Archive of Our Own ^beta

Solitude was Jimin's serenity. That was something he learned quickly as a child and it helped him keep a sane mind while trying to survive in a pure-blooded, Slytherin household richer than half the wizarding community. There were many people that contributed to his isolation, but the members of his family were constant. Always made sure he knew his place, that they felt nothing toward him but disdain and charity case. To them, he was no different than his muggle mother, dead before Jimin had a chance to remember her face.

Illegitimate. Tainted. Brat. Leech. Mudblood.

Jimin has heard it all growing up, learned to take in the words with a blank face. He used to cry a lot, a "crybaby" his half-siblings would taunt, but he doesn't cry anymore. He decided to stop when he learned he would be going to school. It would be a small reprieve away from the hate his family and their friends. But kids could be cruel, and everything that he heard from his family was thrown at his face by kids his own age. He expected the residual animosity towards the Slytherin house when he was sorted into it, a stigma staining the glory of Hogwarts due to the dark wizards from the past. He did not expect animosity from his own house, who took it upon themselves to continue his family's verbal, mental and physical abuse.

Getting sorted into Slytherin killed Jimin's social life before it even began, but he didn't mind that. It would have been worse if it wasn't Slytherin. There would have inevitably been a fight with his family if he was in any other house. Instead, they merely lectured him about how privileged he was and to not take their charity for granted. Jimin merely nodded, silent until he could escape them for good.

Hogwarts proved to fare no better, living in dorms with a bunch of rich kids whose families knew all too well who Jimin was. Several nights in a row found Jimin unable to sleep in his bed for various reasons. Someone soaking his bed with water, the loud snoring, staying up at all hours laughing like horses while he tied to sleep, them locking him out of the dorm. Sharing a room with four other boys was inconvenient at best and downright exhausting at worst. Jimin often found ways to escape them to regain some piece of sanity in less-used hallways, random rooms, broom closets and random spots outside.

It was at a point not far into his first year that he discovered an empty tower hidden by some secret stairs. With this circular room, there were no decoration, only a couple of stone steps dividing the room that led to a single window. Opening the shutters gave him a nice view of the Quidditch field and the scenery beyond. With this newfound piece of solitude, his absence from the dorm got longer to where he would be gone the entire day, until curfew would hit.

Jimin was in that tower for most of the year when he wasn't in class or in the dining hall. Sometimes he would skip dinner and just ask the house elves for some snacks to take with him on a particularly bad day. After homework he would write in his journal, he would gaze out the window and dream with Shiva draped around him, or he would plan his future away from his family. Jimin smiled wistfully as he though of his pet, a blue racer he found in the forest as a toddler. He was Jimin's only friend. Animals were far better than people in general, but Jimin considered Shiva the only living thing he truly cared about. Conversations were hard, but as he got better with his parcel tongue, and Shiva grew in intelligence, they grew inseparable.

The first two and a half years of Jimin's school life transitioned into something he felt he could survive, ever since he started spending his time there in that tower. Park Tower, he'd jokingly dubbed it, though Shiva had taken that seriously and then it was a thing. He could relax, play with Shiva, and maybe he had fallen asleep two or three or twenty times. Jimin felt he could finally admit school took priority over his family and found any excuse he could to stay during holidays. He was never considered part of the family, why should he stick around?

It wasn't until after Jimin's third year winter break that someone barged into his empty, forgotten room. He'd been sitting by the window, looking out into a snowy landscape in the midst of getting yet more snow. Shiva was hiding in his bed back at the dorm, coiled up under the blankets to snooze the cold day away. Jimin didn't have any worries about his safety, his dorm mates learned very quickly not to mess with a blue racer.

The door to Jimin's tower creaked open, echoing in the empty space, and loud enough to startle Jimin out of his brooding. He slipped on an indifferent face, though his eyes narrowed into a glare at the dissatisfaction of being discovered when his guard was down. It was the first time he'd encountered anyone since he'd found this place, the entrance guarded by a staircase hidden behind a wall near the northern towers. He counted maybe two close calls, someone following him into the same corridor but lost them when he hid in the nearby storeroom. The other instance had been a group of Slytherins spotting him from the Quidditch Pitch but losing sight of him once they got inside.

And here is the third time that someone intruded on his space; and succeeded no less. The first thing he saw was black and yellow robes. The symbol on the chest was of a badger. The way the person tentatively leaned in, hesitant in his steps as if he were unsure of where he was. Dark eyes peered out from under a head of loose, dark curls half covering a handsome face. A face that looked around the mostly empty room before settling on Jimin.

It didn't matter how handsome that face was, in fact beautiful people were the cruelest. Jimin surmised that the prettier the face, the meaner they are. He wouldn't allow this one to charm him any more than the others. Jimin had lowered his guard once and had paid the price of that consequence with the first and only time he'd cried at this school. It was a hard lesson to learn but Jimin was stronger for it. He accepted that he would be destined to live alone.

Jimin sent the frozen boy a cutting glare to make it clear to the other what he thought about the Hufflepuff's interruption.

Realizing he'd come upon someone else's alone time, Taehyung raised a hand to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oops. Sorry to barge in. I'm Kim Taehyung, nice to meet you!"

It was not nice to meet him. Jimin didn't say anything, merely keeping his eyes pierced with annoyance, looking down his nose at him in hopes to get the boy to leave quicker.

The Hufflepuff's eyes darting down to Jimin's robes real quick. "Um... Well, I was supposed to meet my friend and his group around here, but I'm going to take a guess and say you aren't a part of that." He laughed. "Wow, you've got to teach me how to hold that intimidating stare so well. People say I'm too nice for my own good, but I just call it being optimistic."

Jimin wouldn't promise something like that, if anything he hoped to never see this boy again. Most Hufflepuffs cower and run away from him because of the House symbol on his chest, and the rest just give him a wide berth and don't look at him. This one, while he isn't running away and looks a bit awkward, isn't as stupid as half the Hufflepuffs in this school look. He'd acknowledged his poisonous look, complimented him on it, and acknowledged his own faults at the same time. They were things that would appeal to any Slytherin.

But that didn't mean Jimin was going to let up on his attitude.

The Hufflepuff must have realized that he wasn't getting anywhere when he sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Right, well... Sorry to bug you, I'll get out of your hair now. Thanks for not biting off my head for interrupting..." he waved his hand at Jimin, "whatever it is you're doing. It looks boring, but if it's what you prefer, then I won't judge. A friend of mine is kind of like that. He's a Slytherin, too."

Jimin wondered what Slytherin he was talking about, because Jimin knew none that would willingly be friends with a Hufflepuff, much less get away with it without any repercussions from his housemates. He was tempted to ask who it was, because as much as he knew about the Slytherin House, he didn't know everything about everyone. Jimin mainly just kept his head down and worked as best as he could without drawing attention to himself. Even as a social recluse, he could at least be good with his grades and not considered completely useless. But that didn't mean he didn't have good ears, either.

A masculine shout of "Taehyung" interrupted them, drawing the Hufflepuff's attention and saving Jimin from actually using his voice. Taehyung turned and smiled, then sent that boxy smile at Jimin, startling him a bit, but he refused to let it show.

"That would be my friends. You're welcome to come along, but I get the feeling that you would rather not. It was nice talking to you. See you around, yeah?" Then he was shutting the door behind him. He could hear Taehyung's muffled response to them, a group of people laughing, before there was silence once again. Deafening silence.

Jimin went back to looking out the window, crossing his arms around himself as he spent his free afternoon in a daze. At one point he saw Taehyung and his friends walking out to the quidditch pitch, but he disregarded them as irrelevant. Even if the invitation seemed genuine, he didn't think his friends would be any better with him there. He did see someone in Slytherin robes, but it was from behind and very, very far away, so he wasn't any closer to discovering who the enigma was. Despite his curiosity, he let it be. It wasn't any of his business, anyway.

Thankfully, Taehyung never interrupted him for the rest of the year, most likely learning his lesson the first time Jimin stared him down. However, the rest of the year had Jimin's attention narrowing to the Hufflepuff the moment he would spot him whenever they crossed each other's paths. The happy Hufflepuff was always drawing attention to himself and being loud with his friends. In the courtyard, in the rare classes Slytherin and Hufflepuff shared, in the hallways, Taehyung seemed to be everywhere.

Anytime Jimin passed by Taehyung's group, he would sneer silently, not giving any of them acknowledgement, not that they would even notice, too wrapped up in their childish antics. He eventually found out about he Slytherin in the group, a student two years his senior by the name of Min Yoongi, but Jimin didn't know much about him other than the fact that their house, despite him breaking their sacred rules of mingling with a house other than Ravenclaw, left him alone and let him do what he wanted. Jimin was a little jealous, wishing they would leave him alone, too. But no, every time Jimin entered his dorm, there was always hell to greet him. Jimin wondered how Yoongi did it, but then again, he figured if he was a pureblood, then that was enough. Jimin decided to keep his distance from him, too.

There was a Ravenclaw in the group, another Hufflepuff and a couple of Gryffindors, an amalgamation of houses that deterred Jimin further away from them. Not that he was sparing even a moment of his thoughts about joining the group. That would be insane and make his life worse. Plus, he didn't want to, simple as that.

Jimin spent the rest of his third year like this, spending his alone time in his tower, avoiding his housemates, sneering at everyone else, and ignoring Kim Taehyung's existence as best he could, though it was hard to do when the idiot and his friends were being so loud. But Jimin's perseverance had him completing the year as one of Hogwarts's top students.

Not that his family cared. They never do. Regardless of his immensely high grades, it was the same song and dance spending summer at home. More yelling. More ignoring. More abuse from his half-siblings, if they could even be called that. The youngest girl not in Hogwarts yet tries to be polite to him when everyone else is not around, but she acts when they do pop up. He's pretty sure she'll lose even the politeness once it's her first term at school.

Jimin spent his summer keeping to himself, most of his time in the back woods of their property with Shiva or in his room.

It was a long summer, but soon enough Jimin was on the train once more heading back to Hogwarts in half an hour, towards a slightly more bearable life as a wizard student. Away from his parents, back to his solitude. All he cared about was graduating, getting good grades so he could get a good job at St. Mungo's or somewhere equally important so he could one day eventually achieve his dream. A dream that did not pop into Jimin's head until he spent a few nights talking to the nurse in the infirmary about medicine when he had to stay a few nights due to his roommates' "rambunctious behavior." Worth it, though, to see them cowering with bruises on their faces.

Jimin slumped into his seat, thankful that this compartment was available still with boarding almost over. He'd sought two other compartments, but had been kicked out, so now that he was here he would make sure it wouldn't be happening again. He was getting sick of moving, and if someone tried putting up a fight again, he would be the one to send them packing. He didn't like fighting, he found unnecessary violence to be the problem rather than the solution, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to throw a punch strong enough to knock someone's jaw out of their socket.

Just as he was putting his feet up on the cushioned seat opposite him, his compartment door slid open. Figures that he would have the unlucky pleasure of having to deal with more people just as he was getting settled. Especially agitated from his previous two encounters, Jimin immersed himself in frost as he zeroed in on the intruder. Disdain, poison and sharp edges marred his brows as he witnessed Kim Taehyung poke his head into the compartment.

