Chapter Text
Jeno’s first day of his seventh year was a bleak one. The weather wasn’t kind to him, meager grey clouds dotting the sky and blocking the early fall sun’s rays, snatching away any chance of lingering warmth to beam down on London.
With a sigh, he hoisted his bag strap higher up on his shoulder so it wouldn’t slip, his trunk dragging behind him because he hadn’t yet been able to nab a cart to carry his leftover luggage. Doyoung had brought the bulk of his things when he traveled up to the school a week ago, so Jeno couldn’t really complain too much about the added weight.
The train platform was much more crowded than usual when Jeno ascended upon it, and he cursed as a string of people bumped into him left and right, delaying his walk and threatening his balance. He could barely find an optimal moment of time to run forward and slip into the wall opposite of him — the one that stood inconspicuously between the platform numbers 9 and 10.
“You were always so slow at running through the platform.”
Jeno scoffed at the familiar voice, spinning on his heels to lock eyes with them. “I wouldn’t be if half of London hadn’t decided to show up to this exact platform at this exact time, Hyuck.”
Donghyuck grinned back at him, wide and bright, as though he had stolen all the sunlight hidden from behind the clouds and stored it in his smile.
“Step aside and watch, birthday boy.”
Jeno scoffed at the nickname; it was something that had caught on a few years back when Mark kept calling him that around his birthday. His birthday wasn’t even until April, and it was barely September, but Donghyuck insisted on continuing to call him that at any moment’s notice. As per directions, he took a few steps to his side and watched, an amused smile dancing on his lips, as Donghyuck nonchalantly walked towards the wall that would no doubt take him to platform 9¾. The Slytherin advanced with confidence oozing from every pore in his body, as though the platform were entirely empty and not overpacked with bustling London muggles in a rush to catch their trains.
And just as though he was taking a lazy stroll through the park, Donghyuck rolled his cart right into the wall, disappearing entirely within half a second. Nobody around him even spared a glance, too preoccupied with their phones or frantically trying to read the signs above them.
Jeno huffed, pout starting to form as he could already hear the smug tone of Donghyuck’s words when Jeno inevitably crossed through the wall and met him on the other side. He half debated turning around and going home, missing the train altogether so he wouldn’t have to endure Donghyuck’s rather exasperating smirk. Unfortunately, that would mean he would miss the back-to-school banquet and subsequently have to explain to Doyoung why he was late to school (and frankly, he was more afraid of his brother than Donghyuck).
Another sigh left his lips and, shaking off any nerves stuck to his muscles, he hoisted his bag up once more and walked towards the wall, quickening his pace until finally he pushed through the brick and emerged on the other side. The rusted 9¾ sign smiled down at him; the bustle on this platform was no different from the other side, but here the people were much more lively, parents cheery as they came to see their children off for the train.
The Hogwarts Express was as beautifully vintage as ever, puffs of grey smoke lifting from the spout at the front of the train. She was the last steam engine of her kind, the outside world having long moved on to diesel or electric. Jeno rather appreciated the familiarity of the Hogwarts Express, though the long ride from London to Hogwarts one he wouldn’t change for anything in the world.
“Keep it moving, birthday boy!”
Jeno was broken out of his stupor by Donghyuck’s voice, loud over the chaos of the platform as parents were trying to usher their children onto the train and conductors were trying to log in everyone boarding. He walked further away from the wall as a stream of people was starting to pop through, and frankly, he didn’t want to be trampled(his day was going as bad as it was already).
“Why do you insist on calling me that?” Jeno all but whined, catching up to Donghyuck so they could board the train together. “It’s been at least two years.”
Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Well, I would have started calling you Head Boy if you didn’t turn it down, like a lunatic.”
Jeno sighed, knowing this topic of discussion would come up sooner rather than later. He had received the letter informing him that he’d been chosen as Head Boy almost two weeks ago, along with his list of required textbooks. Everyone in his family had been thrilled, excited to have another Head Boy in the family after Doyoung. Jeno couldn’t have been more thankful either, but he had never felt himself Head Boy material. He had wanted to spend his final year focusing on his academics and Quidditch and knew trying to balance both of those on top of Head Boy duties would run him extremely thin. His parents had been disappointed but understood that he had chosen what was more important to him. (He had the inkling that Doyoung was still a bit upset, though).
