Love Lessons
➵ A.C.E: (Gryffindor) Yuchan x fem. (Ravenclaw) reader / one shot, Hogwarts AU / fluff
➵ warnings: none
➵ word count: 3.7k
➵ series: Donghun, Sehyoon, Yuchan
You are nervous.
Not that you’d ever admit it - but you are.
Every few seconds, your gaze wanders towards the big clock hanging above the doorway, but time is moving almost painfully slow today. Chan isn’t late yet, but you are (as always) way too early for your meeting - a private tutoring lesson. It’s good manners - or at least, that’s what your parents taught you when you were a child.
The Great Hall isn’t overly crowded today, which is no wonder - it’s Saturday and most students are on their way to Hogsmeade, while the younger ones are hauled up in their common rooms or outside, exploring the Hogwarts’ grounds. But earlier this week, you had agreed to help a fellow classmate with his Potions assignment, after an older Gryffindor asked you to.
You don’t mind, especially not when she had told you that it was none other than Kang Yuchan - better known as Chan - who needed your help. You’re actually in the same year, but only share one class with one another. But still, almost everyone knows Chan. He’s a very well-liked Gryffindor, always smiling and just... generally being adorable. He’s also one of Gryffindor’s beaters, so more than just a few girls (and probably some boys, too) swoon over him, some even following him to his different classes - which is ridiculous, in your opinion. While he doesn’t really seem to mind the attention, he also doesn’t directly engage with any of them.
Well and if you’re being completely honest… you might also have the teeniest of crushes on him. Which also explains the nervous state you’re in at the moment. The prospect of spending the entire afternoon in the sole company of one Kang Yuchan is making your heart flutter.
You just hope you won’t make a fool out of yourself. You tend to be awkward around too many people, especially ones from other houses. Around your fellow Ravenclaws, you know you can be your geeky self and throw around random knowledge without having to fear being called a “nerd” or “know-it-all”. With the other Houses though? That’s a whole different story. Especially the Slytherins usually have all kind of mean names for Ravenclaws.
“So sorry I’m late, I got lost on my way! One of the stairs moved all of the sudden and then I was in a totally different hallway again and then I almost ran into Mrs. Norris - and I’m really not the biggest fan of her, but who is, right? But well, I finally made it, so tadaa!”
You can’t help but break into a smile when Chan breathlessly rattles down his apology while sliding onto the chair beside you, his arm brushing yours in the process. There’s a pink flush covering his cheeks and his dark eyes twinkle when he smiles at you, his expression a little shy.
“Oh, no problem, you’re actually not late - I’m just early, as always.”, you reassure him and begin to shuffle through some papers in front of you to give your trembling hands something to do.
“I’m Chan, by the way.”, he introduces himself, ducking his head, cheeks flushing even more.
You grin, already feeling a bit bolder thanks to his own nervousness. “I know - I’m Y/N.”
“Thank you again for agreeing to tutor me! I know you probably have loads of other things to do, so I really appreciate you helping me!”
You notice that he talks very fast, almost stumbling over his own words - maybe that too is a sign of his nervousness. You sigh inwardly, silently cursing him for being so effortlessly adorable all the time.
“It’s no problem, I just hope I can actually help you.”, you answer in a soothing voice, which results in him raising both eyebrows.
“You helped someone older with Potions already, so I’m sure this topic won’t be a problem at all.”, he replies, actually sounding a bit confused, and you try to suppress your grin.
“Maybe not the topic, but what about the student?”
He blinks a few times before beginning to giggle. You can’t help but laugh yourself, glad he doesn’t mind your slight teasing.
“I swear I will try my best.”, he finally answers before taking out a quill, ink and parchment. Then, he looks at you with big, curious eyes, “So, where do we start?”
You drop one of the thick books you got from the library earlier that day on top of his parchment. “With Chapter three - first lesson: Love Potions.”
As you quickly find out, Chan is a very diligent student. Your study sessions continue for a few weeks, but quickly turn into more than “just” study sessions: he asks you all kind of questions about yourself, wanting to know more about you, your interests as well as your family and friends. He’s easy to talk to, and you don’t mind him asking all those questions - you’re usually a bit more reserved when getting to know new people, but Chan makes it easy to open up to. He also tells you a lot about himself, and you can’t help but begin to really like him. He’s not only the bright, cheerful boy he lets everyone see, but also someone who likes to have long, profound conversations, someone who deeply cares about the people around him.
You often find yourself exploring the Hogwarts’ grounds at his side, all while talking about a variety of different topics.
Today, you’re talking about Muggles.
