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“HUH?! What are you doing here?”
Hoseok’s voice echoed through the Great Hall, bouncing off the walls and making the teachers who enjoying their breakfast look up from their food. The few students who occupied the dining area craned their necks to find the source of the noise that had interrupted their morning.
But no one was more shocked than Hoseok himself, who was standing frozen and staring with eyes the size of saucepans at Min Yoongi, sitting at Slytherin’s table and reading a book over a plate of eggs and bacon, seemingly completely unbothered by what was transpiring in front of him. Because of him!
He simply closed his book and replied with, “What do you mean by that?”
“What do you mean, ‘What do I mean?!’” Hoseok exclaimed, and immediately his face scrunched up as if he was retracing the sentence to make sure he hadn’t said anything wrong.
“Yeah, that,” he confirmed a few moments later, “Why aren’t you with your family?”
Yoongi shrugged.
“I’m just not,” he said.
“But…” Hoseok’s tone indicated that he still hadn’t gotten the answer that he wanted, but as he thought about what to say next, he began to look around, seemingly aware all of a sudden of the kerfuffle he’d caused.
Sheepishly, he lowered himself onto the bench opposite Yoongi and reached out to the food in the middle of the table.
“Hey! This isn’t your table,” another Slytherin student remarked when he saw him.
“I know, but look around,” Hoseok replied, “There are so few of us left we could all share one table. It’s the holidays, don’t be so pissy.”
“Well, go find some of your other friends to sit with,” the Slytherin boy retorted, “Don’t bother us .”
“My friends… all went home…” Hoseok replied, looking down at his plate and shrinking like a wilted flower.
“Aish, is that how you talk to the Head Boy?” Yoongi suddenly spoke up, causing the Slytherin boy to stiffen in panic.
“N-no, I just—” he sputtered.
“Stop bothering him before I have to take points from my own House,” Yoongi said sternly, “That would be a real shame.”
The other Slytherin turned around as if he’d been zapped and moved a few inches down the bench, away from the two boys.
Hoseok looked up again when he heard the interaction. “Yah, don’t take points from your House, they’ll never forgive you,” he scolded Yoongi.
“He was being rude,” the other replied and picked his book up again.
Hoseok stared at him and giggled.
“Eat,” Yoongi told him, eyes not leaving the pages in front of him.
As though he’d only just remembered the food on the table, Hoseok began excitedly piling various dishes onto his plate.
༓･*⁺‧
Yoongi had met Hoseok in his seventh year, but that was only formally. He’d known about the other boy almost from the start of his years at Hogwarts.
It was hard not to. Hoseok was a loud, cheerful student who was famously friends with just about everyone and a Chaser in Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team. He was always seen surrounded by friends from every House and year, always smiling or laughing. No one had a bad word to say about him, only those who insisted that his positive and friendly personality must be fake, but that never lasted long after they got to know him. He was active in just about every possible way at the school, was loved by students and teachers alike, who, to the surprise of no one, ended up becoming the Head Boy once he reached his seventh year, a role that suited no one more than him. He was truly a son to be proud of.
So, naturally, it would have been impossible for Yoongi to not be slightly aware of him. Furthermore, they were in the same year and had shared plenty of classes throughout their time at Hogwarts, and ever since their fifth year, when they’d both been assigned as Prefects for their respective Houses, they’d spent even more time together during meetings and talks with their teachers. However, Yoongi couldn’t say that he had gotten to really know him until their seventh year.
He knew that he had a reputation himself, that of the moody muggle-born who had surprisingly been sorted into Slytherin (when would these stereotypes around the Houses end?), who kept to himself and who it was best not to cross. He didn’t like it, but a strong bout of shyness and distaste for overbearing people meant he sometimes used it to his benefit. Namjoon, one of his few friends, made sure to constantly point out that that wasn’t healthy, but what did he know?
The bottom line was, there hadn’t been any reason for him and Jung Hoseok to become anything more than acquaintances. They were in different Houses, had different social cycles, and even more different reputations.
Therefore, it came as a surprise to everyone when they’d been paired together in their Potions class. According to their teacher, it had been a decision made in order for Yoongi, the student who excelled the most in their year, to help out Hoseok, one of the students who struggled the most. The Slytherin didn’t like how such a thing was said in front of their whole year, but Hoseok had brushed it off, and so their partnership had begun.
