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“So this makes a grand total of 65 knuts, 100 sickles and 13 galleons” Jimin counts as he settles on the floor, folding his legs as each has tossed their share of money. Six boys gather around the coins, the carts that carry their luggage stationed next to a great bricked wall.
“Don’t forget the sixty-five dollars Jin brought” Yoongi says, tossing six bills to the center of their circle, “But that he forgot to exchange at Gringotts”
“Hey!” Jin exclaims, “I was busy picking-up your lazy ass-”
“Seven years, Jin” Yoongi mutters, not paying attention to the other’s veins popping from his neck, “Seven years and you still forget to exchange muggle money…”
“Well, it’s not so bad” Namjoon interferes, “It’s 13 more galleons than what we had last year”
“But do you think it’ll be enough?” Taehyung asks as a group of 4 girls walks pass them, a tall one with yellow hair is telling a funny story that involved a chocolate frog and her boyfriend. Their luggage is of a brown color and sporting the Hogwarts crest in the center of each one - Taehyung recognizes Lisa and her friends.
As if they were coordinated, the group of boys glances at the big clock placed above their heads – it’s 10:39 am. That morning, the King’s Cross station is filled with travelers, from younger children that are bubbly jumping from one side to the other, to teenagers that are counting the coins they earned in the summer, to adults that wear elegant suits. What most of the travelers ignore though, is that a big percentage of those teenagers will be going through the brick wall between Platforms 9 and 10, to spend the next 9 months in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“It’s getting late” Jimin says, “Why is he always late?”
“You’re one to talk” Hoseok responds, “You’re always late for dinner, each and every day, you’re there by dessert”
“It’s not my fault I have to save all the equipment of the team after practice and then-” He’s interrupted by Taehyung, who softly pushes his shoulder in alarm. There’s a little boy coming from one of the long hallways, accompanied by his parents who are wearing long black coats and scarves. Jimin and Taehyung begin to save all the coins in their pants’ pockets. Namjoon and Hoseok have quickly stood up and covered their crouched figures. They don’t know who took the galleons and who took the sickles – it doesn’t really matter at the moment. The boy starts running the second he spots them, showing the biggest smile on his face, his eyes become small and he almost runs down a lady with his luggage cart.
“Hey guys!” the boy’s name is Jungkook and he yells when he’s getting closer, his parents don’t rush. “How’ve you been? How long have you been here? Were you waiting?”
“Yeah, we were waiting. Happy birthday, kid!” Hoseok sings with a big smile and goes to give a quick hug to Jungkook. “You beat Jimin in being the latest today”
Jungkook laughs as the others take their turns to greet him; Jimin and Taehyung hug him at the same time – one on each side. Yoongi only ruffles his hair and wishes a soft happy birthday while Jin gives him a three second long hug with a kiss on the cheek. Jungkook whines and wipes his face but his smile is permanent. Jungkook’s parents are close by and they only wave in the direction of the seven boys, Jungkook walks back to give them a goodbye hug, it’s not the warmest interaction between parents and their son.
“We should go, it’s almost 10:45” Jin announces and they all collect their luggage and backpacks “I should be wearing my uniform by now”
“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Head Boy” Yoongi starts to say in a monotonous tone, “We get it, you’re a Head Boy. This entire summer was a déjà vu of last year, he literally never shut up about being Head Boy”
“Tell me about it” Namjoon says from behind, “This one didn’t shut up about being a Prefect” he points with a thumb to Hoseok’s direction, who has a small yellow pin attached to his white t-shirt that reads “Prefect”.
“Excuse us for being proud about excellence and responsabili-” Jin talks with his hands a lot and that annoys Yoongi to no end, so he ignores the older with a roll of his eyes and speed walks to the platforms. The rest follow close behind and when they are just a few meters near the wall, they take a moment to prepare. Jin and Yoongi wait by the sides, letting the younger ones go through first – is really not scary for them anymore. Jimin and Taehyung push Jungkook just slightly; they know the younger still gets a little nervous about trespassing the wall. The couple of boys (that always seem to be attached by the hip) then go in one behind the other, followed by Namjoon and Hoseok, Yoongi goes next and Jin is last. Platform 9 ¾ is filled with families and students – some excited kids are already wearing their uniforms and Jin is reminded of his Head Boy duties. He stands by a side and flicks his wand over his head, the layer of clothes he was wearing flies away and lets his dark robes show – the yellow Head Boy pin hangs proudly in his chest.
Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook have gone to find their fellow Gryffindor classmates while Yoongi follows Namjoon to find a compartment that will later carry all seven of them later in the afternoon. Jin goes straight to the last carriage of the train, where he meets Hoseok – who has changed to his uniform as well – and since they are in the same house, they begin to discuss what they’ll have to do as Prefect and Head Boy when they enter Hogwarts.
An hour and a half of ride has passed when their door opens and Taehyung and Jimin come in laughing, Namjoon and Yoongi turn their heads from their magical chess match and welcome them with lazy smiles.
“I told you not to bet on that, TaeTae” Jimin is saying as he closes the door, “Your Nimbus 2020 can’t possibly beat a Thunderbolt, say goodbye to your comic books, Sungjae is gonna kick your ass”
“You underestimate me, shorty” Taehyung only answers, sitting down on the floor with a smug expression, “I know how Sungjae flies, I know his weak spots and most importantly, you’re forgetting I’m a beater. I’ll beat his ass.”
“Still, it’s a Thunderbolt man” Jimin finishes as he sits next to Yoongi and the long look they share has Namjoon clearing his throat.
“Uh… it’s your turn, hyung” he says when the two have not stopped looking at each other with dumb smiles and pink blushes painting their cheeks, “You spent half the summer together and you saw each other an hour ago, please don’t be all cheesy in here” Namjoon cries and Taehyung sighs, making the move on Yoongi’s knight – which follows on three pieces destroyed and Yoongi growls in annoyance.
“Keep playing quidditch cause you suck at magical chess” Yoongi mutters as he continues playing, only with his right hand though, his left one is occupied, curled between Jimin’s fingers.
It’s by the time Namjoon’s knight breaks Yoongi’s king’s legs that Hoseok and Jin enter the carriage, both wearing their long school robes, behind them comes Jungkook and they all settle in the booths. They decide to ditch the chess board and simply sit and have a chat, each telling a funny story about their summer. It’s cramped and the air gets thicker and warmer because everyone is laughing. Jin has to remind them to keep it quiet, even if a said Prefect is the loudest of the seven. After a few hours, when they’re all trying to explain Namjoon – the only pureblood in the carriage – how twister is played, the lights inside the train are turned on and they realize the sun is starting to set, the river reflecting the orange tint of the sky and they notice they must begin with the most important part of their ride.
Taehyung and Jimin pretend they have to go to the bathroom and quickly leave the room – not before giving a not so subtle wink to their friends.
Jungkook has taken the Hogwarts Express a total of three times, and he knows what his six friends are planning.
*
Taehyung and Jimin are running along the corridor after setting five Dungbombs in a random carriage – only that it wasn’t random and the Ravenclaw Prefect was in there – he’s currently trying to find the culprit. The two troublemakers decide to take shelter in a seemingly empty carriage and it’s after they have locked the door, stopped laughing and calmed down, they notice there’s a small figure curled up in a corner – the boy is definitely a first year, he’s small and he’s looking out of the window quietly – Jimin is the first to notice his wet cheeks.
“Hey…” he calls and Taehyung follows close behind, “Are you okay?” Jimin asks and the boy glances in their direction, drying up his cheeks with the sleeve of his sweater.
“I’m fine” he responds in a sweet still childish voice, “Leave me alone”
“Why aren’t you with your friends?” Taehyung asks this time. “Cause I don’t have any” the boy answers in a beat.
“You’re a first year, right?” Jimin asks sitting on the booth in front of the kid, the sky is starting to change from a light blue to a pretty and dusty pink; the lights might turn on any minute now. “What house do you want to be in?”
