San's POV

"Sannie. Come on, you need to wake up." I groaned and slowly peeled my eyes open to see Seonghwa standing beside my bed with his robes already on. I sat up quickly at that, glancing out the window to see the sun was already up.

"I let you sleep in a bit but we've got half an hour before breakfast closes so I figured I should probably wake you up," Seonghwa explained. I sighed but nodded, slipping out of bed and going over to my trunk to grab my robes.

"Sorry, I don't know why I didn't wake up when I usually do. I think I might just be a bit tired at the moment," I said quietly.

"That's fine, let's just head to breakfast so we can be ready for the day and then you have all the time you'd like to sleep," Seonghwa said. He's right about that. It's the last day before Christmas break where I can hopefully sleep in a bit more. I got changed quickly while Seonghwa waited before following him out of the room. We left the common room and headed up to the Great Hall quickly. When we walked in, my eyes instinctively shot to the Gryffindor table, searching for the familiar boy. I frowned slightly when I noticed that he wasn't there but turned my attention to the Ravenclaw table to see if perhaps the two Gryffindor's decided to sit with Yeosang today but there was no sign of them. Seonghwa and I sat down at the end of the Slytherin table and it was then that Seonghwa seemed to notice the frown on my face.

"You ok," he asked quietly.

"I'm fine but Wooyoung and the others aren't here," I replied.

"Oh. Well they have a habit of being late to breakfast so maybe one of them slept in by accident, like you did," Seonghwa said with a shrug as he started to pile things onto his plate. I sighed before turning my attention to the food and starting to pile things onto my plate as well, mainly bacon and scrambled eggs.

"Bit hungry there," Seonghwa said with a chuckle after I finished putting everything on my plate.

"I'm a growing boy Seonghwa, I need to eat," I said with a shrug before proceeding to do so.

"What subject do you have first," Seonghwa asked me after a couple of minutes of eating.

"I've got Herbology, you," I asked back.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts," he replied. I nodded before jumping in surprise as a body dropped down beside me. I glanced to the side to find Wooyoung sitting there, still in his sleep clothes with his hair all over the place. My hands moved instinctively and without thought as I quickly ran my fingers through his hair to try to flatten it out a bit more so it would look more presentable. Wooyoung's head turned towards me and I froze as I noticed how red his eyes were.

"You ok? Did you not get enough sleep last night," I asked worriedly before I could stop myself. I frowned slightly as I realised how worried I was acting. I really need to control myself better. I used to be able to but now I find myself struggling more and more.

"I'm fine," Wooyoung mumbled, ducking his head down to move it from my hand. I quickly tugged my hand back, grabbing my fork instead to occupy it.

"Are you sure? You're eyes are really red, you look like you haven't slept," I pointed out. Wooyoung's eyes narrowed before he sighed and looked down at his lap. I was confused at how he was acting so I looked over at Seonghwa to try and gauge what he was thinking. Seonghwa was frowning and I could see that worried crease between his eyebrows.

"Wooyoung, have you been crying," he asked gently and Wooyoung's head snapped back up. It's odd but sweet seeing Seonghwa so caring with someone who isn't me or Hongjoong. However what he said had me concerned and I turned my attention back to Wooyoung, studying him intensely to try and figure out if what Seonghwa had said was true.

"No. I already said I'm fine so please leave it," Wooyoung said. He was acting quite weird and it was rubbing me the wrong way so I glanced towards the Ravenclaw table, quickly finding Yeosang and Yunho who were sitting beside each other. Both of them were looking over and they both looked like kicked puppies, meaning whatever the issue is, it most likely concerns them.

"Does it have something to do with Yunho and Yeosang," I asked, turning back to Wooyoung once again.

