Chapter Text
Quidditch practice had ended a few minutes ago, and the members of the Gryffindor team were heading to the castle's dining hall, their stomachs growling and demanding more food. It was barely two in the afternoon, but Jeon Jungkook was so hungry he could swear that if they put a hippogriff in front of him, he wouldn't hesitate to eat it.
"You took it too far with the Bludger today!" his Gryffindor friend scolded him, rubbing his injured shoulder with one hand while dragging his broom through the hallways with the other, leaving a long trail of mud in his wake.
"Hoseok, I already told you, that's my job as a Beater. I have to deflect the rogue bludgers so they don't hurt my team," Jungkook replied, his voice and gaze full of guilt, noticing out of the corner of his eye that his friend's shoulder looked slightly out of place.
"Exactly! Protect your team, not throw bludgers at their shoulders so they get hurt!" Hoseok got a little too worked up, raising his arms threateningly, but was quickly stopped by the growing stab of pain intensifying in his right shoulder.
"It was to train you. I know you're new to this, Hobi, but in a real match, the other team's Beaters will try to knock you off your broom. I only threw the ball at you so you'd learn to dodge it." Jungkook was also dragging his broom along the hallway, unaware that he was tracking mud everywhere he went. They both stopped in front of the doors to the Great Hall and looked at each other. Jungkook's gaze was full of guilt; Hoseok's eyes glinted with pain.
"That doesn't look good at all, you should go to the infirmary," Jungkook suggested, and he reached out to touch his friend's arm to comfort him, but remembered it was injured and stopped himself at the last second.
They were about to walk through the doors of the Great Hall when their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, planted herself in front of them and blocked their way, looking at them disapprovingly.
"Don't even think about bringing those brooms into the Hall. It is strictly forbidden. Leave them out here," she said in a sharp, high-pitched tone, pressing her wrinkled lips into a thin line that made her look even older than she was.
"But—someone could steal them! There are lots of students wandering the halls, and anyone could take them if we leave them unattended," Jungkook tried to argue. "If you want, we could clean them up so they stop dripping mud, and then... maybe you'd let us bring them in?"
From the look on their professor's face, they both knew immediately that the answer was still a resounding no.
"Hurry up and clean them, then take them to your team's broom closet, or to the Gryffindor dormitory if you must. I don't want to see you tracking any more mud through my corridor!" McGonagall turned on her square heels and made her way back to her seat with the other professors at the back of the Hall.
"She's so mean!" Hoseok complained, his eyes shining with threatening tears. "I'm starving to death and I have a dislocated shoulder. Does no one here have any consideration?"
And without warning, a large white owl with small red feathers shot out through the Hall's doors before they closed and it slammed straight into the poor boy's face.
"Are you okay?!" Jungkook knelt down to help him, but Hoseok swatted his hand away and pushed him off briskly, frowning in anger over the terrible day he was having.
He pushed himself up from the floor and glared furiously at his owl, who was flapping wildly above his head. "I hate you so much, Pickle." He caught the small package the bird dropped with quick reflexes, before she decided she'd done her job and flew off, away from him.
"I think your owl feels the same way about you," Jungkook chuckled. "Pickle... seriously? I don't blame her for hating you so much if you gave her such an ugly name." He looked up and followed the small owl with his eyes as she flew further down the corridor, growing smaller and smaller. "And you didn't even give her a treat. Everyone knows owls like to be fed a little after flying so far to deliver your mail."
"I don't care, she treated me so badly she doesn't deserve it." He brushed the dust off his robes and walked over to his friend, holding the package he'd received out in front of them both. "Look, my father sent it, it says so on the label!" he said excitedly, pointing at the sender. "What do you think it is?"
Jungkook shrugged and encouraged him to open the package so they could find out. Hoseok couldn't wait, and with great difficulty —since he had to open it with only one hand, not wanting to move his other arm because of the pain— he found a small black leather box with a pretty golden snitch seal on its lid.
"It must be the practice snitch I've been asking him for all break!" At that, Jungkook nearly lunged for his friend's box, eager to open it and see the snitch for himself. "This is incredible..."
Hoseok unfastened the small golden clasp that kept it shut, opening the lid and revealing the tiny winged ball.
"How beautiful!" Jungkook exclaimed.
