IT'S MAGIC ❤︎ WHY DONT WE

twenty seven

over the past couple days, corbyn's noticed something different in him. more specifically, in his feelings toward a certain hufflepuff. he and christina have always been good friends, they all were great friends with each other. but more and more the past few days, he's felt something more toward christina than he had before.

they sat together in divination and in defense against the dark arts. in almost every class they had together, they would sit side by side. daniel and jonah would tease him, go on and on about having a crush. but even corbyn, one of the smartest, didn't know what it was he was feeling for the brunette.

but he knew this new feeling was low on the list of current worries. ones that were higher up were his grades, and sirius black being spotted quite close to the school.

•••

defense against the dark arts lesson with the new professor, zach and daniel were excited. this professor was nicer and smarter than the past two. "what do you think we're doing today in class?" christina wondered as they walked to the classroom. "who cares? it'll be fun!" jonah giggled.

"of course it'll be fun! he can actually teach us, unlike last year!" zach beamed, jumping on jonah's back. the gryffindor grabbed his legs and held him in a piggy back, laughing at the boy. "and.. is it bad that i think he's cute?" the hufflepuff giggled, turning his head to gabriela.

the other hufflepuff laughed loudly, "honestly i can't argue with that, he is pretty cute." gabriela agrees, "oh you two are just... yuck!" daniel pretended to gag, "he's our teacher! no crushes allowed on them! that's just weird!"

when in the classroom, they found all the seats moved off to the sides and a cabinet in front of them. professor lupin began his class but zach and gabriela has trouble focusing, too busy thinking he was cute. "ten pounds says he's gay." zach whispered to her, "you remember i don't fully understand muggle money." she whispered back.

"well great, i don't really understand your money so we'll ask corbyn later." they both giggled and turned back to their teacher. professor lupin asked neville to picture the thing he is most scared of, next thing they knew, it was as if professor snape was in their class. only in this moment he was dressed in drag. "alright line up!" he told the class, each student eagerly getting in line. a fair few students went before zach was in front.

within seconds, the boggart changed into his father. zach knew the scene, it was the exact same one that wakes him up most nights. the thought of his father finding out he likes boys, the nasty things he would say. the possible and seemingly inevitable smacking. the boy didn't want the class to know of this, so he was quick, he cast the spell and watched as his father turned into a carnival clown failing to blow up a balloon.

he moved vastly to the back of the line, doing his best to avoid the looks from his friends. when professor lupin jumped in front of harry and trapped the boggart back inside the cabinet, he dismissed the class. "uh, zach, would you mind staying back for a moment?"

the brunette turned to his friends, "we'll be in the courtyard." kay grinned as they left the room. "yes sir?" he asked nervously, "oh please don't call me sir, and relax you're not in trouble. i wanted to ask if you were okay, you froze quite more noticably than your classmates."

zach let out a sigh as his professor brought him inside his office to talk, "it was my father sir– professor. i uh... i realized something about myself this summer and i'm scared of what he would do or say if he found out. wake up almost every night from the same dream... well more like a nightmare. my father yelling and hitting, my brother and sister seeing it all, it frightens me."

"well i can only take a guess... you are gay." lupin grinned, passing him a small cup of tea, "how di–" "i am too." his grin turned to a smile, earning one from the student. "how did your family react?" lupin sighed, "my dad was alright, mum not as good. but trust me, it feels better knowing that they know than keeping it hidden away."

zach smiled, "was there anyone special?" he smiled wider as his professor blushed, "yes, actually. when i was at school here i had three best friends. we did everything together. around my fifth year, one friend and i started going out. best day of my life. and you know who it was?" the boy shook his head, waiting for the answer. "sirius black."

"the guy who escaped the prison?" professor lupin nodded and sighed as he then said, "the day he was taken away, that was the worst day of my life. two of my best friends were dead and it was because of him, then he was gone too."

the brunette's heart twisted, "if any of my friends died, i don't know what i'd do." he spoke quietly, "and i hope you won't have to know for a long time." zach looked up and asked him, "do you hate him now?" his professor shook his head, "i still love him. i always will."

•••

out in the courtyard, the group messed around. jumping on each other, telling stupid stories. when zach joined them, they asked what seemed like a million questions. "would you lot relax? he just asked if i was alright." he chuckled, sitting on the ground. "oh and... you owe me ten pounds gabs." he smirked.

"hey corbs, how much would that be?" the friends giggled, "ten pounds is about.. i'd say five galleons." the blonde told. "i am not giving you five galleons!" gabriela protested, "you agreed to a bet, you lost."

as time passed, the friends were dancing around, making jokes, when the mood changed from happy to anger. "awe, hows the little fairy today? why don't you just shake your arse, make it even more obvious."

daniel was furious, "shut your face avery." he was stone cold, walking up close to him, "or what? huh? what are you gonna do?" jack snickered. "what is the brave gryffindor gonna do?" his words came slick, almost evil sounding. "i was thinking i'd knock your dick into your head." that's when zach stepped in.

"okay daniel, stop." he pushed his friend backwards slightly and turned to jack next, "how come you only say things when i'm with other people? i've passed by you plenty of times when we're both alone, you never say a word." jack was silent, which daniel found amusing. "keep spreading your disgusting pixie dust and see what bloody happens."

jack walked past, bumping daniel's shoulder. "i'm gonna kill him, i will." daniel grumbled, "i'll help." corbyn and jonah spoke in unison. "no one is killing anyone, got it?" kay giggles, "do you not see what happens to harry every year? someone tries to kill him."