Work Text:
1 month later
“Here he comes,” said Khan, straightening her back. Everyone picked themselves up, lining up in their full gear, brooms in hand.
Jimin came through the back of the locker room, his demeanor like a General going to war. He passed by each and every member of the team, looking them up and down, and none of them dared look back at him, keeping their eyes up front.
“Wilkins, your right arm guard is loose. Tighten it up,” he said in his clipped, no-arguments-accepted voice. The boy quickly got to it, and Jimin stood in front of him until he finished.
“Good,” he said, patting the nervous sixth-year chaser on the arm.
“Alright, gather up everyone.” They moved into a circle and Jimin looked at each of them before continuing.
“We’ve been training hard as usual and we’re fully prepared. There’s no reason to be nervous or uncertain going into this match. We’re the defending champions and Khan is the superior seeker. Gryffindor gave us a hard time last year, but Sakamoto is back in Japan and their new keeper is a poor substitute, so let’s pile up the points from the start. Just watch out for Kim and Edwards as usual and keep them apart at all times,” he instructed the beaters, who nodded in understanding.
“Let me remind you that we’ve won the House Cup for the last three years and I believe we are perfectly capable of winning it again. This is my last year as captain and member of this team and I have no intention of leaving it without the title, do you understand?”
“Yes, Captain Park!” his teammates shouted in unison.
“Good. Apart from making our House proud and maintaining our winning streak, we have a little reward if we win our first two games this season: our greatest benefactor, Mr. Draco Malfoy, has kindly offered the team an open invitation to his private box at the World Cup qualifiers next Spring.”
An excited “oohhh” was heard but no one dared to say anything else.
“We’re at the top and we shall not leave it, at least not as long as I’m here. I expect the best from all of you from the first minute, so do not let me down,” Jimin said calmly, but the last words had a tinge of power behind it, as if daring any of them to do so. He extended his arm to the center of the circle and the rest of them did the same, putting their hands on top of each other.
“Slytherin!” he shouted.
“For the win!!!” the others answered and then they started checking their gear for the last time and adjusting their brooms.
Jimin put on his helmet and emptied his mind. Loss was not an option, and his pride wouldn’t allow him to even consider leaving Hogwarts without lifting the House Cup one last time. The fact that this was his final year only solidified his determination not to lose a single match. The expectations of his family, his friends and his House were nothing compared to his own.
Plus, he had a wonderful incentive to win this match and it had nothing to do with Mr. Malfoy’s private box. He tried not to let a smile breach his face as he remembered a certain blushing face stuttering out:
‘Ok. If you win the match… t-then I will.”
-
“Hurry up, otherwise we’ll get the bad seats!” Taehyung demanded, and Jungkook complied. He also wanted the good seats, the ones closer to the Slytherin hoops, but for very different reasons than his Gryffindor friend: while Taehyung wanted to see Seokjin try to score points against Slytherin, Jungkook might prefer to watch a certain Head Boy defend against them.
Fortunately, they were early enough to get the good seats. They settled as comfortably as they could on the highest back row, taking out snacks, drinks and, in Taehyung’s case, a big charmed sign that said “ Go KIM!” and sparkled in red and gold.
“You’re weird, Jungkook-ah,” Taehyung said, perplexed. “First you decide to come watch the quidditch match, which you always skip so you can hang out with Hoseok-hyung by the lake. Then you come dressed with Ravenclaw colors, but sit with the Gryffindors? You could’ve at least worn a neutral color…”
“Yeah, no,” Jungkook answered. There was a slight chance that Jimin might see him, and he did not want him to misunderstand - Jungkook was there to watch his new friend in action, not to cheer for Gryffindor. Sitting with the Gryffindor crowd just meant getting the best view of the Slytherin keeper.
It had been a little less than a month since they decided to become friends. There hadn’t been many occasions for them to meet so far - only 3 - but they had made the best of it, spending many hours together at Jimin’s study, playing games, listening to Korean pop music, eating sweets and, most of all, talking about their lives, in Korea and at Hogwarts - getting to know each other.
