuri flushed as their hands finally fell to their sides.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

***

“I’m not quite sure why there’s a group of Ravenclaws over there with their broomsticks,” JJ frowned, a hand on his chin.  “Trying to get Gryffindor secrets, you reckon?”

“That didn’t happen last year, did it?” Yuuri asked, resisting every urge to pace back and forth on the grass.

He hadn’t thought he’d be this nervous for running tryouts until he realized that it was the first time he was officially Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

“It’s whatever,” JJ sighed.  “Look, there’s plenty of Gryffindors who’ve shown up.”

“Including us,” Otabek said.  “You’ve got the procedures down, so we’ll go sit on the side while you direct everything.”

“And I’ll be on the sideline if you need anything as well,” JJ said.

“And remember everyone here is nervous too,” Thierry shrugged.  “They just want to make the team, and they’re going to listen unconditionally to you and not cause any trouble.”

“You’re all right,” Yuuri said.  “Okay.  I think I’m ready now.”

“Good luck,” Otabek mumbled in his ear, and him and JJ lumbered over to the bleachers on the side.

“Attention,” Yuuri said.  “Attention!”

This time, a few heads turned, and then the crowd fell silent, all pale-faced and looking at him.

Thierry had been right, Yuuri thought with some comfort.  The players were all too terrified about making it that they were going to be perfect listeners.

And he was a seventh-year who happened to have a thing with Viktor Nikiforov.  Not that anyone knew that yet, at least not for sure.

“Okay,” Yuuri said.  “We have three spots open this year, one Chaser position, one Beater position, and Keeper.  I’m going to go through Keeper tryouts first, then Beater, and finally Chaser, so if you’re not here to be a Keeper, please go to the stands.”

There was a great shift of movement as the vast majority of students trodded back and he was left with just three boys and one girl, all gripping their broomsticks in their hands like their lives depended on it.

“Right,” Yuuri gripped his own broomstick tightly.  “Our Chasers, Thierry and Anya will do a couple of rounds and whoever saves the most goals will get the spot.  I’ll be watching from the air to watch for some skills and techniques that might help our team.”

“We’ll go easy,” Anya gave a malicious grin, and Thierry and Yuuri exchanged knowing, sympathetic looks.

“Then let’s begin.”

***

You’ve done this probably a hundred times before, Yuuri paced back and forth.  There’s nothing to worry about.

Except there was, because he was about to see Viktor truly alone for the first time in months, and his mind couldn’t make up how to feel.  When he’d woken up, he’d been shaky and jittery, but then he reminded himself that Viktor wanted to see him.  Or did he?

Frustrated at his own thoughts, Yuuri pushed the door open with surprising strength and felt a small knot in his stomach untie as Viktor looked up from a table.

The Room of Requirement had changed slightly, the table in the place of what was once a desk for studying, and a couch where the bookshelves had been.  There were two windows, both facing the Quidditch pitch, and Viktor’s silhouette was lined by the blue of the sky.

“Morning,” Viktor said with a smile.

“What is this?” Yuuri asked shyly as he took a seat across from Viktor.  There were two mugs that looked suspiciously similar to the ones from the Great Hall.

“Breakfast,” Viktor said.  “What do you want to drink?”

“Mm,” Yuuri’s eyes bore into the cup as he thought.  “Maybe some tea or something.  Whatever you have.”

Viktor lifted his wand, a small smirk glued on his face as tea began to fill the mug steadily.

“Viktor!” Yuuri gasped.  “Please tell me you know where that came from.”

“Great Hall,” Viktor set his wand down, satisfied.  “You’d be eating breakfast there anyway, so it’s technically not stealing.”

Yuuri shook his head, finally relaxing into his seat as he took a tentative sip of the tea.  Viktor had gotten it right, at least.  It tasted exactly like the morning tea that was served on Wednesdays.

“Sorry there’s not much more.  I tried making some, er, food,” Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed.  “It didn’t exactly turn out how I wanted it to.”

