IV. The serpent’s knot

Lee Chaerin and Bang Yongguk saw a lot in their lives, giving their occupations and debatable personalities – but the view that welcomed them once they stepped inside Hogwarts dungeons made their hearts stop.

There stood Kim Jennie, the seventh year Slytherin, covering her two terrified Gryffindor schoolmates with her body while standing in front of Park Jimin in his fully transformed werewolf form.

What more – Jimin was nowhere near any typical werewolf wrath, as he was just standing there, partly panting and partly growling, while looking at the shorter girl.

What even more – Jennie looked calm and controlled as in some kind of trance, gazing at the beast before her with widened eyes until her trembling hand started to slowly move in the direction of its snout, finally touching it and nuzzling gently.

Chaerin and Yongguk soundlessly exchanged knowing stares before nodding and reaching for wands.

“Confundus!” they both roared while aiming at the werewolf, successively making him step back and shake his head in puzzlement.

Jennie just gasped and jumped in her place, observing as Yongguk quickly scooted to her side while moving his wand rapidly, casting swift spells to trap Jimin again in now repaired chains and cage.

“Guys, are you ok?!” Chaerin ran to her students, checking on them “What are you doing here?”

“We…It’s…Um, whoa” Lisa was still in shock “Jimin is a werewolf?!”

“Yes Manoban, and has always been one”

“What is going on with him now?” suddenly Taehyung was back on his feet, reaching for the cage with Jimin inside, just to be stopped by Yongguk now standing in his way.

“Confundus charm makes you…confused” the auror stated “You should know that by now, son. Your friend will be ok in few moments”

“Oh yeah, we had it on the fifth year…” Taehyung smiled awkwardly at glaring Chaerin before organizing himself again, pointing accusing finger at two teachers “Wait a sec, you want to tell me that my best friend is a werewolf? And that you knew?!”

“Yeah, exactly!” Lisa crossed her arms, echoing him “What kind of bull is that?!”

“Firstly - Manoban, language. Secondly - Kim, it’s none of your business and we don’t owe you any explanati-“

Chaerin never finished as Jennie stood between them, pointing her wand at Taehyung and Lisa and casting a spell before anyone could react.

“Obliviate”

Chaerin just gaped at the Slytherin and then back at two Gryffindors, who suddenly just were looking around everything and nothing in particular, their eyes empty.

“Jennie! Forgetting charms are forbidden inside Hogwarts!” Chaerin cried “Why did you do that?!”

“I-I don’t…” Jennie was truly loss of words, gazing from her teacher to Yongguk and then inside the cage with chained Jimin in it “I don’t know”

LATER

Yongguk didn’t know how to react so he simply stood with crossed arms and tried his best to not roll his eyes upon hearing whatever the headmaster had to say.

For the last thirty minutes and since getting the report back from the hospital wing stating that Lalisa Manoban and Kim Taehyung were fine he and Chaerin got stuck in Jiyong’s office, listening to a constant nag that transformed into a monologue a long time ago.

On the other hand Yongguk couldn’t be surprised – Kwon Jiyong was presented with the chopped off head earlier that day, so he had every right to be stressed and to exaggerate some things.

“You’re telling me Park Jimin and Kim Jennie are mates?!” Jiyong exclaimed “This is a disaster that puts our whole plan to trash!”

“Due whole respect headmaster Kwon, what is the real problem here? If it’s the fact that Park is a werewolf then maybe we can just cast a forgetting spell at Jennie too?” Yongguk offered, still truly confused why they were even discussing it.

“It’s not needed, the bond is mutual” Chaerin sighed “Jennie will do everything to keep Jimin safe from now on, she won’t say a word”

“Then again, what’s the damn problem?!” Yongguk threw his arms in the air “The werewolf is back in the dungeons, two witnesses don’t remember seeing him and the third one will remain silent. Just give Jennie detention for using obliviate on two other students and that’s it! Can we go back to sleep now?”

“If everything would be as easy as your mindset, Mr. Bang…” Jiyong massaged his temples “We have a werewolf and his sudden mate under literally one roof!”

“And?” Yongguk was still clueless “Then separate them!”

“That would’ve been even worse…” Chaerin scoffed and crossed her arms “Yongguk has a point though, we won’t come up with any solution now. We shall see how the bond will evolve…If that’s even the bond to start with”

Finally Jiyong nodded and dismissed them, assuring that he will check on Jimin himself later that night.

Chaerin and Yongguk were free to go back to sleep although the recent happenings left them with rather heavy heads. The way back to the teacher dorms was rather quiet until Chaerin spotted Yongguk taking other direction near the main hall.

