Chapter Text
“In you go, then. Come on, now. We don’t have all day; you’re expected in five minutes.”
Hoseok shuffles into the room, tripping slightly on his brand-new robes. They’re still stiff; fresh out of the parchment wrapping they’d arrived in. His mother had ordered them straight from the English shop that made them, and she’d paid extra for them to be owled first class.
He said good-bye to her in a separate room of the Ministry; as per the customs of the international magical student’s trade. English wizards are always on time, that’s what his father had told him. There’d be no place for long, drawn-out goodbyes at the fireplace. He feels equal parts thankful and wistful for this fact. Part of his decision to go to Hogwarts had been based on his desire for independence, but an equally nagging area of his chest reminds him just how much he’s going to miss his parents, how much he’s going to feel the distance.
Hoseok tries not to cry as he’s ushered into the room by the witch whose name he can’t remember. He thinks he’s met her before, during one of the interviews to get on the programme. Hoseok glances back briefly, to search for some kind of reassurance, some kind of kindness that will confirm that this was the right decision. Her eyes are dark and her face is stern as she taps her wand against her side impatiently, sending little red sparks shooting out of the end. If there’s any kindness to be found from her, he doesn’t manage to find it.
“You wait here with Yoongi whilst I get the floo power, alright?” she says, her hand lightly pushing him forward, further into the room. She leaves quickly, the heels of her shoes echoing down the blue marble corridor.
It’s a small room, with the same dark, shiny red bricks that the rest of the ministry building is made up of. There’s a fireplace on the far side; more blue marble and a bulky, ornate mantlepiece. In the corner of the room stands a table and a couple of uncomfortable looking wooden chairs, one of which is occupied.
A boy about Hoseok’s age regards him with a wide-eyed expression, lips slightly pursed. Hoseok is relieved to notice that the boy’s slight frame is also swallowed by his robes, resting slightly on the floor by the boy’s feet, his hands barely peeking out from beneath the sleeves. He looks nervous, too. Shy and unsure. Maybe even a little more unsure than Hoseok feels right now. It’s enough to compel him to let go of the breath he was holding, step forward and offer the boy a bow.
“Nice to meet you,” he says, politely. He continues when the boy doesn’t answer. “I’m Jung Hoseok.”
“Min Yoongi,” the Yoongi replies, his voice hesitant and small. He inclines his head a little in greeting.
“Are you a first year too?”
Yoongi nods. “Yeah. I went to Jodomyeon for a year, but they said I had to start first year again when I applied for Hogwarts.”
“So you’re older?”
Yoongi nods again. “I was twelve in March.”
“You’re my hyung then! I was eleven in February! Can I call you hyung?”
“Suppose so.”
Hoseok beams, which earns him a small smile from Yoongi.
“You can sit down too, if you want. I’ve been waiting a while.”
“That witch said we’re expected in five minutes,” Hoseok replies, but takes the seat beside Yoongi anyway. He puts down his satchel by his feet. His luggage and owl have been sent ahead of him, just to minimise the amount he has to carry with him.
In his satchel, Hoseok simply carries his brand-new wand (willow wood, like his father, dittany stalk core, like his mother), his acceptance letter in the special ink that changes language for the reader (Hoseok’s English is good, else he wouldn’t have dared apply for the programme, but he appreciates the ink all the same), and a picture of his mother, father and sister taken before Hoseok was born. He likes to watch the portrait of his dad struggle to keep a straight face as baby Dawon fusses and coos. His photograph mum laughs in such a way that her face lights up the picture; even in black and white.
He didn’t want to risk the picture in his trunk, so he’d decided to keep it close to him.
“Are you excited?”
Yoongi shrugs.
“Nervous?”
Yoongi bites his lip, looks down into his hands. Hoseok frowns.
“It’s okay if you are! I am. I’m really nervous! My Mum wanted me to go to Mahoutokoro, to improve my Japanese. My dad wanted me at Jodomyeon, like my sister. But I’ve always wanted to go to Hogwarts, so there’s a lot of pressure for me! I’ve wanted to go ever since we went to England on holiday, when I was seven, and I got a- You’re staring at me," Hoseok notices, stopping himself from telling the story of collecting his very first chocolate frog card of the Hogwarts headmaster, and having them imported from England ever since. He wonders vaguely if Yoongi would be at all interested in his vast collection. "Am I annoying you?”
Yoongi looks startled by Hoseok’s sudden question and shakes his head quickly, but Hoseok still doesn’t continue. He swings his legs instead, worried he’s managed to make his first chance of a friend dislike him already.