"Ah, I thought that was you," was his first greeting to the Slytherin.

It made Jimin's mind fumble, confused at what the boy was saying. If Taehyung had seen him get kicked out from his other compartments earlier, that was a whole new level of humiliation. Jimin didn't need that sort of negative attention about him spreading around school. He knew when to back down, and five to seven people ganging up on him was one of those times.

"I was going to invite you to sit with me and my friends, we grabbed one of the bigger rooms. There's seven of us already, but still room for one more." God, had seven people witnessed Jimin being bullied by his own house? Things were getting worse.

Jimin's face remained set in stone as he internally battled with himself. He wondered if he should just turn around and ignore him, to label him a fly buzzing around him that would leave once he found nothing interesting to perch on. Part of him wanted to yell at the Hufflepuff, to harass him to the point of tears like they are so prone to fall into. It would be easy, he's seen the rest of his house do it plenty of times to know what buttons to push. Jimin wasn't passionate about insults generally, so maybe not. He certainly didn't want to give Taehyung the satisfaction of an actual response, either.

Taehyung didn't seem to take it to heart when Jimin didn't respond, rather looking around the empty seats and luggage racks with mild curiosity. Jimin's things were the only ones in here. "I guess you probably wouldn't want to move, though, since you already put your stuff away." Jimin mentally relaxed a little, glad that the boy finally got that he didn't want to move from his very comfy spot by the window. "That's okay, I can sit here with you for a while!"

That sentence almost did illicit a verbal response, and Jimin twisted his fists into his robes to control himself enough not to let himself outright growl at the kid, instead a venomous hiss warning the student to stay away. If Shiva weren't already napping in one of his special carriers, he was sure to come out and hiss along with him.

It worked, though, the boy pausing mid-step, halfway into the compartment as Jimin leveled him with a look that, in the politest terms, told the other to fuck off. "Or not." Awkward silence filled the air, Jimin not moving a single muscle in his face as Taehyung backed up. "Well... You probably want to be alone. Hard to do on a crowded train, but something tells me you'll have no trouble scaring people off with that look."

"Tae, where are you?"

The Hufflepuff in question glanced over to where the shout had come from, motioning that he'd be right there, before turning back to Jimin. "If you find the company you end up with unpleasant, then come on over to mine. If not, then I guess I'll see you around school. Don't forget, you have to teach me that death glare." And then he was off, closing the compartment while telling his friend off.

"Kook, chill. I'm right here. Stop bothering the rest of the train."

With peace and quiet finally setting in the car, Jimin leaned back and relaxed his face as the voices outside died down and the train's horn sounded its departure. Jimin might consider the ride as the most peaceful moment he's had since school had let out last year. No one from his house or others came in to bug him, and Shiva slithered down at some point to wrap himself up in his lap. Jimin celebrated his hard fought peace by splurging a few galleons on the trolley for snacks.

He felt happy, a rare occurrence that Jimin treasured when it came around. He had and idea of what happiness should be. Happiness meant being away from his family and anyone who knew his family. Happiness meant having a respectable job where no one questioned his integrity based on his questionable lineage. Happiness was finding love in someone, and them loving him in return. He would be happy when he left everyone behind as an adult. So he basked in his small feeling for a while.

Jimin didn't even have any friends aside from Shiva, and although the snake was sometimes the only thing that kept him from going bat-shit insane, he technically didn't count. Sometimes snake logic was not human logic, and Jimin could only glean a certain amount of advice from Shiva before it dived into the simplicity of an animal. He just knew that, if he did make friends, it wouldn't be anyone here.

His fourth year at Hogwarts was a bit strange for him, the Hufflepuff from the train never far from his thoughts or eyes. With no effort, Jimin became aware of the posse the Hufflepuff kept around himself, Their names and other personal information he didn't want to know practically shouted at him. The exception was Yoongi, whom he already knew. Jeon Jungkook, a Ravenclaw. Jung Hoseok, a Hufflepuff like Taehyung. Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin of Gryffindor. Jimin couldn't imagine himself socializing with anyone at school, the house hierarchy too complicated and set in its ways. Drama was not something Jimin ever wanted to be a part of, having enough of that when he was at home, and his house when they were feeling particularly vicious. This group seemed to be all about drama.

He could maybe see himself being friends with Yoongi, but he couldn't figure out why his fellow Slytherin could stand the likes of that rowdy bunch. Jimin tried ignoring them, but it was kind of hard not to when they were so loud and ostentatious. What surprised him the most was when Yoongi would join in on the antics, the quiet male most of the time keeping to himself and just looking like he didn't want to be there most of the time.

Jimin remembered one instance in the library that almost got the group kicked out, Yoongi was the only one studying while the rest of the group at the table were vying for the position of being Jungkook's parental figures. Seokjin was loudly proclaiming Jungkook as his darling son he must take care of despite the Ravenclaw's protest.

"Hyung, stop. I already have parents," Jungkook whined as he attempted to tug himself out of the older man's hold.

"No!" Seokjin squeezed his head tighter into his chest, making the younger flail. "Say it's not so! When did you get yourself new parents? Point me at them and we shall dual!"

"Not what I meant, hyung!" The Ravenclaw made grabby hands at Hoseok, who'd been laughing at them this whole time. "Hobi-hyung, help!"

Seokjin's eyes landed sharply on Hoseok, causing the other to suddenly gulp. "So it's Hobi, is it?"

"I wanna be his big brother," Taehyung said unhelpfully as he raised his hand, as if clarifying his position. He made no attempt to intervene, enjoying the show and Jungkook's struggle.

Hoseok cleared his throat. "I mean, if you want, I could..."

"I'll happily fight you for it."

Everyone, including Jimin seated a few tables away, looked over at Yoongi in surprise. He held his fist out, elbow propped up on the table and ready for a game of rock, paper, scissors. It was finally somewhat quiet in the library for a few moments, as it should be, until Seokjin bellowed out a laugh.

"Ha! As if I would let a conniving, scheming, Slytherin-y snake like you to take my title! On guard!"

Seokjin let go of Jungkook, allowing the boy to breathe in favor of doing battle with the other seventh year across the table. Jimin shook his head at them, not understanding a single thing they were doing. It was a wonder they haven't been kicked out yet. Still, he watched from a distance until the pride of House Slytherin prevailed again before going back to the book in front of him. Seokjin's wail of defeat finally got the attention of the librarian and caused the group to murmur several apologies, the elderly woman only retreating when they promised no more antics. Even as she was walking away, the oldest of the group was undeterred by Yoongi's smirking as he once again crushed the youngest to his side.

Jungkook sighed, and Jimin could feel his tiredness and embarrassment all the way from his own table. Having friends must be such a chore.

Jimin still went up to his own tower almost daily, during the times that weren't dedicated to classes, sleep and mealtime. The rare time he had to go to the library, he would check a book out and bring it there. He brought Shiva up here on occasion, the snake chased after mice and birds on his active days, and would snooze in a corner on his lethargic days. For the first couple of months, he was back into his favorite, normal routine of ignoring the world outside, but it didn't last any longer than that.

Taehyung started to pop up again. The first time he came in, he smiled wide and clapped. "Ha! I knew you would be here. I was starting to wonder if maybe that this was the only place you really hung out, but I guess I was right!"

Most of the time he was only here for a few minutes, talking to him until his friends arrived and started looking for him. But he would always excuse himself and greet them before they could find Jimin's hidden staircase. The first few times that Taehyung had come barging in, Jimin would do nothing but glare at the other boy, willing him away with his mind, but refusing to speak to him. When it was clear that Taehyung would rather tease him about his scowl rather than adhere to it, Jimin didn't bother even looking at him when he would next burst into the door. Instead, he would let Taehyung say whatever it was he needed to get out of his system and then leave. There was no use wasting anger on the Hufflepuff when it wasn't going to affect him.

Good riddance, he thought. About time. Fucking finally. All these things would cross his mind when Taehyung would finally leave and Jimin was once more surrounded by the comfort of silence.

It wasn't until around Christmas time that he realized that the Hufflepuff's visits were getting longer, wordier, until right before Christmas break, where Taehyung came in, made himself comfortable, and talked the whole day until curfew. It had been a Sunday, Jimin was reading an advanced potions book for a bit of light reading, and was only half listening to Taehyung only because it was practically in his ear. After he'd left, and Jimin was ready to leave, he'd realized with a start that Taehyung's friends never came to meet him.

Jimin pondered all the reasons for why Taehyung would stay and talk to him even though Jimin never gave him the time of day, much less a verbal response to let him know that he was actually listening. He refused to ask Taehyung himself, wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that Jimin was perplexed over his behavior. He never gave Taehyung any reason to come over to the tower to talk to him, always either glaring at him ignoring him.

Yet again and again, Taehyung came to his tower. Whether it was just a few minutes before he left to wish him a Happy Christmas, or an hour to tell Jimin about how class has been suspended because someone created a huge mess in the potions room, or to spend all day there talking about his friends, family and latest gossip. Most, if not all, the subjects Jimin wasn't interested in hearing in the first place. There was no desire to actively pay attention to the lives of people he was never going to see again, uninteresting people who did nothing but judge and bully him. He would rather just ignore them and forget them. He could always shove his high status in their face and tell them to fuck off, but he didn't really have status equal to his so-called family.

It's one of the reasons why he was still so weary of Taehyung. He didn't want to give the Hufflepuff a knife to later stab into his backside. He's experienced that twist one too many times to let himself fall for it again, and that meant everyone was a prime suspect in wanting to instigate such subterfuge. Part of him, the innocent part that was him before such trickery, wanted to give in to Taehyung. Perhaps, if his family weren't who they were, and he hadn't experienced what he had, maybe things would be different. But that wasn't who he was now. He was difficult, complicated, stoic and icy, a tough cookie to crack. There was no use changing. He was fine as he was now. So he planned and schemed like a Slytherin, the very house he was under, how he would get away from it all, away from all of them.

Jimin spent most of his time worrying about OWLs for the last half of fifth year. Although every student had been preparing for them since their fourth year, the stress hadn't any time to build, so no one took it seriously. However, when winter break ended, the daunting OWL exams were suddenly just around the corner, and now students did little more than extensive studying. Although Jimin took the OWLs seriously ever since their teachers first spoke of them, being well-prepared for them didn't make him any less nervous.

Although he chose to study in his tower, he found himself in the library and great hall more often than not with his nose stuck into no less than three books; one hand turning the page while the other picking up whatever food was nearest for snacking. He'd shown his face publicly more in that one semester than he did the entire five years he'd been there, but it wasn't like anyone was paying him any attention, they had their own work to deal with. The only good thing to come out of OWLs, his house was also too busy to pay him any attention. It's one of the few rare times he could study in the public eye.

