Hogwarts : The Bangtan Episode

“Are you sure that’s safe to drink?” Jimin asked Jungkook for the hundredth time. “Did you use the tester I gave you?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah-” Jungkook groaned, dipping the paper strip into his morning pumpkin juice. When he pulled it up from the liquid, the paper turned green, the sign that it was safe and no love potion was present. Jimin smiled at his own enchantment, and Jungkook rolled his eyes, downing the glass in one go.

“That’s actually brilliant Jimin,” Namjoon pointed his fork at the paper. “How did you make it?”

“Looked through some books, made some ingredient matching things, so on-” Jimin said as he ate his pancakes. “Simple stuff.”

“Well, your simple stuff has saved Jungkook’s ass from at least five love potion attempts,” Namjoon chuckled. “Wouldn’t want another repeat from Tuesday.”

It was Friday morning, and this week there had been nine separate love potion attacks on poor Jungkook. Ever since Monday night, when Professor Kim was poisoned and almost died, Jungkook had become an instant celebrity. Everyone wanted to talk to him. All the guys wanted to play quidditch with him, or get tutoring lessons in potions. All the girls drooled over ‘the savior of the school’. Jimin was not jealous. Not one bit.

But, he didn’t understand how saving one teacher made him as great as Harry Potter. Professor Kim isn’t even a beloved long time teacher. He’s a Ministry spy and a half-ass instructor who encourages student-student violence. 

Nevertheless, Jimin cared for the first year. Jungkook acted the same, just as quiet and problematic as always. Except now he has a loyal following of eyes wherever he goes. For peace of mind, Jimin enchanted a piece of paper to tell if any food or drink it touches is contaminated with love potion. They were blind-sided on Wednesday morning when Taehyung took a sip from Jungkook’s drink before he arrived, sending the Hufflepuff into a frenzy of infatuated comments about Lauren Micha from Ravenclaw and her ‘Gorgeous Hair”. They apparently didn’t learn their lesson because the same night, Jungkook ate his steak and started freaking out when he couldn’t contain his affection for the napkin in his hand. A poorly made love potion was quickly fixed in the Infirmary, but Jungkook was weary of food after that.

“Is Hoseok coming for breakfast?” Jimin asked, and Namjoon shook his head. “No. He told me he was going to take a bath, but I’m sure he’s just going to lock himself in my room again.”

“I wish Jin Hyung would come back,” Jungkook muttered. “We can’t control Hoseok Hyung like he can. He won’t listen to us.”

Namjoon made no reaction to the mention of the Gryffindor, and Jimin took a mental note. Jin had been practically living with his brother in the Infirmary Wing since the poisoning. He’d eat there, Jimin would bring him his homework, and at night, he’d sleep next to Seok Jung. 

It was far from a healthy coping mechanism, but Jimin just figured he got a little shook after the fight and near death experience. With Jin gone, Hoseok had free reign to hide out in his room. Except he couldn’t, because Namjoon insisted he sleep in the spare bed in the Ravenclaw tower. Namjoon knew Jin didn’t trust the aurors in the Hufflepuff room, and he offered up his dorm to both Taehyung and Hoseok. Seeing as Taehyung’s night terrors and visions were still happening, and Hoseok didn’t want to be alone, they happily agreed. Namjoon’s roommates didn’t care, they often slept on the common room couches anyway.

“Was Tae still sleeping when you left?” Jimin asked, and Namjoon nodded.

“He was screaming about some tapestry last night and didn’t fall asleep until around three. I know he doesn’t have a first class today, so I figured he could sleep in.”

“Definitely. I’ll make sure to wake him up for our class at eleven,” Jimin nodded. He couldn’t help but feel a little pulled in every direction, as if everyone needed him to help with everything. It was all too messy. “I think I’m going to get Hoseok to play Quidditch with me today, try and cheer him up.”

“Aww, I wish I could come too, but I’ve got to study,” Jungkook pouted.

“I’d come watch, but. . . Jin Hyung reached out to me for some potions help,” Namjoon said quietly.

Jimin glanced at Jungkook, who had been discreetly told the drama a few days ago. Jungkook gave a quick side eye back, but continued to eat fruit like nothing happened.

“Potions? Like what?” Jimin asked, hoping to get more information on Jin’s plan.

“I dunno, whatever he’s learning in class we’ll figure out together,” Namjoon swallowed, his cheeks a light pink and his eyes darting everywhere but at Jimin’s.

