Paintings | Jikook

6.

𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼

It was challenging for him to return to his normal routine. He seemed to prefer the infirmary. Getting beaten was unpleasant, but being in the hospital was comforting. Some might assume he was a masochist, but Jimin had no idea what the term meant.

While Professor Sprout was discussing various plants, his mind wandered. Jimin was not paying attention to the instructions because he was certain he knew what she was talking about. He wasn't compelled to read every herbology book he could find; it just piqued his interest.

"Jimin, are you paying attention to what I'm saying?" Unamused, Professor Sprout inspected.

Red flushed his face and he looked at the ground, embarrassed. "Sorry, professor." His lips formed a thin line, hiding their colour.

He blushed and glanced down at the ground, embarrassed. "I apologise, professor." His lips made a thin line that disguised their colour.

Professor Sprout sighed and resumed her lecture. Jimin was uninterested, but he feigned to pay attention to whatever Sprout was saying. He was lost in his thinking when he remembered that he had neglected to take his iron deficiency medication.

He cursed himself.

It was his final lesson before lunch. Jimin was able to pour himself orange juice in the Great Hall, which paired well with ferrous sulphate. He hurriedly hid his medicine packaging before anyone could see it. He glanced around, and, as usual, no one gave him a second glance. He also stealthily turned around and peered at the Slytherin table. He was taken aback when he spotted Jeongguk sitting alone.

Jimin recognised he had forgotten something important. He quickly zoned out, not noting that the noirette was staring back at him, puzzled.

He wasn't meant to meet up with Jeongguk, wasn't he? The noirette was meant to notify him of their meeting time, but the Gryffindors shifted their plans. The realisation hit him when the Slytherin rolled his eyes and waved his palm in front of his face. How humiliating. As he looked down at the floor, a crimson red blush crept across his cheeks.

"Paint me, it'll last longer." He chuckled softly. He wouldn't object if the Hufflepuff painted him. Jeongguk was aware of Jimin's ability because he occasionally observed him. "After what the Gryffindors did to you, you don't look so bad. Not that you've ever been particularly attractive." He laughed. Jeongguk persisted despite Jimin's inability to make a sound. "You're not fucking mute, speak up." He groaned.

"W-when are you available?" He asked softly, his gaze fixed on the floor.

"How about we meet at the Giant's hut after class today?" He requested, already knowing the response.

Jimin nodded and hurriedly exited the Great Hall. He still had a fourth of his lunch break before his transfiguration lesson. He wasn't particularly excellent at it, but he wasn't terrible either. He wasn't particularly excellent at it, but he wasn't terrible either. Not only that, but he aspired to be capable of transforming into an animal like McGonagall, despite the fact that he was far from it.

                                      ꧁꧂

"Are you skipping class with us, Jeon?" Crabbe asked, his chubby cheeks flushed from the cold.

He paused for a minute to consider it. "Sure." He exhaled, careless.

Crabbe and Goyle were arranging an explosion in Hagrid's garden, but Jeongguk was not thrilled. After all, he was supposed to meet Jimin there. Walking through dirt and encountering bugs and worms was not pleasant. He laughed at their plan, telling them made-up stories that they, of course, believed. Jeongguk was always irritated by their ignorance. He disliked hanging out with idiots.

"He was really fucking bugging me. He kept gazing at me as if I were a work of art," He snickered.  Damn well did the Hufflepuff stare at him. There was a lot to observe. "So I talked some sense into his empty skull."

Crabbe and Goyle had moved on from Jeongguk to Jennie and two of her companions, Lalisa and Chaeyoung. They spoke softly and cast glances in their direction. When they laughed, they covered their lips with their hands. Jeongguk was certain that these ladies would not miss their party. He hoped one of them would wind up in his bed, or at the very least somewhere private, like a bathroom or a storage room.

"How are you, Jennie?" Goyle called out to the female, his hands tucked into his trousers pockets. "Are you coming to the party?"

"We'll see on Friday." Her feigned giggle rang in his ear.

He folded his arms to his chest, rolling his eyes. He wanted to leave, and so he did. He heard the two Slytherins behind calling his name. Jeongguk didn't turn back. He decided to wait in front of Hagrid's hut. He had creature care with Hufflepuffs in half an hour.

"We'll see what happens on Friday." Her false laugh echoed in his ear.
He rolled his eyes and folded his arms to his chest. He desired to leave, so he did. He heard the two Slytherins behind him call his name but Jeongguk did not return. He chose to stand in front of Hagrid's house. In half an hour, he had creature care with Hufflepuffs.

He recalled Jimin bowing to the creature as a sign of respect. Was he expected to bow before an intimidating beast? He was no lowlife to submit to a creature. Jeongguk lowered his head slowly, anticipating the beast's response. Buckbeak was not pleased. The hippogriff expected him to bow correctly.
Jeongguk observed that the beast was still enraged. He bowed lower, his buttocks sticking out. As Buckbeak bowed back, relief flooded over Jeongguk's body. He took it as a small victory and slowly approached the creature. He reached out to stroke the hippogriff, nervously. It didn't back up, but rather stretched its neck slowly. He felt the tenderness of the beast's fur and feathers.
As he witnessed its beauty, all of his fear and hatred evaporated. The noirette became more daring and petted under the creature's beak. Buckbeak cocked his head, enjoying the way Jeongguk scratched him around the region.

The ravenette laughed softly to himself. The hippogriff, to his surprise, pushed his head against Jeongguk. He could feel its breath on his cheek. They had formed a connection on that particular day. Because of the faint footsteps behind him, Jeongguk wasn't able to appreciate the moment as long as he would have liked.

It had to be a Hufflepuff. When Jimin saw what was going on between his friend and the Slytherin, he was astonished. He beamed sweetly at the noirette, proving that there was nothing wrong with making friends with animals. Unfortunately, Jeongguk was unable to say anything as other students began to crowd around Hagrid's hut. When the short Hufflepuff's grin faded, he felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. He immediately turned around and walked away, as if nothing had happened. While his Slytherin friends emerged, he left Jeongguk's vision. They were taken aback when they realised how near the ravenette was to the beast. Pretending that nothing had happened, Jeongguk followed them, always standing on Malfoy's left side. The blonde was always in the centre, and if someone took his place, the spiteful boy would remain silent until everyone's attention was on him. Everything had to be done his way, and Jeongguk didn't want to irritate him.

Hagrid began the lesson by instructing everyone to find their pairs. The assigned animals awaited them in various parts of the forbidden forest, which were not so forbidden for the students. That did not mean that the whole forest was not forbidden. Except for professors, most of it was off limits to the general public. Because Hagrid was teaching them about animal care, he had marked a few areas where students could wander freely only during lessons.

Jimin was already standing next to Buckbeak, rubbing the back of his head, waiting for Jeongguk. He could see the Hufflepuff's mouth moving but couldn't grasp what he was saying. The hippogriff seemed pleased to hear whatever Jimin had to say to him, his wings vibrating in delight.

"How about we get started, hm?"