The snitch didn't give them any time to keep admiring it and took off in flight, startling them both, who hadn't expected it to escape so freely.
"We have to catch it!" Hoseok shouted, reacting within mere seconds before grabbing his own broom and mounting it, kicking off the ground hard to take flight. "Follow me, Jungkook!"
Jungkook watched it all with wide eyes, a small fear settling in his chest as he saw his injured friend wobble on his broom, unable to balance his weight properly with one arm practically useless and the other barely able to keep an awkward grip. He didn't think twice and mounted his own broom too, taking off and catching up to him within seconds.
"Can you see it?" Hoseok looked nervous, and understandably so; he'd just received the snitch as a gift from his father, and it had already gotten away from him. "Merlin, my dad's going to kill me."
Jungkook barely paid attention to what he was saying, his eyes focused on skillfully scanning every corner of the main corridor for the snitch's golden glint.
They kicked up dust with the speed of their flight and drew shrieks from several students who saw them flying over their heads, utterly astonished and not at all used to seeing people fly inside the castle.
"There it is!" Jungkook shouted, and that was all it took for Hoseok to fly in that direction and stretch out his arm to catch the mischievous snitch. "You almost have it!"
A dark shape shot past on Jungkook's right, filling him with fear and making him swallow dryly when he realized who it was.
"Get off your brooms this instant!" Professor McGonagall appeared in front of them both and gave them a stern look. "Flying inside the castle is forbidden as well!"
"Apparently nothing is allowed in this castle..." Jungkook thought wearily, making an effort not to roll his eyes and putting on his best chastised face as he followed his friend's lead and landed on the ground, still on his broom. The professor was already waiting for them and looked far from pleased.
"What were you thinking?" And there went another disapproving look. That made about a hundred of those so far this sixth year.
"It's my fault, Professor!" his friend cut in, pouting heavily, lowering his eyes to the ground in embarrassment as he noticed all their classmates gathering around to see what was happening. "My father sent me a practice snitch as a gift, but it got away from me..."
"Aren't you the Seeker for the Gryffindor team?"
"Yes, Professor, I am."
"Then how is it possible that it got away from you?"
The young Gryffindor's cheeks turned even redder, if that was possible. Jungkook had to step in when he noticed his friend couldn't handle the embarrassment anymore, growing angry at the situation the poor boy was going through.
"It's just that he had an accident during practice. His shoulder's out of place and it hurts a lot, so he can't move very quickly."
The professor's expression softened noticeably, now looking at poor Hoseok with much more sympathy.
"We must take you to the infirmary as soon as possible," she declared. "Although I'm afraid..." She stepped closer to the Gryffindor and took the snitch that was curled between his fingers. "I'll have to confiscate this."
Hoseok choked back a yelp as the ball was snatched from him.
"As for the punishment you'll receive, Headmaster Dumbledore and I will be waiting for you in his office after dinner. There we'll discuss the details, and the number of points that, much as it pains me, I'll have to deduct from our house."
And with that, the professor withdrew just as she had before and walked into the Hall, leaving the two of them standing there like fools in the middle of the corridor.
"Are you okay?" A small Hufflepuff approached them both, his expression full of worry. He looked about their age, maybe a year younger, with pretty, tousled blond hair that adorably matched his house colors. "I heard you hurt your shoulder, do you want help getting to the infirmary?" He spoke while looking at them both, but it was clear the offer was meant for Hoseok.
"I don't need help getting there, but of course you can come along if you'd like," he smiled cheerfully, even in the middle of his pain, and the pretty blond returned his smile with great warmth in his eyes.
"I'm Park Jimin, by the way." The young Hufflepuff stepped closer and gave Jungkook a friendly smile as well, who couldn't help but feel warmed by the boy's kindness. Jimin took the Gryffindor's good arm and draped it over his own shoulder, making Hoseok wrap it around his neck for support. "Let's go."
Jungkook quietly snickered at his friend, who could obviously walk to the infirmary just fine on his own, since it was his shoulder and not his legs that was injured. Still, he didn't call him out for wanting to take advantage of the sweet Hufflepuff's kindness, and instead hurried to catch up with them on the way to the infirmary.
