Archive of Our Own

On stormy, dark nights, one can often hear the lamenting howl of a wolf emanating from the depths of the Forbidden Forest, the howls and cries of the other creatures living within the Forbidden Forest’s expansive boundaries joined in. On these nights, the students stayed quiet, the ghosts were solemn and the teachers who remembered lit candle vigils in their windows. The whole school mourned for the life, the love, that had been lost over a century ago. Magical folk, namely witches and wizards, and many other magical creatures, lived lives that often lasted two, almost three times longer than non-magical folk. But sometimes, these extended lives are cut tragically short and the ones who are left behind... all they do is mourn.

When the moon peeks through the clouds, the light shines through a small window on one of the turrets, lighting the small room in pale, white light. Dust danced slowly through the still air of the room, settling gently on bean bag chairs that haven’t been used in years, on bookshelves, on a small round coffee table with two coffee mugs that hadn’t been washed before the room was evacuated. The dust had created a thick layer over everything in the room. Except for one thing.

A garnet and blue topaz gem tree.

It sat on the windowsill, the moonlight catching on the pale, clear blue of the topaz, making the topaz leaves shine bright in the dim room, a radiant shine next to the deeper red of the garnet. Small circles of light glinted on the cherry branches of the gem tree and danced around the room. The tree was about as big as a medium sized bonsai tree, the gems on the branches ranged from the size of a pin head to the size of your thumb.

It was the only thing in the room that was not blanketed with a layer of dust.

Soon enough, the storm begins to calm, the rain slowed to a light shower, the lightning flashed in the distance and the thunder’s once loud booms now only a quiet rumble in the dark sky. The howling also ceases, and the dark grey wolf sits in silence, his head looking up at the bright moon peeking through the clouds. The rain rolls down his face in large droplets, mixing in with the tears that flowed from his golden eyes.

The wolf stood up, slowly walking over to a tree where a bag -  filled with clothes - sat underneath it. He picked the bag up in his jaws, tensing his hind legs and began running back to the castle at a fast pace. The trees were a blur as he ran, jumping over fallen trees and roots that jutted up from the ground. The other creatures in the forest watched the wolf as he ran, the sight familiar to their eyes.

When the castle was in sight, the wolf slowed down to a walk, stopping a bit away from the forest’s edge. He placed the bag down and began to concentrate. Slowly, the dark grey fur began to recede, his legs beginning to lengthen and paws changing into hands and feet. His snout began to shorten, and his face began to take on a more human shape. When the change was over, a male with ashy grey hair, darkened by the rain, and bright golden eyes stood where the wolf had been standing not too long ago.

The man reached down and pulled a towel out of the bag, drying himself off. Once he was dry enough, he pulled his clothes out and put them on. A pair of ripped black jeans, a graphic shirt and he pulled a hoodie over his head. Lastly, he pulled a thin, golden chain out from his bag, two infinity style golden rings that had five small diamonds along the band. In the centre of the ring were two gemstones; a garnet and blue topaz. As he stared at the rings, fresh tears sprung to his eyes. He closed his fist around the rings, bringing them to his mouth as he choked back a sob and crouched on the ground.

The quiet sound of wet grass being walked on made the man look up from the ground, the rings still clenched in his fist. A man with soft copper hair walked towards him, his wand pointed towards the sky, the umbrella spell in use. His black and red robes flared out behind him as he walked towards the man on the ground.

“Wh-What are you doing out here?” the man's voice was deep, husky from crying.

“Let's get you inside and warmed up, Changkyun.” The copper haired man put his wand in his pocket, bending his knees and extending a hand to the other man, Changkyun. Changkyun looked up at the other man, his eyes watery, and grasped his hand. The copper haired man pulled Changkyun up from the ground, pulling him into his chest. Changkyun's eyes began to get watery again and a sob escaped his throat.

“Joo-Jooheon, is it ever going to stop?” Changkyun choked out. Jooheon smiled sadly down at his friend.

“It will one day, only if you let yourself heal. You know all of us are always here for you.” Jooheon replied, rubbing Changkyun's back.

“Thank you,” Changkyun sniffled and pulled away from Jooheon, picking up his bag. “Let's go inside, I could use a warm bath.”

Jooheon nodded and started leading Changkyun back towards the castle, keeping an arm around his shoulders as they walked. The sky was beginning to pale as the moon began its descent towards the horizon and the sun began its ascent into the dawn of a new day.

