As third years, things had seemed to really settle in the school in terms of the bullying and the rumors. People still talked about Harin and Jungkook being closer than necessary for friends and rival teams, but neither paid them any mind. It was just a matter of course that people were going to talk, and they were too busy competing and training with each other to better themselves for that.

The middle of second year saw a very interesting encounter with boggarts for the students. Harin stepped forward first from the Hufflepuff house. Everyone was presented with the sight of a dead Haneul blaming Harin for her death. Harin gritted her teeth and cast the spell with such conviction that even the professor was taken aback when the boggart transformed into Haneul looking unamused by an elephant’s nose on her face.

“Really? That’s the best you could do?” Haneul snorted when she saw the caricature of herself on the boggart.

Harin grinned at her sister. “It was that or you playing the tuba. But that itself is a little scary.”

“I’m a beautiful tuba player.” Haneul had snarked back.

Haneul’s boggart was the exact same thing, but with Harin in her place. No one was surprised.

It took Jungkook no time at all to figure out what his boggart would be, and he hid at the end of the line, hoping and praying to Merlin that it wouldn’t get to him. He didn’t want everyone to see it. Haneul and Harin weren’t fooled.

“It’s empowering to face your fears in a controlled environment first, and handling it better if you ever encounter it in person.” Harin had smiled encouragingly.

“And here I thought you were done with running away.” Haneul had smirked.

Later, during dinner time, Jungkook had snuck into the Defense classroom. He stared at the box he knew the boggart was in. He was nervous, wringing his hands and wondering if what he was about to do was a good idea or not.

“If you’re going to do this, it’s best not to do it alone.” Harin snuck up behind him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Somehow, I knew you’d be here.” She grinned. “You’re not weak, you’re just not interested in other people seeing anything about you that you might think is weak.”

“So you just knew I’d be here again?”

“Yes, and I don’t want you to do this alone.”

Jungkook looked at the box and took a deep breath. “Yeah, thanks.” He stared at the locks on the box in confusion. “Do you remember the spell he used to open it?”

“Yeah.” Harin took out her wand, flicked her wrist carelessly and a quiet murmur. The box opened and the boggart sprang out. She stayed behind him to make sure the boggart saw Jungkook first.

She watched as the boggart took on Jungkook’s shape. He was taller, thinner, gaunt and pale. He wore massive dark robes with his hair slicked back. He put on a mask and raised the sleeve of the robes to show the dark mark. Jungkook grimaced and shook.

“Say the spell Jungkook.” Harin whispered behind him. “You are stronger than it. You are stronger than that image.”

Jungkook wet his dry lips and on his second try, succeeded in casting the spell. It took seeing his fears turning their attention to Harin behind him -- a wand raised as if they were going to hurt her -- for him to succeed. Harin smiled and flicked her wand, banishing the boggart back into the box, locks back in place. “You’re really good with the wand now.” He mumbled.

“I’ve been practicing.” She smiled proudly. “Haneul knows more spells, but I think I execute them better as of right now.” She reached into her back and took out a carefully wrapped bundle and set it next to her on the desk she was perched on. “Come. Eat.”

“You brought food?”

“Yeah. I figured you’d be skipping dinner for this. I like to be prepared.”

“Definitely a Hufflepuff.” He snorted, but sat on the chair and took the food offered to him anyway.

They only got closer since that moment.

Jungkook tried out and nabbed the Seeker position. His first game was against Ravenclaw -- he caught the snitch in about twenty minutes, narrowly beating out the other Seeker. Harin and Haneul sat with Yoongi to cheer him on in the stands. Jungkook still hadn’t made any friends outside of them by their third year. Occasionally, one of Harin’s many admirers would play nice with him to get close to her, because whether or not they were rumored to be together, they were obviously good friends. Sometimes, more than Jungkook can count at this point, they would get close, wait till they could get Jungkook alone, and tell him how much of a waste of time he was for Harin and that she only pitied him.

