Work Text:
Jimin studied the small assortment of mandrake leaves he had collected from Madame Sprout with careful scrutiny. His first step into becoming an animagus would start with the rising of the full moon later that day, and so came the decision of which leaf he was going to have to deal with for an entire month.
For many, the arduous steps to become an animagus simply were not worth the time and effort that went into them. So when Professor McGonagall had heard of his interest, she had immediately taken him under her wing. With her careful guidance, Jimin felt sure that he'd be able to succeed in his venture.
"Decision time," a familiar voice murmured from over his shoulder.
He smiled and turned halfway to plant a quick kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. "Yes! I'm glad I was smart and picked out small leaves. I can't imagine trying to live with a large leaf in my mouth for a month…"
Yoongi grimaced at the mere thought. "Yeah that would definitely make kissing you awkward to say the least."
Jimin giggled in response.
For the five years he had been with Jimin, the subject of him pursuing animagus status had been in active discussion for three. It was something Jimin had always genuinely wanted to achieve, and Yoongi felt proud of him for setting such a challenge for himself. All of the hard work the younger had done with potions and transfiguration would pay off at long last.
Jimin studied the leaves for a moment more before picking up one of the smallest ones of his assortment. "I have a good feeling about this little one.."
The sight was enough to make Yoongi's heart throb with love for his incredibly sentimental partner. The easy sway of his heart was one of his constant reminders of how soft he was for his beloved Hufflepuff. "Then it looks like your choice is made, Jiminie."
He cradled the little leaf in his palm and smiled. "I hope you'll help me achieve my goal," he whispered to it.
Yoongi smiled fondly from behind him.
That night under the blessing of a full moon, Jimin settled the leaf under his tongue with the hope that the next full moon would be on an equally cloudless night.
"Hyuuuuuung," Jimin whined pathetically.
Yoongi raised a brow and looked down to his lover who was nestled up against his chest. Those large brown eyes were almost puppy-like as they looked up at him. He shook his head slightly, "If you're gonna complain about the leaf again, give it up now. This is a necessary part of the process, Minnie. You knew what you were getting yourself into."
He huffed indignantly and forced himself to think of something besides the irritation on the underside of his tongue. "Professor McGonagall didn't ever mention how annoying this part would be. It's like having something stuck in my teeth, but knowing I can't remove it."
"McGonagall probably trained herself to ignore its presence thirty seconds after putting it in."
Jimin let his tensed shoulders slump in defeat. Time seemed to be simultaneously crawling and shooting by. The end of the first week was already nearing, it served as a small relief.
Yoongi rolled his eyes and began brushing his fingers through his lover's brightly colored hair. "Think of other things. You'll have to check that it's still there soon enough."
He hummed in a noncommittal way. "I really hope I don't make it all the way through a month and end up getting a cloudy day for the next full moon."
"That would definitely suck, but we both know you'd be ready to try again the following month."
"You're not wrong.." Jimin replied sheepishly.
Yoongi smirked, "Of course I'm not, I know you as well as I know myself."
"Lies and slander," was his retort.
It earned him a skeptical look. "Which is why you're obviously not wanting a kiss right about now, right?"
Jimin pouted, his large lips jutting out to exaggerate his displease.
The older male surprised him by pulling him up and planting a firm kiss on his lips. "Happy now Jiminie?"
"No, I want more cuddles," he said cheekily.
The smile he got for his efforts was fond, "Whatever you want, sunshine."
He was so very much in love with Min Yoongi.
Jimin had just finished a check in with Professor McGonagall who had voiced her obvious pride for his progress, and even handed over a phial for him to use once it was time to make the potion. He hummed under his breath as he headed for his room to store the phial safely.
"Hey Park!"
His blood ran cold at the shout, hoping to everything that the Yoongi dubbed 'douche brigade' would leave him alone. The trio of Gryffindors circled him, all three standing at least a head taller than him. He hated how small it made him feel.
The three upperclassmen had found amusement in picking on him for as long as he could remember. Even with Jin and Namjoon giving the infamous trio a piece of their minds, they continued to torment him when they got the chance. Though his friends had quickly picked up on the trend and tried their hardest to never let him wander the halls alone for this very reason.