“What do you mean you tried?” Yuuri felt himself shifting to the edge of his seat as Viktor reached into his bag, pulling out something wrapped in napkins.
“Well I got some bread from the kitchens,” Viktor said as he slowly unwrapped the napkins.  “I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to make some toast.”

The two slices of charred bread sitting on the table were barely recognizable.

“That’s...er...” Yuuri was at a loss for words as he carefully picked up one piece, ignoring the shower of black dust that dropped off.  “Have you ever made toast before?”

“Well,” Viktor pursed his lips, his eyes darting nervously.  “I don’t think so.  I just stuck it over the fire and left it for a few minutes.  One second it was practically white and the next it was...like this.”

“You—” Yuuri was trying to suppress the urge to laugh.  “You stuck bread over a fire to make toast?”

“I mean, I didn’t know any spells for it and…” Viktor shrugged.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said slowly.  “Have you ever cooked anything before?  Like, ever?  Because you’re really not convincing me at the moment.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Oh my God,” Yuuri sank back into his chair, not sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.  “You’ve never cooked before.  Anything?”

“I just…” Viktor also looked like he was at a conflict of emotions.  “The house elves always did it for me at home, and at Hogwarts as well, I suppose, and I’m really not ever anywhere else.  Maybe I’ve made a sandwich or two.”

“Well,” Yuuri choked out.  “That’s...not what I expected yet at the same time I’m not sure what I expected.”

“I—I could learn,” Viktor said quickly.  “If it’s a problem.”

“No,” Yuuri replied, almost too fast.  “It’s fine.  I’m just surprised.”

He was strangely touched.  This nervous Viktor was new, and it was comforting to know that he wasn’t the only one feeling unsure about their standing now.

He took a tentative bite, hoping to make Viktor feel better.  The toast was certainly burnt, but he could still taste traces of bread in the crumbles.

“How were tryouts?” Viktor asked, breaking the silence as Yuuri took a long drink of the tea, washing out his mouth.

“Good, actually,” Yuuri recalled the afternoon from over a week ago with great clarity.  They had yet to have their first practice, although it didn’t seem as daunting now that he had chosen the members.  “Leo got the spot of Chaser, and his sister Camila is the other Beater.  Then a fourth year, Matthias is Keeper.”

“I didn’t know Leo had a sister,” Viktor said.  “To be fair, I’ve never actually talked to him, and the only reason I know his name is because he spilled his ink on me the first day of my third year and wouldn’t stop apologizing for six weeks.”

“I didn’t either,” Yuuri said, the corners of his mouth lifting.  “But she’s a third-year and she was the only person there who didn’t seem like they were about to throw up.”

“That takes some talent,” Viktor smiled, stirring his coffee.

“She reminded me of you a little, actually,” Yuuri pondered.

“Oh no,” Viktor said offhandedly.  “I nearly hurled my lunch last month when I was trying out.”

“You what?!”  Yuuri dropped his toast, mouth wide open.  “Trying out?  For what?”

“The new Gobstones tournament, of course,” Viktor replied nonchalantly as he took a sip of coffee.  Noting Yuuri’s face, he gave an endearing smile.  “That was a joke, by the way.  Trying out for Quidditch.  Not a specific team or anything, just playing where recruiters were.”

“You’re playing Quidditch again?” Yuuri gaped, the toast forgotten.  “Why haven’t I heard about it?  Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you would’ve seen it somewhere,” Viktor shrugged.  “Plus it’s nothing big at the moment.  I won’t start playing until after we graduate.”

“I don’t read the news anymore,” Yuuri said, resisting the urge to ask him every detail.  Throughout the past three years, he had almost forgotten that Viktor was Viktor, someone he had idolized for years.  Someone who he had posters of back in his room in Japan.  His only reminder of that were the giggles and stares from girls in the halls of Hogwarts, and the flashes of cameras whenever he stepped out in public.  “Although now that you’re back to playing, I might need to renew my subscription to Quidditch Weekly.”

