double, double, toil and trouble

Chapter 21

Today as Donghyuck spoke and Professor Suh listened, Donghyuck noticed a slight change behind his teacher's eyes, and suddenly the lesson plan had changed. And so, for the whole hour, Professor Suh had taken to introducing Donghyuck to some defensive potions and useful ingredients if ever he were to get into a not so favourable situation.

It almost felt like Professor Suh was preparing Donghyuck for something, only, Donghyuck didn't know what.

Hence, Donghyuck was now walking back to the Slytherin Common Room with a rather large Erumpent horn cradled in his hands. Erumpent horns are said to hold a liquid inside that can be used in explosive potions, so he was handling it with care, but for some reason, his professor had given it to him to take away and "study". Donghyuck didn't quite know what he meant, but he just went with it, supposing Professor Suh was just having a moment or a mid-life crisis, even though he was only a little older than Donghyuck himself.

Anyway, now Donghyuck was tired, all he wanted to do was get changed into his pyjamas and collapse onto his bed with Nova. He thanked Salazar Slytherin as he walked for having his Common Room near to the dungeons where potions is held so that he didn't have to walk very far.

Still, he's tired enough that he forgets the password to the Common Room briefly, and when he finally does enter, it takes him a moment to make out the faces of the seven boys currently lounging on the green velvet sofas, making small talk between them.

It's only when he feels small paws excitedly tapping around his knee that he looks down to see Nova looking up at him, happy to see him back.

"She's been having a mad few minutes", Jaemin explains with a laugh, his body draped across one of the incredibly cushioned armchairs by the window, "She was trying to chase the fish outside and then she has been using the foot of the armchair as a scratch post."

"Have you been playing, girl?" Donghyuck coos, picking his cat up with one hand, careful to keep the horn from her reach as he looks over the figures before him, his eyes automatically zeroing in on Mark, who he notices has a space free next to him on the sofa he was situated on.

"You should go change", Chenle pipes up from the armchair next to Jaemin's, and when Donghyuck looks his way, he notices a pack of Exploding Snap in his hands.

"Uh yeah", He mumbles back, still stood by the Common Room doors, looking at the misfit group before him, "But, uh, what's going on?"

"We're just getting to know each other", Jaemin answers, gesturing to the circle they had formed- him and Chenle on two armchairs facing two sofas, Renjun, Jeno and Yukhei on one and Mark and Jisung on the other, a space free in between them.

Donghyuck still didn't really understand what was happening, but he knew better than to question Jaemin, and so he just nods, looking back at Nova affectionately.

Just before Jaemin gets up and forcibly removes him from the room, Donghyuck dashes forward and drops Nova onto Mark's lap. His princess is not entirely happy at being parted from him again, but she's comfortable with Mark, enough so to curl up on his lap until Donghyuck returns.

He jogs up the stairs to his dorm room and quickly makes work of his robes- only as he's shimmying into his pyjamas does a notification come through his phone, causing him to stop.