“Don’t know” he says shortly, “Don’t care”
“But-” Taehyung says, sitting next to Jimin, “That’s the most fun part of today! You get to find out what house you’ll represent! And-and-to meet new people, and see the Common Room of your House and meet new people and checking out your room and meeting new people and-”
“He got the point, Taehyung” Jimin says, putting a hand on his knee, “But it’s true, today is fun! We’re in Gryffindor! Gryffindor is the coolest house- no disrespect to the other Houses though… all Houses are cool!”
“But Gryffindor is the coolest” Taehyung finishes with a fake cough and Jungkook has stopped looking out of the window, now looks at the couple of boys in front of him.
“I don’t really care what House I end up in” the boy says in a muffled voice, “I didn’t even want to come to this school”
“Why not?” Jimin and Taehyung say at the same time, scandalized.
“I don’t belong here” he says and his voice breaks at the end, “I want to go home…it’s my birthday” And tears are forming in the corner of his eyes. Jimin and Taehyung exchange a look and they know what they have to do – no one should be sitting alone on the ride to Hogwarts and especially on their birthday.
“Well, look at that TaeTae” Jimin says with a smug expression, “it’s…what’s your name by the way?”
“Jeong Jungkook” the boy says, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands.
“Look at that TaeTae, it’s Jungkook’s birthday and he’s here alone in a carriage, thinking he won’t have fun at Hogwarts”
“I see it, ChimChim” the other answers pulling out a regular looking coin from his pocket. He flips it between his fingers three times and then places it in his pocket once again. They continue making short conversation with Jungkook, who still seems uninterested but doesn’t tell them to go away. In five minutes two boys knock on the door and Jimin lets them in – he’s halfway to closing when another two arrive and enter as well. In a second the place is packed.
“These are Jin, Hoseok, Namjoon and Yoongi” Jimin says to the boy, “My name is Jimin, by the way, and this is Taehyung”
The older boys look a bit confused but still decide to say hi to the little kid and sit down in the empty spaces, “What’s up?” says the boy with the faded pink hair while another one, a really tall one who Jungkook thinks is called Jin talks, “You were the ones that placed the dungbombs in Hongbin’s carriage right? He was so pissed. How did you even get away with that?”
“We run pretty fast” Taehyung dismissed him with a wave of his hand, “Now, you’re wondering why we’re gathered here… this is Jungkookie, he’s a first year.”
“And?” three ask at the same time.
“And it’s his birthday”
With that all six are looking at Jungkook.
“And he doesn’t want to go to Hogwarts” Jimin adds and the boy with longest hair – Hoseok? gasps.
“Right” the one who had pink hair and that is now strangely fading to a grey gets up, “You called us for that?”
“You called them?” Jungkook talks for the first time, “How did you call them? You didn’t have a cellphone or anything…”
“Cellphone?”
“Not now, Namjoon”
“It’s a long story, Kookie” Taehyung says taking out his golden coin while the others do the same, all six have similar golden coins saved in their pockets. “Will explain it later but for now, Mean Yoongi here wants to poop on our party”
“What party?”
“Your birthday party, of course, Kookie” Jimin replies, he pulls out his wand and from the tip, several strings of colored paper pop out. Taehyung pulls out his own wand and begins to make a motion in the air, it seems like his writing and after a moment the wall of the carriage reads “Happy Birthday Jungkookie” in colorful neon letters.
The boy in the corner is not sure how all of this is happening, he’s still pretty confused about going through a brick wall that same morning, but a lot of different things are happening before his eyes and he can’t help but release a quick giggle.
“Oh, look! He laughed” Hoseok says with a smile on his face and begins to extract several candies from a bag in his pocket “You want one?”
“Don’t eat those if you want to have a nice evening” says Namjoon with his round and thick rimmed glasses, “He tells you it’s Every Flavour Beans but somehow I always get Dirty Socks or Earthworm”
“It’s true” adds Yoongi and his hair is turning practically white, Jungkook needs to ask what is going on. “I never get something good, once I thought I was getting Lemon but turned out to be Sardine” and Jungkook frowns just slightly, he’s a tiny bit more confused.
