Hogwarts : The Bangtan Episode

“So, they use phones to contact each other? Don’t they have owls?” Jimin asks, scribbling on his unfinished potions homework. 

“No, Muggles don’t use owls,” Taehyung giggled, kicking his feet while he laid on his bed. Jungkook’s head shot back and forth between the two, enjoying his time in the cozy Hufflepuff dorm room. “My little sister wants me to get one, but I’ve just been using the school’s. I’m not sure how my mum would react to it.”

“Muggles don’t know what owls are? Fascinating,” Jimin murmured. Jungkook giggled from his spot on the floor. Jimin sounded just like his mother, and it made Jungkook smile fondly. His mother was a Pureblood Ravenclaw, and she knew nothing about Muggles until she married his father. A Muggle. Jungkook and his brother Jung Hyun grew up in both worlds, so there was never any confusion, but his mother was often confused. Texting never was her strong suit, and she’d often try to send their father owl mail while he was at his office job. 

“So. . . if your family doesn’t use owls, how do you contact them? Don’t phones not work here?” Jimin asked, obviously dodging his homework.

“I taught my little siblings before I left,” Taehyung replied. “Mum just asks them to write for her.”

“Don’t you miss her though? It’s not even her handwriting,” Jimin scrunched his nose. “That’s my favorite part of letters. It’s so personal.”

“I guess,” Taehyung hummed, taking some parchment out of his bag. “It’s okay though, I saw them for Thanksgiving, and now I’ll see them next week for Christmas.”

“Do you have to go?” Jungkook asked from where he lay on the floor. “I’ll be lonely.”

“You’ll have Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok,” Jimin chirped. “You can’t be that lonely.”

“But you guys are my best friends. Not them.”

“You invited Namjoon into our study group, which snowballed into whatever weird friend group we have going on now,” Jimin huffed. Taehyung’s room fell silent for a minute, and Jungkook groaned. Jimin was right. Their Hyung’s were really nice and funny, but it was a strange dynamic. They were all friends by strange connected circumstances, yet Jungkook still felt like they were strangers. He supposed that he’ll feel more connected with them after this break since they were going to be the only ones there with him. 

Jungkook wanted to go home for Christmas, but it was for the best. His mother wouldn’t invite the relatives to stay over, and she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to cook the feast. Too many of Jung Hyun’s favorites, and it’d just put a painful strain on everything. Plus, Jungkook doubted his father was still living with her, and he wasn’t really ready to sit in silence with just his mom. 

Taehyung and Jimin would get to go home happy though, and Jungkook couldn’t help but feel a little envious. Jimin had told him countless stories of great Christmas feasts, how all of their family came together and put countless hours into the food. It was a magical tradition, and he knew Jimin wouldn’t miss it for the world. Taehyung on the other hand, was excited for the family part of Christmas. Apparently, he had a massive extended family, and everyone stayed at his house for a week. Cousins, aunts, uncles, great grandparents, family-like friends, and even their mailman (Jimin was confused at this part, not because of the unusual connection between a civil worker and Tae’s family, but because why would there be a mail-man? Where are the owls? Shouldn’t he be out of a job?)

Jungkook must’ve had a sour look on his face, because Taehyung slid from his bed to the floor, looping his arms around Jungkook. 

“Hey, it’s okay. Next year, you can come home with me or Jimin. For now though, I heard Hogwarts is really pretty during break? Maybe you can get some winter Quidditch practice in, or ask Yoongi Hyung to teach you wizard chess.”

“More like ask Yoongi Hyung to beat my ass in wizard chess.”

Jimin laughed from the bed.

“You’re right Kook, he won’t teach you. He’ll just growl when you move something wrong, and hiss when you ask questions. He’s such a scary monster!”

“Shut up Jimin,” Jungkook groaned, regretting that he told Jimin how much Yoongi intimidated him. “He’s not a wild animal.”

“Then hang out with him this Christmas,” Jimin shrugged. “Get to know him. Ask about his shit parents, you’d have something in common-” Jungkook heard Jimin whisper under his breath, but he didn’t want to argue again. Jungkook just didn’t have any energy left to argue about that subject.

“I guess,” Jungkook mumbled, looking down at his hands. Taehyung squeezed him closer, leaning his head on Jungkook’s shoulder.

“We’ll always be here, Kook. Always.”