“I’m honored.” The corner of Viktor’s lips quirked up and he leaned closer.  “You’re very pretty, by the way.”

Yuuri choked on his tea.  There was the Viktor he knew.  “You’re very direct.”

“So what have you been up to this summer, Yuuri?” His smooth voice was back, and so was that smirk.

And Yuuri was finding it very hard to breathe.

“You know,” he swallowed.  “Studying, staying fresh on the material, helping out around home.  Not much.”

“No pretty visitors to keep you company, then?” This time there was a trace of uncertainty, but Viktor’s blue eyes stayed trained on his face.

“No,” Yuuri matched his gaze, unwavering.

There was a beat of silence and Viktor studied his face, the smallest smile emerging.

“Good,” he said, getting up and offering him a hand.  “Come here.”

Finally.

Yuuri grabbed it and followed him over onto the couch, head buzzing with excitement.

“Admittedly, kissing you for the first time in front of the whole school was not my brightest decision,” Viktor murmured, drawing his legs up and weaving his hands around Yuuri’s waist.  “So I’m determined to do this the right way this time.”

Their lips met halfway and Yuuri’s mind seared at the feeling of Viktor’s mouth on his again.  He reached around Viktor’s neck, feeling the fingers on his hips tighten in return, and then it was just all Viktor, his soft lips, warm tongue, and not a reason to pull away.

“Hm,” Viktor formed against his lips, then pulled back slowly.

“Hm, what?” Yuuri let his hands fall, very aware that Viktor was playing with a little patch of skin on his side.

“You taste like burnt toast,” he said.

“And whose fault is that?” Yuuri mumbled back, eyes fixed on Viktor’s lips.

“You’re right,” Viktor shifted his weight, leaning Yuuri back against the couch and dipping his head so he was directly above him.  “I guess I’ll have to make up for it.”

Yuuri’s eyes fluttered shut as Viktor kissed his neck and he gripped one of his wrists without thinking.

Viktor drew back slightly and Yuuri opened his eyes to see him studying him carefully.

“Keep going,” Yuuri breathed, and his eyes flew to the ceiling as Viktor moved up slowly, to the underside of his chin, and trailing off his cheek to the side of his mouth.  Then, he kissed him hard,  without a doubt in the world, and Yuuri melted into him, sitting back up, legs crossed, and face pressed up against his.

For a moment, Yuuri forgot where he was.  All he could think of was the way Viktor tasted of coffee and sweetener and the cool touch of his fingers on his bare skin, and the lazy comfort of knowing that for once, they wouldn’t have to regret everything.

“Wow,” mumbled Viktor, finally drawing away and wrapping an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders, pulling him close.

“Yeah,” Yuuri whispered.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for that,” Viktor said slowly, his eyes searching Yuuri’s face as if he couldn’t believe that he was still there. “To not have to pull away.”

“Me too,” Yuuri dropped his head so it was resting on Viktor’s shoulder, surprised by how natural it felt.  “It feels good.”

“Better than good, if I recall correctly,” Viktor said suggestively and Yuuri sat up, giving him a glare.

Viktor grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Is that what you’re going to do whenever I look at you now?” Yuuri asked, a smile glued to his face.

“Actually,” Viktor said, straightening up.  “I think we better talk about that.”

“About what?” Yuuri asked.

“How public you want to be,” Viktor grabbed his hand and slipped his fingers between his.  “In regards to...us.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said.  “Yeah.  I guess I’m fine with people knowing, but maybe it would be best if we did things...gradually.”

“Okay,” Viktor squeezed his hand.  “We can go at whatever pace you want, although you better know that, er, I think Chris and Georgi and Mila...and Yurio have all guessed by now.  Or if not, they would’ve guessed when I wrote to them all summer asking for advice about you.”

“So that’s why they were acting so coy,” Yuuri smiled, leaning onto the armrest of the couch.

