Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started like this: for the first time in her six years at Hogwarts, Chaeyoung was wondering whether or not she was really cut out for this whole Slytherin thing. It’s wasn’t that she questioned her lack of ambition- far from it. She was even aware that houses can’t define you, that people aren’t one dimensional like that. Take Yoongi for example. He was the laziest person she knew, yet she’d never doubted for a second that he had all the qualities it took to be a Slytherin.

Still, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but wonder if she might’ve been more of a Hufflepuff at heart, or a Ravenclaw even. Wonder if her sorting was some sort of fluke, that the Sorting Hat hadn’t been thinking clearly that night. After all, how many Muggleborn, Quidditch obsessed witches with a fondness for drawing cartoonish aliens had the Slytherin house ever hosted? Not very many, Chaeyoung would think.

She caught her reflection in the train window, and winced at the wry, secret smile she saw glaring back at her. That wasn’t her real smile. There was a constricting ache she felt in her chest at the thought. That smile belonged exclusively to Jessica, so much so that she wouldn’t be surprised if she were being charged a small fee just for using it. Jessica always was an excellent businesswoman. Ambitious, cunning, fiercely protective. The exact image of what a Slytherin should be.

Chaeyoung remembered something she’d heard once, that the Sorting Hat takes your choice into consideration when sorting you. She thought that if that were true, ever since she first saw Jessica Jung in her green and silver tie at Kings Cross, her fate had been sealed. Jessica would’ve looked every part like the untouchable Ice Queen her reputation declared her as if it weren’t for the slender hand outstretched to the eleven year old Chaeyoung, if Jessica hadn’t been the one to show Chaeyoung how to cross through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾, if she hadn’t done so many things to make Chaeyoung, a dorky Muggleborn, feel safe in a whole new world. That was then, though. Now, Jessica was graduated, out in the real world, making a name for herself. She wouldn’t have the time or means to watch over Chaeyoung any more.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Joy scoffed, the girl’s deceptively soft voice interrupting Chaeyoung’s admittedly self-pitying inner monologue. “It’s not like you even saw that much of her in the first place. Jessica unnie was two years above us, it’s a miracle she even gave you the time of day.”

The blunt exchange was a typical one for Joy, who usually opted to ditch her sugary exterior around her friends. Although Chaeyoung was used to Joy’s lack of joyfulness, she still pouted at her fellow Slytherin’s harsh words.

“It’s not all that bad. Her flat’s in Hogsmeade, yeah? You can see her the next time we head out there.”

Yugyeom was, as usual, impatient with sentiment, eager to move the conversation along. He was probably regretting sitting in their compartment and wondering if he could reasonably escape to be with BamBam or Jeongguk. Joy shot an icy glare in his direction as if to say that if he got up and left, he would be hexed into oblivion. He scowled and sunk in his seat.

“You look like a sad niffler,” Yerim observed, giggling, while she examined a crushed packet of Ice Mice suspiciously. She briefly looked up to flash a deceptively sweet smile at Chaeyoung. “It’s a good look for you. Cute.”

“Chocolate frog?” That was from Tzuyu, Chaeyoung’s best friend. Chaeyoung instantly brightened at the girl’s offer, reaching for the chocolate.

“Thanks!” she said, worries forgotten for the moment, which was probably Tzuyu’s intention. Tzuyu wasn’t the type to give advice or go on about her feelings (were any of her friends?) but when it came to Chaeyoung, she always knew the right gesture to make. Probably because Chaeyoung was always completely bewildered when it came to articulating and understanding her emotions, she reacted best to simple displays of comfort, which suited Tzuyu just fine. Together, Joy called them the most emotionally obstinate pair in all of Hogwarts history.

Chaeyoung was spared from any further discussion of Jessica or niffler resemblance by the abrupt sound of their compartment door sliding open with a force that seemed more than a little excessive and the sight of a girl tumbling through the open doors. The girl, already dressed in Hufflepuff robes, somehow managed to trip over her own feet and knock straight into Chaeyoung, practically falling into her lap.

“Oops! Sorry, I’m the clumsiest witch in the entire planet,” the girl laughed, not looking at all embarrassed by the incident. Chaeyoung on the other hand could feel her face heat up, and she scrambled to help the girl up.

