He saw fire and lightning, screams and tears, flashes of red and green and the terrifying sound of shattered lives. It was a catastrophe, and a blur. He could hear a muffled voice in all the disaster, a familiar sound calling for him, crying his name with despair and urgency, but he couldn’t quite place it. He felt himself shift and move and run, pain darting up his spine with every step he took. He could feel the fire warm on his entire body, and at the same time, the wind chilling him to his core.

“Wake up. We’re here”

He opened his eyes to a sunny sky and the sound of hundreds of people shuffling in all directions. His father was already outside the car, pulling his trunks from the back. He yawned one last time and then stepped out of the car to look around.

King’s Cross Station was buzzing with life. Everywhere you looked, children were running up and down, scolded by their parents and grandparents, schoolmates were hurrying along to catch busses, confused passengers were trying to figure out where their platform was and even more confused travelers had their noses buried in huge maps and large guides.

The station itself looked as good as always; clean, beautifully lit up by the morning sun, a few leaves already starting to form a brown layer where the maintenance had not reached just yet. Shops were just opening up and it filled the air with the sour smell of coffee and the sweetness of cinnamon and chocolate.

“Come on Taehyung, don’t want to be late, do we” his father called to him from a few feet away. The man was tall and slim and looked quite funny carrying all of his overly-large bags.

Tae took another moment to look around before jumping after his father.

“Don’t walk like that, you’ll traumatize Boo” his father scolded. He immediately stopped bouncing and looked worriedly inside the cage he was holding, where none other than said Boo, his fluffy white cat, was lying down lazily.

“Are you ok?” he half whispered to the animal who only offered a soft mew in response, which he took as a yes.

Soon enough, they reached a certain spot between platforms nine and ten. His father urged him to go first, so he gripped the cage harder and sprinted through one of the walls, passing as if through air. As soon as he was on the other side he exclaimed (rather loudly) earning a few strange glances. His father soon joined him and they went to give his bags to the controllers. All the while, Taehyung eyed the train up and down. Even for someone like him, it was still quite a view.

“Ok, you got your ticket?”

“Yep” he answered, grinning and fluttering the piece of paper in front of his face.

“Good. You know I have to leave, and I’m sorry I can’t stay to see you off, but I have to go to work. Be a good boy, make loads of friends and have fun, ok? Study hard too and don’t give your teachers a hard time. And please, promise me you won’t act too out of place, alright?”

“I promise!” he said, though he didn’t really get what was so weird about the way he acted, so that promise was pretty much done for.

His father gave him a kiss on the forehead, ruffled his hair and whispered “Love you. Have fun now and write home” after which he got up and went to the exit “And get on the train!” were the last words he heard. He smiled to himself, holding Boo close and looking around, wondering which compartment to get on. He finally decided on the middle one and jumped right in. There were quite a few kids moving up and down the aisle, looking for friends or an empty room in which to sit without having to talk to someone new, since it was awkward. There were also a lot of seniors, all the way up to seventh years, calmly moving about and chatting with one another.

Taehuyng started playing a game with the doors to help decide where to sit “Innie-Minnie-Miney-Moo…” And then he skipped over to a door with no care in the world, as if it wasn’t his first time going to Hogwarts. Without hesitation, he pulled the door open and smiled to the two people inside “Hello!”

The two in question were both elder, one of them looking as if he was in his final year, and were both eying him with surprised expressions.

“Oh, hi; you must be a first year.” The elder-looking one said.

“Yep! Can I sit here?”

“Sure, go right ahead.”

He moved in and placed Boo’s cage on one of the seats before proceeding to open the lid. The cat immediately got out and stretched, after which it plopped down on one of the kid’s knees.

“Her name’s Boo. She likes you”

“I’m flattered…” He didn’t sound it though.

“So, my name is Jin and this is Namjoon. What’s your name?”

He looked the two over as they were being introduced, as he liked to do whenever he met new people. Jin was tall and had the broadest of shoulders, brown-reddish hair and looked like a very nice person. He gave off a vibe like he was full of positive feelings. Kind of like a leprechaun. Namjoon was shorter and had black hair, much like his own, and looked scared to touch Boo, which he found amusing. Maybe he was allergic to cats?

“My name’s Taehyung. You got really broad shoulders. Are you allergic to cats? Or scared? It won’t scratch you or anything.”

Jin started laughing immediately, while Namjoon started at him in bewilderment. “Uh, no…”

“Then why aren’t you touching her?”

He seemed to struggle with what to say so Jin intervened, “He’s not very good with animals. He likes them, but they all seem to hate him.” That earned him a half-hearted glare from the other boy.

