Chapter Text
Hogwarts, a castle that had withstood time and tribulations of varying degrees and certainly one of the most renowned pillars of wizardry—had once been partially shut down due to the petty squabbles of certain students. Yes…that was the legacy of Renjun’s fathers, something that was startlingly crucial to Renjun’s existence as he walked besides them, awkward in his doubled pace that allowed him to catch up to his far longer legged parents.
Renjun had never been a sheltered boy. Despite his parents’ busy schedules, Renjun had always accompanied at least one of his fathers, which entailed the constant exposure to the more eccentric and brazen of wizards as well as their families. But Renjun had never in his life seen anyone look at either of his fathers with such animosity, something that the young boy saw within some of the same aged parents dropping their own progenies off. It was odd for him and annoying as hell and at one point in their journey through the crowded platform, Renjun had wanted to stop and confront an older wizard who had outright sneered at them in passing. But he didn’t want to make a scene on his first day, especially when he’s certain that it would only further give the man something to sneer at.
“You annoyed by it son?”
Renjun looked up to his father’s kind face, one that shone with mirth despite being aware of what Renjun had seen. Jaehyun grabbed his son’s left hand and squeezed it, a habit of reassurance that the two developed whenever Renjun felt nervous at meeting one of his father’s friends—‘Hey you’re okay…I could never be ashamed of you.’.
The family of three stopped besides the entrance to the Hogwarts Express and lingered near it with different expressions.
“You think that compartment still has our initials?” Sicheng mumbled fondly towards his husband before slinging his arm around Renjun’s shoulder and bringing his son towards him.
“Merlin I hope so or else I’ll have Renjunnie here carve it out again,” Jaehyun joked, although Renjun wouldn’t doubt his father asking him to do so.
“You’d do that for your old man right Junnie?” Sicheng quipped as he played with Renjun’s silk collar. The stylish man had dressed his son earlier that day, wanting him to make the best impression and also knowing that his son needed that boost of confidence.
“Who are you calling old? I’m only eight months older than you.” Jaehyun leaned closer to his husband with a sly grin, which also meant leaning over Renjun who was squished between the two.
Not wanting to see his fathers be all gross together so early in the morning, Renjun raised his hand to block his father’s puckered lips, earning him tinkling laughter from Sicheng who quite enjoyed watching his husband pouting like a child after their own child blocked him from getting his morning kisses.
“I’m sorry that your father is like this.” Sicheng giggled as he tugged Renjun’s smaller frame towards him for a hug. The boy could only lean his head onto his father’s stomach, not quite tall enough to reach his chest yet, and breathed in the scent of the summer garden.
Renjun felt Sicheng’s slender fingers card softly through the boy’s shaggy hair before hearing his father sigh.
“I can’t believe you’re heading off now. I feel like it was just yesterday that I saw you pee your bed,”
Renjun groaned against his father’s suit at the embarrassing reminder of his earlier blunders—he had once suffered from intense night tremors after meeting the ghost of the previous Jung matriarch.
“—but now you’re all grown and soon enough you’ll be graduating and leaving us for your own family,” Sicheng continued with a smile caught in between forlorn and proud. Renjun tilted his head to look up into his father’s glassy eyes and gave him a reassuring smile, softening the crease between Sicheng’s eyebrows.
Jaehyun stepped closer to the two and reached out to place his hands around Renjun’s narrow shoulders and in that moment, Renjun didn’t care about how he was going into Hogwarts with the reputation of his fathers following him. He’d never trade being their son for anything.
A whistle pierced through the conversations going around in the platform, signalling the final window of time before the train’s departure.
Renjun turned around in Sicheng’s hold and hugged Jaehyun, nuzzling into the scent of warm honey that his father always seemed to radiate.
“I love you both,” Renjun whispered. Jaehyun’s heart clenched, bringing about tears to his eyes.
Jaehyun hissed and tilted his head up with a small smile blooming on his face, “Agh, I promised I wouldn’t cry.”
A disdainful scoff sounded from besides the family, causing the heartwarming mood to falter at the intrusion. Renjun lifted his head and spotted a beautiful couple dressed in the richest and darkest black cloak he had ever seen, painting the stern faced couple in an even more intimidating manner.
Jaehyun tightened his hold on Renjun’s shoulders before putting himself strategically in front of his family.
“Quite ironic to see you both here after so long. Was it the trial, where I last saw you two?” There was no denying the rise in Jaehyun’s typically calming tone.
Renjun heard Sicheng sigh, almost as if he had expected nothing less, before his father moved to load his trolley onto the train, leaving his husband and son alone. Renjun didn’t miss how one of the intimidating men’s scrutinizing eyes had trailed after his father.
“Is this your son?” The one with the scar below his cheek had pointed to Renjun.
“Yes, he is.” Jaehyun bristled. Renjun fidgeted behind him.
“He doesn’t look it,” The other one lightly commented, sharp eyes pinning Renjun to his spot.
“And what does that mean?”
“It means that he looks smart enough not to get into Gry—”
“I think that you don’t know me well enough to judge, Sirs ,” Renjun piped up, having been fed up with the hostile stares earlier and now the two’s seemingly unwarranted insults.