In the end, Jungkook ended up acting as their bodyguard when he noticed students moving carelessly through the halls, and not wanting to risk anyone bumping into his friend and hurting him, he walked the whole way three steps ahead of Hoseok and Jimin to clear them a path through the crowd.
When they arrived, Hoseok nearly fainted at the sight of a student lying on the first bed with half his leg nearly torn off. Jungkook had to act quickly and pull the curtain shut so Hoseok wouldn't pass out.
Madam Pomfrey appeared before them, carrying a mountain of books and a stack of vials filled with sleeping draught. She looked the three of them over from head to toe, as if trying to spot their ailments at a glance. She ended up fixing her eyes on Hoseok's shoulder, looking at him with sympathy and about to step in, when a scream from bed one—the very one Jungkook had drawn the curtain around—seized her full attention, and she had to rush off to answer the call.
"Kim, help me over here!" Pomfrey managed to make herself heard over the poor boy's screams from bed one.
Then a young Slytherin appeared before the three students waiting patiently at the entrance to the infirmary.
"Follow me, it's this way." He held out his hand and pointed them in the right direction. "Which of the three of you is hurt?"
Jungkook hurried to answer. "Hoseok!" The Slytherin gave him a questioning look, and Jungkook's face flushed with embarrassment. "H-he is. Look at him." He pulled his friend's arm forward, presenting him to the boy as if offering him up as a gift. The Slytherin said nothing, only looked at him appraisingly and nodded, before continuing on and showing them which bed they'd be using.
Jungkook was surprised. "He works here? But he's just a student!" he thought, a wave of confusion building inside his head. "I had no idea Pomfrey recruited other students to work with her... and out of all the houses, a Slytherin! Who would have imagined that?"
The young man, who had already drawn his wand to run a quick scan over his friend in search of injuries, turned his head slightly when he felt Jungkook's gaze fixed on his face. Their eyes met and the boy gave him a questioning look, before clearing his throat and returning his attention to his wand.
"Are you hurt too?" he asked casually, skillfully casting the scanning spell to detect internal and external injuries on Hoseok's body. Jungkook held back an exclamation and simply watched him work, eyes shining with admiration.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." He smiled at him, and the boy only glanced sideways at him before nodding very seriously.
"Good. Your friend's shoulder is only dislocated, so a healing spell and a balm potion should be enough to fix it and stop the pain."
"My shoulder is only dislocated?! Well, gosh, it sure hurts!" Hoseok shrieked, and Jimin hurried to take his hand so he could squeeze it to release some of his pain. "Well? When are you going to give me my potion and my spell, or do I have to do it myself?"
The Slytherin flushed and quickly waved his hands in denial. "No, I... I can't do that without Madam's authorization." He stood there for a few seconds, not quite sure what to do, looking around uncomfortably. "But I'll go ask her right now. Please wait here for me."
When the Slytherin disappeared into the maze of curtains and beds, the three boys let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Do you think I'll be good to go for tomorrow? I wouldn't want to leave you all hanging for the first match of the season," Hoseok said to Jungkook, looking at him pleadingly.
He, who had been losing himself staring in the direction the Slytherin had gone, jumped in place when Jimin poked his arm with a finger to get his attention.
"What?" He blinked in confusion, taking an extra moment to understand the question Hoseok had asked. "I don't know, we'll have to wait and hear what Pomfrey says." He looked at him guiltily, and Hoseok looked away, saddened. "But hey, don't get discouraged like that. You're a tough guy, I'm sure you'll recover faster than average," he said, softening his voice, overflowing with affection in every word of encouragement.
And it must have worked, because his friend smiled and nodded, more relaxed, closing his eyes and settling back onto his bed's soft pillow, letting out a sigh of relief in the process. Jungkook looked at him for a few seconds, giving him a closed-lipped smile, before turning his attention back to the row of beds where the Slytherin had disappeared.
He didn't have to wait long, as the young man returned from his errand with Pomfrey right on his heels, making her way to the bed where Hoseok rested. The woman looked warmly at the injured boy and stepped closer to help him sit up.
The process was surprisingly quick; Pomfrey trusted her young apprentice's good diagnosis and gave her patient a vial of balm to ease the pain. A skillful flick of her wand over the injured shoulder, and the bones slid back into place. The nurse seemed delighted with the result and gave her approval, signaling that the procedure was over.