"We thought it was funny you think you want to be an animagus, you can't even brew a potion right. How are you expecting to do this right?"
They knew nothing of his marks in potions, he knew that, and yet it still hurt to hear them demean him. "Professor McGonagall will help me make sure everything is perfect."
The tallest one leered over him with a sinister gaze. "Yet it won't be perfect because of you, the very definition of imperfection."
Jimin fought back tears. Yoongi was always the one to ward off personal attacks like this, knowing how sensitive he was to such things. He could tell himself for hours that their words didn't matter and were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Yet it was like telling oneself that a knife wound wasn't anything to fret over.
"You know it to be true, and still here you are. I hope the potion is mixed incorrectly and you end up a half beast the rest of your days. Maybe then you'd be something to look at.."
"S-Stop it," he whimpered, trying to escape their encirclement.
"And here Jin and Namjoon wonder why I hate their house so much," came a new voice, "I swear I should just show them a picture of your ugly ass faces to explain myself."
Jimin felt the weight of their harmful words abate slightly with the arrival of his personal safety net.
Yoongi stood there in all his glory, looking every bit the part of an angered serpent ready to strike. "Unless you want to end up in the infirmary again, I'd suggest backing the fuck away."
Jimin took this opportunity to slip from their entrapment and huddle up near the wall.
"Bugger off, Min," one of the boys grumbled.
"Bloody Slytherin has to interfere…" another said under his breath.
A brief glare and low growl was all the warning the Gryffindors got before Yoongi yanked out his wand and shouted "Mucus ad Nauseam!"
Jimin gaped at the use of a curse and ran up to his boyfriend, "Hyung! You shouldn't have done that! What if you get in trouble?"
Yoongi said nothing, instead leading him from the now miserable trio. "I don't care, they deserved worse.." His gaze softened some as he refocused his attention. "You know they were talking out the ass right? You're going to be the most beautiful animagus, and be able to boast your skills as a result."
He flushed and looked down, nodding meekly. "I-I know…"
His senior studied him carefully before letting out a huff and grabbing his hand.
Jimin squeaked at the sudden change, "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere more private, I feel the need to show you how beautiful you are."
He flushed a deep red at that, legs going weak. To which Yoongi just scooped him up and continued forward. "I know I'm b-beautiful hyung! I have class!"
His boyfriend smirked, "Not today you don't, Jiminie."
Jimin hid his face in his hands.
By the third week, as Yoongi had already called, Jimin routinely found himself paying conscious attention to the saturated leaf that remained nestled under his tongue. The feeling of its presence had all but vanished and it caused him to freak out when he thought it might have fallen out. Being so close to the end had him all the more determined to earn his animagus status on the first try.
The closer he got, the more supportive his friends became. It was to the point that Taehyung had made a herb bouquet for him, Hobi had given him a hand raised flower, Jin kept making him food, Namjoon offered repeatedly to help him with any research he might have in regards to registering once he had successfully made the step into being an animagus, and Jungkook had quietly given him a hand written paper on information he had collected on preparing the mind for shifting into an animal at will.
Yoongi had unsurprisingly been the most supportive. He found ways to distract him from negative thoughts, and from others who wished to cast doubt unto him as he worked towards his ultimate goal. One day he had appeared in the Hufflepuff Common Room, in full Slytherin gear, and handed him a small gathering of wildflowers and a few chocolate frogs. The more the older male did for him, the more Jimin fell in love with him.
Jimin was genuinely touched by their attentions, and found himself getting that much more excited for what was to come. Small doubts tried to put a damper on his spirit - like how much he would be disappointed in himself should the potion not work correctly - but he merely had to remind himself that he was getting ample help from his wonderful makeshift family, and one of the most recognized animagi in Europe.
He nudged slightly at the mandrake leaf, content when he felt it where it had been for the past three weeks. The giddy feeling in his stomach made him laugh quietly to himself.