The moment his friends found out, they went borderline ballistic. Renjun had lectured him about how this was a wasted opportunity of a lifetime and that he could have easily juggled everything, while Donghyuck and Yangyang had mostly just complained how they didn’t have anybody to bail them out of detention when one of their pranks would no doubt blow up back in their faces.
“Listen, you know the reason why I turned it down, Donghyuck,” Jeno said, hoping they could move on from the topic before they reached their usual compartment where Renjun and Yangyang were no doubt already waiting so he wouldn’t be subjected to all three of their complaints. “Besides, none of you could be as upset as Doyoung is.”
“And rightfully so!” Donghyuck defended, stepping up the small boarding staircase and into the narrow train hallway. He half spoke over his shoulder as they moved farther down in a single file, dodging tiny first years that had no idea where to go. “You could have had not one but two Head Boys in the family, and what do you do? Turn it down! Nobody in the history of Hogwarts has turned down being Head Boy. You have made history, and not the good kind.”
Jeno resisted the urge to let out his probably fifth sigh of the day. He ignored the rest of Donghyuck’s rambling and instead focused on trying to find the number of their compartment. He found it easily after a few more seconds of walking, the smile spreading wide on his face when he saw Renjun and Yangyang were already inside just as he expected.
“There they are!” Yangyang called, shining teeth on full display as he jumped up from his seat to hug both Donghyuck and Jeno in turn. He spent an extra long amount of time hugging Donghyuck — if one could count spinning him into a chokehold and then sending sparks out of his wand at the other so the ends of his hair burnt as hugging.
“We were starting to think you two would never show up,” Renjun said from behind Yangyang, an easygoing smile on his lips as he smoothly maneuvered around Donghyuck and Yangyang — who had fallen into a makeshift wrestling match — to hug Jeno.
Jeno chuckled at Renjun’s words, using the time to quickly pick his trunk up and set it on top the shelf above the seats. “Platform was extra crowded today.”
Renjun nodded, believing Jeno’s words easily, though Jeno had the fleeting thought that Renjun knew just why they had been a little late, if his lopsided smirk was anything to go by. The two of them took their seats next to the window across from each other, letting out matching huffs of relief at finally settling onto the train. Donghyuck finally pried himself away from Yangyang long enough to hoist up his luggage next to Jeno before plopping down next to Renjun with a heavy sigh.
Yangyang took his seat next to Jeno, and the four of them fell into easy conversation, catching up on their summer spent away from each other. Two months was nothing to a whole school year spent together, but they still missed each other greatly and were glad to be all together again.
The train had taken off sometime after they started talking, the sound of the whistle high and quiet in the distance. They quickly gained speed, the tall buildings of London fading to the rolling hills of the countryside as they headed north for the school.
“I’m kind of sad Mark isn’t with us this year, though,” Yangyang voiced after a while, when their conversation had died down and they were content with just absorbing each other’s presence.
The mood shifted to bittersweet for a few moments, the four of them reminiscing about their time at school with their other best friend. Mark had been a year above them, and graduated last year, moving on to “bigger and better things”, as they say.
“You act as though he’s dead,” Renjun said with a laugh, chin leaning against his hand as his elbow rested on the windowsill.
Donghyuck let out a small huff next to him, wrapping his arm around Renjun’s waist and pulling him close into a side hug. “That’s because we didn’t spend the entire summer sucking face with him in his brand new London apartment.”
The three of them giggled while Renjun just sputtered and tried to defend himself, cheeks growing impossibly pink from Donghyuck’s words that they all knew were true.
“Well, he’ll be back soon anyways!” Renjun said indignantly, exhaling hotly as he fixed his bangs in embarrassment.
Jeno tilted his head to the side, looking at Renjun quizzically. “What do you mean?”
