Chapter Text
There’s something truly magical about the Hogwarts Express, and it’s got nothing to do with the hundreds of young witches and wizards aboard. Gazing out of the window, you watch as the wild yet pretty countryside of England passes by in a blur before giving way to the astonishing and soul aching scenery of Scotland. Soon enough, the majestic peaks of the Highlands take up the window with their rugged and jaw dropping beauty.
It’s almost dreamlike, the way the land zooms past you as the train speeds through and it reminds you of some of the awe inspiring landscapes you’ve seen in the muggle films your best friend makes you watch on occasion.
The staff carriage you’re in is small and currently empty, with most of the professors already at Hogwarts preparing for the new and returning students to arrive. You’re arriving late by their standards, but you had some final things to clear up with your old job at the Ministry before you could finally join them in the hallowed halls of the ancient school.
You’d had a pretty interesting job for the past few years in the Ministry as part of the Magical Accidental Reversal Squad. There, your skills at reversing embarrassing, and sometimes painful looking, spells back had been incredibly useful and often needed with some of the strange ways that spells had gone wrong. At 33 however, you’d finally reached your tolerance after experiencing a severe reprimand for a reversal gone wrong. Something that hadn’t even been your fault and you’d fixed the issue anyway.
But it had been the straw that broke the camel’s back, as your best friend Jisoo liked to say.
She worked in the Muggle Liaison Office in the Ministry and had managed to pull a few strings for you after hearing all about the incident. Before you knew it, you were being offered the role of Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts. Apparently Jisoo’s brother was a professor there and he’d had a quiet word about the opening.
Thankfully, your skills at transfiguration were more than adequate to get you the role. And so now you had a nice job to look forward to, with great pay and accommodation provided far away from anyone in the Ministry. An extra benefit was that it felt like going back in time, only now you didn’t need to fear missing deadlines and so forth.
The little flip of your stomach as the imposing sight of the Hogwarts castle soon came into view was more excitement than anything else. And perhaps more than a little nostalgia for the place that you had called home for so long when you were younger.
The electric current of anticipation from the students being back, or being here for the first time, fed through the train carriages like electricity and when you finally stepped off, your trunks floating behind you silently, you couldn’t help but take a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Hogwarts had a smell, a distinct smell that made you smile as you were immediately transported back to the last time you were here, 15 whole years ago.
There were one or two professors directing the students into the horseless carriages, their long black robes shifting as they constantly moved to direct rowdy teenagers while the wide eyed new students were sent towards the boats waiting at the lake. For a moment, you stand there awkwardly as uncertainty flows through your veins. Are you supposed to get into a carriage with students or will there be a staff carriage?
Any thoughts about this are gone however when you feel a tentative touch on your arm, causing you to turn to the side immediately. A male professor stands there, his black hair swept up off his forehead. His eyes look at your hesitantly, hidden slightly behind large circular frames that rest against a sharply defined nose and you frown as your brain starts screaming that you recognise him.
Eyes scanning over his face, you note the almost chiselled quality to his jaw and the contrasting softness of his cheeks before your eyes track down his body. Tall and lean, you note that he’s wearing a black robe just like every other professor and yet you feel like you know him.
It’s only when his mouth parts into a soft smile, the apples of his cheeks rising as a faint flush colours them and brilliantly white teeth appearing, that your mind finally supplies the information about his identity. Gasping loudly, a hand comes to your mouth before your other hand presses against his chest, pushing him back slightly.
“Merlin’s beard! Hoseok?!” You exclaim, tone loud with delighted surprise. His smile turns shy suddenly as he brings up a hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly as he nods in response. You’d feel bad about openly checking him out like this but there’s nothing sexual about it, you’re simply looking over the man he’s become.
Jung Hoseok is Jisoo’s brother, which means he must have been the one to put in the good word for you. You’d forgotten that he was a professor here in all honesty as Jisoo didn’t see him very often anymore, given how far away the two worked and she talked about him even less. In fact, the last time you’d seen him had been 13 years ago, when you’d gone to Jisoo’s for the Christmas holidays.