After so many years of wishing, and hoping that one day he'd be able to be one of those wizards that could shift into an animal at will, he was finally in the process of doing it. No longer would it be some far fetched dream that had others telling him that he'd never attain the animagus status. They could say he couldn't do it, and he'd be able to shift in front of their non-believing eyes and prove himself on the spot. Finally reaching his life goal might shed some of the self doubt that had accumulated from years of people telling him he couldn't do it. The thought was a freeing one.
Jimin looked over to his lover when he noticed the Slytherin staring at him.
"You okay?" Yoongi asked softly.
He smiled sweetly, "Perfect, as I always am when I'm with you." The responding smile he got made his heart flutter in his chest.
"I love you Yoonie.."
"Hmm, love you too Jiminie."
The day had finally arrived. Jimin was brimming with anticipation, eager to move into phase two. But that feeling almost completely vanished when he caught a glimpse outside and saw dark clouds rolling in. It was still relatively early in the day, but if the clouds covered the full moon then it meant he'd have to start the process over the following month.
Yoongi appeared at his side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Jiminie, I'll break the weather up with a goddamn spell if it doesn't clear itself up. I'm not letting your month of prep go to waste."
He struggled to smile, the worry becoming all consuming as thunder rumbled.
The older male tugged him away from the window, "C'mon sunshine, let's go get some lunch. The storm will clear, don't even worry about it."
As the day faded into the afternoon with a seemingly unbreaking storm looming overhead, Jimin felt pretty close to despair. He sat dejectedly by the window in the Hufflepuff Common Room, part of him ready to take out the leaf before even waiting to see if things would clear up. It was Taehyung that found him.
"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you," his best friend exclaimed.
He peered up slowly, eyes sad. "Sorry, TaeTae, I needed some time to prepare for the worst..."
Taehyung frowned, hand gentle as it patted his back. "Aren't you giving up a little prematurely? We still have four hours until moonrise. It could clear out before then."
Jimin really wanted to believe that it would. But all that seemed to present itself at that point is that he would have to redo the month at the next full moon.
Seeing that words wouldn't really aid the situation, Taehyung fell silent as he coaxed Jimin to follow him to the rest of their friend group in hopes they could help him feel better.
They spent the remaining hours trying to hype up their friend, Yoongi even engaging in some rare childish shenanigans with Jungkook and Tae in order to coax a smile to Jimin's face. He finally admitted to them that their efforts hadn't been in vain and that he felt better.
As the time of the moon's rising came around, Jimin was saddened to see lingering clouds making a translucent blanket over the rays his spell required access to. Despite this, he still had gathered his ingredients, two of which were hiding in a black case one of his transmutations professors had given him a year before for this very purpose.
The others sat with him, glaring up at the sky as though they could intimidate the remaining clouds into dispersing.
"Eomma, Appa," Jimin whispered underneath his breath, "if you're watching over me, try and convince the storm to clear fully…."
"I'm seriously about to cast a damn spell on the clouds," Yoongi growled. "Isn't there something we can use to clear the skies?"
Namjoon stared at him warily, "Hyung… even if there was, it would be a very high level spell that probably no one of our calibur could accomplish…. Plus I'm pretty sure there's a rule about messing with the weather."
Seokjin huffed beside him, "Some rules are meant to be broken. I don't want to see Jiminie's work so far go to waste."
"Me either," Hobi murmured.
Jungkook looked very small as he said, "..It wouldn't be the first time it has happened to a wizard trying to achieve animagus status..."
"Yeah but this is Minnie," Taehyung muttered, "it has to work for him."
Then suddenly, as if by miracle, the clouds opened and revealed the brilliant light of the full moon. The seven of them stood in momentary shock, staring at the sky in utter disbelief.
"This is your chance! Do it Chimmy!" Taehyung shouted excitedly.
Jimin didn't need to be told twice. He hurriedly whipped out his phial, allowing it to soak in the moon's rays. He spat out the mandrake leaf into it, and quickly yanked out a hair from his colored scalp. The other ingredients were mixed in quickly. Then without a word to his companions, he raced off to get the concoction into the dark and quiet place McGonagall had reserved for him. He only let himself calm down when he had set the potion on the prearranged pedestal.
