𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐆𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒' 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 (𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙨 𝘼𝙐)

𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

Minho felt his eyes getting watery; but still, he couldn't afford to blink. His own pride depended on that, and he wasn't certainly going to give up that easily.

"Minho, that's just stupid", bluntly commented Seungmin, for what was probably the seventh time.

"Shut up Minnie, will you" replied the older, still focused.

"It's whatever!" snapped back the friend. "But seriously, why are you acting as if your whole reputation depends on a stupid game with your cat?"

"It's no stupid game!" explained fervently Minho. "She won for three times straight! Three. I can't let her beat me again!"

"Minho, in the name of the Bloody Baron, she's a cat! You can't beat her in a saring contest! That's all cats do!" he then added after a moment's thinking. "Sit down and stare at people!"

"You" sentenced Minho, finally blinking to turn towards Seungmin, sat at the same table, pointing his left index straight at his chest, "have no faith in me".

"You were fighting with a cat. How am I supposed to take you seriously?" Seungmin rolled his eyes. "And besides, you should be getting on with your homework – it's almost six, and you have Quidditch at seven".

Minho sighed – he didn't particularly enjoy training during dinner time, as he usually felt very hungry, but their leader always thought it best to train when there weren't many people around.

"Okay, mum" he replied mockingly.

"Take that back!" bossily replied the younger, sounding both offended and amused.

The grin on Minho's face just broadened, blatantly ignoring the threat: it was often like that between the two, always mocking each other – but Minho was genuinely grateful for the friend, and for how protective and supportive of him Seungmin could be.

"Do you want to go see the training, Minnie?" he questioned.

The friend flinched, visibly disgusted. "I'd much rather stay in, thank you. It's already a lot from my side to go to all of your dumb matches".

"All you want, Minnie, all you want" replied Minho. The sixth year then looked at the homework he had left: it was not a lot – hadn't he got distracted by Doori, he could've easily managed to finish it all before training, but he didn't really feel bothered by the thought. 

Either I'll finish it later or I won't do it at all, he thought to himself. As it was History Of Magic, he was not even too concerned: that old ghost catched as much chatting as his friend Chan when he was running on two mere hours of sleep (and that was: close to nothing).

"I think I'll go get ready" he commented after a few seconds. "You sure you don't wanna come?"

As a clear 'positive' was all he got as an answer, Minho got up from his chair, about to go change: he carefully removed his Quidditch robes, alongside the googles and shoes from his truck, that he had positioned against the wall on the right side of his bed. He then turned around: all he was missing was the broom.

His Quidditch broom was a real treasure to him: it had taken years of savings on the behalf of his dad to manage to get it, and the ladder had done it so secretly, Minho had never even suspected a single thing! 

And, while the boy completely understood why his dad had acted that way – had Minho known, in fact, he would've never permitted that to happen – he still felt almost resentful to his dad for keeping the truth away from him.

Minho remembered clearly the day his dad had got it – it was a sunny, breazy summer day, but close to September. The duo had used two small handfuls of Floo Powder to get safely to the Leaky Cauldron, had already bought most of the schoolbooks and was now heading to the Weasley's Wheezes to nose around a little (while they could not afford much, the experience itself was very funny and the two of them always had an absolute blast going through all the crazy products the owner always came up with), when Minho's dad had stopped abruptly: "Wait a sec! I think I forgot one of your books!" he made it look like he was searching through the bag he was holding. "Yep, totally forgot it. I'll go get it real quick. Go ahead, you, I'll be back in no time!"