Jeon Jungkook and Honest Howlers
Jungkook sniffed around the base of a large oak tree, searching for something unnatural. He wasn’t entirely sure what it’d smell like, but he knew once he smelled it, he’d know. The Resurrection Stone had to have some weird, ancient-magic smell to it. It had to.
He trotted further along, using his wolf smell poke amongst the trees and wet leaves underfoot. The April sun was warming his black pelt, making him sweat. He didn’t even know wolves could sweat, but maybe that was just a half human thing. He debated turning back and giving up for the day, but a mountain of school work waited for him inside, and he wasn’t ready to face it. He didn’t care if he was failing a few classes at the moment, the Stone was more important. Taehyung’s life was more important. They’d managed to protect him for two weeks with no incidents, and yet still, Jungkook grew anxious. The sooner they had the Stone, the better.
“Here boy! Come here Kook!” A voice called from somewhere else in the forest. Jungkook rolled his eyes, barked a quick response, and ran off towards the voice. He honestly hated having to pretend to be someone’s dog. He argued and said that there were plenty of wolves in the Forbidden Forest, and that he didn’t need to play pretend. No one would know it was him.
Namjoon disagreed. So much so that he and Jin bought Jungkook a collar for emergencies. “To blend in,” they said. Yeah, right. No other reason. At least Jimin hadn’t seen him in it, that would be the final straw.
Jungkook ran out into a clearing near the castle, finding the person who called him. Unsurprisingly, it was Jimin. Taehyung was there too, quietly doing school work on a rock nearby. Jungkook jogged up still in wolf form, cocking his head to the side.
“I need you to watch Tae for a while, I’ve got a test,” Jimin said softly, gently scratching Jungkook’s ears.
“Grrrrrrrrrr-”
“I can hear you guys,” Taehyung said. “Stop acting like I’m a five year old who needs to be babysat.”
“See?” Jimin said, turning back towards Jungkook. “Just watch him please. And don’t let him go near the painting, he’s been raving about destroying it again.”
“I’m telling you-” Taehyung whined without looking up from his book. “Just let me burn it and then my dreams will go away. Maybe. Probably.”
“Ruff.”
“Just meet us at lunch,” Jimin responded. He had become nearly fluent in Jungkook-wolf talk. “Namjoon Hyung is supposed to get a letter back from the Ministry today.”
“Woof.”
“I know, I know. Okay, see you later Kooky,” Jimin scratched behind Jungkook’s ears, waved goodbye to Tae, and walked back towards the castle. Jungkook silently stared at his back, liking the way the sun reflected in his golden hair.
“Hey-” Taehyung threw a stick at Jungkook’s pelt. “Stop looking at his ass.”
“I was not.” Jungkook shifted, stretching his arms and neck. He was so sore lately, too much wolf time and not enough human sleep. “I was simply. . . watching.”
“Yeah right,” Taehyung shut his book. “I’m a Hufflepuff. I know a liar when I see one.”
“Whatever.”
“And Woof? Since when has Jimin known wolf?” Taehyung pestered, walking closer.
“Since he goes on Stone hunts with me.”
“I didn’t know you let anyone come with you.”
“. . . special circumstances.”
“Uh-huh,” Taehyung said slowly, eyeing Jungkook oddly. “I thought. . . you two were like enemies.”
“No.”
“I heard you yelled at him and publicly humiliated him in front of our friends. Did you apologize?”
“. . . no.”
“Then you are enemies.”
“No!”
“But you hate him and think he’s an awful, selfish person?”
“Tae-”
“You never want to be around him and-”
Jungkook tackled Taehyung to the ground, effectively shutting him up. They wrestled in the grass, Jungkook easily overpowering the Hufflepuff and holding his head near some mud.
“I will dunk you.”
“No you will not!” Tae screeched, wiggling in Jungkook’s hold. “No mud, no mud, no mud-EEEEEE!”
Taehyung squealed as Jungkook lowered him closer.
“I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY!” Taehyung cried out. Nodding smugly, Jungkook let him sit back up.
“Asshole,” Taehyung muttered. Jungkook shrugged.
“Don’t talk game if you can’t play with the big dogs.”
“Oh god Kook, that was terrible. Never say that again.”