“So, you actually don’t know any Muggle personally?”, you ask him again - still a bit dumbfounded about this revelation. Chan just shrugs and pulls his Gryffindor scarf more tightly round his neck. His hair is windswept and the tip of his nose slightly red due to the cold afternoon air. He looks adorable, and you have to keep yourself from cuddling up to him, even though you feel the cold creeping under your dark, heavy robes as well.
“I mean, everyone in my family is either a wizard or witch - plus I grew up in a completely magical town, so I never really got the chance to meet any Muggles?”, he explains, actually sounding a bit sad about this.
“Mhm.”, you make, nodding carefully, “That does make sense. My mom is a witch and my dad a Muggle, so I was always surrounded by a lot of Muggles thanks to my dad’s side of the family.”
“Do they know about your mom and you being witches?”, Chan asks curiously, his dark eyes glowing almost golden in the setting sun.
You shake your head. “No, they think I’m at a normal boarding school in Scotland. My grandparents actually weren’t too happy about me being so far away, but my parents explained that I’d be able to get the best education ever, which will then obviously result in me having the best chances at getting the best jobs after graduation aaaand so on and so on. In the end, they accepted it - but that doesn’t stop them from giving my mom the stink eye every time they see her. They’re still blaming her for me being that far away.”, you explain, sighing deeply.
The young man at your side nods. “Family.”, he says wistfully, and you grin before repeating, in a kind of exasperated manner: “Family.”
Before reaching the Dark Forest, you both turn around again, the giant castle looking even more impressive in the light of the slowly setting sun. “It’s beautiful.”, you whisper, eyes big and round with awe.
Chan sighs dreamily. “So beautiful.”
When you look at him, you see him gazing at you, not the castle. He flushes and clears his throat, gesturing towards the remarkable stone building. “The most beautiful castle in the world.”
You giggle at his antics and tug at his robes to pull him with you and away from the Dark Forest again. “Let’s get back before we miss dinner again.”, you say teasingly and he pouts at you.
“It was not my fault we missed it yesterday! You were the one who desperately wanted to go by the Greenhouses to see if the rumor about Professor Longbottom having cultivated new mandrakes was true.”
You shrug. “I know, and it was totally worth it.”, you reply, a smile tugging at your lips. Chan playfully ruffles your hair. “Nerd.”, he murmurs affectionately and quickly runs away when you try to tickle him, but you’re already hot on his heels.
“I’m not a nerd!”, you yell breathlessly while chasing him towards the shore of the Great Lake, “So better take that back before I hex you!” You’re just teasing of course, but Chan holds up both hands in mock surrender nevertheless.
“I take it back! Please don’t hex your only non-Ravenclaw, non-nerdy friend.”, he pleads while trying to snatch your wand from you.
The playful combat between you two finally causes you to slip on the muddy grass. With a yelp, you fall backwards and quickly hold onto Chan as if your life depended on it, thus pulling him with you towards the ground. With a dull thump, you land on your back with the tall Gryffindor on top of you, your faces just inches apart, noses almost touching. You stare at one another, wide-eyed and breathless.
Time seems to be stretching endlessly while you look into his dark eyes.
When his gaze flickers to your lips, your breath hitches and that does it for him - he unfreezes and jumps up, both cheeks now sporting a dark blush. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?”, he asks, reaching out one hand towards you to pull you from the ground.
You ignore it and stand up by yourself, brushing off our robes while avoiding his gaze. “Yeah, I’m fine.”, you mumble, trying to ignore how hot your entire body feels, “Let’s just… go back to the castle.”
Chan simply nods, and you both stay silent until you’ve reached the entrance hall. You feel ashamed for thinking that the handsome Gryffindor was maybe… just maybe feeling something more than just friendship for you. Because without wanting to, you have fallen for him, hard and fast. And his rejection just now hurts. It hurts so badly, you almost choke on your own unshed tears. Maybe it’s ridiculous to think he could fall for you - he’s well-liked by the Professors and students alike. He’s a Gryffindor beater. He is bright and talkative and adorable. And you are… well, just you.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”, Chan asks, voice a bit uncertain when he sees you immediately making your way towards the Ravenclaw table upon entering the Great Hall.
You look back at him and smile half-heartedly. “Sure.”, you mumble, quickly shuffling over to the Ravenclaw table. Quietly sliding onto the bench, you fill your platter with roast beef, potatoes and grilled vegetables, ignoring the questioning looks some of your friends are sending your way. You just continue to eat in silence, trying to ignore the dull pain inside your heart.
You don’t see Chan the next day - or the day after.
But only because you are avoiding him.