"San just stop interrogating me. I came over here so I could eat in peace. If you can't let me do that then I'm just going to skip breakfast and head back to the common room," Wooyoung said sharply. My mouth snapped shut at not only his words but also his tone. The old me would be grinning at this, knowing it would be easy to rile him up into doing something stupid but now I just remained quiet so as to not upset him further. I grabbed the plate from in front of him and put some tomatoes and eggs onto his plate. He grabbed his utensils wordlessly and started eating. Seonghwa and I stayed quiet for the rest of breakfast but both of us kept casting worried glances towards the Gryffindor who remained silently eating. Once he finished his food I stood up as I had already finished eating as well.

"Come on, I'll walk you back so you can go get changed," I said. He glanced up at me and scowled.

"Don't pretend you care," he scoffed, making my eyes widen in surprise. I was confused as to why he was acting so hostile all of a sudden.

"I just want to make sure you get there alright," I said quietly.

"Well don't bother. It's not like anyone actually cares, you all just pretend," he spat as he stood up and walked away quickly, leaving me stunned. What is he even talking about? And anyone? Yeosang and Yunho certainly care and have always shown it so what exactly happened to upset Wooyoung this much?

"I'll see you later today," I told Seonghwa quickly before rushing after Wooyoung. He got a head start but I managed to catch him in the hall.

"Wooyoung, wait up," I called out as I ran over. Wooyoung didn't stop though so I just ran before slowing down to match his pace when I got to him.

"Go away Choi," he said.

"Why're you mad at me when I did nothing wrong? At least last I knew I hadn't done anything wrong so let me know if that is incorrect," I said.

"Your mere existence is wrong so just leave me alone Choi, I don't even like you," he spat. I stopped walking in shock, not expecting the words to come from his mouth with so much hate. Clearly there is something I've done wrong because he hasn't acted that way towards me since we talked things out properly.

"I don't mean that. I promise I don't mean that. Please, I didn't mean that," Wooyoung rushed out as he turned to me and grabbed my hand before he burst into sobs. I was caught off guard once again but I quickly wrapped my arms around him as he continued to cry.

"Talk to me Wooyoung, what's going on," I said quietly, glancing around the halls to make sure there was no one around.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed.

"I'm not mad, just confused. You've been in such a bad mood all morning and I just want to know what's happened," I said softly, moving my hand down to rub his back, hoping it would calm him down slightly. I'm still not quite used to having someone crying on me but I wanted to comfort him as best as I could.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered once again.

"It's fine, really," I assured him. He sniffled before pulling away slowly. His eyes were red and puffy, tears still trailing down his face.

"I don't want to go home," he whispered. My mind immediately drifted to the scene I witnessed a couple of months ago and I scowled.

"That's understandable but why has it now become an issue," I asked him.

"Because it's Christmas break tomorrow San," Wooyoung said.

"Ok, and? I thought you, Yunho and Yeosang were staying here anyway," I pointed out.

"Our parents want us home and those two already agreed. They told me last night but I don't want to go. I can't do it Sannie, I can't," he cried.

"Then don't Wooyoung. No one is saying you have to go home for break. You were planning on staying originally anyway," I said.

"You don't understand. I can't just not go home, it would look suspicious. They don't know remember," he said. Right, he never told his friend that his father hits him.

"Can't you just say you want to stay here for Christmas," I asked him but he shook his head.

"Well why do they think you're upset now? I could tell they knew you were upset about something," I said.

"I'm not sure," he said with a quiet sniffle. I let out a long sigh before raking my brains, trying to figure out a good solution for him. There was only one that came to mind but I wasn't quite sure about it. It was better than nothing though.

"Why don't you tell them that you're staying back to keep me company? I'm sure that would make your dad happy as well. You can tell him you're with a pureblood Slytherin," I suggested.

"I thought you were going home," he said quietly.

"I was but I don't have to. Truth be told it isn't very fun at home anyway. Seonghwa is the only reason I sometimes mildly enjoy it. He might be a little bummed if I stay here during break but he'll understand," I said with a shrug.

