The Ravenclaw Nine || BTS Harry Potter AU

Chapter 5

Hoseok's Point of View

Hoseok tentatively peered into the alley, which was engulfed in shadows. The rainwater from the recent deluge had accumulated into a small stream that ran through the pathway, so Hoseok had to take special care to walk around it. He was always unnerved by the darkness of his surroundings, but he supposed that was intentional to keep people away.

"Yoongles?" he called out as he turned into a second alley, which was even darker and narrower than the first. "Yoongi?" He waited with anticipation until he heard a loud sigh and a bench creaked as someone stood.

"Every time," Yoongi grumbled, his voice raspy and low. "Every time I tell you to stay away, you come right back."

"I come bearing a gift of great joy," Hoseok replied, patting his bag of bread with a wide smile. Yoongi chuckled, his figure slowly emerging from the darkness as he approached his kind friend.

"Well, as long as you're here, you may as well come inside. It smells like rain."

"There is a lot of rainwater in the main alley."

"No – new rain." He grabbed Hoseok's shoulder and ushered him into a makeshift apartment – no larger than a closet, mind you – in an abandoned building. As always, the room was pitch black until he flipped a switch and a lightbulb on the ceiling flickered to life, giving Hoseok a clear view of the boy's face. Yoongi's appearance always reflected his burden of living on the streets, but he had taken a dramatic turn for the worst since the last time Hoseok had seen him. His eyes were dull and his platinum hair hung in greasy strings over his forehead. Hoseok couldn't fully understand why Yoongi looked so awful lately, but he imagined it had something to do with the "criminal hearing" Yoongi had mentioned in passing.

"Well? You came here for a reason, didn't you? Where is the gift of great joy?"

"Right here." Hoseok unwrapped the loaf of bread and passed it to Yoongi.

"Twelve slices?" Yoongi's eyes widened with genuine shock. "How will I eat all of this? When does it expire?"

Hoseok frowned. "I don't know. I didn't think to ask the baker."

"This is too much. It will take me longer than a week to finish this. Take three slices for your family."

"Yoongi," he sighed, "you know we don't need it. This is all for you."

Yoongi's jaw twitched. "Fine – but I'm only accepting because it means you won't come back for a while. I don't like you being here."

"I know – you tell me every time I come."

"It isn't safe. You are too innocent for the darkness here."

"According to you, I am too innocent for many things."

He chuckled. "That you are." He sat down on his miserable excuse for a bed and munched on a piece of bread thoughtfully. "Tell me about her."

Hoseok's cheeks reddened. "H-her?"

"Yes, her. I take it you've seen her lately, given the smile on your face."

"O-oh. I just saw her in passing yesterday."

"And?"

Hoseok couldn't help the wistful sigh that escaped his mouth. "She looked stunning – positively stunning. She was wearing a plaid coat over a white blouse and a skirt. And her smile was so beautiful." He pressed his cold hands to his cheeks to contain his blush.

"Hmm. Did you talk to her?"

"T-talk to her?" he spluttered. "Are you crazy? I could never talk to her! She's too... beautiful."

"What's her name again?"

"Nara." Her name rolled off Hoseok's lips like a blessing.

"Nara – that's right. Well, by your next visit, I will expect you to have at least held a short conversation with her."

"You will be disappointed."

"Perhaps." His ear tilted towards the door, and a frown twisted his lips. "You need to leave. They are coming back."

"Okay." Hoseok shivered at the thought of the gang returning – he had never been caught by them, and he didn't plan to start now.

"Be safe, alright? I would walk you out, but that would only make you a bigger target."

"I will, Yoongi. Enjoy the bread."

Yoongi mumbled his gratitude and stowed the loaf securely in the basket underneath his bed. Hoseok smiled widely and waved before ducking out the door. He attempted to exit the alley as quickly as possible, but he lost his footing in the rainwater and smacked hard into the cement. The wind was knocked from his chest, and he laid with his cheek pressed against the cold ground, helplessly gasping for breath. Before he could fully register what had happened, dozens of footsteps echoed through the alley, and someone hauled him to his feet.

"Look what we have here," a woman with frightening emerald eyes sneered. The others clustered around Hoseok, forming a circle so tight he couldn't escape.

"He's one of them rich Muggles. Might be a good victim to incidentally murder as a cover-up," a man laughed, his voice so hoarse it sounded like he was choking. Hoseok whimpered in terror.

"Aw, is someone afraid? You haven't seen anything yet," the first woman growled, aiming a stick at Hoseok's chest. He squeaked, and they all laughed darkly.

"Please don't eat me!" Hoseok gasped. "I promise – I will do anything!"

The members of the gang exchanged an amused glance. "Eat you? Well, unfortunately for you, that is what we do best."

"We're cannibals!" another exclaimed for emphasis.

"No!" Hoseok sobbed, horrified.

"Yes!"

"Leave him alone!" someone shouted, pushing past the crowd. He was a blur of a figure, smacking the woman in the nose and grabbing onto Hoseok. He twisted his hand, and Hoseok screamed, feeling like he was being shoved through a rubber tube as the world spun around him. When his vision cleared, they were standing in the middle of the road in the heart of London. An automobile swerved out of the way to avoid them, and Yoongi hustled him to the sidewalk. Hoseok's stomach lurched with sickness, and he emptied his breakfast into a nearby trash can.

"Idiot. Idiot," Yoongi hissed, yanking Hoseok to face him as soon as he'd finished.

"W-what happened? Where are we?"

"I told you to hurry, didn't I? I told you they were coming? God, why don't you ever listen to me. I tell you not to come back, and you show up again a week later – with bread!"

"What's wrong with bread? If you would like, I can try to get fruits and vegetables–"

"That's not the point," he growled, pinning Hoseok against the wall of a floral shop. "The point is that now you have risked your safety, and I have risked the exposure of the magic world. Okay? Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?"

"The... wait. The m-magic world?"

He glowered at Hoseok. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Are you saying that magic is real?"

"Get out of here. I have already said too much."

"Yoongi, you can't leave me like this," Hoseok weakly tried to argue, but Yoongi had already set off down the street. Another twist of his hand made him spiral into oblivion. Watching matter swirl to accommodate his exit made Hoseok's jaw drop, but none of the other passersby paid him any mind.

Hoseok sank to theground and sighed deeply, running his hand down his face. What had he gottenhimself into?

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