The two of you had been 20 and finding your footing in the lowest rungs of the Ministry, both of you working as lowly admins. Your N.E.W.T’s had been good enough to get in, but unless you had a famous name you usually had to work hard to actually get anywhere.
Too hard it would seem, given how easily everything fell apart.
Hoseok had been 15 years old and back from Hogwarts for the holiday; a shy, gangly teenager who you distinctly remember was all legs, large hands, a spotty face and a height that didn’t match the sheer length of his legs. Eyeing him now, you note that he’s finally grown into himself given he’s at least 6 inches taller than he had been back then; he’d evidently been a slow starter puberty wise.
From what you remember, your mind rushing over itself to pull memories of him for you, he’d been an incredibly shy and awkward teenager during that time. Before then, you’d last seen him when you were both at Hogwarts, though he’d only been 13 then and even smaller.
Jisoo had spent the holidays swearing that he was only awkward around you because he had the biggest crush on you. She’d always teased Hoseok about it whenever he was near you in the way that only siblings could, leading him to have the reddest cheeks as he’d whined at her to stop it while adamantly avoiding your eyes.
He’d been cute back then, in that ‘best friend’s younger brother you find sweet’ kind of way with his hesitant and shy demeanour. You’d wanted to protect him from anything that made him upset, even if it made him flush redder than a tomato in the process. He’d been far too young for you to ever look at him in any other way, even with his adorable crush.
But now, even you’d have to admit that he was incredibly handsome and you wondered why on earth he’d relegated himself to Hogwarts. It was not the best place to find a partner, and you truly felt it was a shame to the wizarding community if they didn’t get to at least see him.
Because he had a face that should be seen, honestly. It shouldn’t surprise you though, given how pretty Jisoo was too.
“Wow, you’ve grown up so much!” You exclaim, happiness mixed in with just a little bit of proudness. Turning him around, you can’t help but laugh as he lets out an exaggerated groan before spinning in place for you. “Look at how tall you are now! And your shoulders are so broad!” You say this while patting them, causing him to clear his voice.
“It’s nice to see you too. We can catch up properly later, but for now we need to get in the carriage and go to the Great Hall. I’m sure you don’t want to miss the new students being sorted.” He smiled, gesturing towards the one remaining carriage left. The two remaining professors were already on board and you let you a little noise before nodding.
Once inside, you smiled at the two before introducing yourself as the new Transfiguration professor which had them oohing. The one to the left, with stylised silver hair along with a green and silver tie, stuck his hand out for you to shake.
“I’m Park Jimin, Head of Slytherin and Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor.” He said, a slight smirk on his plush lips as his eyes dragged you over. You snorted slightly before shaking his hand, fully recognising the handsome man as someone who likely got a lot of attention. And enjoyed it.
The remaining man gave a small smile before nodding slightly. “Jeon Jungkook, Head of Ravenclaw and Potions Professor.” It’s only then that you notice the blue and bronze crest on his robes, the eagle proudly displayed.
“Oh, I was Ravenclaw when I went here.” You say with a soft smile, causing him to reciprocate it back.
“Glad to hear it. Unfortunately you’ll have to be a little more neutral now obviously. I take it you know Hoseok then?” He asks, gesturing over towards the man next to you who had remained studiously quiet.
“Oh yeah, I do. He’s my best friend’s little brother but I haven’t seen him in what? 13 years?” You query, looking at him with a frown. You’re pretty sure that was the last time you’d seen him, but you could be wrong. In fact, you’re positive you are when his eyebrows turn down slightly before he licks his lips.
“Actually, it’s been ten years. I was at my sister’s wedding.” You stare at him for a moment with wide eyes before looking at the ceiling, trying to remember. He would have been 18, so either in his last year at Hogwarts or just finished. You swallow, a little embarrassed that you didn’t even remember him being at his own sister’s wedding.
“Oh Hobi! I’m sorry, I don’t remember you being there? But I did get pretty drunk in my defence.” He stares at you for a moment before sighing deeply. Looking away, you could have sworn he said something about giving you a drink but you’re distracted by Jimin’s sudden bark of laughter.