"Y-You'd do that," he mumbled.

"Well, yeah. I told you I was going to try and make things up to you. This is something I can do in order to do that," I said with a shrug. Wooyoung was quiet for a few seconds before he lunged forwards and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you," he rushed out. He pulled away and there was the feeling of something soft and slightly wet pressed against my cheek before he ran off down the hall, leaving me stunned. It took a few seconds for my brain to process and realise Wooyoung had just kissed me and it left me shocked. I don't think I've ever had anyone kiss my cheek like that, not even Seonghwa and I was unsure how to react. It was a foreign feeling but for some reason my heart was pounding slightly from the interaction. I pressed the back of my hand to my cheek, realising how hot it suddenly was and I frowned. Maybe I'm getting sick.

~~~~~

"Wait, so you're not coming home with me tomorrow," Seonghwa asked with a frown as we got back to the common room from lunch. There was still another 20 minutes until the next period so we had some time to kill.

"I don't want Wooyoung to have to go back home to his father. You know what he does to him. Even if Wooyoung and I weren't trying to work things out, I still wouldn't want him to have to go through that unnecessarily," I said.

"No, that's understandable I just wasn't expecting you to be so eager to stay," Seonghwa said with a shrug as he flopped onto the couch.

"Why? I don't really enjoy going home anyway, neither of us do so how come it's so unexpected," I asked, sitting down beside him.

"I know you're trying to change your ways and your outlook but spending the entire break with Wooyoung just isn't something I expected you to be keen on," Seonghwa said.

"Well, I'm not really spending it with him, I'm just staying so he has an excuse," I said slowly.

"All of his friends are going back home San. Are you seriously going to leave him to celebrate Christmas by himself," Seonghwa asked.

"Well, no. But I've never been big on Christmas anyway so he'd probably be better not having me around," I said with a shrug.

"Promise me you will keep him company? Hongjoong is going to worry if Wooyoung is left all alone and he'd feel better knowing you were going to be there to keep him company," Seonghwa said. I rolled my eyes at that, turning and smirking towards the older boy.

"Of course you'd want Loverboy to be happy," I said, making Seonghwa frown.

"Are you going to keep an eye on him or not," Seonghwa asked.

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on him. Maybe this can help our relationship get better," I said with a shrug.

"What does Yunho think about this," Seonghwa asked.

"He should be fine with it. He's stopped glaring at me like he wants me six feet under," I said with a shrug.

"Does he know about Wooyoung's dad though? Or is he just going to think you convinced Wooyoung to stay here for some reason," Seonghwa pointed out.

"Look, it's not my place to ask questions Hwa. I'm just trying to help Wooyoung out. I mean, you're welcome to stay as well," I said.

"I can't. My grandparents are coming over for Christmas and my parents would kill me if I'm not there," Seonghwa said with a sigh as he flopped down along the couch, his head resting in my lap. I jolted at the sudden action before dropping my hand down and running it through his hair.

"What did your mother and father say about it," Seonghwa asked.

"I don't know. I sent them an owl after breakfast but I haven't heard back from them yet," I said quietly.

"What if they say no. I hardly believe they'd be too happy about you staying back to hang with a blood traitor," Seonghwa said.

"I told them I was staying back to study more and get some help from an older Slytherin student in potions because I'm struggling in that subject," I said, making Seonghwa giggle.

"You lied to them? Sannie you little rebel," Seonghwa said, making me blush.

"What, they'll probably buy it. And you're right, they wouldn't want me staying here to hang out with someone like Wooyoung. They were actually happy when I was taunting him," I said with a sigh.

"I'm proud of you, you know that right," Seonghwa said softly. My heart clenched at his words and my hand instinctively slipped down to grip his hand. Seonghwa has always been like a father figure to me, though he's more like an older brother but hearing affirmations like that from him make me happy.

"Thanks," I whispered. Seonghwa smiled and sat up, glancing around briefly before pulling me into a tight hug.

"Come on, let's get ready for next period," he said as he pulled away. I nodded, getting up and following him towards the dormitories.