The girl looked to be around their age, but Chaeyoung felt fairly certain that she’d never seen her before in her life. That is, until the girl’s deep brown hair suddenly shifted from pink to orange to a familiar combination of the two, and jolt of recognition coursed through Chaeyoung. Everybody knew Kim Dahyun, whether it was as the school’s only Metamorphmagus or Hufflepuff’s star chaser. The only thing that wasn’t clear was what she was doing in their compartment. Although they were all sixth years, they’d rarely crossed paths. She knew that Yugyeom and Jeongguk were friends with the Hufflepuff members of their Muggle Dance club, but other than that, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs rarely mixed.

Joy seemed to mirror Chaeyoung’s confusion for a brief moment, but she masked it with cavity-inducing smile. “Hey, Dahyun. Is there anything we can help you with?”

Dahyun seemed briefly dazzled by the full force of Joy’s charm, but recovered with admirable timing, a wide grin splitting her face.

“Sure! Except I’m actually here for Jackson? Apparently Yugyeom cast a jinx on him that made him unable to open his mouth? Which is cool and everything, we all generally agree that Jackson talks way too much, but the problem is that Jackson just stole Harry Potter- that’s my toad’s name by the way, he didn’t steal the Boy Who Lived- and won’t give him back until the jinx is reversed, so that’s why-” at this point in the conversation Dahyun abruptly stopped talking, her eyes widening as they fixated on Chaeyoung, who had started absentmindedly tossing an inactive golden snitch up in the air.

“You’re Son Chaeyoung!” she cried, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. “The Slytherin seeker! You’re the reason Gryffindor lost the Cup last year!”

Chaeyoung stared at the girl in bewilderment. She wasn’t used to people speaking to her with the sort of high level energy intensity Dahyun was well known for. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t used to people outside of her house speaking to her, period. It wasn’t that she was invisible at Hogwarts or anything, it was just that on the rare occasion people have approached her it was always with the knowledge that she was the deadly Jessica Jung’s protegee and thus was to be treated with the utmost caution. Dahyun was treating her with none of that expected caution and Chaeyoung wasn’t quite sure how to react to it.

“Er, yes?” she finally responded, hesitant.

The pink in Dahyun’s hair rapidly got eaten up by the neon orange. “Wow, this is so cool! I totally wanted Slytherin to win last year because Jackson is on the Gryffindor team and he was being so annoying that week, you wouldn’t believe. He’s generally an okay guy but at one point he broke into our common room at like three in the morning and used a sonorous charm to serenade Mark and I could not deal . Also, house solidarity and all that. Anyway, I’ve wanted to meet you for years but I’ve never seen you around! Do you have an Invisibility Cloak or something?”

It took Chaeyoung a moment to realize Dahyun had finished rambling and was expecting an answer. The girl stared down at Chaeyoung, her wide grin never faltering for a moment. Joy, Yerim and Yugyeom were watching their interaction with raised eyebrows (though Tzuyu had started to doze off) and Chaeyoung couldn’t figure out whether they were all annoyed at the intrusion or amused by Chaeyoung’s bewilderment.

“Um. I mean, we’re in the same year, so. We’ve had lots of classes together. You’re taking the Potions NEWT this year, right?”

Dahyun’s hair briefly darkened to match the blush blooming across her cheeks. “Oh. Uh, yeah, that’s right. I remember you now. Have you cut your hair?”

Chaeyoung’s smirk would’ve made Jessica proud, but on the inside all she wanted was for the awkward run-in to be over. She put a hand up to her hair, which she hadn’t worn long since third year. She didn’t believe Dahyun for a single second when she said she remembered Chaeyoung, which Chaeyoung had to admit was understandable. Dahyun’s friend group was comprised of the loudest, most social bunch at Hogwarts, mostly from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. She wasn’t the type to notice a reserved Slytherin. Jessica would’ve called someone like Dahyun insipid. Chaeyoung wasn’t sure what she thought.

Once Dahyun left in a flurry of apologies and rapidfire hair color changes, dragging Yugyeom behind her to rectify the Jackson situation, Chaeyoung turned to her remaining friends.

“What was that all about?” she asked, bewildered.

Tzuyu, who was awoken by the sound of Dahyun dragging Yugyeom out of the compartment shrugged and went back to sleep. Yerim giggled like a demonic fairy and Joy just rolled her eyes.