"Good as new now." Madam Pomfrey smiled warmly. "You can rest here a little if you'd like, but only until your next class begins." She looked pleased, until she noticed the two curious boys standing to the right of the bed. "Not you two. Get out of my infirmary and go back to class."
"But—" Jungkook interjected.
Pomfrey shook her head irritably. "No, there are already too many people in here without you adding to the clutter." Then she turned to the Slytherin at her side, asking for his help. "Escort them out, Kim Taehyung. I don't like having students snooping around my infirmary."
"But we weren't snooping! We came to take care of our friend," Jungkook tried to argue, but Madam Pomfrey brushed off his excuse like dust off her dress. "And I assure you your friend will be in good hands," she said proudly. "Now, out of my infirmary."
Jungkook thought he heard her snap her fingers, and the next thing he knew, they were being herded toward the exit by the Slytherin—whose name he now knew was Taehyung. Jungkook meant to turn around and thank him for looking after his friend, but he didn't get the chance, because the door had already been shut in their faces.
"Thanks..." he muttered into the air.
Then he tried to turn and thank the Hufflepuff too, but Jimin was already several steps away, probably hurrying off to his next class. Jungkook sighed, deflated, and pulled out his notebook to check his schedule.
To his misfortune, he had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.
He checked his watch. Showing up twenty minutes late to her class was basically suicide, so he decided to skip it instead and wander around for a bit. Things couldn't get much worse anyway, since he still had a meeting in the Headmaster's office and a —hopefully not too terrible— punishment ahead of him.
With that in mind, he adjusted the strap of his school bag over his shoulder and left the castle, humming a tune.
______
Of course, his stomach wouldn't let him wander for long, since after such a hectic day, the lack of food was starting to make him dizzy. It was almost automatic for him to head to the castle kitchens, since by his calculations, the elves should already be preparing dinner by that hour, and if he was lucky, maybe they'd agree to feed him a little.
He wasn't wrong. A couple of smiles, compliments on how good their kitchen smelled, and a complaint about not having eaten all day were enough to melt the elves' hearts, and they didn't hesitate to serve him a big bowl of soup along with several dessert options, watching him eat every last bite with rapturous expressions, asking him every so often if the food was to his liking, and receiving, of course, an enthusiastic yes from Jungkook every single time.
"You haven't lost your touch, Timmy," Jungkook praised as he scraped the last bit of dessert off his plate. The elf sniffled with happiness and thanked him for his kind words.
He finished eating and only had a couple more minutes to chat with the elves before the enchanted watch on his wrist began singing an embarrassing Christmas carol, which only he knew meant his Arithmancy class was about to start. He drank the last sip of orange juice he had left and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, before jumping up abruptly and starting to gather his things.
Several pairs of big green eyes followed his every move.
"Timmy wonders if Mister Jeon Jungkook is leaving now," one of the elves said shyly.
"Sorry, Timmy. Sorry, everyone," Jungkook said to the rest of the elves, who had paused their cooking over their cauldrons to watch him, looking expectant and a little sad. "I have a class to get to right now, but I promise I'll come visit you all again soon."
That seemed to lift their spirits right away, because they didn't put up any more fuss and let him go. Jungkook sighed in relief, and covering his watch with one hand —it hadn't stopped singing the whole time— he slipped out from behind the painting on the wall that hid the entrance to the kitchens and ran off to his next class.
______
Hoseok took full advantage of his recovering-patient status and skipped the rest of the day's classes, the bastard. Jungkook had to sit alone until dinnertime, and knowing his friend wouldn't fail to show up, waited for him at their table in the Great Hall.
"Hi!" his friend greeted him energetically, before dropping down next to him and taking one of the two plates Jungkook had served while waiting for him. "Thanks for saving me dinner," he smiled gratefully.
Jungkook didn't answer, and Hoseok's smile slowly faded from his face.
"What's wrong with you?" He still dared to sound confused.
"Where were you? You left me alone all day!" he answered reproachfully, stabbing his fork into the shapeless mush his food had turned into after all his stirring. "I was worried about you."
Hoseok laughed lightly, cheeks full of food, and raised his index finger in a silent request to wait until he'd swallowed before he could answer.
