"Well, at least Christmas at Hogwarts is fun. That's what I heard” Jayce said trying to comfort himself.
This was the first time that Jayce would spend Christmas at Hogwarts. Usually he couldn't wait for the end of the year break to arrive so he could return home, but this year he had received news that a distant cousin, from his father's family, had been stricken with Dragonpox. Therefore, her mother, who had worked as a healer for a long time, would have to travel to the other side of the country to help her.
Of course, he understood that his mother needed to help, but he still felt sad about not being able to spend Christmas at home. Jayce wasn't a big fan of this time of year. He enjoyed the celebrations and the gifts, but he hated the cold and snow everywhere.
The only advantage was the fact that he wouldn't be alone. Caitlyn Kiraman, her best friend, had received a letter from her parents saying that they had business to attend to in France, to which she responded by asking if she could stay at Hogwarts to study instead of traveling with them. Jayce knew that the real reason the Slytherin girl chose to stay was because her Quidditch rival, Gryffindor Chaser Violet, was also staying this year and Caitlyn had been working up the courage to ask her out for years.
As if on cue, Vi walked past them, probably returning from training. She waved at them, but her little sister quickly pushed her into the castle, turning to give Cait the finger before climbing in after her sister.
“She’s a pest, Jayce,” Cait whimpered, hiding her face in her friend’s shoulder. “I tried to ask Vi to study with me for the OWLs, but Jinx enchanted my books. I had to throw them in the lake before they ripped my head off.”
“You can't deny it, she's at least talented. I mean, a spell of that level for a little third year girl, even a Ravenclaw…” He trailed off when he noticed the look Cait was giving him. "Sorry"
“Let me guess, she’s crying for her girlfriend again?” Mel Medarda appeared beside them, spreading a blouse on the grass and sitting down gracefully. The girl would also stay at Hogwarts, but for a different reason than the other two. Ever since Mel's brother left home to marry a Muggle girl years ago, her mother had become even more cold and strict, always demanding Mel and berating her for mixing with Muggle-borns and half-bloods, calling her a blood traitor. This year, Mel sent a letter home saying she wouldn't be back for Christmas. The response the girl received was a howler, who arrived in the middle of breakfast. Jayce, who occasionally sat with her friends at the Slytherin table, burned the letter before Ambessa's insults continued. Mel stood up with her chin up, but with tears in her eyes and left the room.
Jayce knew that the girl was strong and that she was used to clashing with her mother, but he felt a certain relief that she had chosen to spend the end of the year with them and not at home.
“She’s not my girlfriend” she corrected, but her voice was muffled by Jayce’s shirt. “Still not”, added.
“Come on, cheer up Cait!” encouraged, Jayce. “We’re going to have the entire holiday to help you ask Vi out.”
“Exactly” agreed, Mel. “But now, you agreed to help me decorate the common room, remember?” Cait nodded, composing herself. “Are you coming with us, Jayce?”
“Oh no” he replied. Jayce had been to the Slytherin common room a few times before, but he always avoided the place when he could. The dark hall covered in greenish light caused a shiver that rose by Jayce's column. Not to mention the claustrophobic feeling of looking out the window and coming across the bottom of the lake. He didn't know how the other students endured it. “I need to send a letter to my mother.”
He said goodbye to the girls and watched them leave for the castle, then got up and headed to the owlery tower. That side of the field was deserted, except for Jayce and one other student. He was a pale, brown-haired boy who wore a shabby Ravenclaw uniform and leaned heavily on a crutch. He was heading towards one of the greenhouses.
Jayce had seen this boy before. It was the Ravenclaw prefect. He used to assist Singed, the teacher of dealing with magical creatures, in his classes. In the few joint classes that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had, he noticed that the boy was one of the best students in the sixth year.
He watched as the other walked away, limping towards the castle. A small black-bound notebook slipped from his pocket and fell into the soft snow, but he didn't seem to notice, too focused on not slipping on the frozen ground.