“Have you ever wondered why people outside of Slytherin never approach you, Chaeyoung?” Joy asked.

“Um. Not really?” Chaeyoung had always been satisfied with her friends and had never desired any new ones. The only friends she’d ever made at Hogwarts were her housemates, but she’d never regretted that. She liked her little community of Slytherins. It was the one place in the wizarding world she always felt like she belonged.

Joy sighed at Chaeyoung’s indifference. “It was because of Jessica unnie,” she explained. “When you were with her, all anyone saw was the terrifying Ice Queen and her protégée. They never saw Son Chaeyoung, except for when you were on the quidditch pitch. I’m pretty sure most people outside of Slytherin didn’t even realize you were the same person.”

Chaeyoung considered this new knowledge. Now that she thought about it, it was definitely strange that she’d never been recognized for her quidditch prowess before today. Chaeyoung wasn’t usually one to brag, but she was sort of the best seeker Slytherin House had ever seen.

“What about now?” Chaeyoung asked Joy, causing the other girl to break into a wide grin.

“Now,” Joy began, a glint in her eyes that made Chaeyoung feel a little bit frightened. “People are going to see you .”

~~~

Chaeyoung had always loved coming to classes early. She wasn’t sure why. She was a slightly above average student, but not a teacher’s pet by any means. Ever since her first year, she’d taken to leaving her dormitory a full twenty minutes before she needed to, leaving her with ample time to sit and doodle in her notebook. As much as Chaeyoung loved to arrive to class early, she was well aware that not everybody shared her appreciation for it, which is why she took a shocked step back when she walked into the Potions classroom on the first day of term.

“Yoongi?” she asked, snapping her fingers in front of the dozing boy’s face in an effort to wake him. “What are you doing here?”

Drowsily, Yoongi began the slow process of opening his eyes. Once they were all the way open, he blinked up at Chaeyoung.

“Oh. Hey, Chaeyoung.”

“What are you doing here?” Chaeyoung repeated, confused. Yoongi was usually the type to amble into class half an hour after it had already started, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes. For a brief moment, she wondered if it was possible that he fell asleep during the last class and no one bothered to wake him up, but then remembered that Slughorn had class with the first years before them. Unless Yoongi was drastically failing, that didn’t seem likely.

“I have class.”

“Um, okay. I meant what are you doing here so early?”

Yoongi shrugged. “Kyungsoo hyung and Jongin hyung told me that if I miss any more class they’re going to start personally escorting me. I decided to just get to all my classes way early so I can nap without any possibility of missing them.”

“That’s actually kind of genius,” Chaeyoung laughed, sitting next to Yoongi and taking out her sketchbook from her bag.

“My greatest ambition is to nap. As a Slytherin, it’s my duty to do anything in my power to fulfill that ambition.”

Chaeyoung laughed again, flipping through her book to find a fresh page. She lingered on a rough sketch of Jessica she’d done over the summer, when she’d first came to see her new flat in Hogsmeade. Jessica was smiling in the sketch, the brilliant and carefree smile she reserved for only Chaeyoung and her sister, Soojung. Chaeyoung sighed and turned the page. Thinking about how much she missed Jessica only hurt.

Instead of dwelling on Jessica, Chaeyoung started to sketch Yoongi, who had already fallen back asleep. She had fun with it, not bothering too much with the details and adding caricature like features to his face, including a bubble with ‘zzz’. Chaeyoung got so into the sketch that she didn’t even notice class starting, until someone plopped down into the seat next to her.   

“Hey, Chaeyoung!” an unfamiliar voice greeted her cheerfully.

Chaeyoung turned around to see who the voice belonged to and winced. None other than Kim Dahyun had opted to sit next to her and her hair was such a bright, shimmery yellow it made Chaeyoung want to shield her eyes.

“Hi, Dahyun,” Chaeyoung replied, more cautiously. “Hey, Jisoo,” she said to the girl on the other side of Dahyun. She felt more comfortable around Jisoo, due partly to her being Jennie’s girlfriend, making the Gryffindor a fixture in the Slytherin common room, and partly due to the fact that Jisoo was one of the most notoriously strange witches ever to roam the halls of Hogwarts and couldn't hurt a fly even if she tried. 

