Hogwarts : The Bangtan Episode

*Midnight The Next Night*

“There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands, and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water.”

“Is there a troll in the river Joon Hyung?” Jungkook asked.

“No Kook, there’s no trolls.”

"What about ogres? Or mer-people? OR A DRAGON?!"

“Have you never heard this story?” Yoongi asked, and Jungkook shook his head.

“My mum wasn’t a big reader.”

“Shhh!” Hoseok hushed, eager to hear more. “I haven’t heard it either, so get on with it!”

“Merlin’s sake, okay, okay. So there they were, halfway across the river, when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.”

“Was it Yoongi hyung? He always wears his cloak.”

“Jungkook I’ll hex your mouth shut if you don’t be quiet.”

“It was Death. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for being clever enough to evade him.”

Hoseok and Jungkook leaned closer, eyes bright in the low light from the Room of Requirement’s fireplace. Yoongi had heard this story thousands of times, seeing as he was from a Pureblood family. It was almost always told at family gatherings to scare the children and keep them in line. He heard a rumor that years ago Harry Potter had found the story to be true, but honestly, Yoongi didn’t believe it. Harry Potter may have been a great wizard, but fame can distort the truth. He’d never believe the tale unless he saw the Deathly Hallows themselves.

“So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the older brother.”

“That sounds super cool,” Jungkook murmured.

“You’d never lose a duel in DADA with that,” Hoseok nodded.

“Maybe if I had it, I could finally be stronger than Jimin’s stunning spells.”

“Yeah, and I could finally be fast enough to hit Jin with a leg-locking curse when he steals my food!”

“Okay, okay now. Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.”

The room was quiet at the mention of the stone. His cousins and brother would always say they wished they had the Elder Wand the most out of all the Hallows, but Yoongi was always attracted to the idea of the stone. So morbid, yet all knowing, something as pivotal as that had to be more important than some old stick.

”And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.”

“Woah.” Jungkook and Hoseok both whispered.

“Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death’s gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.”

Namjoon paused, stopping to look at his small audience’s attention. 

“The end?” Jungkook asked, unsure.

“Pfff,” Yoongi scoffed.

“What?” Hoseok said.

“Uh, wizard stories aren’t really big on. . . uh, happy endings,” Namjoon replied. “We can stop now if you’d like.”

“No, come on! I wanna hear what happens to them,” Jungkook whines, and Namjoon glances at Yoongi.

“Give the kids what they want,” Yoongi shrugs.

With a disapproving frown, Namjoon reopened the book.

“The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought for a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible. ‘That very night, another wizard crept upon the older brother as he lay wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother’s throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own.”

“. . . oh.” Jungkook sighed, pulling his knees to his chest. 

“Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and he turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own.”

“I. . . I don’t like this story,” Hoseok quietly added.

“Me neither.” Jungkook looked at the ground.

“Told you so,” Yoongi muttered under his breath.

“Come on now,” Namjoon smiled. It gets better here. Listen. But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life.”

“But that’s it?” Jungkook asked. “They all died? No more? What happened to their families, or the stuff? Where’s the wand, the cloak, the stone?”

“Well, Harry Potter’s family is still in possession of the cloak. It’s their family heirloom.”

“If you believe in it,” Yoongi said.

“What? You don’t?” Hoseok asked.

“Of course not. It’s just an old wizard's tale made to scare children into behaving and not being greedy. Death stories were common for wizarding families, and this is just another one that happened to get famous.”

“But Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, and they say he broke the wand-”

“They say. We don’t know that.”

“But wait,” Jungkook interjected. “If the cloak is with the Potters, and the Wand was destroyed, where is the stone?”

“It’s not real, so it doesn't matter.”

“But what if it was? Where is it?”

“No one knows,” Namjoon said. “It’s for the best though. If it were real, many in the wizarding world would be hunting it, trying to find a way to speak to the dead. War would break loose.”

“. . .” Jungkook thought about it for a moment. He rubbed his palms, a nervous habit Yoongi noticed the Gryffindor did.

“Which one would you ask for if they were real?” Hoseok asked. “I think I’d take the wand.”

“The cloak, for sure,” Namjoon replied.

