Here we go everyone! Back to the Harry Potter Au! I was so ready for this year, because I can finally get into the Quidditch games and Hogsmeade! Whoo! Also, more KyoJin build-up. I hope you all like it!

Thank you to everyone who left reviews on my last chapter! I think I ended my Mafia AU on a decent note. I was for a while going back and forth between actually killing off Jin and Kyoya, but my heart wouldn't let me.

Year Three

There was the sound of gentle clamoring coming from the room beneath her bedroom when Jin woke up. Or, well, "woke up" is a generous term for it. In reality, as soon as Jin's senses detect awareness of the outside world, the girl groaned and rolled over in her bed, tugging her sheets over her face to block out the morning sunlight. Unfortunately for Jin, within five minutes the noises of the Leaky Cauldron had drilled past her sleepy defenses and forced her awake. Rubbing at her eyes and letting out a few grumbles under her breath, Jin sat up in bed, pouting at her bed sheets for a few moments before finally pushing herself out from underneath them.

Ten minutes later and Jin was dressed for the day, hair and teeth brushed, and in a much better mood than the one she'd woken up with. She hastily threw her short hair up in a ponytail, momentarily marveling at how it was so short now that, when up, it didn't even come close to brushing at the nape of her neck. Tamaki may have freaked out the first time he saw Jin's new "do", but it was starting to grow on her.

"Ah! Sleeping Beauty has broken her curse!"

Jin's expression contorted as she stopped halfway down the stairs, looking down to glare at where Hikaru and Kaoru were sitting. She gave them a threatening point with her finger and replied, "Were it not for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you for that."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, not impressed, while his brother hastily grabbed a plate on the table in front of him and hoisted it up for Jin to see. "Truce bacon?"

Before Jin could answer, she heard the sound of feet pounding on the staircase and quickly tucked herself as close to the railing as possible, holding on for dear life as her father raced down the steps. The man's hair was a frizzy mess, and if he were in any other state of mind he likely would've been mortified to be seen in public. As it was, however, Ranka seemed completely unaware of anything, too busy muttering under his breath and racing from one corner of the inn to another.

Jin heaved a big sigh and followed her father down to the main floor. Ranka had disappeared into the kitchen, so Jin decided to let Misuzu-chi handle him for the time being and sat down next to Mori for some breakfast. Shoveling food onto her plate, she looked around at her friends. "Everyone's all packed and ready to leave tomorrow, right?"

Tamaki and Honey both answered with a firm 'yes', even offering Jin a salute from the other end of the table. The twins, on the other hand, quickly averted either eyes down to their plates. Jin wasn't surprised. When leaving Hogwarts last spring, the twins had been searching their scattered belongings throughout the four common rooms right up to the last minute. Out of the whole group, they were the two she was most worried about potentially leaving something behind tomorrow.

A nudge to her left side made Jin turn her head, watching as Kyoya sat down beside her with a fresh cup of tea in hand. "What about you, Jin? Are you packed?"

"Mostly, yeah. I have my hygiene stuff still out, but my school stuff and clothes are all packed."

"Dad would have a brain aneurysm if we were any less ready," Haruhi chirped from Mori's other side. As if on cue, a loud clatter sounded from the kitchen area, the boys turning their heads while Jin and Haruhi calmly continued eating their breakfast. After a few quiet seconds, Kyoya turned back to Jin, a question in his eyes.

"Yes, he's always like this when we travel."

"Hm. I had assumed his fretting last year was due to it being Haruhi's first year at Hogwarts."

"Nope!" Jin stuffed the last of her bacon into her mouth, savoring the flavor because the boys had already eaten or laid claim to the rest. When she finally finished chewing, she glanced down the table at Tamaki. "So, are you guys ready to visit Hogsmeade this year?"

Tamaki stands up to deliver his 'yes', his enthusiasm easily overpowering the twins groans of complaint at the idea of waiting for another year before their turn to visit the little town. Even Haruhi, what little of her face Jin could see from this angle, seemed mildly put out by the thought. Or perhaps she just thought Tamaki was being much too loud for so early in the morning. Jin found it entirely amusing, especially when her father suddenly burst out of the kitchen wielding his wand in one hand and a spatula in the other and started screaming as well, asking who was attacking and who was in danger.

With a sigh, Jin casually swiped Kyoya's last slice of bacon from his plate and took a bite, ignoring the scandalized gasp from her friend with ease. This was already shaping up to be an excellent year, she could feel it.

*\/*

"Bishop to G3. Check."

Kaoru made a frustrated noise through his nose as he stared down his pieces, morbidly silent. Despite how the set belonged to Tamaki and the pieces normally made their opinions loudly clear to their owner, over the past year Tamaki's pieces had taken to staying mostly silent for everyone but Tamaki. As Jin watched Kaoru direct his rook without so much as a whine coming from the piece, she couldn't help but wonder if it was her or Kyoya who had scared the pieces badly enough to keep their mouths shut around Tamaki's opponents. She couldn't remember, and it really was a toss up.

The bench on Jin's left suddenly shook, an arm hooking itself over her shoulder as Hikaru's voice sounded in her ear, "So, who's losing?"

Jin snorted and brushed the boy's arm off. "It's such a character tell how you phrase that question."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ha! Checkmate!"

"Aww, what?" Kaoru stood up and leaned over the board, like if he found a different angle he might not actually have lost. Tamaki didn't seem to care for his friend's denial, laughing and celebrating in his seat as Kaoru called out various 'no's and 'I had you's. As the two boys went about their over-dramatic ways, the rest of the host club sat down around them, finally done with their own classes and ready for a quick snack.

Jin giggled at Kaoru's over-the-top wailing until Kyoya and Haruhi sat down across from her and Hikaru. Excitedly, she leaned forward, smacking at the table with her hands as she asked, "Kyoya, hey, the roster for the Slytherin Quidditch team was put up this morning, right?"

"It was. I assume you want to know if I made the team?"