~~~~~

"Settle down everyone. Settle down." The room quietened down as Professor Slughorn called out to us.

"Today we are going to be partnering up and making a very special potion. What can you tell me about Felix Felicis," Professor Slughorn asked. That got my attention and I straightened in my seat.

"Mr Kang, go ahead," Professor Slughorn said, pointing to Yeosang who had his hand up.

"Felix Felicis which is also known as liquid luck gives the drinker good luck for a period of time, essentially allowing them to achieve whatever they set their minds to," Yeosang explained.

"Correct Mr Kang, ten points to Ravenclaw," Professor Slughorn said with a nod.

"Today in pairs, you are going to be brewing the Felix Felicis potions and the pair that makes the best replica, will win a small vial each," Professor Slughorn said as he held up two small vials. That is a rewards everyone would want, except I'm not the greatest at potions so it's highly unlikely I would win it.

"I do this every year with my students, let us see who this years winners will be. You may get started straight away," Professor Slughorn said with a clap. I sighed to myself and glanced down at the book in front of me, flipping to the page with the recipe for Felix Felicis. This is one of the hardest potions to perfect, there is no way my potion will even remotely resemble what it needs to.

"Good, you've already got the recipe open. We should probably get started soon." I looked up in shock to see Yeosang placing his books down beside me. My mouth dropped open in confusion but Yeosang just continued to set up the cauldron.

"What are you doing," I asked quickly as I finally found my voice.

"Yunho isn't here because he wasn't feeling well and Wooyoung is pissed at me for some reason so he partnered up with Mingi. That leaves you," Yeosang said with a shrug.

"Ah, ok," I said slowly.

"You do realise I'm not that great at potions right," I added.

"And I'm quite good. See, we make the perfect pair to balance each other out," Yeosang said with a shrug. I was still confused but I definitely wasn't going to complain. Yeosang is probably the best at potions in the class which means there's a good chance we could actually win it.

"Ok. Well why don't you tell me what to do and I will follow your directions," I said.

"Sure. You go get the ingredients we need and I'll get everything set up," Yeosang said. I nodded and quickly went over to the cupboards. I noticed Wooyoung there as well so I quickly stepped up beside him.

"You doing ok," I asked quietly.

"I'm fine. Mum said it's ok for me to stay so dad agreed as well but he wasn't too happy I wasn't going back to see her. Knowing I was staying with you helped a little though," Wooyoung replied with a shrug. Right, his mother is quite sick at the moment. I wondered whether that made it hard for Wooyoung, having to choose between spending time with her and getting hurt or staying away and risking losing important time with his mother. Unless his mother knows what is going on and just doesn't do anything about.

"I'm sorry, about your mother," I whispered as I put some ingredients onto my tray.

"Don't worry about it," he said before walking off. I finished gathering everything that was needed before heading back over to the table and placing them down for Yeosang to go over.

"Good, everything is here. Let's get started," Yeosang said with a clap.

"First of all we need to add Ashwinder egg and then add horseradish," Yeosang said. I handed him the ingredients he was asking for, watching him prep them very carefully before turning back to me.

