He waves to his brother, who is crying as the train starts to roll away. Jimin’s heart clenches, and he waves until his family is out of sight before lugging his trunk down the narrow aisles, trying to find a compartment with Taehyung.

The only empty compartment they find isn’t empty, but has a small, nervous looking boy staring out the window. He doesn’t look towards them as they enter, even when Taehyung asks, “Can we sit here?”

He barely nods, and that’s good enough for them as Namjoon and Jin and the others find them later, leaving the compartment quite crowded. The younger male looks like a first year, and he seems to make himself smaller as the compartment fills.

“What’s your name?” Taehyung is grinning, eyes bright as he twirls his wand between his fingers.

He blinks, mumbling something indecipherable in response. Hoseok tries to coax him into a game of Exploding Snap, but he jumps every time the cards explode.

Jimin, sitting next to the kid who is curling in on himself, is reminded a bit of his own brother. Maybe it’s the age, maybe it’s the curious eyes and shyness, but he murmurs, “Want to see something cool?”

Expectant eyes turn to Jimin, and he clears his throat slightly before turning Taehyung’s sandwich into three tiny blue birds with, “Avifors,” and gets them to hover around the boy’s head. The spell doesn’t last for long, mainly because Jimin is out of practice and the birds quickly turn back into Taehyung’s sandwich, which is promptly crammed into his mouth, leaving crumbs on his lips.

“More?” The boy almost seems hopeful and Jimin demonstrates a few more spells to his delight, and when the cart of food rolls by, Jimin buys him a stack of sweets and shows him how to count out the money.

“What did you say your name was again?”

“Jungkook,” he mumbles shyly as he bites into a pumpkin pasty, pulling out his own wand. It’s narrow with a slight grip at the base. “I just don’t understand.”

Jimin has a feeling he’s not talking about the wand but about magic in general. It’s pretty clear he doesn’t come from a magical background, but he doesn’t push for the story.

Hours later, when Jungkook is sorted into Ravenclaw, Jimin cheers the loudest at all. He still feels guilty for his brother not being amongst the mass of people who are being sorted, but something about Jungkook shyly looking down at his hands at the Ravenclaw table makes him feel better.

Yujin, sitting down the table and not talking to anyone, just reminds him of the incident in Flourish and Blotts.
 

Taehyung and Jimin basically adopt Jungkook as their underling. It doesn’t exactly happen on purpose. They make a toilet explode and the three of them are there in detention, miserably cleaning with their robes rolled up to their elbows, groaning as their hair plasters to their foreheads from the effort.

After that, the three of them are stuck together. And when a huge parcel arrives in Twill’s claws, Jungkook and Taehyung rush over in awe. Taehyung and Jimin know what it is immediately from the shape, and the three of them tear into the paper wrapping.

Taehyung nearly weeps at the sight of the embossing of Equinox II on the beautiful, dark wooded handle of the sleek broom. Attached is a note from his mother.

I know you wanted one, even if you didn’t say anything. Your father and brother send their love.

The broom had come just in time for Quidditch trials. That entire evening, the three of them takes turns on the beautiful broom, coming into the castle with flushed cheeks and laughter. For someone who hasn’t flown before, Jungkook was so excited to try, even though Taehyung and Jimin wouldn’t let him stray too far for his safety.

And the next morning, he cheerfully strides on to the pitch for Slytherin’s Quidditch trials, stomach full of eggs and bacon. A sizeable crowd is built around the captain, Sunggyu who is explaining that he would be watching their flying skills first.

The basic flight test leaves Jimin with a grin on his face, just how flying normally does. And that’s why it’s even more astounding to see his smile slide right off because of all people, Yujin is the next test group.

Why would she be there? After all, she and her family supposedly hates Slytherin. Why would she want to be on a team that represents the house?

Sunggyu is Slytherin’s Keeper, so the Chasers’ tryouts are first. They’re put into trios and given a Quaffle as Sunggyu instructs them to pass amongst the three of them and attempt to score. Jimin pushes off the ground, hair blowing past his face as the Quaffle is tossed to him.

