"Please don't leave like the spring wind that passed over me. Can you save me?"

Infinite - Back 

“Xero?”

Jimin paused in midway and stared at the other. He skipped dinner, only grabbed two sandwiches – one for himself, one for Yoongi – but Madam Pomfrey told him Caroline was already at St Mungo’s and Yoongi left a good couple of minutes ago. Jimin felt guilty for leaving the other but Professor McGonagall wouldn’t accept staying at the hospital wing as a proper excuse for missing her class, especially since he’s not even a Slytherin. He decided showing up at Slytherin’s common room just to check on Yoongi would be a little too – desperate. Also, he had no desire to get lost in the dungeons again.

It was late, and if students weren’t still in the great hall, they went quickly back to their common rooms, especially since the latest events. So it was pretty hard to miss the boy with the striking white hair, crouched together next to the high windows.

“Xero, what are you doing?” Jimin asked worriedly and bent down to touch the other’s shoulder, “Are you not feeling well?”

“Hmm?” Xero looked up at him and bit his lower lip.

There was a flicker in his eyes and his pupils widened slightly. Jimin noticed Xero’s pale skin and the way his hands were clenched to fists.

“Hey, what is wrong?” Jimin asked and slowly sat down next to Xero, shyly reaching out to curl a hand around his wrist, “Are you sick? Should we go to the hospital wing – it’s ok, I finally remember the way.”

Xero gave him a look and then shook his head. He swallowed hard, and there are tears b in his eyes.

“Jimin,” he whispered and turned to his side, hands gripping on the younger’s sleeve, “Jimin, do you trust me?”

“What?” Jimin felt taken aback and stared at the other with wide eyes, “What are you –“

“Do you trust me?” Xero repeated, “Do you trust me Jimin – do you trust me to not do anything bad? Or evil?”

Jimin felt his stomach turning cold. “Xero – what happened? Did you do something wrong?”

“No of course I didn’t!” Xero suddenly yelled and raised his hands, slightly pushing Jimin away, “See – that’s what I’m talking about! Why don’t you trust me?”

“But I do trust you!” Jimin retreated, “You’re my friend Xero, I was just asking –“

Xero growled and crossed his arms, shielding himself. “They think it was me – the Slytherins.”

“What?” Jimin furrowed his brows, “What do they think was you?”

“What happened with this prefect,” Xero propped up his legs and buried his face in his knees, “Someone said  – I mean, I only told a couple of guys, Jimin, do you remember? Do you remember when I told you I’m a parselmouth …”

“Yeah, I remember,” Jimin smiled and moved closer, resting his hand on Xero’s shoulder, “But this doesn’t change the fact I trust you. I think it’s cool.”

“What you think doesn’t mean it’s what the rest thinks,” Xero pressed his lips together, “They know – I heard them talking during dinner. They called me parselmouth boy. Dark wizard. They don’t know who did this to Caroline, and now that they heard I’m a parselmouth, of course they think it’s me. This is the reason why I only told a few people, and seems like a few was at least one too many.”

Jimin felt his chest tightening. This was not fair. Xero wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, a little snarky, a little sassy at times – but he was a great friend. One of Jimin’s closest friends. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve any one mistaking him for someone bad or evil.

“This probably doesn’t help,” he mumbled and reached out to touch Xero’s fluffy white hair, “But I’m a hundred percent sure you’d never do anything bad.”

Xero didn’t replied to that, but he turned his head a little and accepted Jimin’s hand. He still seemed upset, but the frown lines on his forehead lessened. There were a couple of curious students passing them and Xero turned his head when he heard them whisper and point at him. Xero was used to students looking at him because of his outstanding hair and the fact he was part of the dance club. But never because of the malicious rumours someone – and Xero swore he would find and kill that certain someone – set out in the student body.

Xero grimaced when another group of seriously frightened looking first and second years passed them. They all gave him scared looks, as if they feared he’ll attack them in the next second.