“Hobi?! That’s adorable. I thought you didn’t like nicknames Jung?” There’s a mischievous look on Jimin’s face and you look between the two in confusion. Hoseok’s cheeks are bright red and he sighs deeply, allowing you to make the decision to save him from anymore teasing.
“So why are two of the House Heads coming down to the train? I thought you all stayed in the Great Hall or something? Be imposing to the newbies and all that.” The two of them look at you with confused looks, Jungkook brushing his dark hair out of his eyes before they both glance at Hoseok.
“Three…House Heads. Hoseok’s the Head of Hufflepuff.” Jungkook states, looking between the two of you. You don’t even need to look at Hoseok to feel the uncomfortable tension rolling off him and it’s your turn to feel your cheeks flush with blood in embarrassment.
“Ah…well…I didn’t know that. I don’t even know what you teach Hoseok, Jisoo never said.” You mumble, wanting to push your face into your hands so bad. Why didn’t you think to ask her that? It was kind of important. He doesn’t say anything though, just sighs before shrugging.
“I’m the Care of Magical Creatures Professor.” He gestures lightly out the window and you can see the eerie darkness of the Forbidden Forest. Letting out a soft ‘oh’, you stay silent for a moment before smiling.
“You always were good with animals.” All you can remember now is a young Hoseok playing with the animals in the garden of their house. He and Jisoo were muggle-born, which meant that their family had lots of non-magical creatures such as cats, dogs and even a horse or two. They were apparently well-off in the muggle world, which explained why their house was so big.
The siblings had always gotten along, but you weren’t surprised that Jisoo had never really mentioned much about him. You got the feeling that they were simply siblings that got along but that was about it. Which made it more surprising that Hoseok had helped to get you this job.
The rest of the short trip to the castle just consisted of Jungkook and Jimin interrogating you about your job at the Ministry. Both of them were younger than you, younger than Hoseok even, and had only ever had their jobs here at Hogwarts. You’d found that strange, particularly when they commented that most of the professors were around their age now.
“But why is that? I mean, when we were at Hogwarts most of the professors were…well old. Surely that means then that some of the professors are probably going to get married or something and well…have kids of their own? How does that work?” You mused, finger tapping your chin in thought.
Hoseok eyed you for a moment before chuffing out a laugh, shaking his head ruefully. “They move to Hogsmeade together. There’s one or two professors that live there already with kids. Kim Seokjin, the astronomy professor, has two kids. He just commutes. Only the Heads of Houses are required to live at Hogwarts.”
You stare at him for a moment before your eyebrows raise, a low ‘ahh’ leaving you. He shifts away from your gaze, shaking his shoulders as if to loosen them up under his robes before clearing his throat lightly. Jimin laughs softly as he watches you both.
“Don’t worry, Heads of Houses are allowed to marry too. Wanna practice making a baby later?” He asks boldly, winking at you with a slow smirk. Jungkook looks aghast next to him, elbowing the Slytherin while Jimin’s eyes widen in innocence. A bemused laugh leaves you at how bold he is but you shake your head. You should expect it from one who wears green and silver.
“Maybe not tonight. Besides, aren’t you a little young?” He gasps in an overly exaggerated affront, pressing a hand to his chest.
“25 is old enough I think. Why? Would you like someone a little older?” He smirks, eyes flickering over to his Hufflepuff counterpart. Rolling your eyes, you redirect the conversation away to more neutral topics. You don’t see the way the tips of Hoseok’s ears turn red in the darkness of the carriage.
-
Hogwarts is just as magnificent as you remembered it being, jaw droppingly tall stone walls that arch high into the air in grand, sweeping gestures, leading to a ceiling that was so high up you couldn’t even see the detailing. All along the walls were blazing stone torches, orange flames flickering in the breeze that rolled in from the warm night outside and causing shadows to dance across the walls.
Closing your eyes, you simply inhaled the magical scent of the place. The halls of learning that had stood for centuries, withstanding wars and black magic, sheltering witches and wizards deep within its cavernous bosom. Some of the grandest witches and wizards to ever grace wizarding history had been educated right here, from Albus Dumbledore to Hermione Granger.
Like all those of magical capabilities in the UK, you had spent your formative teenage years nestled within these halls. Countless hours had been spent learning your spellcraft, experimenting with potions and simply educating yourself on how to survive in the wizarding world.
