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Tears stung painfully in Blaine's eyes as he sprinted down the hall, intent on trying to outrun his embarrassment. God, why hadn't he just... refuse to face the boggart or something? Why hadn't he just made up an excuse? With the thoughts of what his classmates must think of him now running through his head, Blaine increased his speed, ran up a flight of stairs and he nearly tripped on his long robes as he scrubbed furiously at his eyes.

After several minutes of running, Blaine grew tired, and as he slowed down he noticed that he really didn't recognize any of the paintings or statues around him. Soon, he realized with a loud, frustrated growl that he was completely and utterly lost. Blaine wandered mindlessly in the empty halls, sniffling pitifully as his stubborn tears continued to streak down his face.

Everyone in Professor Lupin's class must think Blaine was a freak now... Taylor had mentioned how fast gossip spread through Hogwarts before. By the end of the day, Blaine guessed, everyone would know about the childish breakdown he had suffered through. And jesus christ, he didn't even stop the boggart himself! Kurt Hummel had to save him, like a fucking fairytale princess in a Disney movie. The thought made Blaine wrinkle his nose in shame. He should be stronger than this. What would his brother say if he had seen what a weak little boy Blaine had been? Tears pooled in his eyes once again, threatening to spill over. Suddenly, students began to trickle into the halls, and Blaine began to panic. The last thing he needed was to have some random student come up to him and ask him why he was crying.

Rounding a corner as quickly as possible while still appearing casual, Blaine spotted the door to a supply closet. More and more young wizards grouped in the corridors, so out of sheer desperation to be out sight, Blaine hurried and ducked into the chamber.

He swung the door shut in the blink of an eye, resting his forehead against the wooden door as he sighed. Praying that no one would find him, Blaine turned around, running a hand through his loose curls, and froze.

Tall, tall stone ceilings that stretched about as high as the Dining Hall roof stood above him. Slender windows that let in bright light were lined against the stone walls. Underfoot, polished black and white granite tiles patterned themselves across the floor, and directly in front of Blaine, two black leather couches sat at an angle in front of a posh, white granite fireplace. A fire was already burning
warmly in the hearth.

Blaine blinked stupidly, jaw slack in confusion.

“What... the actual fuck...” This was certainly not a supply closet. Where in god's name was he? Blaine cautiously walked over to one of the sofas. He blinked, and a wrought iron lattice table appeared in front of the fireplace, in between the couches. On it, sat a box with a delicate tissue poking out of the top.

Slowly, Blaine sunk down onto the leather couch. He paused again, this time suspiciously looking around the room to see if anyone was with him. Finding no one, Blaine hesitantly reached for a tissue before dabbing his eyes gently. They must be so puffy and gross... he thought. The fire crackled, and Blaine felt more and more relaxed. Small birds flew about, playing tag high in the rafters, and the light enveloped the room in a soft, comforting glow. Blaine curled up on the couch after a while, coming down from the emotional high he had miserably endured earlier. The couch smelled intriguingly similar to his mother's perfume, causing Blaine to contently melt even further into the leather. Feeling positively exhausted, he closed his eyes.

“Blaine?”

“GAH!” Blaine shot upright, flailing his arms as he kicked randomly in surprise.

Kurt Hummel stood a few feet away from the couches, with a look in his eyes that suggested he was second-guessing his decision to go out and find Blaine. “S-sorry to scare you, I didn't do it on purpose...”

Blaine's breathing leveled out, and he regained some composure. Shifting into a normal sitting position, his eyes never left Kurt's. Kurt bit his lip, seeing the defensive look in his new classmate's eyes. After several moments of silence, Blaine spoke up, his voice small and childlike. “Are you here to make fun of me? Beat me up for crying in the middle of class? B-because I think I could take y-”

“No no no,” Kurt was taken aback, waving his hands in front of him as he reassured Blaine that he wasn't there to be mean. “I-I was just... wondering if you were okay.”

Blaine's eyes were hard, unlike when Kurt first saw them at the feast the previous night, and his stare was knifelike and calculating, a far cry from his studious gaze at breakfast. Kurt suddenly wished he didn't have to see Blaine look at him like that, so he stared down at his feet instead.