Renjun seemed to realize what he said and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head violently. Donghyuck and Yangyang latched onto him not even a second later, poking him in the sides and tickling him so he burst into a fit of laughter and giggles, begging them to stop. Jeno watched on in amusement, just thinking about how happy he was to be around his friends once more.
“Alright alright I’ll tell you, just let go!” Renjun wailed, breathless as his stomach contracted with another round of giggles from all the tickling. Taking pity on him, Donghyuck and Yangyang relented their attack, leaning back into their respective seats, awaiting his response.
Renjun took a few deep breaths, calming himself down before speaking again. “Now don’t quote me on this,” He sent a pointed look to Donghyuck, who threw his hands up in an innocent gesture, “but Mark said there’s going to be some huge event held at Hogwarts this year and the Ministry is sending him to help with planning, so he’ll be on campus.”
“Major event?” Jeno asked, curiosity piqued as he stood up straight in his seat, listening intently to Renjun’s words.
But Renjun only shrugged. “That’s all I know about it. As bad as Mark is at keeping secrets, that was all he would tell me.”
They all sat back in their seats, disappointed at the vagueness of Mark’s words. The prospect of their seventh and final year at Hogwarts had just been supercharged with the news that there would be a major event held at the school.
“What do you think it could be?” Yangyang asked eagerly. “Maybe they’ll host a professional Quidditch game!”
Jeno shook his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t think that’s it. We barely have the room to fit that big of a crowd in our stands. Could it be something related to the Ministry?"
Donghyuck shook his head in response to that, rubbing his chin in thought. "Whatever it is, let's hope it means we can skip our classes. God knows I can't last another year in Doyoung's Potions class."
Jeno snorted. "Don't let him catch you saying that. You're lucky you even got an E on your O.W.L. for that class.”
"Details," Donghyuck dismissed with a wave of his hand.
The topic of whatever the major event could be followed them all the way until the train ceased to a halt in Hogsmeade station. The shrill noise of the train's whistle halted their conversation, and they gathered all their luggage from overhead as quickly as they could, wanting to exit the train before the huge rush of underclassmen.
The sun was barely peeking out from the horizon when they stepped off the train, the last of its light dissipating in a slow wave as it fully set and made way for the twinkling stars and bright moon. The clouds from earlier had all but gone, deciding to let the stars illuminate the road leading up to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade with their silver shine.
The four of them easily found an empty carriage awaiting all the second through seventh years, and climbed inside without so much as another word, the bustle of the student body a mere afterthought once the doors closed behind them.
Jeno sat by the window once more, and decided to gaze up at the stars as they waited for the long line of carriages to set off up the road and towards the school. The other three had fallen into a quiet conversation about Divination, a class Jeno had decided not to take past 5th year.
He was content with not chiming in, instead losing himself in the vast array of stars that splattered the sky above him, as though tiny inkblots on an endless black canvas. He absentmindedly thought about how excited he was to get back to Astronomy class with Renjun. They were to learn about Dark Cloud Constellations this year, something he had heard Renjun gush about countless times before, which added to his own excitement about the lesson.
It was about twenty minutes later when the rest of the students found an empty carriage to fit into, and they could all be on their way. It had only been two months, but Jeno was happy to be back at Hogwarts, the school like a second home to him. He had only one year left, and he was intent on doing the most he could, not wanting to miss out on his final chance to truly be with his best friends and all his other classmates.
The rhythmic padding of the Thestral hooves as they galloped up the gravel road was hypnotic, lulling Jeno close to sleep as he leaned his head against the glass window of the carriage. Vague images of people whizzing past him on broomsticks flashed on the backs of his eyelids. He didn't even realize he had closed his eyes until Donghyuck was fervently shaking him awake.
"Come on, sleepy head. We're here."
Jeno blinked wearily, eyelids feeling droopy suddenly as he tried to find his bearings. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of any residual slumber that might’ve tried to cling to his eyelashes as he followed his friends out of the carriage and up the grand steps to the school.