They got along so well, it was hard to imagine they had ever not been friends. Jungkook loved every minute he spent with Jimin, and almost regretted being placed in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, where he’d have many more opportunities to sneak into the Head Boy’s study.
“Suit yourself,” Taehyung said. “At least help me hold this sign up once in a while, huh?”
“No way!” Jungkook protested. “I’m here to just watch the game, I won’t cheer for any of the teams. I’m a Ravenclaw after all…”
“I’ll tell Seokjin-hyung, he’ll scold you for sure.”
“Don’t care. Plus, he’ll be too busy flying around to even see the sign.”
Taehyung visibly wilted at the very reasonable observation but protested, with a small voice: “He might.”
Jungkook took pity on him and said: “Just scream as loud as you can when he comes our way. Maybe he won’t see you, but he might hear you, Tae.”
And that was enough for Taehyung to cheer up again.
The stands were filling up and the excitement increased as the time for the match approached. Jungkook, who usually didn’t care much about quidditch, was feeling nervous and giddy at the same time.
The teams were called up to the pitch and did their traditional fly-by close to the stands. The Gryffindors came first and when they approached their house crowd, Seokjin slowed down and threw a flying kiss, as usual. Some girls in front of them swooned, Jungkook made a noise like he was retching and Taehyung just screamed out “Good luck, hyung!!!!” in Korean, which made Seokjin look their way for an instant and smile at the younger boy, who was jumping up and down with the sign in his hands.
The Gryffindor team continued on their way to circle the pitch and soon the Slytherins came by. Jimin was up ahead, and his eyes were so fierce and determined that no one from the Gryffindor crowd dared to boo or insult them; Jungkook only heard a sixth-year girl beside him whisper to her friend: “God, he’s so hot…”, which made him blush and feel something really weird travel all over his body.
Jimin did glance their way for a moment, but Jungkook wasn’t sure if he saw him.
Finally, the referee called the teams to gather in the middle of the pitch, then the snitch was released and the players flew out to their positions. Jungkook was thrilled to see Jimin perfectly well from where he was sitting.
“It’s gonna be tough…” Taehyung said once Slytherin scored its first 10 points not even 2 minutes into the game. “Khan is a pro-level genius and Park is a friggin’ wall. But I’m hoping for a miracle here, no one wants to see the snakes win again, right?”
Jungkook was not sure. After all, if they won, then Jungkook would have to fulfill a promise to Jimin, and just the thought of it made his heart race and his face burn up.
‘It’s not like you don’t want to…’ a little voice whispered inside his head, and it sounded just like Jimin when he was in his teasing mode.
-
“Alright, see you guys later!” Hoseok said to the group of third years he had stopped to talk to on his way to the Black Lake.
“See you, Hoseok!” the students answered enthusiastically, happy to have spent some time chatting with the popular Hufflepuff Prefect.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and the temperature was pleasantly mild - perfect for a walk. Most of the students were watching the famed Gryffindor-Slytherin match, so the pathways around the castle were mostly empty. Hoseok didn’t enjoy quidditch at all, he thought it was confusing and too hard to follow, so he skipped all the games. Usually he had the company of his beloved Ravenclaw dongsaeng, but for some reason the youngest had decided to accompany Taehyung that day, so Hoseok was all by himself.
He reached their usual spot by the lake, under a big tree which gave out a nice shade. But after 10 minutes, he noticed it was not as fun to stay there when you had no one to talk to.
‘Maybe I’ll just walk around, for a change,’ he decided, and then followed the small path along the lake.
He walked for 30 minutes, passing by the pier and boat outhouse and not meeting a single soul. He was feeling a little bored, but then he noticed a small stretch of woods a little further, so he decided to go explore it before going back to the castle.
When he arrived, he was surprised to see someone resting against the thick trunk of a tree. It was Min Yoongi, a fellow Korean and sixth-year with whom he had shared some classes on past years. He knew Yoongi was not the friendliest of people, but at least he was not as anti-social as his buddy Park Jimin: he just kept to himself and didn’t talk much.
Hoseok really felt like chatting and he thought it might be a good opportunity to get to know someone new. So he put on his best smile and greeted the Slytherin:
“Hello there! Yoongi-ssi, right?”