To Yoongi’s astonishment, the two had hit it off almost immediately. They worked together well, exchanged pleasant conversation during their classes, and found that they had more in common than they’d originally thought. They started greeting each other in the hallways, going for short rounds of flying together, and seeking one another out when they had a large amount of homework to do, so they could study together.
It was during one of those study sessions that Hoseok had revealed that he wasn’t going to be going home to see his family during the Christmas holidays. He wanted to, but everyone’s schedules weren’t working out the way they wanted, so he would unfortunately have to stay behind. He’d sounded so worn down by it, that it had made Yoongi’s heart constrict in his chest. They’d spoken about their families before, bonded over having Muggle parents (Hoseok was a half-blood, with his father being a wizard and his mother a Muggle), and he knew how much the Hufflepuff’s family meant to him, and how much he missed them whenever he was away. To not be able to see them during such a special time must be heartbreaking.
He saw how the other boy’s mood had depleted leading up to the holidays, and, without a second thought, penned a quick letter to his family and sent it off with one of the school’s owls.
As he sat next to Hoseok in the Great Hall, looking into the fireplace and feeling enchanted snow drop onto their heads, he knew he’d made the right choice. The Hufflepuff looked lighter again, his smile was reaching his eyes again, and forming the cute dimples Yoongi always felt the strange urge to poke, and his laughter echoed through the Hall as he listened to a story about Sugar, Yoongi’s cat familiar. A smile tugged at Yoongi’s own lips hearing it.
He missed his family too, but for some strange reason, he couldn’t bear the thought of Hoseok all by himself even more.
‧⁺*･༓
Christmas Day brought with it a large breakfast at the Great Hall, joyous singing from all the students, teachers and ghosts at Hogwarts, and a pile of presents at the foot of Yoongi’s bed, where Sugar was sleeping. He opened them carefully, thankful for all the love he’d received from his family and friends. As he browsed through a copy of Kennilworthy Whisp’s biography that his brother had gifted him, he couldn’t help but wonder if one specific gift he’d sent off had reached its recipient.
He got his answer a few minutes later, when an excited body bounded into him and he was wrapped into a tight hug.
“Thank you so much!”
The only clue that it was Hoseok was his cheerful voice.
“You’re the best!” the Hufflepuff squeezed him impossibly tighter, “Oh, Merlin, and I didn’t get you anything. I’m the absolute worst.”
“No, you’re not, but if you cause me to asphyxiate, I might change my mind,” Yoongi wheezed through the embrace.
Hoseok squeaked in surprise, as though unaware of his own strength, and let him go, dusting down his robes and muttering apologies. Yoongi’s cheeks heated up slightly at the action, and he brought his hands up to his face to pat them down and hide their new pink tint from the other boy.
“It’s all good, you don’t have to get me anything,” he said, avoiding eye contact, “I just thought of you when I saw them, is all. No big deal. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas!” Hoseok replied, “And it is a big deal! I talk your head off and ask you so many questions in Potions, and you’re always so patient with me. I should have gotten you something to thank you.”
“My thanks will be when you ace your Potions N.E.W.T.s,” Yoongi said, “Now, come on, let’s go eat before the food gets cold.”
He was expecting to spend the entire day after breakfast curled up in the Slytherin common room with his book, while Hoseok joined the other students who had stayed behind in whatever plans they had, however, to his great surprise, the Hufflepuff seemed completely disinterested in doing so. When everyone went their own ways after breakfast, he stayed behind, and in the most natural way, turned to Yoongi and asked, “So, what should we do?”
Yoongi, who hadn’t yet swallowed his last mouthful of breakfast, almost choked.
“We?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Hoseok replied, raising an eyebrow as if wondering where the confusion was.
“You don’t want to spend time with everyone else?” Yoongi asked him.
“You’re my friend too, aren’t you?” Hoseok answered, “What are you going to do?”
“I… don’t know,” the Slytherin replied honestly.
“Well, let’s decide then,” Hoseok prompted and stood up, “Come on, we have all day ahead of us!”
