LIFE OF A PASSENGER | bts x hp

The soft shattering sound of the wheelchair echoed through the summer breeze as Jeon Jungkook found his way towards the town hospital. His small hands wrapped at the side of the wheels, he tried to direct his chair on the right path and passed through the small amount of crowd carefully before the familiar sight of the building stood in front of him. Therefore, it was also the reason for him allow a gentle sigh to leave his lips. At this point, he was not even sure if he was disappointed to see that nothing changed or pretended to be unbothered by it. As Jungkook at least wished for the colour to be changed to something more natural, something un-hospital like if he dared to say.

Doch, despite his quiet complains that did not find a way to his lips, Jungkook had that anxiety in him, which made his doctor visit different than any other day. Since for the first time, he was not there to listen to the pity of the doctor, he was there to learn if a miracle could smile on his face and maybe, Jungkook could walk.

“Are you nervous?”

Jungkook heard his grandfather’s voice just after the old man rested his hands on the holder of the wheelchair. He was there to accompany Jungkook to doctor and knew he was meant to at least appear excited. But instead, Jungkook’s grandfather seemed indecisive about how he was supposed to feel.

Growing up in a wheelchair, Jungkook never really complained about his inability to walk or even declare his sadness for it. He never said something that made others notice his desire to stand on his own pair of legs; instead, he clearly named his interest a curiosity.

How can I wish to walk when I don’t even know how it feels to be on my own feet, Jungkook stated once so bravely that neither his grandfather nor his father managed to hold back their tears.

As they knew so well that Jungkook was too young to not think of himself but others. He was too young to leave his own desires aside and just focus on the happiness of his own family. Therefore, it was also the reason that neither of the family’s men knew what to say when Jungkook announce that for a second he actually managed to stand on his own feet and wished to meet his doctor to talk about his condition.

“Are you afraid of hearing what the doctor will say?” replied Jungkook as instead of coming up with a proper answer, he decided to question his grandfather sincerely.

“Are you?” asked his grandfather, however, as he seemed to share the same thoughts with Jungkook. And that actually brought a small smile on Jungkook’s lips, which lasted for a couple of seconds before it vanished.

“I’m,” muttered Jungkook at the end. He did not have a reason to lie anyway.

Jungkook never really thought there would be a day that he would believe the existence of a way that would make him walk. At least, until that one morning, he woke up before others in the home and got overly bored of staying in the bed. As it was the very same day that for a brief second, maybe less than the time needed for him to blink his eye, he managed to stand on his own feet. It was such a short time that if Jungkook did not fall right on his buttocks and felt the pain, he would think it was a dream.

And maybe, it really was.

“I’m sorry, Jungkook but there isn’t any difference in your condition,” said the doctor with a pitiful look but ice cold tone after the treatment Jungkook took. It did not even take five minutes for the doctor to come to a conclusion and even if Jungkook promised himself to not be sad about it, he did. Or more accurately, Jungkook found himself getting angry.

“Then, what happened the previous morning? And the day before,” questioned the eleven-year-old as he tried to protect his posture. However, his flushed face betrayed him and his grandfather immediately took notice of it.

“Jungkook,” whispered his grandfather as he rested his hand on the younger one’s shoulder, in an attempt to calm him down.

“What was it then, grandpa?” whispered Jungkook desperately. “Magic?”

“It is probably a sign of tiredness, you probably mistook a dream with reality.”

At that moment, Jungkook nodded his head in defeat. However, he refused to think that what happened was nothing but a bare dream. He could even dare to name it magic but never a dream...it could not be.

“I thought you promised to not be sad about whatever doctor had to say,” stated his grandfather once they left the doctor’s office. He knew Jungkook good enough to not be deceived by his facade and thought he could remind the younger one the promise he made. Because there was no way for him to watch Jungkook got disappointed over something he did not have a control over.

“I’m not sad,” shrugged Jungkook. “Fortunately, I didn’t have high expectations,” he did not forget to add even if it was a lie. And Jungkook did not know of his grandfather noticed his lie or not, but he was grateful that no more question was asked.

“Let’s go back to home before your father burns it down then,” muttered the old man as he played along with Jungkook and decided to end the conversation there. As he was well aware that both he and Jungkook were disappointed but neither needed to recall it over and over.

“Is he cooking dinner again?” gasped Jungkook in disbelief as he tilted his head back to look at his grandfather, whereas the older male just pushed the wheelchair front.

“Once in a year,” reminded Jungkook’s grandfather. “And it’s today.”

“Can we have takeout food on our way?” mused Jungkook. He adored his father and his attempt to cook but Jungkook also knew that he had to be prepared for what awaited him, which was probably burnt food.

“We can,” agreed his grandfather, “but don’t tell your father.”

“I solemnly swear,” said Jungkook without missing a breath as he rested his hand over his heart and earned himself a loud laughter from the other.

However, as the both Jeons were too lost in their conversation (as an attempt to not think about the previous doctor appointment), they did not take notice of another boy that turned the corner just then and almost hit Jungkook’s wheelchair. That if Jungkook’s grandfather did not stop the chair right on time and caught Jungkook off guard.

“Are you okay, young man?” asked Jungkook’s grandfather as he took a step front to look at the other boy, who had his hand on his knee.

Jungkook, on the other hand, just looked at the other one with his curious eyes. Because he had to admit that the other boy, who seemed barely a couple of years older than Jungkook could be named handsome if it was not for the faint scars that covered his rather pale looking skin. And Jungkook wondered if those scars were given by the Munchkin cat that the older boy carried on his hands.

“I’m good, Sir, sorry for my lack of attention,” said the other with an apologetic smile and gave Jungkook a gentle look before he excused himself to leave. Such that, Jungkook could say he came and went like a wind.