The Slytherin lazily turned his head to see who had disturbed his solitude and then almost had a heart attack when he saw it was Jung Hoseok, his maybe-so-maybe-not crush since fourth-year. His eyes opened a fraction and he was speechless for a few seconds, which for Yoongi meant he was in complete shock.
Fortunately, the Hufflepuff didn’t know that. Yoongi decided to play it cool, shoving his gay panic to the recesses of his psyche.
“Hoseok-ssi,” he managed to answer a few seconds later, making an effort to look unbothered. “Hello to you too.”
“I’m so happy to find someone here, everyone else is at the game! Mind if I hang out for a bit?” Hoseok asked, full of hope.
“Ah-,” Yoongi didn’t know exactly what to answer. He wouldn’t normally be friendly in a situation like that - he had a reputation to keep, after all. Plus, he actually really liked spending time by himself and he’d been enjoying his solitude until then.
‘But this is Jung Hoseok, by Merlin’s beard,’ he thought. Jung Hoseok, whose smiles and laughter were a healing balm in Yoongi’s life, even when they were not directed at him. He was so pretty it made Yoongi want to cry. And so nice that he approached a ‘scary’ Slytherin all by himself, without a care in the world.
So screw it - if the Hufflepuff wanted to spend time with him, everything else could go to hell.
“Sure thing,” he managed to answer, and was rewarded by a even larger smile from Hoseok.
“So!” the Hufflepuff said as he approached, switching to Korean. “I’ve always wanted to know: which city are you from, Yoongi-ssi?”
“You can call me Yoongi, no need for formalities. I’m from Daegu.”
“Wow, that’s so cool! I’m from Gwanju!!!” Hoseok said with his usual enthusiasm. “Hwagae Market, let’s get it! Across the Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces…” he started to sing the famous muggle song as he sat close to the Slytherin, who stared at him with a surprised look.
It was such a nice coincidence: just like the natives of their two Korean provinces, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs also weren’t supposed to get along as a norm. Yet, there they were, in a comfortable place in-between, putting differences aside.
So Yoongi smiled softly and then quietly joined in:
“Along the Seomjingang River, Hwagae Market…”
-
The game was over and Slytherin won 270 points to 60.
Taehyung and Jungkook went down the stairs in silence. Even if Jungkook hadn’t been really rooting for any of the teams, he was still sad for Seokjin’s sake, since it had been an even greater loss for Gryffindor than last year.
“Man, this is so depressing,” Taehyung confessed. “I think we’ll need a new keeper, this one was not great.”
“At least Jin-hyung scored three times…” Jungkook pointed out.
“He and Edwards are our best players, but they’re both graduating this year!” Taehyung complained.
“Yeah, but Khan and Jimin are also graduating, so it might make things more balanced…” Jungkook reminded him.
“Jimin?” Taehyung asked, confused. “Oh, you mean Park! Yeah, with those two out we might have a chance. I swear Khan has caught the snitch every single game these past two years. Is she Harry Potter or something? I heard two pro teams have already offered her contracts…”
Jungkook was glad Taehyung didn’t latch on his slight mistake and they parted ways once they reached the quidditch ground building. Jungkook went back to the castle while the Gryffindor decided to stick around and wait for Seokjin.
Taehyung sat down on a bench close to the exit of the building and waited. After half an hour, the first Gryffindor players started to come out, but Seokjin was not amongst them. Then came the whole Slytherin team in a celebratory mood, with Park on the rear, looking unaffected as always. The Head Boy actually stopped when he noticed Taehyung and stared at the general area where he was sitting for 3 seconds before continuing on his way.
More Gryffindor players came out, and still no Seokjin. After 15 minutes, Tae started to wonder if he had somehow missed him. So he decided to go into the building and search for his hyung.
He found Jin sitting down on the locker room bench, looking a bit lost. The usually good-humored Gryffindor had a defeated look on his face and it made Taehyung’s chest hurt.
“Hyung,” he called softly as he approached the older. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah, Taehyung-ah! It’s… hm…” Jin looked like he was trying to come up with an excuse.