“You had me all worked up,” Viktor sighed.  “You know, I went a bit insane trying to decipher the tone of your letters.”

“Only because yours were just as ambiguous,” Yuuri frowned.  “I rewrote one of them four times because it sounded a little too friendly, and then not at all.”

Viktor laughed, pulling Yuuri closer.  As Yuuri leaned in, he considered asking how his summer had really been, stuck at Nikiforov Manor, but then he caught sight of his stuffed bag on the floor and the corner of Numerology and Gramatica peeking out.  That conversation could wait.

“I hate to ruin the moment,” Yuuri said.  “But I have to get that Arithmancy reading done before class starts in an hour.”

He started to stand, Viktor groaning and pulling him back down, holding his head in place as he kissed the side of his face.

“Is this what our study sessions are becoming now?” Yuuri protested, swatting Viktor away with all the self-control he had left.

“I suppose,” Viktor smiled, his eyes clear and light.  “But whose fault is that?”

***

“Nervous?” Otabek asked, arms crossed against the howling wind of the late September morning.

“A bit,” Yuuri chattered back, pulling his cloak closer around him.

“There’s really no need,” Otabek replied, raising an arm to wave at Anya who was approaching.

“I just don’t know if I can follow up to JJ’s command,” Yuuri admitted, spotting Thierry and Matthias walking over as well and Leo and Camila behind them.

“You showed up to practice,” Otabek raised an eyebrow.  “So you’re already doing better than him.”

“You know what I mean,” Yuuri shot back, leaving the last word as Anya reached their little semicircle.

“Are you sure—” Anya let out a large yawn. “—we really need morning practices?  They’re cold, windy, and we’re all tired.”

Yuuri gave her a smile and greeted the rest of the team.  He had forgotten how small third and fourth years were, and looking at Matthias, he wondered if he had really looked like that when he had first come to Hogwarts.  Camila’s unusual confidence made her look a little older, but she was still about half the size of Leo.

“We’re flying today, right?” Camila asked the second she reached them, filling the gap in their now circle of seven.

“In a minute,” Yuuri assured her, the branch of his broomstick tucked under his arm.  “First we have to talk about our match next week.”

“Can I wear whatever I want?” Camila perked up with sudden interest.

“Cami,” Leo said, looking exhausted.  “You’ve been here for two years.  You know that there are Quidditch robes each team has to wear.”

Otabek met Yuuri’s eye for just a second.  Earlier in the month after their first practice together, they had confided in one another on how it had gone.  Unlike the year before, there were no glaring rivals, but it was starting to seem like Leo’s overprotectiveness and sense of superiority over his sister would be even harder to conquer.

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said hastily.  “But Leo’s right.  You have to wear Quidditch robes.  Professor McGonagall should talk to you about them pretty soon now.”

“Whatever,” Camila rolled her eyes stoutly and Leo’s face broke out in a satisfied grin.

Otabek and Yuuri exchanged another look.

***

“Where are you lot all headed off to?” asked the Fat Lady, crossing her arms as she swung shut, nearly catching Yuuri’s leg.

“Er, Slug Club,” Yuuri said, feeling out of place in his dress shirt and pants.  There were still a few students roaming around, stopping on the staircase and pointing at a ghost that was floating by.

“Hmph,” she grumbled.  “Keeping me busy, are you?”

“Sure,” Yuuri stumbled, quickly turning away as he spotted Mila and Sara waving him over.

“She sure is in a bad mood today, isn’t she?” Mila rolled her eyes.  She was wearing a deep blue dress that barely reached her knees.  Sara had on a pale pink satin dress and her hair was perfectly straight, hanging down her back and past her shoulder blades.

“You could say that,” Yuuri said.  “Where are the others?”

“Trying to convince Yurio to come,” Mila sighed.  “Apparently he’s being difficult.”

“I thought he told Slughorn he was coming,” Yuuri said as they headed down the stairs.

“Thought so too,” Mila shrugged.  “Georgi isn’t coming either, though.”