With his adrenaline fading, he worked back to his friends, who were almost running down the hall his potion room was in.
"Minnie, did you get it settled?" Yoongi asked as he rushed up to him.
Jimin nodded weakly and fell into his lover, sighing when those warm arms winded around him. "I think I did it right," he said, "I won't know for sure until the next lightning storm though.."
Jin smiled kindly to him. "If McGonagall has been coaching you, there's no way you did it wrong."
A short period of silence passed between them all, as they revelled in the fact that sky had been so accommodating. Jimin sent a wordless thanks to his late parents, fully convinced that his wish had been heard.
"So what's the next step in things Jiminie?" Hobi asked.
He turned his head to face the others from where it had been pressed into Yoongi's neck. "Now I have to recite the spell 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus' while pointing my wand at my heart - every sunrise and sunfall until the next storm."
Taehyung blanched, "No wonder there aren't many animagi, this process is ridiculous."
"But it'll be worth it," Namjoon said confidently, "it'll show Jimin has the patience and magical prowess to handle complicated scenarios. Plus you'll have the advantage of being an animagus, which depending on your animal form may mean the Ministry takes interest."
"Yeah well, we're sure as hell not living in England, so the Ministry will have to take interest in you from Korea."
Jimin giggled at the petulant tone. "Of course babe, I want to be home after all of this."
Yoongi relaxed slightly and rubbed Jimin's back. "We'll make our own home. Where we can practice magic freely."
"Namjoon and I have a large plot of land already in our name, let's just make a colony between all of us," Jin declared with a warm smile.
Yoongi and Jimin both were surprised by the offer. Their initial response to take the comment in jest, but the sincerity that had suddenly appeared on the eldest hyung's face made them reevaluate.
"Wait are you serious, hyung?" Jimin whispered in shock.
Namjoon flushed a bit but nodded. "We had been meaning to ask if you and Yoongi-hyung would have interest in such an arrangement. Jinnie has gotten attached to having everyone around. And we know it's sometimes hard for wizards to find homes with anti-magic muggles being everywhere. So the offer is there if you decide to take it."
Seokjin cozied up into his fiancé's side. "Offer goes for you three too," he said after sending a look to Hobi, Tae, and Jungkook.
"Wait really?" Tae exclaimed excitedly.
"Of course, Tae-ah."
Taehyung squealed, "Hobi, Chiminie and I could make our collective garden like we keep talking about if we all lived together!"
Jimin peeked to his boyfriend, puppy eyes on full blast. "What do you think, Yoonie?"
Yoongi scoffed and brushed a finger over those plump lips, "You act like there's a chance I'm going to say no, Minnie."
"Well you don't have to decide today!" Jin said in a rush, "We just wanted you to have the option-..." He stopped himself, "Wait what did you say?"
"We accept. I won't consider it a permanent settlement because you'll probably want space to yourselves to adopt kids. But it's a great option since we'll just be starting out." Yoongi didn't say it aloud, but he had worried about returning to his and Jimin's dinky apartment once they both graduated. He didn't trust the muggles that were their neighbors, so it was a relief to have the out.
Jimin laughed joyfully, kissing the older male's cheeks. "I'm already excited!"
"We'll be happy to have you around," Jin assured with a large grin.
"We're going to be the most productive wizarding family in Korea," Taehyung squealed.
Namjoon's dimples made a stunning appearance at that.
The future was looking pretty bright.
It ended up being two weeks before another storm rolled in. Jimin watched its progress carefully for any sign lightning would make an appearance. With Professor McGonagall's explicit blessing, if he caught sight of lightning in the brewing storm and happened to be in class, he could freely leave to accomplish the final step of the process.
He prayed to every deity he knew that the storm would bear the electrical power that his spell required. It might also be the day of truth if he could even take the final step or not. If his potion did not turn red with the first strike of lightning, something had gone wrong and he would have to start from scratch. It was a heavy prospect, one he didn't even want to consider for how far along he had made it.
He had been religious in his daily reciting of the spell, even if he occasionally fell back asleep after the dawn incantation. Any missed recital and he could jeopardize the whole spell, something he was not willing to do so late in the game.