The two boys split up only to get their scarves and coats, and spent the rest of their morning outside, walking around the snow-covered grounds, making small talk, and eventually engaging in a friendly (mostly) snowball fight, which resulted in both of them lying in snow on top of each other, Hoseok releasing peals of loud laughter that jingled like Christmas bells, and a warmth spreading in Yoongi’s chest that made no sense considering he was covered in ice cold snow. He hadn’t played in the snow like that since he’d been much younger, but letting go like this with Hoseok made sense, came as easily as breathing, as co-existing with him. It all felt much simpler when the other boy was with him. He didn’t have an image to uphold, people to make proud, or expectations to fulfil. After a time so long he hadn’t even realised it had started, he was allowed to just be Yoongi again, a seventeen-year-old boy who wasn’t quite sure where he was going yet, but still held onto hope that life would point him in the right direction soon.
And as he stared at the boy with the bright smile on top of him, he started to think that maybe it already had.
He and Hoseok dried off just in time for the Christmas Feast, where they ate to their hearts’ content and pulled as many Wizard Crackers as they could find, shared jokes, strange gifts and tried to fit the folded-up hats on each other’s heads.
They didn’t even realise how much time had passed until Nearly Headless Nick approached them with a comment that they were the only ones left in the Great Hall. To the two boys’ dismay, they found it to be true, but even as hours passed, they couldn’t bring themselves to leave.
They only took a short break from their conversation to return to their dormitories and bring their presents, so they could show one another what they got, and as Yoongi rushed down the stairs to the dungeon, he was struck with the realisation of the kid-ish joy he felt at the prospect of showing his friend what he’d gotten for Christmas. The warmth in his chest returned with renewed force, and he smiled to himself, keeping his head down in case he crossed paths with anyone.
Bag of presents slung over his shoulder and back on his way to the Great Hall, he stopped in his trail as he passed by the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff Basement. Back in their second year, he and Namjoon had discovered the way to the Hogwarts kitchens, all thanks to the Ravenclaw’s extensive research on the school, and had used the room as an escape whenever they needed some time together away from crowds, quickly making friends with all the bustling house-elves, and trying to help out as much as they allowed them. He couldn’t help but wonder now if Hoseok knew where the kitchens were. He passed by them every day, after all.
Yoongi wondered if he should take him to see them, but figured the elves would prefer some peace and quiet while washing up after the feast and preparing for breakfast the next day. Maybe, though, he could sneak in without bothering them too much.
His mind made up, he marched down the stairs and emerged again with two huge steaming mugs of hot chocolate piled up with fluffy white marshmallows dusted with cocoa powder. The beverages had garnered him amazed “wow”s from the house-elves, causing his shoulders to lift in pride, and he took every step with great caution so as to not spill them. He never admitted this out loud, but he was a big sweet tooth, and had mastered the perfect recipe for hot chocolate before he’d even found out that he was a wizard, back in his family home with his brother, curled up around the fireplace on winter nights like these. He hadn’t shared it with many people, but at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to hand Hoseok a mug and let him taste it.
He spotted the Hufflepuff right away as he re-entered the Great Hall, sitting right where he’d left him, in front of the fireplace, but this time his shoes had been replaced with a pair of fuzzy red socks, and his toes flexed backwards and forwards in front of the warm fire. In his lap was a pile of gifts, a testament to how many people cared so much about him, to how much love he gave to those around him. He looked peaceful, staring into the flames, his eyes shining and lips turned upwards into the slightest of smiles, but a content one nonetheless, one that made Yoongi feel like he could see through his head into the beautiful thoughts he must be having to be smiling like that.
Yoongi’s breath hitched in his throat at the sight. Of course Hoseok was pretty, he already knew that, but he had never seen him like this, so quietly at peace, and it was a whole new level of beauty.
It was a miracle that he made it to him without spilling any hot chocolate or stumbling over his feet.
“Hi,” he said.
Hoseok looked up at him, his eyes widening in surprise as he did so. “What have you got there?” he asked, standing up to look into the mugs.
“Hot chocolate,” Yoongi replied, slowly handing him one, “It’s a secret recipe. I guard it better than some potions masters do theirs.”
“So I’m one of the lucky few to taste it?” Hoseok asked as he took it into both of his hands.