“Tell me something,” Xero muttered and reached out to hold Jimin’s hand, “Please – tell me something.”

“What?” Jimin blinked up at him and laced their fingers together.

“Anything,” Xero bit his lower lip and tried a smirk, “Did anything happen between you and your prefect friend? Moving from step non-existent to step one?”

Jimin blushed and hid his face in the other’s robes. “What is step one?”

“Well – the long overdue kiss everyone is waiting for?” Xero suggested and snickered, “You know, we thought about putting bets on you guys already. The whole Slytherin house would surely be in for it.”

“Stop it,” Jimin mumbled and hit his arms, “There’s nothing to put bets on anyway. I mean – it’s not like I’m impatiently waiting for uh, this step one. All I want is being close to him, you know?”

Xero stared at him, his dark eyes filled with a knowingly, and slightly sad, look. “I know …”

There was a silence, and Xero felt like something heavy was pressing on his chest. He wanted to tell Jimin everything – the awful feeling, when students think you’re involved in something horrible, the nagging feeling, when you suspect the one who spilled the beans is someone close to you, the desperate feeling, when nothing seems to work out. Especially not his crush. But Jimin looked at him like he knew anyway, so all Xero did was tighten his hold on the other’s hand.

“Jimin!”

There was a loud shout and Jimin practically jumped, tangling himself in his robes and tripping over his own feet, which Xero prevented to be a super embarrassing situation with a tight grip on Jimin’s arm.

Min Yoongi came running at them, and Xero instantly knew something wasn’t right because Min Yoongi came running at them. He panted, holding his side, and grabbed Jimin’s shoulders.

“Jimin,” Yoongi said and tried to catch his breath, “I need your help.”

He sounded almost desperate and Xero was ready to leave the scene, what with Jimin’s heavily flushed face and Yoongi holding him close. But right when he turned around, a hand closed around his collar and he was pulled back.

“Wait,” Yoongi said and furrowed his brows, “You’re Xero, right?”

Xero was momentarily stunned he even knew his name. But there was something else bugging him. This was Slytherin’s prefect after all.

“Why?” Xero snapped and crossed his arms in front of his chest, “Do you want to arrest me or something? Listen – I have nothing to do with whatever happened to your partner –“

Yoongi interrupted him with an eye roll. “I know you don’t. Just, I – we need your help Xero. And Jimin, yours too.”

“Of course we’ll help you,” Jimin said instantly and reached out to hold Xero’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly, “What is it?”

Yoongi seemed to hesitate for a moment, eyes wandering over Jimin’s excited to Xero’s sceptical face and lingered swiftly on their entwined hands.

“You know, this is a little – dangerous,” he then said slowly and ran a hand through his hair, “So, Jimin, I need you to go and uh, talk to Mr. Filch.”

“Talk to Mr. Filch?” Jimin repeated and his eyes widened. “Won’t I get into trouble?”

“Could be?” Yoongi shrugged helplessly, “Look, you don’t have to do it –“

“No, it’s fine,” Jimin said quickly, “But why?”

“I need a little distraction,” Yoongi winced and scratched his neck, “Just – talk to Mr. Filch and make sure he doesn’t go back to his office. I need only a couple of minutes, promise.”

Jimin looked a little surprise, but then nodded with a determined expression. “You can count on me, hyung.”

Yoongi smiled quickly, and seemed about to say something, but remembered right in the next second Xero was present and instead cleared his throat awkwardly.

“So,” he turned to the white-haired and gave him a stern look, “Xero, I know you’re a parselmouth –“

“You and the whole school,” Xero muttered bitterly.

“– so I, or more specifically my friends, need your help,” Yoongi continued, “This may sound a little weird, but uh, they gathered in the ladies’ bathroom in the first floor, right down this hallway. I need you to meet up with them.”

“Are you kidding me?” Xero couldn’t help but laugh, eyes wide and eyebrow’s raised, “A ladies’ bathroom? What are they doing in there?”