Yoongi began to stir at the commotion and opened his eyes, only to immediately close them again.

“Woah,” he said to Dahyun, wincing just like Chaeyoung did. “It’s way too early for that hair color. Could you tone it down a bit?”

Dahyun eyed Yoongi strangely. “It’s two in the afternoon.”

“Like I said, way too early,” Yoongi insisted, yawning. “What about green? You can’t get much more calming than green.”

Dahyun pouted but complied with Yoongi’s request, scrunching her face up in concentration until her hair faded into a soft, pastel green.

“Much better,” Yoongi sighed, going back to sleep.

Dahyun and Jisoo laughed at Yoongi’s behavior, while Chaeyoung couldn’t help but admire Dahyun’s rare ability. Coming from a Muggle household, Chaeyoung still sometimes found herself amazed by all that the wizarding world had to offer.

Dahyun noticed her staring and grinned. “Is he always like this?” she asked, laughter infiltrating her tone. “I know he’s really close with boy-Jimin and Taehyung, but I’ve never actually hung out with him.”

“Yoongi’s specialty is sleeping,” Chaeyoung confirmed, flicking the aforementioned boy on the forehead. He didn’t stir. “On the rare occasions you might actually find him awake, he’d probably be a grouchy twit, but don’t let that fool you. He’s harmless. Mostly.”

“Stop fucking up my rep,” Yoongi muttered without opening his eyes.

Chaeyoung snorted, shaking her head. “What rep? Dahyun barely even knew who you were.”

“I knew who he was!” Dahyun protested through her laughter. “Yoongi’s rep is very formidable.”

“Formidably laughable, maybe,” Chaeyoung retorted, eliciting a giggle from Dahyun.

Chaeyoung turned her attention to Slughorn as he finally entered the classroom to begin the lesson, but whenever she happened to glance a little to her right she couldn’t help but notice Dahyun’s eyes trained on her. She didn’t know why the Hufflepuff girl was staring at her and briefly worried that she put her robes on backwards or something, but she soon forgot about Dahyun’s gaze and focused on the lesson. Slughorn had chosen an easy potion to ease them back into things, allowing them to work by themselves for the day.

Chaeyoung was busy chopping up ginger root for the potion, chewing on her lower lip for concentration, when she heard a strangled cry next to her. Looking up, she noticed Dahyun’s raised finger, now bloodied.

“Dahyun!” Jisoo scolded, her eyes wide. “You have to be more careful. Go ask the professor if you can visit the Hospital Wing.”

“But I hate the Hospital Wing,” Dahyun whined, with pleading eyes. “Pomfrey totally has it out for me. Remember last year when I accidentally pushed Bobby out of that tree? She was so mean to me.”

“To be fair, you deserved it,” Jisoo remarked. “You still need-”

“Here,” Chaeyoung said, grabbing Dahyun’s hand without much thought. Dahyun’s fingers were long and slender, her skin as smooth and cool as marble, not callused like most Quidditch player’s hands were. Like Chaeyoung’s hands were. She raised her wand. “Episkey.”

Dahyun stared at the blemish free skin where her cut used to be, without removing her hand from Chaeyoung’s palm. “Woah,” she breathed, before grinning up at Chaeyoung with a mega-watt smile. “That’s incredible.”

Chaeyoung shrugged, blushing. “It’s just episkey,” she said, trying to dismiss Dahyun’s praise.

“Still,” Dahyun insisted. “You saved me from a trip to the Hospital Wing, which is basically saving me from a trip to a medieval torture chamber, so thanks. A lot.”

It was a simple gesture of gratitude, but the sincerity in Dahyun’s voice made Chaeyoung feel warm.

“We may have to keep you around permanently,” Jisoo joked, eyeing the two of them with a strange glint in her eyes. “Knowing Dahyun, she’s probably going to cause bodily harm again soon. If not to her, than to some poor innocent bystander around her. She’s a total klutz.”

“Yah! I’m not that bad.” Dahyun’s hair turned a muted red, her words contradicting what she told Chaeyoung on the train.

“You know, you did seem extra distracted today,” Jisoo mused, tilting her head to the side and raising a brow at Dahyun. “Do you have any idea of what might’ve been distracting you?”

Dahyun glared at Jisoo. Chaeyoung got the sense that they were referencing some sort of private joke that she wouldn’t understand.

“I was not distracted,” Dahyun claimed, crossing her arms. “I’m just, you know… too clumsy for my own good.”

“Right,” Jisoo scoffed. “Just keep telling yourself that.”

