After two weeks of none stop exams Taemin and the rest of his year finished their OWLs. Taemin had to spend his birthday in a potions practical exam and after Jonghyun covered his entire face in apologetic kisses because they couldn't celebrate, Jonghyun surprised him with a letter from the twin's mother informing them that it would be no trouble at all if Taemin stayed in their muggle home for the summer and Taemin couldn't be happier with the belated present. A summer to start a new was what he needed, he sent a quick note to his parents to let them know they shouldn't bother sending a servant to come get him because he wouldn't be returning to manor less it be for clothes or money.

 

The train ride was probably the most at peace Taemin had felt in a while, his head in Jonghyun's lap, his eyes closed as he listened to the quiet chatter of his friends and the steady clacking from the train tracks.

 

Once they stationed in Kings Cross his peace was put to an end by tearful goodbyes and promises of letters in the summer. The pair that were practically glued together were Minho and Kibum swept in a tight embrace, Taemin was surprised by the obvious romantic intention but Jonghyun squeezed his hand and stared at them in secondhand joy. His brother and his best friend, he always knew they were similar and hoped one day they would get along but this was better by far. Kibum got over his jealously and Minho realised he had been chasing the wrong twin all along, finally letting go of Jonghyun completely.

 

Krystal and Kai promised to visit Taemin and Jonghyun and to set up a day trip in muggle London with Jonghyun acting as the purebloods tour guide. 

He was so used to leaving the station in silence with his brother in tow that he felt a twist in his stomach when he remembered it would never be that way again. Even Luna seemed distraught from the far end of the platform but Jonghyun pulled him away from the scene and seemingly away from fifth year.

 

Jonghyun's home was exactly how he remembered it except instead of two small dogs he was attacked by a miniature fleet of Roo's puppies clawing and biting his expensive shoes. He didn't mind however as the warmth and welcoming glow from the family made his heart swell with something he hadn't felt since Jinki died; a sense of belonging and a foreign feeling took over. For the first time in Taemin's life he felt at home in a place that wasn't Hogwarts. The twin's father with his stern demeanour but kind interior, the twin's mother flouncing around the house with her calm and caring aura, Kibum and his immature teasing, Jonghyun's entire existence, everything made him feel safe. 

 

It could never replace what he had lost but piece by piece his shattered understanding of family was beginning to build up.

 

His cheerfulness was interrupted by a trio of letters adorned with the Hogwarts stamp. Their OWLs results arrived. Kibum was the first to open his and shrugged at his slightly above average marks and Jonghyun blushed as he was surrounded by praise for his perfect set of results; it would be a struggle for him to choose his subjects when he preformed so well in everything. Taemin couldn't bare to open his, he was too worried that his best effort still wasn't good enough but as Jonghyun's smile grew when he read the results Taemin was hit with a wave of relief.

 

He obviously wasn't the best in his year but finally he was resting on average and even rivalling Jonghyun's results in herbology. 

 

That night Jonghyun congratulated him by shyly covering his torso with wet kisses, the spare mattress was simply decoration in the middle of the room and Kibum's bed was left abandoned as he snuck through the open window and into the night. The cool air made Jonghyun shiver and Taemin pulled him onto his bare chest, Taemin's heartbeat lulled him to sleep and Taemin was the one left awake with his thoughts. He wasn't haunted by guilt or pain anymore, the only thought on his mind was how soft Jonghyun's hair was as he ran his fingers through it. 

 

*

 

on a crisp summers afternoon, Kris and Jessica would finally be married. They decided to speed up their engagement because the past year made them realize how unpredictable life could be and they didn't want to waste another day, month, year not being together. 

Jonghyun had received a personal invitation from Jessica and Taemin had received one of the same from Yifan; it was a personal thank you to the both of them for helping them reunite and make the wedding possible. Jonghyun was bouncing with excitement when the invitations came in the post and practically jumped on Taemin squealing about how much he loved weddings. 