“Hey, you dropped that” Jayce ran over to him, picking up the notebook from the floor. He stopped when he noticed, on the page that had fallen open, a sketch of something that looked like a boat, but full of gears and surrounded by confusing calculations, which Jayce didn't recognize.
“Oh, thank you,” The boy murmured. His voice was soft, but carried with a strong Eastern European accent. He quickly took the notebook from Jayce's outstretched hand and lifted his head for a second, just long enough for their eyes to meet. His were also brown, just like Jayce's, only lighter, almost golden in the morning light.
He stuffed the notebook back into his pocket and went on his way. Jayce looked at him once more and then turned to go up to the owlery tower.
The first day of the break started calmly. As there were few students, the four tables were summarized in just two, where everyone was arranged without distinction of houses.
He was at the table closest to the windows, between Mel and Lest, his fellow Hufflepuff who was chatting animatedly with Salo. Across from him, Cait sat upright, her hands on the edge of the table, eyeing the cupcake on her plate suspiciously, as if the sweet treat had personally offended her.
“Honey, did that cupcake say something you didn’t like?” asked, Mel, with an expression of false curiosity, making Jayce laugh and almost splash his pumpkin juice.
“I just want to make sure my plate doesn't explode again” She said, casting a withering look at the other table, where Jinx was eating her piece of pie with an innocent smile on her face.
Mel sighed and took out her wand, pointing at the plate while muttering something. “Okay, I already checked. Your cupcake is not bewitched.”
Caitlyn looked pleased. She took the candy gently and scooped up the mound of red whipped cream on top of the cupcake. A second later, Cait's eyes widened. The girl stood up abruptly, shaking her face, which was getting redder and redder.
Jayce, figuring she had choked, made to pour her a glass of juice. The jug in his hand, however, was snatched away by Cait, who turned it over, taking gulps of juice.
“Cait, by Merlin, what happened” Jayce asked, scared.
“pepper” panted, his voice hoarse.
At the other table, Jinx's high-pitched laugh was heard by everyone.
“You,” Cait snapped, heading toward another table. "Your…"
“Please calm down” Mel asked, assuming her duties as monitor and holding her friend. “Not worth it”
Caitlyn broke free of Mel's grip on her arm and stomped away.
“Cait, wait!” Violet got up and followed the other girl, but not before glaring at her sister.
“Did you see that?” The voice of Salo se stood out in the chatter that began. “This is what happens when you mix people like us with these types of people”
Jayce rolled his eyes and turned to Mel, who was looking at the blonde with equal contempt. It was like the boy to boast about belonging to a lineage of pure-blood wizards. But lately, perhaps to get attention from his “friends” or to hide the fact that his family didn't want him home for Christmas, his nasty comments had become more and more frequent. “Come on, we have to return the books to the library”
The day continued normally after what happened at breakfast. Apparently, Jinx's prank was overshadowed by the colossal lecture Salo got from Lest. The girl, who by the way was mixed race, didn't like the boy's prejudiced comment at all and decided to expose in front of everyone that Salo had begged her to agree to go out with him.
Mel laughed when she heard the gossip and commented to Jayce that she would have liked to stay in the breakfast a little longer just to see Salo's face.
The two remained in the library until Mel had to leave for one of her prefect meetings, leaving Jayce alone among the books. He remembered the work that had been assigned to be done during holiday as practice of non-verbal spells, looked boredly at the shelves in front of him, and then, letting out a bufo Frustrated, he got up and went to find an empty classroom to practice.
At some point, he distracted himself from his task and he began testing the new spells he had been developing independently. This type of practice was prohibited, since the risks of using an unregistered enchantment, especially created by a wizard who had not yet graduated, were extremely high. But there was one in particular. A materialization spell that he had been creating and that needed few adjustments to work perfectly. He knew he could get into trouble, but it was worth the risk.