It also meant that he didn't see Taehyung all that often, but when he did it was usually in the tower and not when he was in other places, even if they were just tables away. Taehyung's actions were erratic at best, Jimin never knows what he going to do if he sees him. Quite a few times he would come in, mutter a greeting and then get straight to studying, both of them wrapped in silence. Other times, the Hufflepuff would complain about how he wouldn't see two of his hyungs next year since they were older and all the things they would miss out on. And on a few rare occasions he would stop studying with a huff, and loudly complain to Jimin about how difficult OWLs were and how it was all completely, stupidly hard, and his entire wizarding career hung in the balance of getting the good grades he needed to get the later classes he wanted.

There are multiple times where Jimin had to hide his face or inwardly stomp down on the urge to roll his eyes at the Hufflepuff. Some of those problems he couldn't relate to, and were childish. He refused to soothe, much less acknowledge such dramatics from the other teenager. But he agreed with Taehyung every step of the way when it concerned the OWL testing and the absurd amount of prep that went into them. It was criminal. He heard a witch in Ravenclaw say that it would be considered borderline abuse in muggle schools just the other day. Jungkook didn't have to worrying about it until next year, and Namjoon and Hoseok could only offer so much advice from having experienced it just the year prior. Jin and Yoongi were the least helpful, just laughing and telling them good luck. Fighting.

"'We'll throw you a grand memorial service once you're dead from overworking.' And then Yoongi-hyung added a 'We're such good hyungs' before they laughed and walked off. Seriously! How could they," Taehyung whined, groaning as he fell over on his side.

It was hard for Jimin to keep a grin off his face. It sounded like something they would pull from all their interactions he's witnessed, he doesn't understand why Taehyung would be so surprised by this. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Taehyung quite literally rolling around on the floor. It was... amusing. Jimin slouched a little more, the book in his lap open near the middle somewhere. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't pay any attention to it, his focus being stolen by Taehyung's wild antics. It takes him a while to realize, but this is the first time Jimin felt anything positive with one of Taehyung's visit. He still got annoyed by Taehyung, and he continued to upkeep his silence, but sometimes having Taehyung there felt... good. Positive. Some visits left Jimin feeling better. It, in a way, takes his mind off his own worries of OWLS, he felt understood when Taehyung complained about OWLs because he's facing the same issues.

It was a connection, a meeting of shared experiences, a semblance of being miserable cohorts. Taehyung probably didn't feel it, but that was okay. Jimin would rather bask in this new, extraordinary feeling without interruption.

After experiencing the stress of OWLs, and the results, and the reactions those results brought out from his family members, Jimin was ready to spend the summer after his fifth year in complete isolation. Doing well in school made his family unbearable as he was often privilege-checked by his parents and bullied by his half siblings. He was afraid of what could happen were he to do worse. He's heard the tales of what The Boy Who Live had to endure, and that was from muggle parents. In a way Jimin was glad that his own family never went that far, but that didn't mean that they weren't incapable of doing so at any moment.

This summer was a season worse than all the ones already passed by, but he owed a lot to Shiva for helping him through. It's not like he commanded the snake to be his bodyguard, but rather the snake sensed danger around his human, and he felt the need to protect. Jimin caught a few frogs from the forests behind the manor, which were Shiva's favorite. He would always receive nuzzles and nudges as thanks for those.

Once Jimin was at Hogwarts to begin his sixth year, it was like the stress and the anxiety of OWLS were catalysts for Taehyung's bravery and boldness. At least two or three times a week, Taehyung would make his way up Jimin's tower. Mainly to talk, about his OWL results, about his friends, his family, classes, there was scarcely a topic he wouldn't touch on.

Jimin no longer wished him gone. In fact, while he'd been away during the summer, he could almost say that he missed the ambient background noise his chatter created, filling the room he resided in and dulling the silence in a way that left him feeling empty when he was faced with his own home. He stopped glaring at the Hufflepuff. Sometimes he would even listen to what he was saying when he wasn't able to focus on his work, or was focusing too much and needed a break. He never showed it, never really said anything back to him, but the temporary brain break was appreciated.

Taehyung had talked about his own family, about how he came from old money and a long line of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. He was more pureblood than Jimin, he would probably even be more respected by Slytherins than Jimin. Taehyung had a big family, four other siblings and vast amounts of uncles, aunts, and cousins. Many of their jobs sounded fantastic and adventurous, stuff envious of any hero. Taehyung's family revolved around nature, animals, both magical and non-magical. It was a field Taehyung himself wanted to follow, a dream of his to rescue magical animals and hold a sanctuary like his idol, Newt Scamander.

Jimin listened with half an ear, partially distracted with his own thoughts, his books, and the beautiful scenery outside. He was always a bit envious of the students who had full backing from their family with what they wanted to do in life, Jimin never had that, especially since he didn't want to go into the family business. Dark wizardry, politics, the snobby side of the rich society, they weren't for him. Even if he did work for the family, he wouldn't even be given a real position, he would be pinned under everyone else's thumb the rest of his life. It was the main reason he couldn't wait to get out of school and finally be independent of them once and for all. Jimin had his own plans, and he wasn't going to let any of his so-called "family" get in the way of that just because they were blood.

Jimin intended to create his own magical garden. Because of his last name associated with terrible wizards, and because of his mudblood heritage among purebloods, Jimin figured he would live out his life in isolation. There might very well be a way to jumpstart his life back into something vibrant and wholesome. But he would do it his own way. All he needed were the NEWTs to prove he could do it, and he would be set. He doubted his family would even miss him to begin with.

It was during one of these random visits when Taehyung cashed into the room gushing about getting a boyfriend. At first, Jimin doesn't know what to make of it, as Taehyung started to go on a detailed explanation of his fateful encounter. Jimin never really considered sharing that sort of intimacy with anyone, mainly from an incident that had happened during first year from one of his fellow Slytherins that he didn't want a repeat. The behavior of his fellow housemates discouraged him every time he did think about it, and Jimin exiled himself to prevent being hurt by it ever again. After the repercussions of what had transpired settled down, Jimin vowed to be cruel first. Not the most ideal way to sort through your trauma, but to each their own.

Part of him, perhaps that innocent first year that didn't know this kind of betrayal, was indifferent, maybe even a little glad that Taehyung has someone that he could talk sincerely to and build up a close, personal relationship with them. Part of Jimin, the one who was betrayed, wanted to warn him to be careful, to warn him that looks and politeness could be deceiving. But then Jimin remembered his place. He was a Slytherin, with a pesky Hufflepuff buzzing excitedly around him constantly, and he should for all intents and purposes, hope that Taehyung would spend less time bugging him about such frivolous things such as relationships.

And to top the cake, Taehyung was gushing about a Gryffindor. Jimin wanted to gouge his ears out. They were the worst, next to his own house. Pompous assholes. And that's what he sounded like the more Taehyung spouted about him throughout the year. All he would talk about was his new boyfriend, what they did on their dates, some of which Jimin really didn't want to hear, and some of which piqued Jimin's interest yet had no business doing so, and sometimes Jimin just wanted to stick his head in the lake and hide.

But he let him rant. Jimin had already come to the conclusion that he had missed Taehyung, that his talk had become somewhat entertaining, and that it was preferable to the silence he faced at home. He would have to face that silence once again, when it came time for him to leave and make it on his own, but that was a future Jimin thing to worry about. Since Jimin didn't particularly care for the topic, he thought it would be much easier for him to focus on his work, but that wasn't the case at all. He would just find himself more and more irritated by what he heard.

The boyfriend didn't wish him a happy birthday over break, the boyfriend would get jealous around Taehyung's friends, and get upset when he didn't get attention. The boyfriend went out for his own birthday and didn't invite Taehyung. The boyfriend and Taehyung had an argument. All Jimin heard was that the boyfriend was an ass, and he hoped that Taehyung realized that, soon, because he didn't want to keep falling into nostalgic depression of the past.

His hopes go unanswered as the sixth year ends. Taehyung comes to him to say goodbye, waving and to wish him luck with his summer plans with his boyfriend. Jimin refused to say such meaningless things. He hoped it didn't work out at all, and judging by the boyfriend's previous actions, he would most likely screw up during the summer, too. He didn't believe in giving false hopes.

Taehyung wished a good summer to Jimin and headed out to catch his train back home. Jimin doesn't have a good summer, like always, and wished he was back in Taehyung's company.

When seventh year rolls around, things were looking up for Jimin. He was just one year closer to finally being free. One year, and it would be over with soon. He'd apply to St Mungo's, he knew he could get a job there, especially if he had shining recommendations from the right people. He would live on his own. He could eat what he wanted, watched dramas all evening, and not have to worry about showing proper posture or etiquette to a bunch of people who were only going to stab insults into him the moment he turned around.

Taehyung didn't come around to talk to him a lot. When he did show up, he talked about generic things like classes, the weather, and his friends. Jimin wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was insanely curious about what happened to the boyfriend. He refused to ask, a sense of pride keeping him silent. But he didn't have to wait long until the boyfriend was brought up again.

When Christmas break was just around the corner. Jimin heard the good news that Taehyung and the boyfriend broke up. It was hard not to, the entire school wouldn't shut up about it, so it prepared him for when Taehyung burst into his tower that Friday evening with a wave of tears. He didn't think he would see him at all considering Taehyung waited until Jimin was about ready to leave, he still had to pack because his family requested him home for a Christmas gathering, an attendance that was mandatory. Jimin was standing at the window when Taehyung's body crashed through the door, startling him into looking over at him. Despite having to leave soon, Jimin stays and listens to him. He agrees that people are shit and only want to use him, but he doesn't say anything, not really wanting to interrupt when Taehyung is unloading.

He remained silent for a moment, watching Taehyung sniffle wipe the tears running down his face, trying to think of what to say in the moment. He wasn't the greatest speaker, and he didn't think telling him "I told you so" would be productive. Instead, he focused on his own Slytherin-biased opinion. Jimin steps down the few steps that led to the window. For the first time, he responded to Taehyung as he exited. "Sounds like what a Gryffindor asshole would say. You're better off without him." That opens a whole new window as it shocks Taehyung into silence. Jimin didn't stick around, he had a train to catch if he didn't want to face his parents' wrath.

The party wasn't anything new, just the same boring song and dance that his family threw at every occasion, though he didn't know why they wanted him there this time. No one came up to talk or dance with him, and he kept himself glued to a wall. It had been weird, and it wasn't like he could ask his parents about it outright. It bothered Jimin for the rest of the break, but once he was back at school and nothing else was required of him, he let himself relax.

After winter break, Taehyung had gotten even more clingy. He would come into the tower almost every day, to the point where he didn't much hang out with any of his other friends, and Jimin didn't want to think about how it made them feel. Jimin had never interacted with them, but he's received a few looks from Yoongi, most of them curious. Still, the Min heir never came up to him, probably got enough information on him from other Slytherins in their house, so why bother?

Taehyung brought excess things in with him, though mostly it was his study material so he could freak out about NEWTS, and blankets. Sometimes he didn't talk to Jimin at all, the room remaining quiet but his presence was still there loud and clear. Jimin gained the most amusement from Taehyung's frustration, tossing his books aside over a problem that Jimin found he could solve with great ease, the drama queen. More often than not he brings snacks in, stuff that Jimin never got to try in his life because his parents controlled his diet half the time and found snacks to be nothing more that frivolous contraband to make kids fat. Jimin had always had an issue with his weight because of that. He let himself taste many things Taehyung brought in, though he still didn't talk much, but he was polite enough to thank Taehyung for everything he fed him. He tended to favor Japanese snacks the most, something Taehyung always made sure to have on hand.

