Work Text:
1.
All those white smokes come from the chimney is disappearing in the mountains and woods. The train has travelled on the trail for fifteen minutes now. The carriage is much quieter, only pieces of conversations dropped from seam of doors.
Max is dragging a suitcase nearly as high as him and walking along in the corridor. He was one of the last new students got on the train, most of the rooms are full.
“You looking for a spot?” A fluffy head popped from the end of corridor, dark curls dances like waves when he talks,” Got one here.”
Max paused for few seconds to confirm that was calling him, then keeps going forward. He sees an open door with three boys sitting there already, somehow reminds him those canned sardines. The one who just called him sits opposite with two sleepy boys, unconsciously mumbling to each other.
“Daniel Ricciardo.” He stands up and throws all Max’s luggage up on the shelf, then pats the seat next to him,” Ignore them, they’ve been stayed up for video games.”
“Thank you.” Max points himself, hesitates to offer his hand for greeting,” Max Verstappen.”
The next second he falls into a hug, surrounded by warmth and kindness. Max sits beside Daniel and feels overwhelmed by his shining grin.
“We had one friend with us before, but Seb graduated last year. I’ve still got two years to go, and these stupid two — Carlos, Daniil — fifth year.” Daniel takes snacks from his bag that Max has never seen, the colourful packages decorate table like an art,” You? New here?”
Max nods, his attention fully attracts by these things.
“Choose Hufflepuff is how you start your wonderful life in Hogwarts. I argued with the sorting hat for ten minutes in front of the whole school, just to make him change his mind. I’d rather go to the high school next door instead of Gryffindor.” Daniel picks up some chocolate beans to Max, as he knows how Max will like them.
“NO! Don’t take the points, professor!”
Carlos suddenly yells out. Daniil got scared and wakes up annoyingly. Three glances shoot on Carlos like spotlights, but he just stretches his arm to nowhere with eyes close and falls back to sleep again.
Max chuckles, he likes being here.
Every brick in Hogwarts looks ancient and serious. Max splits up with the other three and enters the hall like other new kids.
He was called by the headmaster and sits straight with the sorting hat.
“I want to join Hufflepuff.” Max prayed in his mind.
“Hufflepuff?” The sorting hat asked surprisingly, “But you are one true Gryffindor, kid, may I ask why?”
Why……Max can’t say a word, he remains silent and swallows the weird feeling inside his chest. The feeling that tastes like a sour olive, or a cat scratching on his hand. He doesn’t know either, so he didn’t answer.
“Gryffindor!” The sorting hat announces his decision. Some whistles come from the table of red and gold. Carlos jumped to the front and pulls Max into crowds. His dark robe is fluttering in the air, showing how excited he is.
But Max closes his eyes, afraid to look at the other side. He wonders if someone there is disappointed like him.
2.
Max noticed that Daniel is the star in the school a few months later. A prefect in his year and a seeker in the Quidditch team, there is never a title too special for him. Max feels jealous that Daniel spending all his time to take care of the new students or other Hufflepuff — sometimes even magical beasts.
“Hey. HELLO? Mr Verstappen, can you see me?” Carlos snapped his fingers right in front of Max’s eyes, woke him from some obvious daydreams.
“What?” Max responds in a frustrated tone, “Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
“I said, if you are not eating, please leave those carrots alone. You are mashing them and it’s disgusting.” Carlos looks at his plate and frowns, “Hurry up, we’ve got a practice match with Hufflepuff in the afternoon. They let you play second string a few days ago, right?”
Max’s eyes are suddenly shinning with sparkles now, and he smiles.
There is nothing fun of sitting on the bench. Max places his jaw on the end of the broom, glancing disdainfully at the Hufflepuff girls who are screaming Daniel’s name — maybe few Gryffindors as well. He wants to cover his ears, or just pull up a Mandrake so that everyone shuts up.
“Max, you’re up.”
Both teams changed a few members during the break, the practice match is meant to give chances for young players. Hufflepuff is taking the lead on the board.
Max saw Daniel is already replaced and talking with his teammates, he sighs. He could have a chance to compete against Daniel. Max pouts, but mount his broom with the second he heard the whistle. The golden snitch escaped through two seekers deftly.
Max speeds up instantly, he saw his opponent is rushing to him from the corner of his eyes. He turns his broom upside down, reaches his hand to the little golden ball. A cold feeling slipped from the tip of his fingers to the palm. Max seizes it tightly, as he is grasping a hummingbird.
The numbers on the board flipped. It is only a practice match, but Gryffindors burst out cheering anyway. All the Hufflepuffs are gasping, they either look doubtful or surprised.
Max is looking for other things in the loud noises.
A person, to be specific, who is shouting and laughing to him with the world’s biggest grin.
“GOOD JOB, Maxy!”
Max was almost falling from his groom, and Daniel has already run under him terrifyingly.
3.
The first year of Hogwarts is never interesting, Max handed his paper early in every exam. The whole school is sinking in the exam season, apart from the library, there is no one outside.
Max doesn’t want to go back to the dormitory. He wanders near sixth year’s classroom and maybe today he is lucky enough to……
“Max, why are you here?” Daniel is wearing extra clothes than others, hiding his face in the scarf, “You finished exams?”
Max smiles, and follows up to Daniel: “The first year is easy.” He stares Daniel’s wet hair and rain on his shoulder look like he’s been outdoors for a while.