“Wait, we need a cake!” says Jimin as he stands up, “Quick, someone lend me money”
“I have two sickles” says Hoseok, extracting two silver coins from his left pocket, “And this galleon that is supposed to last until winter holidays”
“Uh… I guess” Jimin scratches his head, “Does somebody know a spell to make a birthday cake? Jin-hyung?”
“I know how to make it with flour and butter- haven’t practiced food spells just yet” he answers and the others shrug. It’s after a second that Taehyung pulls a small muffin from his jacket pocket – “Does this work? I was kinda saving it for later, but it’s okay to share it.”
Jimin scrunches his face in a smile and “It’s perfect!” and all six sit in a circle, Jungkook remains on his seat while oddly staring at the muffin. “You don’t like muffins?” asks Jin, “We could try and get some Cauldron Cakes from the snacks lady but that would mean-”
“It’s not that-” Jungkook starts in a soft voice, “Why are you doing this? We aren’t friends.”
There’s silence, mostly because they’re too shocked by Jungkook’s bluntness. It’s Namjoon, however, who speaks first. “Well, we don’t know why you don’t want to go to school but… it’d be better to spend your birthday with company, right?”
“Yeah!” Taehyung says as he pulls on Jungkook’s pants, “And we can be friends starting now! I’ll be your bestest of hyungs, Jungkookie!”
Jungkook doesn’t understand, but his lips still draw a smile and he leans down to sit on the floor, finishing the perfect circle the seven boys have created. Jimin takes out his wand and mutters a soft Incendio, creating a short flame from the tip of it.
“Are you sure you should be doing that spell here?” Yoongi asks, glancing at the younger, “When we’re literally surrounded by every single piece of flammable furniture?”
“I’m good at Charms, hyung” Jimin says with a smirk, “Don’t worry about it”
It’s the first time Jungkook has been sang happy birthday by people that are not his parents, so when the song is about to end he takes a look at the happy faces of the six boy next to him and he can’t help but draw a smile, a much bigger one, showing his teeth and gums and he can almost forget the salty taste of his tears.
“Make a wish, Kookie” says Taehyung, and Jungkook has no idea what to wish for, but he thinks one of his wishes has already come true.
New friends.
*
“One, two” Jimin says as he slides the door of the carriage open with one hand, “Happy birthday to you~” Five boys start singing along, Hoseok, Yoongi and Namjoon are clapping as Jin hugs Jungkook by the shoulders.
“Make a wish, Kookie!” Taehyung shouts as the song is ending, Jungkook stares at the 12 green candles around the top of the cake and then at his friends – Hoseok has shorter hair and Namjoon doesn’t wear glasses anymore, Yoongi has mint colored hair (and Jungkook has learned that he’s a metamorphmagus) Jimin seems to have grown taller and become slimmer as he has an arm wrapped around Taehyung.
Jungkook pretends to think something over, but he has prepared this one since the previous year.
I want them to be my friends forever.
*
“Happy birthday to you~” Jimin sings as he slides the door open, Taehyung trails behind. “Happy birthday to you~” There’s a chorus of yells and claps surrounding Jungkook as he intends to not smile too much – but it’s just impossible, the kid is amazingly happy. He has loved that silly tradition since the first train ride, and now, when he’s starting his third year at Hogwarts, he is thankful his friends still spend a little bit of their money in buying a cake.
“It’s not all though, Jungkookie” says Taehyung, extracting a purple velvet bag from behind his back. “We wanted to give you something else this year, so here!”
“What is this?” the younger asks and opens the bags without hesitating – he will later remind himself to not open random bags like that, specially knowing Taehyung is the biggest prankster of the school. But in that moment, he opens the bag to find tons of candy and chocolate. “What?”
“We bought everything in the snacks car” says Jimin with a smile, “This will be the last year all seven of us ride to Hogwarts so… let’s have fun today!”
There’s something strange settling in the pit of Jungkook’s stomach, he looks at Jin and Yoongi, who have soft smiles in their faces – they will graduate that year and everything will change afterwards. But he doesn’t let that ruin his mood; he crouches and empties the contents of the bag on the floor, for all seven to enjoy.
The train ride won’t last much longer but Jungkook smiles, knowing his wishes will always be granted, because he has six boys he can call best friends – each one of them.