“Exactly,” Yoongi nodded, adjusting his grip on his mug, “And you have to keep the secret, or else I will have no choice but to do something I don’t want to.”
“Noted,” Hoseok said in a deadpan tone, “Never, under any circumstances, share Min Yoongi’s secret recipe for sweet, chocolatey beverages.”
It took only one sip of the drink for the Hufflepuff to see just why it was so secret.
“Merlin!” he exclaimed, and Yoongi rushed to hush him, “How have you kept this from me for so long? No, scratch that, how have you kept this from the world for so long?”
“It takes a great deed to receive this honour,” the Slytherin answered, “Hardly anyone has achieved such a thing.”
“Is that so?” Hoseok pondered, licking some milk from his lips, “What was my great deed, then?”
You’re you, Yoongi wanted to say.
“I see you’re already putting your presents to good use then,” was what he said instead, nodding in the direction of Hoseok’s open textbooks, quills and ink pots.
The Hufflepuff let out a nervous chuckle at his observation. “Kind of,” he said sheepishly, and held his mug closer to his chest, “Thank you again. I already love these.” He looked down at the set of colourful inks Yoongi had gifted him for Christmas.
“I noticed you liked to keep your notes organised,” the Slytherin replied, feeling his ears and cheeks heat up again, “I thought these might help.”
“They will!” Hoseok said with confidence, “If I pass my N.E.W.T.s, I’ll have to thank you for everything.”
“You’ll do great,” Yoongi replied, “You’re studying so hard.”
Hoseok looked away at that, and his eyes lost their glimmer, his eyelids lowering, making him look tired. “I’m… trying,” he said, “I know I’m not the best student, but I want to do well. I, uh… I want to be a teacher actually. Help teach others who will come after us. Show them how amazing magic can be, how learning can be fun, that someone believes in them. I love our teachers, I do, but sometimes don’t you feel like… they forget who we are beneath our grades? Or we get so stressed over exams and homework, that we forget why we’re actually doing this. I don’t want the next young wizards who will come to forget. I want them to enjoy Hogwarts and love learning magic and…” He trailed off. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was going on like that. Ah, that’s embarrassing.”
He shook his head, and Yoongi watched him, warm and tingly all over, and wanted to tell him it wasn’t embarrassing at all, that it was one of the most sweet and caring things he’d ever heard, and he didn’t want him to stop.
Instead, a knot tied in his throat only let him say, “It’s not. I think that’s really great.”
“You do?” Hoseok asked hopefully.
Yoongi nodded. “They’ll be lucky to have you,” he said.
The other boy let out another nervous giggle at that. “Well, provided I can do well on my N.E.W.T.s, that is,” he said, “Otherwise this will just remain a pipe dream. Actually… You’re kind of the first person I’ve told this to.”
Yoongi’s eyes almost fell out of his head. “Really?” he uttered before he could stop himself.
“Yes,” Hoseok admitted, “I always worried I was being too hopeful, having a dream like that. I didn’t want to tell anyone and then fail.”
“It’s never wrong to have hope,” Yoongi said.
“That’s true,” Hoseok replied and took another long sip of his hot chocolate, “I haven’t told anyone this either but the reason I stayed behind and didn’t go home was so I could study more. I can never focus as well at home as I can here, and we have all the books in the library too if we need them.”
Yoongi was stunned. To find out about Hoseok’s dream was one thing, but to see now how much he was willing to sacrifice for it, like spending time with his loved ones, was even more insight into how beautiful of a soul he had. He cared so much about a generation of wizards that hadn’t even come yet, that he was willing to stay here, potentially by himself, to do well in his exams.
“You’re amazing.”
Yoongi didn’t even realise when the words fell out of his mouth, but they were so true he didn’t dare take them back or apologise for them.
“No, no,” there was a faint pink tinge to the Hufflepuff’s face as he responded, “I’m just trying to be a better student. Ah, how did we get onto this? I’m sorry, I didn’t want to bring the mood down. I’m sure you’re missing your family too. Let’s talk about something else.”
“I do, but I couldn’t let you stay all by yourself,” Yoongi said softly, and looked down at the stone floor.
He could almost feel how Hoseok shot up in his seat at his words.