And now here you were, about to become part of the very support network that protected and surrounded the youngsters whose life stories would soon be absorbed into the steadfast walls surrounding you.
“Are you okay?” Hoseok asked quietly, standing next to you with a soft frown. Opening your eyes, you take in the sight of him slowly. It still feels strange to see him as an adult, in a role of responsibility and you try to reconfigure your ideas around him. Part of you knows you’re being ridiculous; people age and Hoseok wasn’t going to stay young forever, but it still feels strange.
“Just…remembering how much I loved this place. I used to wish I could come back here so often you know? And now I am.” He eyes the grand facade in front of you both, the extravagant marble staircase leading to floors above taking up a large portion of the Entrance Hall.
“It won’t quite feel like before but…you’ll enjoy I think. I have to go now, I need to help bring the First Years in but please go ahead. There’s a space for you at the top table.” He nodded towards the open double doors that led into the Great Hall. Inside you could already hear the raucous noise of the other years, students back from the holidays and already eager to catch up with their various friends.
Heading inside, you can’t help but smile as you eye the four long tables that stretch the entire length of the immense hall. A magic you’d never understood, even now, caused thousands upon thousands of candles to gently float in the air, gliding past each other silently and yet never leaking their wax onto the young students below.
Gold littered the tables; the cutlery and plates glistening and ready to accept whatever food the students would decide looked best. A quick glance up allowed you to see the bewitched ceiling, currently an expanse of black with soft twinkling sparks of silver that perfectly reflected the calm night outside.
Walking confidently towards the top table, horizontal to the students vertical tables, you gave genial smiles to the curious looks students gave you as you passed. More than a few looked at you with furrowed brows while others looked you up and down. In a school like Hogwarts, professors didn’t leave very often which meant a new face like yours was bound to stick out.
Reaching the table, you smiled at the handful of professors who sat there already, bedecked in their own black wizarding robes. A few gave you friendly smiles and an occasional tip of the head while the man in the centre stood up and came over quickly.
“Professor, it’s lovely to actually meet you. I trust that your trip here was pleasant?” He asked, shaking your hand firmly while his other hand lay on your shoulder, steering you towards a free spot. “I’m Professor Min Yoongi, the Headmaster. I believe you’ve met three of our Head of Houses already? This is our astronomy Professor, Kim Seokjin, and our charms Professor, Kim Namjoon, and finally our History of Magic Professor, Park Chaeyoung. This is the new Transfiguration Professor as I mentioned, please look after her.”
At that he gave a quick bow before scurrying back to the centre of the room. You watched him leave with a raised eyebrow, eyes glancing back to your new companions with an amused smile. He was young for a Headmaster, possibly a few years older than you.
“Don’t mind Yoongi, he’s a little scatterbrained right now with the new school year. You’ll get used to him, though you probably won’t see him often. I don’t think he knew how busy the Headmaster role would be when he took the job.” Namjoon chuckled, reaching forward for a golden goblet and taking a drink of whatever was inside.
“Ah yes, we were discussing this in the carriage on the way here. Why is the average age so young now? What happened to all the older professors? It’s only been 15 years since I left.” You query, reaching for your own goblet and taking a refreshing sip of pumpkin juice.
“A lot of them felt like they’d just had enough after everything that’s happened you know? And I think they thought that younger professors might enjoy it more; we’re likely to stay here for a long time. Plus students seem to enjoy younger faces teaching them. I don’t know to be honest, it’s just how it worked out.” Seokjin answers, spinning a fork around in his fingers lazily.
Anything else you might say is gone when the double doors open once more, revealing two lines of fresh, young faces that stare in wide eyed awe at the magnificence of the Great Hall. In front is Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook while bringing up the rear is Hoseok and another man you’ve never seen before.
“I’m guessing that’s the Gryffindor Head of House?” You query quietly, noting out of the corner of your eye Chaeyoung’s slow nod in response.