The first time that happened, Jungkook had been simultaneously shocked and unsurprised by them. Maybe he hadn’t expected it to be at the start of the new year, so soon that he hadn’t really been prepared to hear it.

“You Slytherin brats sure are garbage. You’d really use Harin’s kindness to keep her around. You should learn to get lost and stop infecting her with your Death Eater filth. No one likes you, and Harin only pities you, but you don’t fool me with that lost face. Back off from Harin or we’ll make you regret it.”

Jungkook didn’t even have to ask who ‘we’ involved. He knew and expected to have people who hated him, if not for his Death Eater family history, or for the fact that he was one of the few that was not only graced with Harin’s attention, but blessed to be called one of her closest friends. She was always with him and Haneul or Yoongi. They could be practicing on the quidditch pitch or studying in the library somewhere else hidden to have privacy. It’s hard for Harin to have any semblance of peace no matter who she was with or where. Harin openly sought him out, even just to sit together in relative quiet. People were jealous.

He had sighed, accepted the words, and backed off from Harin. Jungkook avoided her. It wasn’t that hard. Harin wasn’t interested in being stealthy and there was always some kind of twinkle in the air around her -- people shifted around her so perfectly, so hopefully, that you could tell she was coming your way about two halls before she even got to you.

“Why are you avoiding my sister?” Haneul frowned.

“What? Oh, was that her? Didn’t even notice.” Jungkook lied nervously. He was usually a decent liar, sometimes a great liar, but he could never lie to his few friends. There was no point. They could all read each other so easily. Haneul rolled her eyes and kicked his shin, unimpressed by that half-assed effort. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s enough to make you avoid my sister and ditch plans you two usually have together. She won’t say it, but she’s upset, sad even. So what happened? I thought you two were good.”

“She great. I’m great. We’re great. Nothing happened.”

“Jungkook, if you don’t figure your out soon, I will personally see to handling you. You’re upsetting my sister, and I do not take kindly to that. Stop being a prick and stop avoiding my sister.” Haneul flicked her wand and gathered her things quickly. “You have till the end of the week before I show you what happens to people who upset my sister.”

Yoongi whistled when he slumped into the seat Haneul had just vacated. “What did you up?”

“Nothing.” Jungkook growled and shoved his things into his bag, running away.

It took two days after that for Harin to break. Jungkook had escaped the classes they had together so fast that she could never catch up. Too many people wanted her attention after class for her to really pay attention to him anyway. But she was sitting next to Haneul for that class period, and Harin told Haneul to handle her stuff so she could sprint after Jungkook at full speed. Hanuel smirked and agreed to that arrangement.

“Jeon Jungkook!” Harin yelled, ignoring people calling out to her and trying to get her attention. “Jungkook!” When it was too obvious that he couldn’t not have heard her, he stopped reluctantly and turned to look at her.

“Oh, hey. What’s up? Long time no see.”

“You got that right.” She huffed and looked around at all the people watching them. “We need some peace and quiet to talk.”

“Okay.”

After a number of times that Jungkook found her when she was feeling the most overwhelmed and exhausted by the endless attention on her, he would help her sneak away for moments of peace and quiet. They’d go to the edge of the forest near Hagrid’s hut, climb a tree and sit there until she was ready to go back. They went often enough that they had a usual tree they sat on together.

“Did I do something wrong? If I did something wrong, then let me know. We’re friends.”

“What? No! You did nothing!”

“Then what is it? Why are you avoiding me?”

It was in the way she stared at him with wide, pleading eyes, and the slight tremble in her bottom lip. He broke. “I’m no good for you. I’m taking advantage of your kindness.”

“What do you mean? How?”

“You pity me because I don’t have friends. You’re so nice that you take people in and take care of them.”

