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The rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands passed by in a rain-slick blur of green and gray as the train stumbled along its centuries-familiar path.
Taesan watched it all through the window, still having a hard time believing that this day had come at last: he was finally going to Hogwarts.
The thought sent a shiver through Taesan's whole body. Almost sickening excitement warred with nerve-shaking anxiety, the feeling not dissimilar to the one he'd had the first time he rode a broomstick. Initially, Taesan had feared that he would fall off and crash right back to the ground. But once he was a few feet up, then a few higher, the fear shifted into fascination and then determination to see how high and fast he could actually go. His parents had stood in the yard watching him, his mom clinging to dad's sleeve with a tense expression while his little brother played with the grass at their feet. Taesan could remember the wind whipping through his hair as he'd soared high in the sky like it was yesterday.
That moment— that singular, terrifying joy— had defined his entire six-year-old life at the time.
Hogwarts was going to be something else entirely. The new definition of a self that he had yet to discover. Taesan was eager to see what life in the castle walls would bring him.
The whistle sounded to indicate that they were approaching the platform and, with an eagerness he didn't usually exhibit so freely, Taesan jolted out of his seat and moved to head towards the door. He wanted to be the first out so that he could see the castle without anyone else in the way of the view.
He'd barely gotten a foot out of his carriage when a smaller body bumped against his chest, the person's weight wasn't heavy but it took Taesan by surprise enough to knock him back a step. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe to brush the person off or scold them, but whatever words would have come died in his throat when he looked down to find a pair of eyes already gazing back at him.
Pretty, he thought absently, struck by the rich shade of chocolate brown the boy's irises had. They were so huge and reflective that it made Taesan wonder if he'd be able to count the stars in them on a clear night.
Taesan could only assume the boy was a First Year as well. His features were still soft with childhood sweetness and the robes he wore were obviously oversized with the intention for him to grow into them more throughout the year. Mahogany colored hair fell around his shoulders in untamed curls as he stared up at Taesan quietly, not a word slipping out of those petal-pink lips of his.
"You know, this is the part where you're supposed to apologize for bumping into me."
A slow blink, followed by a twist of the other boy's lips was the initial response. Then a quiet, melodious voice filled the air, "I didn't mean to. The car jolted when we rounded the corner just now."
It wasn't an apology, just a simple acknowledgement of the facts, and yet Taesan found himself grinning like he'd been given one anyways. He was used to people treating him a certain way with a last name like Han; they were one of the oldest Pureblood families in all of East Asia and the name carried a lot of weight even so far from South Korea. Taesan had grown up either being avoided by a wide berth or with people crowding in close, hoping to gain some sort of favor that wasn't his to give. It was maddening, annoying and something he was incredibly sick of.
This boy, however… he didn't look at him like all the others did. He didn't see Taesan, the diligent, reserved heir to the Han-family legacy. There was no hint of recognization in his face, no clue that he had any idea who Taesan was. No, he was only seeing Dongmin, the boy who refused to eat eggplant no matter how much his mother begged him to and practiced flying on his broom until his dad had to drag him inside, knees muddied and so exhausted that his bones ached but happier than anything. It was strange, to be seen as though he were ordinary, but incredibly refreshing. The feeling was one that Taesan couldn't help but want more of.
But the train chose that exact moment to come to a stop and the halls suddenly flooded with students. The starry-eyed boy slipped away, lost to the current before Taesan could even try to keep him from disappearing. Taesan tried to catch a glimpse of him again when he stepped off the train but couldn't spot those chocolate curls anywhere.
"First Years over this way!" The large groundskeeper called out from further down the platform, distracting Taesan from his search, "C'mon, let's not dilly-dally, we don't have all night."
He'd find the mystery boy eventually. Hogwarts was only so big after all.
── .✦. ──
The stone slabs under his feet almost hummed with the ancient magic the school was built on as Taesan followed the groundskeeper up to a staircase along with the other First Years.
A tall woman with a piercing gaze that swept over them like a hawk stood at the top of the steps as she watched them approach. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and quickly ran through what was expected of them as they entered the Great Hall— "You will form two orderly lines and follow me inside. There is to be no tomfoolery and certainly no shouting."— as well as going over the basics of the Sorting Ceremony. Taesan knew it all by heart already, his parents having explained it all to him years before he'd gotten his Letter. Still, it was amazing to think that he was finally living the experience himself.
Taesan remembered his mom telling him all about the Great Hall growing up. She'd vividly described its changing ceiling and the way the flames danced along the walls but it was even more breathtaking in person. He didn't let himself gawk though, keeping his awe to himself as they followed Professor McGonagall between the long tables until they reached the front.
The Sorting Hat sat on a stool, almost amusingly ordinary-looking. Taesan noticed a few kids around him tilting their heads at it, likely Muggleborns who hadn't grown up on tales of the talking hat from their parents. He caught a few inquisitive whispers that were silenced when McGonagall started calling out names and gesturing for them to come forward.
It wasn't long before Taesan's turn was up.
"Taesan Han."