Jin felt the sudden urge to reach across the table and shake her best friend for all he was worth. He knew damn well that even though all the other houses had put up their team rosters earlier this week, everyone else had kept their mouths shut because they wanted to share the news at the same time. And now he was trying to tease?

Her expression must've been one of her better ones, because Kyoya almost instantly had his hands raised in surrender. "Okay, I get it. Yes, the roster went up. Do we all just say whether we made it or not all at once?"

"Is that even necessary?" Tamaki leaned forward on his elbows and flipped his hair back, sporting the most Hitachiin-like smile Jin had ever seen on his face. "How's this? Anyone who didn't make their house team, say so now."

No one spoke for a full five seconds.

"Aaaah! I knew we'd all make it!"

"I'm surprised Tamaki didn't fall off his broom during try-outs!"

"Haruhi, you should try out next year, too!"

"No way, I'm way too clumsy on brooms. And I don't feel like having bludgers aimed at my head."

"Wait!" Jin stood up, immediately calling everyone's attention to her. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she asked, "What positions?"

Tamaki shot his hand up, waving it around and nearly smacking Jin in the shoulder. "I'm the Hufflepuff Keeper! Anyone else? Any other Keepers?"

"Naw, boss man. But you better watch out for us Beaters." Hikaru stuck his tongue out slyly, playfully glaring at the blond for a few seconds only to move back when Kaoru stretched until he was lying across the table, his head now in between Hikaru's and Tamaki's.

Kaoru's expression was the same as Hikaru's but with a broader grin. "Well then, I guess as one of the new Hufflepuff Beaters, I'll have to keep an eye on Tamaki's end of the field. Thanks for the helpful tip, oh brother of mine."

"Oh ho! A challenger appears!" Jin laughed with glee before quickly sitting back down, gazing over at Honey and Mori. "What about the rest of Gryffindor house?"

"Takeshi and I are both chasers!" Honey giggled and climbed onto his cousin's shoulders, giving Mori a big hug once he was up there. "You should'a seen the captain's face when Takeshi started flying."

Hikaru snorted, "Just the captain? Oh please, Mister 'Fancy-Flier' over here shocked everyone. I should've brought my camera. But I guess their surprise made sense, even I thought Mori-senpai had more of a Keeper vibe at first." He gave a solemn nod to accent his words, which the rest of the group copied. But then the moment passed and Hikaru darted his hand out to tickle Jin in the side, making the girl squeal and tuck herself against Tamaki in an effort to escape.

"Okay, that's enough about us. How about you and Kyoya?"

Jin beamed, pride swelling in her chest once again. "Seeker-"

"I'm a Seeker."

Jin whipped her head around, finding Kyoya already staring back at her, eyes just as wide as hers. Around them, their friends made multiple noises of surprise or taunting, but Jin wasn't listening.

Seeker? We're both Seekers?

By Jin's side, Hikaru rubbed his hands together sinisterly. "Oh… the Slytherin-Hufflepuff Quidditch game next month just got a whole lot more interesting."

*\/*

"So, are you ready for the game tomorrow, Tamaki?"

Tamaki gave a brief nod, eyes down-turned towards the Occamy baby he was supposed to be feeding. Assuming Tamaki's quiet demeanor meant he was focusing, Ximena whispered a hasty good luck before rushing back to her group's nest with a blush dusting her high cheekbones. Jin waited until the other girl had moved far enough away before gently removing the feeder from Tamaki's grasp, the blond hardly moving.

From across the nest, Kyoya finished feeding his own Occamy with a sigh before giving Tamaki a rather unimpressed look. "You know, Tamaki, you asked for the two of us to have a healthy rivalry for the game tomorrow, but I feel like it's a moot point if I have to reassure you of your skills every half-hour."

Jin heaved a heavy sigh of her own before gently nudging Tamaki with her right elbow, her left busy coddling the Occamy she was now feeding. "He's right, you know. You made in on the team fair and square, Tamaki, there's no reason for you to be so anxious about it. Out of the three of us, you should be the least anxious. You're not playing directly against anyone."

Tamaki only gave a faint whimper in response. Jin and Kyoya exchanged a brief glance before they both rolled their eyes and went back to their feeding. Tamaki had been basically catatonic all day, which was really starting to grate on Jin's nerves. She had already keep the idiot from knocking his unfinished shrinking potion onto the floor that morning in Potions. Maybe if she let one of the Occamy's nip at his hand he'd snap out of it?

"Woah! Woah, easy now!"

Jin looked up and stifled a giggle, her thoughts about Tamaki postponing themselves at the sight of two Occamies giving Kyoya a little trouble. Carefully easing the one she was carrying back into its nest, Jin scurried around to the other side to help her friend. First, she gently removed the Occamy that had slithered up around Kyoya's shoulders and was nipping at his ears for attention. Using two fingers to stroke at it's chin and underbelly, Jin watched silently as Kyoya finally managed to get the other, more finicky creature to start eating. The Occamy she was holding started to trill in contentment and Jin figuratively melted. These babies were really too cute… so long as they didn't get out of their tiny nests.

"You three doin' a'right over here?"

"A-okay, Professor!"

Hagrid's beard twitched, the sign of a big smile being directed their way. He gave Tamaki a worried glance but kept to himself. He, Jin, Kyoya, and every last one of Tamaki's other friends had already given the blond ample amounts of reassurance. At this point, Hagrid had to agree with Jin that the best course of action was to let Tamaki be.

Turning back to Jin and Kyoya, Hagrid watched carefully as the two set down the Occamies they were holding before finally going to feed the last one from their nest. It was the most timid of their clutch, so Jin was carefully holding and stroking the baby while Kyoya went about with the feeding. Hagrid felt a familiar swell of pride and delight while watching Jin work. The young girl was undeniably flourishing in his class, much like her older friend Mori.

And there was something undeniably sweet about how Jin gradually eased the baby Occamy into Kyoya's arms until he too could cradle the little creature.