“I know Tae, thanks,” Jungkook sighed, knowing that Taehyung’s words were true. Taehyung was the most trustworthy person he knew, and Jimin was too, even if he wasn’t a Hufflepuff. He’d always have someone to rant to, and he knew they cared about him. It was just such foreign ground he was in, the need to have someone to rant to? Since when did he need to talk his thoughts out? Well, he knew when and what event caused that, but still, that didn’t seem very. . . confident or assertive. Not very Gryffindor. 

But Taehyung said thoughts like that were bad mental practices, and that he should ‘validate his struggles’ more often. He needed to ‘talk out the bad’ and not ‘stew’ on it. 

He debated for a second mentioning his family, just to see what they’d say about his father leaving, and his mother’s depressing owls, but Jungkook didn’t want to ruin the mood. He kinda already did, but he’d rather not drag them further into his little familial mess. Unnecessary stress. 

“So, uh, what have you guys gotten everyone for Christmas?” Jungkook changed the topic, sitting up a little so Taehyung would stop leaning on him and making him feel worse. 

“Well, I’m not spilling what I bought you two, so don’t even try!” Taehyung beamed, crossing his arms. 

“Pff,” Jimin scoffed, pushing his homework off the bed, forgotten. “You’re a Hufflepuff.”

“So!?”

“Soooo-” Jimin drawled, crawling off the bed and sitting crossed legged in front of them. “You can’t keep secrets. That’d be unloyal and lying.”

“WHAT! No, that’s not-”

“Actually, yeah,” Jungkook grins, catching onto Jimin’s trick. “Friends don’t lie. Best friends would never keep secrets.” 

Taehyung went pale, and started stammering.

“I doubt even Yoongi and Namjoon have secrets,” Jimin purred, reaching out and massaging Taehyung’s shoulders.

“Y-Yoongi? Namjoon?” Tae stuttered. His eyes were wide and his face ashy, and Jimin smiled wickedly. It was like watching a predator move in for the kill, aiming at the wounded animal’s neck. Jimin was sweet, caring, kind, the whole package, but it was moments like this that Jungkook realized why he was put in Slytherin.

“Yes, our Hyungs. Just like me actually, I’m your closest Hyung. We’ve known each other for so long, and I never keep secrets from you, that’s just not healthy. It’d be so much easier just to tell me, then I can help you keep it a secret from other people.”

“. . . hyung?” Taehyung whimpered, covering his eyes with his hands.

“Yes, I’m your Hyung. Plus, Jungkookie? He’s your maknae. You’re supposed to guide him, show him what’s right. He expects loyalty and honesty, how could you lie to him?”

“But-but I-”

“Come on, Hyung,” Jungkook whispered, nudging Taehyung. “Please let me know the secret.”

Taehyung uncovered his face, peaking at Jungkook between his fingers. Jungkook slightly smiled at him, surely he’d caught onto the act by now. Anyone could see they were just messing with Taehyung. 

Taehyung burst into tears.

“I’M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T WANNA KEEP IT A SECRET, BUT YOONGI HYUNG SAID I HAD TO, AND IT’S JUST BEEN SO HARD! HOW CAN NOBODY KNOW?!” Taehyung collapsed into Jimin’s arms, and the two boys stared at the Hufflepuff mess in shock.

“What are you talking about?” Jungkook asked, making eye contact with a confused Jimin.

“A-about Yoo-yoonig and Joon Hy-Hyung being an-animagi!” Taehyung sobbed, gasping for breath. Jimin gasped, pushing Taehyung up to look at him better.

“What are you talking about?”

“W-what? Isn’t that what this i-is all about?” Taehyung hiccupped, looking between the two of them.

“What exactly? What do you mean animagi?”

“I, uh-” Taehyung whipped tears away, and then seemed to have an internal debate in his head. He bit his lip, and tensed.

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Jimin hissed, pulling his wand from his robes and pointing it at Taehyung’s throat. “You can’t run from this. Tell us. Right now.”

“I’m sorry!” Taehyung gasped, putting his hands up. “I wasn’t supposed to know! That one morning, when Yoongi was missing after Thanksgiving break, Namjoon went to look for him. I told everyone, I’d find Yoongi in a few minutes, but no one waited for me. So I figured it out, and I chased down Joon, telling him that Yoongi was in the Hufflepuff common room or in the dorms! Namjoon needed the password, so I brought him in, and we dug through four rooms, until we found him in Hoseok’s dorm!”

