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The castle is quiet this early in the mornings. So quiet, that Taehyung can finally hear his own thoughts with none of the usual obstructions that come from the outside world. So quiet, he can actually think. And he’s got a lot to think about. A lot to read and look through.
The sunlight pouring into the classroom is pale; it paints the floorboards like an egg yolk splattered against a counter. Illuminates the little, colourful glass bottles of potions that sit pretty and organised in rows across the wooden shelves built into the stone walls. It’s a bit chilly, with the late November frost stretching up the window panes and covering the bottom of the glass like shiny crystals at the bottom of an ocean. It’s chilly, but Taehyung thrives in the cold; an emerald scarf wrapped around his neck, keeping his skin warm and toasty.
He sits at the large desk, books opened and papers scattered; the messy scrawls and the careful cursives of his students’ staring back at him in black quill ink. His morning cup of tea – still warm – sits untouched by his right elbow. The scent of mint and lemon fills the air.
And it’s silent all around him. It’s so wonderfully silent. No children talking or laughing, no spells being spoken into existence and no swish of a wand in the air. Just the sound of his hand occasionally flipping a page of the book in front of him and the sound of his own thoughts filling the quiet. It’s relaxing, peaceful, quiet –
The heavy door to the classroom quietly creaks open.
Taehyung lifts his head slowly, mouth already opening to gently reprimand whoever it is that decided to push the door open without so much as a polite knock, when his visitor pops their head in.
And Taehyung’s mouth involuntarily stretches into a soft smile.
Because there, in the doorway, stands Jeongguk; dressed in a slightly oversized Ravenclaw blue sweater and carrying a massive, folded up star chart. His cheeks are tinted red, and so is the tip of his nose, making it obvious to Taehyung that the younger professor had been outside before coming to him.
“Good morning. May I come in?” Jeongguk asks, voice still a bit scratchy from sleep. Taehyung doesn’t even blink before he’s nodding his head; a fond smile planting itself into the lines of his cheeks and the corners of his mouth.
“Good morning. And yes, you may.”
Jeongguk steps inside quickly, closing the heavy door behind him with a soft and quiet click. Taehyung stands up from his seat, watching the Muggle Studies professor make his way across the classroom and up the few little stone steps leading to the Potions professor standing by the wooden desk.
Once he gets closer, Taehyung can see that the younger’s hair is a bit dishevelled; most likely from the morning wind.
“Were you outside, darling?” Taehyung asks before he can stop himself. The term of endearment falls from his lips easily – like it’s natural instinct by now – and what makes the older man smile is that Jeongguk doesn’t even really react to it anymore.
Before he had blushed and looked down, only to look back up after a couple of seconds; his eyes shining like the little galaxies in the night sky that the two of them love to watch and study so much.
Despite being a rather outgoing, confident man, Jeongguk always seemed to be most affected by the elder and his way of speech.
Now, however, he barely reacts to it anymore; the only indication that he even heard the petname is the little happy glint in his eyes.
“Yes. It’s snowing outside, did you know?”
And no, Taehyung had not known, but he can also now see the few strands of Jeongguk’s dark brown hair wet; something glistening in his hair. Little snowflakes.
“I hadn’t even noticed.”
Jeongguk shrugs, stepping closer and invading Taehyung’s space. He keeps one arm wrapped tightly around his star chart – the paper pressed to his chest like something sacred and precious – and wraps his other arm around Taehyung’s neck in a sweet embrace; pressing his cheek against the elder’s shoulder.
And Taehyung immediately hugs the younger back, securing both of his arms around Jeongguk’s waist and pulling him closer into his chest; the paper now squished between their bodies.
“Missed you,” Jeongguk mumbles into the soft material of the emerald scarf around Taehyung’s neck.
The Head of Slytherin House exhales a breath, burying his nose in Jeongguk’s soft hair; he inhales the scent of the younger wizard and smiles once his nose picks up on the subtle hint of gingerbread cookies and cinnamon.
Jeongguk’s signature scent.
“I’ve missed you too.”
Jeongguk lifts his head to smile at the elder and gently taps the star chart against Taehyung’s chest.
“I was thinking that, instead of going up to the tower as usual, we could go down to the Quidditch field tonight. If I’ve done the calculations on my charts correctly, then we should be able to see Ophiuchus tonight, which is a rare occurrence. And the best spot for viewing this constellation is actually somewhere above the field.”
“Ophiuchus?” Taehyung asks, tilting his head to the side in question. Jeongguk pulls away from the embrace and Taehyung lets him go unwillingly.
“Yes. It’s a constellation that, while being so large, is very rarely seen because it doesn’t contain bright stars, and it is less known because of how rarely it is seen. It’s also known as the serpent bearer.”