“And where the hell are you going?” she asked with perked eyebrow.

“To the kitchen, mom” Yongguk rolled his eyes and then wanted to slap himself somehow, realizing that Chaerin had as hard night as he did, if not worse giving the fact that she was actually close to the students and therefore genuinely worried about them. With that he looked away, scratching his nape lamely.

“You know, at this hour…” he started “Hogwarts house-elves start to prepare the food for the whole day and it’s a good moment to get something extra”

Chaerin’s image was now somewhere between truly entertained, mocking and surprised.

With that he showed her to follow - what she did, not really understanding why and how. Well, it wasn’t like she had something better to do anyway. Finally they went downstairs and entered the kitchen, with Yongguk on the lead like he was very much aware of what to do and where to go.

Chaerin just blinked her eyes, processing the fact that she was in the Hogwarts’ main kitchen for the first time in her life. Sure, she knew that the school has its own army of house-elves, but she never experienced it on her own eyes.

She gaped at hundreds of house-elves; moving, running, preparing, baking, cooking and generally being busy in the place that was at least triple the size of her own gigantic classroom.

There was a great, almost family-like atmosphere mixed with a smell of freshly baked bread.

“How do you know about it?” Chaerin couldn’t help the smile creeping to her face “I thought the kitchen is off limits…Especially for those outside the school”

“Well, I have my ways…Besides I used to be inside the school” Yongguk grinned and then pretended to be hurt upon seeing her unconvinced reaction “What? I’m charming!”

Chaerin just rolled her eyes and then jumped in her spot startled, already reaching for her wand when a quite big and chubby house-elf appeared in front of them.

“Mr. Bang!” the house-elf almost cried the tears of joy “It’s been such a long time! We’ve heard you’ve been roaming around the castle these days!”

“oo, long time indeed” Yongguk laughed and bent down to hug the creature “Yes, I’m here temporarily on the mission assigned by the ministry…Um, and this is my…um, well…colleague, Lee Chaerin, she teaches DADA here. And this gentleman here is oo, the chef of the place”

“Oh yes, we know” the house-elf, oo, nodded “A very fiery lady this one teacher, we know”

Chaerin just laughed awkwardly, not sure what to do and how to react. Should she shake his hand? Hug him? Fist-bump him?

“oo, I’ve been thinking…Is it possible to get the little-special from you? Like the old times?” Yongguk lowered his voice, smiling mischievously. Chaerin just gaped at him.

“What the hell is little-special?!”

With that Yongguk and oo shushed her.

“It’s possible” the house-elf nodded and then disappeared with a snap of his fingers, just to be back in less than a minute with two plates in hand.

“It’s a…sandwich” Chaerin blinked her eyes while accepting the snack and exanimating it a little. Yongguk simply flashed that trademark grin of his.

“Yeah, but it’s the best sandwich of your life, trust me” the auror said and winked at the house-elf “Kitchen’s specialty”

Chaerin still was pretty confused. Deciding she still had nothing better to do she took a bite, silently praying it wasn’t filled with funny muggle herbs, also known as weed.

Truth to be told, she felt like her whole existence changed completely.

“Oh Merlin…This is really the best sandwich of my life” she widened her eyes at Yongguk “It has pastrami! And cheese! And mayo! And soft-boiled egg! And all that in white bread, yes!”

Yongguk just chuckled at her.

“Whoa, it’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a woman who’s not dieting”

“Then you must be going on pretty ty dates”

“So it’s a date?” Yongguk winged his eyebrows and Chaerin almost choked on another hungry bite she was taking. He continued with chuckling while oo, still present near them, crossed his arms.

“Actually Ms. Lee, you’re the very first lady to ever come here with Mr. Bang” the house-elf stated “He’s been always a shy kid”

“oo, don’t-“ Yongguk warned, clearly embarrassed while Chaerin raised her eyebrow, taking it as her cue for the perfect revenge.

“Shy kid? Tell me more oo, I’d love to hear that” she encouraged “What Mr. Bang was like when he was younger? And how exactly do you know each other?”

Yongguk simply glared from her to oo but that left no bigger impression on them.

“Well, Mr. Bang was the prefect and is the founder of S.P.E.W.” the house-elf nodded.

“Founder of what?” Chaerin looked at Yongguk, who was flushed.

“Society for the Promotion of the Elfish Welfare” oo recited with raised forefinger and Yongguk suddenly smiled, feeling the nostalgia coming back at him.

Chaerin started to blink her eyes before she burst into loud, hearty laughter.

