There was so much chattering. Jay sat in a corner of the waiting room by himself. He was not the only one who was by him or herself, but it did not escape his notice that almost none of the people present were at least speaking Korean. Some people were muttering spells to themselves, others were speaking with each other animatedly about what might be on the test. Being accepted to the International Academy known as Domchelys was a high honor, and this was the last stage. Reputation alone was not good enough. Passing their written test was not good enough. There was this mysterious “last test” that they would have to do in front of a panel of judges. Most whispers said that it was a Patronus Charm, but Domchelys kept this last stage officially secret. He recognized English, French, Japanese. He wasn’t quite paying attention so could not automatically tell what the people speaking English were saying, but in the background of his mind he could tell the Japanese students were saying something about a school known as Mahoutokoro. Some of them knew each other because they were in the same grade. They were probably in the same grade he was. He didn’t bother wondering why he had not been sent to that school, despite it apparently catering to students from most of East Asia. The organization did not send their children out to learn in the “public schools.” All of them were home-schooled. Being sent to apply for Domchelys was practically unheard of, not that anybody would ever know that. In his official records, he was just an adopted child who had been home-schooled up till this point.
Throughout the hour, the participants selected for the day were called one after another, until finally it was Jay’s turn. It was almost to his disappointment to discover that the rumors had been right. They asked for a Patronus Charm. His black wand spun on the tips of his fingers once, before he gave it an elegant little swish and casually uttered in his accented not-quite-English, “Expecto Patronum.” The fierce falcon exploded from the tip of his wand, silent but no less ferocious than the real bird. It swooped dangerously close to the instructors, before swinging back to him and landing on his outstretched left arm. It was stood there, regal and powerful, and Jay was certain no one could have expected from what kind of memory it had been born.
~~
The first time Jay had encountered a dementor, his adoptive mother had mediated the encounter, taking him to a small valley that was known for its tendency to have dementors occasionally come by. It was close to a jail, after all. She had given him the basic instructions of how to cast the Patronus charm, then cheerfully thrown him to the wolves, as she always did. He was 12, a quivering little whelp just barely getting used to her cutthroat ways, but this was worse than anything she subjected him to before, and would since. Tatsue watched from one side of the valley impassively, arms crossed across her chest, her tiger patronus lazily circling her. She would not bring out her wand to save him. This was a hurdle he had to get past on his own, and if he died because of it, well, that would simply be proof that he was not worthy. It was the last step she had to force him through before beginning the training she wanted to subject him to. It was not his physical or magical ability that would be hindered if he did not get past his fear, it was his ability as a leader and the mentality to control a beast like theirs. She knew better than anyone what was waiting for him in the dementor’s presence: fear, yes, but also pain. A pain that was so much like joy it could tear him apart, young as he was. It would start… with the screams.
“재형이 엄마가 너무 많이 사랑해. 너무 너무 많이 사랑한다.” (Jae-hyeong mom loves you so much. So so much.) Jae-hyeong jerked around, trying to figure out the source of the voice. It was a woman’s voice, oddly familiar, and cracking with what anyone would have recognized as barely repressed tears. The dementor drew closer and he scrambled backwards, feeling the chill settle into his bones, some sort of inexplicable panic rising. His wand hand was, for once, shaking. “E- e- expecto patronum.” He stammered. A vague silver mist poofed sadly in front of him. She had told him to think of a really really happy memory. The happiest memory he had, but Jay did not have happy memories. The dementor came closer, and he could hear the echoes of a scream, and a roar of angry Japanese. A sheen of sweat broke out on his brow. “Expecto Patronum” He tried again, mouth dry. His wand didn’t even bother to try at this point. The stupid thing had always been difficult, and it knew when he didn’t have confidence in what he was doing. A large, scaly, rotting hand came from the dark hooded figure and reached for Jay. The screams and yelling intensified and suddenly the boy was launched into a memory he hadn’t known he’d had.