"Yeah, sorry. I stayed in the infirmary like two more hours before Pomfrey noticed and kicked me out," he laughed deliberately at the memory, drawing a small smile out of Jungkook too, though he made an effort to hide it. "And then... oh, right! I was out in the courtyard playing Gobstones with some Gryffindor kids."
"So this idiot was just off playing..." Jungkook felt foolish for having worried so much about his friend.
"Hmm." He nodded in understanding and paused while watching him eat, drumming his fingers on the table. "So, what about the infirmary? Did anything interesting happen after I left?"
Hoseok shook his head vaguely. "No, I literally just lay there wasting time until they threw me out."
"Right, but that guy... the Slytherin?" He pretended pathetically not to remember which house the boy belonged to, as if he hadn't spent most of the day thinking about it. "Didn't he take care of you while you were there?" He feigned disinterest and took a bite of the mush hanging off his fork, before making a face, because it tasted like about twenty different things at once.
"You mean Kim Taehyung? Not really, he was... busy. He was there for like five seconds before going off to help other students, and then I think he headed to class." Jungkook nodded in understanding and they both kept eating. "But why are you asking? I noticed he was pretty cute... is there something you're not telling me?" Hoseok leaned in dramatically close to his face, one eye open wide, as if scrutinizing him closely. Jungkook laughed at his best friend's antics, before shaking his head.
"No, of course not. It just seemed really odd to me, don’t you think?" Hoseok looked at him in confusion. "That a student works in the infirmary with Pomfrey. Is that even allowed? Students working inside the castle?"
"Maybe he doesn't have money," Hoseok shrugged and dipped his index finger into the cream of the tart in front of him, looking thoroughly uninterested. "Dumbledore must know all about it, and if he allows it, then I don't see the problem."
Jungkook wanted to dig deeper into the topic, but he didn't want to come across as too nosy—more than usual—so he dropped it, choosing instead to enjoy his last few peaceful minutes before dinner ended and they'd have to head to the Headmaster's office to receive their new punishment.
______
Dinner ended about an hour later, as all the students began to leave and the food on the long tables started disappearing, courtesy of the elves' magic, who cleaned and put everything away once dinnertime was over. Jungkook and Hoseok tried to stall and waste time to avoid heading to the Headmaster's office for their punishment, but to no avail, because the order had already been given, and once the last student had left the Great Hall, the two of them were magically swept out as well. One second they were sitting and chatting at the Gryffindor table, and the next they were tossed out of the Hall, the great doors slamming shut behind them.
They heard mocking snickers from their classmates, who had surely watched them get pathetically ejected by the room's magic, so, embarrassed, they had no choice but to pick themselves up off the floor, brush off their robes, and walk down the corridor pretending nothing had happened.
They never figured out what spell McGonagall had used on them, because every time they tried to take a different route and head up to their dormitory, the floor split open in front of them, the staircases shifted, and they were pulled along by an invisible thread to keep them on the right path to the Headmaster's office.
"I think I'm starting to get worried about what punishment McGonagall's going to give us..." Hoseok said as he walked elbow to elbow with Jungkook on their way to the office.
"I was hoping we'd win the House Cup this year, but at this rate I think we'll owe Gryffindor so many points we won't be able to pay them back even on our deathbeds," Jungkook joked, though his tone came out more pitiful than playful, sending a shiver down Hoseok's spine, who shook it off quickly in response.
After walking a long stretch, they came across the bird-shaped gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. The two boys said the password at the same time, and the gargoyle shifted aside, revealing the hidden staircase that would lead them up to the office. It wasn't the first time they'd been summoned to the Headmaster's office, so, already used to it, they climbed the spiral staircase and stepped out onto the upper floor, where McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were surely already waiting for them.
The first thing Jungkook noticed when he looked up was that there were a couple of extra people in the office. Severus Snape, his Potions professor, seemed to be having a long, drawn-out conversation with the Headmaster and someone else he couldn't quite make out, since the professor's broad back was blocking his view.
When the men noticed the two Gryffindor students, they paused their conversation and turned to look at them. Dumbledore blinked as if he hadn't been expecting them, and Snape let out a disgruntled grunt before turning slightly to the Headmaster and exchanging a few words that must have sounded like a farewell, because within seconds he decided to leave, walking fast and furious, his long black cloak billowing with every step, giving himself an air of mystery.
