The Ravenclaw Nine || BTS Harry Potter AU

Chapter 4

Nara's Point of View

The wind tugged her curly locks away from her face, and the earth shuddered with every landing of her horse's hooves. She pressed her legs against the stallion's flanks, basking in the exhilarating sensation of freedom. The new position made his heavy breathing apparent, and the full weight of time caught up with her. She had been out for too long.

"I'm sorry, Zeno," Nara winced, pulling on the reins. The horse let out an appreciative snort and took a moment to regain his breath. "Time got away with me. We should head back to the stables now."

The golden sun peeked over the tip of the forest on the far edge of the Everleigh family's land, beginning its steady rise into the sky. Nara inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh, earthy scent of the late summer breeze that always cleared her head and relaxed her tense muscles.

She rode past the front door of her house. Everything was still quiet, aside from the occasional clucking of the chickens. Then, her sister Eira barreled out of the house, an exploding firework in a silent sky.

"Nara!" she shrieked, running up to Zeno's side so suddenly that, on a typical day, he might have kicked her with his hind legs. Today, however, he barely had the energy to swivel his head and face her. "Don't you remember that a Ministry official is visiting this morning? Where were you?"

"Relax," Nara sighed. She slid off Zeno's back and took his reins into her hand. "We still have an hour to prepare."

"We have an hour until he arrives, and we have yet to clean the sitting room, wash all the dishes, tidy our bedrooms, and dry the laundry," Eira ticked off on her fingers.

Nara shrugged carelessly and led Zeno to the stable, Eira following behind hastily. "Then shouldn't you be inside helping Mum and Dad?"

"No," Eira replied haughtily, "because I feel it is incumbent on me to remind you that you must do your share. Now, hurry up!"

Nara chuckled at her sister's dramatic stomps back to the house and opened the door to the dark stable, which was filled with the soothing sound of horses shifting in their stalls and munching on their morning feed. "Taehyung?"

"Yes, Nara?" he immediately replied, scrambling out of the farthest stall – the one holding Marigold and her newest foal, Aster, who had been born about a week ago.

"I'm in a bit of a time crunch – can you unsaddle Zeno for me?"

"Of course." Their fingers brushed in the exchange of reins, and Nara couldn't subdue the fluttering in her heart. "Sorry." His apology was followed by a flustered blush that she could sense even in the almost-darkness.

"It's all right," she replied, trying to sound somewhat normal. "Thank you, Taehyung."

His lips formed his signature rectangular smile. "It is my pleasure. Have fun with the Ministry official."

"Fun? With a middle-aged man who can't crack a joke to save his life?" Nara let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. "You are hilarious, Tae."

"Thank you." Even though they were both eleven years old, Nara found her family's stable-hand undeniably attractive. She giggled anxiously and offered a quick wave before hurrying to the house.

"Nara. Nara. Nara," Eira mumbled her sister's name in irritation as she munched on a piece of toast.

"That looks good," Nara replied dismissively. She snapped her fingers and a slice of bread dropped messily into the toaster – she had yet to perfect her magical abilities. Magic sped up the toasting process, and in a few moments, a knife floated through the air and spread butter and marmalade over the toast. Nara sat down beside her sister and ate her breakfast while staring out the window thoughtfully. A broom brushed past her chair, and she lifted her feet so it could gather the dirt from her boots into a pan.