 

The wedding would take place in the garden of the Wu manor. It was surprisingly simple, their alter being a single archway of woven white roses. A small orchestra playing filled the air with sweet music and it made Jonghyun's heart flutter, the entire aesthetic was stunning and even Taemin had to admit it was beautiful; he was never a fan of large events and expected this to be no different but was surprised to see only a handful of guests. Jonghyun and Taemin were truly honored to be the select few the bride and groom deemed worthy enough to attend.

 

Yet the both of them seemed uncomfortable with the idea of a summer wedding and wordlessly agreed winter was more to their taste.

 

Due to the small guest list Taemin easily recognised many people including his best friends. Krystal was the maid of honor and she eagerly waved at them from her position at the side of the arch, she clutched her white bouquet to her chest as she couldn't contain her excitement, she had been waiting for this wedding almost as long as her sister had. Kai was her plus one and also waved from his seat on the other side of the aisle. Even a familiar face had an important role in the wedding, Luhan had returned from Bulgaria just to be Yifan's best man, he seemed so bored with the role however as he was waiting for the reception to begin; he was eyeing a particular bottle of champagne from the catering tent on the other side of the garden.

 

The minister was an elderly man neither of them recognised but it became clear he was a family friend when he began to chat away the mothers of the bride and groom.

 

Yifan soon arrived looking utterly polished. His suit was expensive and fit his tall figure perfectly, his hair had since grown back and was stylishly slicked back, out of his face. He seemed healthy again and Taemin was glad; Taemin hadn't seen him since they were rescued and always wondered if Yifan's recovery was as smooth as his own. Yifan gulped numerous times and it was clear he was jittery but as Luhan no doubt whispered words of encouragement in his ear, he began to relax, his body became less stiff and a the largest smile spread across his face.

 

Soon the slow and airy music drifted away and was replaced with the classical Canon and Gigue to signify that everyone should rise and let their eyes follow down the grassy aisle to where Jessica was standing. There was an audible gasp from all the guests. 

 

A vision in white, Jessica slowly her way down with her long train trailing along the grass. Her face was hidden by her lace veil but it didn't conceal her glowing smile and budding tears. Even Jessica's father struggled to hold in his tears. Finally the couple were reunited under the arch and the ceremony officially began.

 

 

"I do”
 

 

 

“I Yifan take thee Jessica, to be my wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore" Yifan then placed the ring handed to him by Luhan on Jessica's dainty finger and was so caring he resembled a gentle giant. Jessica then repeated her vows and did the same with the ring 

The minister smiled at the two who were obviously itching for the pronouncement "I now declare you husband and wife. Congratulations, you may kiss your bride" amongst all the cheers the two crashed their lips together in a way that was so intimate that Taemin felt uncomfortable watching them. 

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Wu" the two then scurried down the aisle under the rain of flower petals being thrown by the guests. Jessica was no longer a Jung and that would take time to get used to but the Wu name seemed a perfect fit for her.

Finally the sun began to set and everyone poured into the reception tent and many other guests arrived, purebloods that were no doubt invited for the image but kept from the ceremony. Tycoons, drunken politicians, journalists and a handful of friends filled the dusk with music and laughter. Taemin ignored the crowd and focused on Jonghyun as they danced to the fast and upbeat violins. Taemin loved to dance even if Jonghyun stepped on his toes more than once; he couldn't be happier but he lost his healthy blush once he saw an elegant couple glaring at him. His parents were watching from a table on the far end, beckoning for him to come. Taemin kissed Jonghyun's cheek, excused himself and followed his parents who were making their way outside the tent in the growing darkness. 

"What do you want?" Taemin hissed at them and took pleasure in their surprised expressions. 