“This would be way too long to explain,” Yoongi rolled his eyes and then grabbed Xero’s shoulder, “So listen to me – you go in there, you help them really quick, and then you leave. Don’t get yourself into danger, Xero.”

“I don’t think this is possible in a bathroom,” Xero retreated and rolled his eyes, “But ok, promise, I’ll leave after I’m done with whatever – not like I want to spend more time than necessary in a ladies’ bathroom anyway.”

“Xero, this is serious,” Yoongi warned him, grip on his shoulder tightening, “After you’re done, you leave. Instantly.”

“Calm down, I understood,” Xero freed himself from the prefect’s grip and pulled Jimin’s hand close, “But I guess you should be worried about him – don’t let Jimin do anything dangerous, you hear me?”

This time, a smile spread over Yoongi’s lips. “Of course not. Now quick, I guess they’re waiting.”

Jimin watched Xero waving at them before he turned around and left in the opposite direction. Then, he hesitantly reached out and touched Yoongi’s hand. “You’re not involved in something dangerous, are you?”

Yoongi furrowed his brows and grabbed Jimin’s hand tightly, pulling him down the hallway into the direction of Mr Filch’s office. “Sometimes you can’t help it.”

Which did nothing to lessen Jimin’s worries.

Distracting Mr Filch in any way wasn’t something easily done, and if Yoongi was willing to risk getting caught by him, it must be because of something important. Jimin felt a weird twist in his stomach and tried to pull Yoongi’s hand close to his side, but the prefect shook his head.

“I need access to his office,” he said slowly and bit his lower lip, “So you either – say you need his help or try to –“

“Don’t worry,” Jimin said quickly and attempted on a bright smile, “I got this! Good luck to you!”

He gave Yoongi a cheerful thumbs up, while his heart felt heavy from all his worry over the elder. But there was nothing he could do but trust Yoongi and support him.

Yoongi stared at him, mouth half open as if he wanted to say something, and his dark eyes were burning with something intense. Then, he reached out and quickly cupped Jimin’s face, pulling him close.

“Thank you,” he whispered, voice deep and raspy.

Before Jimin could even say something in return, Yoongi already leaned down and pressed a quick, fleeting kiss on his lips.

It was too quick for him to comprehend and Jimin could only blink, body feeling a little numb and heart beating way too fast. He watched Yoongi running a hand through his hair with a shy smile on his lips, then the elder quickly raised his hand, before he turned around and sprinted down the hallway.

Jimin gripped tightly on his robes to steady himself because no, now was not the right moment to faint. Now was his time to act and show Yoongi he can rely on him. Jimin pressed a finger on his lips and took a deep breath, then he started running in the direction of the great hall.

It were times like these when having a best friend came in handy. Jimin almost crashed in a group of first years huddled in front of the great hall, and quickly jumped up and down to get a glimpse of the significant purple hair. He knew Taehyung usually stays behind to finish the milk pudding so -

“Taehyung!”

There was a loud voice yelling, and right on spot Taehyung actually stepped out of the great hall, curiously looking at whoever just called his name – but it wasn’t Jimin.

“Taehyung!” Jeon Jungkook called again, rushing through the group of students to reach the Ravenclaw, “Taehyung, I need to talk to you –“

“Uh,” Taehyung blinked, looking rather curious, and then his gaze found Jimin also approaching him quickly, “Hi Jimin. I missed you at dinner.”

Jungkook pouted unconsciously, mumbling words like “you’re supposed to miss me,” but Jimin had no time for them messing around now.

“Taehyung, you need to help me,” he breathed out and grabbed the other’s hand, “No need to explain, but we need to be quick. It’s important!”

“No way, Park Jimin,” Jungkook spoke up before Taehyung could even react, furrowing his brows and grabbing the other hand of the Ravenclaw, “Taehyung and I need to have a serious talk, so back off. You have your prefect boyfriend anyway.”