If everything went as expected. Jayce would be able to create a charge of magic so strong that the effectiveness of any enchanted object would be multiplied. The spell would be broken minutes later, like a patronus, but could be used for other purposes besides protection against Dementors. He just had no idea what form this spell was supposed to take.
Maybe a shapeless mist would be simple enough to start with. His mind focused on an empty space, close to the blackboard, and he used all his concentration to perform the incantation. With narrowed eyes he waited, but nothing happened.
This happened once, twice, three times, and he was about to give up, when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. The fright made him drop his wand, which went off, dismantling the clock on the wall in front of him.
“Am I interrupting?” It was the boy he had met the day before on his way to the Owlery. He had been leaning against the doorframe, probably for quite some time.
“You’re doing it wrong,” he said gently. He walked over and picked up the wand from the floor, holding it out to Jayce. “You can’t conjure something that doesn’t exist. Magic doesn’t create anything, it only transforms.”
“I-I know” he stuttered. “But I don’t see any other way to make this work,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Why don’t you define a shape first? As a first step. It could be something changeable” the other suggested, calmly, “Think of an object as a base. Then let the energy shape another version of him.”
Jayce tried again, following his instructions. He looked around the room, trying to find something easy to work, then he fixed his eyes on one of the gears of the clock lying on the floor and pointed his wand at the space next to it, muttering the incantation. A strong bluish glow enveloped the object, then faded and returned again, this time taking the shape of the small piece. He walked over to it and touched its surface, hesitantly. It resembled metal in every way, the only difference was the warm heat it emanated, causing a tingling sensation in his fingertips.
“It worked” He smiled at the other. “Thank you, I would never have come up with this idea on my own”
“You’re welcome,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“Sorry, I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Viktor” he replied.
“Viktor” Jayce repeated, as if testing the name on his lips. “Look, I swear I wasn't snooping, but that day I saw your notes in that notebook. That wasn’t just arithmancy, was it?”
“No, it wasn't” Viktor's eyes shone softly, the same way Jayce's shone when someone asked him about something he liked to explain. “It was physics. It’s a muggle subject”
"I know. My mother is Muggle-born” he explained. “Were you trying to merge the two?”
Viktor nodded. “It’s just an idea”
“It's genius” Jayce thought about how muggles used to make things work even without magic. If they mixed their minds with the power of wizards, humanity would be unstoppable. “Magic and science, it’s like…”
“Like whipped cream and hot sauce?” Viktor suggested with an amused frown.
“It might not be very healthy, but it looks delicious” he joked, making them both laugh.
“You just saved my project. Let me thank you properly.”
“No need…” he began.
“But I want to” Jayce interrupted. “Are you free next weekend in Hogsmeade? I can buy you a butterbeer at Três Brooms.”
The boy seemed to consider for a second before responding. Jayce wondered if he was being too invasive.
“Okay, it’s agreed”
It ended up becoming a habit for Jayce and Viktor to meet in that empty room to practice. Sometimes the two would end up rambling about Muggle science, other times Jayce would prattle on about his wild ideas while Viktor just listened attentively, adding a comment here and there.
They also talked about each other, although Viktor was much more reserved than Jayce. He now knew that his friend had been raised in a Muggle orphanage and that despite saying he was Muggle-born, he didn't remember whether his parents were wizards or not. Jayce, in turn, said that his biggest dream was to be a wandmaker, just like his father, who had died when he was just eight years old.
The two also discovered that they had many tastes in common. Both loved exploring their powers beyond what was taught at school, secretly creating new spells, scribbling incantations in the margins of books so they could be improved in the future, researching advanced magic in the restricted section of the library. Although his favorite subject was Care with magical creatures, Viktor was fascinated by astronomy. They started to take their conversations to other places, like the patio, the greenhouses, the lakeside. Jayce, who many times during his six years at Hogwarts had already sneaked to the astronomy tower several times, convinced him to sneak out at night to watch the stars. Neither of them liked the cold, so they sat in the castle windows and judged the students having snowball fights outside, bundled up in heavy coats and woolen hats. Viktor's nasty comments brought genuine laughter from Jayce, who wondered what the other students would think if they heard what the exemplary Ravenclaw prefect said when he was out of the others' ears.