"I'm sure you know that we have business to attend to" his father grumbled and avoided looking him in the eye. "No I don't believe we do" Taemin was going to milk this for all its worth. His father rolled his eyes, "Due to unfortunate circumstances we are left with no heir. Considering you are now our sole child-" 

"You do know I'm not yours right? So technically I shouldn't be eligible" 

Taemin saw his parents twitch and waited for their anger to explode "that doesn't matter! My wife gave birth to you and you were raised in my house! So you are eligible and you will listen to us!" He calmed himself as to not draw attention from any wedding guests and Taemin's mother took over "we are offering you a choice. Become our heir and we will give you all the attention you ever desired, you will carry on our name and inherit our fortune however it has come to our attention that you have adopted a particular 'lifestyle'" she pursed her lips in disgust and they looked back towards the tent to stare at Jonghyun who was happily chatting away to the new Mrs Wu. 

"This is unacceptable behaviour as it is the responsibility of the heir to produce an heir of their own. Those are our conditions, be our son but you must leave that boy behind. You may refuse the position however if you do so you will abandon the family name, we shall refuse all contact with you. Your birth will be removed from our records. From the kindness of my heart I shall hand you your inheritance however the minute you turn eighteen you will no longer be my child and our relationship ends there" 

It was almost funny how they believed they could even convince Taemin to be the heir but his rage overthrew the humour of the situation. Did they honestly think that he valued his pureblood image more than Jonghyun? Had this offer been given to him last year he would have jumped for joy but this year had changed him, made him realise his own worth. 

"You two really are heartless. For my entire life I've wanted nothing more than to impress you but now I see you don't deserve my effort. For sixteen years I have been blamed and tortured for an affair that wasn't my fault but now all of a sudden you want me? Because suddenly you find a use for your bastard son?! Now that's sick. You must be crazy if you think I would give up the love of my life for some stupid title, I don't care about money so you don't have to bother to support me. I'd rather live in poverty than carry on your name. Take my name off your records for all I care because you were never my family to begin with" Taemin's was so harsh and venomous it surprised them both. 

This was the most Taemin had ever spoken to his parents and he could tell it would probably be the last so he had to let the years of pain and anger come through, finally speaking his mind.

"And I can't believe that YOU have the audacity to even ask me such a thing. I was never your son in the first place so I'm sure I'll do just fine without you! Your son was my brother and you failed him, I was never your child but he was! and you treated him like a pawn and nothing more. I refuse to take his place and I have a few demands of my own" he was now speaking directly his 'father' the terrible man who kept the truth from him for so long. His biological father was the minister of magic and the man before him was a stranger; but he wasn't a stranger to Jinki, he had the choice to be a real father to Jinki but he never was, he didn't even seem remorseful for the damage he had caused to his family and for that Taemin could never forgive him.

His mother on the other hand was close to tears as his words seemed to have struck a chord with her. "I want fresh flowers to be placed on Jinki's grave every day. Do that and you won't have to deal with me for the rest of your lives. I won't sell the story of the affair nor will I bring attention to being disowned, bad mouth me all you want but you will protect Jinki's name and honour him. Although I hate every second I spend with you both I am grateful, without the mental abuse you bestowed upon me I might of never given up, I could've of breezed through school without ever meeting Jonghyun. Speaking of, I should really go back and enjoy this celebration with him" Taemin was now awfully sarcastic and his voice was sickeningly sweet. 

"If you'll excuse me I'll be leaving now and kindly go yourselves!"

He didn't even wait to see their reaction as he left them standing there in the dark while he was heading towards the laughter and light, by the time he had returned to the party Jonghyun was clearly worried "what happened-" but his concerns were cut off by Taemin's lips, Yifan wolf whistled at the pair and Jessica handed Jonghyun her bouquet. Finally after so long the last weight had been taken off Taemin's shoulders. He was finally free, he could live his life without his parents haunting him, he didn't have to behave accordingly, he didn't have to force a smile when speaking to pompous rich people, he didn't have to be alone in that dark manor anymore. He didn't have to live with the Lee legacy hanging over his head. They could no longer control him.

The idea of being an orphan was rather daunting but it was nothing compared to what he had gone through that year. Of course it would be difficult but with Jonghyun by his side, Taemin could do anything.