Jimin never really lost the nerves with anyone, it was actually always the other way round, but right now he totally had no time to deal with a jealous and annoying Jeon Jungkook, plus a very oblivious looking Taehyung.

“Fine, then join us if you need to,” he said and tucked on Taehyung’s hand, “But we really need to go – it’s for the greater good, you know?”

At least that’s what he assumed from the way Yoongi acted.

Jungkook snorted and rolled his eyes, but then also continued walking, swinging both his and Taehyung’s joined hand between them. “Ok Mr Mysterious, what do you want us to do anyway?”

“Hmm?” Jimin swallowed hard and try to sound confident, “Oh nothing much – just destroying the statue of Boris the Bewildered, preferably right in front of Mr Filch.”

“What?”




“This,” Hoseok said and shook his head, “Is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever told us Seokjin, I swear.”

Stephanie, who hid again behind Namjoon, shook her head. “Seokjin, this is crazy.”

“Mate,” Namjoon now also spoked up and rolled his eyes, “You sound a little mental here. Do you seriously think there is –“

“– a dragon inside the Chamber of Secrets?” Seokjin spat out and raised his eyebrows, “Yes, this is exactly what I think.”

“No, Seokjin, listen this can’t be,” Stephanie’s voice was shaking, as if she desperately tried to convince herself, “Why would someone store a dragon inside the Chamber of Secrets – and how? There still is an anti-disapparition jinx and you can’t just guard a dragon inside Hogwarts. What am I even saying, this is ridiculous. There can’t be a dragon inside Hogwarts, you would notice!”

“You think so?” Seokjin hissed and crossed his arms, “The basilisk hid for centuries inside the Chamber and no one noticed, not even the headmasters. The Chamber of Secrets proved several times it’s the best place to hide something inside, something as huge as a dangerous monster. And remember – the roar, the heat, it all makes sense. What is loud enough to roar like this? What can create fire to heat up the marble like this?”

Stephanie exchanged a wide eyed look with both Hoseok and Namjoon, the latter with an unreadable expression, the former with a snow white face and clear panic on his face.

“Yeah b-but,” Hoseok cleared his throat and tried to maintain a serious and confident appearance, “If we hypothetically agree someone wants to store a dragon inside Hogwarts – because of reasons – how on earth do you get this thing inside Hogwarts. You can’t just rely on the fact no one will notice you smuggling a beast inside here, and then randomly stumble over the Chamber of Secrets, right?”

“Use your brain, Merlin,” Seokjin couldn’t sit still anymore, taking big steps through the bathroom, “Is there a time when Hogwarts wasn’t in its usual state? Yes there is – the Battle of Hogwarts. Remember Professor Grogan’s class. If you want to smuggle a dragon, or just the egg of a dragon, inside Hogwarts, when would be a better timing? And then – who opened the Chamber of Secrets the last two times? Lord Voldemort.”

Stephanie took a sharp breath and Hoseok even squeaked, both now hiding behind Namjoon. The Gryffindor rolled his eyes and then furrowed his brows. “Are you seriously suggesting Lord Voldemort left a dragon inside Hogwarts?!”

“Of course not,” Seokjin hissed and threw his hands in the air, “Jackson!”

“You think it was Jackson?” Stephanie screeched.

“No I don’t, are you stupid?” Seokjin snapped and then raised the red stone, “Doesn’t this look familiar – Namjoon?”

The Gryffindor blinked and then tilted his head, taking a step closer to get a better look at the scarlet stone. “Oh Merlin,” he hissed then and ran a hand through his hair, “Fire resistant. It’s a scale, isn’t it – of the Chinese Fireball.”

“Namjoon and I went to Derwish & Bangs last year,” Seokjin explained impatiently to the rest, “And there we saw the dragons used in the last Triwizard Tournament – amongst it, a scarlet red Chinese Fireball!”

Namjoon cursed loudly and kicked the marble sinks. “!”

“And Jackson ..?” Hoseok asked with a very high, very hesitant voice.