“Oh… Well, maybe you’re cursed. I’m gonna go look around. I’ll be back later. Bye now” and the next second he was out the door, moving along and plopping his head in other compartments that he felt like, saying hi to random people and earning even more strange looks.

Back in the other room, Jin was once again laughing his socks off while Namjoon just stared in disbelief at the closed door, wondering what, in the name of Merlin, was wrong with that kid.

“Did he just suggest I was cursed?” his voice even broke from the absurdness of it all.

“I think so, yeah!”

It took the elder another good five minutes to calm down, time in which Boo had finally decided to move into a different position, now on top of another luggage. When Taehyung later returned from his less-than-usual little trip, he found the two already changed in their respective uniforms. And after he himself changed, he took a seat and started babbling again.

“There were some kids playing a weird game and the cards exploded in their faces, but it wasn’t the same game I knew. I beat them though, so that’s fine. And some fifth years were playing with those sweets that make you do all sort of noises, like, one of them sounded like a plane. You know, one of those muggle things, and another one was a little kitten, which was hilarious because he was like the biggest guy in the whole room. And then, in another aisle, someone threw some Explosive Twins and the whole place was full of black goo. It was gross, but also quite funny. By the way, how come your ties are different colors? Are those the different houses’ colors? Can you tell me more about those? I don’t really know much except for their names.”

Jin was more than a little overwhelmed by the sudden mountain of information and took a second to even register he was asked a question.

“Oh! Right, the Houses… There are four, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, which is me and Ravenclaw, and that’s where Namjoon is. There aren’t really any so-called specifications that get you placed in a certain House, but there are some traits that seem to repeat. For example, Gryffindors are said to be brave, daring and chivalry, while Hufflepuffs are hard working, patient, loyal and play by the rules. Ravenclaws are usually very intelligent, knowledgeable and witty and, finally, Slytherins are known to be ambitious, cunning and resourceful. Usually people are sorted based on their trades, but there have been people before to be put in a house because they asked or something.”

“Right… and what year are you in?”

“I’m in fourth and Namjoon is in his second”

Just then another student came in and told them to get ready and that they would be arriving in about fifteen minutes. Taehyung moved Boo back in her cage and the others took down whatever hand luggage they had, putting their remaining sweets inside.

Once they arrived on the School Platform, they separated, as first years had to take a different route. They all followed a huge man to a large lake that seemed to surround a bit over three quarters of the castle. Speaking of which, the exterior looked amazing. There were towers as tall as the sky and windows shining brightly from inside. It was magical indeed.

“All firs’ years! Grab a boat now! Don’ be shy!” the huge man instructed as he himself got on board one. The students all followed suit and Taehyung jumped in a random one and immediately started talking with the other two occupants. A girl called Sarah and a boy Chris. And he kept them talking until they reached the other side. The girl especially was rather grateful as she wasn’t that good with sea travelling.

They walked another good ten minutes before arriving in front of a pair of huge wooden doors, in front of which stood a tall and beautiful lady.

“Good evening” she began in a very relaxing and quite pretty voice “My name is Alice Drumstuck and I am deputy headmistress here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am also head of Hufflepuff House. Behind these doors” she said as she slightly turned to make a point “is the Great Hall. Here is where you will be divided into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. These houses will be like your home and the students, like your family; so treat each other with respect and you shall be treated likewise. Now, if you will, follow me”

 As if on cue, the doors swung open and a huge hall, the size of which Taehyung had never seen before appeared in front of them. It was tall, decorated with columns and purple flags showing Hogwart’s Symbol. The ceiling was bewitched, much like he’d heard, made to look like the night sky outside. All along the hall, four tables were placed with students from the different houses and upfront, a different table where all the teachers sat. Right in the middle of it all, was a lonely stool with an old hat on top.

Miss Alice signaled them all to stop a few feet from it as she pulled out a scroll and placed herself in front of them. “I will call out your names, and you will step forward and sit on this chair. Then, the Hat will be placed on your head and you will be sorted. Now, let us begin with… Michael Adams, if you please”

A chubby looking boy shyly approached the chair and sat down. The hat was then placed on his head and he seemed to flinch. A few elder kids gilled, obviously knowing what was happening. Suddenly, the hat ripped in the middle and a rusty voice shouted “Ravenclaw!”

The third table from the left started clapping like mad and the boy moved right along to sit at one of the empty chairs. It went on for a while until, finally, “Taehyung Kim”

He happily jumped to the stool, a few of the people he had made on the train throwing him smiles and thumbs ups. As soon as the hat touched his head, he heard the, by now, familiar voice “My~ my~ what do we have here? Aren’t you quite the special one? A splendid brain, yes, and such talents! So intriguing~ But where to put you~ Ravenclaw could do you well… But you’re quite the sneaky one, aren’t you? Maybe Slytherin would do too… Oh, but I know just the place…” He heard the hat rip up again before it screamed “Gryffindor!” The first table started cheering again and he took the hat off, whispering a “Thank you” before moving to sit with his new “family”

Soon enough, another boy sat right next to him, and he wasted no time in befriending him “Hey! What’s your name?”