Little by little, Viktor began to occupy a large space in Jayce's mind, even when the two were not together. Jayce would find himself reading something and wondering what the boy would think of it, or searching in the silence for the sound of Viktor's crutch hitting the floor in the hallways. Right now, he was returning from the Quidditch pitch, trying to spot Viktor among the students passing him.
He thought about going in to see if his friend was inside, when he finally found him, near the pumpkin patch, walking into the woods with a wooden bucket filled with something sparkling blue.
“Vik, hi” he greeted, running to catch up.
He stopped and turned around, smiling, “Hello, Jayce. Coming back from the field? I thought it wasn’t open to students today”
“Yes” he replied, slightly panting. “I had to beg to Sevika let me train…”
Jayce stopped talking when he noticed movement in the bushes near them. Viktor also seemed to notice, as he turned around with a frown. The top of a white head and a blue head appeared in the gap between the leaves. Whispered voices said something hurriedly. Viktor shook his head and gave a half smile. “You two, get out of there, let’s go”
From behind the bush appeared Jinx and Ekko, a third year boy from the same house as Jayce.
“What are you guys up to now?” he asked.
“Err…Nothing, Viktor, nothing” hurried, Ekko. “We were just taking notes for herbology class.”
“Yes, exactly,” agreed, Jinx. “In fact, we were already going back to the castle, weren’t we, Ekko?”
“Ah, of course, of course” Viktor nodded seriously. “And why don’t you take the opportunity and give me those enchanted firecrackers that you have in your pocket?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”
“Deliver it soon, Powder,” ordered Viktor, stern but still gentle.
The girl huffed, irritated and rolled her eyes.
“It’s ‘Jinx’, Vik. I already told you!” he corrected, as he reluctantly emptied his pockets. “Come on” he called. And she and Ekko headed towards the castle.
Jayce looked at Viktor in awe.
“Damn, I think this is the first time I’ve seen Jinx obey someone” he commented.
Viktor watched the two walk away with a fond smile. “She is a very intelligent girl. She just doesn’t like using his intelligence for… conventional things”
That was a huge understatement, but Jayce preferred not to argue.
“Were you going to the forest?” he asked. “Can I accompany you?”
“Of course” Viktor turned towards the trail they were following before they stopped. “There’s really someone I’d like to introduce you to”
Jayce looked at him, curious, but followed him. The two entered the edge of the forest. His steps slowed due to Viktor's difficulty in walking with his crutch on such uneven terrain. Jayce didn't offer help, but remained by his side in case he needed support. Finally, the raven moved away from Jayce, heading towards a cave, where he whistled calling someone.
Jayce felt his jaw drop when something came out, looking like a salamander, but the size of a small dragon. The animal had smooth, pinkish skin, something like fins rising from its back and the side of its head. Upon seeing Viktor, he opened his mouth wide and licked the boy's hand with his blue tongue divided into three parts. Viktor grimaced at first, but smiled and stroked the creature's head.
“I-is that a Waverider?”
"Yes," he replied simply, oblivious to Jayce's astonishment. "Her name is Rio. Isn't she adorable?"
Adorable wasn't exactly the word he would use, but he understood what Viktor meant. "I thought there weren't any Waveriders here in Great Britain." He moved closer to take a closer look.
"Rio is the only one really" he explained. "She has a type of mutation that has caused others of her species to reject. Singed found her on a trip and saved her. He asked director Heimerdinger to let himthe living here at Hogwarts under your responsibility" The fact that this was Singed's idea did not reassure him. Everyone at the school knew about the professor's obsession with exotic and dangerous creatures. "I come to feed her when he is too busy preparing classes"
"Are you doing this as an extracurricular job?" he asked, even without knowing why Viktor would need additional notes.