“Where are we?” Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt looked up and saw that Blaine was focusing his eyes on the high rafters above them, where little warblers twittered happily. “We're in the Room of Requirement. It-it's a shapeshifting room,” Kurt explained, “kind of like a boggart, but instead of turning into a fear, it turns into the place you need to be the most. You can change it with your mind, I've heard.”

Blaine glanced back at Kurt and raised an eyebrow. “Magic, huh. The ruddy weird things it can do never ceases to amaze me.”

Kurt smiled a little bit. Whether or not it was because the softness in Blaine's eyes was returning or because the truth behind Blaine's words was so relatable, he didn't know. “I like it, the room. It's very airy.”

It was Blaine's turn to smile. “My dad's office used to look like this. I always liked it, I guess.”

Slowly, Kurt surreptitiously inched his way over to the sofa Blaine was sitting at, until he hesitantly sat down beside the boy. Blaine showed no signs that he disapproved, so Kurt relaxed a bit into the cushions. One of the birds glided down from the ceiling and landed on the table, cocking it's head to look at Kurt and Blaine.

“Aw...” Kurt cooed, offering a finger to the bird. The yellow bird chirped brightly and hopped onto Kurt's finger before continuing its twittery song.

Blaine smiled. He concentrated hard, taking Kurt's words about the ability to change the room with his mind into account, and a small bowl of M&M's appeared in front of them. Kurt smiled and thought for a second, and two glasses of butterbeer materialized next to the bowl. Earning a grin from Blaine, Kurt returned it and reached for one of the glasses. The bird chirped and took flight from his hand, soaring back up to join his friends.

Casually, Kurt and Blaine set into an easy conversation. Kurt was actually amazed at how intelligent Blaine was, and wondered to himself why he was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. Blaine sat with the small of his back pressed onto the armrest of the couch, sipping slowly at his butterbeer as they discussed all sorts of things.

Blaine learned that Kurt's mother had died when he was only eight years old. That explained why the boggart had turned into his father. Burt, Blaine was told his name was, was Kurt's only surviving biological parent. Kurt told Blaine about Carole, but Blaine understood why Kurt was concerned about losing his father along with his mother, even if he would still have a step parent.

After a couple hours, Blaine was laughing easily with Kurt, joking like he would only with Taylor or Shane or Cooper. Kurt suddenly looked a little nervous, and he finally asked the question that had been on his mind for the past hour. “Why- um, what happened in D.A.D.A?” he asked gingerly.

“What do you mean?” Blaine chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.

Kurt shifted in his seat awkwardly. “I mean, um, why did-why did the boggart... frighten you so much?”

Blaine remained silent, his jaw tightened and he stared into his cup.

“It-it's okay. You don't have to tell me,” Kurt said quickly, not wanting Blaine to close him off again. “I was just... concerned. You don't seem like the kind of person to be scared that easily.”

“I wasn't scared,” Blaine snapped fiercely, looking defensive. Really, he was angry at himself for appearing so undynamic in front of his classmates and Kurt. What Blaine had said wasn't completely true, he had actually been terrified during the lesson. The feeling of being bound and falling to the ground was startlingly familiar, and it brought back memories that Blaine wished he could just Banish from his mind permanently. Shaking his head, Blaine sighed. “We should go. It-it's getting dark. I don't think it's a very good idea to be skipping classes on the first day of school.”

“I'm sure your teachers will understand,” Kurt said quietly.

Blaine looked sharply at him. “I don't need anyone to give me time off. I'm okay, and I don't need you to be cooing at me like I'm a newborn Hippogriff.”

Kurt took a sip of his butterbeer so Blaine wouldn't be able to see the hurt in his eyes. Kurt had just been concerned. Watching Blaine break down so easily in class was unsettling, and any normal person would be worried about him. Being snapped at for being kind wasn't something Kurt was used to, and quite honestly it hurt his feelings. After a few breaths, Kurt nodded. “You're right. We should be going. I'm pretty sure classes have ended, though.”

The curly-haired boy nodded and stood. Kurt followed suit. Together, they walked out of the Room of Requirement, and right into a bustling flood of students. Classes had indeed ended; just moments before. The halls were now filled with noisy students, excited to talk about their first days back at the school.