He was in a simple room that would generally be considered “modern,” but to Jay it was a style foreign and strange, with odd objects and a raised bed with a wooden frame. There was a lovely woman with long brown hair crouching in front of him, and he got the feeling that he was more used to seeing her smile. She was smiling now, but the stray hairs sticking to her face with sweat and the look in her eyes made it clear she was anything but happy. She was brushing back his hair lovingly. This… he knew this woman. She was his mother. His real mother. He remembered that his name had been Jae-hyeong. He remembered that he had been five when he lost it all, but he had never remembered this moment before. How had he forgotten these people who had once been his everything? “재형이 엄마가 너무 많이 사랑해. 너무 너무 많이 사랑한다.” The words again, that she loved him, but remembering the way her face had looked as she said it made all the difference. Her voice cracked and she burst into tears. “내 새끼. 이거 다 엄마 때문에. 엄마가 재형 아빠를 사랑하는 때문에. 그래도 재형이 때문에 엄마는 아무 것도 후회하지 않는다. 미안해. 미안해.” (My baby. This is all mommy’s fault. Because mommy loves your daddy. Even so, because of you, mommy doesn’t regret anything. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.) The tears were coming full force, now, rendering her speechless.
Worriedly, little Jae-hyeong put his hand on his mother’s face. He didn’t know what was going on. Why was she crying? How could he make it better? Confused and upset, the small boy started to cry as well, without really knowing why. A man burst into the room and his mother jumped, but it was just his father, looking harried and holding a thin stick of wood up like it was a shield. 「雪。今行かなくちゃならんのだ。早く！」(Yuki. We need to go now. Hurry!) The woman stood up, still sobbing uncontrollably and the man grabbed Jay hastily, but gently by the shoulders. “우리 아들. 살어. 아빠하고 엄마를 잊지 있어도 살어.” (Our son. Live. Even if you forget mom and dad, live.) He tapped Jay on the forehead with his wand and the boy felt his mouth snap shut and his body freeze. He was placed in the closet and hidden carefully behind several layers of objects and then a piece of cardboard transfigured to look like just another wall. He couldn’t see anything after that, but he could hear the shouts. “이 기집에 때문에.” (Because of this bitch) “어머니가 괜찮다면 니가 왜-!?” (If mother was fine with it why are you-) A sound cracked through the air, followed by his mother’s scream. 「私たちはお前らに何もしなかったくせに！」(Even though we never did anything to you!)「黙れ、さわるな、この雌犬が！裏切者はただそんなもんだ。」(Shut up, don’t touch me, whore. Traitors deserve just that.) The words spoken after that, he didn’t really understand, so they were blurred in his memory, but they were probably spells as they were accompanied by vague flashes of light he hadn’t been able to see all petrified like that. A loud crash ended the fight, but the peace was short-lived. Whoever-it-was commanded, “이새끼를 찾어!” (Find that brat!)
Jay’s heartbeat sped up as he heard them searching for him. He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t move or even cry, and if they found him…. The piece of cardboard was ripped away and he found himself looking at a triumphant woman with dark red lips and black hair cut in a short bob. Her hand reached out towards him like a claw, but then a flash of green light hit her and she dropped to the ground limply. “그래, 배신자를 다 죽어야대.” (That’s right. Traitors should all die.) Moments later, an old woman with silvery grey hair came into view. She smiled and touched his cheek and quietly removed whatever spell his father had put on him. Released from petrification, the boy instantly began to wail loudly, burying his face into the old woman’s shoulder as she reached forward and picked him up. “어머. 너 언제부터 너무 무겁다?” (Oh my. Since when have you been this heavy?) She teased him slightly, walking from the room. The body of the woman was left behind them and as they passed into the hallway, the lady carrying him pressed her hand slightly to turn his head into her shoulder, so that he would not see the wreckage and his parents’ bodies splayed ungracefully on the ground. She rocked him slightly and sang a very very simple Korean lullaby with no real words in it.
Jay’s eyes fluttered open to find the dementor’s cold hand on his chin, face coming closer. The pure fear almost overwhelmed him in that moment and he could feel his eyes almost rolling back from it, but there was a reason why he hadn’t felt it up till this point. That song…. Jay closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the wand in his hand. There was a tear on his face, but he ignored it. The teen pulled himself back from the dementor as physically as he could and opened his mouth to mutter, “Expecto Patronum.” Into those two words he poured a pure love and contentment. He wrapped around himself a memory of his mother holding him and singing him to sleep with that lullaby. Him uttering a sleepy, “엄마 사랑해…” (Mom, I love you.) Out came that falcon, scorching the dementor with its intensity. It flew about him in a menacing circle, making him untouchable by other dementors as he walked straight out of the valley to where his ruthless mentor awaited him.
(Original date written unknown as it is saved from a site no longer running.)