~~~

By the time Slughorn came around to check on their potions, Chaeyoung’s potion was the iridescent blue it was supposed to be, so she wasn’t worried. She took a quick glance at the potions around her- Yoongi’s had somehow turned out chunky and yellow, but he didn’t seem bothered. Dahyun’s potion, while the right color, lacked the correct shimmer.

“Excellent work, Miss Chaeyoung,” Slughorn praised as he stirred the potion inside her cauldron and took a deep whiff. “Just the right consistency and scent.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Chaeyoung beamed. She’d never quite gotten the same approval from Slughorn that other students of her caliber had gotten- she was too quiet, too Muggleborn, too poor. She was a good student, but not spectacular, and while her Quidditch skills had earned her a certain level of esteem in his eyes, it had never been quite enough to earn a Slug Club invitation or anything of the sort. Of course, she did always have that golden connection to the notorious Jung family to fall back on.

“And how’s Jessica doing out there in the real world?” Slughorn asked, infinitely more interested than he’s ever seemed talking about Chaeyoung. “I haven’t heard from her since graduation. I’d ask Soojung, but she’s decided not to pursue Potions any longer. She’s interning for Blanc & Eclare, is that right?”

“That’s right,” Chaeyoung confirmed. “She seems to like it. It’s hard work, but it’s good experience if she wants to break into the fashion world.”

“Too true, too true,” Slughorn agreed. “Wish her my best the next time you see her, will you? Tell her not to be shy about dropping by either! I have some connections in the fashion world she might benefit from having.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her,” Chaeyoung said, internally rolling her eyes. Jessica hated Slughorn. There was no way Chaeyoung would ever voluntarily bring him up in conversation.

Slughorn moved on. “Not quite up to your usual standard, Miss Dahyun,” he commented with a frown. “I don’t have to start worrying about you, do I?”

Dahyun shook her head, grimacing. “Not at all, sir. It’s just been a while.”

“Hm,” Slughorn grunted, clearly dissatisfied with her explanation. “I expected better from you. Don’t forget, I’m holding you to a higher standard. Your work has always been exceptional in my class.”

Dahyun hung her head, looking like an injured puppy. “Of course, sir. Thank you.”

After he left, Chaeyoung turned to Dahyun with concern. Her interaction with the Hufflepuff on the train had raised her suspicions, but through their time together in class, she’d come to like her. “You okay?”

“Oh, totally,” Dahyun dismissed, with a casual wave of the hand. “I’m not that bothered by what old Sluggy has to say.”

“Still,” Chaeyoung said, “I know doing well in Potions is important for you.”

Dahyun looked at her with wide eyes. “You do?”

“We had Potions together last year,” Chaeyoung reminded her, with a roll of her eyes. “I’m not the one who forgot, remember?”

Dahyun’s hair flamed red. “Er, right. Sorry about that, again.”

“It’s fine,” Chaeyoung assured her. “Anyway, if you want, I could help you sometime.”

“Really?” Dahyun stared at her. The intensity of it made Chaeyoung worry that she had stepped out of line, that Dahyun might’ve found her offer insulting or something.

“Only if you want to,” Chaeyoung hurried to add. “I know you probably have everything under control-”

Chaeyoung trailed off as a wide grin broke out on Dahyun’s face. “I’d love that!” Dahyun enthused.

“You would?” Chaeyoung asked, allowing a smile to encompass her own face.

“Oh, she definitely would,” Jisoo snorted under her breath.

Dahyun pinched her fellow Hufflepuff’s arm, shooting her a warning look Chaeyoung couldn’t understand.

“What she means is that I need all the help I can get,” Dahyun explained, with another withering glare in Jisoo’s direction. The Gryffindor girl only snickered into her hand, not looking the least bit repentant.

“Oh,” Chaeyoung blinked, still confused. “Okay. I can meet on Sunday nights in the library, if that works for you? At least until I find out what my Quidditch practice schedule is.”

“Sounds good,” Dahyun agreed, her hair shining pink and orange. Chaeyoung wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or if it was due to Dahyun’s ability, but it seemed as if Dahyun’s smile had grown massive in size and her teeth were actually sparkling.