“Yeah, Kim Taehyung. He’s the Herbology professor.” A soft snort leaves you at that, eyeing the tall and broad shouldered Gryffindor with amusement. Honey blonde hair that’s far longer than any other male teacher here has it, you can’t help but gawp slightly at how ridiculously well put together his face is.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard, or seen, anything so confusing in my life. That beautiful specimen of man is the Herbology professor…and the Head of Gryffindor?” Shaking your head, you take a larger gulp of pumpkin juice while chewing your lip.
“Don’t be prejudiced, we’re long past any stereotypes of houses anymore. I mean, Slytherin has the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor as their head. And believe it or not, they’re actually best friends. We live in interesting times.” Namjoon murmurs, running his hand over his mouth slowly. Your eyebrows rise at that interesting tidbit and you look at the two men in confusion.
A Slytherin and Gryffindor as best friends. And Head of Houses at that. The walls of Hogwarts may be the same but the inside has changed far more than you’d ever thought possible.
The sorting ceremony begins and you watch with amusement as each child steps forward and has the, almost comically large, sorting hat placed on their head. Each time there’s complete silence from everyone in the room before it shouts out a house. The responding housemates cheer immediately as they welcome the newcomer.
You watch the Heads of Houses celebrate as well, each one welcoming their new student before directing them on where to go. Each one welcomes them differently and you watch with amusement, pondering how different Hogwarts is yet still strangely the same.
Jimin welcomes each student with a smile and nod of his head whereas Taehyung is fist bumping them of all things. What a very American thing to do. Namjoon comments though that his family are muggles which perhaps explains the unusual muggle cultural influence.
Jungkook greets his newcomers carefully, a hand on their shoulder as he directs them to a spare seat on the long table before taking a few seconds to talk to them. A smile you don’t even realise you have dances lightly on your face as you watch Hoseok. Each child gets welcomed with the brightest smile, almost as vibrant as his house colours, and a quick high five before he’s bundling them to the table.
Once the ceremony is finished and the hat is taken away, you watch as he crouches down next to all his new additions and talks to them for a few moments. Happiness radiates from him, along with an odd sense of professionalism. This is the Jung Hoseok you’ve always known, just with an added sense of responsibility.
He comes back up to the top table and takes the final remaining seat, which happens to be next to you. You give him a quick smile before your attention is taken up by Headmaster Min giving the start of year speech which welcomes the new students and informs them of the areas that are forbidden to students, before a clap of his hands causes the veritable bounty of food to appear on the tables.
Mouth watering, you let out a soft groan at the sight of succulent roast beef and plump roast chicken that sits on the plates in front of you. Garnished around it are roasted vegetables of all colours and varieties. Spooning heavenly beef casserole into a bowl, you make sure to add plenty of mashed potato before taking a pork chop as well.
A dollop of apple sauce on your pork causes you to make a noise of surprise before looking over at Hoseok, who simply places the spoon back into the condiment. Eyes glancing to you, he smiles slightly before adding a Yorkshire pudding onto both of your plates.
“You always did love lots of applesauce with your pork.” He murmurs lowly before he begins to add more food. You watch him with slightly wide eyes for a moment before returning your gaze to your plate, stomach tumbling with an unfamiliar emotion as you begin to eat.
“Merlin’s beard, I forgot how good Hogwarts food is.” You moan out loud, eyes closing as you enjoy the tender pork that falls apart in your mouth and the perfect accompaniment of the sweet, fruity sauce. A laugh from your other side causes you to look at Namjoon with wide eyes.
“It is pretty good. And they’ve even started to make non-British food too, so expect days of culture. I swear, the house elves make sushi that tastes fantastic.” Namjoon grins, cute dimples appearing in his golden skin while his eyelids flutter closed at the memory he pulls forth.
You giggle lightly and tap his arm, fully charmed by him strangely. “You’ll have to tell me when they do those days, I’ll have to make sure that I definitely don’t miss out!” Facing him, you fail to see the way Hoseok’s hand tightens around his cutlery, or the way his pretty, heart shaped lips twist into a pout.
The rest of the meal passes quickly, conversation and food flowing between everyone as you get to know your new colleagues. They all seem to be just as interested in you and your job, with more than a few jokes made when they find out about your connection to Hoseok. Before you even realise it, the last of the dessert is vanishing and you’re left with a swollen stomach of food and tiredness flows through you.