“Would you like me to cover your classes today?” Jooheon asked.

“Please. I'm just gonna sleep all day, probably cry some more. Look through our photo albums... I just miss him so much, Jooheon.” Changkyun replied.

“Alright. I know you do, we all miss him too. I’ll make sure Minhyuk drops by at some point with some food and hot tea, okay?” Changkyun nodded. “Also, what are you doing with your students right now?”

“I have the first, third and seventh years today. I have the first years practicing some defensive spells, third years are on more advanced defensive spells and studying offensive wand manoeuvres and seventh years are practicing against each other. They all had some homework but tell them that they have until the next lesson. If they've finished it, just leave them on my desk.”

“Okie dokie, do you want some company in the bath or would you like to be alone?” Jooheon asked, pushing open the door into the castle, holding it open for Changkyun.

“I could use some company, if you don't mind?” Changkyun asked, looking back at Jooheon.

“Of course, I'll keep you company, I can get some lesson specifics from you then.” Jooheon agreed, walking towards the stairs. Jooheon and Changkyun split at the fourth floor, heading towards their own rooms to get towels and changes of clothes. They met up at the teacher's bath, Jooheon bringing with him a piece of parchment, a pot of ink and a quill. He enchanted them just after they slid into the pleasantly warm bath, Changkyun groaning at how warm it was.

“I didn't realise how cold I was.” Changkyun sighed, sinking his body down into the warm water. Jooheon chuckled softly.

“Well, you’ve been out there since dinner last night. All that rain would have soaked your fur and chilled your bones.” Jooheon replied, sinking into the water as well. They stayed like that for a while, just warming their bodies and relaxing. Eventually Changkyun started telling Jooheon the specifics for his lessons, going into detail about the spells he’s having them practice and defend against. Once Changkyun had finished explaining, the only thing that could be heard was the scratching of the enchanted quill on parchment as it caught up with everything Changkyun said. 

When the rays of sunlight began to creep through the stained glass windows in the teacher’s bath, Changkyun and Jooheon got out of the water and proceeded to dry themselves off and get changed. When they left the bathroom, Jooheon stopped Changkyun with a gentle hand on his elbow. 

“I’ll send Minhyuk up soon with some food and hot tea, okay? Any preferences?” Jooheon asked.

“Maybe just some porridge and chamomile tea, please.” Changkyun replied, giving Jooheon a brief hug before they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Once Changkyun was back in his room, he quickly changed into something a bit more comfortable and climbed into his bed. He tried not to let his thoughts drift to him , to the time that they spent together, all the good and all the bad. But it was futile. Before he knew it, the tears were streaming down his cheeks again, pillow beginning to dampen with the amount of tears that fell. 

And that was how Minhyuk found Changkyun, half an hour later. He placed the tray down on a table and went to Changkyun, bringing him into a hug. He soothed the crying man, who eventually calmed down. Changkyun pulled away from Minhyuk, wiping his nose and eyes on his hoodie sleeve. Minhyuk didn’t conceal his disgust at what Changkyun just did, passing him a handkerchief from one of his pockets.

“Thanks,” Changkyun mumbled. He blew his nose and pocketed the handkerchief upon Minhyuk shaking his head when Changkyun tried to return it to him. 

“Just return it whenever you feel up to it, okay?” Minhyuk smiled softly, rubbing one of Changkyun’s shoulders. Changkyun nodded and wiped his eyes again. Minhyuk stood up and walked over to the table where he placed the tray of tea and porridge. He passed it over to Changkyun, who took it with a nod.

“I’ll be back when it’s lunch to collect this and bring you some food, okay? I don’t want to leave you, but I do have an infirmary to watch over.” Minhyuk said and left. Changkyun said goodbye to Minhyuk and began eating slowly once the door closed. He felt his body warm up from the inside as he ate. He finished the tea in a few mouthfuls and it was then that he noticed how tired he felt. 

He got up and placed the tray on the table, quickly taking his hoodie off and crawling under his sheets. He charmed his curtains closed and he slipped off into sleep as his room got dark. 

Changkyun ended up sleeping through the whole day, waking up at dinner time. He sat up, looked around his room blearily and his eyes settled on the tray with still steaming food on it. He rubbed his eyes and picked up the notecard that was next to the tray. 

‘Changkyun, 

I’ve charmed the food to stay hot until you wake up. You can come down to dinner if you’re able, but if not, I’ll come up with some dessert for you. 