The castle was the same as ever, her tall towers standing proud to greet all the returning and new students. Almost all the lights were on, the brightest coming from the front doors being wide open to let in the string of people. Jeno saw Doyoung at the top welcoming everyone and taking count of everyone to make sure nobody was missing.
His face instantly brightened when he spotted Jeno and the rest of them. "Boys!" He greeted with his signature gummy smile, something he would never show inside his classroom, which Jeno believed was part of the reason why he became one of the most feared teachers in the school. His demeanor inside and outside the classroom gave every person who had the pleasure of knowing him whiplash; he was as strict as strict could be when it came to teaching, but if anyone encountered him in the hallways or the Great Hall, he was kind and bright and more than willing to help any student in need. "I take it you had a safe trip up here?" He asked them, leaning forward to ruffle Jeno's hair, which had Jeno whining.
"Yep!" They all said in unison, each giving Doyoung their own smiles before they were ushered further inside so Doyoung could continue taking count of all the other students.
Jeno patted down the top of his head where Doyoung had messed up his hair, following his friends as they skipped into the Great Hall eagerly, the scent of food wafting into their nostrils and leaving their stomachs gurgling loudly. The floating candles above welcomed them and enveloped them in a comforting orange hue, lighting their way through the room.
The four of them easily found their seats at the Gryffindor table where they always sat together ever since becoming friends in their first year. Separating the Houses by table in the Great Hall had long since been forgotten, and everyone just sat where they wanted to, as friendships were almost never exclusive to one House.
The smell of food was even stronger at the table, and the four of them sat down, buzzing with excitement for the feast to come. They were some of the first few students to enter the Hall, however, so it would be quite a bit before they would be able to eat.
"Can they hurry up?" Donghyuck whined, leaning his head forward into his arms. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole horse right now."
"We all are Donghyuck. Just a little longer and we'll be able to eat," Renjun comforted, one hand coming up to the play with the hairs at Donghyuck's nape. The action instantly soothed the Slytherin, who let out a content sigh and melted under Renjun's hand, a pleased smile on his lips.
Jeno and Yangyang chuckled at how easily the Slytherin could be calmed down by Renjun. Soulmate behavior, as Donghyuck himself liked to put it.
It wasn't too long before the Great Hall finally filled up and Doyoung was closing the entrance doors behind him, walking up to the faculty table and taking his spot. Once he was there, the Headmaster, Taeyong, stood up from his chair and sent everyone a comforting smile.
"Good evening everyone, and welcome back to Hogwarts. It is so nice to see all these familiar faces, as well as the new ones," He smiled down at the hoard of children that were standing off to the side of the room with Professor Kun, looks of fear and anticipation gracing their features. "We'll commence with the Sorting Ceremony now, but afterwards I have a very special announcement."
Jeno and the other three of them glanced amongst each other, all sharing the same thought that the special announcement no doubt had some sort of correlation to whatever the major event Mark spoke of was.
The Sorting Ceremony went by in a blur. Jeno had seen it several times after having gone through with it himself. He wasn't particularly all that interested in the first years, only clapping loudly for any of them that happened to be sorted into Gryffindor.
Once the first years had found their seats at their respective House's table, Taeyong stood back up, and a hush fell over the room, curiosity latching on to every single student and leaving them breathless as they hung on to Taeyong's every word.
"Another welcome to all the first years, who have now been sorted. The next order of business is my very special announcement," Taeyong spoke, eyes scanning the room slowly, mostly to build suspense and have everyone's nerves spiking. His eyes caught Jeno's for a brief moment and he winked, something that made Jeno smile.
"As you all know, Hogwarts has a long, extensive history. We try to uphold our founder's traditions as best we can. Unfortunately, not all things withstand the test of time, and we have had to let go of some traditions that were deemed too dangerous." These words caused a rush of whispers to ascend through the crowd, everyone frantic in their desire to know just what the Headmaster could be talking about, and if it involved something dangerous.