"It's more like a volunteer work. I enjoy her company," he said. "You can make cuddle on her, Jayce. She doesn't bite"
He moved a little closer, imitating Viktor and reaching out to touch her. When he began to stroke Rio's head, she looked at him suspiciously, which made him hesitate, but his friend's encouraging smile encouraged him to continue. Soon, the Waverider was leaning towards the touch, asking for more affection. They sat on a fallen log and Jayce helped Viktor feed her.
The sun was already setting when the two returned to the warm interior of the castle. Jayce accompanied his friend to Ravenclaw Tower. The two laughing as they remember Jayce's attempts to escape the affectionate licks from Rio. He could still feel her slimy tongue dragging across his face as Viktor tried futilely to stop laughing to go help him.
He happily went down the stairs, heading to the common room. There was a certain anxiety in his chest. An expectation for the next time he and Viktor met. That had definitely been a good day. He couldn't wait for their Hogsmeade date. Date. It was with that word echoing in his ears that he fell asleep.
But of course everything was going too well to be true.
It was on Friday afternoon, in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, that Jayce's plans were ruined.
“Why a hammer?” he asked, wiping the tears from his eyes and taking a deep breath to control himself. Jayce he was sitting in one of the armchairs in the library, waiting for Viktor to stop laughing.
“I don’t know!” he replied, helpless. “It was the first thing that came into my head”
This only made Viktor laugh more. The defense class topic was dueling clubs. Teacher Shoola had given a very simple instruction. Students should form pairs, where one would attack with a basic spell and the other would try to defend themselves. Jayce's double was Salo, because sometimes fate likes to laugh at the expense of innocent young people. Salo should just wait for Jayce's spell to be able to defend himself, but the boy was eager to show off and regain his reputation. Salo attacked before Jayce could even decide which spell to use. Unfortunately for him, the memory of the authorial spell, which Viktor had helped him with, was still fresh in his mind, so without thinking, he conjured a spectral hammer, the height of Jayce himself, which not only blocked Salo's spell, as it also floated two meters above him and fell, hitting his head. Shoola asked Maddie to go get the nurse and dismissed the other students. She turned angrily to Jayce and told him that he would be banned from Hogsmead the next day, as well as losing fifty points to Hufflepuff.
“Well, at least that must have been satisfying to watch,” commented Viktor.
“The problem is that because of this we will have to postpone our date” he explained.
“Well, if that's the problem, is there a way for you to get out of the castle without getting caught?” Viktor looked absently at the bookshelf in front of him, stroking his chin, as if he was considering the probability of a spell working. “If you still want to, of course,” he added, turning to Jayce.
"Of course. Of course I want to” His voice changed a little and he mumbled an apology to the librarian. “But how would we do that?” he whispered, still feeling the woman's penetrating gaze on the back of his head.
“No questions” Viktor whispered back. “Meet me tomorrow near the statue of the one-eyed witch.”
Jayce did what Viktor said. The next morning, he walked Caitlyn to the castle doors, then turned back and headed down the hall to the statue. Viktor was waiting for him there, with a white coat and the Ravenclaw scarf wrapped around his neck. His gloved hands rested on his crutch as he absently observed his surroundings. As soon as he saw Jayce, he took his wand out of his coat's inner pocket.
“Are you ready?” Jayce nodded. Then, with a simple wave of the wand, an entrance opened in the statue's hump, revealing a dark tunnel leading downward. Viktor waved Jayce to the front. He obeyed and slipped into the tunnel. Viktor came down shortly after. He used Jayce's hand to pull himself up.
“Wow” Jayce looked impressed at the path in front of him “Where does this tunnel lead to?”
“For Honey Fingers’ stock” he replied. “When we arrive the place should already be full, so no one will notice us”
“How did you discover this passage?”
“Exploring” he said simply. “There are a lot of things you can do in this castle, especially when you are locked out of the common room at night and have to hide from Grayson.”