“Jesus,” Blaine muttered after being bumped by the shoulder of a passing girl who paid no attention to him.

Something tightened on his arm. Blaine looked down to see that Kurt had grabbed his wrist. “It's so crowded...”

Suddenly, a loud shout was heard above the noise. “Kurt!” Nathan stormed over to the two boys, looking furious. “Who the hell is he? And why weren't you in class today? Were you with him all day?”

“You don't remember him? You laughed at him this morning for spilling pumpkin juice all over the table.” Nathan was still glaring at Blaine as if he was trying to make the transfer student's head explode with his mind. “His name is Blaine. Blaine Anderson.”

“Wait- Blaine Anderson? Wasn't-isn't he the guy who had a full-on mental breakdown in Defense?” Nathan asked incredulously. Blaine bristled. “Why are you with him? Most importantly, why are you coming out of the Room of Requirement with him?”

“Not everyone goes in there just to make out, Nathaniel.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” He turned to Blaine. “Listen,” he murmured menacingly, face just inches away from Blaine's. Blaine stared him down, despite the slight height difference, “I don't want you getting the wrong idea. Kurt, he's mine. Get it through that thick broccoli-haired head of yours, okay?” Nathan's voice easily slipped into a crude, mocking tone, “I don't care if he came to comfort you because you were cwying wike an ickle baby,” he smirked as Blaine's jaw tightened. “No more sneaking off with him, if you don't want me to cut off your junk while you sleep, yeah?” Nathan smiled and demeaningly patted Blaine's cheek.

Kurt glared at him. “Not every guy I'm friends with is-”

“Kurt, c'mon, let's go,” Nathan broke off, grabbing Kurt's pale hand.

“No, Nathan, listen-”

“No,” Blaine interrupted softly. His eyes never left Nathan's smirk. Blaine's voice was quiet and calm, oily and biting, “Wouldn't want you to be seen with a sniffling little pussy like me, right? Besides, Kurt. You're his. I don't want to mess with the obviously perfect relationship you guys have going. I think I'll just go and cry some more.”

Nathan's smirk broadened and he began to walk away, Kurt following uneagerly. He glanced back at Blaine, hurt shining in his eyes. Kurt opened his mouth to shout something out to Blaine, but Nathan silenced him by putting an arm around his shoulders, catching his attention as he guided Kurt around a corner and out of sight.
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Taylor walked towards the Fat Lady with David. “I'm just saying, I'm kind of jealous of Professor Lupin.”

“Why?” David asked incredulously. The professor was an orphan after all, and he lived at the school, which didn't sound too great.

“Because,” Taylor said obviously, “he's an Metamorphmagus.”

David gave Taylor a deadpan stare. “Really.”

“What?” The blonde turned to the portrait, “Emerald frost.” the Fat Lady swung open, and they climbed through. “Being a Metamorphmagus would be the best thing ever!”

“David!” Wes hailed the Keeper from where he was sitting by the hearth. David flashed Taylor an apologetic glance before hurrying to Wes' side.

“Okay!” Taylor hollered after him, “fine! Just leave me here! I had better things to do anyway!” He dramatically huffed towards the staircase, sarcastically throwing behind him, “I guess this means we aren't cuddling tonight!”

An eruption of laughter burst from behind him as Taylor ran up the stairs.

That day had been... surprisingly normal. In first period, he had fallen asleep during one of Trelawney's ramblings and awoke an hour and a half later to find the classroom empty. Apparently, the professor had never even noticed he was asleep, causing him to be late to third period. When he arrived thirty minutes late to Charms, Flitwick gave him extra homework, but from then on, Taylor's day was graciously uneventful. However, he did notice that Kurt hadn't been in Potions that day...

Taylor bit his lip. He hoped everything was okay. Kurt had never missed a Potions class since he broke his arm trying out for Quidditch Fourth Year. He turned the golden handle and walked into the dormitories. It was dark, save a few candles on the windowsill. The room looked empty, so Taylor walked over to the window and stared outside into the pouring rain. The weather had changed drastically that day, going from sunny to brooding and dark. Taylor liked the rain, though. It was soothing and peaceful, a pleasant contrast to the thundering clouds that rumbled deeply above the school.