“Are you sad, hyung?” Taehyung asked, with the rare tone of voice he only used when he was 100% serious, sitting beside him.
“Ah…” Seokjin looked at him and then deflated a bit, sighing loudly. “Yeah, a little bit,” he finally admitted. “It’s my last year, you know? I wanted to win so bad.”
“It’s okay, hyung. It’s okay to be sad,” Taehyung said. “But just so you know, you were awesome out there.”
“I was?” Jin asked, fishing for compliments.
“I mean, that goal with the Finbourgh Flick? It left Park gaping like a fish. It was amazing.”
“Oh, yeah? Did it make you fall for me or something?”
Taehyung froze for a couple of seconds, not sure of what he’d heard. He looked back at Jin, who was watching him with a strange look in his eyes, like he was daring Taehyung to either agree or deny it.
The fifth-year would usually answer something scathing like “I have better taste than that” or “you’re so gross, hyung”. But there was still a lingering sadness behind Seokjin’s eyes and Tae suddenly remembered that, in seven months, Seokjin would go back to Korea for good.
So he stood up and decided to be a little brave, even if he had to look away from his handsome friend when he said:
“Maybe. A little bit.”
Seokjin smiled.
-
“Wait for me at the unused Transfiguration classroom one hour after the end of the game, alright?”
“Are you that confident you’ll win, hyung?”
“I am. But if somehow I don’t, I could also use some consolation.”
So there Jungkook was, waiting.
It was a good game. Gryffindor had fought hard and Jin had scored some amazing goals; but other than that, Slytherin had outdone them in every sense. And Jimin had been so amazing. Jungkook had heard from other students how great of a player and captain he was before, but he had never witnessed it with his own eyes.
Now he was in awe. Jimin had amazing reflexes which made him an outstanding Keeper, but the most impressive thing was how commanding he was on the pitch, shouting out orders, giving hints to the other players and keeping his eyes on every aspect of the game.
He had sounded so confident when he’d told Jungkook he would win the match and Jungkook had wondered where such confidence came from. Now he understood. Jimin had been raised to be the leader of a huge, powerful and ancient family; commanding a group of teenage quidditch players was probably a much easier task.
The door opened, and there came Jimin, still carrying some of his gear. After locking the door and checking their surroundings, he cast a muffliato charm and approached his junior.
“Good afternoon, Jungkook-ah,” he said with a smile on his face.
“Hello, hyung,” Jungkook answered, a little embarrassed. Just when he’d gotten used to hanging around the Head Boy, the Slytherin had to go and impress Jungkook even more with his leadership and athletic skills… so he was feeling shy once again.
“You enjoyed the game?”
“I did. You were… you were very…” Jungkook fumbled to find words that could accurately express what Jimin looked like during the game.
Impressive? Powerful? Commanding?
‘God, he’s so hot…’
“Cool!!!” he almost yelled, desperately trying to get rid of the overheard comment that suddenly popped into his head. “You were very cool, hyung, yeah, that’s it…”.
Jimin laughed a little, amused at how Jungkook seemed to be grudgingly impressed at seeing his quidditch skills for the first time. ‘Time to collect then,’ he thought.
“Thank you. And now, since I’ve won, I believe you owe me a prize.”
“Ah, hyung… really? Do I have to?”
“Now, Jungkook-ah, don’t go back on your promise. You told me yourself that you really liked it when we did it before. And I liked it too, so what’s the problem?”
“I mean… it’s just that I lose control a little, since it feels so good…”
“That’s more of a reason to do it then,” Jimin argued. “Is it… that you don't trust me maybe? To be that vulnerable with me?”
“N-no, that’s not it!” Jungkook denied. “I trust you. It’s just that… it’s embarrassing,” he finally admitted.
“Jungkook-ah…” Jimin looked at the younger boy, a bit concerned. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. If it’s something we both enjoy and we’re doing it because we want to, there’s nothing wrong with it, ok? Do you want to do it?”
“Yeah… it felt really good last time. Kinda liberating. It helped me release my stress.”