“Do you know if there are other passages?” Jayce asked, fascinated. It's obvious that a castle this big and so old would be full of secrets.
“I only know this one and another one on the fourth floor. But I imagine there could be many more.”
The two continued walking, occasionally stopping when the tunnel began to narrow. A small light appeared in the pitch black, which as they approached, they realized was coming from a crack in the ceiling. It was a trapdoor. Jayce opened it, then went down the small staircase to help Viktor up.
Once in Dedos de Mel's stock, the smell of chocolate and caramel hit him. Viktor told him to pull his hood over his head so no one would notice him. He grabbed Jayce's hand and pulled him after him through the candy store, filled with students.
Jayce couldn't be seen, so going to the Three Broomsticks wasn't an option, as the place was also frequented by teachers. So he dragged Viktor to a more secluded bar. ‘The Last Drop’.
“So,” began Viktor, after they were both seated with their steaming mugs of butterbeer in hand. “I don't know anything about Quidditch, but it looks like Hufflepuff is doing well, right?”
"Yes. I am confident that we will win the championship this year!” Jayce paused to take a sip of his beer, which went down warming him inside. “You know, I've been thinking…” Viktor looked at him, amused, but said nothing. “I’m going to ask to leave the team after the last game”
The other now looked genuinely confused.
“But you are the team captain”
“I know” He laughed, because it was really funny. “I liked Quidditch when I joined the team in second year. Turns out it was cooler to watch than play.” He had been thinking about it for a long time. Maybe if he talked to Sevika, she could temporarily put someone in his place until Ekko was in his fifth year and could take over the position. The boy was the fastest Seeker Hogwarts had ever had and would make a great captain. “Besides, training takes up a lot of time. Time I could use to develop new spells.”
“And why didn’t you ask to leave sooner?”
That was a great question, but Jayce didn't have an answer. “I don't know. We were winning, I was afraid of disappointing my house. Do you understand?”
Viktor analyzed it for a moment before responding. “Yes, yes I understand”
Jayce smiled, delighted. It was absolutely fantastic that Viktor understood him. Really fantastic. Why it was so fantastic, Jayce's slightly inebriated brain still couldn't understand.
“Well, I told you a secret. You need to tell me one too”
“I didn't ask you to tell a secret” Viktor raised an eyebrow, giving him a sarcastic smile. Maybe it was the alcohol, but that image went straight to Jayce's heart. It was as if something important was happening in his chest, but he was missing it, too confused to keep up with the pace of events.
“That's not fair” He winked at Viktor, in his best attempt at a puppy dog look. “Come on, tell me your secret.”
He doesn't know if it was touching enough or maybe it was just too ridiculous and Viktor felt sorry. But he finally seemed to give in.
“I don't have any good secrets to tell” He said, shrugging his shoulders after thinking for a while. “Just tell me what you want to know.”
This was a dangerous request. Jayce wanted to know so many things about Viktor. He wanted to know everything there was to know. All the bits and pieces he had gleaned from his conversations weren't enough. The slow functioning of his reasoning was unable to define an order of priorities for his many questions, so he decided to remove the question that tormented him most from the front.
“That girl you study with sometimes” he began, “Do you like her?”
“Sky?” He turned to Jayce with a frown. “Well, not like that. She’s just my friend.”
Relief washed over him. “She seems very intelligent” he commented without knowing much what to say.
“She is” he confirmed with a smile “And you? You like Medarda” Viktor looked casual, but his hand nervously tightened the handle of his crutch.
“She’s also just my friend, so no,” he replied simply, not quite understanding why Mel had joined the conversation.
Viktor seemed to relax a little.
“You asked me two questions, so I’m also entitled to a bonus question.”
“Now you’re just making up rules”
“This is the last one, I promise” He dragged the chair closer and leaned towards him. “D-do you like someone?”
“Yes” he replied without hesitation. Jayce had to confess that he was hurt by the answer.