*\/*

The momentary flash of yellow and black out of the corner of his eye gave Kyoya exactly two seconds to react before he was hit. Flattening himself against his broom handle, Kyoya shot down a few feet before coming to a stop and turning around to face his would-be assailant. He glared as Jin shot herself over head, giggling cheerfully. He couldn't tell whether the giggles were from her messing up his search again or just from the sheer joy of flying, but at this point it hardly mattered.

Clicking his tongue in distaste, Kyoya rose back up in the air, looking around for any hint of gold on the field while also keeping an eye out for bludgers or Jin. Judging from how often Jin had nearby flown into Kyoya's side over the course of the game, forcing the boy to dart around in an effort to avoid her, her strategy for catching the snitch seemed to entail distracting Kyoya from his search as often as possible. It was annoying, but an understandable tactic, and if Kyoya wasn't so desperate to find the snitch he would probably already be developing a revenge strategy for the next time they played.

As it was, Kyoya felt like he was doing just fine- shit!

Kyoya and Jin took off at the same time, streaming directly towards the Hufflepuff goalposts. The quaffle was currently being juggled around on the Slytherin side, so the students and teachers in the stands were forced to turn their heads back and forth, trying to keep up with all the action.

Hunkered down in the stands, as close to the Hufflepuff goalposts as they could manage, the rest of the "Host Club" were staring intently after the two Seekers. Hikaru and Honey both had their hands clutched in their laps, neither boy daring to blink even as they shouted at the top of their lungs. After all, depending on who caught the snitch, one of them would owe the other a "favor", a bet that both boys were now starting to feel nervous about. Behind the two, Mori and Haruhi were watching with equal levels of excitement, Haruhi jumping up and down as she cheered for her big sister.

As the four of them watched, Jin and Kyoya serpentined around the goalposts, Kyoya hovering above Jin in the air. Even Tamaki risked a few moments to watch them from above, despite how close the quaffle and the other players were coming to his side of the field. He quickly returned his attention to the rest of the game and darted to his left just as the quaffle and a bludger shot forward to intercept him.

Right as the three made a sharp impact, the two Seekers beneath the goalposts turned sharply upwards, their right arms extending in unison. Tamaki, quaffle heavy in hand and nose feeling somehow heavier on his face, managed to focus his eyesight just long enough to see his two friends fly up in front of him.

Something brushed against Kyoya's fingertips and the boy tightened his grip on instinct. But instead of feeling smooth metal in his hand, Kyoya was greeted with something warm and slightly squishy. It was Jin's hand. Snatching his hand back against his chest, Kyoya fell back, face burning red. Thankfully for him, Jin didn't seem to notice at all, her face scrunched up with determination as she swiped her hand through the air.

With a strangled laugh, Jin made a sudden backwards loop over the top of the goalposts and came to a stop in front of the center one, her right arm stretched above her head in victory.

"It looks like Suoh is about to toss the Quaffle back- WAIT! FUJIOKA HAS THE SNITCH! HUFFLEPUFF RECEIVES 150 POINTS! HUFFLEPUFF WINS!"

The cheering from the stands took on a sudden uproar. Kyoya watched from a few feet below as Jin spun around a few times, beaming like the goddamn sun as most of her teammates surrounded her with excitement. Kaoru and Muhammed, the Hufflepuff captain and only 7th year on the team, were not among the sudden mobbing, too busy propping Tamaki up between them. Of course, Kaoru was still applauding and whooping while Muhammed grinned at Jin even as he carefully held a tissue to Tamaki's nose, forcing the blond to stare at the ground.

Shaking his head, Kyoya applauded for Jin for a moment until the girl caught his gaze. Her grin shrunk to a small, slightly smug look before she offered a mouthed apology. Kyoya just waved it off, flying over to Tamaki's side and pretending like he didn't just feel his heart stutter in his chest. Gently nudging Kaoru out of the way, Kyoya placed a hand on top of Tamaki's broomstick. "Come on, let's get you to Madam Abbott to have your nose reset. Can't be in a Host Club if your face looks like a broken tomato."

Muhammad barked out a hearty laugh even as he gently helped Kyoya steer Tamaki to the ground. "Don't you worry about that, Suoh. I've seen plenty worse injuries over the past four years, you'll be fixed up in no time. By the way, Ootori, good match. You and Fujioka looked neck in neck at the end there."

Kyoya opened his mouth to respond when a gurgling sound came from his friend. Tamaki's shoulders were bouncing, the only way Kyoya was able to tell his friend was laughing and not choking on his own blood. Tilting his head to the side, Tamaki gazed up at Kyoya with startling clarity, making his friend lean back a little from the intensity.

"I saw, Kyoya… I saw when you missed the snitch…"

Kyoya's cheeks heated up for the third time, this time his blush reaching all the way to his ears. If it weren't for Tamaki's injury, he would have smacked the boy and called him an idiot. Actually, with Muhammad looking curiously between him and Tamaki, Kyoya might hit the boy anyways, broken nose be damned.

Thankfully for Kyoya's pride and Tamaki's face, Kyoya's own captain suddenly came swooping in, her face an interesting mix of apologetic, amicable, and proud. The first thing she did, after giving Kyoya a solid clap on the shoulder, was carefully tilt Tamaki's head to inspect his injury.

"I'm so sorry, Suoh! I promise I was just aiming to knock the quaffle to the side. Does it hurt a lot? I'm serious sorry!"

Muhammad smiled gently at the other captain even as he moved her hands away. "Don't worry about it, Joy, I believe you. At least next time you won't doubt the speed of our new Keeper."

"I will not! Okay, I'll let you take him to the infirmary. Congrats on the win!"

Muhammad gave Joy a brief handshake before tucking both brooms under his right arm and Tamaki under his left and walking towards the field exit. The two Slytherins watched them go for a second before Joy turned her attention to Kyoya.

"That was some close call there. Nice work keeping up with Fujioka the whole time, Ootori." Another heavy clap fell on his shoulder, making Kyoya's knees buckle. "Keep practicing and we'll definitely win the next one."

"You're… not upset?" Kyoya was glad, of course, but also confused. Despite the friendships forged between the four houses, Quidditch, Kyoya had heard, was one of the few places where the rivalries still shone bright.