“It’s a date then,” Chaeyoung affirmed, gathering her books together and waking Yoongi with a swat to the head. Dahyun’s hair flickered rapidly from different colors, so fast that Chaeyoung couldn’t make out all of them. When Dahyun didn’t respond, she started to walk out of the classroom.

“It’s a date!” Dahyun squeaked in agreement, when Chaeyoung was already at the door.

Chaeyoung paused, turning around to take one last glance toward Dahyun. At the girl’s bright smile, she chuckled and waved. There was a warm, fluttery feeling in her stomach that stayed with her for the rest of the day.

~~~

Dear Jessica,

Okay. I’ve officially finished the first week of my sixth year and all I can say is that I can’t wait to graduate. First of all, classes are a pain. While you’re out there living it up with your free samples and designer handbags, the rest of us are preparing for NEWTS, even though they’re not for another two years. Like, what? I do not remember you going through the same thing in your sixth year. Then again, since when have you ever been the type to struggle in school? You probably thought sixth year was a breeze. Well, as an academically average person, I’m here to tell you that you are sorely mistaken. It’s a bitch. I can’t wait to graduate and become a world renowned Quidditch player and start making millions already. Hogwarts is so weird sometimes. Especially since you left! You were dead wrong about me not even noticing that you’d graduated. Weird things have been happening literally since I first stepped foot on the train. This Hufflepuff named Kim Dahyun has been talking to me a lot. If you’re too far removed from the world of Hogwarts now to figure out why that’s weird let me remind you: I am Son Chaeyoung. I lay low. I do not venture outside of the safe world of Slytherin House. So why is Kim Dahyun talking to me all of a sudden? I’m sure you know who she is. She’s a wicked chaser, not that that would mean anything to you, you Quidditch hating weirdo. She’s the Metamorphmagus? Apparently she’s the one who pushed Hanbin’s friend Bobby out of the tree last year. If you know anything about her let me know! I’ve agreed to tutor her in Potions for some strange reason I don’t fully understand and our first session is tomorrow night. Is it weird that I’m a little nervous? I don’t why! Probably just because she’s not a Slytherin. Anyway though, I should probably tell you that Soojung and Jongin have been spending more time together recently. Like, even more than usual. Like, even without Taemin. Like, even IN THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOM WHERE ANY INNOCENT YOUNG WITCH COULD JUST WALK-

“Hey, unnie,” interrupted the familiar voice of Jeon Somi, a Slytherin in the year below Chaeyoung. She sat on the sofa next to Chaeyoung. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Just writing a letter to Jessica unnie,” Chaeyoung explained, waving a hand over the page to help the ink dry. She could’ve used a spell, but old habits die hard. “What’s up with you? Ready for tryouts this weekend?”

Somi nodded in determination. “I’ve been practicing all summer.”

Chaeyoung grinned, fond. She’d always gotten along well with Somi, even though the younger girl was leagues more outgoing than herself. “You think you’ve got what it takes to finally take my spot? This is going to be what, your third try?”

“I’m not after the Seeker spot anymore,” Somi informed her, crossing her arms against her chest. “I’ve given up on that. For now, anyway.”

Chaeyoung widened her eyes in surprise. Somi had been Slytherin’s reserve seeker since her third year, even though everyone knew her talents far exceeded being a reserve. She wouldn’t have been the reserve at all if it weren’t for Chaeyoung’s talent. Somi deserved to be on the Quidditch team more than anyone Chaeyoung could think of and she was glad that Somi might actually stand a chance. Since Taeyeon, Taemin and Minho had graduated there were three positions open, all of which Somi might do well in.

“Which position are you going for?” Chaeyoung asked.

“Chaser,” Somi answered. “Just until you graduate. Then that seeker spot is mine.”  

Chaeyoung grinned. She had no doubt. She applauded Somi for being willing to take Taemin’s former spot. Jennie and Jeongguk were the other two chasers and Chaeyoung couldn’t be paid enough to deal with their combined competitiveness.

“We’ll see about that,” Chaeyoung teased. “For all you know, the next seeker wonderkid could have come along by then.”

“Yeah,” Somi scoffed. “I think you’re talking about me.”

Chaeyoung laughed, reaching over to ruffle the younger girl’s hair. “Good luck with that, kid.”