Then, now that Snape had left and there was no one left to block his view, Jungkook found himself face to face with Kim Taehyung, who apparently hadn't finished his business with the Headmaster yet and was still standing there with a very serious expression —maybe even a bit troubled, he noted— while Headmaster Dumbledore listened to him speak with great attention.
With nothing left to do but wait for the Headmaster to be free, Jungkook suddenly found himself entertaining his eyes with the attractive view his Slytherin classmate offered. He realized then that he'd never actually taken the time to study him closely, even though his mind had registered some of his more distinctive features when he'd looked at him that very afternoon in the infirmary.
For one, he was tall, roughly the same height as Jungkook or maybe a couple centimeters more, though it was hard to tell when his slim frame only made him look even lankier.
It wasn't hard to guess that he took care to look presentable. At the very least, his robes were properly ironed and his tie was perfectly arranged and knotted at his chest, unlike Jungkook, who could never keep his tie properly tied and whose uniform was almost always wrinkled.
His skin, slightly tanned, gave him a youthful look, and paired with his elegant features—the perfect arch of his nose, the angle of his jaw, his lashes framing his striking dark eyes—it made him look flawless.
And then there was his hair. It took Jungkook several seconds to figure out how to describe it. It was black. Impossibly black. It was pretty and well-styled, but it also had a very strange cut that made no sense whatsoever. It looked as if Kim had grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it himself, blindfolded. It was incredibly odd, because even styled, it completely clashed with how put-together the rest of him looked.
And Jungkook couldn't have liked it more. He seemed like an interesting person, and Jungkook thought it would surely be fun to get to know him.
His train of thought was interrupted when the young Slytherin finally turned around, saying goodbye to the Headmaster and walking with slow but steady steps toward the spiral staircase.
"Hi!" Jungkook greeted him as he passed by, but the boy either didn't hear him or didn't bother to waste energy on a greeting, because he walked right past and left the office.
A little flustered, Jungkook snapped out of his daze and looked around, finding his friend Hoseok there. Merlin forgive him for the shriek he let out, but he'd been so absorbed in watching Taehyung that he'd forgotten he wasn't there alone, so seeing him there gave him quite a scare.
"You know, Jungkook, a picture would've lasted longer," Hoseok teased him, tilting his head slightly forward and waggling his eyebrows mischievously as he smiled.
Jungkook felt his neck grow hot. He scoffed and looked away. "Please. Not even close."
Professor McGonagall caught their attention by clearing her throat, gesturing toward the couch stretched out in front of the Headmaster's desk, so long and plush it seemed to invite them to sit on its own. The boys obeyed at once and soon found themselves sitting in front of the Headmaster and their professor.
"As you may know, you're here to be informed of the consequences you'll face," Dumbledore said, with a small smile that brightened his dreadful mustache. "Professor McGonagall informed me of your violation of the corridor traffic rules."
"What?! Since when do we have traffic rules?!" Jungkook burst out in a startled shout, half-rising off the couch from the impulse. His eyebrows and hands moved with confusion.
"Since always, Mr. Jeon. If you had only read the parchment of rules you were given at the start of term, you'd know that flying inside the castle is forbidden, all the more so at the height of your classmates' heads. You could have caused an accident." The woman's lips pursed and her eyes seemed to spark. "Thirty points will be deducted from Gryffindor for the offense committed."
"Why?! No one even got hurt!"
"You will also clean the storage room for magical artifacts and potion stores on the fourth floor," she said defiantly.
"That doesn't even make sense!" he shouted, and he could feel Hoseok shifting uncomfortably beside him on the couch. "No one even goes there, not even the ghosts. It's been abandoned for years, there's probably tons of dust!"
"That's exactly why you'll clean it," the woman said again, though weariness was audible in her voice. Headmaster Dumbledore had to step in to help her.
"You'll have three days of detention starting tomorrow night to clean the place. If you need cleaning supplies, ask our caretaker, Mr. Filch, he'll be delighted to provide them." His calm voice and the purple, patterned pajama robe he was wearing did nothing to make Dumbledore look intimidating or to be taken seriously.