“Hey, Taylor.”

Taylor sucked in a sharp breath, breaking out of his contemplative mind, and turned abruptly to face the column of beds to his left. Blaine was laying on his back in the bottom bunk, ridden of his robes, levitating the ring his older brother gave him before his transfer into the air, and then back down to rest on his stomach. Blaine's expression was blank and apathetic, reminding Taylor of the distant phase Blaine went through the year prior to his move to Hogwarts. Blaine's strange, disconnected attitude had almost cost the two their friendship.

“What's up?” Taylor asked quietly.

Blaine continued to raise and lower the ring in the air wordlessly. Finally, he spoke up. “I'm fine. Bad day.”

“What happened?” the blonde moved to sit on the bed by Blaine's ankles. Blaine's expressionless face continued to make Taylor worry; he didn't want his best friend to grow distant with him again.

Blaine's voice was soft, making him sound downcast and trodden, “Bad time in Defense.” The ring floated up, and back down. “I had a bloody meltdown. Tears and everything. Everyone's going to think I'm-I'm a freak or something... Kurt Hummel spent the day with me, though... He's rather sweet. We cut all day, but I don't really care that much right now.”

Shooting Blaine a half-glance, Taylor began picking at the bedspread. Kurt had been with Blaine all day? “Tears? What made you so- erm- upset?”

“Boggart,” Blaine answered shortly.

“Oh...” was Taylor's awkward response. “Um... So... Me and the guys were planning on going out to the Quidditch pitch after dinner. Wanna come?” Blaine was brilliant at the sport, but never took to playing it. Even though Taylor knew his friend wouldn't want to participate in a game, it was worth a shot to at least get him doing something. Anything. The composed look on Blaine's face was starting to unsettle him a little bit.

“No. I'll just stay here. Thanks though.” Blaine slipped the ring back around his middle finger, taking a second to admire the Anderson crest emblazoned in the metal before heavily dropping his hand back onto his stomach.

Taylor twiddled his thumbs. “Alright... Well... I'm gonna go to the Dining Hall. Hope you feel better, mate...” He stood and made for the door before casting a look back at his friend. Blaine was staring at the bottom of the bed above him, aimlessly twirling his wand between his fingers. With a sigh, Taylor opened the door and walked down the stairs, re-entering the commons.

Blaine had the right to be in a bad mood. What happened earlier that day sounded horrible... Taylor himself would rather bunk with Filch rather than live through that kind of embarrassment. But why did he get the sense that something was off? That something bigger, something more important and urgent than just shedding a few tears in Defense was what Blaine was really concerned about? Taylor shook his head. Blaine would tell him if something was truly wrong.

“Ready to go?” David hopped up energetically, followed by Wes, Trent, Jeff, Nick, and few other Gryffindors Taylor had yet to introduce to Blaine. They all walked to lunch, laughing and shoving. Nick tripped and fell, and Taylor momentarily forgot about Blaine and his careless expression.
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“Kurt, why won't you talk to me?” Nathan hurried to keep up with his boyfriend as Kurt rushed away into the Dining Hall.

“Because,” Kurt snapped waspishly, “you're being a jerk lately, Nathan. I want to be alone for three seconds. Is that okay?”

Nathan floundered for a second before Kurt ran off again to the Ravenclaw table. “Kurt!” Nathan hastily sped over to the table, where Kurt was sitting in between Lily Luna and Reed Van Kamp. “Kurt, is this about that Blaine kid? Because-”

“Partially, yes,” Kurt explained sharply, “but I also need my space. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?”

Nathan scowled. “... You know what, fine. But don't come back to me if you get lonely tonight. I'll see you, Kurt.”

After Nathan sauntered off to sit with the Gryffindor jocks, Reed turned to Kurt. “Why are you even with him anymore, Kurt? He's, well, kind a douchebag...”

Kurt sighed and glanced across the hall to Nathan, who was moodily poking at his food. “I really like him. Can we just leave it at that?”