“Remember his report?” Seokjin impatiently threw his hands in the air, “Voldemort’s allies – and some even came from Hong Kong, remember? It shouldn’t have been much of a problem for them to  get access to eggs of the Chinese Fireball! Now think like this – Voldemort orders you to Hogwarts, to defeat the last resisting wizards. Bringing dragon eggs, or already fully grown dragons as a weapon, would seem appropriate, wouldn’t it?”

“The anti-disapparition jinx,” Stephanie whispered and her face turned slightly green, “When Lord Voldemort and the death eaters attacked – all protection charms were lifted at some point. They could have apparated a dragon inside the castle without much difficulty.”

“Lord Voldemort surely would have told his allies about the Chamber of Secrets,” Hoseok whispered and gripped tightly on the sinks in order to steady himself.

“Merlin,” Namjoon cursed, “ – there is a dragon inside Hogwarts! , and someone even tried to release it.”

There is an awful silence, while the news sunk in for everyone. Seokjin felt like finally, finally everything fit together – but the answer to all his questions is so horrible, so frightening he didn’t feel relieved in anyway. The fact everything made sense not only for him but for everyone else assured him his theory was most probably true. And Seokjin never wished he would have been more wrong than now.

“You think there actually is someone inside Hogwarts?” Hoseok whispered into the silence and his grip on the sinks tightened, “One of Voldemort’s allies?”

“Impossible,” Seokjin shook his head, “Jackson also said this – the Ministry of Magic announced everyone of his allies involved in the battle got arrested. There is no way.”

“But –“ Namjoon started when suddenly, the door to the bathroom screeched open.

Everyone’s head whipped to the side, eyes wide when a white haired boy appeared inside the door.

“Xero?” Hoseok asked with a weak voice, “What …?”

The Hufflepuff groaned and ran a hand through his fluffy hair. “Of course you would be here ….”

Seokjin exchanged a quick glance with Namjoon, who only shrugged. Then, he slowly reached for his wand and pointed it at Xero. “What are you doing here?”

“Woah, chill,” Xero quickly raised his hands and took a step back, “I’m only here to help – Yoongi sent me.”

“Help?” Seokjin repeated with an uncertain voice, before a light bulb switched on in his head, “Of course, you’re the parselmouth – he sent you to open the entrance for us …”

“What entrance?” Xero raised an eyebrow and close the door behind him, “Look, I really don’t know what’s going on here, but if you show me what to do, I’m willing to help.”

Seokjin exchanged a glance with the rest, and the determination in his eyes made Hoseok take in a sharp breath. “No. ing. Way.”

“Seokjin,” Stephanie wimpered and her hand gripped tightly on his sleeve, “You told us – we’ll die if we go in there. We can’t –“

“We can stop this,” Seokjin said and shook his head, “It may be dangerous, but – we’re prefects. And before we convinced the teachers, it could be too late.”

“Too late for what?” Hoseok’s voice cracked in pure panic.

“Caroline was attacked,” Seokjin said slowly, “Whoever is behind this – is ready to release the dragon on the student body. I’m sure. We need to stop this. We can’t risk any more students getting hurt.”

“But –“ Hoseok started.

Namjoon interrupted him with a determined nod, and Stephanie also took a deep breath, now nodding with a stern look on her face.

“Let’s do this. Let’s go inside the Chamber of Secrets.”
 

Uh oh, now seriously went down – or is about to go down anyway, what with hyung line entering the chamber and this solo mission Yoongi is doing. I really hope you guys liked this chapter (Yoonmin kiss as my birthday present to our squishy chimchim ^-^) and are excited for what's about to come next!

This update was quicker than expected – you guys can all go and thank Infinite, since the concert experience left me in such a good mood omg (check my blog for a detailed review if you’re curious). Still – I can’t tell you when the next update will be. I give my best, promise, but uni keeps me very very busy atm.

Have a nice week, honeys!

xxx