Chapter 73: Chapter 72
Oscar's tense expression eased a little.
Hu Yetao was now watching Professor Mika with renewed interest; it was common knowledge who Oscar was - especially after being continually splashed across the cover of the Prophet as Hu Yetao's mate - but something in the man's tone almost made it sound as though the professor knew Oscar personally.
If that was true, then why would Oscar be uncomfortable in his presence?
Hu Yetao pushed that thought to the back of his mind and refocused as the young professor walked forward to stand in front of the first row of desks. "Now that most of you have read the chapter on Hex Deflection, we shall be ready with the practical work."
Hu Yetao smiled and withdrew his wand, eager to get started.
Professor Mika spotted him and addressed him with a rueful smile. "I'm afraid as you and Mr. Wang have not yet had a chance to study the theory, I must ask that you both merely observe for today." He turned back to the rest of the class as Hu Yetao visibly deflated. "We are taking a class outside this morning, so grab your warm things and a wand and head out to the entrance hall."
"It's for your own good Yetao," Oscar said with a smirk as the class stood and gathered their cloaks.
Hu Yetao glared at his mate, who was looking quite pleased about the professor's decision. He knew Oscar disliked it when others practiced dueling with him in class but the bastard didn't have to look quite so satisfied about it.
The students began to file out the door as they pulled on mittens and hats, excited grins of anticipation on their faces; they never took the class outside.
Zhang Xinyao and Jing-Long joined Hu Yetao and Oscar as they walked between desks to the front of the room.
"Could I have a word with you Mr. Yetao?" Professor Mika interrupted as Hu Yetao was about to walk past.
Hu Yetao paused, a slight frown of apprehension on his face.
"Mr. Wang is of course welcome to join us," he continued amiably.
"Oh, ah… sure," Hu Yetao replied uncertainly, wondering what he'd done wrong already.
Zhang Xinyao and Jing-Long continued past them out the door, both of them darting looks of concern over their shoulders as they left.
Hu Yetao unconsciously stepped a little closer to Oscar and he instantly wrapped an arm around Hu Yetao's waist in response.
"Nice to see you again Oscar," Professor Mika said, turning to him with a warm smile once the door had fallen closed behind Zhang Xinyao and Jing-Long.
Hu Yetao immediately bristled, his mind buzzing with jealousy from the over-familiarity with which he greeted his mate. Was this man one of the men whom Oscar had 'experimented with?
"I think the last time we saw each other you were still in nappies."
Or not.
"Not quite," Oscar replied dryly, he didn't return the smile but his tone was friendly enough. "I believe I was about nine or ten, close to Hogwart's age." He turned to Hu Yetao, who was shifting impatiently, waiting for someone to explain what was going on. "Hu Yetao, this is Mika Hashizume. He's a part of the Clan."
"Oh," Hu Yetao responded in surprise, stilling. "Er, nice to meet you."
Professor Mika reached out to shake his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you too Hu Yetao," he said. "I wish we had time for a proper chat but the class will be waiting. I just wanted to let you both know that I've been sent here to help keep an eye on Hu Yetao. I'm sorry that there was no time to warn you, Oscar, it must have been quite a shock walking in to see me at the head of the class."
Professor Mika began to walk with them towards the door, grabbing his cloak from off of a wooden coat rack as they passed.
"There have been some… developments," he continued, sounding reluctant to broach the subject, "and the concern was that you are somewhat vulnerable at the moment Hu Yetao." He turned to them both, one hand on the door handle. "I cannot speak of such things here, but your parents have been informed of the situation, Oscar. If you wish, I can accompany you both to Wang Manor after the last class of the day to discuss this further."
Oscar stared at him, looking as though he desperately wanted to ask for more details, a muscle in his cheek twitching as his jaw clenched and unclenched. "And… you believe your presence is required for our trip to the Manor?" he finally asked.
"Yes."
"Is it safe for me at Hogwarts?" Hu Yetao asked, trying to rein in the strong urge to demand the specifics right bloody now.
"We believe so," Professor Mika replied slowly. "Your Headmistress stepped up security measures and alerted the Aurors after the initial attack, and those measures are still in place, so within these grounds, you should be safe."
Hu Yetao pressed his lips together into a hard line; the emphasis on 'should' hanging in the air between the three of them.
Professor Mika looked at Hu Yetao sympathetically for a moment before turning and opening the door.
All conversation ceased as they strode through the corridors to the entrance hall, Oscar's hand clasped around Hu Yetao's; his firm grasp speaking volumes on his current state of mind.
Their classmates were all amassed near the door, talking and laughing loudly, not a care in the world.
Hu Yetao wanted to glower at them; why was he always singled out? Now that the war was over, they were all able to move on while Hu Yetao felt as though his problems were almost as bad now as they were at the height of Chong Li's reign of terror.
He slanted a glance at his mate, feeling a tug of guilt for dragging Oscar into this mess. He wondered if Oscar was starting to doubt whether or not Hu Yetao was worth all the stress of having him as his mate.
"All right everyone, let's go!" the professor called out above the din.
"What was that all about?" Zhang Xinyao asked as he and Jing-Long joined the pair while everyone else trooped outside into the snowy grounds.
Hu Yetao clasped his heavy cloak around his shoulders and walked out with them into the muted winter sunshine, squinting a little at the glare of the sun off of the snow.
"Mrs. Amber had spoken to him about the attack and the extra security, so he just wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help," Oscar replied smoothly, handing over a pair of grey gloves to his mate who had neglected to bring his own. Hu Yetao flashed him a grateful smile as he slipped them on. "He's an old friend of my family's as well, so he asked after my parents."
"Was he living locally?" Jing Long asked with interest, looking over at the professor as he led the pack of students across the grounds to a flat, open space near the frozen lake. "He sounds as though he has a slight accent."
"He's been living in Japan with his wife for the past eight or nine years," Oscar explained. "I believe they were planning to make the move back here when the Hogwart's post came up, so he applied."
"Was he an Auror?" Zhang Xinyao asked as they joined the back of the group forming a semi-circle around the new professor.
Oscar shook his head. "No, just a bit of an expert in his field, he's been teaching for years."
"Well, I like him," Jing-Long whispered. "He seems kind; reminds me of Professor Liu Zhang."
Hu Yetao leaned against Oscar's side for added warmth and forced himself to push all gloomy thoughts to the back of his mind to not ruin what trust he'd managed to rebuild with Xinyao and Jing-Long yesterday. "Yeah, he seems nice," he commented.
"Nice?" Zhang Xinyao snorted. "Is that what you're calling it these days?"
Hu Yetao turned to him. "Just because my mate is blond, that does not mean that I am into all blonds. Though he is quite attractive," he added with a sly grin.
Hu Yetao stifled a laugh when Oscar elbowed him in the side. The four of them turned their attention back to Professor Mika as he began to introduce the lesson.
Hu Yetao quickly discovered that he didn't enjoy sitting on the sidelines while everyone else got to have all the fun, especially when he felt full of nervous energy which demanded to be expelled. He desperately wanted answers and it didn't look as though he was going to get any until the end of the day.
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Rifa_Coolheart3303
Rifa_Coolheart3303 Please if you're reading this story, I wanna say a very big thank you to you. I'm not used to publishing on Webnovel. I don't even know if people are reading this story, there's one person who always comments and makes me notice her. Please feel free to contact me on Instagram or Tiktok @punky_fujoshi and Wattpad @coolheart_ and @punky_fujoshi. I will be very glad to interact with anyone reading this book. Thank y'all and be safe
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