"So," Taeyong continued, "due to the nature of what this special announcement is, I have to regretfully inform you all that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year, in favor of directing all our energy into this event."
The news came with outrage, an uproar of yelling erupting from every single table and starting as a wave that swayed back and forth and growing with each movement.
"What?!" Donghyuck shrieked, practically jumping out of his seat in his shock at hearing those words.
"They can't do that!" Another student from a nearby table mourned loudly, Jeno recognizing her voice as Shin Ryujin, Slytherin's star Beater.
Jeno couldn't believe his ears. No Quidditch? In his last year? He wasn't an easily angered person, but he could feel himself start to hold a grudge against Taeyong for those words.
Taeyong brought his hand up in front of him, and all at once the chatter started to cease, knowing they needed to listen to their Headmaster. His smile didn't waver, even in all the chaos, and he slowly lowered his hand once he knew he had all their attention once more.
"Now I know this is upsetting for you all, but please trust me when I say it is indeed necessary.”
More grumbling came from the crowd, but it had mostly died down as their intrigue for the special announcement outweighed their disappointment at not being able to play Quidditch.
“It is with great pleasure that I announce that Hogwarts will be hosting—”
A loud bang sounded from the back of the room, startling everyone as their heads whipped around toward the noise. The front doors of the Great Hall had swung open once more, revealing two tall figures wearing matching black robes. The taller of the two had ink black hair shaped into a wolf cut with an easygoing smile that Jeno thought held tales of something more — something only he was privy to. The shorter had fluffy brown hair that reached past his ears, with two symmetrical dimples peeking out of his cheeks on either side of his mouth.
They strolled into the Hall without so much as a word, their smiles unwavering as they nodded their heads in greeting. All the students blinked, completely unaware of what was transpiring. Jeno thought blandly to himself that this definitely was at least the most interesting back to school Banquet he’d had.
The Great Hall doors didn’t close behind the two men, and the soft sound of footsteps could be beyond the doors and in the hallway. They looked towards the open doors once more, and in a second a third figure came barreling in, an immense stack of scrolls in his arms, threatening to topple over and spill all out on the floor at the first sign of a small breeze.
The familiar face brought smiles to everyone, though, especially Jeno and the other three as they were greeted with the endearingly awkward face that was Mark Lee.
“Sorry for being late!” Mark said loudly, desperate in his attempt to catch up to the other two men now standing in front of the faculty table, their aura of haughtiness apparently lost on Mark.
The Great Hall doors finally closed with a resounding click, and everyone was shrouded in silence once more, save for the pitter-patter of Mark’s steps as he rushed up to the faculty table.
“There’s your boy,” Donghyuck leaned over to whisper in Renjun’s ear, who only let out a small scoff and pushed Donghyuck away, but Jeno could see the blush dusting his cheeks and smile threatening to split his face in half.
Jeno could also feel his smile turning painful as he turned back to catch sight of Mark. It had been over two months since he last saw his best friend, the two of them unable to find ample time to get together after Mark had graduated from Hogwarts. He knew Mark had gotten a job at the Ministry almost immediately after leaving school, having been recruited to the Auror department before even graduating.
That led Jeno to believe the other two men had to be involved with the Ministry somehow. He looked at the two of them, trying to discern what department they could come from. Were they also Aurors, like Mark? Or did they have different, but equally dangerous jobs?
“Do not fret about being late, Mark,” Taeyong addressed him, voice turning impossibly fonder as he looked down at the recent Hogwarts graduate and ex-Gryffindor. “You are actually right on time.”
The two men moved up to the faculty table and stood next to Taeyong, Mark following close behind.
“As I was saying,” the Headmaster looked out to the students once more, “We have the immense privilege to be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year at Hogwarts!”
All the students said nothing for a few moments, taking in Taeyong’s words. A long pause passed over everyone, before another uproar started, similar to before but now fueled by barely contained excitement. Electricity crackled throughout the room as incessant chatter started and grew in volume, unable to be contained.