 - Minhyuk’

Changkyun smiled, thankful for the half-Veela healer. He picked up the tray and made his way to one of the few couches in his rooms, sitting down, tugging a blanket over his legs and dug into the food. Despite the grief that coursed through his veins, he knew that he had to eat to stay alive. He would not let Kihyun’s death be in vain. 

Once he finished his food, he placed the tray on the coffee table and let the memories take over his mind. It’s been twenty years since Kihyun died, but due to the longer lifespans of wizards and witches, it only seems like yesterday that he was still there, laughing at one of Changkyun’s dumb jokes or sitting in their little hidden room going over students homework.

They had been hiding in their hidden room all weekend, papers from their students scattered over the small table, some bearing tea and coffee rings from the excessive amounts that the pair had been drinking over the weekend. 

“Kihyun, dear, we gotta finish marking these papers by tonight…” Changkyun mumbled into Kihyun’s hair. Kihyun sighed into Changkyun’s chest, lifting up his head to look sleepily at Changkyun.

“But it’s so warm and comfy right here…” Kihyun dropped his head back down, intending to go back to sleep under the warm afternoon sun that was coming through the window. 

“I know, but we should finish them before dinner so we can just cuddle in bed after dinner and a bath.” Changkyun said.

“You have a point.” Kihyun sighed, sitting up on Changkyun’s lap. Kihyun leaned down and quickly gave Changkyun a kiss before sitting down in front of his stack of parchment scrolls. Changkyun smiled at Kihyun and followed suit. 

Changkyun felt the tears run down his cheeks once again, smiling fondly at the memory and the many other times that they had spent in that room grading students homework. Changkyun wiped his eyes, standing up and gathering a change of clothes. He left a note on the tray for Minhyuk, or whoever comes up to take the tray and bring him more food, letting them know he was headed to the teacher’s bath. 

Since dinner was still in full swing, the teacher’s bath was empty, which Changkyun was grateful for. He could probably handle his friends, but none of the other professors. He stripped down, placed his towel on a bench nearby and slid into the water. The ambient noise of the bathroom soothed him into a daydream state, floating on the water with the bubbles and more memories.

After dinner one night during the Christmas break, Changkyun and Kihyun decided to have a bath after the filling Christmas dinner that the elves had cooked and sent to the Great Hall. With most of the student body gone home for break, most of the teachers had gone home as well. Only Changkyun, Kihyun, the Headmistress and the Muggle Studies professor stayed behind to watch the school and its remaining students. The Headmistress had her own bath and the Muggle Studies professor also had a teacher’s bath to herself, which left Changkyun and Kihyun a bath to themselves as well.

They took full advantage of that fact for a week. 

This evening was one such night, spent making love to each other outside the bath, in the bath and anywhere they could. 

They sat against a wall in the bath, Changkyun’s head on Kihyun’s shoulder. Changkyun admired the marks he left on Kihyun’s neck, collar and chest. He kissed the one closest to his mouth, making Kihyun shiver.

“I love you,” Changkyun murmured, his deep voice sending shivers down Kihyun’s spine. 

“I love you too.” Kihyun turned his head and kissed the top of Changkyun’s damp hair. Kihyun felt Changkyun’s smile against his neck, causing Kihyun to smile into Changkyun’s hair. 

“Wanna go again?” Changkyun asked. Kihyun opened his mouth to reply, but someone else beat him to it.

“I’d rather you two didn’t. Go screw each other in your room, please.” One of the many ghosts that occupied the school said from above them. They looked up at the ghost, giggling at each other.

“Sorry, we’ll go do that.” Kihyun said, standing up. Changkyun followed suit and they dried themselves off, got dressed and headed to their room. 

Changkyun was disturbed out of his reminiscing when the doors to the teacher’s bath slammed shut. He stood up in the water, noticing that he floated to the middle of the bath while lost in his thoughts. He looked towards the door and saw Jooheon standing at the edge of the bath.

“Minhyuk said I’d find you here. He went up to your room and read your note. He also left a tray of dessert up there for you.” Jooheon watched Changkyun get out of the bath, passing him his towel. Changkyun wrapped the towel around his waist, walking towards his clothes.

“Thanks, Jooheon. And give Minhyuk my thanks when you see him later.” Changkyun thanked Jooheon, looking over his shoulder at his friend. Jooheon’s face was red, like Changkyun had implied something that he wasn’t aware of.