At one point, when the NEWTS are looming terrifyingly close at the end of the year, Taehyung falls asleep in Jimin's lap. Jimin wasn't quite sure what to do with that, not really wanting to wake him but not really wanting to make him uncomfortable. He let him be, crossing his arms and looking out the window. His fingers subconsciously unraveled to run through his hair, Jimin startling when Taehyung said "that feels nice." Jimin was pulling away when Taehyung stopped him, bringing his hand back to his hair. Jimin didn't do anything for a moment, but slowly allowed himself to continue. Physical contact with anyone had been out of the question before, but Jimin allowed himself this one exception.

After his last NEWT exam, Jimin went to his tower and curled up with a pillow he'd brought from his dorm. It wasn't his pillow so he didn't care if it got dirty, it was comfy and doing wonders for his back right now. There was a short period of time between the end of exams and the train ride back home, a time that students took to their advantage while they still had the resources to do so. Jimin just wanted to lay down and possibly sleep.

School was over. He was pretty confident that he passed all his tests, and he's already secured a multitude of recommendations for his apprenticeship to St Mungo's. He was also pretty confident in his NEWTs, an O in herbology and potions at the very least. If there was any doubt about any of his classes, it would probably be Transfiguration. Charms was easy, DADA was fun like potions. He had to put in extra hours for Transfiguration, but all he could do was cross his fingers and wait.

He didn't get the chance to spend more time by himself. Not more than an hour after Jimin had flopped in front of the tower window, Taehyung burst through the door, panting slightly. He carried nothing with him and started to roll up his cloak so he could join Jimin on the floor. Jimin stayed quiet, looking at Taehyung as he prepared to copy Jimin's prone state. Neither of them talked. Jimin frowned when Taehyung continued to stay quiet and moved to stare up at the ceiling. It felt awkward, Taehyung always talked.

It took Jimin a few minutes for the realization to hit him. This would be the last time. Until they left Hogwarts, this would be the last time they would see each other. If anything, he thought that would make Taehyung want to talk more, even bringing up that subject on his own. Keeping his head steady, he shifted his eyes over to the Hufflepuff. Taehyung's face was blank and also staring up at the ceiling, the only difference between them was his fingers fidgeting over his stomach.

Jimin wondered how he would cope without the other's presence now that they were graduating. Jimin had to return home for a few things, but he already made sure to hold his saved money in a Gringott's vault separated from his family, and an apartment set up in a wizarding section of London. Jimin would finally be on his own. Then came all the times where he'd craved Taehyung's company, how things became so quiet when he wasn't around and that his companionship would be sorely missed. He wondered, in a very brief and terrifying instant, if the feeling was mutual. Would Taehyung miss him at all? Jimin had never said anything to him about his life, though he didn't doubt that the Hufflepuff saw how his own house had treated him. Would they ever see each other again? Did it serve any purpose for Jimin to divulge Taehyung in any personal information now that they were going their separate ways?? Absolutely none, which is why Jimin confused even himself as he opened him mouth.

"I was born as a result of a nobleman's inability to keep his dick in his pants." It wasn't something that Taehyung was expecting, judging by the sharp way he turned his head to look at him with wide eyes. He probably wasn't expecting to hear him talk at all. Well, Jimin decided then and there to tell him everything. "He was already in an arranged marriage to his wife, and they were already expecting their second child."

Taehyung lifted an eyebrow. "He cheated on his wife while she was pregnant? Ouch."

Jimin snorted. "And with a muggle, no less. Guess he thought no one would find out about the tryst, or that he'd gotten his side piece pregnant."

The gasp Taehyung let out was a loud rush of air next to his ear. "You shouldn't talk about your mother like that!"

"Pfft." Jimin raised his arms to rest them behind his head and against the pillows. "It's not like I ever got to know her. I remember long brown hair and that's it. I don't know if it's true or not, but father also said that she didn't want me, for him to take responsibility, and tried to extort him for money."

"What happened?" The questions was breathy and tinged with disbelief. Jimin didn't blame him.

"My family has a long line of Slytherin descendants. Death Eaters who were loyal to and served He Who Must Not Be Named. What do you think happened?"

Silence again, Taehyung didn't move a muscle as he kept looking at Jimin, but Jimin didn't make eye contact. It was hard enough as it was telling him this, much less saying it while witnessing his reaction. He didn't know about his own feelings, but Taehyung had told him that he considered them friends shortly after owls. He was risking losing the only sort of semi-positive human connection he had. If he wasn't going to be around Jimin anymore, then now what the perfect time to unload.

"I was brought up in the manor. Everyone despised me, including my father. My mother, I understood, I represented a stain on their prestige. She wasn't even mad that he cheated on her, but with a muggle? That made her furious. She bore three children, only one of them younger than me, but they all felt the same. Uncles, aunts, cousins, distant relatives, they all treated me the same. A black smudge on their beautiful, glamorous lives. I grew up alone, or at least until I met Shiva."

"Shiva?"

"My snake." Jimin smirked when he glanced over and saw Taehyung perked up. "He's the only reason I put up with a bunch of crap from my family and housemates. Then there's the rest of the school who don't like me just because I'm Slytherin and can hiss back at snakes. I thought it would be better at school, but everyone else was just as bad. So I struck it alone. I kept to myself, saved what meager earnings I could, and studied hard so that one day I could leave everything and everyone behind. Muggles preach that it gets better, I think that's how the saying goes. I wanted to see if that was true. Now that everything is done, I have an apartment, my one bank account, and a stable job lined up."

He stopped speaking, letting more silence fill the room, not quite sure what else to say. This was all new to him, speaking his mind, his feelings, to someone else. It felt strangely good, and he didn't want to stop, but he didn't know how to continue. Oh, but then maybe Taehyung though he lumped him in with everyone at school? That was far from the case, if anything, Taehyung had been a fresh of breath air. Even though he continued to ignore him most the time, Taehyung kept coming back, sitting with him, eating and studying.

Jimin forced himself to sit up and look over at Taehyung. The Hufflepuff was still laying on the floor with a pensive look on his face, but he didn't look like he was about to run away from him either. When their eyes met, Jimin urged himself to answer that inner question regardless of what Taehyung was thinking.

"You weren't like them at all. I constantly tried to push you away, but you always came back for some reason. I don't know why you did that, but I want you to know that it helped me a lot." Taehyung startled, surprised from this revelation, but Jimin didn't give him a chance to recover. He had to say more before he lost his nerve. "All those summers and events happening at home, I hated it. I preferred your annoying chatter than the presence of anyone there. I started thinking about what you might say in response to the people and things going on around me. I started to eventually miss our time in this tower, and when we were back here, and you talking nonsensical shit about things I didn't care about, I was happy. Comfortable. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you made things better, and it helped keep me sane."

For a while, neither of them said anything. They just stared at one another. Jimin waited, keeping himself still even though there was a raging storm inside. Taehyung didn't look away, either. Quite the opposite. It felt as if he were trying to look deeper into him. Jimin isn't quite sure what that might entail, but it was the closest thing he could equate the look to, and it set his nerves vibrating down his body, leaving him feeling vulnerable in more ways than one.

He tried to keep a realistic mindset, but he couldn't stop a small part of him from hoping. Would Taehyung reject him like so many others before him? They were graduating from Hogwarts, there would be no reason for him to. They would never see each other again, their fields of study different. It would be tough, Jimin would have to get used to disappointment all over again, to get used to the solitude he once found comfort in. He doubted he would ever be same. But it wasn't up to him if that happened. It was all Taehyung.

Taehyung who smiled brightly at him, as if Jimin just told him that he had a bunch of butterflies under his robes. The Hufflepuff smiled and reached up to grasp his robe. Jimin forced himself not to flinch as Taehyung brought him down and... hugged him? That was not at all what he was expecting.

Jimin blinked as he was crushed in a pair of arms that felt surprisingly firm and snug. Was he always this strong?

"Aw, that was basically a confession! I knew you thought we were friends, though I'll admit I didn't think you would verbalize it. We're totally best friends and we can stay together!" Taehyung nuzzled Jimin's shoulder, and the contact was nothing the Slytherin was used to.

Blushing, Jimin squirmed. "Um... Wait... We're going into different fields of work, so we won't see each other much."

"Oh?" Taehyung let Jimin go, and the latter sat down next to Taehyung, out of breath and trying to control his heartbeat. "What were you planning to do? I don't think you've ever told me."

Adjusting his clothes, Jimin huffed. "Of course not. You're the one that talked all the time. I'm apprenticing at St Mungo's while I work on building my own greenhouses." Running a hand through his hair, Jimin shrugged. "It's nothing big. It's just something I always wanted to do."

Taehyung shook his head. "Don't be embarrassed, it's important to you. What made you decide to go that route?"

A little shy, Jimin looked down at his lap, but told him, anyway. "I just... I knew I wanted to be on my own, support myself, and be somewhere that was out of my family's reach. They have absolutely no connection to a place of healing. So I thought I would like to work there, to support myself while I build my dream of a strong, effective, magical garden and potions lab. Plants and shit are my thing."

Taehyung nodded. "I understand. I have a way with magical creatures, and I couldn't think of anything else to do than work on my sanctuary. So don't worry, I completely support you, one-hundred percent!"

Jimin leaned back as Taehyung beamed at him even brighter. "I wasn't asking for support..." he tried to say, but Taehyung was shaking his head.

"Nope! Can't take it back, now! We'll live together!"

Surprised, Jimin jerked back at the exclamation. "Huh?! What, are you crazy?"

Tahyung put a finger his lips, looking down thoughtfully before nodded back up at Jimin. "Yes!"

Jimin snorted. "You're a Hufflepuff, not a Gryffin-dork." The other giggled. "I've barely tolerated you during the school year, what makes you think I'll tolerate living with you?"

Taehyung smirked. "Well, you've tolerated me all this time, and all you had to do was tell me to leave. Or you could have moved to a different room, even, and I would be none the wiser." Taehyung poked Jimin's nose. "News flash: you didn't. You've been there for me, despite your cold exterior. This might come as a shock to you, but you have a sympathetic heart. Oh!" He clapped his hands in front of him, winking. "I promise I won't tell anyone, though."

Jimin huffed and turned, letting himself lay down on his stolen pillow once again. "You're insane."

"Eh... Maybe. But really, why not? Come on, Jimin, you've been restricted to boring rich people all your life. You never got a chance to cut loose!" Taehyung beamed at him. "Let's be roomies, we'll have a ton of fun!"

Jimin didn't understand why he agreed to do it, even though there was no appeal in this word "fun," but that is exactly what they ended up doing. A few weeks after they left Hogwarts for good, Taehyung's name was on the lease of Jimin's apartment.