Taehyung raises his eyebrows.
“The serpent bearer?”
Jeongguk smiles – a little, mischievous smile. A teasing quirk of the lips.
“Yes.”
The little irony of the name isn’t lost to either of them – what with Taehyung coming from a pureblood wizard family who have their roots set so deep into the House of Slytherin, you would not be able to unearth them no matter how deep you tried to dig.
“Well, if you say that tonight is a rare night when this wonderful constellation can be seen, then…I guess I have to come.”
Jeongguk rolls his eyes, just a tad playful and a lot fond, and it makes Taehyung chuckle quietly.
It is at this exact moment that the two can hear the castle slowly coming to life. The patter of footsteps and the voices of students speaking to each other as they pass the classroom fill the long stone hallway.
Jeongguk sighs.
“I guess that this means I should return to my own classroom and prepare for the morning classes.”
Taehyung sighs as well, not wanting to see the younger Muggle Studies professor leave so soon. He’s truly missed him terribly since he last saw him…last night.
“Alright, well…I’ll see you tonight then?”
Jeongguk smiles – little craters forming in his cheeks – and nods his head.
“See you tonight.”
He seems to ponder something for a minute, then leans into Taehyung’s space and presses a kiss to the elder’s cheek. His lips are soft and warm when they press a kiss against the high of Taehyung’s cheekbone, and the feeling is so nice, it leaves Taehyung slightly stunned; a ridiculously fond smile maniesting itself on his face.
Faster than Taehyung would like him to, Jeongguk pulls away and digs his upper front teeth into his bottom lip; a satisfied little smile appearing on his face.
“Okay. Bye!”
And with that, the younger professor turns on his heel and makes his way down the rows of student desks, leaving the Head of Slytherin House standing at the front of his classroom like a lovesick fool.
*******
Many people in the Wizarding World were often left wondering how Kim Taehyung – a man who came from one of the most influential pureblood wizard families, and was the current Head of Slytherin House – could have ever fallen in love with a young muggle-born wizard who had only recently begun his tenure at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a Muggle Studies professor. How he could ever choose to be with anyone other than a pureblood.
Yet, for Taehyung, the decision to fall in love with one Jeon Jeongguk came easier than breathing air. And there was nothing anyone could say to change his mind.
Jeongguk came into Taehyung’s life a few months after the elder had gone through a gruelling divorce that had left him cynical to the conversation of love and partnerships. The elder wizard had heard of the young Muggle Studies professor before – had heard his own students talk about professor Jeon with big smiles and sparkling eyes, describing the professor’s kindness and entertaining approaches to teaching his subject – but he hadn’t really had the pleasure to run into him yet, as Taehyung loved to spend all his free time either locked up in his office or his sleeping quarters (blame the after effects of his divorce).
Taehyung mainly enjoyed stepping out of his hideouts only in order to go watch the stars atop the Astronomy Tower. He would leave his bedroom an hour before midnight and make his way down the long, winding corridors of the castle; climb stone steps and slip through grand doorways, all just to get to the one place in the Tower that brought a rare smile to his face these days.
Once he was there, he’d spend a few hours of the night just sitting on one of the stone benches by the ledge overlooking the entire castle grounds, and crane his neck back with a small telescope in his hands; eyes focused on the dark night skies and all the wonders that lay in it like pearls at the bottom of an ocean.
And that’s exactly where he met Jeongguk on one of these nights.
Taehyung had just sat down on the bench when he heard the large wooden door creak open. And he had blinked because –
Well.
No one ever really comes here if there’s no classes scheduled. Hell, not even the Astronomy professor comes up here if she doesn’t explicitly have to.
So, naturally, Taehyung had curiously tilted his head to look over to see who had come.
It had been a young man, certainly not younger than 25, but also not older than 28. Dressed in a pair of dark, form-fitting jeans and a large, oversized blue sweatshirt; hair a little on the longer side, with glossy strands framing a beautiful face with rather delicate, yet manly features.
Their eyes met – a pair of sharp eyes and a pair of wide doe eyes.
The door had swung shut quietly behind the man and the two had stared at each other; unblinking. Silence had stretched between them for a good fifteen seconds, until the younger of the two decided enough had been enough, and broke it.
“Good evening. I’m Jeon Jeongguk, the professor of Muggle Studies. We haven’t met but I’m rather certain that you are the Head of Slytherin House, Kim Taehyung? That’s the only colleague I haven’t met yet.”
Taehyung had swallowed and nodded, feeling strangely uncomposed.
“Good evening, and yes, I am Kim Taehyung. It’s a pleasure to meet you, professor Jeon.”
Jeongguk had shrugged and – just a little hesitantly – made his way over to the bench that Taehyung had perched himself upon.