The other seemed a bit shy but nevertheless answered “Jimin” Honestly, he had heard the boy’s name, it was literally said two seconds ago, but it still was more polite to ask.

“Cool. My name’s Taehyung. Where you from? I’m starving. I hope we get to eat soon.”

Jimin giggled, relaxing a bit, before answering “I’m from London, actually. But I’m not used to all… this.”

That immediately caught his attention and he suddenly forgot being hungry or thirsty or whatever “You’re a muggle-born!” Jimin mumbled the word again, confused “I mean, you know, your parents aren’t wizards”

“Oh! No, they’re not. Nobody in my family is… Or at least I don’t think so…”

“Whoa… then this must be strange for you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… a bit”

“Let’s trade then! I’ll teach you about the Wizarding World and you teach me about the Muggle World. How’s that? Deal?” He extended his arm and patiently waited, knowing the offer would be taken. Why wouldn’t it be? It was a win-win situation. (He’s always been quite curious about muggles)

Jimin smiled and took his hand in seconds “Deal”

As the cheers around them died down, the two newly formed friends turned around to face the teachers table, where an elderly-looking woman stepped up.

“Good evening and welcome, to all new students as well as old ones. I am the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall. Now, before we start our feast, a few words. First of all, during the school year, you will be participating in different classes. Do well in said classes, and you will earn points. Break the rules, and you will lose points. The House who has won, by the end of the year, the most points, wins the House Cup. With that in mind, I hope that you will all do well in your studies. Also, may I remind you that the Forbidden Forest bares its name for good reason. No student should ever wander in or around it. Now, with that out of the way, please enjoy”

As soon as she finished, the tables suddenly filled up with food of all sorts and colors, drinks and sweats promising nothing but deliciousness for the rest of the year. Everyone started digging in and chatting, completely absorbed in the festive greeting.

Taehyung scanned his surroundings and grabbed one piece of everything, piling them all up on his plate. He wanted to taste everything. His father had once told him of the food at Hogwarts and just how delicious it always was, and now he finally had the chance to witness it for himself. No matter what he stuffed into his mouth, it tasted amazing. Even some foods that looked way too bizarre or smelled weird or had the strangest color still tasted heavenly.

As he ate, Taehyung took the chance to look around the hall a bit more carefully. Along the tables, he could see Jin talking to another boy and a bit further away, Namjoon was also chatting with some of his housemates. He found it weird, however, how the Slytherin House looked to have a lot less students than the rest. Odd.

He then looked over at the teacher’s table. He could see Miss Alice sitting next to the headmistress and silently talking about something as they ate. All in total, there looked to be around twenty-something teachers. Some of them looked rather young while others were really old, and some didn’t really look like humans, or at least not to him. They gave off a weird aura about them.

When he turned his attention back at their own table, he almost burst out laughing. Jimin, the poor soul, was still staring at the table as if touching anything would make it disappear.

“Don’t just stare, eat!” a girl from across the table said, bemused.

Jimin seemed to snap back to reality then, eying them both incredulously “You know people starve to death all over the world and then this is…this… Where does it… How in the world…”

“Oh please, just eat.” The girl insisted and practically put food on his plate by herself.

Jimin was still in a bit of shock, so Taehyung started chatting with the girl instead. “I’m Taehyung. Sorry, but I didn’t catch your name?”

“Call me Maya. And that’s… Jinis?”

“Close; it’s Jimin” Taehyung answered as he shook her hand. “You a third year?”

“No, I’m actually a fifth year. But you’ll be seeing me around lots. I’m a prefect you see. I gotta keep an eye on y’all first years.”

“Prefect?” both boys asked at the same time, Jimin having finally starting to eat.

“Yeah. I t basically means I have more authority around here. Like, if I catch someone breaking the rules, I can give them detentions and stuff. There’s a boy too. And then there are two more from sixth year and another two from seventh year. And then there are the House Boy and Girl. They’re the ones to look out for. They can reduce points. Don’t wanna end up on their bad side, if you know what I mean”

“Hmm… How are the dorms like?”

They continued chatting as they ate, after which the tables were magically cleaned up. The Headmistress then came upfront again to say a few words “Now that we have all eaten, I am sure you all want to go and settle in to your new accommodations. Each House’s Prefects will be taking you up, or down, to your own dormitories. That will be your home for the rest of the year, so you will hopefully treat it and your colleagues with respect. Now, I’ll be seeing you all tomorrow. Have a good night.