It's the first time Shiva and Taehyung meet, and already they're best friends. Jimin found them snuggling every time he was at home, on the couch or Taehyung's bed or coiled around his neck while walking around. Jimin had asked Shiva one night what made the snake cling to him, and the snake responded with "He is like Jimin." Jimin failed to see the resemblance, and told the snake to get his vision checked, but he was just ignored with an "I don't understand." Brat.

Until Taehyung could get enough money together to open his own shelter, Taehyung worked at other shelters, making connections around the globe and directing animals toward ones with proper space. A few small kenneling places in muggle world also often rely on him. Being able to have muggle and wizarding contacts for his future business was something Taehyung said would be a great asset.

Jimin started his apprenticeship for St Mungo's, getting that apprenticeship like he'd expected, going back and forth between departments to see where he would fit in best. At first they didn't know where to place him, he seemed to excel in each department he trained in, but one mention of his Outstanding in potions and herbology they had him in the potion labs most of the time. He kept a few magical herbs at home, but the lab at St Mungo's was a treasure trove of knowledge, and he explored experimentation with guidance from his senior mentors. Surprisingly, no one treated him terribly, even when there were some kids he vaguely remembered in his classes, and all were just as competent. They were strangers until one day they introduced themselves and sat with him during breaks. It was the same as when Taehyung first started to visit him in the tower, yet completely different, like as soon as they closed the Hogwarts doors behind them everyone grew up.

Annoyingly, all Taehyung had to say about it was "Aw, Jiminie made some friends," to which the blond punched him hard in the arm.

They fall into a rhythm, Jimin opening up a little bit more, Taehyung joyfully getting along with Shiva, and having dinner most nights together to talk. Jimin is much more open, now, never imagining how much he could speak, especially in response to Taehyung. It's pleasant, more so than he lets on to the other though he has a sneaky suspicion Taehyung makes him grumpy on purpose, but he didn't know to what end. Jimin was slowly coming out of his shell with coworkers and even started to meet Taehyung's friends, though he tended to resort back to Hogwarts mode for those. He needed to work on than

For the first time in his life, Jimin considered his life to resemble normalcy. Everything was going right. It felt peaceful, comfortable. He almost wanted to say that he was actually happy.

They had a set routine during the week, of breakfast, work and dinner. Friday nights they binged dramas and ordered take-out, and the weekends were always unscheduled. Spontaneity was something Taehyung was really good at. Sometimes they would get called into work, but often Taehyung would drag Jimin everywhere in both muggle and wizarding London. It was overwhelming at first, but Jimin got used to it eventually and now it's gotten to the point where they took turns picking where to go next.

It was what Jimin was doing when Taehyung came home on a Thursday night, surfing the internet for interesting places in Leeds. Jimin angled the way he was sitting so that Taehyung wouldn't see his screen as they greeted each other. It was a rule that they created once Jimin started to join in on picking where they went out, that they would choose where to go, and the other was left in the dark, only allowed three yes or no questions, and none of them could be the location's name.

When Taehyung came closer, Jimin lowered the laptop screen and gave him a look to chastise him for coming near him when he wasn't supposed to, but the words he was going to say died on his tongue as he actually looked at his roommate and friend. His face was troubled as he sat at the table across from him. There were times when Taehyung came home frustrated because he'd seen one too many animals abused and in horrid conditions, times when he got depressed if he went to long without seeing his family, and times when he sat with Jimin when he got frustrated with his work.

But this look was new, because he was directing it towards Jimin, as he also held out an envelope. "I found this in our mailbox, though I doubt it was delivered by regular mail courier."

Swallowing, Jimin looked at the envelope. It was addressed to him, with some ridiculous specifics on how to find their hidden apartment, but it was the senders that shook him to the core. He gulped, taking the letter into a shaky hand, and pulled it closer to his face just to double check. It was still there, and the fear doubled.

The Park Family.

His family. His family that wasn't his family and raised him to keep face with their wizarding community. Jimin doesn't want to look at the letter much less read it. He wanted to burn it. Put it in the sink and set it ablaze with his wand, watch all his hateful feelings wash away. He ran away from them. He didn't think they would care about trying to find him. The burning question of why licked at his tumultuous heart. He was done with school, he moved out, he was no longer a threat to their status, nor a drain on their fortune.

Jimin's last visit to the manor after school had been the last time he spoke to them. They shouted more than talked, and Jimin had remained silent through their tirade. Afterwards, he told them goodbye and left. Their threats were empty. They had three heirs. Their association with him ended, not obligated to give him a position in their family, nor money as inheritance. This letter didn't make sense at all.

Jimin didn't realize how long he'd been spacing out while looking at the envelope until Taehyung closed a hand over his, resting them on the table. He looked up but Taehyung was a blurry mess of concern. Jimin wondered why Taehyung was crying until the hand on his moved up to wipe tears off his cheeks. Jimin was the one crying.

Sighing, he put the letter down to dab at his eyes with the collar of his sweater, a little embarrassed about crying in front of him. The only time he blubbered like this is if a drama or anime had been especially riveting, but that was about it. His work was hard, but he was never frustrated or angry enough there to cry. And there was never a reason to cry when he wa at home with Taehyung.

"Ah..." Jimin lightly pressed his sweater paws to his eyes, absorbing the rest of the tears into his sleeves. "Sorry about that." Taking in a deep breath, he once again took the letter in hand.

Taehyung bit his bottom lip. "You don't have to read it, you know. They can't do anything. Not anymore."

The sentiment was appreciated. He already knew what it was going to say. Probably something officially stating his exclusion of any inheritance, or some sort of orders that they expected him to follow since he shared the family name. That's all it ever was; Orders or yelling. He wasn't expecting much.

"Thank you, but I still have to read it." Regardless of what he expected, how he would handle their words, or if he would be okay after, was something he was not confident about. He didn't want any of those feelings to come back, especially in front of Taehyung. After so many years not having to see them, Jimin doubt he could dredge up the mindset he once had when he had no choice but to deal with them. He hoped if his friend could handle his snotty face in front of a drama he could handle Jimin broken into tiny pieces.

Jimin Cut through the Park seal with a fingernail and lifted the envelope's tab. Nothing. Small relief it wasn't a howler. Jimin pulled out the expensive parchment, caught off guard a little that they would waste good paper on him. But would rich people have anything else of lesser quality? Delicately, he pulled out the folded paper and started reading it.

Jimin

As a member of the prestigious Park family, it is time for you to further your advancement in society. Make haste to Park Manor for details regarding your engagement and future marriage with the third daughter of the Han family. This is non-negotiable. Any current residency is to be terminated, and any unnecessary acquaintances to be cut off. Your life will be full of wealth, and so jobs of any sort is a waste of time. As a son of the Park family, it is your duty to serve your family's best interest regardless of what you may think. Not following these rules would be unwise, as you have a reputation to uphold.

If you fail to respond, please note that there may be legal actions. If you continue with your current lifestyle, we'll press for compensation for your uncooperative behavior toward furthering the family name. Your family comes before you.

Park Seong-Geun

Jimin wanted to retch. Fury burned within him. His previous desire to set the paper afire intensified. He wanted to scatter the ashes in the lake of loch ness and devoured by the beast. Then cold realization washed over him when he reread the letter. Legal action. What could they mean by that? He never signed anything from them. He made his own money and never received aid from them in any form. Jimin was also sure there were laws against arranged marriages without consent.

He felt sick, and for a moment he thought he was going to throw up, but his fear was the only thing paralyzing him. At what lengths were the Park family willing to go? Why couldn't they just let Jimin go? He just wanted to stay away from them. He wanted them to stay away from him. Their mistreatment still ran deep. Why must they continue to chase him and make him miserable?

Jimin wasn't aware he was crying again until his face was pulled into a solid mass. Startled, his shifted his head to peek out from Taehyung's chest. Taehyung didn't say anything. He teared up as he held Jimin's head to his body with his hand buried in his hair. The other rubbed circles in his back. The letter had fallen out of his hands and lay at their feet. Taehyung must have read the letter while Jimin was freaking out.

He wanted to complain, to tell Taehyung to stop crying, but he was an absolute mess. Taehyung slumped to his knees and squeezed him into a proper hug, an action that told Jimin to let loose. If they were back in Hogwarts, he would have told the Hufflepuff off about being too sentimental and shoved him away. As an adult, Jimin buried his head into the other's neck and cried himself into exhaustion. Taehyung remained there for him, not moving away even for a moment. When they fell into a heap on the floor, Taehyung's grip was still strong.

Jimin didn't know how long they were on the floor until Jimin felt like he could finally speak, but it was dark outside and neither of them wanted to move. Taehyung waited for him, remaining a solid presence for Jimin to cling to until he was no longer shaking. He felt much calmer, enough that Taehyung took his chance to say some positive words.

"Jiminie..." It was a nickname that Taehyung had given him when they first moved in and one that he said often. No one else was allowed to use it, and Jimin responded well to it. "I promise that you will not go back there."

A broken laugh had Taehyung looking down at him, Jimin trying to wipe away his tears with his sleeves for the millionth time. "Don't."

Taehyung helped him, brushing his own sleeves across his cheeks. "Don't what? Defend you? Get indignant over a letter from people who obvious don't give a shit about you suddenly demanding things of you? That would be pretty soulless of me, wouldn't it? To not feel anything for the person I care about the most?"

Jimin paused. Well... When he put it that way... He sighed and closed his eyes as he leaned his head on Taehyung's shoulder. "You shouldn't be included. They're targeting me, I don't want them to target you for helping me. I should do what they say."

"Do you even hear yourself right now?!" Jimin startled as Taehyung glared down at him in hurt. "Nothing good can come of you blindly obeying your so-called 'family'. You can't just crumble at their first order after escaping them. You're finally free! Don't crawl back to them now!"

His words only enraged Jimin more, and he slapped Taehyung's chest. "They want to take me to the Wizengamot. Legal Action! Do you know what that means?! The Parks would destroy you, and your family, too!"

Taehyung burst out laughing, a response Jimin wasn't expecting. He sat confused, looking up into Taehyung's fresh tears from his fit. "What the hell, why are you laughing at me?!" Taehyung didn't say anything, just continued to laugh at him. It took Jimin a few minutes of punching and slapping the infuriating man to get him to spill on what he found was so damn funny at his expense.

"The Park family couldn't destroyed my family even if they tried." He paid no mind to Jimin bratty behavior and just engulfed him in a hug again. "Believe it or not, my family is much older and wealthier than yours. As a family of Hufflepuffs and Raveclaws, we're also seen in a more brighter light than the Slytherin Parks, who've been know to be sleazy with their actions since that Voldemort guy."

Jimin winced. Hard not to when he heard many stories about the dark lord that tried to take over the wizarding world, as well as the level of assistance his family had provided. They were a small family back then, not as well known as the Malfoys or Zabinis, but just as terrible. Jimin never wanted to be associated with them, but he couldn't control his parentage.

Taehyung was boasting his noble status as better than the Parks, and therefore he could protect Jimin better, that there was nothing to worry about. Jimin couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped him. Just like a pompous noble, Taehyung was strutting himself around Jimin like a peacock, the way the rich tended to do. Maybe they weren't completely different after all. Away from one snobby, rich family and right into another.

He decided to give Taehyung a break on that. He was much more tolerable than the rich people Jimin constantly had to deal with.

