no space ! MINSUNG

the pity party

"You made it!" Hyunjin grabbed Jisung's hand, eyes bright with excitement. "I honestly didn't have faith, but here you are."

"Of course I showed up. I invited Selene—I couldn't just leave her hanging." Jisung smiled softly, trying to look past Hyunjin and survey the room. The common room was packed to the brim, and he even spotted a few students from other houses. "Have you seen her, by the way?"

"Oh, yeah, she's around here somewhere." Hyunjin scanned the crowd too, though he'd clearly lost sight of her. "It's impossible to spot anyone in this mess. I can't believe we managed to fit all these people in here."

"I'll go look for her, I feel bad showing up late,"

"I wouldn't worry. I'm pretty sure she was hanging out with other Gryffindors, talking about making you an 'special drink'"

Jisung's eyebrows shot up. "That sounds dangerous." He grimaced, remembering the near-alcohol-induced coma he'd had the last time he drank with Selene. He didn't want any part of that drink.

"Let's go find her." Hyunjin plunged into the crowd, and Jisung tried to follow but quickly lost him in the sea of bodies. He was beginning to suspect there was some sort of enlargement spell on the room.

"Ji!" Someone grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Oh, hey." He smiled, spotting Izzie, and, unsurprisingly, Lexi by her side. Did they ever go anywhere without each other?

"Want some?" Izzie offered her cup. Jisung hesitated, so she added, "It's just vodka and Sprite."

"Vodka and Sprite?" Jisung wrinkled his nose.

"Just try it," she insisted, so he took a tentative sip. "Well?"

"It's... actually good." He looked slightly surprised.

She grinned proudly. "Want a glass?"

Jisung shook his head. "I'm trying to take it easy tonight." By "taking it easy," he meant finding a polite way to slip out after making an appearance.

"We were just debating robes versus Muggle clothes," Lexi said, sounding a bit sleepy already, despite it being early in the night.

Izzie nodded. "I'm all for robes. No need to pick a new outfit every day."

"Robes are ugly," Lexi said with an exaggerated sigh, as if she'd been saying this all night. "They ruin my aesthetic."

Izzie rolled her eyes. "If your 'aesthetic' is crackhead ginger core, you have nothing to worry about."

Lexi pouted. "You said my makeup looked good!"

"I was teasing," Izzie nudged her playfully.

"Robes are okay, but I miss my old shirts," Jisung chimed in with a faint smile. It wasn't something he could really talk about with his pureblood friends. "I had this really cool Supreme one." He sighed wistfully.

"I miss wearing as little as possible," Izzie sighed too.

"We should go out this summer, dressed in our best outfits," Lexi suggested, perking up.

"Oh, wait! What about Christmas?" Izzie asked, her face lighting up as if she'd just thought of the most brilliant idea. "What are you doing for Christmas, Ji?"

Jisung shifted, smiling shyly. He'd never hung out with Hogwarts friends outside the school, much less in Muggle settings. "I usually spend it with my family."

"Can't you get out of it, though?" Izzie asked hopefully.

"Or," Lexi smirked, "we could go out after Christmas dinner, late at night."