You know it’s cowardly of you - but well, what can you say? You didn’t get sorted into Gryffindor for a reason.
Still, you feel kind of bad when he spots you on your way to class, waving excitedly until he notices that you quickly advert your eyes and turn away from him, getting lost in the mass of students pouring out of the different classrooms. You’re unable to forget the heartbroken look on his face for the rest of the day.
And the thing is, sooner rather than later you’ll have to face Chan again. After all, you do share one class: Divination. It’s definitely not your favorite subject, but you took it out of interest, and now you’re too proud to drop it. Still, so far you haven’t gained any real knowledge from reading some wet tea leaves or absent-mindedly staring into a crystal ball. The only thing you’ve gained is a mean headache - probably from all the different incense sticks Professor Trelawny insists on burning before and during every lesson.
Today is no different: the dimly lit room feels stuffy and too hot, even on this cold Winter day. Thanks to the sickly sweet smell of the incense sticks, you can already feel the beginning of another pounding headache. Right now, you curse yourself for not having had the guts to just drop this damned subject so far. Maybe you’ll finally do it next year. You look around for Mina, a fellow Ravenclaw and the only one out of your group of friends that decided to stick to Divination as well, but she’s not here yet. Instead, someone else is already sitting in her seat.
When you spot Chan’s dark hair and sharp jawline, you groan inwardly,
He can’t be serious!
For a second, you contemplate just skipping this lesson, but the Ravenclaw in you already grimaces at the mere thought of cutting class, so you finally relent and just take your usual seat.
Beside Chan.
The smile on his face is bright, but you see right through it - he’s hurt, even though he tries his best not to show it.
“Hi.”, you mumble while opening your bag and pretending to concentrate on finding some parchment, your favorite quill and an ink pot.
“Hey.”, Chan says back, just as quietly. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him use such a low voice before, he’s always so energetic and excited about everything that he can’t seem to keep his voice down.
You clear your throat, still not looking at him.
“Can we... - can we maybe talk? After class?”, he finally asks, and you close your eyes for a second before nodding curtly, thankful that Professor Trelawny is asking the class to calm down so she can start today’s lesson.
Out of all your lessons, Divination usually feels like it’s dragging on endlessly - but today, class seems to be over in the blink of an eye. You wish you could just apparate out of the class room and flee from this conversation, but you know that’s impossible. Because no one can actually apparate inside of Hogwarts.… Well, and you also haven’t taken your apparition test yet.
So, the only thing left for you to do is actually talk to the Gryffindor, who has already finished packing his things and is now looking at you expectantly. You bite the inside of your cheek, sigh deeply and hoist your bag on one shoulder. “Let’s go.”, you say, sounding a little defeated. Chan just raises one eyebrow and presses his lips together, a hurt expression crossing his face for a few seconds.
You don’t want to hurt him, of course you don’t, but you also want to protect yourself from experiencing more emotional turmoil. So showing him the cold shoulder had been the best way to ensure that. But right now, your heart actually hurts even more due to his sad expression.
“When’s your next class starting?”, Chan asks, trying his best to sound cheerful while he walks beside you.
“Oh, I have a free period now. I wanted to start studying for the Potions test next week. So I’m going to the library, I guess?”, you answer, trying to sound normal or at least indifferent.
“Okay, let me walk you.”
You just nod, and you both fall silent again.
Your bag, heavy with way too many books, slips from your shoulder and you quickly switch sides, hoisting it back up on your left shoulder this time - now it functions as a kind of barrier between you and the tall Gryffindor. Chan observes you out of the corner of his eye before reaching out one hand. “Let me carry that for you.” His tone is suddenly way more commanding than you’re used to, so you simply hand over your bag before actually realizing what you’re doing.
“Thank you.”, you mumble politely, face already beginning to feel hot again.
“So… Care to explain why you’ve been avoiding me like the plague these last few days?”, he finally asks, and by now, you know him well enough to recognize the hurt in his voice, even though he tries his best to sound indifferent. Without realizing you quicken your steps, the library not too far away anymore. Just around this corner and you’ll be free of him and this conversation. Before you’re able to round said corner though, Chan gently grabs your arm and pulls you around to face him. You look up, caught in his warm, dark eyes, breath hitching. Again, his gaze flickers from your eyes to your lips and back again.
“I - I haven’t been avoiding you.”, you lie weakly, trying to free your arm, but he doesn’t let go yet.
“Don’t lie to me.”, Chan says, voice dark and low - all of the sudden, he doesn’t seem as adorable anymore.
