Jungkook~
The moment the tournament was announced, Hogwarts transformed overnight. The castle grounds now look like some kind of medieval war zone mixed with a magical jungle gym. Obstacles rise and fall on command, weird magical creatures lurk behind temporary barriers, and professors actually volunteer to throw hexes at us as practice. It's chaos—and I kind of love it.
The training fields stretch out behind the castle, charmed to mimic what they call the Three Trials of Mastery—each level more brutal than the last.
Level One is all about survival—dodging hexes, escaping mazes, and outrunning monsters that don't exactly play nice. You need reflexes and speed. No problem.
Level Two is brain over brawn—riddles, cursed traps, and solving magical puzzles under pressure. Basically, Ravenclaw's playground... if the playground had flaming floors and vanishing walls.
And Level Three? That's combat. One-on-one duels, free-for-all chaos, and the worst part—team betrayal. No one knows who to trust in that round. You might have to take down your own housemate if it means getting to the finish line.
I'm training like hell every day. Muscles screaming, clothes soaked in sweat, and my wand hand cramping by noon. But I can't slow down—not when I've got something to prove.
Actually, someone to protect.
"Yah, Jeon Jake Justin Seagull Jungkook!" Speaking of the devil—I hear her voice before I see her, stomping toward me with a rolled-up napkin like it's a weapon. Y/N's holding a lunchbox in one hand, an annoyed scowl on her face.
"You skipped lunch again. What's your excuse now?" she demands, practically shoving the box into my chest.
I grin as I take it. "Was busy wrestling a boggart disguised as my middle school Transfiguration teacher."
"Not funny."
I open the box to find rice balls, cut fruit, and my favorite—spicy grilled chicken. "You made this?"
She glares. "No, the lunch elves gave it to me with love and care." She's fumming, so I know the answer.
I sit down on a rock and dig in, grinning. "Thanks, Minx."
"I'm serious, Jungkook. You look like death. You're going to collapse one day, and then what? Let Jimin win?"
I pause. At the mention of that name, my mood dips like a broken broom.
Because, of course, Jimin had to be picked as one of the Slytherin reps. And Taehyung? Yeah, Hufflepuf's charming boy made it too. The trio's complete—and Y/N is spiraling because of it.
"Stop worrying about me," I say, wiping my mouth. "I'm fine. I'm going to win this thing. I promise."
She crosses her arms. "That's what people say right before they break their leg."
I chuckle and ruffle her hair. "You care too much."
She swats me away. "Shut up! I always care about you."
"I know, my Minx." I grin but her eyes drift behind me, and I don't need to turn around to know who's standing there.
Jimin. I can feel the smug, burning stare from twenty feet away. He's leaning lazily against a tree, wand spinning in his hand, licking his lips like he's got a secret she doesn't want me to know.
And Y/N freezes.
Again.
This has been happening a lot lately. Whenever Jimin shows up, Y/N turns into a weirdly stiff version of herself. Taehyung doesn't notice a thing—he's too busy talking to a training dummy—but I do. I always do.
After I finish eating, I catch up to her before she disappears. "Y/N," I say, reaching for her wrist, "what's going on with you lately? Every time Jimin shows up, you act like—"
"Nothing's going on," she snaps too quickly, tugging her arm back. "I'm just stressed. Lima, let's go."
Lima appears out of nowhere like she's been waiting for the cue and drags Y/N away by the arm, throwing me an apologetic look.
Again. She runs.
I stare at their backs as they disappear around the courtyard wall. My hand slowly falls back to my side.
Okay, Minx. Something is definitely up.
And now it's not just the tournament I have to win—it's whatever the hell this secret is that she keeps running from.