A rumble of thunder sounded outside. Jimin's thoughts snapped from their daze to refocus on the storm. A small flash of lightning had a smile enveloping his face.
It was time to see if his hard work thus far had paid off.
Yoongi was worried. It had been a full two days since the lightning storm had rolled through and led to the disappearance of his boyfriend. His only hope that the younger was alright was the fact that Professor McGonagall had gone missing as well. Hopefully it meant the spell had gone well and the two were training in order for Jimin to acclimate to his new status. But the absence of news of any kind had him on edge.
He went to dinner with a heavy heart, the third night without his Jiminie. The others looked up when he approached, sagging slightly when they noticed the absence of the Hufflepuff.
"Still not heard from anyone?" Namjoon asked in concern.
Yoongi shook his head and slumped into his seat. "Nothing. I hope this doesn't mean the spell went bad and he's stuck halfway transformed. He'd beat himself up about the failure the rest of his life…"
Seokjin cleared his throat and grabbed up some food, trying to not look too bothered. "I stick by 'no news is good news'. If Professor McGonagall is with him, then he's fine."
It was something he wanted to believe too.
Their group of six continued to eat half heartedly, knowing Jimin would be yelling at them to do so if he were there. It made them realize how different the group dynamic was without the boy's brightness added to things.
The moment was broken when a fuzzy black thing landed on Yoongi.
Yoongi shrieked in fear, falling out of his seat, alarmed not only by the sudden appearance of this creature but also by the fact that his vision had gone black. The thing squeaked at him, its leathery appendages blanketing him after moving from covering his face.
"Hyung!" Kookie cried out.
"Whoa! Is that a bat?!" Tae exclaimed, having shot up from his seat.
Yoongi tried to level his breathing from the surprise visit, focusing on the fact that he currently had a rather large bat draped over his chest like some kind of living blanket. "What the fuck?"
"You okay Yoongi-ah?" Jin asked cautiously, seemingly wary of his sudden companion.
"I guess," he spluttered, "but where the hell did this thing come from?"
The bat squeaked at him, for some reason sounding indignant.
Hobi had gotten up and crouched nearby, studying it with an excited gaze. "It's a flying fox I think! It's so pretty!" He positively cooed when the thing chirped at him.
Yoongi watched it carefully, still feeling quite alarmed by the sudden course of events. He subconsciously found himself glad there weren't many left in the Great Hall to have heard his shriek. "Am I the only one freaked out that there's a huge fucking bat in here?"
"It could've been a troll," Jungkook muttered unhelpfully.
The bat's leathery wings grasped at him, those large brown eyes so warm that Yoongi could swear he saw the intelligent soul within that the Hufflepuffs always preached about. ...There was something oddly familiar in those eyes.
He reached down hesitantly and chanced rubbing its head with his thumb. To his surprise, it leaned into his touch and let its eyes shut. "This thing is like a giant puppy…"
Taehyung had joined Hobi in admiring the megabat, honey colored eyes sparkling with awe. "Wow! What a beautiful lil thing! I wonder how you got in here~!" He frowned after a moment, "Hyung, you should see if you can get it to hang from your arm or something. Hanging upside down is like their natural state of being."
Yoongi huffed but moved one of his arms to be near the bat's oddly shaped feet. "Come on, you weird thing, let's get you moved out of this room."
The bat chirped and gripped onto his arm with relative ease.
With gentle motions, he lifted his arm so that the bat was hanging from his arm. The act was so strange, and part of him was still rather freaked out, but he couldn't find it in him to be mean to it.
Its large wings wrapped around its fluffy body and made a complete cocoon.
"...You do seem happier in this position…" he grumbled. The bat's delicate ears were fluttering about, seemingly responding every little sound, it was ridiculously cute looking.
Then it did something that utterly floored him. With ease, it moved its wings slightly so that it almost seemed to be hiding behind the wings, and then reached out its thumb as if to cover his face.
Yoongi knew that motion, he recognized it as clearly as he recognized his own reflection. He gaped at the inky black creature in absolute shock.
"...Jimin?"