All sound in the hall stopped suddenly as if everyone had been waiting for this moment. Even the teachers were looking on in genuine interest now, not just the surface level attention they'd given of all the others before. Taesan's face instinctively wanted to scrunch up with a snarl but he fought to keep expression neutral as he strode towards the chair and sat down.
He didn't wait for the Hat to start talking before he made his opinions known.
"You can put me in any House."
His parents had both been Ravenclaws, Dad's sister had been in Slytherin and there were a few Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors scattered throughout their family. Honestly, Taesan didn't mind wherever he ended up. It wouldn't change who he was, just the color of the scarf he'd wear.
The Hat seemed amused, chuckling as it listened to Taesan's thoughts, "No preference, eh? You're sure of yourself, I can see that. Clever and intelligent too, with plenty of will and bravery. Your ambition outweighs your fear of the unknown, an uncommon trait in someone of your age but an admirable one." The Hat's tone changed suddenly, turning introspective, "There's a desire there that burns brighter than all of that though. You yearn to be seen for more than just your family name. You want to be more than what the world has decided you are. So then there's really only one place for you: SLYTHERIN!"
For all that Taesan hadn't cared where he ended up, he couldn't deny that Slytherin felt right. It was a House with a dark history, sure, but it was also one that at its core encouraged people to be unapologetically themselves and that was what Taesan wanted more than anything.
The table laden with silver and green erupted in applause. Taesan strode over and observed his new Housemates. There were a few faces he recognized from family events he'd attended growing up, other Pureblood kids whose parents and grandparents rubbed elbows with his. They weren't of any particular interest to Taesan of course so he just met their eyes with cool detachment before moving on. He nodded politely to the ones who greeted him with genuine smiles and slipped into the first open seat he could find, turning his attention back to the ceremony.
A handful of kids came and went quickly, all Sorted into their appropriate Houses with almost mechanical ease. It wasn't long before Taesan grew bored of that too and started daydreaming about potions and what life was going to be like in Hogwarts.
"Donghyun Kim."
The Korean name made Taesan's ears perk up in interest.
He looked into the remaining crowd of First Years and watched one step forward: the kid from the train. The one who's large, sparkling eyes Taesan still hadn't been able to forget. He moved hesitantly, curls bobbing as his head moved on a swivel so that he could take in everything surrounding him like he wasn't about to have seven years to commit the details of the Great Hall to memory. There was breathless kind of wonder in his expression, one that told Taesan this was the first time Donghyun was seeing anything of the magnitude. A Muggleborn, then. It was fitting with the way he walked up to the stage, uncertain but eager, eyes bright with questions that he obviously wanted answers for.
When he reached the front Donghyun sat rigidly on the stool and seemed to hold his breath when Professor McGonagall placed the Hat on his head. He flinched a little when it started speaking to him but at least didn't fall out of the seat like the kid before him had.
Hushed murmurs filled the air as everyone waited to see where this new boy would end up. Taesan, however, was more interested in the boy himself. Even as he sat up there, some part of Donghyun seemed to constantly be in motion: his hands fidgeted nervously with the sleeves of his robes as he responded to a question the Hat asked, he crossed his ankles one way before almost immediately switching them, his teeth dug into the plush cushion of his lower lip and worried it between them fretfully. The most noticeable thing was the way his eyes strayed around like he couldn't pick a good enough spot to direct his attention. They skimmed the enchanted ceiling and reflected the artificial stars lining the rafters, passed over the braziers and their burning flames, narrowed curiously on the candles floating in the air and swept across the faces lining the colorful swath of tables before finally settling.
On Taesan.
The weight of his gaze was instantaneous and unignorable. Even if Taesan hadn't already been watching, he would've felt it anyways. There was no challenge in it, no careful assessment or ulterior motives that Taesan was accustomed to being scrutinized with, just an innocent look that held a glimmer of warm recognition like he too hadn't been able to forget their little run-in on the train. Donghyun smiled for the first time then, a wide, shockingly sweet thing that made his eyes disappear and had Taesan's lips twitching helplessly in kind.
The sudden bellow from the Hat cut the moment short, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table decked out in yellow and black roared to life, delightedly welcoming their newest member. Donghyun, for his part, seemed a tad startled by the raucous response but obediently hopped off of the stool when Professor McGonagall waved him forward. His eyes sought out Taesan's again, like he was overwhelmed and in need of something solid to hold on to and Taesan was the only safety he had. Taesan didn't let him down, keeping their gazes locked as Donghyun made his way to the Hufflepuff table. Whatever inexplicable tension was between them didn't snap when Donghyun finally found a seat and was swallowed by the enthusiastic greeting of his new Housemates, it settled into the background like the low hum of a song that hadn't quite been forgotten yet.
"Hogwarts is full of possibilities, Dongmin," his dad's words from right before he got on the train at Platform 9¾ suddenly echoed in his head, "Who knows, you might find everything you never knew you were looking for."
As he watched Donghyun smile at the boy sitting next to him— shorter, probably a bit older, with hair that changed from peachy-orange to teal in the span of thirty seconds— he considered that his dad might have been right.
Hogwarts seemed promising already.