Changkyun sits quietly on a bench, staring dully out the window. Anxiety courses through his veins just at the thought of joining a new school, much less a school of witchcraft and wizardry. All of a sudden, every part of his life was turned upside down in a most magical way. Changkyun hadn’t even heard of a wizard being in the family before, and when he first got his Hogwarts letter, neither he nor his parents knew quite what to do with it.

It was a relatively average day when Changkyun returned home, but there was something different when he got there. Peeking into the living room, he noticed a stranger standing in the room with his parents. Upon noticing his arrival, his parents called him into the room, and he introduced himself to the stranger with a respectful 90-degree bow.

Changkyun sat down in between his parents, his mother seeming somewhat tense. The stranger took a seat in the armchair opposite them. He pulled a square envelope from his inner coat pocket, and placed it on the coffee table between them. He then began to explain in great detail the secret world of witches and wizards, and how Changkyun was somehow now a part of it. Apparently, this was quite common, that there were a lot of “muggle-borns” at this mysterious boarding school… Hogwarts.

His parents agreed to let him go, recognizing how important it was for him to learn how to control his gift. Odd occurrences had happened throughout his early childhood, so in retrospect it wasn't entirely surprising that he was so different from other kids his age. One time in particular, he was five years old, and his mother had sent him to his room without dinner. He had been incredibly annoyed, and a plate of food had mysteriously appeared on his dresser. The next morning, the plate had disappeared. His mom denied knowing anything about the dinner, but Changkyun had always thought she was just lying to him for whatever reason. He had never imagined that he had caused it to materialize.

The sound of an opening door pulls Changkyun out of his reverie, and he glances up to see a slightly chubby boy wearing a snapback cap entering his compartment. He’s a fierce-looking boy, small eyes staring down at him curiously with a blank expression. Changkyun nervously stares at the stranger, noting the green plaid tie. He remembers that the representative explained that day the setup of the school, describing the four Houses and the kinds of people associated with them. Green meant Slytherin, and Slytherin apparently meant something awful, especially for students coming from all-muggle families. Changkyun his lips nervously, not knowing what to expect.

The stranger’s face suddenly breaks out into a wide smile, exposing a pair of deep-set dimples. He offers a friendly hand, and Changkyun can’t help but stare confusedly at it.

“Hi, I’m Jooheon, a third year,” he greets. Changkyun hesitantly takes his hand and shakes it, his nervous gaze looking everywhere but Jooheon’s eyes. He can feel his gaze on him, studying his movements. Jooheon sits down beside Changkyun, his wide smile never faltering.

“I’m Ch-Changkyun,” Changkyun introduces himself, silently berating himself for his own nervous stutter. Changkyun bites his lip nervously, not knowing what to say to the boy sitting beside him. There’s a knock at the door, and an old woman with curled gray hair pulled back in a bun sticks her head in.

“Anything off the trolley, dears?” she asks in a high-pitched, friendly tone that reminds Changkyun of a grandmother. Changkyun watches as Jooheon pulls some coins from his pocket and pays for a few odd-sounding snacks. He’s never heard of any of the foods this stranger buys…did there have to be a special wizard-version of everything in this new world? Jooheon returns to his seat next to the silent Changkyun, and the woman stares questioningly at the first year. He quickly shakes his head, mumbling a thank you as she shuts the door back upon leaving.

“Don’t worry,” Jooheon tells Changkyun, opening one of the brightly colored packages and offering it to him. “First year can be scary, especially if you don’t know anyone, but being in a House makes it easier to meet people. Besides, you’re cute. You’ll fit right in.” Changkyun peers into the open sack, and sees normal-looking jellybeans. Glad to see something he recognizes, he reaches in and grabs a bean. He pops it into his mouth and bites into it, thinking that maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all. This boy seems nice enough, and…and…

Changkyun’s face contorts into a disgusted expression, his nose scrunching up in confusion. What had he just eaten? He glances at the bag, noting the strange name.