“I am definitely ready for bed now.” You groan out loud, hands raising above your head to stretch as a low moan leaves you. Hoseok clears his throat and shuffles slightly next to you before getting up and excusing himself from the table.
You’re about to query until you notice the other Heads getting up as well, walking down the tables to the end before waiting. There’s a lot of hullabaloo as the prefects begin to get the Houses in order and they all soon begin to leave, following their Head Prefect and Head of House to their respective common rooms.
“Come on Y/N, we’ll show you where your quarters are. Your luggage will have been deposited there now.” Chaeyoung smiles at you, taking your arm and leading you past the tables. Seokjin bids you all farewell at the doors before he leaves, heading to Hogsmeade to be with his family for the night.
“I’ve never been to the professors living areas.” You laugh lightly, climbing one of the numerous staircases that litter the castle. Chaeyoung laughs and nods her head, gesturing towards the painting of wizards and witches of ages gone by as they talk amongst themselves and flit from frame to frame.
“I know right? It was always just that space behind the door in the professor’s office. Yours is attached to the Transfiguration classroom. It’s not very big I’m afraid, but none of them are apart from the Heads. They have bigger living quarters in case they need to look after students for some reason.” She notes idly and immediately you’re thinking about Hoseok’s living space. He always was a tidy kid from what you remember.
You wondered if that space would just be as tidy and how he would have decorated it. When he was younger, he had been obsessed with the Holyhead Harpies quidditch team. He’d sworn it was because of their sporting talent and not because they were a team of women but you’d seen the way his cheeks had flushed a rose gold at the teasing.
Jisoo had been the one to introduce him to them while she was at Hogwarts, bringing home newspapers and magazines for him to read. The muggle world didn’t have magical sports like quidditch and it had fascinated him.
Now though, you supposed it was likely that his room looked a little more grown up. Maybe an elegant plant here or there, the Hufflepuff house colours tastefully placed around the room with books on magical creatures stacked on a bookcase perhaps. He could even have some magical creatures in there, small ones that wouldn’t be a bother.
Who knew what his room looked like? You could be entirely wrong, because you’d managed to be wrong about almost everything when it came to him so far today.
As you followed Chaeyoung along, listening to her happy chattering while keeping half an ear out for any wayward students, you pondered the fact that you knew nothing of your best friend’s little brother. Was it really surprising? How many people knew more than the basic information about their friends siblings?
You had none, so there was nothing for Jisoo to know. But with your other friends, you knew their name and that was it. Hoseok had just been an extra person in her house when you had visited. Just an annoying little brother who had made it his mission to irritate you both before growing into the awkward crush stage, upon which he barely spoke to you.
He’d been sweet, but you’d forgotten about him once you’d left and joined the adult world. But now here he was. Very much an adult. Very much. Too much maybe, because his jawline was a work of art.
By the time you’re brought to the Transfiguration classroom, Chaeyoung has given you a full rundown on all the ways that Hogwarts has changed since you left. A little more liberal, a little younger and not nearly as stuffy as it had once been when you had been here over 15 years ago. It sounded like it would be a fun place to teach at, and you were excited to get started and begin moulding young minds with your lessons.
You say goodbye to her at the door of the classroom, smiling at her and agreeing as she tells you that she’ll come by in the morning to pick you up for breakfast in the Great Hall. Once she’d gone, you head inside to look over the room that would now be yours.
The sign on the door is handwritten and possibly ancient, the elegant script proclaiming this to be the Transfiguration classroom. It was the same sign that had been present when you had been a mere student here and you ran your fingers over it reverently.
Oh, the things this sign must have seen and heard over the years.
Pushing the heavy wooden door, you head inside and smile at the darkened interior. Your wand finds its way into your hand from deep within your robes and you whisper a spell softly to illuminate the room.
“Lumos.” The tip of your wand glows brightly, almost blinding for a second against the darkness before your eyes adjust. There are rows of tables set along the floor, each one with a matching chair that is just waiting for an eager student to sit in it.