Joy, however, gave a limp shrug and threw her arm around Kyoya, pinning him to her side. "The game's over, so's the rivalry. I think the fans always hold on to wins and losses longer than the players do. Or at least with me. There's probably going to be a few people glaring at me for hitting Suoh in the face for the next few days, but what can you do? Anyways, I'm not worried about you losing against Fujioka. Girl's a damn good flyer, but so are you. Besides, you've just started growing, and you'll probably be all gangly with long limbs that'll outreach Fujioka. Unless… of course… you let her win?"

Joy's expression was teasing for three seconds before she noticed Kyoya's expression. Kyoya's face was once again bright red, and if he were in the state of mind to think so, he'd think it was rather unhealthy for him to keep doing so. "No, I did not! I-I mean, I didn't mean… I thought I had the snitch but…"

"But…"

"I, uh-"

"Kyoya! Party in the Hufflepuff dorm! Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting?" Jin floated to the ground gracefully, stepping off her broom and to solid ground like she had been doing it her whole life. She was no longer holding the snitch, the little golden ball now buzzing around her head like a little canary. Kyoya felt his heart stutter once more in his chest, which made his lungs seize up which then made his captain look at him with concern. Quickly slapping his 'hard-to-read' expression back on, Kyoya looked over at Joy and raised an eyebrow.

"Am I free to go?"

Joy stared at Kyoya for a moment longer before she suddenly looked away, her other hand coming up to her mouth as a few cackles flew out. "Oh man, I just figured it out. Yeah, yeah, you're free to go, buddy. I'll see you guys at the party after I check on Suoh. I still think I should apologize once again."

"Oh!" Jin rushed to Kyoya's side, her free hand wrapped around his bicep as she gazed at him imploringly. "We should go visit Tamaki, too! C'mon, let's grab the others!"

Without waiting for a response, Jin took off, dragging Kyoya behind her and nearly making him smack his head with his own broom. If she heard his stuttered 'o-okay' or noticed how Tamaki was smirking knowingly at Kyoya for the rest of the evening, she didn't say so.

*\/*

"Come on, Jin! We're supposed to be at the Three Broomsticks in ten minutes!"

"I know, I know!" Jin nibbled at her bottom lip, eyes scanning the boxes lined up in front of her. Fever Fudge or Puking Pastilles? She remembered Honey mentioning he was going to buy one of the treats for Hikaru and Kaoru today, but which one was it? Jin didn't have that much spending money, and she'd hate to waste it on something the twins were already getting...

An arm reached around Jin and grabbed the Fever Fudge. Jin leaped back in shock, her arms coming up to steady herself when she smacked straight into someone.

"Sor-"

"Here." Kyoya pressed the candy into her hands. "Honey got them Fainting Fancies, but I think the twins will appreciate the fudge more." And then he was walking towards the door, tugging the misshapen hat sent from his sister further over his ears.

Jin hurried over to the counter to pay for the treat, but her mind was focused on something else entirely. As she absentmindedly watched the short wizard wrap up her purchase, Jin thought about Kyoya's recent strange behavior. Honestly, she was somewhat surprised by the fact that she was surprised. Every other boy she was friends with was weird in one way or another, so it should've been more shocking how normal Kyoya usually appeared. But still, Jin couldn't help but worry about her friend. He clearly had something on his mind these days, making him daydream on the good days and walk face-first into walls on his bad ones. And while that last option was undeniably hilarious, Jin just wished she knew what was bothering him so much. Maybe she could help? It had to be something serious, or Kyoya wouldn't care so much about it.

Jin exited the joke shop to both Tamaki and Kyoya making exaggerated exhausted noises. She stuck her tongue out at them and pocketed the box, quickly tightening her coat and scarf afterwards. After living in London for a few years, Jin wished she could say she was growing used to the cold, but it would be a lie. She just couldn't stand not being able to feel her fingertips or her toes. Even as a third year, Jin was hoping with all her might to become a prefect in her 5th year. She had heard about the private baths and mmm… yes, please.

"Well, if you're finally done shopping, we really need to get going or we'll miss our meet up time with Honey and Mori."

"First of all," Jin smacked Tamaki on the arm. "That's for the sarcasm. Second, it's not like they'll leave if we're not there on time. And third, I don't remember you complaining the last time I spent a while shopping around Hogsmeade."

"Of course you didn't. You were buying things for us."

Jin didn't hit Kyoya, but she glared at him to let him know she wanted to. "And that comment means those were the last Christmas gifts you will ever get from me."

This, of course, prompted a whole new range of complaints from the boys, and Jin didn't respond to a single one until they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, which seemed to be hosting a bit of a party at the moment. Near the front doors, a well-bundled up group of musicians were playing a cheerful melody as town residents and students alike danced around with glee. Jin spun around, both boys cut their complaints short at the evil smile now adorning her face.

"Okay… I'll forgive your comments and promise to buy you both gifts next year… if you dance one song with me."

Their faces changed in an instant, with vastly different expressions. With a squeal of glee, Tamaki rushed forward and grabbed Jin's hand, barely giving her enough time to grab Kyoya as well before Tamaki was dragging them to the dance floor. Much to Jin's delight, as soon as the rag-tag band finished their current song, they immediately started playing another one that was just as joyful as the previous.

She laughed as Tamaki began spinning the three of them around in a circle, holding hands with each other. Every once in a while one of them slipped on a hidden icey patch, but the other two helped keep them all on their feet. Tamaki was whooping along with the rises and falls of the song's melody, and even Kyoya's stiff and uncomfortable expression faded quickly into one of enjoyment. The three stopped spinning after a while and started to just dance randomly, twirling around each other and the other dancers, sometimes kicking up snow or nearly falling down but no one seemed to care.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jin spotted Honey and Mori rushing over to join in on the dancing and a girl with a Ravenclaw scarf approaching Tamaki for a dance. Realizing that this was the perfect time to help snap Kyoya out of his weird mood, Jin abruptly grabbed her friend's hands and started dancing with him. Kyoya's face was extremely red from the cold and the exertion that came with dancing, and every once in a while his expression would look strained while he kept his balance on the ice, but Jin could tell her friend was enjoying himself. She couldn't remember the last time Kyoya had smiled so widely.