“The wand,” Yoongi said. A small part of him said the stone, but he pushed the thought down. He had seen his fair share of death, but no one he was close to. There would be no one waiting for him with the Hallow, so why bother thinking of it.

“. . . I’d take the stone,” Jungkook replied last, staring into the dying fire. “. . . I could. . . I could see him again.”

“Oh, Jungkook come here-” Hoseok pulled the younger man in, crushing him in a hug. Jungkook’s eyes started getting glassy, and Yoongi fought the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, he knew Jungkook’s brother died, but seriously, this was just like babysitting.

Namjoon scooted closer, wrapping an arm around the two boys. He gave Yoongi a look that said “stop being a stuck up bitch and comfort your friends”. Yoongi sighed, and scooted six inches closer. Still not touching the snuggle pile, but the Ravenclaw seemed satisfied.

“W-what do you guys know about it?” Jungkook asked quietly.

“Nothing that you or the newspaper hasn’t told us. So really, very little,” Hoseok said.

“I. . . I heard from my father who works in the Ministry, that he. . . he wasn’t killed by a spell. That it was. . . just blatant murder.”

Jungkook swallowed hard, and Yoongi couldn’t help but start to feel bad. He knew close to nothing about Jungkook’s brother’s death, and he preferred to dance around the subject. He knew it happened around a year ago, and he heard that Jungkook’s parents divorced because of it.

“Yeah. His. . . his throat was slit, like the guy in the story.” Jungkook curled in on himself, and Yoongi saw the fire burn brighter. The candles dimmed a little around them, and he saw the air vent tilt open just slightly, letting in warm smells from the kitchen into the room. Even Hogwarts felt bad for Jungkook.

“Was he sleeping?” Hoseok asked.

Yoongi knew the answer from Jungkook’s silence.

“He just started working as an Auror, you know, with Jin Hyung’s brother. They got called to work in Spain on Wizard-Muggle relations, a few Pureblood families were causing a scene. So they went, and found a Muggle trafficking ring in Madrid.”

“Those are still real?” Namjoon asked.

“Yeah, but they shut that one down. They stayed for about a week, helping clean everything up and make the locals forget. Mum begged Jung Hyun to come home, told him to take a break, but he didn’t listen.”

Yoongi looked at the floor, knowing what came next.

“He never came home. I was tired of waiting for Jung Hyun, and I wanted him home for the holidays. I went to Madrid without my parents knowing, Jung Hyun paid for it all. He knew I was coming and promised to spend a day with me there. But. . . when I got there, the place he was staying at was destroyed. There was so much broken shit everywhere, and. . . so many dead muggles.”

“I heard about that,” Hoseok said in the silence. “I thought it was a terrorist attack.”

“It was. Some Pureblood elitists found out about the trafficking bust, and wanted revenge. They ambushed my brother and Jin’s brother. The street was destroyed, and I found him. . . under some rubble with his throat cut.”

“He. . . he was dead, right?” Namjoon asked.

Jungkook shook his head, and buried it in Hoseok’s chest.

“I- . . . I caught his last breath. Seok Jung apparated in seconds later and had to tear me away from him. Said it wasn’t safe. ‘Heard rumors that night on my way home that the people who killed him came back, and that they claimed they were Death Eaters.”

Yoongi closed his eyes at that comment. Death Eaters. Pathetic. Disgusting. His family, too. He was lucky he knew his parents never killed for the Dark Lord, only that they funded his army. They still had their crimes and sins, but he was safe knowing they weren’t responsible for something like what Jungkook was going through.

Hoseok rocked Jungkook’s tear stained head gently, slowly calming him. He didn’t let the first year talk about it more, and wrapped him in blankets instead. 

“We can sleep here again,” Hoseok said. 

“. . . okay. I’m just going to brush my teeth quickly,” Namjoon stood, grabbing Yoongi’s arm and pulling him away from the now sleeping maknae. 

Hogwarts had been kind enough to provide them with a sink and spare toothbrushes that night, seeing as the castle probably expected them to sleep over again. Namjoon and Yoongi silently brushed their teeth in quiet contemplation. 

“You won’t be able to sleep if you keep thinking about it.”

“I’m not thinking about anything,” Yoongi deadpanned.