“What?!” the boy exclaimed, and Yoongi had to gesture for him to quiet down again, “You stayed here for me? Merlin, Yoongi, you didn’t have to do that!”
“Like I said, I couldn’t leave you alone,” Yoongi insisted, and looked back up at the boy who was staring at him with so much warmth and emotion it made his chest feel tight.
“Oh, Yoongi,” Hoseok set down his mug of hot chocolate and pulled him into a hug, one not as tight as the one he’d given him that morning, but cosy like a soft blanket and as welcoming as home, “I can’t thank you enough. You’re amazing.”
Carefully, Yoongi placed his own mug on the floor and hugged Hoseok back, feeling how the other boy fit perfectly in his arms, like a piece that had been missing, like the puzzles he used to make as a kid, clicking in place.
Just like the snowflakes continuing to fall outside, covering the ground in a soft white coat, Hoseok filled Yoongi’s heart little by little, until it was full of him in a way that didn’t feel stuffy or tight, but reminiscent of standing in the sun on a spring day.
Even as a teacher, Yoongi couldn’t deny the wonder he felt as winter took over Hogwarts castle. All these years, he couldn’t deny the beauty of the first snow, and the way it looked like a scenery out of a fairytale covered in frost and snow, the lake frozen over, the air chilly, warm breaths vaporising in the crisp atmosphere. It made it feel even more magical than it already was.
Truly, some things never changed.
“Professor Min? What are you doing here?!”
He was hit with a sense of deja vu as he sipped on his coffee at the teacher’s table. An all too familiar voice rang through the Great Hall, and Yoongi once more lifted his gaze from his breakfast to meet eyes with Jung Hoseok.
A Jung Hoseok who, after all these years, was no longer his classmate, but his colleague, his fellow professor at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry.
The two had gone their separate ways after graduation, but, perhaps miraculously, their roads had met again in the beginning of that very September, aboard the all too familiar Hogwarts Express, on their way to the school that had been their second home for seven years. It was then that they’d found out that they’d both become teachers at the school, Yoongi in charge of the Potions lesson, and Hoseok of Charms. They’d caught up on the train, sharing stories from their years apart, and Hoseok had cooed at Sugar, an old cat by now, who still enjoyed sleeping in Yoongi’s lap, while his own familiar, a brown owl, had glared at him from her cage in betrayal.
Yoongi had learned a lot about the man on that train trip, but most significantly, he’d learned something about himself too: that after all these years, he was still deeply in love with him, ever since that Christmas night in front of the fireplace.
He’d never revealed his feelings until they’d graduated, and a part of him thought that that must have meant the end, but as he watched the man pet his cat with gentle fingers and speak to her as though she was human, he came to the realisation that that could not have been farther from the truth.
Indeed, some things never changed, and when he’d overheard Hoseok say that he would stay behind during the holidays to watch the students, he’d gone to the Headmistress that same day and declared that he would also be remaining at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays.
He couldn’t help but smile at the familiarity of it all as the entire Great Hall turned towards the two of them again.
“Professor Jung,” he said, “Please do keep your voice down. It’s early still.”
Hoseok, flustered, offered the students and Headmistress a smile in apology and sat down next to Yoongi.
“I didn’t know you were staying too,” he said, much more quietly this time.
“Well, I couldn’t let you watch the students all by yourself,” Yoongi replied, and wondered if Hoseok would catch on to the dual meaning of his words.
A few moments later, the man smiled brightly at him, and shook his head fondly.
Without another word, he reached for the jug of coffee, leaving Yoongi in the dark.
༓･*⁺‧
It was there that he remained until Christmas Day, when he woke up to a surprise at his bed. Sugar was curled up on his pillow, as the entire bottom half of the bed was taken over by stacks of wrapped gifts from his fellow teachers, his family, his friends, and even a few of his students. He smiled softly at the sight, incredibly touched by the kind gestures. He began opening them, taking the time to look through them thoroughly and read all the cards that came with them, until one present made him pause.
It was wrapped so neatly it looked like the work of a spell, but the wrapping paper was held in place by Muggle sellotape, indicating that the wrapping had been done by hand. Impressed, he opened it, and almost let out a gasp.
Inside, was a white porcelain mug, delicately crafted, with pretty details near the top and a handle shaped like a half-moon. On the front, in black calligraphy, he read, Contains top-secret hot chocolate .