“We’re the last ones, I think,” Yoongi says, after a moment. Hoseok is glas he's the one to break the silence. His voice is slow, Hoseok notices. Steady, like he thinks things through deeply before he says them. It’s nice, kind of relieving to have someone so calm beside him. “There’s a couple of people who went ahead, but they were older.”
“Have you ever travelled by floo powder?”
“A couple of times," Yoongi replies. "We had a fireplace in our last house, and my mum used to take me to work with her sometimes. She works here, at the ministry. She’s an aurologist.”
Hoseok’s parents are healers; he’d never had a reason to step foot in the ministry before a couple of months ago. And he’s certainly never travelled by fireplace before. His mum has apparated with him to a few places, though, and if it’s anything like that, there’s a high chance he’ll throw up before they get to Hogwarts.
“Is it…” Hoseok’s voice trails off. He’s reluctant to tell Yoongi this is his first time; doesn’t want him to know how scared he is, but something in Yoongi’s face tells him he’s already guessed.
“Scary?”
Hoseok scrunches the side of his face, still not ready to admit that there’s not one thing about this whole experience that doesn’t terrify him, even if Yoongi is being so nice. Yoongi seems to understand, because his face softens a little before he speaks.
“It’s really scary, to be honest." Hoseok tries not to groan. "But it’s over like a flash. And as long as you say the words right, there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Hoseok looks down at his hands, pulling at a loose nail on his thumb.
“If you want we could… we could maybe… go together?” Yoongi's voice is small and unsure as he says it, and Hoseok takes that as a cue not to tease him. He’s grateful and honestly massively relieved that Yoongi has offered, because he knows he would never have had the confidence to ask himself.
“Could we do that?” he asks, deciding for now to conceal his delight in the idea.
“I reckon so. I know it’d make me feel a lot better if I had someone to go with and… a friend to start Hogwarts with?” Yoongi adds shyly.
Hoseok sends Yoongi a small smile; sensing that Yoongi isn’t someone who likes a fuss. “That’d be really… nice, I think. Yeah.”
Yoongi returns his smile, and suddenly the air between them feels less awkward and stiff. They show each other their brand-new wands (Yoongi’s wand is pine wood and phoenix feather, which Hoseok thinks sounds way cooler than his own) and talk at length about which house they’re hoping to be sorted into. Hoseok likes the sound of Gryffindor. Yoongi tells him he thinks he seems to belong in Hufflepuff, but that he’d make a great Gryffindor if he that’s what he wants to be. Hoseok doesn’t tell Yoongi that wherever it is he’s placed, he hopes they’ll be placed there together.
When the witch from before finally returns, both Yoongi and Hoseok are so excited with the talk of Hogwarts and wands and houses that they both spring up from their chairs. Hoseok throws the strap of his satchel over his shoulder as the witch, pot of Floo powder in hand, directs them into towards the fireplace.
With a wave of her wand, the fireplace ignites. Hoseok jumps back a little with the shock of it, blazing and crackling in the grate. Ah. He’d forgotten the small detail of the fire.
“The flames don’t hurt,” Yoongi whispers, nudging Hoseok’s arm. “They tickle more than anything.”
“Step inside, then,” the witch says behind them.
Both boys turn to look at each other, nodding slightly before stepping forward. Hoseok pulls his robes up a little so as not to trip as they step over the threshold of the fireplace. He holds his breath as his body breaches the flames, but lets it out as he feels how cool it is through his robes. Yoongi’s right, it does tickle. And Hoseok is really ticklish. He resists the urge to giggle.
“Take a handful,” the witch instructs them once they’re both in place standing side by side. She holds out a small pot of Floo powder and shakes it gently. Apparently, she has no qualms about them going together, to Hoseok’s great relief.
They do as they’re told, reaching out their arms and taking a pinch of powder each. Hoseok notices Yoongi’s hand shake as he does it, and it makes him want to reach out to steady it.
“Now, throw it to the ground and say ‘Hogwarts’. The Headmaster will meet you on the other side.”
Hoseok nods, not looking at Yoongi now. He faces the wall ahead of him; focusing on one particular brick, trying to steady his breathing and ignore the flames licking pleasantly up his trouser leg. He’s about to open his mouth to count them down, when he feels Yoongi grab his empty hand, limp by his side, and entwine their fingers tight. He starts to blush, but the ministry witch isn’t looking; too engrossed in a note that has just flown into the room of its own accord.
“When you’re ready,” she says, absently, waving them away. No drawn-out good-byes.
“You ready?” Hoseok whispers.
Yoongi takes a moment before he answers. “Yep, you?”
“Yep. On three?”
“One.”
“Two.”
Hoseok lets out a breath.
“Three,” they say together, their hands clasped tight. They throw down their handfuls of powder in unison, the flames instantly turning an emerald green. “Hogwarts.”