Unfortunately, as soon as they were inside and drinking their well-deserved butterbeer, Jin saw the same distracted-slash-distressed look reappear on Kyoya's face. Thankfully, given how closely Tamaki seemed to be watching Kyoya as well, she wasn't the only one who noticed.

Maybe Tamaki would have better luck helping Kyoya than Jin did.

*\/*

Kyoya let out a heavy groan as Tamaki collapsed on the other side of the couch, the noise partially because of the expression his friend was wearing and partially because even though Madam Abbott had healed his broken leg instantly after the Quidditch match against Gryffindor this afternoon, it was still very bruised and very tender and it did not appreciate Tamaki forcing it to move.

At the very least, Tamaki winced in empathy and gave Kyoya a quiet apology, but it was clear he was about to say something that Kyoya wasn't about to like. How could Kyoya tell? Well, not only was Tamaki's face ridiculously easy to read, but judging by the way Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, and Mori were crowded around with excited expressions, Kyoya knew he was in for a long night. Which, of course, was typical of every night Jin and Haruhi had a "Girl's Night In", forcing the boys to congregate in a different common room and entertain themselves.

Resigning himself to his fate, mostly because they were already in the Slytherin common room and because, again, he didn't want to move, Kyoya gave Tamaki his best deadpan stare and asked, "What now?"

"This is an intervention, Kyoya Ootori. It's come to our attention that you are hopelessly, deeply, roman-"

"You like Jin-senpai."

"As in, Jin-and-Kyoya-sittin'-in-a-tree kind of like."

Tamaki howled in disbelief over his stolen thunder, but Kyoya could hardly hear him over the roar of blood in his ears. They thought he… that he was… Words weren't co-operating at that moment, meaning the lengthy protest Kyoya wanted to say was reduced to a faint, "What?"

Honey chimed in next, giggling and pressing his fingers against his cheeks. "Kyo-chan has a crush on Jin-chan! Isn't it cute, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

Kyoya felt like he had swallowed his own tongue. Cute? Him? What?

"Honestly, I'm not sure why you've bothered getting a crush in the first place. Jin-senpai is perfect, and you're…" Hikaru gestured vaguely in Kyoya's direction before his hands abruptly bent at the wrist, like his marionette strings had been cut. "Meh."

Kaoru nudged his brother in the side. "Oi, don't be like that. Kyoya's decently good looking… for him. No clue if he'll ever grow into those ears of his, though."

Tamaki finally emerged from his inner self-loathing monologue, giving the twins a scandalized gasp on Kyoya's behalf. "What are you two doing? I brought you all up to speed on this issue so you'd help me, not make it worse!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I dunno what to tell you, Boss. She's like our older sister. What were you expecting?"

Tamaki launched himself from the couch, again jostling Kyoya rather painfully. However, before he could throttle Hikaru's neck, Kaoru stood up and put himself between them. "Wait, Tamaki, consider this. If mine and Hikaru's comments are enough to convince Kyoya to stay away from Jin, how would he have fared against Haruhi? Or Ranka?"

Tamaki pouted, "I guess that's kind of true… but can't you take at least one second to encourage your friend first?"

"No," Hikaru deadpanned.

Kaoru also shook his head, giving Kyoya an apologetic glance as he did so. "Sorry, my friend. But our loyalties lie on the other side of this love boat. You understand, right?"

Kyoya wanted to, very loudly, explain that he most certainly did not understand what was going on. Not in the slightest. Or, well, it was more like he wished he didn't understand. Unfortunately, he did. And he knew what his friends were like. Especially when it concerned embarrassing things regarding him. Around Kyoya's couch, the conversation regarding his "love life" had taken off, his friends discussing the pros and cons of supporting your friends having crushes on your other friends and honestly, Kyoya had had enough.

"I'm just saying, if we're going to help Kyoya on his journey to woo Jin-" Tamaki's voice cut out sharply, his face frozen in a passionate expression while his eyes darted around. Before the other boys could laugh or try to help, they were all similarly petrified. The few who were facing the correct direction could see Kyoya glaring heavily at them all from the couch, wand at the ready.

"I'm only saying this once, so I'm forcing you utter buffoons to listen. I did not, do not, and never will have a crush on Jin. She is my friend who happens to be a girl, and she is one of my best friends, so I will not allow your ridiculous ideas put any amount of strain on that relationship. If you so much as breathe a word of this idiocy in her direction, I will not rest until I learn how to magically turn you all inside out then proceed to do so. Now, leave me alone so my mind can heal from processing your lunacy."

With a few determined flicks of his wand, Kyoya forced his friends to float out of the common room and into the hallway, one by one, and waited for the door to shut before releasing them all from his spell. He had no idea if his threat would work to drive them away from the idea of him and Jin in a "more-than-friendly" setting, but at least they would be deterred from talking about it with him or Jin for the foreseeable future.

Also, and this was the only positive that came from his friend's "intervention", Kyoya hadn't felt this clear of mind in ages. He had been friends with Jin for almost three years now, and it had never occurred to him that she could be cute, so it had caught him off guard and distracted him as he tried to figure out what was different. However, now that he knew that was what had been bothering him, Kyoya could neatly file that information away and get on with the rest of his life.

Yes, Jin was pretty.

It wasn't a crush. Merely an observation.

With a decisive nod, Kyoya relaxed a little further into the couch cushions and heaved his charms book into his lap. Maybe, now that he'd kicked the others out for the night, he could find a moment's peace to study.

*\/*

Like Kyoya had predicted, in the following months after his threat, none of his friends dared even mention the words "crush" or "like" in his general vicinity. He knew it was only a temporary fix and it was killing them to shut up for so long about a subject, but he didn't care. So long as he could meet Jin's eye and not have it feel awkward for either of them, the others could suffer all they wanted.