“Park!”

Jimin hurls the Quaffle a few meters to a fourth year who promptly drops it. Much to his dismay, Jimin is quickly moved to another trio and the groups continue to switch members amongst the groups.

“He’s trying to figure out who are the best players and who works well together,” he mumbles to himself, frowning.

Half an hour later, with several dropped Quaffles and a few bruises, Sunggyu is left with his final trio after eliminating several students. Jimin stands in front of him, still a short twelve year old (although slightly taller than he was at the final game of his first year), along with Heo Gayoon, Im Jaebum. All three of the Chasers from Slytherin had graduated last year, which leaves the team vulnerable.

The three of them join the observers in the stands, talking amongst themselves and watching with interest as Sunggyu starts directing people trying out for Seeker. Yujin is amongst that group and he squints at her fidgeting hand.

Much to the three Chasers’ amusement, they watch as seven brooms take off from the ground as the golden Snitch is released, zipping around before disappearing.

“What do you think their trial is?”

Jaebum, with his face in his hands, watches with sharp eyes. “I think they’re going to keep count of who catches the Snitch and how many times.”

He’s right, sort of. The first try is over in five minutes as a seedy little girl swipes the Snitch right out of the sky, much to Jimin’s surprise. She’s come a long way from being smacked in the face by her own broom.

Four minutes.

Two and a half minutes.

Eight minutes.

When she catches it for the fifth time, Sunggyu claps his hands diplomatically, declaring, “The point was to see everyone’s abilities but I think the choice is clear. Nam Yujin is Seeker!”

She looks down at the ground, smiling slightly as she makes her way to the stands to watch the Beaters’ tryouts. After Yoo Kihyun, a Slytherin fourth year, nearly takes out Sunggyu multiple times, the full team is put together.

Yujin is watching over the pitch with a rather serene look. He leans over and murmurs a simple, “Congrats,” which quickly replaces her contentment with disdain.
 

Jimin’s curiosity eats away at him. The Slytherin Seeker doesn’t interact very much with the rest of the team, but that’s to be expected. She glumly picks at her dinner while immersed in her Astronomy book, right before Quidditch practice.

Taehyung had ditched his Hufflepuff table again, and is next to Jimin, chowing down on shepherd’s pie. Jungkook is on the other side of Jimin, chatting excitedly about wand theory in Transfiguration. Calls and whistles ring out from the Gryffindor table as Jin walks in. They’ve taken to calling him the Gryffindor Prince, and Jimin’s not sure where the name came from, but he can’t disagree.

“He transfigured all my books into rats.” A Slytherin down the table mumbles, and his friends laugh. “It’s not funny! I still can’t find my Arithmancy book!”

Of course, this makes it even funnier.

“It’s a shame that he’s a Gryffindor,” someone else muses. “He is a pureblood, after all.”

Jimin stiffens at the topic of blood purity. As a Slytherin, he knows only all too well that blood purity is supposed to distinguish the Slytherin House from the others, but after the last wizarding war, the concept of blood purity had been dismissed. It still exists at Hogwarts, mainly in whispers behind covered mouths, and it still exists in old wizarding families.

Jimin tunes out the rest of the conversation, but not before Taehyung nudges him. “Are you alright?”

Jimin smiles half-heartedly. A stony-faced Yujin slams her book shut and scurries away. Jungkook asks Jimin where he’s going, but Jimin nearly trips over his seat as he hurries after her.

She’s Seeker for a reason. She walks quickly down a corridor, and slams a door of an empty classroom behind her. Jimin reaches out for the knob. It’s locked, of course, but a quick, “Alohomora,” makes it click and swing open.

“What do you want?” Her voice is cold as she perches on the windowsill, not looking up from her book.

“I wanted to ask you something.” He shuts the door behind him.