The bat squeaked loudly, brown eyes lighting up the exact same way his boyfriend's would.
"THIS IS JIMIN?!" Taehyung screeched in awe.
Hobi looked stunned.
Jin spat out some of his drink, "J-Jiminie?"
"Hyung's animagus form is a fluffy bat?" Jungkook asked with a big smile.
Namjoon had rounded the table and tugged on a pair of glasses, as though he couldn't believe his eyes.
Yoongi stood and held his arm out, wordlessly asking for Jimin to shift.
Clearly catching his drift, the bat flapped its wings furiously for a moment, went up slightly in the air and then right before their eyes, shifted into the distinctive form of Park Jimin.
He stumbled upon landing and then beamed over at his makeshift family. "Guess I did the potion all right," he teased.
Yoongi brought him in for a searing kiss, and strong embrace. "Holy shit sunshine, you did it!"
"I'm so proud of you ChimChim," Taehyung blubbered, quickly throwing himself into the hug as well.
"Congrats, Jiminie," Namjoon said warmly.
Hobi was grinning ear to ear, "First animagus of our friend group! That's so exciting! You've got such skill Jimin!"
Seokjin finally rounded the table as well and pulled Yoongi and Jimin in for a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you Jimin-ah! You achieved your dream!"
Jimin nodded happily, feeling the immense pride surge within him again as it had the past few days. The first transformation had been hard, but Professor McGonagall had coached him through every bit of it for which he was immensely grateful. It almost felt like a long lost piece of himself had settled into place. He had been born to become an animagus, of that much he was sure.
The following weeks saw Jimin developing his ability to shift between his two forms, and filing the paperwork to have him registered as an animagus. It was another arduous part of the entire process and one he would be glad to be done with.
One thing that had come up, which he had never seen mentioned anywhere, was that he found himself with new quirks and abilities that he could only relate to his bat form. Like his sudden craving to have fruit as part of every meal. He had never had anything against it before, except mangoes, but now he felt almost deprived if he didn't have fruit. Then there was his slightly enhanced vision in darkness and sense of smell. His other form came with rather expansive low-light vision as apparently the type of bat he turned into was one that did not use echolocation - according to Hobi. A quick inquiry to Professor McGonagall let him know that it was one of the unsaid normalities for animagi.
Jimin adapted to the newness quickly, and was admittedly pleased over the development; his enhanced senses certainly made the nights when Yoongi wanted him to top that much more fun and intoxicating.
Truly, he was content being an animagus. It was exciting to have such an ability, and he couldn't wait for a chance to be a bit mischievous with his transformation.
His train of thought was halted when he noticed the weight of someone's gaze on him. He glanced around, meeting eyes with his boyfriend.
Yoongi was watching him pick off of the plate of fruit, of which Seokjin had placed in front of him earlier, with the softest look on his face.
Jimin swallowed the piece of apple in his mouth with a light flush on his cheeks. "What are you looking at..?"
"..I'm just so proud of you Jiminie. You achieved your dream and I love seeing how content you are these days," he murmured warmly.
He dropped the slice pineapple he had grabbed and opted instead to cover his face with the fruity scented palm. "Hyuuuung…" he whined, ever having a weak spot for praise.
Yoongi chuckled and brushed a thumb over his hand that remained on the table. "So proud. I love you Minnie."
"I love you too," Jimin managed to stutter back, face feeling inflamed as he did.
"You two are just so soft together, it actually hurts my soul," Taehyung said with a sigh, gaze switching between the two of them.
Jimin overcame his sudden shyness and fixed Yoongi with a coy smile. "I guess you could say I'm just batty for him."
Everyone but Jin, who broke into hysterical giggles, let out a loud groan at the awful pun.
"An animagus for a few weeks and he's already making bat puns. What have we done to deserve this?" Hobi despaired.
Yoongi rolled his eyes, "Not sure, but I'm still so glad your mine, Jiminie. I'm going to brag about you to everyone in the magical community. There won't be any wizard alive that doesn't know how proud I am…"
Jimin blushed and huddled into him with a pleased hum. "I'm animagically yours, hyungie."
Jin cackled from across the table.