“Together.” Jimin repeated.

“Yeah. Together.” Namjoon nearly dropped his fork and Jimin smirked.

“Working in the same cauldron, no? So close. Very stressful, I’d imagine. What if you mess up? But. . . if you succeed and Jin Hyung improves, he’ll definitely be so happy with you. You’d be his hero.”

“Oh, uh, no. I’m no hero.”

“But to him you would be.” Jungkook added, smiling wickedly. “His big, strong, smart, hero. Bet he’d-” Jimin cut off Jungkook with a quick stomp on his foot.

“Jin Hyung likes cologne.”

“What?” Namjoon asked.

“I said, Jin Hyung likes cologne. So if you have any, put it on.”

“But. . . uh. . . that has nothing to do with potions-”

“For you? Yes,” Jimin said. “Yes it does.”

Namjoon squirmed under the uncomfortable stares, and he quickly stood.

“Uh, I’ve got class. I’ll see you guys later-” He hurried away, and Jimin giggled behind his hand.

“That was cruel Chim-” Jungkook muttered.

“You were in on it.”

“Doesn’t mean it was right.”

“Eh,” Jimin shrugged, watching Namjoon disappear. “This is good for Namjoon. He needs to learn to let loose sometimes, and Jin is so down to help.”

The sun was setting over the trees, casting a dark orange hue over the land. The cold January breeze burned Jimin’s skin, making his eyes water as he flew through the sky. He grinned, leaning forward and urging his broom to go faster, shooting towards the clouds above. He burst through, a misty trail following him as he floated, taking in the sight. Hogwarts was so small behind him, it was as if it was just a toy castle. A toy castle filled with fake students and meaningless problems. Here Jimin was free. He was safe. He was in control.

Quietly, Hoseok floated up next to him, a grimace on his face. He didn’t bother holding onto his broom, he was too skilled for that. He simply balanced backwards, crossing his arms and seeming rather unimpressed with one of the best winter sunsets Jimin had ever seen.

“Come on, Hyung-” Jimin whined a little. He floated closer and lightly tapped their shoulders. “Isn’t this beautiful?”

“. . . yeah.”

Jimin didn’t know what to say. He wanted Hoseok to cheer up. He wanted his friend back. Everyone missed Hoseok, for Hogwarts was not the same without him. Jimin sighed, leaning forward and laying his head on his arms, resting on his broom. They floated aimlessly in the air, and Jimin could tell Hoseok was waiting for Jimin to accept defeat and head back inside.

“You. . . you really liked him, didn’t you?” Jimin asked quietly.

“. . . Like.”

“What?”

“I really like him. As in, I’m not. . . I’m not over him.”

Jimin stared into the distance, unsure how to continue. Was he supposed to comfort him? He didn’t know the protocol for heartbreak.

“I wish I could tell you he loved you back, but I wasn’t that close to him. Namjoon probably knows.”

“I don’t really want to know. It’ll just hurt more.”

“If he didn’t like you back?”

“If he did. Then I know he left just as fucked up as me.”

Jimin felt those words hit hard.

“You know, I used to like Yoongi Hyung too, but not like you,” Jimin chuckled. Hoseok looked at him, confused. “Everyone in our house thought we’d get together. We’re both from incredibly rich asian families, obsessed with purity, and we’re both raging homosexuals. Match made in Death Eater heaven.”

Hoseok smiled weakly at Jimin’s joke, and Jimin sent him a warm grin back.

“But we’re different because I saw Yoongi how everyone else wanted me to see him.”

“What?”

“I saw him as an opportunity and a smart match. He made sense on paper. But,” Jimin smiled down at his hands. “Yoongi Hyung is far more than what he looks like on paper. He’s just so-”

“Unexpected,” Hoseok answered for Jimin.

“Yeah,” Jimin nodded slowly, picking at a sliver of loose wood. “I thought I could put him in this box, label him from what I saw based on his family, looks, and house. I was wrong. He was so different when I finally got to know him. I think I. . . I realized it when I saw him interact with everyone, back when we all studied by the lake. I looked at him and I didn’t see a hostile future death eater. I saw a little kid who needed healing chase Jungkook and I through the woods. I saw him tease Taehyung and love him like the little brother he never had. He was just. . . so much bigger of a person than I thought, and I started loving him in a different way after that.”