She shuts her book, a certain look of distaste all over her face. “Figured you would. I’m not necessarily answering.”

“Your father hates Slytherin.”

“That’s not a question.”

“But you’re a Slytherin.”

She freezes before repeating, “Still not a question.”

“If you brought your robes and gear home for the holidays, how did your father not find out?”

She sighs. “I convinced Madam Mi to put some charms on anything associated with Slytherin. Is that it?”

“I—well—do you hate Slytherin?” He quickly adds, “Why would you play Quidditch for a house that you hate?”

The game of twenty questions ends as soon as it had started, and she tucks her book under her arm and points her wand at him. Jimin watches as she swerves around him and disappears out the door.

He goes back to the Great Hall, having more questions than answers and he slips back into seat to finish off his lukewarm dinner.
 

Jin somehow lands the trio in detention. To be fair, it’s not even their fault this time. They have no issue taking credit for it though, because transfiguring someone’s ears into purple radishes that their rat nearly ate is hilarious.

This time they’re forced to help clean up after the Kneazles pen for the Care of Magical Creatures class. It’s nasty and disgusting, but the Kneazles are cute. They wind themselves around Jimin’s ankles, purring. Jungkook has taken to sitting down as they rub their sides along his legs and arms.

“Why don’t they like me as much?” Taehyung pouts, reaching his hand out for one, who sniffs and then turns his fluffy tail on him, approaching Jimin instead.

Jimin shrugs. A Kneazle bats her paw against the sleeves of his robe, wanting to play. “They detect mischief well, apparently.”

“I’m not even doing anything!” Taehyung protests.

Jimin laughs. His aunt has a pet Kneazle, and she’s a grumpy little thing. Whenever Jimin and his brother were up to no good, the Kneazle would be there, hissing and spitting.

“Mph. Mphh.” Jungkook’s voice is muffled as a Kneazle now sits on his face, tail swishing and eyes large. Jimin and Taehyung laugh as the first year attempts to lift the Kneazle off, but he’s too tightly latched on, claws tangled in the knots of his hair.

The professor’s watchful eye makes them go back to cleaning the pen, scrubbing and shoveling until they leave. They trek up to the castle, sweaty and tired and of need of a bath. Jimin’s stomach grumbles. A few seconds later, Taehyung’s stomach grumbles too.

“Where do you think our food comes from? Do they just use magic to make it?” Jungkook trails behind them.

“Rules of transfiguration say we can’t create food, but we can use magic to put it together.” Jimin pants at the slope and his burning legs at the end of the day.

“I’m hungry.” Taehyung groans. “Can we try to get food?”

“Dinner is over.” Jungkook responds. “Is there a kitchen?”

“Probably. But we haven’t found it yet.” Jimin’s stomach curls in on itself.

“It could be anywhere.” Taehyung wipes his brow. “Magic, after all, but we’re probably overthinking it. Under the Great Hall would be the most convenient place to put it. That’s the least distance the food would have to travel.”

Jungkook and Jimin both stop in their tracks suddenly.

“What?” Taehyung asks, turning back to them.

“You’re brilliant.” Jimin gasps, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the castle. “Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before?”

“I thought everyone would—”

“You think in a way most of us don’t.” Jimin shuts him down, mainly because he’s absolutely tired of Taehyung doubting himself. It didn’t start out that way, but the way other students treat him seems to be rubbing off.

It doesn’t take them long to be circling around the floor, trying to figure out how to enter the kitchens. They observe everything that is a hint of food, and Jimin tilts his head at the painting of a bowl of fruit. “It doesn’t talk. So there’s no password.”

“This is really close to the Hufflepuff dorms,” Taehyung muses, his stomach grumbling again. Jungkook pokes at the painting, yelping as one of the fruits starts to transform, eventually turning into an old-looking doorknob.

Taehyung grabs it, the painting swinging open, only to reveal a large crowd of working house-elves under a high ceiling. Jimin blinks, and is about to apologize and close the door, but Jungkook’s stomach squelches terribly and instantly the house-elves are trotting forward with an offer of a pile of sandwiches, much to the first-year’s shock.