Some of the other students walking towards the library give you some questioning looks, some giggling or grinning openly at you. You guess you two do look very cozy right now, faces only inches apart, Chan’s hand still wrapped around your arm. The Gryffindor seems to notice the stares as well, eyes quickly darting around before settling on one of the tapestries hanging in the hallway.
“Let’s go.”, he simply says, already tugging you with him and through said tapestry - which obviously isn’t a real tapestry at all and just enchanted to look like one.
“I - how do you know about this?”, you ask, a bit stunned and in awe. You’re standing in a dark passageway now, Chan already murmuring a quick Lumos. He’s still standing way to close to your liking, and inside this small passageway, his body feels like it’s almost looming over yours.
“The Weasleys and Potters.”, Chan simply states, shrugging, “They often use this one and took me with them once.”
“Mhm.”, you just hum and look around the narrow passageway just to avoid looking at him.
“Y/N.”
You finally gaze up at him.
He’s biting his bottom lip while shifting from one foot to the other. “Why are you avoiding me?”
You sigh, fiddling with the blue tie around your neck, loosening it a bit. “I- uh… I just - didn’t want things to get awkward between us.”, you finally answer, clearing your throat and gazing down at your black boots.
“What… what do you mean?” Chan actually sounds confused.
You sigh again. “Isn’t it obvious?”, you ask and cross both arms in front of your chest, gazing up at him.
He blinks a few times. “I- I thought that I wasn’t obvious about it, no. I’m sorry, I just… I really care about our friendship and definitely don’t want to ruin it! I totally get if you want to continue avoiding me - but… well, I would hate to lose you like that! I just can’t... turn off my own feelings.”
Now you’re the one to blink at him. “What are you talking about?!”
“I mean, I get that you don’t like me like that - you’re kind and funny and beautiful and just so, so smart and I’m just… well, I’m just me, so…”
“Yuchan, what the hell are you talking about?!”, you interrupt him, still uncertain if you heard him correctly.
He groans, pushing one hand through his dark hair. “I’m talking about my huge, ridiculous crush on you!”, he finally spits out, flushing scarlet but still managing to look somewhat defiantly.
“You - you have a crush?! On me?!”, you repeat, mouth actually falling open.
Now, he does look a little uncomfortable. “I - yes? I thought… it was kind of obvious? I mean… that’s why you’ve been avoiding me? Right?” Now he’s the one to cross both arms in front of his chest, nervous all of the sudden.
You can’t help but break into a smile, and you hear his breath hitching. “God, you’re an idiot!”, you exclaim, actually giggling a bit, “I was avoiding you because I have a huge, ridiculous crush on you!”
For a few seconds, you’re both silent, just gaping at each other.
Then - finally - Chan’s whole face lights up, his dark eyes forming little crescents when he begins to smile at you. “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?! How come you didn’t figure this out earlier?”, he chuckles before raising one hand to gently cup your cheek.
You step closer and gaze into his dark eyes, your arms sliding around his waist to hug him. “Well, aren’t you the brave one? How come you didn’t confess earlier?”, you tease back, and he giggles.
“Touché.”
With that, he lowers his head towards yours, his lips gently moving against yours. You sigh and let him slip his tongue into your mouth, closing your eyes and sinking into his embrace.
When you break apart again, you can’t help but smile at him, the expression mirrored on his face.
“So, I guess during the next Quidditch match you’ll be cheering for Gryffindor now, huh?”, Chan says, eyes glinting mischievously, and you snort.
“Hah, never - Ravenclaw will kick your butt.”
He chuckles at that, pulling you close and kissing the top of your head. “We’ll see, I guess. Either way, I hope you’ll continue to give me loads of private tutoring lessons.”, he murmurs into your ear, voice suggestive, and you roll your eyes before shoving him playfully.
“I don’t know if you’ll be able to afford all those lessons.”, you shoot back, and Yuchan grabs your hand to pull you close again.
“Well, I can thankfully provide you with the best currency ever: my kisses.”, he proclaims happily, and you can’t help but giggle again, hiding your face in his chest.
“That actually does sound like an adequate payment.”, you mumble while he slides both arms around you, humming approvingly.
He nods. “What can I say, sometimes even us Gryffindors manage to have a good idea.”
“Yeah… only sometimes though.”
You’re already out of his embrace and dashing towards the library before he even manages to register the meaning behind your words.
When he does though, he tries to get his revenge by tickling you.
Thanks to that, Mrs. Pince throws you both out of the library, darkly mumbling something about all the lovesick students she has to handle at the moment.
You find you don’t even mind the one-week-long ban from the library.
... Because Chan’s beautiful laugh and happy expression are definitely more than worth it.
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