“And she…”
“He” quickly corrected.
"Sorry. Does ‘he’ know this?”
This time it was Viktor who approached. “He should know by now” His gaze dropped purposefully to Jayce’s mouth. “But you’d be surprised how slow he can be sometimes.”
Comically, his record took a while to sink in. The two looked at each other for a few long seconds.
“Wait” began slowly. “Are you talking about…”
“We better get back before they miss you,” Viktor interrupted, picking up his crutch from where it was resting on the edge of the table. “Or you’ll end up in more trouble than you already are.”
Despite the conversation they had. The two walked to Honeydukes in comfortable silence. Viktor even accepted when Jayce offered his arm, and he had to pretend to be natural with how close they were.
They managed to return to the castle and close the passage without anyone seeing them, but as soon as they turned into the statue corridor they came face to face with Mel. She didn't seem surprised at all, quite the opposite. Her gaze sharpened and she smiled in satisfaction, as if observing a little bird that had just fallen into her trap.
"Mel! Didn’t you go shopping with Lest and Sky?” He asked, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.
“Ah, I came back a while ago” he said “Hello Viktor” he greeted politely.
“Hello, how are you?”
“Great” he replied. “In fact, I finished the book you recommended.”
“Err…Do you already know each other?” Jayce asked. He didn't remember ever seeing the two talk.
“Viktor is also a monitor, Jayce. Did you forget?” She rolled her eyes at him. “Did you have fun in our absence?”
“Yes, we studied together” he lied “In the library”
“Well, next time you’re ‘studying’, Jayce better cover his face properly”, he advised, giving the two a complicit look. Jayce watched her walk away, then turned to Viktor, surprised to notice the smile on the other's face.
“Thanks for the date, Jayce. I had a lot of fun.” He made to leave, but before that, he placed a kiss on Jayce's face, somewhat hesitantly. “I need to go, I agreed to meet Sky at the library to discuss a project”
Jayce felt heat rising to his face furiously. He remained watching until the boy turned the corner, waving when he looked back.
On the way to the common room, Jayce heard two voices coming from one of the deserted hallways. He walked straight past, but quickly turned back when he realized the voices belonged to Cait and Vi. He hid behind armor and watched the conversation.
“...Is it agreed then?” asked Vi, who is standing still, rubbing her arm nervously.
“Of course” Cait replied, with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall. “I'll love celebrating with you when Slytherin wins the next game. I just don’t know if you’ll be in the mood after your team is defeated.”
“Don't count on the eggs the owls haven't laid yet, Cupcake” The pink-haired girl lifted Cait's chin with a finger and kissed her.
Cait watched the other walk away with a smug look on her face.
When she saw Jayce, the girl ran up to him. The indifferent facade giving way to an enthusiastic smile.
“What did I miss?” Jayce asked, smiling too.
“Violet asked me out” he announced happily. “On Valentine’s Day!”
"Serious? So you and Jinx understood each other?”
“That friend of yours, Viktor, looks like he created a mentoring project in Care of Magical Creatures for third-year students,” he explained. “Jinx was so excited about this that she decided to take a break from pranks.”
“Good” He put his arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her into a hug as they walked. “I’m happy for you”
She turned to look at him. “How was your date, by the way?”
“Frankly, you and Mel are impossible.”
Christmas Eve has finally arrived. All the halls, which were already decorated with garlands and fairy lights, sparkled even brighter. The armors were enchanted to sing Christmas carols whenever someone passed by and the main hall had hundreds of candles hanging from the ceiling illuminating the twelve Christmas trees arranged between the tables.
Jayce had to admit that this night was worth all those freezing, snow-covered days. He was sitting in the same spot as always, next to Mel and facing Cait. Today, however, Vi joined them and she and Jayce were talking animatedly, receiving displeased looks from Salo and Maddie. Jinx remained at the other table. She and Ekko were apparently betting to see who could eat the most cookies. Two Gryffindor boys who were close to them watched the contest, cheering enthusiastically.
