Next to you

Chapter 9

They came back to Zhang Jiayuan and the others. When they arrived, they saw their friend talking to Professor Zhennan, while the Slytherin seniors were gone. When Zhennan noticed Oscar and Yetao approaching, he walked towards them.

"Are you okay, Yetao?" He asked, clearly worried, but he visibly relaxed as soon as Yetao answered with a short nod. "Come with me to my studio. I need to tell you a few things."

Yetao was about to follow him, but Oscar held his hand in an attempt to stop him. "Don't worry, I'll come to you later." Yetao said, smiling at him.

"Mark your words." Oscar answered, letting go of his hand.

Then he left with the Professor, leaving Oscar and Jiayuan back.

"I spoke to those boys. They said that someone told them that you used the potion Draught of Living Death on them." Zhennan said, sitting behind his desk.

"It wasn't me." Yetao stated.

"I know you are innocent. The point is that someone has set you up and spread a false rumor around the Slytherin dorm. Someone who is apparently targeting you."

"Why? I'm an ordinary introverted boy. What does this person want from me?" Yetao couldn't believe that he was once again the target of bullies. He had thought that he had left this problem behind in the Muggle world once for all.

"Except that this someone doesn't see you as an ordinary introverted boy. You need to be careful, Yetao." Yetao nodded firmly. "Anyway, you have lost control again. How are you feeling?"

Yetao thought about Oscar and their conversation. "I'm doing okay, really." He smiled at Zhennan to reassure him that he really meant those words. "Won't I be punished for setting them on fire?"

"Nah. It was self-defence for all I care." Professor said with a small smirk.

"And those boys?"

"They'll leave you alone in the future. Remember to thank your friend Jiayuan for this."

Yetao couldn't help but smile at the thought of what Zhang Jiayuan could have said to those seniors. He could be pretty harsh at times.

"If something strange happens, make sure to let me know. And don't worry, no one will know what happened, I can assure you. You can leave now."

"Thank you, Professor. For everything." Yetao said to Zhennan. He could never repay the enormous debt he had towards this man. At least not in a lifetime.

He left the Professor's studio to go to look for Oscar. He knew where to find him.

"You kept your promise." Oscar said as soon as Yetao sat next to him on a bench facing the Quidditch field. "Are you in trouble?"

Yetao shook his head. "Professor Zhennan and Zhang Jiayuan took care of everything."

"That's good then." Oscar answered with a smile.

A pregnant silence fell between them. None of them knew how to fill it, but Yetao felt that he needed to explain everything to Oscar. But first he had to apologize.

"Oscar, I'm so sorry. I thought that I was doing you a favor by staying away from you, but now I know that I only let you feel miserable. I'm not worthy of your affection." Yetao couldn't look at Oscar's face. He had realized Oscar's feelings only during their conversation before and he understood how selfish he was in his decision of keeping his barriers high with him. The way Oscar held Yetao in his arms like he didn't want to separate from him ever again melted his heart. And his promise to be by his side no matter what made Yetao understand that he could truly trust this person.

"Don't you dare say something like this ever again. And, please, don't apologize. It's also my fault. I couldn't bring myself to face you to solve this situation. My excuse was that I was giving you some space, but the truth is that I was scared to be rejected by you." Oscar said, surprising Yetao.

"I guess we are both fools." Yetao said, causing the both of them to laugh. Now that the apologizing part was over, Yetao had some explanations to make. "Oscar" He started by calling him by his name. Oscar was now facing him, ready to hear what he was about to say. Seeing his serious expression, Yetao took a deep breath and relaxed.

He told Oscar everything, starting from his relationship with his parents, the bullies incident, the lonely life he had until Zhennan appeared in his life, the intense study of Wizardry and the problem of controlling his powers. And Oscar listened to him, giving him his full attention and without interrupting his talk.

"What happened the other day was triggered by my emotions. Everything in that moment felt... too much. That's why I ran away from you. I was scared that ... the strong emotions that I could feel whenever I am with you could cause me to set you on fire or something." Yetao concluded, not daring to look at Oscar. Yet it felt amazing telling someone about his life and his inner feelings. He felt lighter now that he had someone to share his burden with.

Suddenly Oscar hugged him. At first Yetao was surprised, but then he hugged him back. "Thank you for telling me, Taotao." Yetao nodded over Oscar's shoulder, unable to say anything. Then Oscar separated them and flicked his forehead with a finger. "Don't do that ever again. Even if you set me on fire, I'm willing to accept it, as long as you're still next to me."

Yetao's cheeks were on fire now. He quickly stood up and ran away a few metres from the bench they were seated on.

Oscar panicked. "What are you doing?" He was about to stand up to reach him, but Yetao stopped him with his voice.

"Stay there! I need a moment to calm down." He screamed at Oscar. The grass under his shoes was slightly burned. He could hear Oscar's laugh from there.

As soon as Yetao came back to the bench, Oscar spoke. "This is how it's gonna be between us from now on?"

"I guess so." Yetao answered with an embarrassed smile.

Oscar groaned in frustration. "Well, better than nothing."

After the whole mess, life went back to normal. Well, almost. The only thing that changed was that Oscar was quite busy with Quidditch training, since the match against Ravenclaws was close, so Yetao rarely saw him or his Gryffindor friends. But this didn't mean that he was lonely. Even if some of them were missing, the other boys still hung out with him. Not only Zhang Jiayuan, but also Fu Sichao and Wu Yuheng.

Yetao enjoyed the time spent with them. The boys were funny and playful. They often invited Yetao to play cards or some board games with them. Of course these were different from the ones Muggles were used to, so the boys, especially Fu Sichao, had fun teasing him for his surprised reactions. Also, they introduced him to some of their friends, like Lin Mo, a silly Hufflepuff who was one of the best students in their year, or Ren Yinpeng, a Ravenclaw who was also a talented cellist.

After the incident and his conversation with Oscar, Yetao found out that it was easier interacting with others without the need of holding back. He felt truly happy now that he could be himself in front of his friends. Never in his life he felt this good. Even so, he missed Oscar. It's true that he didn't feel lonely at all with his friends hanging out with him, but still he wanted to see Oscar. Fu Sichao had teased him saying that he was missing his better half, but Yetao didn't think it was a joke at all. He truly felt the need to see Oscar.