“Hoseok’s?” Jimin whispered in shock.

“Hoseok’s. Apparently he didn’t have a clue, because Yoongi was a freaking cat. Namjoon saw him and forced him to transform, WHILE I WAS THERE! They told me I couldn’t tell anyone because-”

“Because that’s illegal!” Jungkook groaned, putting his head in his hands. “Namjoon is supposed to be the smart one! How could he ever agree to do that with Yoongi?”

“I don’t know, they didn’t explain! I left when they needed a minute, and everyone acted like nothing happened afterwards! Jesus!” Taehyung threw his hands in the air, collapsing to the ground. 

“Who’s Jesus? Another animagi?” Jimin asked, confused.

“No Jimin, fuck, just shh, Taehyung, you said Namjoon was an animagi too?” Jungkook asked.

“Yoongi said Namjoon was an owl, but I didn’t see it.”

“And Yoongi was a cat?”

“Makes sense doesn’t it?” Taehyung replies, then his face lights up. “Oh! I can finally tell you guys, remember Mr.Mittens?”

“My cat?” Jimin asked.

“It’s Yoongi!”

Jungkook screamed.

Jimin started crying immediately.

“NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“I CUDDLED HIM! HUGGED HIM! KISSED HIM!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“I CARRIED HIM EVERYWHERE FOR TWO YEARS! I FED HIM MICE! I BATHED HIM!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“JUNGKOOK SHUT UP!” Jimin swatted at Jungkook’s head, knocking him over onto a pillow. “This can’t be true! Tell me it’s not true!”

“It’s true,” Taehyung nodded. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? Mr.Mittens was always so annoying and creepy, of course he was a human.”

“Mr.Mittens was cute and- fuck, I mean, I guess Yoongi was cute and delightful!” Jimin groaned, collapsing on top of Jungkook’s body. “I can’t even say it with a straight face! What will we do! How can I face him after this?!”

“I don’t know, maybe you can say something like ‘oh my sweet baby! Jiminie’s handsome little man!’” Jungkook teased, making sure to heighten his voice and mock Jimin.

“Hey! You’re supposed to be just as shocked! Less teasing!”

“I am just as shocked, but I’m not the one who fed a human a dead mouse.”

Jimin collapsed into the pillows on the ground again.

“Whatever. Whatever.”

The room fell silent for a minute. Jungkook laid on the ground, soon followed by Taehyung. The three boys stared up at the vine covered ceiling, thinking over everything.

“So. . . what will we do?” Taehyung asked.

“Stay quiet I suppose,” Jimin sighed. “It’s not like we’re about to go raving to the Ministry about it.”

“I’m sure they have their reasons,” Jungkook added. “It’s not easy to become an animagi, and Joon Hyung would never do that on a whim. This was preplanned and thought out.”

“The door was shut, right?” Taehyung glanced at the door.

“Yeah, I put a silence spell on it when we came in here with the plan to study,” Jungkook said.

“Study! HA!” Jimin barked. “I came here to study and relax, and it turns out my beloved pet is a human I used to have a crush on! So embarrassing! No wonder he didn’t want to date me!”

“Tae, your roommates aren’t coming back soon, right?” Jungkook asked.

“No, Sam is out at Quidditch practice with Hoseok, Ryan went to tutoring for another hour, and Damon went on Christmas break early.”

“Early? I didn’t know we could do that.”

“Nah, his brother was found dead.” Jungkook frowned at Taehyung’s comment, the story a little too familiar.

“Oh, right,” Taehyung bit his lip. “Sorry. That’s uh, too close to home.”

“No, it’s fine.” Jungkook frowned, looking away and pretending he didn’t feel weird about hearing someone else in that position. “. . . how did it happen?”

“I think he said his brother worked as a photographer for the Daily Prophet, and he didn’t come home from one of his jobs. He was out for a little too long, and his family got worried. They found him dead somewhere in London, miles away from where he was supposed to be. Blamed it on gang relations and poor timing.”

Jungkook nodded. He wasn’t religious, but he’d send a mental prayer and thought to Taehyung’s roommate. A dead brother. Right around Christmas. That story sounded way too familiar.

“Poor timing is an understatement,” Jimin muttered, and Jungkook couldn’t agree more. "At least we know no one overheard our secret."

"Ours," Taehyung whispered. "I like that better."