“Right’o! Let’s go first years, if you please! Gryffindor first years, follow me!” Maya along with a boy started directing them all up endless flights of stairs until they reached a particularly interesting place.

“THEY MOVE!?” a boy yelled from the back in complete shock. And yes, about fifty different staircases were moving along by themselves. Indeed quite the view. The Prefects gave off a nonchalant explanation as they headed up to a certain poster of a rather chubby lady.

“This is the Fat Lady.” Taehyung thought that wasn’t a very nice way of addressing someone though. “This is the door to Gryffindor. We have a password that only Gryffindor knows and that will open the painting to let you in. This year, it is Mellanie” The lady in the portrait nodded approvingly and swung open, revealing a cozy little common room. “This is the Gryffindor common room. This is where a lot of students usually spend time. This and the Library, technically, though let’s be honest” they all giggled before Maya started pointing them all to their dorms.

The first year’s room was round and warm, with six huge beds, all decorated in a rich red with golden ts. All of their luggages were set in front of specific beds. But before actually unpacking, all the boys started getting acquaintance with each other. (Even with Jimin still half-spacing out because of all the sudden magic around him)

“I’m Taehyung Kim”

“Jimin Park…”

“Edward Thompson. Pleasure”

“I’m Andrew Stephen”

“Ymamoto Lee”

“And I’m Tom Brown”

They chatted for another hour or so, as they were all unpacking, until they all started getting sleepy. As most of the boys went to sleep, Taehyung was quietly giggling, trying to make sure Jimin was still in his right mind. The two were both sitting on his bed, with only a desk light to keep them company.

“Yeah, all paintings move. Even drawings, if you know the spells”

“…Really… So, do armor suits usually talk too?”

“Not always, no”

“What about ghosts? I actually saw ghosts! Is that even normal!?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s a bit sad that they can’t pass on though. There’s a girl’s ghost in one of the girl’s bathrooms. I heard she died in the school a long time ago. Her name’s Myrthle. Wanna go visit her sometime?”

“What? Are you insane? Why would you even want to do that? And did you just say she died in the school?”

“Well, considering the war, it shouldn’t be that surprising right now, shouldn’t it?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What war?”

A realization suddenly hit Taehyung making him mentally slap himself. Of course he wouldn’t know since he’s a muggle-born.

“Ok, well, a long time ago, there was this Dark Wizard named Voldemort. And he pretty much killed just anyone who wasn’t by his side. But one time, he couldn’t kill a baby, because of the mother and the spell backfired and he got killed off instead. But he wasn’t really dead. And a few years ago, he came back. The baby was known as The-Boy-Who-Lived and his name was Harry Potter and the Dark Wizard wanted to kill him. But Harry and a bunch of other wizards and witches fought against him. This all happened when he was still in school. This school. He was also a Gryffindor. And the last fight happened on the school grounds. They even have a memorial somewhere outside, we could look for it one time. But yeah, a lot of people died. A lot of students.”

Jimin took a few minutes to process everything “When did this happen…?”

“Ten years ago”

The other went a bit pale, and for good reason. Taehyung had never really thought about it, but it really was a very recent thing. The aftermath of the war was still very much visible for him, but Jimin dind’t even know this world existed until his letter came. It must be quite the shock.

Thinking back to it now, they still had students that lived through the war themselves. That boy he met on the train, Jin, he should have been around five or six at the time. There’s no way he doesn’t remember things from back then. And if he doesn’t, it’s probably because he doesn’t want to. And really, who would.

He still remembered the nights he would wake up to see his father crying or praying, nightmares of that time still fresh in his memories. Or the fake little smile he put on just for him to hide his pain. He had heard the threats and the curses coming out of howlers late at night, had seen the sudden bruises and cuts that would magically appear on his skin after coming back from work. And yet his father still tried his best and still went to work and put up with it all for his sake.

He thought it cruel, how people treated other people. He knew why everyone seemed to gang up on his father, he wasn’t stupid. He had been a Death Eater; not by choice, but fear. Fear for himself and fear for those around him. Much like how most wizards and witches were recruited, through blackmail and promises of slow and gruesome torture instead of death. Of course there had been those crazy enough to join out of free will, but they were pretty much insane.

Jimin shifted a bit and moved to go over to his own bed. “Right… Thanks for that. And sorry if I sparked any unwanted memories… Good night”

“Sleep tight” He hadn’t realized he was making faces while thinking of all that.

As he also went to lie under the covers, memories of his mother started flowing in and he fell asleep with a sad smile.