“Wha- no, I’m not seeing Minhyuk later, what are you talking about.” Jooheon rambled, digging a deeper hole for himself.

“You two ain’t slick, I see you both slinking off after dinner, during Quidditch games. You know, you can be with Minhyuk around me. I don’t mind, you can stop hiding your relationship from me.” Changkyun said, turning around to face Jooheon once he was fully dressed.

“I thought we were being sneaky,” Jooheon mumbled, following Changkyun out of the bath. “We didn’t want to upset you by being lovey around you, so we held off.” Jooheon said louder, walking down the hall and waiting for the stairs to his room. Changkyun waited next to Jooheon, watching the stairs.

“I’m an adult, I can control my feelings, no matter how strong they may be. I’m happy for you man, you deserve to be happy just as much as anyone else. I don’t want you and Minhyuk hiding your relationship around me anymore. Just be happy.” Changkyun gave Jooheon a weak smile, catching the staircase going down. 

“Thanks Changkyun. Will you be teaching tomorrow, or do you need a sub for your class again?” Jooheon yelled down at Changkyun.

“I’ll be teaching tomorrow! I think it’s about time I got control over my life once more, especially around this time.” Changkyun yelled back. Jooheon smiled, walking up the stairs. Changkyun was beginning the small steps to moving on, and Jooheon was proud. 

Once Changkyun was back in his room, he found the tray of desserts from Minhyuk. He sat down and ate some, but not a lot. He wasn’t a big fan of the sweet desserts that they offered here. He called for an elf to come and take the tray and remaining desserts away. 

Once the elf had removed the tray, Changkyun extinguished the candles in his room and climbed back into bed. He wasn’t physically tired, but he was still relatively mentally exhausted. Despite Kihyun passing away over two decades ago, the grief that still gripped his heart, mind, body and soul around this time of the year, was still as strong as ever. He didn’t think that the grief would ever leave, but he knew he could ease it’s grip on his life. 

He was never going to love another as much as he did Kihyun in his life. He wasn’t even going to bother to look. Nobody could take Kihyun’s place. 

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep once more. 

The sky was alight with the fires that were spread all over the castle’s grounds, the sounds of people screaming and animals calling out in distress and fear. Changkyun was in his wolf form, which was much stronger than being a wizard. He ran alongside Kihyun and Hyunwoo, who were firing spell after spell at the many Death Eaters that invaded their school. Changkyun tore out the throats of all the monsters that dared attack him, his husband, his friend and his students. He let nobody live.

“How many more do you think there are?” Kihyun panted, leaning against one of the brick walls of the castle. Hyunwoo wiped his brow with his sleeve.

“I have no idea, but they better find that kid soon.” Hyunwoo replied. Changkyun licked Kihyun’s hand. Kihyun’s hand buried itself in the fur between Changkyun’s ears.

“I can’t believe you’d say such a thing.” Kihyun said. 

“I know it’s an awful thing to say, but this will never end unless he gets what he wants. I’ve seen too many students lie on the ground dead because of these monsters that have destroyed our school, our home. One life isn’t worth the many that have already been lost in this war.” Hyunwoo replied, his fierce loyalty and love for his students and his school shining through the exhaustion and fear. 

‘This is why Hyunwoo will be the next Gryffindor House Head once the current one becomes Headmistress.’ Changkyun thought, pressing his nose against Hyunwoo’s hand. Hyunwoo gave Changkyun a few brief pets before he readied himself to begin moving once more.

“You’re right,” Kihyun sighed, readying himself. “For now, let’s fight and protect as many of our own as we can.” The tro set off once more, killing and stunning and subduing many, many Death Eaters. 

“Avada Kedavra!” 

Time slowed down for Changkyun. He watched the green bolt hit Kihyun, the shock on Kihyun’s face before it went blank and he fell. Dead. 

Changkyun stood in disbelief for a moment before rage and grief overtook his being. He found the monster that had shot the Unforgivable Curse, racing towards him and leaping, landing on the man’s chest and shoving him to the ground. He snarled in the man’s face, ripping the mask off with his teeth, getting a good look at the man before ripping his throat out. This man deserved pain and suffering, but Changkyun was too mad to care. He just wanted Kihyun’s killer dead.

Once the deed was done, Changkyun ran back over to Kihyun. Hyunwoo was still there, kneeling next to Kihyun and sobbing. He couldn’t believe it either. Changkyun took a moment to transform back into a man, kneeling next to Kihyun’s head, stroking his hair and calling out to him.