“It’s the same for me. So let’s try it, alright? And remember, we can stop whenever you want.”
“Okay, hyung,” Jungkook relented. “And I did promise, so… let’s go.”
Jungkook transformed into his animagus and Jimin gently picked him up, putting him inside a charmed bag which had a comfortable cushion and a lot of space inside, and they made their way to the Slytherin dorms.
-
“Hey, Jimin-ah,” Namjoon greeted the Head Boy when he arrived at the Common Room. “Nice game.”
“Thank you, Joon,” Jimin answered in Korean. “And thank you for being there today.”
Neither Namjoon or Yoongi were much interested in quidditch, but they always took turns watching Jimin’s games, for safety sake. Jimin had stopped arguing that there was no need to do that in fifth-year and simply accepted his friends’ overprotectiveness.
There was a small celebration going around them, with the team and some of the senior students who were closest to them.
“The captain is here!” Lloyd, one of their energetic beaters, called out, and they all started cheering for him. Jimin raised a hand in acknowledgment and politely declined joining them.
“Want some company?” Namjoon asked, when Jimin made his way to his study.
“I already have some,” and he gestured to his bag.
“Ohh, of course!” Namjoon answered with a knowing smile. “Enjoy then.”
Jimin entered the study and took Jungkook out his hiding place. He propped the animal against his shoulder and gently caressed its back, then pressed his face against its fur and said, softly:
“Well, then… shall we begin?”
1 week earlier
“How is it like, being in animagus form?” the Head Boy asked.
“It’s weird. It’s like there are two different types of ‘me’ - the normal one, Jungkook, and an animal one, Gongju. Like two different consciousnesses co-habiting the same body?”
“Which one controls the body then?”
“Both. Human ‘me’ can fight for control and be fully conscious, but it feels better, more comfortable, to let the animal in charge.”
“And how does it feel for human you when it is in charge?”
“Relaxing. The ah-… the scratches, the petting… felt really good.”
“Oh?”
“It was nice. Don’t pretend you don’t remember, hyung! Gongju was all over you and I… well, I didn’t fight.”
“Well, if it feels so nice, why don’t we do it again?”
“Really? You want to?”
“Sure. I love animals, playing with them heals me and you are the sweetest kitty.”
“Ah, hyung… stop.”
“It’s true! You’re saying it feels really good for you and I would love some time with my princess.”
“…”
“So, is it a deal? I have an important game this Saturday, but we can meet after it.”
“I don’t know, hyung… won’t it be weird?”
“There was nothing weird before.”
“Yeah, but you-… you didn’t know I was an animagus then!”
“Now I know and I still want to do it.”
“Ahhh… I-i don’t… I don’t know… I want to, b-but…”
“You’re blushing, Jungkook-ah. Look, let's make a bet then. If I win my game, you grant me some time with Gongju as a prize - how about that, hm?”
“A prize?! You’d like it that much?!”
“Of course. As long as you want it too…”
‘Hm. Well… ok, I guess. If you win the match… t-then I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Great! Wait for me at the unused Transfiguration classroom…”
-
“So, was it good for you?” Jimin asked after their cuddling/petting/scratching session, knowing it must’ve been, from the way Gongju purred loudly the whole time.
“It was,” Jungkook answered, still feeling shy. “But it’s… it’s actually not that different from how it feels when you… you know…”
“What?”
“When you caress my hair, that kind of thing…” Jungkook answered honestly, even if he was embarrassed admitting it.
“So Jungkookie likes physical affection as much as Gongju, is that it?” Jimin asked, with an unmistakable note of teasing in his voice.
“Ahh, hyung… stop.”
“Shall we test it?” Jimin said as he approached Jungkook.
“How..?” Jungkook started to say but then was rendered speechless, completely shocked and blushing bright red, when Jimin came closer and closer and then kissed him on the cheek.
The Head Boy took a step back to admire the work of art that was a lost, blushing Jungkook looking at him with a flabbergasted look in his face. It felt so satisfying that the Slytherin in him couldn’t help adding up:
“Guess I know which prize I’ll ask for when I win my next game then.”
“Ah- you! HYUNG!!!!”