Everyone knew what the Triwizard Tournament was. It had been a famous tournament held every five years in the past, when the world wasn’t so evolved and wizards were still hung up about practicing puppet diplomacy even they didn’t believe in. It was held between the three wizarding schools in Europe — Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang — each taking a turn to host the tournament. It had long been discontinued due to too many student deaths, but they had brought it back for one year during Potter’s time, and its legacy held on years after. Nobody thought it would ever be brought back again after what happened at the last one.
“Students please,” Taeyong tried to soothe, bringing his hands up once more, “Let me finish explaining everything, so we can proceed to dinner and you can chat to your heart’s content about the tournament.”
The reminder of dinner did the trick to calm everyone down long enough to hear the end of Taeyong’s speech, but now they were electrically charged, lightning bolts crackling underneath their seats, waiting to be released.
“The tournament will start in October, as that is when the other two schools will make their arrival. They will be here on October 30th, and we will have a feast to welcome them and explain the rules of the tournament, as well as present the Goblet of Fire. Then the next day, on Halloween, we will pick our champions and the tournament will commence.”
“Are you signing up?” Yangyang whispered to them.
“Are you kidding?” Donghyuck breathed. “The cash prize is close to 1,000 galleons. We’d be crazy not to at least try!”
Renjun shook his head. “I don’t know. As much as I trust they’ll keep the tournament as safe as possible, I don’t think I’m capable of such feats.”
“Okay Renjun’s out,” Donghyuck dismissed, “What about you Jeno? The title of champion is basically made for you.”
Jeno blinked, not knowing what to say. Did he sign up for the tournament, now that his Quidditch season was nonexistent? Would he even get chosen as a champion? How safe could the tournament really be, with all its bad luck in the past?
He was shaken out of his thoughts by Taeyong, who was still speaking.
“More information will come next month, so do not worry for now. My last order of business is to introduce these two men who have joined me up here.” He gestured toward the taller of the two, black hair and mischievous lilt of a smile. “This is Seo Johnny, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and this,” He gestured to the shorter man with the perfect dimples, “is Jung Jaehyun, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. They have come to oversee the tournament as well as be acting judges for the tasks.”
A polite wave of claps sounded from the student body as they welcomed the men, Seo Johnny and Jung Jaehyun.
“And I’m sure almost all of you know our dear recent graduate Mark Lee,” Taeyong gestured to Mark standing on the other side of Jaehyun, looking as though it was his first time in the spotlight and he didn’t think he would be addressed so publicly. “He will be another judge as well as an overall helper to the tournament. Please wish them all well and treat them with the same respect you would any one of your professors.”
Another round of applause came for Mark, this time louder and more joyous as most of everyone cheered for last year’s Head Boy. It was no secret Mark left a lasting impact everywhere he went, the Gryffindor spreading the spirit of kindness and determination to all his underclassmen, all Houses alike.
“And with that, enjoy your dinner!”
In an instant food appeared in the middle of the table, piping hot and waiting to be devoured. Jeno felt his stomach growling, and just like his friends, wasted no time in helping himself to the delicious feast.
They chatted for hours, seemingly forgetting that their classes started bright and early tomorrow morning. It didn’t matter to any of them though, as they fantasized about the mysterious tournament that was approaching their school, as though a dark storm cloud full of surprises moving in on an unsuspecting crop field.
It was later that night, when everyone retreated to their dorm rooms and unpacked all their luggage, sluggish with slumber from just how much they ate at the Banquet, that Jeno thought about the tournament once more.
Donghyuck had said the title champion had been made for him. He appreciated the flattery, but an inkling of doubt dug itself into the depths of his stomach and sprouted like a flower in bloom.
He had some type of feeling about the tournament, but it was still too early to properly discern if the feeling was a good or bad one. Not trying to dwell on it, he turned over in his bed and stared at the wall, the entire room shrouded in darkness as the soft snores of his roommates carried from corner to corner. Sleep creeped up on him faster than he expected, the events of the day having exhaustion settling comfortably over his bones.
Whatever came about from the tournament, Jeno knew it was at least definitely going to be an eventful year.