Luckily for Kyoya's mental well being, he had finally pulled himself back together just as the last month of school began. Final exams were nearing, and not a single one of their professors would let them forget it. Thankfully, some were more willing to offer hands-on help and practice rather than pile pounds upon pounds of homework on their desks at the last minute. Professor Curtis, the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, was thankfully one of the former.

Jin, Tamaki, and Kyoya arrived that class period to find Professor Curtis standing outside the doors along with the rest of their classmates who were lined up against the wall. The man smiled at the three and gestured for them to join their classmates, not speaking a word.

Professor Curtis looked about like an average middle-aged Englishman in every sense of the word… at first glance. However, once you got a longer look at him, the more you got the feeling that something was off about his appearance. No one had a way of explaining it in words, but there was definitely something. Something that made the first years twitch and huddle close together at their desk for the first few weeks of school. Also, and this was only whispered among the students in the corners of the common rooms, the fact that Professor Curtis was the first Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to stay in the position for more than a year in the past decade made most students believe he wasn't 100% human. What that non-human part was couldn't be agreed on for more than five minutes, and whenever a student was brave enough to ask, Professor Curtis changed his answer every time, always with a hint of mystery and teasing to keep the guessing game going.

Of course, the odd, unnerving vibe Professor Curtis gave off only came from his physical appearance. Much like Hagrid, the man had a kind heart and always seemed to have a cup of tea prepared right when one of his students needed it. Usually after the first month of classes, his students stopped watching him out of the corner of their eyes and gave him smiles in the hallways. The older the students, got the earlier in the year they warmed up to him.

That being said, Professor Curtis was not above using his uncanny vibe to tease his students, especially as they grew older and more accustomed to his presence. As he once put it, he "had a reputation to uphold" at the school. So when he was introducing them to certain creatures and spells… he liked to put on a little show to get everyone's blood pumping beforehand.

His tactic seemed to work, because by the time all the students were lined up along the wall, most were vibrating with excitement or bouncing from one foot to the other. With a mysterious smile he had perfected after ten years of teaching, Professor Curtis moved away from the door to make his announcement.

"Thank you all for your patience, I just didn't want to spoil the surprise. Today, we're starting our final review of defense against magical creatures. Now, inside the classroom, I have a safe, inside of which is a Boggart."

Instantly the whole class was muttering, excited and worried whispers floating through the air as they took in the news. They had never faced a real boggart before, only practicing on dummies. How would they fare against the real thing?

Professor Curtis let the jitters run wild for a few seconds before he called for everyone's attention again. "Now, I know how nervous you must be feeling, as well as how uncomfortable you might feel revealing your greatest fear and trying out a brand new spell for the first time in a real-life application, so instead of having you all in the classroom at the same time, this will be a one-on-one face off. I will be in the room to assist if need be, but you won't have to worry about performing in front of your peers. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded their heads, voices stolen by nerves or focus, but that was all the professor needed. With that, he gestured for Alice Gagnier to follow him inside the room, and the practice lesson began, everyone jostling each other for what they thought was the best place in line. Not much caring for when he would go, Kyoya allowed Tamaki to drag him around all he wanted. Somehow, Tamaki managed to secure the three of them the very back of the line.

From the get-go, it was obvious that Tamaki was extremely nervous. As the line slowly moved forward, Kyoya could hear his friend muttering and practicing his spell enunciation over and over under his breath, voice hitching every time a student disappeared into the classroom and they moved up in the line.

He wasn't the only nervous person either. There were quite a few screams coming from their classroom, and every time a student left, having completed the spell, they sported pale faces and various nervous twitches. One of the boys walked away with tear tracks down his cheeks and a promise for a cup of tea with Professor Curtis later that afternoon. Even Jin seemed on edge, twisting her robes around in her hands in such a way that Kyoya worried she'd accidentally snap her wand in two when she went to perform the spell.

In fact, Kyoya was so preoccupied with the obvious concerns of his friends that he completely forgot to be worried himself. Before he could prepare himself, Kyoya found Jin at the front of the line, him directly behind her with Tamaki brushing at the back of Kyoya's robes every so often. In front of the trio, the classroom doors opened to reveal Amaye Jounouchi. She looked a little paler than usual, but she had a proud glint in her eyes. She reached out and squeezed Jin's hand once in passing before walking down the hall and around the corner.

Professor Curtis poked his head out of the doorway, smiling at Jin as he said, "Next?"

Jin nodded and walked forward, looking very much like she might throw up. Kyoya called out a quick wish of good luck right before the doors shut, so he wasn't even sure if she had heard him. Or maybe she had? Standing this close to the classroom doors, Kyoya could faintly hear the quiet tone of Professor Curtis's pep talk, the professor making sure Jin was ready before he unleashed the boggart.

Kyoya was listening intently, trying to eavesdrop, and was promptly startled out of his mind when he felt a sharp tug on his sleeve. Spinning around, Kyoya found that Tamaki had moved up to stand side-by-side with him, chewing on his bottom lip as he stared at the classroom doors. For a moment, Kyoya almost thought Tamaki had grabbed him unconsciously.

"Do you think Jin's going to be okay? Didn't she say she had a phobia?"

Ah, of course that was the reason. Kyoya went to brush Tamaki's hand off his sleeve, but thought better of it and instead gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Yes, she has a fear of sharks. But I can't imagine a shark flopping around on a classroom floor would be too scary, even for Jin. Besides, you and I both know how tough she is-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Jin's scream was, by far, the loudest and the longest of their classmates. Kyoya and Tamaki both felt like their hearts had clenched in their chests as they heard Jin's scream of terror. There were a few hiccups and a change in tone that told the boys she was crying around her following screams. But right before the boys went to bust open the doors, lesson be damned, Jin's scream cut off and was instead replaced by a desperate, "RIDDIKULUS!"

The hallway quickly lapsed back into silence, Kyoya and Tamaki waiting with bated breath for the doors to open. Straining their ears, they could faintly make out the professor's gentle murmurs from beyond the wood, eventually accompanied by weak giggles.

