Of Paracetamol and Basketball [Hogwarts AU - PanWink]

Five

"I can't do this," he groaned.

Maybe he could, five minutes ago, when his main concern had been protecting Guanlin's (and his own) sanity from Yoo Seonho's neverending talking.

Then Kim Taehyung had to walk through the door like a real-life Greek god.

Park Jihoon was screwed.

Five feet from him, Woojin noticed his change of expression. He followed Jihoon's line of sight—then grinned as if it was early Christmas. The little imp.

Jihoon wanted to make Guanlin greet Taehyung-Jihoon did this for him, after all-but the first year didn't lie when he said he was shy around strangers. Jihoon had to do it himself.

"Hello, Taehyung-hyung," he greeted the seventh year. "I didn't know you play basketball."

He convinced himself he was not the same Jihoon who had always been reduced to a blabbering mess in front of Taehyung from two years ago.

"Hi, Jihoonie," Taehyung greeted back, his rectangle smile on display. "Actually, I don't. Jimin dragged me here."

"I play, but not that good," Jimin, who just walked through the door behind Taehyung, chuckled. "Has the game started yet?"

Jihoon, who was staring at the pair's joined hands (it was nothing new), jerked up, startled. "Ah... not yet. Eunwoo-sunbae is currently dividing the players into teams."

"Good," Jimin smiled, his eyes disappearing. "C'mon, Taehyungie." Then he dragged Taehyung away.

"Were those Park Jimin-sunbae and Kim Taehyung-sunbae?" Guanlin asked from behind Jihoon's back.

Jihoon turned around. "Yeah, you know them?"

"Not really. The girls in my common room often talk about them. Boys, too." He eyed Jihoon carefully, like he knew something.

Jihoon cleared his throat. "Look, Eunwoo-sunbae is calling for everyone to gather. You better go."

Guanlin looked at him questioningly. "Hyung? You won't play?"

"Nah, I'll just... read over there."

"But reading is boring. We're here to have fun, aren't we?" The boy was practically whining.

"Look at you, a Ravenclaw saying reading is boring. I don't... I can't play basketball," Jihoon laughed sheepishly. "Oh, no. Seonho is coming here. Go."

Guanlin walked away, but not before telling Jihoon with determination, "I'll teach you when we're alone."

His heart wasn't racing from something a twelve-years old kid said to him, Merlin.

The night went fairly well. An interesting plot twist occured when the curious purebloods who had never touched a basketball before crushed the Muggleborns and half-bloods who had been playing for years in a match. When Kim Sihyun scored a buzzer beater, his stepbrother, Jin Longguo, carried him around the court on his shoulders despite their playing for different teams.

"I like it," Na Jaemin, a second year Hufflepuff, told Jihoon. "It's like Quidditch, but better because it doesn't require flying."

Before he could respond, Daniel flopped upon him from out of nowhere. "Jihoonie~ why didn't you play? It was so fun~"

"Get off of me, you grizzly," Jihoon scolded him. "I didn't play because it's too tiring."

Daniel slid off his body, but his arm still rested on Jihoon's shoulder. "C'mon, it's good to move your body once in a while. If you don't like Quidditch and basketball, then what sports do you like?"