Jungkook snickered and stood up, helping Taehyung out of the grass. Together, they grabbed Taehyung’s bag and went for a short walk in the woods to get back to the castle for lunch.
“I know you don’t like it, but you should apologize,” Taehyung said in the silence of their walk. Jungkook kicked a pebble under his feet, watching it roll instead of answering.
“That way, it could go back to normal,” Tae continued. “You wouldn’t have to meet in secret and pretend you still dislike each other.”
“We don’t pretend to-” Jungkook trailed off, knowing the lie didn’t even sound convincing to him. “Whatever. You don’t understand. Jimin and I are. . . complicated.”
“It might be less complicated if you just admitted you were jealous. Then you guys could be like Namjin.”
“Namjin?”
“Our favorite smoochy Hyung couple? Duh,” Taehyung giggled. Jungkook wrinkled his nose, not sure if he liked the ship name or not.
“Don’t bring up our parents kissing please. That’s gross.”
Taehyung laughed and they fell back into silence. They continued walking, until they reached a fork in the path. To the right was the castle, and the left led deeper into the forest. The path went on forever, and no one really knew what was all in there. They stopped for a minute as Taehyung tied his shoe, and Jungkook sighed.
“Tae, I don’t think I’m going to find the stone.”
The Hufflepuff stood up, and dusted his pants off.
“I don’t think so either. I’m sure I’ll find it.”
“What? How?”
“I dunno,” Taehyung shrugged. “But when I need to, I will. Hogwarts helps me like that. So really, stop wasting your time out here.”
“I’m trying to help,” Jungkook argued. “It’s the least I can do.”
“No,” Taehyung said, starting his walk back to the castle. Jungkook glanced at the darker path before jogging after Tae. “The least you can do is just be here for me, and keep your school work up. Both of which you struggle in.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Just wait till your mother hears about you failing classes. She’ll fly here herself and skin you.”
Jungkook swallowed hard.
Together, the two boys walked into the Great Hall. Today the students were lively and happy. It’d been two weeks of no aurors or attacks, and they were completely convinced they were free from terror. No one knew they'd been lied to, nor did they care. Instead, the biggest things on their minds was the upcoming Ravenclaw and Gryffindor game, along with finals next month.
Jungkook swung his leg over the bench, sitting down next to Hoseok who was already eating. Namjoon and Jin greeted them while Taehyung sat on Hoseok’s other side, already snitching that Jungkook tried to shove him into the mud.
Not wanting to get reprimanded by mother and father (Jin and Namjoon had been extra ‘married-couple’ like lately, and Jungkook had no desire to be grounded), the youngest changed the subject.
“Namjoon Hyung, did you get your letter back from the Ministry?”
“Oh, yeah-” Namjoon threw an official envelope across the table. Jungkook caught it and opened the broken seal, disappointed to see such a short letter. “I was hoping to set up a meeting with someone to talk about Alexander’s death, but I was told a big fat no. They don’t want me ‘poking around in sensitive topics’.”
Hoseok giggled at Namjoon’s annoyance, an unusual emotion from the typically well-put together Ravenclaw.
“It’s okay Joonie-” Jin cooed, combing his boyfriend’s hair down. “I got a letter from our favorite reclusive friend Yoongi, and he says he’s trying to set up another time to fire-chat with us. Maybe he has some answers.”
“Was it another secret message?” Jungkook asked.
“Yeah, but it was the same code,” Jin shrugged. “He says just to keep an eye out on the fires.”
“Easier said than done, I’m so swamped with school lately-” Taehyung started talking about his work when a large owl flew into the room. Everyone stared at it, confused why an owl would be arriving during lunch. It was at least a few hours late from the morning post.
It swooped down, straight towards Jungkook’s table, all the children ducking their heads in fear it would crash. Luckily, it didn’t, and it dropped it’s small letter straight into Jungkook’s mashed potatoes. Everyone was silent as he picked it up, wiping the white globs off of it’s delicate red paper shell.
“Jungkook, is that a-” Jin started then stopped, going pale. “No.”
“Oh shiii-” Namjoon stood up, grabbing Jin’s hand and backing away from the table.
“What?” Jungkook asked, looking around at all his friends. “What’s wrong?”