"Oh sure, kind old friend Filch..." Jungkook thought with distaste. "It's not fair!" he complained, pouting and sinking into the couch with his arms crossed. "The snitch got away and we only flew to get it back, right, Hobi? Come on, tell them it was an accident!"
Jungkook gave him a light tap on the shoulder, and Hoseok let out a yelp of pain. "Ow! Yeah, that's right. We didn't do it to cause trouble."
"See? Besides, you already took my friend's snitch away, and his father had just sent it to him!" He tried to appeal to their sympathies. "I think that's already punishment enough."
"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide, Mr. Jeon. That's a matter for only the Headmaster and myself." The woman gave both boys a smile and turned to sit down in a chair beside Dumbledore. "That will be all, boys. I'll see you tomorrow, same time, on the fourth floor, to explain what you'll be doing during your detention."
And just like before in the Great Hall, with a puff, the two of them were dismissed from the office and found themselves back in the corridor below, beside the spinning gargoyle.
"That's not fair, I still wanted to appeal!" Jungkook shrieked, pushing himself up off the ground and brushing the dust off his robes. He turned to Hoseok and held out his hand to help him up too. "She's our Head of House, and this is how she treats me? I don't know why she hates me so much." He shot one last scornful glance at the gargoyle before turning to head off.
"Maybe if you stopped questioning her and disobeying every single one of her orders..."
"No! I think I'm being fair, I'm just... I'm standing up for my rights as a student! Because we do have rights, yeah?" He clung to Hobi's arm and tugged at it to get his attention.
"Uh... yeah, sure we do," he said timidly.
"There you go!" he exclaimed with a know-it-all tone, puffing out his chest. "You should do the same."
Hoseok rolled his eyes mockingly. "Sure, and it'll work out great for me, just like it does for you, since you always manage to escape punishment."
"Well, no... you're right, it hasn't worked for me so far." He made an embarrassed face. "But someday," he said, pointing at him with determination.
Hoseok decided to ignore him, and they continued on their way to the Gryffindor dormitory, quickly burning through what little energy they had left with every step they climbed.
"You know, we should sneak into the professor's office tomorrow," Jungkook's enthusiasm was overshadowed by the exhausted gasps he let out with every step. "That way we can get your snitch back." The glint in his eyes was a bad sign.
"Buddy, if you know what's good for you, don't count me in," he replied, putting a hand on his shoulder for support. "You know that's a terrible idea."
"But what about your snitch?! Your dad gave it to you!" His shoulders deflated and the glint in his eyes slowly faded. "She won't even notice if we're quick about it." He gave him a little nudge on the shoulder to try and convince him.
"Be a little more sensible, Jungkook, we just got punished, the worst thing we could do is get into more trouble." He raised his hand and flicked Jungkook on the forehead. "You're really lucky to have me, you know. Without my guidance you'd have been expelled by now."
Jungkook laughed quietly. "Maybe you're right." They reached the last step and turned the corner to find the entrance to their dormitory. "That's why we're friends. We make the perfect balance."
The large portrait of the Fat Lady was blinking sleepily when she was startled by the voices of the two students in front of her. She frowned at them and muttered something about students out of bed who wouldn't let her rest, before asking for the password and letting them in once they gave it.
"If I died tomorrow, would you have a portrait made of me so we could keep talking?" Jungkook batted his eyes flirtatiously, and Hoseok snorted mockingly.
"No." The serious tone he said it in made Jungkook jolt in protest.
"What?! Why not?!" he shouted, and they both heard one of their roommates hiss in annoyance from the darkness.
"Because you'd talk all the time and never let me sleep." He sank into his bed and pulled the covers over himself. "Just like right now."
The rustle of sheets suggested that Jungkook was lying down too. "That's too bad, because if you died, I would've run straight to commission a portrait of you."
"Don't cry," he teased. "Fine. If it'll help you sleep better, I'd do it." He heard his friend make a pleased little sound. "Now, let's sleep, please," he begged.
"Good night, friend," he replied, expecting the same words back, but instead, silence was all he got. "Hobi? Don't tell me you already fell asleep."
He pulled his sheets up to his chest and chuckled softly when he heard the first snore. "You're so weak," he murmured, but closed his eyes too, following his lead, and drifted off to sleep shortly after, a smile on his face.