"Here, you can add it in," he said, holding out the Ashwinder egg. I grabbed it in and added it carefully into the cauldron before doing the same with the horseradish. Yeosang then held his wand, muttering a few words to get the cauldron heated up. He definitely looked like he knew what he was doing and I grinned to myself, liking the new odds of getting the vial now.

~~~~~

"Well done Mr Choi and Mr Kang, we have clearly found our winners. This is one of the best attempts that I have seen from students over the years. Yes, yes, very well done," Professor Slughorn said with a clap. He pulled out the two vials and handed them to Yeosang and I and I grinned to myself.

"Thank you," I said, turning to Yeosang as he started packing up.

"What for," he asked.

"For winning me this. You basically did all of the work," I said.

"Don't sell yourself short San, you did a lot as well," Yeosang said, slipping his vial into his pocket.

"Remember the rules with Felix Felicis though. Don't use it for something illegal," he reminded me before walking off. I quickly packed up my things before leaving the room to head to Astrology. My wrist was grabbed on the way out of the classroom and I got tugged to the side. I instinctively went to fight back however I stopped when I realised it was Wooyoung.

"What's up," I asked, tugging my wrist from his grip and glancing around as other walked past. I've been getting better at not getting uncomfortable when being near Wooyoung in a public setting but it still unsettles me slightly to know people are watching.

"Can um. Can you meet me at the room of requirement at midnight," he asked me quietly. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at that.

"Why," I asked.

"Just, please," he begged. I was still confused as to why he was wanting to meet up but there was something in his eyes that had me nodding in affirmation before I even realised what I was doing.

"Thank you," he said softly before hurrying off. I just shrugged to myself before continuing on to Astrology.

~~~~~

I remained awake as best as I could throughout the night, waiting for my watch to hit midnight before I could slip out of the room. When it finally did, I quietly lifted up my blankets and slipped out of bed, padding over to my trunk. I put on some socks and shoes before chucking a coat over my pyjamas. Once I was dressed, I quietly walked to the door and slipped out of the dormitory, rushing to the entrance to the common room and heading out into the halls. While we aren't technically allowed to be out this late, the punishments aren't too harsh, especially because tomorrow is Christmas break anyway. I had received word back from my parents and thankfully they said that I could stay, though I think it's more so that they just don't really care what I do and it's easier if I'm not there anyway. I walked through the halls and took the stairs up to the seventh floor, still keeping quiet just in case. I got to the Room of Requirement at about ten past midnight and I glanced around the hall, searching for any sign of the Gryffindor however he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I waited a few minutes before giving up and deciding to just go inside so I walked up and down the hall, thinking about a safe, secluded room. Once the door appeared, I quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind myself. I turned around and paused as I saw the figure sitting in front of the fire. No wonder he never came, he was there before I was. I walked over to him, waiting for him to acknowledge me but he just continued to look at the fire so I sat down beside him.

"Hey," I said slowly, unsure what to do. I'm not even sure why I'm here right now.

"I thought you weren't coming," he said quietly.

"Oh. Well I'm here now," I replied with a shrug.

"I'm glad," he whispered before suddenly shuffling over and laying down, resting his head in my lap. I froze, tensing slightly but quickly forced my legs to relax so as to not make Wooyoung uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry for making you have to come out of here, I just didn't want to be alone," he said quietly. I didn't reply, just dropped my hand down to gently run my fingers through his hair.

"I would go to Yunho or Yeosang but they don't understand," he added.

"Is this about your father," I asked quietly, hoping I wasn't overstepping.

"I should want to go back you know. Mum is really sick and I don't know how many Christmas's she has left in her but I just, I can't. Dad never used to be like this but since mum got sick, he's just been getting worse and worse. What you saw that day wasn't even the worst of it," Wooyoung said.

"Does your mum know," I asked him.

"God no. There's no way I could ever tell her. She's struggling so much already as it is, it would kill her to find out the love of her life was using her son as a punching bag. No, it's best that she remains away from it," Wooyoung replied quickly.

"I'm sorry your father does that to you. My parents aren't the greatest but not even they would do anything like that to me," I said with a sigh.

"I'm used to it now, it doesn't really bother me anymore," Wooyoung said with a half shrug.

"It should. That isn't something you should be desensitised to," I said with a frown. Wooyoung was quiet after that for a few minutes, just laying sideways in my lap and staring at the fire.