“Ki, hey Ki, wake up. Come on, we gotta keep fighting. Come on, please get up. I killed the man, see? He’s dead, but you gotta wake up.” Changkyun pleaded, the tears falling from his eyes. 

“Changkyun, he’s gone.” Hyunwoo said, his voice cracking. 

“No, he can’t be. We still have a century ahead of us. We still have so much time together, we had so much planned. He can’t leave me like that.” Changkyun was heavy in denial and it hurt Hyunwoo to watch. 

“Please Changkyun. He’s, he’s not…” Hyunwoo couldn’t finish his sentence, breaking down into sobs. Changkyun kept shaking his head and stroking Kihyun’s hair, his own sobs following Hyunwoo’s. 

They were hidden behind the castle, away from the main battles. So it was there they stayed, until the flames died down and other professors came looking for survivors. And that’s where they found Changkyun and Hyunwoo, sobbing over the fallen Kihyun. 

“Love, bring him into the Great Hall. It is where we are keeping all of the deceased.” Professor Lewin prompted, laying a hand on each of the men’s shoulders gently. Changkyun’s whole body jumped at the touch, not expecting Lewin to touch him. 

“Okay.” Hyunwoo said, his voice gravelly. The other professors nodded and left the duo to grieve and bring Kihyun to the Great Hall. Hyunwoo stood up, stretching before walking around Kihyun to stand next to Changkyun. 

“I still don’t believe it, even though he’s right there.” Changkyun whispered, reaching over and closing Kihyun’s eyes. 

“Do you want me to-?” Changkyun shook his head. 

“I must.” He stood up, stretched his aching body, knelt down and slid his hands under Kihyun’s legs and back, lifting Kihyun up. Hyunwoo and Changkyun walked in silence to the Great Hall, passing many others sobbing, screaming and grieving over the bodies of their deceased loved ones. 

They laid him down in a spot close to the entrance, one of the few free spaces in the Great Hall. Changkyun and Hyunwoo looked over the many bodies lying on the floor and the many more that knelt over them, grieving. Changkyun’s eyes welled up once again and he knelt next to Kihyun, grasping Kihyun’s left hand with his own, feeling the cool metal of Kihyun’s wedding ring against his palm. 

Changkyun awoke with a start, sobs catching in his throat as his body woke up much slower than his mind. He calmed down enough to breathe properly, tears falling down his face and his right hand reaching up to gently grasp the wedding rings on the thin chain around his neck. He’d taken to wearing both rings on a necklace not long after Kihyun passed. He couldn’t handle all the questions he’d get from well-meaning strangers in the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley or anywhere else he travelled to. 

He got up, slipped some shoes onto his feet and tossed a hoodie on as well. He grabbed his wand and cast Lumos , making his way out of his room and towards their hidden room. He wasn’t spotted by any rogue students or professors patrolling the halls. He slipped into the room quietly, once there. 

Changkyun made his way over to the gem tree, gently running his fingers over the gemstone leaves. He had found this dying branch of a gem tree when he and Kihyun were on one of their many dates, though this one was special because it was the day that Changkyun and Kihyun told each other that they loved the other. 

After Changkyun and Kihyun declared their love for each other, Changkyun spotted the dying branch in the snow. He picked it up, brushed the snow off and examined the branch. On it, there were two gemstones: a garnet and a blue topaz. 

Garnet is the birthstone for Changkyun and the blue topaz for Kihyun. It was perfect. The pair brought it back to the castle, finding out how to care for it from the Herbology professor and thus, it grew thanks to the information and care it received.

Changkyun smiled fondly at the tree, one hand touching the rings at his throat. He had the wedding rings custom made from the gems from this tree, and the look that was on Kihyun’s face when he saw the rings at their wedding was worth everything. Changkyun took the tree out of the room, locking the door behind him and he made his way back to his room. 

He placed the tree on the coffee table, where it’ll get mid afternoon sunlight until the sun disappears below the horizon, throwing the whole room into a dazzling display of red and blue lights.

Changkyun climbed back into bed, exhaustion catching up to him once again. He closed his eyes and he was falling asleep quickly. Just before he drifted off into sleep, he swore he felt a hand caress his hair, cheek and rest on his shoulder before disappearing as quickly as it came. 

Changkyun fell into sleep, dreaming only of the happy times.