“He looks like a handsome boy, I wonder what happened to his face,” said Jungkook’s grandfather as if he read his grandson’s mind as soon as the other left.

“Maybe his cat did it,” replied Jungkook simply before he turned to look front and only took notice of a stick that rested in front of his wheelchair. In normal circumstances, Jungkook would probably ignore it. However, at that moment, it became a challenge for Jungkook to do so as he could clearly see the different shapes engraved on it.

“Grandpa,” called Jungkook and waited for the old man to look at him. “What’s that?” questioned Jungkook as he pointed the stick.

Upon hearing Jungkook’s question, his grandfather tilted his head to look down and frowned when he saw the stick as well.

“Maybe the boy dropped it,” he stated as he bent to pick up the wood. “Jungkook, wait for me here, I’ll be back,” said Jungkook’s grandfather and left only after he earned himself a nod from Jungkook.

There was no place for an argument anyway so Jungkook did not even suggest to follow his grandfather. As going after the other boy alone would be much easier than pushing the wheelchair as well. Therefore, Jungkook decided to not even part his lips to say anything about it and just rolled the wheels of the chair to approach the open window.

Since he was on the high floor of the building, Jungkook had a chance to see the top of the tree out there and could not help but smile at it. Since at those moments, he did not feel like a bird that was born with broken wings, he felt like a soul that was allowed to look down and smirk at mother nature. It was kind of a game for him; a childish game that lasted until Jungkook took notice of the owl that sat on the branch of the tree and bizarrely, appeared to look directly at him.

“What is an owl doing here?” mused Jungkook to himself as a deep frown spread over his features. He never saw an owl in the town, even when it was night, so it was amusing as well as creepy for him to witness such a situation.

“Jungkook, where are you looking at?”

It was only seconds later that Jungkook heard his grandfather’s voice and parted his gaze away from the owl to look at the older man.

“There is an owl-” Jungkook almost said, however, came to a halt as when he looked at the tree once again, he did not see an owl or any other bird around.

“Oh, nothing,” replied Jungkook with a hesitated tone as he did not want to sound bizarre any longer; neither he wished to hear that it was another dream he mistook with reality.

“Did you give back the stick?” asked Jungkook instead as he and his grandfather headed towards the exit of the hospital.

“I did,” replied the old man. “Poor boy seemed to be too worried over the stick that he didn’t stop thanking me,” he added with a confused tone, yet Jungkook did not even listen to him. As at that moment, Jungkook was busy with questioning himself and his “dreams” that seemed too real to deserve to be named a lie.

Jungkook did not talk much on his way back to home as he was too tired to do so. Not to mention, he was overly confused and was desperate to look for an answer to all of his questions. Anything that could calm his mind was more than welcome by Jungkook, however, the problem was he did not know who he was supposed to ask it.

“Why are you so quiet?” asked his grandfather at the end as he could not help but worry about Jungkook’s silence. He was always a child that enjoyed talking and joking around, especially when he was in the car and passed by the familiar alleys that had a piece of memory in his mind. On that day, however, he did not part his lips if it was not for his need to let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t have much to say,” shrugged Jungkook. “Why are you so quiet, grandpa?”

“Because I’m silently praying for finding my house in one piece,” replied his grandfather and actually managed to earn himself a grin from Jungkook.

“I doubt dad is that bad-”

“He once burnt the whole kitchen,” reminded the old man as he interrupted his grandson.

“Alright, he could be that bad,” admitted Jungkook without an argument. He did not have anything reasonable to defend his father for that anyway.

Yet, even if both Jungkook and his grandfather joked about the third man of Jeons on the way back to home, they were rather surprised to find out that the man neither burnt the kitchen nor the house. Instead, the man did not even prepared a dinner and just sat in the kitchen, an old looking letter open in front of him.

“Dad,” called Jungkook as he found his father rather pale as if the man suddenly got sick. “What happened?”

“Son,” even Jungkook’s grandfather called the other with a worried tone as the other did not even flinch when they called him. That was until Jungkook finally moved his wheelchair front and stood right in front of his father.

“What is wrong?” he asked again and waited patiently until his father finally looked at him.

“There is a letter for you, Jungkook,” said his father with a hoarse voice, which only made Jungkook more worried than he was before. However, he still reached for the letter that his father claimed was sent to him.

It seemed old as not everyone wrote a letter on a parchment. Therefore, that was why Jungkook acted carefully to be able to read it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Jeon,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

“What does this mean?” asked Jungkook as he looked at the letter confused before he tilted his head up to look at his father.

By then, even his grandfather approached the other two to look at the letter and gave a look to Jungkook’s father after he read the letter.

“Is this belated April’s fool joke?” asked the old man seriously, only to earn himself a shake of a head. “Then why did you prepare a joke?”

“I didn’t write it,” sighed Jungkook’s father as he rested his head on his hands and leaned his elbows on the table. “I knew something like that might happen,” he confessed, “but never thought...”

“What do you mean you expected this?” interrupted Jungkook’s grandfather, whereas Jungkook just protected his silence and listened the other two.

“All these time you asked me what is my wife’s job, where she came from, do you remember, dad?” asked Jungkook’s father and waited for awhile, whereas the old man just frowned. Neither he nor his son really talked about Jungkook’s mother much ever since her death as they did not want Jungkook to be sad. However, it was not a lie that the old man noticed his son always hid something; such that he always acted carefully with his words.

“Who was she?” asked the old man with nothing but hesitation in his tone. He looked at directly his son, saw the sadness that stood in the other’s gaze before he let out a sigh.

Jungkook’s father first looked at his son, who still had his Hogwarts letter on his hands, then he raised his gaze to look at his own father.

“She was a witch.”

The silence just then fell on the whole house and it lasted only for seconds before a gentle knock on the door interrupted it.

Someone was there.