“You can just call me Jeongguk, really. Formalities aren’t my favourite.”
And Taehyung hadn’t been too surprised by the request, honestly. Jeongguk was the youngest member of teaching staff, so Taehyung, quite frankly, had already expected the professor to be the laid-back type (ironic of Taehyung to say this, as if he is an ancient being; he’s only 33, for Merlin’s sake).
“Alright. Then I suppose you can just call me Taehyung, too.”
And Jeongguk had smiled, gesturing towards the empty spot on the bench.
“May I?”
Taehyung had simply nodded. Jeongguk had sat down.
And the rest was basically history at that point.
Soon enough, Taehyung understood why his students had become so fond of Jeongguk so quickly.
The younger was deeply intelligent and almost enigmatic. He spoke of the stars as if they were his lifelong friends and sprinkled facts that even Taehyung – a self-proclaimed astronomy geek – didn’t know. That night, Jeongguk whipped up a star-chart from the back pocket of his jeans and used the tip of his wand to draw circles around the most important constellations, while telling Taehyung why he found them so important.
And Taehyung found himself with the startling thought that he wouldn’t mind having Jeongguk sat next to him on this bench almost every night while he admires the stars.
And while he didn’t say this explicitly, he had a feeling that Jeongguk picked up on this fact. Or maybe he felt the same way Taehyung did, who will ever know?
They continued meeting up on the Astronomy Tower every single night after the first meeting, and during these nightly stargazing sessions, Taehyung picked up little details about Jeongguk that left him realizing that his heart was opening up to the possibility of loving someone again.
Jeongguk, Taehyung quickly noticed, spoke fast but soft. His words often came pouring out of his mouth like a rushing waterfall, but he delivered his sentences with a soft, hushed tone; a certain note or urgency in his voice, as if he was running out of time.
He carried a scent of gingerbread cookies and cinnamon that lingered in the air long after he had already left, and he often touched the tips of the dangly silver earrings decorating his ears whenever he was deep in thought; eyes focused on his chart and the tip of his tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth in concentration.
He clapped his hands together whenever he found something particularly funny and if Taehyung so much as teased him about it, he would pout.
His cheeks would turn red whenever the elder complimented him on anything. Whether that was his choice of clothing or the careful and neat way he wrote the names of the constellations and their coordinates across his chart.
Jeongguk was absolutely endearing and there was no surprise why Taehyung found himself feeling warmth bloom in his chest whenever he so much as thought of the younger.
And the wonderful thing is that Jeongguk quickly grew fond of the Slytherin as well; watching with stars in his own eyes whenever the elder spoke abouth anything. Using the opportunity when Taehyung wasn’t looking to ogle the elder’s beauty – the slope of his nose and the cut of his jaw.
Occasionally pretended that he was cold just to revel in the concerned gaze upon him, then blush and accept the emerald scarf or the fancy black coat that was pushed at him whenever he so much as shivered.
They fell in love with each other in a quick and delicate manner. They fell in love with each other over stargazing and conversations of constellations. They fell in love with each other over cups of green tea and cardamom buns.
They fell in love with students whispering and giggling about them because they knew; because they could see the Muggle Studies professor giving the Head of Slytherin House heart eyes that he thought were sneaky across the dinner table; because they could hear the the admiration and the gentleness present in Kim Taehyung’s voice whenever he spoke of Jeon Jeongguk.
And, needless to say, the entire school – faculty included – were watching the two lovebirds with smiles on their faces (and maybe shipping them a little too?).
Taehyung finally gained courage to tell Jeongguk that he had feelings deeper than platonic ones for the muggle-born wizard, and when he did, the younger simply had smiled and said “I had a feeling.”
Then, fighting back a blush, the younger had leaned in and pressed a simple peck to the elder’s mouth; leaving both of them a little shy but very happy.
And by the time everyone found out that they were officially in a relationship, the two were already head over heels for each other and happily exploring this exciting new chapter in their lives; together.
(And, unbeknownst to them, some members of the faculty were smirking and patting their wallets while the rest were grumbling about the stupid bet they all had made – honestly, McGonagall had expected the two youngsters to get together after Christmas but Dumbledore and Flitwick were so certain it would happen before. They were right. McGonagall was pissed about that.)
*******
Now, Taehyung was making his way over to the Quidditch field.
The ground had a layer of frost blanketing it, and with every step he took, the grass crunched pleasantly underneath his feet. If Taehyung exhaled a breath through his mouth, he could watch the instant little wisps of white smoke come from his mouth; the air cold.
Taehyung sincerely hoped that Jeongguk had thought of the cold before asking him to come out to the field. In the distance, he could see the towers and the bleachers; could see the poles standing tall and mighty in the large field.