The walls are covered in posters of spellcraft, visual representations of transfiguration spells with the odd framed wizard or witch in between. Their eyes narrow at the bright light as you pass it over them, squinting before they shake their fists at the intrusion. Soft apologies leave your lips before you head over to the professor’s desk.
It looks like it’s made of solid wood, the finish smooth and almost shiny as you run your fingers along the top. There’s a stationery set along the edge, a bunch of feathered quills sitting prettily in a second pot next to it. Alongside this is what appears to be a pad of paper and you make a quiet noise to yourself, amused that Hogwarts has finally gotten rid of the whole scrolls thing.
While you found many things in the muggle world strange, you would acknowledge that some of their inventions were certainly handy. Pads of paper were most definitely one of those things, and if you could guess correctly then those were also self-refilling quills. Handy for when you would need to mark your students work.
Three drawers on either side of the desk fill up the space and you open them slowly, one by one to see what’s inside. One contains a book on Transfiguration lesson tips and you idly flick through it before placing it back inside, telling yourself that you will read further at a later date.
The other drawers are empty, just waiting for you to fill them with whatever you want. You ponder over whether to make one drawer simply full of sweets and snacks from Hogsmeade. It would make for good positive reinforcement for the students, but it may also encourage bad ideas.
Maybe you would just have them in case someone needed a pick-me-up. That someone being you.
Sitting at the chair, you look out at the classroom and imagine it filled with the students that will begin their class on Monday. The first class, a Fourth Year class, will no doubt be tired and grumpy. The last class would be the First Years, and you were excited to introduce them into your beloved world of Transfiguration.
“Knock knock.” His voice was low and quiet as it reverberates around the silent room, the timbre almost purring from his effort not to startle you. It doesn’t work though and the light from your wand jerks as you jump from the intrusion, not expecting anyone in the darkness. You hadn’t closed the door, so it was your own fault for being scared really.
“Who is it?” You ask, standing up and pushing the chair under the desk. Walking over, your boots making soft clicking sounds on the stone floor, you finally see the face of the speaker revealed to you in the bright glow of your wand.
He looks pale in this light, his hair inky black to match his robes and the glare reflecting back from his rounded glasses. Despite the harshness of the lighting, it makes him look weirdly even more attractive than usual, the shadows on his face at unusual angles.
“It’s me.” Hoseok says, giving an awkward smile as his hand rubs the short hair at the back of his neck. You internally groan at not recognising him for the second time tonight and rub at your forehead in response before letting out a quiet laugh.
“Sorry, again. Do you err…do you want to come in? I guess you are in but I mean my quarters. I don’t even know what they look like. I haven’t gone in there yet.” You ramble in an attempt to cover up the fact that you’d forgotten your best friend’s little brother once more. The poor guy was probably getting a complex.
He doesn’t respond verbally, just nods his head with a tiny smile before following you towards the door that you haven’t explored yet. The handle is cold in your hands and you push it open slowly, eyes widening at the inside.
Your luggage is stacked in the corner, next to a desk pushed against the wall that stands empty and bare. Candles have already been lit, likely by the house elves, and the flames dance merrily in the slight breeze the open door brings in, casting shadows from the bare furniture.
A large portion of the room is taken up by a double bed, the bedposts rising to the ceiling and an elegant white bedspread covering the fluffy duvet that sits on top. Piles of cushions in various shades of white and purple sit at the headboard and you get the biggest urge to jump into them.
Two bedside tables made of a similar shade of wood sit on either side of the bed, candles burning away and you spy a silver clock sitting on one of them. Just past the end of the bed but before the desk is a large bookcase, currently empty and just waiting for you to fill it with books, trinkets and other oddities.
On the other side is a wardrobe, which you will fill with the contents of your luggage once Hoseok is gone. A door immediately next to this one leads to the bathroom which is small but livable for you. The whole space is small, and some would perhaps say cramped, but you knew that it would work for you.
A few nice decorations would help to make the place feel homey and lived in. Already your mind was racing ahead, consider some art prints that you’d seen in Diagon Alley that would help to brighten up the bare stone walls.
“It’s not much but…well it’s better than the Potions bedroom. At least you don’t have to put up spells for damp here.” Hoseok says, his voice stumbling slightly as he looks around the room too. You turn to him, brow raised.