“I—how—?”

The house-elves beam and bow. Taehyung plops himself down on the ground, chatting with one of them and asking if he’s happy while taking a sandwich off the platter. Jimin ogles at the size of the room and the pure amount of dishes heaped and piled over the tables. Of course. Those dishes and mountains of food can’t take care of themselves. There could be Hogwarts workers, but which witch or wizard would willingly clean all day and night?

House-elves are a curious thing, really. They supposedly like working. Jimin’s not sure how he feels about that. As long as they’re treated well and are happy, he guesses. Jungkook is shyly holding a sandwich, not saying a thing to any of the house-elves.

“They work in wizarding houses,” Jimin explains to Jungkook, who looks very much like a deer in headlights. “Usually they’re treated badly or like lesser beings.”

They bow to the three, one squeaking, “Glad to meet you sirs!”

“Does anyone come down to visit you?” Jimin asks, curious. If it wasn’t a secret, there would be a ton of students sneaking down to the kitchens.

Another shakes her head, her voice especially shrill. “Every few years someone finds the kitchen, but mostly we house-elves keep to ourselves!”

Jungkook wide eyes fix on the long tables mimicking the tables in the Great Hall. He breathes, “How?”

That’s a good point. House-elves do have an interesting type of magic, but how do they go unseen? Taehyung and Jimin have spent plenty of their time sneaking around and being in places they shouldn’t be in, so the fact that the house-elves have remained hidden is remarkable.

Jungkook practically flaps his arms. “Curfew. We’re going to miss curfew.”

Taehyung and Jimin cram the remnants of their sandwiches into their mouths, and Jungkook and the house-elves get into a bowing war as Jungkook tries to thank them and they insist that they’re thankful to serve.

“We’ll come back and visit!” Taehyung calls out, behind him.

Jimin adds a hasty, “We promise!”
 

Quidditch season is about to begin, and that means they’re practicing harder than ever. Jimin is having fun, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he whooshes past the Slytherin Keeper on his broom.

Yujin, on the other hand, is jumpy. She’s having trouble catching the Snitch as easily as she did during tryouts, and Sunggyu is growing more frustrated. “On the ground!”

Jimin lands easily enough, but Yujin stumbles.

“What is going on?” There’s no anger in the question, but it is pressuring.

Yujin shrinks, looking down at the ground. “I don’t know.”

“How about we all take a break and you keep trying?” It’s phrased as a request, even though it really isn’t.

She gives the smallest of nods before mounting her broom and pushing off the ground. If anything, it seems like the confrontation has put her more off her game. And every time she looks down at the ground to the team, the little confidence she has left crumbles further.

“She has stage fright.” Jaebum says it first, eyes tracing her flying on the pitch. “There were no expectations during tryouts, but now that we’re watching her, it’s harder for her to perform.”

Gayoon’s mouth twists. “The game is next week. We don’t have any—Jimin?!”

Jimin is hovering in the air, his broom allowing for a swift takeoff and he brakes a few meters from Yujin. She growls, more irritated with herself rather than Jimin’s presence. “What do you want?”

“I thought I’d help you catch the Snitch.” Jimin’s sunny smile is straightforward, even if he’s lying.

She gnashes her teeth. “As if I need your help.”

She zooms to the other side of the pitch, and Jimin is on her tail. “Well you haven’t caught it yet so—”

“I don’t need you!” She yells back, setting off on a complicated set of maneuvers that Jimin follows, never dropping his grin.

He swears he can hear Sunggyu bellowing, “Jimin, what are you doing?” but Jimin pays him no attention as he slowly but surely makes Yujin frustrated enough to catch the Snitch a few minutes later, waving it in his face.

“I’m the Seeker, not you!”
 

“So you are,” he says lightly. “Took you a while to prove it.”