A gift like this, so carefully tailored for him, could only have been custom-made, and it could only have come from one person, the only one in recent years with who he’d shared this secret of his.
The entire day, he waited for Hoseok to say something, but his colleague was too absorbed in his duties of taking care of their students, leaving no private time for them to speak until the Christmas feast. By then, though, Yoongi had had an idea, and he didn’t mind the extra time he was being offered.
As the feast came to a close and rambunctious laughter, cheerful singing and the clatter of knives and forks gave way to silent yawns and sluggish footsteps towards the dormitories, the two teachers stayed behind in the Great Hall, making sure no one had fallen asleep under a table or on top of their plate.
Engulfed in silence, Yoongi felt awkward about speaking, but he pulled his wand out and silently summoned the package that had been sitting on his chair the whole time to him. He caught it carefully, before clearing his throat, drawing Hoseok’s attention.
“This is for you,” he said, holding the package out to him, “Guess this time it was my turn to not get you anything for Christmas.”
Hoseok’s lips parted in surprise as he took the gift. “My turn to say you didn’t have to then,” he said with a light smile, “Consider it repayment for the present from back then.”
“I couldn’t not return the favour,” Yoongi argued, “It was very personal. Thank you. I loved it.”
The other wizard didn’t say anything, looking down shyly instead, and beginning to open his gift.
Yoongi licked his lips nervously, and played with his wand as he waited to see his reaction.
“Oh!” Hoseok exclaimed, holding up a mug almost identical to the one he had given Yoongi, only with a handle shaped like half a sun, “Oh, Yoongi, this is…”
“The least I could do for you,” Yoongi told him, and gave him a gentle smile, “How about I make us each a cup of the secret recipe? For old times’ sake?”
“I would love that,” Hoseok replied.
And so they found themselves sitting in front of the fireplace again. Hoseok still wiggled his toes in front of the flames, but his fuzzy socks had been replaced by much more sophisticated monochromatic ones, and Yoongi took his typical cross-legged position next to him as he held out a mug of hot chocolate to him.
“You know,” he said, “I didn’t just pick the sun because of the moon on my mug. That Christmas we spent together really means so much to me still, after all this time. I don’t think I would be where I am now if it hadn’t been for then. You came in like a ray of sunlight for me back then. I thought I would never get to thank you properly.”
“Oh, Yoongi,” Hoseok’s eyes shone with emotion, “Do you know that you were that for me too? To know someone had so much faith in me, that someone had my back and supported me like you did back then meant the whole world to me. Everything I’ve achieved since, I have you to thank for.”
Butterflies and snowflakes danced around Yoongi’s chest, and he felt Hoseok move to sit closer to him. He returned the gesture, until their shoulders were pressed against each other, and he could smell the other man’s calming and clean scent.
As they took the first sips of their drinks, he was hit with an urge to tell Hoseok something he’d been thinking about for years, something he’d never been brave enough to tell him while they’d still been in school. Maybe it was the sugar of the beverage making everything seem lighter, or perhaps the closeness between them making him slightly lightheaded, but he was suddenly feeling much braver than he ever had before.
“Actually,” he said, voice almost catching in his throat, “Back then… That night specifically… I fell in love with you back then, in this same spot.”
He didn’t know if he could look at Hoseok as he said the next part, so, staring into his hot chocolate, he confessed, “I still am.”
It felt like the world stilled for a few moments, like time itself vanished, and he felt his heartbeat quicken as it truly dawned on him, what he’d finally found the courage to say.
Until a soft hand was placed on his jaw, and Hoseok turned his head gently to face him before pressing his lips against his.
And even the taste of hot chocolate couldn’t make the kiss any more sweet.
“Then we fell in love at the same time, Min Yoongi,” he whispered against Yoongi’s lips.
Yoongi couldn’t help himself then, he pulled the man into another kiss, one that only ended when they had to breathe again, and by then, they already felt like one another’s oxygen anyway.
They rested their foreheads against each other, hands tracing their features.
“Is that why you stayed back this year too?” Hoseok asked softly.
Yoongi kissed the curve of his jaw lightly.
“I will always stay for you,” he told him.