“Every Flavor?” he asks in a small voice, forcing himself to swallow the disgusting thing in his mouth. The taste was hard to explain. There was a slight citrus flavor, but also a bitterness that was very off-putting. Jooheon squints at Changkyun, unsure if he’s joking. His face then lights up with realization.

“You’re a muggle-born,” Jooheon says, causing Changkyun’s heart to drop. Now he was really in for it. He hadn’t even officially arrived at the school and had made himself a target for bullying without even meaning to. He had thought he could avoid being tormented at this new school if he kept his head down, but apparently it was inevitable.

A tense moment of silence passes, as if Jooheon is waiting for a confirmation Changkyun very much does not want to give him.

Jooheon then begins to chuckle, setting a friendly hand on the first year’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he tells the younger, “not all Slytherins are bad. We’ve got a bad history, but, really, we’re not all evil. I know you might’ve heard different from some other kids, but take my word for it.” Jooheon pulls a piece of paper from his pocket. “I wrote a rap about it, actually. Here, just listen.” He then launches into a full-on performance there in the compartment, his tone and gestures all perfect as if he’d been practicing for weeks. Changkyun begins to nod his head to the flow of the lyrics, easily imagining what kind of beat could go with the song.

Once finished, Jooheon’s expression, which had turned fierce and dark during the impromptu concert, returns to a bright smile. Changkyun can’t help but smile at how easily Jooheon can switch between vibes.

“I liked it,” Changkyun easily says, noting especially the boy’s word usage and diction. Jooheon stares at the boy as he comments on certain aspects of his rap, his smile growing wider.

“Do you rap, too?” he asks. Changkyun sheepishly nods his head in response, unable to deny how much he liked that he had found something in common with someone so quickly, even if it was a Slytherin. Besides, how was he to know that Slytherins were actually bad? Sure, the representative had said so, but this kid seemed nice enough. Maybe they were just misunderstood because of a few bad seeds. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened.

At Jooheon’s insistence, Changkyun shares with Jooheon a few things he’s been writing. They spend the rest of the train ride bonding over their mutual love of music. Jooheon reveals his lifelong dream of becoming the first wizard rapper to hit muggle mainstream, explaining that wizard musicians often just stick to the wizard community. He wants to break that mold, to make it big in both societies.

“That ambition is probably what got me into Slytherin,” he chuckles. “All my friends are singers, and we all have a dream to hit it big someday.” He then glances over at the boy who’s slowly opened up throughout the train ride. “It’d be great if we got another rapper in the mix, kind of level it out with all the vocalists…” Before Changkyun has a chance to respond, a slender dark-haired boy bursts into the compartment, causing the both of them to jump in surprise.

“Jooheon-ey!” the new arrival says, entering the compartment. Jooheon presses a hand to his chest, his expression still in a state of shock. His breathing is slightly sporadic, and Changkyun can’t help but softly giggle at the openly terrified expression on Jooheon’s face. The stranger snickers at Jooheon’s reaction, and glances over at Changkyun. A bright grin spreads easily across his face, exposing a set of teeth that reminds Changkyun of a rabbit.

“Hi,” he greets brightly, “I’m Minhyuk, a fourth year.”

“I’m Changkyun,” Changkyun introduces, a bit easier this time. Something about this new boy seems almost comforting to Changkyun, and he finds himself not nearly as nervous as he was when Jooheon came into the compartment.

“Nice to meet you,” Minhyuk says politely, nodding his head. He then returns his gaze to Jooheon, who still seems to be recovering from his friend’s sudden arrival. “Jooheon-ey, Mom says we should start to get our things. The train is almost at Hogwarts.” Jooheon manages a small nod, and Minhyuk grasps his hand and pulls him from his seat. Minhyuk waves at Changkyun, flashing him a bright grin, and leads Jooheon out of the compartment.

Changkyun merely stares after the pair as they leave, anxiety returning to his mind. He finds himself hoping he gets Sorted into Slytherin, if for nothing else than for the chance to stay close to Jooheon.