She lets out some sort of strangled scream as he lands neatly next to Gayoon. Yoongi’s eyes flicker up to Yujin form and back to Jimin’s easygoing grin.

It’s at the end of practice that he mutters, “Her anger at you made her forget everyone else watching her, didn’t it?”

Jimin shrugs, but his lips curl up. It’s obvious enough, much to the amusement of the team.
 

The first game has students and professors screaming their hearts out from the second they push off the ground. Jin’s voice is booming over the pitch and his Quidditch robes flap around him.

The Gryffindor Chasers already have possession of the Quaffle and Jimin is in pursuit, attempting to block them off. Even though Yoongi is chasing after Bludgers and a bit busy at the moment, Jimin intercepts the Quaffle mid-throw, tossing it to Jaebum who dodges Gryffindor’s Irene who seems to be infuriated by the loss from a few months ago.

Her face is pulled into a grimace and she chooses to nearly slam into Jimin, who is saved by Yoongi’s bludger knocking her off her broom. Someone is yelling “ARESTO MOMENTUM” in the background and the crowd is screaming, but Jimin can’t feel bad or even pay attention.

“The Gryffindor Sweetheart is out! I repeat, the Gryffindor Sweetheart has been murdered—”

“Seokjin!”

“Regardless of Irene being knocked out of the game, Seungri blocks the Slytherin Chaser!”

Seungri is a good keeper, but losing Gryffindor’s best chaser might offset the quality of their plays. Gayoon screams and Jimin’s eyes widen as Sunggyu is rammed headfirst into the goalpost by a bludger, hard. He’s clutching his head and rapidly blinking, and his broom drifts sideways.

He is disoriented, and probably has a severe head injury. Yoongi is good with Bludgers, but even he couldn’t have seen that one coming. The Gryffindor Beater had finally connected his bat with a Bludger, and at such a short range from Sunggyu, it was an almost guaranteed hit, especially because Yoongi is hovering around Seungri.

“Fat Bat is unable to stop the Bludger, and the Slytherin Keeper looks unable to stay upright! Gryffindor has an open goal post. Kiss the snake —”

“Kim Seokjin! I will give you detention!”

They need the Snitch, and fast. Yujin is thinking the same thing, and she accelerates. Jimin knows that the Quaffle needs to stay in Slytherin hands, because otherwise the points would rack up rapidly.

“Jimin, I’m playing Keeper! Keep the quaffle in your possession!” Jaebum shouts before flying off to cover the goalpost.

There is no rule that the Quaffle can’t be kept in possession. No, the rule is that it has to be caught ad thrown one-handed, so Jimin tilts his broom upwards and starts flying in an erratic pattern in order to shake off the Gryffindor players. Yoongi is doing all that he can in order to keep them at bay.

And then Jimin sees it. The Snitch.

Yujin hasn’t seen it yet, and the Gryffindor Seeker, Chanyeol, sees it before she does. Jimin dive bombs for it, even though he can’t catch it. Chanyeol is right behind him, and Jimin can see a flicker of Gayoon on the side, and without looking, he chucks the Quaffle in her direction.

Yujin yells at him, “What are you doing?”

But she’s seen the Snitch and she dives for it. They’re hurdling in the same direction, and Jimin can hear the sounds of confusion from the crowd. The Gryffindor Seeker is trying to overtake him, but Jimin’s broom is faster and sharper.

“Park is trying to catch the Snitch? I am sure this is against the rules, but that means a foul and a win for Gryffindor—”

Yujin gets closer, and right before they’re about to collide, the Snitch just an arm’s length away, Jimin turns his body so his broom is perpendicular to Yujin and he braces himself. The Gryffindor Seeker smashes into him and the two of them are plummet out of the air. He sees Yujin close her fingers around the Snitch, and he feels himself slowing down as he falls to the ground.
 

Jimin opens his eyes, finding himself dazed and groggy, and other Slytherins come into focus. He yelps. “Why are you all standing here?”