He stood up and looked over the heads trying to spot Viktor. His gaze met Sky's, who was talking to Mel and Lest. The girl smiled and waved, indicating the staircase, then returned to her conversation. Jayce got the message. Within minutes, he was climbing the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower.
The sight of Viktor under the starlight, his face uplifted as he watched the sky, was breathtaking. Jayce had to stop and watch before revealing himself. His goofy smile grew involuntarily.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked, being careful not to startle the other.
“Jayce” greeted softly. “Shouldn’t you be at the banquet?”
“I came to look for you” he clarified. “Oh! The meteors! I forgot.” He ran to join Viktor on the railing.
"All good. It hasn’t started yet”
After a few seconds, Viktor turned his attention from the sky to Jayce, who sighed. “I found out about your mentoring project” he commented. “I thought it was brilliant”
"Thanks. I thought it would be a good idea, especially after the distorted theories that Shoola exposed in the last class about dark creatures.”
Jayce knew what he was talking about. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had asked third-year students to do a project on methods of hunting and annihilating werewolves, even though she was aware of the rumors surrounding one of Vi and Jinx's parents, who had lycanthropy.
“Your willingness to teach others is truly admirable. You would be a wonderful teacher, Vik.” He took the opportunity to hold one of Viktor's hands, emphasizing his comment.
“Ah, I don’t intend to become a teacher,” he said, smiling. “But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to show others how important knowledge is. It's the only way magic can develop. The only way to achieve evolution”.
“You're right” Jayce agreed. “Well, maybe one day we can achieve this evolution together”
“Sounds like a good plan” Viktor’s hand squeezed yours.
"You know, I've been thinking about what you told me when we were in Hogsmeade." He could feel his heart beating so quickly that it was surprising Viktor wasn't listening. “I-I like you too” The statement wasn't as romantic or sweet as he would have liked. The words came out in a rush, like a band-aid being ripped off. At least he was trying. “I really like it. We became friends just a few weeks ago and honestly, I don't know how it didn't happen sooner. I mean, we're from the same year. I wish I had said what I felt earlier, but you were right, I'm terribly slow. And I didn’t want to scare you…”
“Jayce. Jayce, breathe!” Viktor laughed and placed his hand gently on his cheek. “I already understand.” And with that, he closed the distance between the two.
Maybe they missed the meteor shower, but it didn't matter, really. Not when Jayce's hand slid around Viktor's waist, pulling him closer. Or when Viktor's fingers snaked through the hair on the back of Jayce's neck. Or when Viktor smiled during the kiss, making Jayce's chest bubble funny. In fact, nothing else mattered.
The two separated, just enough to breathe. Their foreheads still touching. That's when Jayce remembered.
“Oh, right. I have something for you” He let go of one of the other's waist hands to be able to reach the small object in his pocket. “It’s nothing big. I just thought you would like it”
“Did you keep this?” Viktor's eyes lit up. It was the gear that Jayce had enchanted on the day he asked Viktor out. He turned the piece into a pendant and hung it on a thin silver chain. “Thank you, I loved it”
Jayce helped him put it around his neck.
“I also wanted to give you something” Viktor searched his coat pockets until he found something. He handed Jayce a bracelet, with a blue crystal shining on it.
"Wow. It's a rune.” He took the gift, amazed.
“I thought I could encourage you to continue advancing your spells” he commented, somewhat awkwardly.
Jayce surprised him with another kiss and hugged him, lifting him off the ground for a moment. “Thank you, Vik”
Viktor laughed, amazed when he was gently deposited back on the ground.
Later, the two joined the other students in the main hall. By this time dessert was already being served. Mel blinked at the two when she noticed their hands clasped together. She obviously wasn't going to let this go so easily. But the explanations he would have to give were not a cause for concern, because that was his first Christmas at Hogwarts and he and Viktor were together.