Lily rubbed his shoulder soothingly and took a bite of ham. For the next few minutes, neither of Kurt's friends made any type of attempt to start up a conversation. They both knew how irritable Kurt got when he and Nathan were in the midst of a fight.

Suddenly (and quite loudly), a group of six or seven boys tumbled into the hall, exploding with laughter. Their crimson and gold ties stuck out against the black of their uniform robes, and they made it clear that they were intent on living up to the Gryffindor stereotype of being obnoxiously earsplitting and boyish. Kurt furrowed his brow; he recognized some of those boys from the Quidditch practices he had gone to because of Nathan. There was David, Wes and Jeff, and a blonde-haired boy with stylish black glasses. Oh, Kurt recognized that boy too. That was Taylor Clark. They had bonded briefly over their mutual love for fashion in Fourth Year and shared a Potions class, but apart from that, Kurt didn't know Taylor very well. Taylor peeked over in Kurt's direction, and blushed across the tips of his ears when he noticed Kurt's gaze.

Wasn't Taylor Blaine's friend? Yes, Blaine had mentioned Clark quite a bit when they shared the day in the Room of Requirement. If Taylor was Blaine's best friend, why wasn't Blaine with them?

“Hey,” Kurt tilted his head towards Lily, “I'll be right back.”

He stood and made his way down the aisle to the Gryffindor table. Nathan looked up expectantly as Kurt passed him, but his face fell when the Ravenclaw strode right past him and up to Taylor.

“Taylor?” Kurt spoke primly in the Gryffindor's ear, trying to gain his attention.

Taylor turned to face Kurt, promptly breaking out into a slightly manic grin. “Yeah?”

Jeff and Nick snickered behind him as Taylor's ears turned bright red. “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second?” Kurt asked.

“What?” Taylor looked stunned for a second before gruffly clearing his throat. “I mean, yeah, sure. Brilliant. What's up?”

“Actually,” Kurt twisted his robes between his fingers sheepishly, “could we talk alone?”

Now all the Gryffindors behind Taylor were stunned. They all, painfully so, knew about Taylor's benign crush on Kurt, and now the one thing they never thought they'd never see was happening. Why would Kurt want to speak to Taylor privately? The same thing was running through the blonde's head as he nodded and walked in-step behind Kurt out of the mess hall.

They stopped just around the corner from the Dining Hall by a lonely-looking suit of armor.

“Is everything okay?” Taylor asked immediately.

“Um,” Kurt scuffed his shoe against the stone floor cutely, “is-is something wrong with Blaine? He's-he's not with you, and I always see you two together, so I was just curious if...” he trailed off impishly.

Taylor's dreamy eyes looked a little less bright as he said, “Oh... no, I don't think so. He just didn't want to come down with us. He had a bad day. But you know that, he told me that you and him skived class today and got to know each other.”

Kurt smiled a little bit. “Yeah.” A group of students walked by, and Kurt turned to watch them walk by. He faced Taylor again, “So, you're sure nothing's dicky?”

Taylor shook his head, looking a little downhearted. “No, he's fine.”

“Okay,” Kurt grinned brightly, and Taylor swooned at how his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Tell him I said hello if you see him, yeah?”

“Sure.”

Kurt grinned again, not noticing Taylor's disappointed expression, and bounced back into the Dining Hall, now in much higher spirits now that he knew that his new friend was alright.

Back in the hall, Taylor's shoulders slumped. Of course, the first time Kurt ever wanted to talk to him about something other than swish clothes, it was about Blaine. He sighed heavily and walked back into the cafeteria.

“Hey,” Jeff said casually as Taylor sat down at the aged table.

“You look positively gutted,” Trent piped in after he swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes. “What happened with Kurt?”

“He was worried about Blaine, nothing troubling.” Taylor replied bluntly.

“Upset that he didn't pledge his love, then?”

“I'm not-shut up, Nick,” the blonde snapped, wishing he could just eat in peace.

An exchanged glance between the other Gryffindor boys and a few helpings of food later, the boys all stood and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

“Don't worry, mate,” Nick clapped Taylor on the back, seeing as his friend still looked a little down, “It's not like he and Blaine'll fall in love or something.”