After a minute passed with no news, Tamaki exchanged a glance with Kyoya before shyly walking forward and knocking on the door, quickly stepping back into line afterwards. A few moments later, Professor Curtis opened the door with Jin tucked under his right arm as she wiped at the tears on her face. Spotting Tamaki and Kyoya, Jin eased herself away from the professor and walked over to her friends. Her eyes were red and she looked exhausted, letting her head fall forward and onto Tamaki's shoulder as soon as she was close enough. Tamaki quickly squeezed his friend in a hug, which she slowly returned. Kyoya moved closer as well, raising his hands up to place them over Jin's, not liking one bit how badly they shook.

Their professor gave Jin a gentle pat before turning to Kyoya. "Would you like to go next? Or would you rather wait?"

"No. No, I'll go." Kyoya nodded, giving Jin's hands another reassuring squeeze before following the professor into the classroom. He sort of wanted to stay behind and help soothe his friend, but he also wanted to get the lesson over and done with. So, he quickly followed the professor into the classroom and shut the door behind him. Once he did that, Kyoya turned around and shivered.

Professor Curtis had done his best to warm up the room, keeping the windows wide open so the warm spring air filtered through the classroom, but the nice weather did little to relax the tension. All the desks and chairs had been pushed to the sides and front of the room, leaving a smaller square of open space in the middle. At one side of the open space, Kyoya stood with his back to the door with Professor Curtis off to his left. Opposite him sat a metal safe.

It was small and looked light enough for Kyoya to carry without much difficulty if he chose to. The safe was covered with peeling powder-blue paint, a few flakes forming a sort of ring on the floor around the object. The exposed metal was clearly rusted, the bright orange contrasting painfully with the old paint. It was very unassuming… until it gave a sudden jerk, leaning hard to Kyoya's right before slamming itself back onto the floor, knocking another paint chip off the metal. The move was so sudden even Kyoya took a step back, giving Professor Curtis a look.

The professor responded to Kyoya's nerves with a smile. "You did excellent in your practice of the spell, Ootori, and you are one of my most capable students. I have complete faith in you being able to perform this spell. And, if you ever feel like you're in true mortal danger and need help, say the word 'Hikkipunk' and I'll step in. I give you my word."

Kyoya licked his lips and gave the safe another hard stare. It did not move.

"Can you tell me something?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"What did Jin turn her shark into?"

Professor Curtis smiled, his teeth just a hair too sharp for normal. "A minnow."

Kyoya nodded, shaking out his shoulders and raising his wand out before him. "Okay. I'm ready." He kept his eyes trained on the safe, listening for the swish of the professor's wand and watching as the lock's combination wheel slowly spun until the door popped open.

Almost immediately Kyoya knew what was going to come out of the safe. A forked tongue darted out from the dark opening, followed by the sound of scales scraping against rusted metal. Kyoya shifted his stance, trying to fight the shiver running down his spine as the snake slithered out onto the floor. It was absolutely gigantic, almost as big around as the safe's opening. In the back of his mind, Kyoya knew it was a boggart and there was no way a real snake of this size would be able to fit in such a small container, but that didn't stop him from biting back a whimper as it drew closer. And closer. And closer-

"Keep your wits, Ootori. Keep your wits."

Blinking rapidly, Kyoya brought himself back and gave himself a good shake. Just as the snake rose its head, hissing and opening its mouth for an attack, Kyoya gave his wand a little jerk in the snake's direction.

"Riddikulus!"

With a faint, pitiful hiss, the snake withered away in on itself, shrinking fast and changing from a dull brown into a more vibrant green. Kyoya faintly heard the professor bark out a laugh before the snake finished its transformation. Letting out a hard breath, Kyoya relaxed his stance, rubbing at his cheek with his free hand while keeping an eye on the boggart. Even if it didn't seem much of a threat anymore, being a balloon animal and all.

Stifling his laughter, Professor Curtis gave his wand a fancy twirl that shot the boggart back into its temporary hold. The safe gave another heavy jerk, but otherwise remained still as the professor approached Kyoya.

"Well done, Ootori, well done. If you just remember to keep your wits about you, you'll do fine in the practical examination."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Your welcome. Now, let's go fetch Suoh, shall we?"

"Okay, but please be gentle with him, Sir. He's a fragile soul."

"I'll keep that in mind."

When they walked out of the classroom, Jin already looked much better. Her face was no longer pale and she was leaning against the wall on her own, apparently giving Tamaki a pep talk as the boy stretched his arms out. As Kyoya and the professor exited the classroom, Jin shot them a smile. Tamaki did too, but his had a forced edge to it.

"Is it finally my turn?"

"It is. Are you ready?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" was Tamaki's response, but Kyoya could see how Tamaki's shoulders were beyond tense, hovering near the boy's earlobes. "I'm honestly more hungry than scared. Why should I be scared anyways? I'll be in the classroom with you, so it's not like the boggart could actually land an attack, right?"

Tamaki babbled as Professor Curtis lead him into the classroom. Kyoya snuck in a hopefully grounding pat on the shoulder before his friend disappeared from sight. Then he approached Jin, leaning against the wall beside her.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just glad all our other classmates already left. I might have died of embarrassment if they all heard my scream."

Kyoya laughed, tension he didn't even know he had gradually leaking out of his body. "Honestly, I thought your boggart had turned into a wailing banshee."

"Oh, shut up! I wasn't that bad."

"You kind of were."

"I'm warning you, Ootori."

"And loud."

"Ugh!" Jin threw her hands up, pushing away from the wall. "I don't even know why I bother talking to you."

Kyoya rolled his eyes. "Um, maybe that's because other than your sister, I'm the only other sane member of our friend group."

"That doesn't mean anything if you're mean about it."

Kyoya's smile faded. It suddenly hit him that Jin actually looked upset. It wasn't just for show. "Sorry… was I being mean?"