Yujin, furious, looks like she’s about to slam a pillow into his face. “You idiot! I can catch the Snitch without your help!”

He yawns. “I didn’t help. You would have caught the Snitch anyway, but I didn’t want Gryffindor to score if it took more time.”

She stills, quiet, and her face twists into an expression of surprise. She opens , then frowns, and furrows her eyebrows.

Yoongi offers him a sandwich from the platter on his bedside, and he gratefully grabs one as his stomach gargles. Yoongi takes one for himself. “Seungri is furious. The rest of the Gryffindor team is on the other side of the infirmary, tending to Irene and Chanyeol.”

Jimin only then realizes that Chanyeol, one of the most gangly teenagers he’s ever seen, is the Gryffindor Seeker. Seekers are supposed to be small and fast, and Chaneyol is definitely not small.

“How’s Sunggyu?”

“Hasn’t woken up yet,” Yoongi nods to the bed next to Jimin, where Sunggyu looks like he’s half dead. “He got hit badly. Madam Mi said it might take a few days.”

“We’re lucky the game was over when it was.” Jaebum yawns, ruffling his hair. “I’m a terrible Keeper.”

“Who is running practice if Sunggyu is out?” Kihyun, the other Beater, pipes up.

Gayoon shoots him a glare. “Why is everyone so excited to get back on the pitch after that bloodbath?”

“Excuse me, sorry, yikes that doesn’t look good.”

Jimin looks up to see Taehyung elbowing his way through the crowd breathlessly. “The Hufflepuff common room won’t stop talking about you. Hoseok is terrified.”

“He should be. We’re coming for his crown.” Yujin’s voice is threatening and is flattened into a line. If Jimin was from any other house, he would be terrified.
 

Jimin feels cozy next to the Slytherin fireplace. There’s no practice today and he had a very filling and early dinner of roast chicken and vegetables. His Potions textbook is cracked open to the fire-breathing potion, which looks very scary and hazardous to the tongue, and he takes notes lazily.

That is, until Yujin stops in front of him and snaps at him to go get his broom.

The people around them pause and listen, and Jimin frowns, “Why?”

“Just do it.”

Jimin raises an eyebrow, and as much as he doesn’t want to get him, his curiosity gets the better of him. It takes five minutes for him to get fully dressed for the rapidly cooling weather, tugging on a thick jumper and grabbing his gloves, just in case if she wanted to throw around a Quaffle.

They exit the Slytherin common room in awkward silence, and the air lingers around them until they exist the castle. “Why—”

“Oh, be quiet.” She hops on her broom, and confused, Jimin follows her.

“Is this what you used to do when you were sneaking off to the edge of the Forbidden Forest last year?”

“Nosy little bugger, aren’t you?” Yujin slows so they’re flying next to each other. “I still don’t like you interfering with my role during the game.”

“I was making sure that the Slytherin score would stay low. That is my job.” Jimin replies, mood pleasant as the breeze blows his hair back. “You always have to do everything alone, don’t you?”

Her grip tightens on her broom. She says nothing for a few moments, and then answers quietly, “My mom died a few years ago. She was attacked when accompanied with my dad. It was a Nundu.”

“Your mom was the victim of the Nundu attack five years ago?” It had been all over the news at the time, and Jimin’s mom had looked very grim at the time. Nundus are terribly dangerous, and it takes at least a hundred wizards to knock them out.

“She died from the disease, but my dad recovered and was able to alert the Ministry for help.” She frowned.  “The Nundu belonged to someone. It wasn’t a wild one. It was a Slytherin’s.”

The news sinks into Jimin’s skin. “Your father hates Slytherins because of all this.”

Yujin doesn’t answer, looking into the distance solemnly. “Quidditch matches at Hogwarts are reported in British newspapers. I suppose he knows now.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Well someone has to not laugh at me when I get a Howler in the mail. You may be a prat, but at least you’re a decent prat. That being said, don’t you dare think we’re friends.”