"Besides," Jimin eyes the smirk on Taehyung's face, "You do remember that Yoongi is a barrister, right?"

Min Yoongi. Jimin may have gotten to know Taehyung's friends a little better, but he doubted Min would actually defend him unless Taehyung asked him to.

"Tell you what, why don't I call him?"

That was sudden. "Huh, why?" Taehyung was already preparing to fetch his phone so Jimin sat in his lap. He made himself as heavy as possible while looping his arms around Taehyung's neck. "Stop. Don't move."

Taehyung listened to him, unable to move with Jimin hanging on him. He look down at him questioningly, but Jimin didn't know what to say. If he tried he might cry. He didn't want them them move from that uncomfortable spot in the middle of the floor, not even to get to the couch or a bed. He wanted to stay here, to wallow in his feelings, Being like this reminded him of long ago in that tower, when he would worry about his future and that Taehyung was his source of comfort. If he moved away, Jimin was going to lose it again.

But he didn't know how to tell him, all he could do was say insist they don't move. "Just stay here," he said. "I don't want to move. So just stay."

At first Taehyung was quiet and unsure of how to respond, but when Jimin proceeded to make himself an immovable rock clinging to him, he conceded to his friend's whims."Alright. It's late, anyway. The phone call can wait until morning. I've got you."

Jimin thanked him as they curled up in each other. He recounted the things his family did since childhood as power moves to keep him in line. Although physical abuse was few and far between and stopped when he got Shiva, that didn't stop them from using other methods: taking food off his plate, hiding things from his room, destroying his clothes, jewelry and trinkets, and made him work or pay back for things that he shouldn't have had to buy himself. It led him to talk about how his housemates would do the same, though they would resort to violence and magical attacks written off as "practical jokes."

Taehyung frowned. "I sure as hell hope Yoongi didn't pull any of that shit."

Jimin sighed and patted his knee. "No, he never did any of what our housemates did. He was too busy spending time with you guys."

He didn't harbor any ill feelings towards the other Slytherin, grateful that he didn't make anything worse. Everyone in their house had a tendency to do as he said. Jimin had overheard a student whispering, ready to pick a fight with him at dinner sometime during fifth year, but he backed off when Yoongi told him to not bother and just eat. Surprised that it worked, Jimin had quickly finished the rest of his plate before taking some treats off the table and headed to his tower without incident. He found most nights at dinner tolerable if he were nearby. In hindsight, it was most-likely because of Yoongi. He talk about that with him.

They talked to the point where Jimin woke up the next morning without realizing he'd drifted off to sleep. Taehyung was asleep next to him with one arm slung over Jimin's side. He stayed with Jimin after he fell asleep. Jimin hadn't expected that, nor did he expect to wake up feeling ten times better. He felt safe, his worries lessened, and he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude for Taehyung. His back was aching like crazy, his legs stiff, arms losing circulation, and he knew Taehyung would feel the same, but Taehyung kept his promise. Jimin wanted to tear up again. He held it in because fuck these damn emotions, he was so tired of crying.

Shaking his head to clear away a wave of threatening tears, Jimin studied Taehyung's face. It was smoothed out in relaxation, his handsome features clear in the sunlight. His shirt clung against a well-defined chest, and a sliver of tummy showing his belly button peeked out from under the hem. His long legs were tangled with Jimin's which was probably why they were so stiff. Jimin realized he was a weak man, always knowing Taehyung was handsome, but for some reason it really struck him then. He was stunning, gorgeous basking in the sun. Jimin felt the urge make more of an effort. For himself, and for Taehyung. More talking, nights out, trips, and understanding his work. Just more effort into the relationship he and Taehyung share.

When Taehyung woke up, he made both of them breakfast, ushered Jimin into the shower and called in a sick day to both their workplaces. Jimin tried to get him to stop, said he was fine and he didn't need to do anything his stupid emotions got the better of him, but Taehyung wouldn't have it. He made it clear that Jimin needed some time off after the trauma of his family came back after so long. He wasn't completely wrong. Jimin's heart was still hurting. Taehyung refused to leave his side, support that he never got from his family. Taehyung was the only person to give him that. He chose to be there for Jimin and the thought of it made him flush. Jimin couldn't deal with his family on his own anymore because Taehyung wouldn't let him.

When he came out of the shower, Taehyung had Yoongi on speaker phone. He told Jimin he wanted to read the letter to him, but didn't want to do so without his consent. Jimin was again touched that Taehyung would consider his feelings first before he shared anything of his, another thing he wasn't used to. At home and school, people would just butt in, nosily press themselves into his business and then shared their findings with everyone for a good laugh. Taehyung had proven many times that he was different from them, that he was here to stay but still gave him privacy, yet Jimin always finds himself surprised.

He greeted Yoongi politely, the other doing the same, and then read the letter to him, verbatim. Where Jimin expected him to be outraged or, sad, or admit that he couldn't help him, it just made Yoongi laugh.

"They can't make you get married. As long as you didn't sign any forms, they can't take legal action over you telling them to fuck off. Any compensation for the money spent on marriage arrangements can also be ignored. You live off your own money and haven't been in contact with them for... what, almost a little over half a year, now? What they chose to do with their money is none of your concern. The most they can do is take your name off their will, but somehow I think you'll manage without it."

It was a load of worry off his chest, and Jimin was grateful for it enough to let himself smile a bit. Yoongi's words uplifted a lot of weight from his mind, and he felt like he needed to do something in return, to compensate him for his advice, and Yoongi rolled with it.

"Buy me dinner. Not when all of us are out, you and me. We'll talk shit about everyone. Sound good?"

Taehyung hissed at him with a "fucking Slytherins" that made Yoongi laugh and Jimin smile wider.

Yoongi's reputation in school was cool, but he was more so in person. Jimin accepted the proposal readily. A chance for him to talk to a fellow Slytherin. Jimin hoped for a possibility to become good friends. If they ere back in school, he would be suspicious and would have coldly declined. He's still cold toward strangers, but he's softened a bit around Taehyung, Taehyung's friends, and his co-workers.

Taehyung hung up after they said goodbye to Yoongi and he turned with a giddy smile at Jimin. "See? I told you everything would be okay."

Blushing, Jimin hid his face in his arms, propped up by his knees as he crouched into the corner of the couch. "Yes, Okay. Everything's fine. Happy? You can ignore me, now."

"Nu-huh..." Taehyung grabbed at his arms and tugged at them, but Jimin wouldn't budge. "Come one, you didn't really expect me to leave you to deal with this alone, did you? We're friends, dammit, whether you want to believe it or not, and I'm gonna be here for you just like you were there for me."

Jimin, confused, looked up at him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Taehyung blinked. "What you don't remember?"

Jimin tilted his head. "Remember what?" Taehyung sighed.

"You supported me when I broke up with my boyfriend when we were still in Hogwarts."

He was confused even more, now, because he remembered the breakup, but nothing else. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."

"Of course you did." Taehyung dive-bombed into Jimin's lap, forcing his legs apart as he wound his arms around Jimin's torso, nuzzling his face in the other's shoulder. Jimin remained completely still, blushing furiously as the other made himself comfortable. "You gave me comfort, insulted my ex to make me feel better. It gave me a great source of strength, because yeah my other friends gave me hugs and told me I would be okay, but that was the first time you spoke seriously to me. I'm 'better off without him.' I never forgot it. I got over him very quickly because of you. Now it's my turn."

Jimin chuckled, awkwardly patting Taehyung's back. "It's not like I'm breaking up with a boyfriend."

"No." Taehyung leaned up and locked eyes with him, serious and determined. "You're breaking up with a family that should have treated you better. You deserve a proper family and you never got it. Instead of loving you, they cursed you." He pointed to Jimin's heart. "Threw a Sectumsempra right here, so deep it would affect you even when you were away from them. It's much worse than any silly school break up. I couldn't fathom what breaking up with my family would be like. You finally broke free, but it's not just you and Shiva anymore."

He want to cry, but he was too exhausted and he honestly didn't think he had anymore tears to let loose after last night. Instead, Jimin gave into Taehyung's comfort and hugged him tight, nuzzling his nose into Taehyung's hair. "Thank you," he murmured, and he meant it. He meant everything and he tried to convey it through their cuddle. Taehyung hummed a "you're welcome" in response and returned the cuddle as best he could half-laying in in his lap.

Jimin didn't allow them to move from that spot all day. They ordered food and switched on the television. Shiva join them at one point, coiling around both of their limbs. Jimin refused to let go of Taehyung when night approached, which led to their first time sharing a bed. He wanted to savor it, but the lull of sleep claimed him quickly once the both of them were tucked in and his head rested on Taehyung's shoulder. The letter he'd received the previous night was one of the worst moments in his life, arguably, being called back for abuse when he thought he never had to deal with them again. But the day after, cuddling all day long with Taehyung after he'd been given reassurances, was the best day.

After waking up still tucked into Taehyung's arms, Jimin gained a new feeling in his gut. Maybe it was the way he looked during sleep, or maybe the way his voice was lower when he greeted Jimin after waking, something inside Jimin changed after reading the letter and spending two nights and an entire day attached to his precious friend. He was looking at Taehyung was new eyes, a new perspective. It made butterflies quiver in his stomach when he felt Taehyung's fingers rub circles in the skin of his arm and shoulder.

It didn't take him long to figure out what that feeling was developing into. A week went by with it constantly on his mind until epiphany struck. After answering his family's letter, along with a notarized document from Yoongi, he was able to once again put them away. Not to lock them in a box and forget like he used to, but to accept that they would always cause problems for him. He would be ready the next time they tried. He would not let that worry rule him or the life he's made for himself. Or the life that he wanted to have.

He wanted to wake up with Taehyung. He wanted to spend every day with him. Jimin constantly wanted to hug him. He wanted to continue their trips, and hear Taehyung's rants about animal abuse, locking up perpetrators, and punish them with maximum punishment. He wanted to see Shiva curled around Taehyung's arms and neck. He wanted Taehyung's constant companionship, support, and encouragement. And Jimin really wanted to kiss him.

Jimin loved Taehyung and didn't want to ever leave him.

It was scary, the scar on his heart was just starting to mend from the curse of being alone, and he wasn't ready to expose it to what might potentially be another curse. He'd never loved anyone in his life but Shiva. In Hogwart's, he thought he felt something close it, but then he'd been too naive and trusting, let his guard down right when he shouldn't have. This situation wasn't like that, but he couldn't help himself from thinking it.

Jimin didn't want to believe it but tendrils of anxiety curled around him every time he tried to think about it. No, he wouldn't let these feelings control him, either. He would feel them, drown in them, but in the end Taehyung was his best friend. Jimin decided, first and foremost, Taehyung and his happiness came before his own. And if Taehyung's happiness was Jimin being happy, he was going be fucking happy for once in his life and nothing was going to stop him.

A full year passes with them getting back into routine, though that routine has switched up a bit. They still go to work, they still have dinner, and they still go out on weekend trip. Shiva still clings to Taehyung whenever he comes home. Jimin went on that dinner date - or so Taehyung lovingly dubbed it - with Yoongi as promised. They made fun of their friends, hummed in delight over Korean barbecue, and reminisced about their days at Hogwarts, to which Yoongi again apologized for not helping him out more.