“Is there something I should know about Slughorn’s parties?” Sara joked.  “Why’s everyone bailing?”

“Georgi’s bailing because he’s a sopping mess and has been ever since Anya broke up with him,” Mila sighed.  “I don’t think I’ve seen him smile more than maybe twice since then.”

“Otabek wasn’t invited,” Yuuri realized suddenly and Mila looked up sharply, a change from her glued vision on her heels as they reached the end of the stairs.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Sara asked, clearly puzzled as she scanned the two of them.

“Nothing,” Mila said finally.  “Just a little joke of ours.  I reckon you’re right, though, Yuuri.”

“Oh,” Sara said.  “Oh!  You look lovely!”

“Appreciate it,” Chris gave her a half-a-second grin as he and Viktor approached them.

“No Yurio?” Mila asked, now more amused than before.

Yuuri never heard the answer, or maybe he had, but it got lost somewhere on the way to his brain because he was too busy taking in Viktor who had quietly joined his side, hands in his pockets and casually dressed.  He was very aware of the way their footsteps were lining up and the little flicker of a smile on Viktor’s face that served as a greeting.

They were about a month and a half into school, and yet they still hadn’t made any bold romantic motions that had traveled around the school.  He would be surprised if anyone explicitly knew they were dating, although he was sure there were rumors.

For once, he wasn’t upset about the prospect.

“Here we are,” Chris announced grandly, swinging the door open.

Yuuri followed after Sara, finding the party to be just as he remembered.  He reached for the door, but Viktor was already holding it for him, with another small smile.  He must have stopped for a second, or maybe Viktor was just looking for an excuse as he put his hand on his lower back and guided him through the door.

“Where’s the drinks table?” Chris asked, peering over the mass of moving bodies.

“You’re not even going to dance first?” Mila laughed, the buzz of the room already making her bubbly.

“What’s the point of dancing if you’re not drunk?” Chris winked, then slunk off through the crowd.

“I’m going to get a drink, too,” Viktor whispered in Yuuri’s ear.  “Do you want anything?”

“I’m good,” Yuuri said.

“I’ll see you in a minute, then.” Viktor’s hand slipped off Yuuri’s back and he followed swiftly after Chris.

“Let’s find a table,” Mila suggested, glancing over her back to make sure Yuuri was still coming.  “Hopefully Slughorn finds us right away so he doesn’t spend the rest of the night trying to find us when we’re in, er, less respectable states.”

“How is he even allowed to have these parties?” Sara gaped as a girl downed a whole bottle of firewhiskey and slammed the empty glass on the table, getting up and leaving.

“I’ve been wondering that for the past five years as well,” Mila said, sitting down at the table that had just been vacated and gesturing for the other two to sit at as well.  “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t provide any of the drinks and it’s technically not his fault if someone else brings them, as long as he doesn’t see it.”

“He’s rather obsessed with appealing to his students, isn’t he?” Yuuri asked in a hushed voice as Slughorn passed by, talking avidly with a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team.  “He’s risking getting fired just to gain connections with us.”

“He sees us all as trophies,” Mila shrugged like this didn’t bother her in the slightest.  “Us meaning the people who have potential in his eyes.  But if being collected means I can get wasted and dance with my gorgeous girlfriend, then all I have to say is I’m yours, Horace.”

With that, Mila extended her hand to Sara and the two girls stumbled onto the dance floor.

Yuuri turned to examining the cuff of his shirt, hoping Viktor and Chris would hurry up.

“Yuuuuri!”

Yuuri turned around in his seat, so startled that he did a double-take.

“Iris?” he asked dubiously, wondering if the dark, moody, lighting was playing tricks on his eyes.  “How’d you get here?”

“Professor Slughorn told me he was impressed by my work in Potions and Quidditch,” she beamed, tugging him up and taking his hand.

“What are you doing?” Yuuri asked, casting a nervous look around.

Anytime now, Viktor.