“Who told you this? I’m not friends with you because I pity you. I’m friends with you because of things like you knowing when I’m feeling overwhelmed -- something usually only Haneul knows -- and you take me to places like this to give me space. I’m friends with you because you don’t push and pull at me to pay attention to you. You’re just pleasantly happy that I’m there, and you make me laugh and smile. I’m friends with you because I want to be. Who is trying to tell you that I pity you? I pity them that they are damaged enough in the head for thinking like that.”

“You… you really like hanging out with me?”

“I am perfectly capable of climbing a tree and hiding on my own. But I’m here with you because I like hanging out with you. You’re my friend.”

“Oh.”

“People keep asking me if I’m really a Hufflepuff, but are you really a Slytherin? You let people break you down so easily.”

“Slytherins are supposed to be loyal and caring to their own. We want the best for ourselves and the people we care about.” He mumbled, idly playing with the edge of his typically pristine uniform robes.

“And Hufflepuffs will fight for the people they care about. So, between myself and Haneul, we’re going to find out who hurt you and made you think you weren’t good enough for me because I know you’re not going to tell me.”

“You can get kinda scary.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment.” She smirked. “Stop avoiding me. I want you around and to be around you. Be proud of our friendship.”

“Okay.”

“Alright, let’s go to lunch then.” She smiled and dropped to the ground.

“So what was wrong?” Haneul asked when Harin and Jungkook sat beside Haneul and Yoongi at the table.

“Apparently someone is telling my friends that they’re not good enough for me and I’m only around because I pity them.” Harin shrugged honestly.

“They did something incredibly stupid then.” Haneul hummed.

“Indeed.”

“It seems like a re-education is in order.”

“It would be for the best that they know the truth.”

“Kang Harin loves her friends dearly.”

“I do.”

“They should learn what happens to people who take that lightly.”

“I fully intend on it. I’ve heard I’m a great tutor.”

This entire conversation took place in a very calm and level tone of voice. Common for Haneul, but not for Harin.

“You two are being scary.” Yoongi frowned.

“That’s the highest compliment from the grumpiest face in Slytherin.” Harin smiled sweetly at the older boy. “Am I right, Jungkook?” She nudged him with her elbow.

“Target acquired.” Haneul stated simply. “Gryffindor’s Jaebum.”

“What? How?” Jungkook startled.

“This had to have happened more recently, which doesn’t narrow much down because Harin is always surrounded by people. So then I had to observe people carefully and see who seemed the most upset by her friendliness towards you. Someone who looked like they were going to punish you because they’ve warned you before. Jaebum reacted that way, and he’s been trying to get especially close to Harin for the past month.”

“Thank you for your assistance.” Harin smiled at Haneul. “Enjoy your meal. I’ll be back shortly.” Harin excused herself and made her way across the hall to Jaebum and his friends. “Hey JB.”

“Hey!”

“You’re a really good looking guy.”

He was getting teased and nudged for her brazen comment. “Oh, thanks. Y-you’re also --”

“It’d be a damn shame if something were to happen to your handsome face, wouldn’t it? I mean… you don’t even have a nice personality to fall back on without your face. What would you even do then?” Harin’s smile was uncharacteristically cold. “If you ever talk to me, Jungkook, or any of my good friends ever again, I will destroy you. Starting with your face. Am I being quite clear, Jaebum?”

He nodded shakily. “C-clear.”

“That’s good. Enjoy your meal. I sincerely hope you choke.” Harin smiled at everyone at the table one last time before going back to her own seat.

“How did it go?” Haneul asked, though Jaebum’s fear was palpable in the air.

“That should be the end of that.” Harin grinned. “Let’s finish eating. I want to go to the library and finish our Potions’ essay assignment.”

“I’m so confused by it.” Jungkook groaned.

“That’s because you’re crap at essays.” Haneul snorted.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you. What are friends for if not to teach you about the merits of a balm versus a paste?”

“Indeed. What are friends for.” Jungkook smiled at her.

That was the year Jungkook finally wanted something other than to not be himself. He wanted to be with Harin, be someone she’d care about, for the rest of their lives. He learned that maybe… she was his best friend, and there was no more denying it.