At the question, Jin sighed, turning back around to face him. "No, you were just teasing. I'm sorry, I just… I guess I'm embarrassed. No one else lost it as badly as I did and I…"

Kyoya pushed away from the wall as well, reaching out to grab at his friend's shoulders. "Hey, you may have the loudest scream, but at least you defeated your boggart the first time. Elias needed three attempts before he could even pronounce the spell. So what if the boggart scared you, that's the point of a boggart! I was scared, too. If Professor Curtis hadn't snapped me out of it, I would've forgotten to even cast the spell."

Jin blinked, lowering her arms back to her sides. "Really?"

"Really really." Kyoya silently cursed himself for using the stupid response Professor Zwick used in class, but Jin's only response was a small giggle, so perhaps she wouldn't hold it against him. Releasing Jin's shoulders, he smiled softly at her. "So, we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Jin lead the way back to the wall, the two of them leaning beside each other once again. "Sorry for snapping at you."

"Eh, I've gotten used to your mood swings."

"Rude."

Before the two could fall back into their usual rounds of easy banter, the classroom door opened. Professor Curtis poked his head out, and it was only when Kyoya noticed Tamaki wasn't with him that he realized he hadn't heard Tamaki's voice.

The professor gestured for the two of them to enter the room, which they did. At once, Jin let out a small gasp. Tamaki was sitting on the floor, weeping horribly into his knees. It wasn't his loud, over the top yowling that he did every time his life was mildly inconvenienced. As Kyoya and Jin inched closer, they could hear the deep, body shaking sobs coming from their friend.

Jin immediately fell to her knees, throwing her arms around Tamaki in a tight squeeze. Kyoya was quick to follow, holding tight even as Tamaki cries louder. Kyoya didn't know what Tamaki had seen and, right now, he didn't need to. He didn't even care that, later on, Tamaki would probably bemoan how Kyoya never gave him hugs in less emotional situations. So what if hugging wasn't what Kyoya usually did? If his best friend needed a hug, then dammit, a hug he shall receive.

It takes a full four minutes for Tamaki's crying to subside. By that time, the safe had been cleared away to be taken care of in a different setting and Professor Curtis had prepared the three students some tea. Tamaki took his mug in shaking hands, still hiccuping occasionally, but his face no longer pressed into his knees.

"Mr. Suoh, I want you to listen carefully to me. Your fear does not make you weak." Professor Curtis paused for a moment as Tamaki sniffed in response. "You are not the first student I've had who was unable to defeat a boggart on the first go, and you won't be the last. You have faced your greatest fear in the world at the young age of thirteen, and you can only grow stronger. Do you understand?"

Tamaki nodded, so the professor continued, "Right then. I'll let you finish your tea and head out. I think dinner will be starting in half an hour, so take your time to pull yourself together."

The three students before him nodded as well, so Professor Curtis stood up and went to walk out the doors. Just before he left, he gave the students one last look. They were still huddled together on the floor, Suoh laying his head on Fujioka's shoulder while Ootori was leaned against him.

It had broken Curtis's heart to see the boggart take the form of Fujioka and Ootori, looking at Tamaki with disgusted expressions before snubbing him. But at least Suoh didn't have to worry about his fear becoming a reality.

*\/*

The hallways of the school were abuzz with celebration, the Slytherin crest decorating the walls and staircases, making Kyoya feel even dizzier than he had during the feast. In fact, he swore his ears were still ringing from the loud cheers his housemates had given at the announcement of Slytherin winning the House Cup. Even now Kyoya's friends surrounded him, despite having already offering him congratulations and condolences.

"I wonder if Ravenclaw had the least amount of points because Page graduated. Ravenclaw didn't win a single Quidditch game this year."

"That doesn't mean anything, Tama-chan. I mean, Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup this year! Don't 'cha remember that?"

Tamaki mumbled a soft, "I'm trying not to," before giving himself a shake. "Yeah, but who would've thought it! Slytherin winning the House Cup! That hasn't happened in, what, a decade?"

Kyoya hummed, still not quite used to hearing the words 'Slytherin' and 'House Cup' together in a sentence like that. "God, Professor Gagliardi is going to be a nightmare next year."

A few pats were delivered to his back, along with Haruhi's gentle tone. "I wish I could say I could help you, but I really can't."

"I can already hear him now." Jin raised a hand to her ear before squeaking out a whine, "But Ravenclaw's won in the past five years! It must have been a mistake! Slytherin didn't deserve it! Oh, boo hoo! Woe is me! I'll make them pay for it, mark my words!"

Kyoya softly elbowed his friend despite the smile playing on his lips. "Don't start. It's probably true. I'm going to have history homework coming out of my damn ears."

Hikaru and Kaoru suddenly jumped ahead, walking backwards and offering Kyoya mock salutes.

"We are at your command, good sir!"

"Say the word and Professor Gag will be dealing with exploding tea cups and uncomfortable bowels all of next year!"

The group laughed even as they made mental reminders to keep a close eye on the twins whenever they could the following year. After all, they would be able to visit the joke shop in Hogsmeade on their own.

Kyoya smirked as his friends continued down a different tangent, now discussing who was already packed and ready to leave the next morning (the Fujioka's) and whose trunks still looked like they had exploded all over the castle (the Hitachiin's). It's hard to believe that his third year was already over. Next year will be year number four, halfway through Kyoya's time at Hogwarts. What would it be like? What would change in his classes or with his friends? He was only thirteen… why did he suddenly feel so old?

"C'mon, Glasses. The Slytherin common room is going to be super crowded tonight. You can stay in the Hufflepuff dorms until it quiets down a little." Jin was smiling by Kyoya's side, gently tugging at his arm to let him know that, as inviting as her tone was, there was no way Kyoya would be able to argue. Not that he wanted too.

With a responding smile, Kyoya allowed Jin to lead him and the others in the right direction. No matter what happened next year, Kyoya knew tonight they'd be celebrating together, as they should.

Another year, gone! Much like my sanity at the end of the semester. Oh well, can't do much about that now. I hope everyone else's year is approaching an easy end, and for all my readers still in school, I wish you luck with your final exams and papers!