“Is it as big your bedroom? Chaeyoung tells me that the Heads get bigger rooms.” Hoseok’s cheek darken at that, his throat working as he swallows and shrugs awkwardly. Chuckling, you pat his shoulder. “I thought so. This is fine, I’ve already got some ideas on how to decorate this and my classroom.”
You head inside and sit on the bed, sighing happily at how soft the duvet feels yet how firm the mattress is.
“Are you going to be okay?” His voice is a little nervous and you can tell he is overall from the way he can’t seem to figure out what to do with his hands. They alternate from slipping into the pockets in his trousers, to the pockets in his robes, to his hips before settling into being crossed over his chest as he leans against the doorframe as casually as you can.
You want to laugh at him, suddenly seeing the awkward teenager in him once more and you ponder for a moment if he still has a crush on you. That can’t be true. It’s been too many years and you’ve both grown up since then.
Besides, he’s apparently grown up to look far better than you have. No doubt he’s probably got women falling over themselves to date him. Maybe he even has a girlfriend already. He was probably just checking on you to make sure his sister would have peace of mind.
Nodding to him, you gesture that he could leave if he wanted to. “I’ll be fine Hoseok. I swear. Everyone seems nice and friendly so I’m sure they’ll help out, and you’re here. I at least know you. I might stumble a bit at being a teacher but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.”
“I meant are you going to be okay tonight but that’s fine. You’ll be great, don’t worry. Just be firm with them when you need to and don’t make them hate you. It’s harder if they hate you because they don’t respect you, which means they don’t listen. Encourage them and make them interested, but make it clear you’re not going to be walked over.” He states simply, shrugging those broad shoulders that reside underneath his robes.
It’s almost weird getting career advice of the guy that you only ever remember as being the round cheeked teenager with gangly limbs. But he sounds wise and knowledgeable, and given that he’s the Head of a house then he is.
“How long have you been teaching?” You ask suddenly, frowning as you realise that Jisoo had never mentioned that. He’s only 28, so he’s not very old to be a house Head. Then again, none of them looked like they were far over 30. Hogwarts had truly changed.
Hoseok’s lips twist slightly. “Since I was 21. I worked at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures from 18 to 21. Then a position opened up here for my job and I applied. No one really likes working that job here, the Forbidden Forest is now in my remit of operations which means I have to deal with everything in there.”
“You? Deal with everything in the Forbidden Forest.” The words come out far more sarcastic and cutting than you anticipated but the image is just anathema to you. Jung Hoseok had been afraid of his own shadow when you were younger, shrieking over normal spiders in his muggle home.
The Forbidden Forest held spiders bigger than he was, not to mention everything else that went on in there. It made you shudder and shiver at the thought of going in, nevermind him.
“Yes. Me. Times have changed.” His words aren’t so friendly anymore and you cringe, feeling guilty.
“Sorry Hobi, it’s just…it’s been a long time you know? We’ve both changed and I’ve got to get used to the 28-year-old you. Not the 15-year-old that I remember. You must be great at your job and even better with the students if you’re Head of Hufflepuff now. Congratulations, honestly. I’m glad you found your calling. Hopefully this is mine too.” You watch as Hoseok’s shoulders literally lower from the defensive position he’d moved into and want to sigh deeply at how badly you’re messing this up with him.
Jisoo truly had explained nothing.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Anyway, I’ll leave you alone now,” He goes to leave before hesitating, looking back in the room quietly. The candlelight does wonders for his face and you’re left breathless for a moment at how stunning he looks. Little Jung Hoseok grew up so well. “Goodnight. Make sure to lock both doors.”
“Night…” You trail off as he leaves, the sound of the classroom door closing loud against the silence. For a moment, you just sit there in stunned silence at everything that’s happened so far tonight.
This was nothing like what you’d imagined, and while you were excited to get into the teaching aspect, you were completely confused over Hoseok. How were you meant to handle him? You’d spent years being the one in the know with him when you’d both been younger but now he was the one who held more power and respect than you.
It’d be interesting, and you’re suddenly looking forward to your time at Hogwarts even more than you had been.