Sicheng came back amidst the shocked silence and prodded at his son’s back, “The train’s leaving soon. You should go. Promise to take care and keep in touch, we’ll see you come holidays.”
Renjun knew when he was being dismissed and nodded. Tip toeing to give his father one last hug before turning towards his other father.
“Love, I’d suggest you say goodbye to your son before you continue this little fight of yours,” Came Sicheng’s annoyed voice. Jaehyun tensed at hearing his husband’s cold voice and knew that he had messed up by being caught up in his old rivalries rather than giving his only son the proper send off.
“Hey…sorry that you had to witness your first viper attack so early. Take care of yourself around them yeah? I’m sure you’d make Gryffindor proud,” Jaehyun stooped to whisper into his son’s ear, before ruffling his son’s hair and immediately turning to his old schoolmates. Renjun knew that that was the best he was going to get from his father when he was in his Prosecutor mode, so he made his final goodbyes to his parents for the year and left to board the train with a feeling in his stomach that told him that whatever had occurred was not a one time thing.
Jaemin was undoubtedly excited. He was excited to go to Hogwarts. He was excited to be sorted into a house. He was excited to start learning magic. And most importantly, he was excited to be free from his parents.
Now don't get him wrong, he loved his fathers, Yuta and Taeyong, very much. But Merlin did they treat him like a toddler in Azkaban (maybe Jaemin would’ve relished this freedom a bit less if they had treated him like a toddler or a prisoner—not both). Not once had Jaemin gone out on those Pureblood play dates he heard about from the portraits in the family gallery, restricting his social interactions to just his dead relatives. And now…he was in a train full of wizards just like him. So many wizards and witches to talk to and befriend and MERLIN—Jaemin could weep right now.
But as Jaemin was kicked from yet another compartment, the eleven year old boy felt a bit disheartened with his prospects of befriending others.
Perhaps I shouldn’t loudly barge into compartment anymore—oh?
There in one of the last compartments in the car, sat a young boy that couldn’t have been any older than Jaemin, his small body turned towards the train’s window. The serene faced boy hadn’t given any indications of noticing Jaemin, let alone being bothered by him, so Jaemin nodded to himself before entering the compartment fully, albeit quieter than the last times he had tried to find a place to sit.
Jaemin sat fidgeting in his seat, waiting for the other boy to acknowledge him. But after a few beats of awkward silence, he realized soon enough that the other boy was comfortable with the silence. But Jaemin wasn’t.
“It’s your first year too right?” Jaemin whispered, a bit too aware of the high chance of being kicked out once again.
The dark haired boy blinked at Jaemin’s question, before shifting to turn towards the boy with apprehensive eyes. Jaemin held his breath in anticipation. The unnamed boy nodded.
“My name’s Jaemin.”
Again, the boy nodded. Jaemin was starting to think that the boy was mute when—
“Renjun.” The boy smiled timidly.
Jaemin beamed at the boy, Renjun , and proceeded to dig around his robes for the leftover Chocoballs to share with his newfound friend.
“What are you doing?” Renjun asked after seeing Jaemin struggle with his robes which had been obviously made of finer quality but rather unkempt due to Jaemin’s actions.
“I’m trying to find some Chocoballs but father made my pocket too big.” Jaemin had stuck the entirety of his arm into his pocket at that point, making a rather comical picture for the other boy.
“Why don’t you try summoning it?” Renjun quipped with narrowed eyes.
“Huh?” At that, Jaemin stopped.
“If you can picture what you want and say Accio you can summon it to you.”
Jaemin thrummed in excitement at learning his first spell, and he hadn’t even stepped into Hogwarts yet! He brandished his wand without a second thought and pictured the delicious Chocoballs he had secretly gotten before leaving the manor.
“Accio!” Nothing.
“Accio!” Again, nothing. No sign of any Chocoballs or even fragments of chocolate zooming out of his pocket.
“Nice try, I guess.” Renjun’s quiet whisper reached the frustrated boy.
“Well, can you do it?”
“No. Not yet anyways.”
“What do you mean no? Is it even a spell?” Jaemin guffawed, dropping his wand carelessly besides him. He couldn’t believe that he had failed his first spell just like that.
Renjun’s eyes squinted in restrained amusement.
“It’s a real spell…taught in Fourth Year.”
“Well how do you expect ME to do that spell?” At this point, Jaemin’s incredulous and loud voice could have been heard by the inhabitants of the compartments adjacent to them.
“I don’t know. I just wanted to see someone else try…I tried to do it but the same thing happened.” Renjun sheepishly admitted.
Jaemin spluttered, “Didn’t we just get our wands? Why were you trying a fourth year spell?”
“Well why not?” Renjun countered, his cheeks heating up out of embarrassment and indignation at being questioned.
Jaemin slumped in his seat.
Yeah, why not?
“You sound like a Ravenclaw.”
Renjun was silent at that, as if he was churning something in his head.
“You think so? My father thinks I’ll be in Gryffindor.”
“Oh! That’s cool! My fathers both want me to be in Slytherin but personally…”
And in that compartment, on a gloomy September day, two unlikely boys found a kindred spirit within each other, not knowing how their newfound friendship would undergo trials that have torn apart so many wizards before them. But perhaps it was because of this childhood ignorance that allowed a near impossible friendship to strongly take root.