"Sometimes I think I deserve it," he whispered after a bit, so quietly I could barely hear it. But I did, and it broke my heart. I hesitated for a second before reaching down and slipping my arms under his, tugging him up into a seated position. I pulled him closer and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. He froze for a second or two before catching me off-guard by crawling forwards into my lap. I quickly held him tighter, allowing him to tuck his head into my neck as he shivered slightly.

"I've got you Wooyoung," I whispered and that was enough for him to let out a whimper before he begun crying into my shoulder. I let out a sigh but continued to hold him gently as he cried, doing my best to console him by rubbing my hand up and down his back.

"I'm sorry," he choked out between cries.

"It's ok, you're fine," I reassured him quickly. He cried for a few minutes, just clinging to me tightly before he finally started to calm down.

"Did your parents agree to letting you stay," he asked me quietly once he completely stopped crying.

"Yeah, they did," I replied with a nod.

"Good. That means we can spend some time together and I won't be alone," he said.

"Uh, that is, if you want," he rushed out quickly once he realised what he said.

"That's fine with me. Besides, Seonghwa basically threatened me to keep an eye on you so even if I didn't want to, which I do, he would kill me if I didn't," I said with a shrug.

"Really? Seonghwa," Wooyoung questioned.

"Well I think it's more so Hongjoong but Seonghwa is so whipped for him, he would do anything to keep him happy. I'm telling you, the day the finally get their shit together and start dating, I will be saying the biggest I told you so," I said with a grin. Wooyoung glanced up at me and smiled softly.

"I'm sure you will," he said with a nod.

"So, why did you ask me to come here anyway? Was it just because you wanted some comfort or was it something else," I asked him.

"Oh um, it was kind of a bit of both," he said slowly.

"Ok. So what was the other part of it then," I asked. His cheeks heated up slightly and his head turned down to look at his lap as his hand clenched slightly in my robes.

"You don't need to be shy, you can just tell me," I said softly.

"I um, I kind of wanted to sleep here, with you," he said slowly. My eyebrows rose in surprise at his words. Sure, we've slept together before but only when one of us were sick or in high distress, usually Wooyoung. Sure, he's a little sad right now but neither of us have really outright asked for it like this.

"It's ok if you don't want to but the last few times we've done it have been really comforting and I could do with that right now," he said quietly.

"I want to," I said softly.

"Really," he asked quickly, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"Really. I've found that ever since Seonghwa allowed me to cuddle him, I've been wanting it more and more. It feels nice, reassuring in a way. It gives me a comfort I haven't felt before," I admitted. Wooyoung smiled softly and stood up quickly, holding his hand out to me.

"Come on, let's go get some sleep," he said. I grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull me up and looking around to see that a bed had appeared off to the side. The two of us walked over and Wooyoung quickly slipped into it while I took off my shoes and robes. I glanced nervously at the bed, hesitating slightly but Wooyoung lifted up the blanket and beckoned me closer. I crawled onto the bed slowly before laying down, trying not to get too close in case he wasn't wanting too much cuddling. That went out the window literally two seconds later as he rolled over and latched himself to my side, one of his legs flinging over my body to curl closer. I rolled over slightly as well and curled closer to him, slowly wrapping my arm around his waist. My heart rate sped up slightly as he rested his head on my chest and my cheeks got hot. It worried me a bit as I really don't want to be getting sick now and I don't want to get Wooyoung sick but I decided to let it go because it didn't seem to bad. I nuzzled my head down into Wooyoung's hair, my eyes slipping closed as I inhaled the smell of coconut from his hair.

"G'night Sannie," he mumbled softly.

"Night Woo," I whispered back to him, hugging him even closer.

A/N

Hello everyone, and welcome to this coming back from the dead after like three or four months of nothing lol.

Anyway, for those of you who are somehow still with this story, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 

I'm not sure how long it will be until I post the next chapter, it may not be long or it may be really long, we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.

Let me know your favourite parts of this chapter and also some things you would like to see in future chapters. I could use some ideas for some more inspiration.