“A shy Hufflepuff prefect fighting for elves rights who’s now kicking asses in the Auror First Forces?” finally she organized herself “You really are full of surprises”

“What, are you finally impressed?” he teased somehow and Chaerin just shrugged.

“Never said I wasn’t”

With that she chuckled again and came back to her sandwich, leaving Yongguk staring at her and thinking that maybe her laugh was the best thing he heard in a while.

NEXT DAY

Jungkook got himself staring and thinking, while leaning on one of the pillars near the main hall.

He was back from the hospital wing and the view he saw once he was on the way for breakfast made his jaw clench.

Sure, maybe he was getting somewhat used to his new dormmates but that didn’t mean he really, truly and genuinely knew them.

Thus saying, he should be prepared for revelations like that.

Now not only his jaw was clenched but his fist too.

“Oi, Jeon! What are you doing here?”

Suddenly Jungkook snapped from his trance, blinking at Kim Seokjin and Jung Hoseok suddenly standing next to him.

“I was on the way for breakfast when…” Jungkook started and then shook his head, not sure why he was even explaining himself “Nevermind”

“What happened?” Seokjin scowled and then looked in the direction the Slytherin was glaring.

There, a good distance away from them stood Park Chaeyoung – smiling and having a rather nicely looking conversation with a tall seventh year Gryffindor, Park Chanyeol.

Seokjin just smirked while turning back to Jungkook, barely controlling the knowing whistle ready to escape his lips.

“How the do they even know each other?” Jungkook asked, his tone venomous “That damn giant with giant-ears…I swear, he would have made a great Dumbo”

“Chanyeol? Yeah, his ears are pretty…big” Hoseok admitted while scratching his temple with a little grimace, as if being embarrassed to agree.

Meanwhile Seokjin crossed his arms and perked his eyebrow at Jungkook and his tensed, almost fuming figure.

“Jeon, are you jealous?” he asked smugly and Jungkook just rolled his eyes.

“Kim, are you nuts?”

The Slytherin was about to turn on his heel and make his way inside the main hall, ignoring Seokjin’s chortle if it wasn’t for Chaeyoung suddenly joining them, with Park Chanyeol no longer in sight.

“Good morning guys!” she said in that almost singing voice of hers “Are we going for breakfast?”

“Why, the boyfriend ditched you?” Jungkook bit the inside of his mouth and factually turned to leave, not truly dwelling on his sudden urge to punch something.

Chaeyoung simply blinked at his now leaving figure, truly confused.

Then she looked at two other Hufflepuffs, as if asking for explanation but they just raised their hands defensively, confirming they had none besides the basic.

“Slytherins, duh?”

LATER

Min Yoongi wasn’t the gossiping type, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t observant.

Still, just because he was observant didn’t mean he always understood what people were doing or why they were acting in some certain ways.

Like now, for example – just why the hell Lisa Manoban was running from the stadium and crying even though the Gryffindor kicked Slytherin’s during a friendly training-turned-game session? Yoongi himself should be in tears, not her.

Or even better – just why Jungkook was casting a lot of stupefy charms at nothing in particular in the empty area near the Great Lake, like he really needed to lower some pressure? Sure, his fellow Slytherin was a git but that was uncommon to see him actually mad.

With that Yoongi shook his head and went to the bathroom, in need for shower after pretty tiresome match with Gryffindor. Then, when already back in the dorm, he experienced another pretty odd view – namely Kim Jennie being all clumsy and flushed and hiding her face in hands while muttering some words of disbelief under her nose.

He signed and went to his room, collecting the pack of cigarettes from his robe and grabbing a broom, while opening the window and flying off to the flat top of the dorm’s tower.

Much to Yoongi’s surprise someone was already sitting there, wrapped in a beige blanket and smoking a cigarette. He couldn’t help the smirk creeping to his face.

“Well well well, is the little raven back to old, muggle habits?”

Jisoo observed as he got off the broom and sat practically next to her, greeting him with a smile.

“Nice to see you too, Mint Top” she pointed with her chin at his hair, referring to the new green-blue color he charmed just minutes ago “Looks good on you…Although you look the best in black”

Yoongi grinned, while struggling a little with lighting his cigarette thanks to the windy weather.

“I haven’t had black hair in a while…Are you keeping the track of how often I change it?”

He just wanted to tease, maybe even joke so the answer he got nearly got him falling from the tower they were occupying.

“I do” Jisoo shrugged and took another puff, looking away from him to the crepuscular horizon.

Yoongi nodded and smiled, thanking the evening to be happening and therefore continuously covering the blush coming to his cheeks.

At this point it was beyond stupid for Yoongi to kid himself – he liked Kim Jisoo. A lot.

To be frank he was very much aware of her existence years