"If I had hung out with you, the other Slytherins would have left you alone."

Jimin assured him that he was okay, and though he was going through some hard times, Taehyung was always there to cheer him up, even if Jimin didn't want him there. That got Yoongi to prod deeper, persistently, until Jimin crumbled and told him everything that happened the night before they called Yoongi. And then told him about what happened after they called Yoongi. And then, because it wasn't enough for Yoongi, Jimin told him about his revelation. Yoongi never judged him, made fun of him, threatened him, or got angry at him. He listened to everything with a deep understanding and bought them both a bunch of alcohol to drown in because they were "too sober for this shit."

He wasn't quite sure how long they were out, probably at least until three in the morning, but Jimin and Yoongi grew closer and became great friends. Taehyung's other friends were fun to hang out with, especially all the mischief he and Jungkook got into, but Yoongi was different and Jimin felt like he could count on him like he did Taehyung. Yoongi promised to keep his feelings a secret, but he also urged Jimin to tell Taehyung his feelings as soon as possible.

"You may not know it, but Taehyung adores you. He's a sweetheart, he'll be good to you - for you." Jimin couldn't possibly tell him, though, and when he told him the reason, Yoongi nodded in understanding. "You have time. It's okay. Do things at your own pace. Just don;t wait too long." Jimin wanted to know what he meant by that, but Yoongi just waved him off. "Never-mind, don't listen to the ramblings of an old man." Jimin scoffed. He was only two years older than him.

When Jimin does get the urge to climb past that wall of insecurity and his anxiety, Taehyung surprised him first. That night, it was Jimin's turn to cook, and he made one of Taehyung's favorites in hopes of softening the blow. The bomb of "I love you" out of nowhere from his friend was going to be hard for the other to handle.

Jimin started counting how many times Taehyung throws smiles at him in a day, can still feel the touch of Taehyung's fingers on his knee when he asked him to scoot over on the couch, and at least once a week Jimin wakes up in Taehyung's bed, or vice versa. Reading, surfing the internet, or curling up with Shiva when he decided to literally coil them together, they somehow manage to find each other in a bed. Taehyung laughed it off, affectionate with the snake and had no qualms with snuggling Jimin to sleep. Jimin had a heart attack every time.

When Taehyung came into the kitchen that night, he gave Jimin a light squeeze and a thank you kiss on his head for making his favorite food. The kisses have been a new regular, too. At first it was Taehyung giving him kisses on the top of his head and forehead. Jimin was too freaked out to return them at first, but consistently receiving them he started to return them. It became their new greeting to each other after work. Jimin kissed his cheek a few days ago, when Taehyung grabbed a few rare plants for the hospital because he was in the area and they were growing wild. Some, still Jimin was thankful. Cheek kisses were soon added to the others.

After dinner, Taehyung popped the question.

"How would you feel about moving with me?"

Well, it wasn't the question he was expecting, or the one he was hoping for, but it shocked him nonetheless. Moving? This was the first time he heard of it. He figured they would still be here in this tiny apartment for a few more years at the least, and only spoke of moving when they were ready to build their dreams.

"Moving?" Try as he might, that was all he could get out, and it was enough for Taehyung to launch into detail.

"Moving into a house. On my last trip to Wales, there was a little plot of land with a cottage, barn and greenhouse. They're small, but I think we could convert them, make them bigger on the inside. You would have a greenhouse all to yourself, and I would have the sanctuary I always wanted. The cottage is a little dilapidated, a real fixer-upper, but I think if we put in enough effort, we could work it out. What do you say?"

Stunned, all Jimin could do was stammer, his mind catching onto the greenhouse and not letting go. It was always his dream to do that, to take care of plants and experiment with potions and provide strong, working self-made potions to the hospital. He loved his job at the hospital, would keep it for as long as he could, but his ultimate goal was that greenhouse. He'd made friends in that hospital, friends with other plant enthusiasts around the world, other hospitals, and although he didn't think his list was extensive enough yet, he had a good start.

He knew Taehyung apparated around the world, made connections where he was needed every day, he had no doubt that Taehyung was ready for this, that he was willing to make this transition, he could see the determination in his eyes. Jimin still had his reservations, though.

"I don't know," he said truthfully, looking down at his lap so he wouldn't see the disappointment that was likely crossing Taehyung's face. "That's a big step. There's going to be a lot of stress financially, and I don't know what is going to happen if that plan fails. Owning a home and land..."

There were fingers under his chin, moving his face up to meet Taehyung's eyes. He couldn't describe the emotion in them, but his eyes were soft and would not relent their intensity. "Do you trust me?"

What a silly question. "Of course I do."

Taehyung nodded. "Then trust me when I say that if you are not ready, then I understand. We can stay here until you are able to take that step. I won't go without you. We'll take that step together. I'm not going to leave you behind. I know that we have a lot of money saved, and it's going to take a lot more to get the place up to snuff, but I think we can do it. I think we are strong enough and connected enough, that we can start. Together. I will not lift my foot a single inch until you're ready."

\Jimin's heart twisted inside, moved by the conviction in his words. Taehyung was too damn nice for his own words. He didn't want to hold Taehyung back. If he was ready, then he should go for it. Why does he glue himself to Jimin to hold himself back for Jimin's sake? Riddled with all these questions, Jimin couldn't speak and Taehyung was talking again.

"Maybe that was bad phrasing on my part. How about we compromise. Hear me out?" Jimin nodded, or as much as he could with his chin still in Taehyung's hold. "Come look at the place with me. See for yourself. Our lease isn't up for another few months, so we have a while to think about it. Then we can talk about it again, okay?"

Jimin nodded again. He could do that. It was a nice compromise. Jimin could see the space Taehyung wanted so badly, and he wouldn't have to make an impulse decision so quickly. He could take his time. That sounded like the best plan for both of them.

Taehyung smiled at him again, letting his hand travel the length of Jimin's jaw and hold him there. "Good. Thank you for dinner, and thank you for giving it some thought instead of denying it outright." He leaned in, Jimin freezing stone still as Taehyung gently placed a kiss on his cheek, very close to the corner of his mouth. Jimin could have sworn that his rib cage was going to break trying to contain the erratic way his heart threw itself about. "I'll wash up," Taehyung said as his stood and gathered their plates. "Go get some rest."

As if his feet were on automatic, he turned and let them lead him into his room. It's only after he shut his door and laid himself across the width of his bed that he let Taehyung's kiss sink in. His face felt hot, and his brain scrambled to pull itself together. Then his promise sunk in. He was really going to go look at a house, to possibly move into, the same one that could lead to his ultimate dream But it could also lead to failure, and worst case scenario part from Taehyung.

It isn't until right before he was about to fall asleep that he remembered he was supposed to tell Taehyung his own bit of news, the reason he'd cooked his favorite meal. But by the time that came around, the wall was already back in front of him. Maybe he will have other opportunities to tell him, for now he let himself be carried away into dreamland.

When they made a day trip to Wales, they stopped by the property. There was a little sign in front of the yard, posting the agency taking bids for it, and a phone number. The front yard was spacious, and the driveway driveway well kept. The house itself was a two-story building from what they could tell on the outside, with a back porch, and behind it was property that held two small structures. One was a wood and glass structure, a few panels that needed to be replaced but otherwise stable. The barn, if it could be called that, was in far more disarray. The same size as the greenhouse, it looked more like a storeroom. A wooden box in need of repairs.

It was dirty, everything was broken down, and they haven't even seen the horrors that awaited them inside the house. But it had charm. As soon as he saw the greenhouse, Jimin wanted to duck inside and take note of the dead plants and decorative pots. On the porch he could imagine a swing, big enough to fit two with enough room to gently swing back and forth, relaxing after a busy day. He could see himself snuggled up to Taehyung on that swing, reading, napping, kissing...

Two months after he saw the property, Jimin made up his mind. Pictures of domestic life with Taehyung led to him saying yes. Yes, he'll move in with him and own that little property. Yes, they will start planning more steps to realize their dreams. Yes, he was ready to take this one giant step with him.

Jimin's life was a whirlwind after that. They contacted the proprietor to acquire the plot, hired contractors to evaluate the home and schedule repairs. It wasn't as bad as they thought. Insulation was good, as well as water and sewage, but electricity needed work, as well as doors, windows, flooring and everything else. They pulled all of their resources together to get that house up and working by the time they moved in. It wasn't perfect by the time they did move in, there were still many things that needed fixing, but the house kept in most of the heat, the bathrooms worked, and they could use the kitchen properly.

Jimin could see himself remodeling the place in a few years, but for now it was home. Their home. Taehyung had practically monopolized part of the basement as a game room, setting up muggle game systems that Jimin really didn't understand, but he said that Jungkook was an expert in muggle studies, a subject that Jimin had passed, too, and was only vaguely aware of their technology. With all this extra space they were bound to create an extra space for themselves. So that's what Jimin did.

There was a study on the first floor of the house, sectioned off from the living room by sliding wood doors that Jimin had instantly fell in love with. A bench set into a bay window was the perfect nook for reading textbooks, old scrolls, and leather-bound journals filled with notes he'd procured over the years. He decorated that study with bookshelves on one side, and a lab where he set up his cauldron, measuring instruments, and empty bottles. It would be the perfect place to brew once he got the greenhouse up and running.

They decided to leave the greenhouse and barn alone to focus on the main house and getting it into shape. They installed human security systems at Jungkook's insistence, but the nearest neighbor was a sheep farm a mile down the road and to the left. Jimin put a firm foot down on having pet sheep. Taehyun pouted for while, until Jimin gave him a picture of a sheep painted by someone at that farm. He set up some magical wards much like he'd seen in the Park manor, though nothing as extreme. During dinner, they talked about both the sanctuary and greenhouse. They agreed they wanted to merge, to have the businesses be combined and work together. Jimin could grow top quality food, and Taehyung could harvest quality fertilizer and potion ingredients for Jimin's lab and the hospital. In theory, it really could work.

It was their first night together at the new house and they spent it outside to enjoy the cool air. The back porch had lights they strung around the roof, and they had a small but comfortable couch just big enough for them to sit in and prop up their legs on the low coffee table. Each had a glass of wine in hand, the bottle half-empty waiting on the table. It wasn't Jimin's porch swing, but it will do until he gets it. They mainly stayed quiet, leaning against each other and drinking while they enjoyed to sound of nature around them. The land was small, but was surrounded with miles of trees, farmland and the wildlife luring in the shadows. Even his snake seemed to like it, having done a preliminary scout of the area. Shiva told Jimin before he left that it was great for hunting, but he still missed the frogs. He was out there now, searching for his next meal. Jimin would be lying if he said that hadn't made him feel the tiny bit nostalgic.

It was serene, peaceful, like it was unreal. Surely Jimin was asleep in their tiny apartment right now, and not buzzed off wine and the evening ambiance right now. He closed his eyes several time, insisting it wasn't real. But every time he opened them back up, his sight remained the same. The porch covered in lights. The barn and greenhouse glinting close by. The black void of night beyond where they could see. The feel of Taehyung's solid form against his side.