He paused, letting his words sink in. Jimin didn’t really know why he was saying this, but it felt right. Like he was honoring Yoongi. Hoseok had been silent for a while, and when Jimin glanced over, he saw frozen tear tracks on his cheeks.

“You know, he once told me that we can’t be what we were raised as. Those people who are scared and stupid confine us to expectations, and they don’t see what he saw.”

“What did he see?”

Hoseok took a deep breath.

“I’m not exactly sure what. I want to say he saw love, family, acceptance, but I just don’t know.” Hoseok reached into his robes and pulled out an envelope. He handed it to Jimin, who opened it with shocked eyes. It was Yoongi’s letter to Hoseok. 

“You. . . you want me to read it?”

“If you’d like.”

Jimin stared at the envelope, unsure. Neither Namjoon or Jin wanted to share their letters with the group, leaving everyone in the dark. Jin was too spiteful to let them see, angry at Yoongi and unforgiving. Namjoon’s must’ve had something to do with his father in it, because he guarded the letter like it was his life. For Hoseok just to hand it over, like it wasn’t his last connection with Yoongi, was a massive sign.

Jimin slowly opened the letter, careful not to rip it. Sure enough, Jimin recognized Yoongi’s messy scrawl and poor signature. 

“Hoseok,

I’m leaving, and I doubt I’ll be ever coming back. I was a dick and everything I said, I said in protection of you. Something about you and the others makes me want to fight, to stand up for myself and act, regardless of the consequences. Bravery isn’t a very Slytherin trait.

But I want to be better. “We are what we were raised as” is what I’ll fight, for you. So I’m leaving. I refuse to be selfish and prideful. So I apologize and leave.

If you won’t let me fight my own battle, then I’ll force you to. I know you want the best for me, but I have to figure this out on my own first before I drag my loved ones into it.

Yes, I think loved ones is the right word.

I’m sorry.”

Jimin set the letter back into its envelope, and handed it back. Hoseok took it wordlessly, slipping it into his robes.

“Do. . . do you just keep it with you? All the time?” Jimin muttered.

“. . . yeah.”

“Why torture yourself?”

“I. . .” Hoseok looked away. “Maybe I’m doing it to feel like I’m sacrificing something too? Yoongi is obviously doing something incredible right now, and he’s sacrificing his happiness for it. Maybe I just need to feel like I’m carrying weight and doing something too. It’s stupid, I know this letter isn’t him, and it won’t bring him back but. . .”

“You want to help in any way you can.”

“Yeah.”

The two boys sat in silence for a while, the sun completely disappearing. The sky dipped darker, inky blues and dark hues staining the clouds around them. The wind picked up, freezing their noses and hair.

“We need you Hoseok,” Jimin finally said, burying himself deeper in his scarf and coat. “We can’t catch the killer and get Yoongi back without you. We need your view, opinions, and hope. Please. Please stop torturing yourself, because it won’t bring him back.”

“. . . I know.”

“Then come home. You know he’d want you to. Be like him, stand up and act. Be brave.”

“Neither of us are Gryffindors.”

“Yoongi knew that didn’t matter, so why can’t you?” Jimin asked, and Hoseok’s eyes widened. He grabbed Hoseok’s arm and flew them down through the clouds together. When their feet touched the ground, Jimin cast a quick warmth spell and they stood still for a minute.

“You know Hoseok, you’re one of the most hardworking and loyal people I know. But you’re also incredibly clever and cunning. You take so much pride in yourself and friends, and you’d risk your life and health for us. You’re the poster model for self love and you advocate it for everyone, but do you ever preach in the mirror?”

“What?” Hoseok blinked at Jimin, and even the Slytherin was surprised by his words.

“I’m just saying. . . maybe what Yoongi saw in us, in you, is something you haven’t found yet.”

“What could he possibly have seen? He already said he loved us-”

“It’s not just love, Hoseok. He saw everything that destroyed what centuries of hate taught him. You taught him love, understanding, and acceptance. He’s never known those before. Even if you can’t see it in yourself, he did.”

Jimin took Hoseok’s broom from his hand and put it away for him. When Jimin turned back around to face his friend, he found Hoseok staring silently at the snowy ground. He wasn’t crying anymore, but Jimin knew he’d probably start again soon. Finally, Hoseok wasn’t numb to the pain. He was starting to feel again, and hopefully, he could start to heal.

Jimin had nothing to say, and neither did Hoseok, so Jimin took his hand and led him back to the castle.