And a flicker of orange light; like little flames dancing across the middle of the field. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it was a campfire. The Slytherin blinked and then chuckled incredulously.
Of course, Jeongguk would.
Taehyung smiles and makes his way over to the entrance of the field; ducking down and slipping in through the Quidditch team entrance door.
Soon enough, he finds himself entering the field and his eyes land on Jeongguk, who is sitting on a large mattress with pillows and blankets in the very middle of the field; a bright campfire is peacefully crackling a few feet from the mattress.
“Do you plan on sleeping out here tonight, darling?” Taehyung teases, catching Jeongguk’s attention, who was leaned over a large picnic basket.
The Ravenclaw lifts his head and smiles, reaching his hand out. Taehyung is close enough to lean forward and intertwine their fingers, so that’s exactly what Taehyung does.
Once their fingers interlock, Jeongguk carefully pulls Taehyung towards him, and the elder Slytherin comes to sit on the mattress. He’s not all too surprised to be met with warm air; the younger having enchanted the mattress and surrounding area with warmth.
“Maybe not all night, but certainly for a bit.” He says, pulling on Taehyung’s arm until the Slytherin kicks off his shoes and gets into a comfortable sitting position on the mattress. “I also got food from the Three Broomsticks.”
Taehyung just smiles and watches with attention as Jeongguk lets go of his arm to lean over the basket and open it. Immediately, the air is filled with the scent of home-cut fries and breaded fish fillet.
“Fish and chips?” Taehyung asks, amusement lacing his tone. The younger, nstead of responding verbally, chooses to demonstrate.
He pulls out the two carefully packaged containers with the dinner, followed by a small cheeseboard (it’s obvious Jeongguk made it himself, with a little glass jar of blueberry jam in the center of the spread; tied with a Ravenclaw blue ribbon) containing three different cheeses, olives, grapes, crackers and two different cold meats. The little feast is finished by a bottle of pumpkin juice and a sticky toffee pudding for the two of them to share as dessert, coming from the school’s kitchen.
Taehyung blinks.
“Baby, you really did all that for us tonight?”
Jeongguk blushes – his cheeks gaining a pale pink that looks exquisite on his skin – and nods once.
“We haven’t had a proper date in a bit.”
“It’s been a week since our last one.”
Jeongguk huffs.
“A week too long.”
Taehyung doesn’t say anything about that, choosing to take Jeongguk’s hand back into his and press three kisses to the wizards’ knuckles.
“You’re a sweetheart, through and through.”
Jeongguk rolls his eyes and turns away to finish placing everything neatly on the makeshift bed, but Taehyung can see the bluhs that sits pretty on his cheekbones and the back of his uncovered neck.
The sight of that bare neck makes Taehyung rolls his eyes in fond and untangle his scarf from his own neck, leaning forward to place it over Jeongguk’s shoulders and tuck it carefully around his neck.
The younger pauses for a second, then finishes setting everything up properly and closes the basket.
When he turns around to face Taehyung, their faces are close to each other’s, because Taehyung didn’t manage to lean back. Jeongguk doesn’t really waste time, leaning in to press a kiss against Taehyung’s lips.
“Hi.”
Taehyung smiles and cups Jeongguk’s cheek, thumb rubbing over the little scar resting high above his cheekbone.
“Hi, love.”
Jeongguk’s smile is blinding – could easily light up the entire Quidditch field. The younger presses another kiss to Taehyung’s lips, but this time he doesn’t lean away as fast as before, choosing to press another and then another kiss to the elder’s lips.
Taehyung lets out a calm sigh and presses his mouth harder against Jeongguk’s, having missed the younger during the entire day.
“We are going to eat this dinner and watch the stars and search for the constellation here tonight,” Jeongguk mumbles into Taehyung’s mouth, pulling away to caress his index finger over Taehyung’s jaw and up to his bottom lip, “and then we’ll go back to the castle and go to bed together, because there is no way in hell I’m sleeping alone tonight.”
Taehyung allows himself to smirk.
“Are we just sleeping?”
Jeongguk giggles.
“I’d prefer to do something exhausting before bed, but it’s whatever you want.”
Taehyung laughs, pressing a kiss to the tip of Jeongguk’s nose.
“I’d prefer to do that too.”
Jeongguk gives him another bright smile, then presses another kiss to Taehyung’s mouth before pulling away.
“Okay, dinner and stargazing time now, vigorous bed routines after!”
Jeongguk leans forward for the food, while Taehyung just looks at him fondly; love overflowing at the seams.
He cannot believe the sheer happiness that was brought into his life. He cannot believe that someone as pure and wonderful and lovely as Jeongguk even exists.
And as he looks up at the stars above their heads, he can’t help but look at them with equal amounts of love that he holds for the boy.
After all, it was the stars that brought them together.