“I saw your face drop when Kook mentioned Death Eaters. You gotta stop thinking about Junki. It’s unhealthy.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Liar.”

“I’m a Slytherin.”

“Don’t use that as a crutch, or else you’re just as bad as he is.”

Yoongi huffed and spit the toothpaste out of his mouth.

“Whatever. Sorry that Jungkook’s trauma reminds me of every bad thing my family has done.”

“Your family didn’t kill his brother.”

“No, but they might as well have. Junki killed someone’s brother. Got locked up in Azkaban and everything just to prove it.”

“Junki and your parents are assholes and terrorists. You aren’t.”

“Those assholes and terrorists make it hard to sleep.”

“Have you been patrolling every night?”

Yoongi picked at his nails in silence.

“Fine. Whatever. Become sleep deprived. See if I care,” Namjoon huffed, spitting his toothpaste out. “Go. I know you want to, so do it. Go do your rounds and come back. They’ll be asleep, so no one will notice.”

“. . . Fine.” Yoongi turned away and started towards the door, but stopped when Namjoon called out.

“Yoongi? Please, come back when you’re done.”

Yoongi scowled and left the room, instantly feeling the cold December air hit his skin. He looked around the hall and when he deemed it safe, transformed into his cat form. It took only seconds for him to take off at a fast sprint, ducking into small tunnels and passageways. The paintings gave him strange looks, and Hogwarts creaked in tune with Yoongi’s paw steps. He typically just followed the small passageways, seeing as they changed nightly. The castle decided where he needed to go, so there was no sense in trying to pick a direction or destination. He’d often get lost for hours in the dark, simply letting Hogwarts guide him. Only when the sun started to rise did he find himself back in his dorm, often with no sleep and a full day of classes ahead of him.

Namjoon often told him off for his late night prowls, saying they were bad for his physical and mental health. They probably were, but they did clear Yoongi’s head. Plus, he always knew what was happening in the castle. Hogwarts would open new tiny passageways just so he could see what was happening around him. He’d found plenty of students sneaking around after curfew, some to other dorms, some to the kitchens, even the astronomy tower. It also led him to Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook earlier that year.

He wondered what he’d find tonight.

As he walked the pitch black tunnel, feeling his way with his whiskers, he kept his ears trained for sounds. He was never worried for his safety, but Namjoon’s concern (unfortunately) was worth noting. Junki’s friends may be dead, but their murder was not. Plus, Junki had sent him a rather cryptic letter a few weeks back, and he’d rather not suffer a haunting or curse from his rage-filled brother.

Suddenly the tunnel turned right, and Yoongi knew the castle had chosen his destination. He followed the path till light appeared, and let him out onto a strange window sill overlooking a courtyard corridor. It was a fairly unused one, a place where the ghosts often inhabited since it was dreary during the day. The cat expected maybe to see one of the dead residents, or even a sneaking student, but was surprised when there was no one there.

He sat still, watching for signs of life. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty. Thirty. An hour passed, and Yoongi grew tired and cold. Just as he turned to head inside, his ears perked up. Footsteps.

“I made it, I made it!” A small voice whispered, and Yoongi scanned the courtyard. There was no one there.

“I’m in, but I haven’t a fucking idea where to start. The stupid kid’s letters said nothing about where he hid the map, just that he was good at finding things. . . I know, I know! Don’t FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I WAS GIVEN THIS TASK!” The voice whisper screeched, as if it was weak and on its final straw. It sounded like the creature was floating somewhere in the courtyard, but every time Yoongi thought he found it, the sound moved.

“It’ll be done. I can be patient. I’ve waited an entire year. When he returns, I’ll strike, and it’ll be ours. Nothing will stop me.” The voice paused as if listening to someone.

“He won’t be a problem. And if he is, I’ll kill his Ravenclaw friend to get him off my back. Yoongi is not a threat.”

The voice went silent, and Yoongi couldn’t help but feel as if the creature was gone. He silently, and quickly, slunk back into the secret tunnel behind him, immediately being swallowed by the darkness. His heart was beating violently, and he turned, running as fast as he could.

A monster was after someone in the castle, and it knew about Yoongi. It knew about Namjoon. It was willing to kill Namjoon.