Jimin hummed in contentment as he polished off the rest of his wine glass, the alcohol sliding smoothly down his throat to settle warmly in his belly. He closed his eyes again, not from disbelief, but to soak in the moment.

"Hey. Jimin." A nudge made Jimin grunt in response. "Don't fall asleep on me now."

"Not asleep," he slurred, shifting to nuzzle his cheek against Taehyung's shoulder. Although he could fall asleep if he really wanted to, he wanted to stay awake right now and just relax.

A finger poked his nose. "Could have fooled me. You look like you're about to nod off into dreamland. Not surprised considering how much wine you've had."

Groaning, Jimin flapped his hand lazily to ward off the poking, but all his hand caught was air. Admittedly, the bottle on the low table in front of them was not their first. "Spoiled sport. I've only had a couple glasses. And you've had just as much."

Taehyung chuckled, and Jimin felt himself melting a little as the deep vibrations rumbled against him. "I had one glass. You've had four."

Aghast at Taehyung's claims, Jimin opened his eyes and shifted so he could stare at him in shock. "Only one?" He glanced at his hand where the glass had a few gulps left in it. "I can't believe it, I thought we were drinking together."

Laughing at the pout on Jimin's lips, Taehyung swirled his glass. "I am drinking with you, but you drink faster and I'm a lightweight, remember? So stop pouting."

Jimin pouted even more. "Not fair."

Taehyung poked his nose again. This time Jimin caught the finger... with his teeth.

Both of them blinked, caught off guard by the action. Jimin had just acted out of instinct, snapping his teeth at the other, but he didn't think he would manage to grab a hold of him. He'd been wanting to tell Taehyung about his feelings all through their move, but with the construction and the move he never got the time. But they were alone, the move complete, and Jimin felt a bit of courage rise from the way Taehyung blushed, so he took advantage of it.

Jimin opened his mouth, letting Taehyung take his spit-covered finger away. There were light teeth marks on it, but it didn't look like Taehyung was in any pain, and Jimin didn't bite down all that hard to begin with. Taehyung looked more like he was deep in thought, his eyes zeroed in on Jimin's lips, and he briefly wondered if Taehyung was thinking about kissing him. It was a thought that was certainly running through his own mind. And he could, if Taehyung wanted him to. There was no one around to stop them. Jimin wouldn't do it without his consent, but he could close the gap and entice Taehyung to connect with him.

Taehyung looked away first, putting his glass down next to the mostly-empty bottle. The air was quiet and growing thick with awkward energy, which was not what Jimin wanted. He followed in putting his glass down, but when Taehyung looked like he was about to get up from the couch and go to bed without clearing the tension between them, Jimin surged forward. Taehyung's eyes widened as he fell back against the couch and suddenly finding himself with a lap full of Jimin, but he didn't protest. Good, Jimin didn't want to be interrupted while he had this courage thing still going, he would not miss his chance again.

"Taehyung." Saying his name got the man to leave his stupor and focus on him. "I love you."

His response was a wide-eyed and dumbfounded look, as if he never expected in a million years that Jimin would ever develop such feelings for him. Jimin couldn't blame him, he never thought he would ever feel this way toward him, either, much less confess them. Sink or swim, now it was time to see what Taehyung was going to do; accept them and still be friends, or ditch him and their future business plans. Would Taehyung be able to work alongside a man in love with him even though he didn't feel the same?

"I've been in love with you," Jimin confessed, noticing his friend's eyes get impossibly wider. "At first, when I met you, I fucking hated your guts and all I wanted was for you to leave me alone and let me wallow in my misery. Everyone at that school had two options, start shit with me or leave me the fuck alone." Taehyung merely nodded, shocked into silence as Jimin continued his rant. "After going back to the manor, I forgot about you, until you started showing up again. And then you wouldn't fucking leave! You would constantly hang around me for the most trivial reason, to where I started correctly predicting when you would show up!"

"You could have-"

"-Told you to get lost, I know," he said, cutting Taehyung off. "But at that point I was beginning to get comfortable to your presence, and before I knew it I was starting to miss you. Sure I was starting to get my life together, to be able to live without ever having to interact with my family ever again, but then at the end of the seventh year, you proposed that ridiculous idea of us living together!" Jimin poked Taehyung's chest. "Do you have any idea just how absurd you sounded?!"

"I-"

"That was a rhetorical questions, I'm not done yet!" Taehyung pressed down on his lips so they weren't showing. "I agreed! I took my chances on you. If my only friend stabbed me in the back, and yes I considered us friends at that point, then I was destined to be alone. My life would've been nothing but robotic monotiny, and if I had still gotten a letter from my family I would have went. But..."

Jimin swallowed thickly, eyes glossing over as he turned away from him, missing the sincere look of emotion welling up on Taehyung's own face. "But... I didn't. That night, when I was a crying mess, pouring out all my fears, my sadness, traumas from growing up, you didn't leave me." Tears were coming down his cheeks and he tried to wipe them away, but more replaced them and he just gave up. "Taehyung, that night really meant something special to me. And it took me a while afterward, but..."

Jimin whipped around to look at him again, pinned the man to the couch just with the intensity of his stare. "I fucking fell in love with you."

Meeting Taehyung's shocked face, Jimin kept himself bravely in place. He refused to run away from this, no matter what Taehyung's reaction was going to be to his little outburst. The other was silent, and he wanted to urge him to say something, he was on pins and needles waiting for him, but he'd just said a lot, and it was overwhelming. He could literally see when Taehyung started to get a hold of himself, the eyes reverting to normal size and his lips pursed. This was it, this is the big reveal his rant had led up to. Now he finds out if he still had a place here, or if he was going to be looking for a new apartment in London.

Taehyung straightened up, running a hand in his hair. "Wow," he breathed, a small smile gracing his lips as his eyes looked off into the distance at some long lost memory. "I'm glad I didn't confess to you too early."

Wait... what?

Jimin's expression lost its intensity, falling a little bit as a small eye twitch and head tilt gave his confusion away. "Confess?"

Taehyung's cheeks dusted pink as he seemed to deliberate momentarily how to answer Jimin's question, but ultimately he chose to look directly at him to answer truthfully. "I'm in love with you." He reached up and slid his hands across Jimin's cheeks to help with tear control. "I have been ever since we moved in together."

The statement blindsided Jimin. Never had Taehyung given a hint remotely close to attraction, or love, throughout their time together in school. Taehyung was either a fool or a very good actor. "How," he asked, hoping Taehyung would be able to decipher what he meant by that without having to explain himself. Not that he had any idea how to extend his question with his head running a million of them per second.

Taehyung lifted an eyebrow, lips quirking at the broken tone Jimin's voice took after such a passionate speech. "How did I fall in love with you? It started when I first met you and it took our first trip to muggle London for me to admit it to myself." He tucked a strand of Jimin's hair behind his ear.

"How did I hide it from you? Easily. You are my friend first. You didn't receive much as far as friendship and love went, so I told myself to bottle it up for your sake. I wanted to be your friend first, and made it a mission for you yo live happily. A promised I made to myself that I would never let you get dragged into anymore situations with your family. I would rather have you in my life than potentially out of it, or mess it all up. I didn't want to force you into any sort of difficulties like your family did."

Jimin swallowed, blinking away more tears. "You." His voice was hoarse, but he was determined to speak. "You hid everything away for me?"

Taehyung nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to live with anyone else in my life. I don't want to kiss anyone else." Taehyung slid his fingers through Jimin's hair. "I certainly couldn't love anyone else the way I do you. But more than anything, l didn't want to be the cause of widening that sectumsepra over your heart." He tapped at Jimin's heart. "I was hoping to heal it."

Jimin gasped with shock. He hid everything so well. Jimin never really thought he would ever be able to love other people, so someone feeling that way to him was unthinkable. Happiness burst into his chest. Someone felt emotions toward him that he could reciprocate. Someone reciprocated his own. Honestly, if anyone but Taehyung had confessed to him, he have instantly thought they were lying. But Jimin believed Taehyung.

Then the fact that Taehyung had been keeping this from him since school let out made Jimin upset, angry, and hurt. These were the first emotions to make themselves known through the first insult his brain could conjure up.

"you... you..." God, why did his voice fail him so much. Getting even more upset, he yelled it out. "You Hufflepuff!"

Taehyung only had a moment to chuckle at him before Jimin threw his arms around Taehyung's neck in a tight hug, while Taehyung wrapped his arms around his waist. They had two different recollections of this moment. Taehyung would tell people Jimin cried, and Jimin would tell everyone that Taehyung was delusional and couldn't see his face, so he couldn't prove it. They were both a mess.

Jimin pulled away enough to be able to look Taehyung in the eyes, their faces mere centimeters apart. It was natural the way they gravitated towards each other, their noses bumped lightly together. Jimin had managed a breathy "kiss me" right before their lips connected, a command that didn't need to be said, but he said it anyway.

After going his whole life without being kissed, Jimin felt like he was going to melt in Taehyung's lap when their lips finally pressed against each other. Taehyung didn't seem to mind how much of a bumbling fool he made himself out to be, or Jimin's inexperience, instead taking care to guide him into gently copying his movements until Jimin was confident enough to lead their kiss. They parted for breath and to make whispered promises to never run away from each other before smothering their faces once more. They stayed outside on the couch kissing, with Jimin in Taehyung's lap, taking turns to control the flows and rhythms of their mouths.

It was slightly chilly when they finally decided to go back into the house, when their bodies could no longer retain heat, their lips puffy from kissing, and their brains still drunk on champagne and emotions. Shiva was already snuggled under a heat lamp in Jimin's room, in a nest of blankets with no intention to move. Taehyung pulled Jimin into his room, where they stumbled around getting ready for bed.

They murmured to each other, kissed between brushing their teeth, washing their face, and pulling back the covers. The phrases were short, quiet, but they meant every single one of them.

"I love you."

"I'm right here."

"More kisses."

"My boyfriend."

"Mm. Boyfriend."

The last one threw Jimin for a loop. He and Taehyung were boyfriends. Their trips could be considered dates. They could kiss, and hold hands, and do a lot more like the inappropriate images in Jimin's head were suggesting. They were diving into their dream jobs together, their future. Part of that got Jimin scared, got him trembling about what might happen if things went wrong. And another part of him, a stronger part, wanted to find out what would happen if things went right.

When they slid into bed and cuddled, Jimin felt like he could repeat it repeat it. "My boyfriend."

In the dark of the night, Taehyung placed his free hand on Jimin's chest. "My boyfriend."

Jimin took hold of Taehyung's wrist, inching it to rest over his heart. Taehyung stared in wonder, pressing his hand down as Jimin's soft voice filled the room. "Repeat after me?" Taehyung nodded. He then whispered in Taehyung's ear.

Taehyung kept his word and repeated what Jimin had just whispered. "Vulnera Sanentur."

It was almost tangible how Jimin's heart fluttered, as if he spell was already working despite the lack of a wand. He kept their fingers intertwined as they fell asleep."