“Hobi, Tae, back away, slowly,” Jin said, pulling his wand out. He cast a quick shield in front of them. Jungkook thought they were over-reacting, it was just a letter. Why were his friends so scared?
Actually, he realized, it wasn’t just his friends. Everyone in about a twelve foot radius backed away, eyeing the red envelope with fear. Jungkook glanced at it, seeing his name in black ink. Was the paper getting warm, or was he just sweaty?
“What is it?” Jungkook asked.
“A-a-a-a howler,” Namjoon whispered from behind Jin’s shield. “I got one from my mom once, and it burned my eyebrows off.”
“Seok Jung got one his second year,” Jin said. “I’d never heard something so awful.”
The envelope started wiggling and burning in his hand, and Jungkook was forced to drop it. Before the paper could hit the ground, it unfolded itself mid-air. Floating up to his eye level, the paper contorted to resemble. . . his mother’s face.
“JEON JUNGKOOK. NEVER HAVE I BEEN SO DISAPPOINTED IN ONE OF MY CHILDREN. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SO ORGANIZED AND RESPECTFUL, BUT YOU HAVE TESTED MY PATIENCE WITH YOUR DISRESPECT. HERE I AM, SLAVING AWAY TO MAKE ENDS MEET WITHOUT YOUR BLOODY FATHER, AND I GET A LETTER FROM THE SCHOOL THAT MY ONLY SON IS FAILING NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT THREE CLASSES.” The letter was screaming at him, the force of her voice physically pushing Jungkook backwards.
“YOUR BROTHER DID NOT SACRIFICE HIS LIFE FOR YOU TO THROW YOURS AWAY, SO SHAPE UP, OR I WILL COME TO THAT SCHOOL AND DISINTEGRATE YOUR BROOMSTICK. STOP PLAYING HERO AND TACKLING VILLIANS WHEN YOU SHOULD BE TACKLING YOUR HOMEWORK. I LOVE YOU, AND DON’T COME HOME UNTIL YOU FIX THIS.” The envelope immediately burst into flames, sending a wave of heat barreling into Jungkook’s face. At the last second, he ducked, narrowly dodging having his eyebrows singed off.
“Holy shit!” Taehyung said, fanning the smoke away from the table. Everyone else slowly went back to their normal activities, not without a fair share of whispers and side eyes though. Jungkook could feel it, his popularity going from school’s savior to try-hard with mommy issues. Shit.
“Wow, that was-” Namjoon said, running his hand through his hair and messing it up. “That was intense.”
“Oh Kook,” Jin said pitifully. “I didn’t know you were failing.”
“That’s because you weren’t supposed to know,” Jungkook groaned. “Thanks mom.”
“But why? You never had problems before?” Hoseok asked, sitting back down.
“I just can’t focus, I’m always tired. I never get my work done.”
“You know why?” Taehyung said. “He’s been out looking for the Stone, instead of working.” Jungkook sent him a dirty glare.
“Jungkook!” Namjoon exclaimed.
“Oh please-” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “Saving Taehyung and the school is more important. I have to find it.”
“And you have to pass school to have a future!” Jin exclaimed, angrily patting Namjoon’s unruly hair down.
“There will be no future if the murderer wins!” Jungkook said a little too loudly. A girl who was sitting a few chairs away gave him a weird look and moved further from them. “Whatever. I’m not stopping my search until it’s found. I want to have it in my hand.”
“But what about you mom? And. . . well, ‘disrespecting your deceased brother and divorced family’?” Hoseok said.
Jungkook bit his lip. He didn’t want to let his mother down, but she just didn’t understand. Neither did his dad.
“They’d rather have a disrespectful son than a dead one.”
“Merlin’s beard, Kook,” Namjoon groaned. He reached up to run his hands through his hair again, but this time Jin slapped his hands.
“We just need to end this already!” Jin said angrily. “Find the damn stone.”
“But how?” Taehyung asked.
“I don’t know, I’ll talk to that bloody elf! She knows! She’s just stubborn. Two can play at that game. I’ll go down after dinner on Saturday, when she has to be working.”
“But the Quidditch game is that night-”
“I don’t care.”
“And if it doesn’t work?” Namjoon asked.
“I’ll strangle her before I accept nothing as an answer,” Jin said. “I want that dumb stone, and she knows where it is.”