“Wanna walk to the grounds with me? Professor told me to take care of the grasses.”
Max nods without thinking, he will probably nod to ten stinky Bertie Bott's Beans as long as it's Daniel asking.
Most of the beasts are staying at caves in such weather, this is why Daniel is allowed to enter the grounds without supervision. However, they are both stunned when they meet a winged horse in the woods.
Max holds his breath and signals to Daniel across the bushes. Daniel’s face has never been so serious. A white winged horse sniffs to the snow like she’s standing on the clouds. Daniel moved step by step, trying to calm the winged horse with gentle hands. The winged horse was shocked immediately from a stranger’s touch then neighing to the sky.
She raised her hooves and splatter snows around. When she opens up her wings, Daniel can barely see the sun. Max can’t wait anymore; he rushes to Daniel and takes him out of the attack range. His robe just got away from the winged horse’s leg. They slide in slope for a distance, but Max didn’t feel hurt at all. He guessed Daniel was covering him all the way.
“Are you alright?”
Max grips on Daniel’s robe firmly, the warmth in his arms is so close yet so far.
Two hearts are beating together.
4.
“Daniel, I know you are preparing for the N.E.W.T, but……”
Max has found Daniel in the library. Most of the last year students in Hogwarts look the same as him: biting on a quill and cursing random subjects.
“Max!” Daniel raises his head up to Max, and pulls him into a hug, as he can receive some comfort from that, “Preparing what? I can’t read a word.”
Max doesn’t want to leave the hug at all, the winter definitely has come early this year.
“Do you want to check Hufflepuff’s common room?” Daniel dropped his pen and ask Max quietly next to him. The breath is spinning on Max’s ear.
“Yeah, but your common room doesn’t allow other house’s…….”Max has not finished his sentence. He saw Daniel robbed his roommate Hulk’s tie, and tear it roughly.
“Hey! DON’T—let go I’ll do—Fuck Daniel I’m gonna throw up.” Hulk finally catching his breath. The moment he wants to yell at Daniel, he sees students stare at him already. He can only give a warning glance to Daniel.
Daniel smiles harmlessly to him. Then he turns around to Max, lift Max’s head tenderly to untie his tie. His finger brushes to Max’s throat, then put the yellow and black tie back on. “Looks better now.”
Daniel is standing two meters away with arm crossed. He told Max the key to Hufflepuff’s common room is knocking the barrel door in a certain rhythm. Max is not sure why is Daniel standing that far.
“Helga Hufflepuff……” Max muttered to himself, then tapping on the barrel.
A sound of cracking comes from above, a full barrel of dark liquid drenches through Max. They are running into Max’s noses and ears, and he knows the reason now.
Daniel can’t stop laughing while Max using Scouring Charm to clean up. Max can still smell vinegar from his robe.
Sneaking into Hufflepuff’s common room is easier than Max thought, the students are way too nice. Plant pots are placing on the shelves, closets, windowsills and any platform you can see. It looks like a jungle. Innumerable fireflies are travelling through, Max can’t help himself to grab one. But when he opens palm again, it’s all gone.
Daniel took lots of food on the way to his room. Soft cakes and crispy biscuits are stacking on his plate. Max has to admit he is jealous of Hufflepuff’s common room is next to the kitchen. Gryffindor always have to carry them all the way to the Castle’s Tower.
There are many posters from Muggle’s world sticking on the wall, neither the people on the pictures can move nor can them talk. Max knows both Hulk and Daniel are from Muggle families, so he asks carefully for each poster. Daniel introduces all the singers and the actors — and a four-wheel thing Daniel called “racing cars” too.
Daniel smirked and took a Rum bottle from the bottom of his bed, but with only one wine glass. Max saw him casts a spell to the glass he never heard before. Gold glitters come from the wand to the bottom of the glass, then melt into the alcohol.
“What spell is that?”
“I invented it. It makes every taste of wine different, amazing right?”
Daniel shakes and drinks half of the glass. He sits next to Max on the bed, sighs in satisfied.
“Can I try?”
“Uhm?”
“The wine.”
“No way, Maxy! You just passed 14……”
Mints, pinenuts and tangerines, taste like the candy Max used to see in the shop window.
Max leans over to press the kiss on the older Hufflepuff. The scent of Rum wine is filling in their breath. Daniel blinks, he looks confused, surprised but not disgusted. Their glances collide to each other, timidly and expectantly.
The second time tastes like vanilla and lemon, Max kissed forward again.
Daniel’s spell is not bad.
5.
Graduation is sooner than Max can imagine. He is holding Daniel’s hand, but afraid to look at him in the eyes.
“Are you leaving?”
“We will see each other again.”
Not answering the question, Max thought.
The cheerful Daniel belongs to Max, but the reliable Ricciardo comes from a further land. Max remembered that night when moonlights falls on the stairs, Daniel told him about the Antipodes. The everlasting summer and fresh fruits. The white sails and blue seas. Giant cactus growing in the boundless desert.
These stories don’t have Max, of course.
“Write to me. I will visit you every Christmas break, and four more years until…… “
Daniel shows a goofy grin, like every single one in Max’s memory. “Don’t be sad, I’ll wait for you.”
“Goodbye, my lion.”
Australian leaves his final kiss on Max’s forehead. His nose is burying in the dark gold hair, stops for seconds with full of longing.
“Please don't forget me.”
END