~~~

“So, when it comes down to it, all you really need to know about Abbott’s Theory is that-”

“Hey, Dahyun! What’s up? Never thought I’d see you in the library,” laughed a vaguely familiar looking short-haired girl wearing a Gryffindor tie.

Chaeyoung sighed and sat back, watching Dahyun turn to the girl in question with a sunny smile on her face. She’d been tutoring Dahyun for all of fifteen minutes and they’d already been approached by no less than three people all wanting to chat with Dahyun. Chaeyoung barely recognized any of them, and they clearly weren’t there for her, so she’d taken to just sitting back and letting Dahyun catch up with her friends.

“Alright unnie, I’d love to talk more, but Chaeyoung is actually tutoring me, so I should get back to that. Say hi to Nayeon unnie for me next time you see her, will you?”

The girl, who Chaeyoung suddenly recognized as Yoo Jungyeon, Gryffindor’s seeker, seemed surprised, like she hadn’t even realized Chaeyoung was there.

“Oh, hey! You were friends with Jessica Jung, right? How’s she doing?”

“Um, she’s alright. She’s interning at Blanc & Eclare in Hogsmeade right now and-”

“Chaeyoung’s the Slytherin seeker,” Dahyun interrupted, giving Jungyeon a meaningful look Chaeyoung didn’t understand.

Jungyeon’s eyes widened. “No way, that’s you? You look so different off the pitch!”

“Probably because I’m not holding the golden snitch like I was last time we played,” Chaeyoung couldn’t resist remarking, much to Dahyun’s obvious delight.

Jungyeon let out a strangled laugh, looking pleasantly surprised. “Yeah, well good luck doing the same this year. I’ve been practicing all summer.”

Chaeyoung smirked. “So have I.”

After Jungyeon left, Dahyun turned to Chaeyoung with a wide grin splitting her face. Chaeyoung might’ve been imagining things, but she thought there was a hint of admiration in her glittery purple eyes.

“Never knew you could be so savage, Chaeyoungie.”

Chaeyoung blushed at the nickname, which only her sunbaes in Slytherin ever used. She wasn’t upset though- there was something about Dahyun that inspired familiarity in her. Also, she was pretty young for her year, so it was likely that Dahyun was older than her.

“Should we get back to studying?” Chaeyoung prompted, trying to ignore the way Dahyun’s eyes lost a little of their artificial sparkle at the suggestion.

“Sure,” Dahyun agreed, with a sweet smile.

It wasn’t long before their session was interrupted yet again. They were interrupted by Kim Taehyung, who wanted to know where Jimin was. (“Which Jimin?” “Park Jimin.” “Which Park Jimin?”) They were then interrupted by one of the aforementioned Park Jimin(s). (“I swear to God, if one more person asks me whether I’m the Hufflepuff beater I’m going to strangle them with my Gryffindor tie.” “You do have the exact same name, Jimin. You can hardly blame them.”)

By the time their session had just about come to an end, Chaeyoung felt like they’d spent more time chatting with Dahyun’s friends rather than actual studying. Or rather, Dahyun had chatted with her friends. Chaeyoung didn’t really know any of them, and whenever Dahyun mentioned her they only ever would ask how Jessica was doing. It didn’t really bother Chaeyoung, but as time went on and the same thing kept happening, she started to notice Dahyun’s brow furrowing.

“Anyway, as I was saying-” Chaeyoung continued after yet another of Dahyun’s friends left, determined to take advantage of the ten minutes they had left.

“Why does everyone always do that?” Dahyun blurted out, before Chaeyoung could finish her thought.

Chaeyoung looked up at the agitated Hufflepuff and blinked slowly. “You’ll have to be more specific, Dahyun.”

Dahyun sighed, tugging on her hair which was alternating between a brownish-orange color and a sickly yellow.

“Why does everyone always ask you about Jessica sunbae?”

“Oh,” Chaeyoung said, relieved it was something that simple. “That’s just how they know me, I guess. Everyone knows Jessica. She was my…” Chaeyoung struggled to find the appropriate term to apply to her relationship with Jessica. “Jessica. We were together a lot.”

Dahyun still didn’t look satisfied, shifting around like she had more questions to ask the Slytherin. After a while, she just slumped in her seat, looking put out.

“They should know you for you.”

Chaeyoung laughed, amused and flattered. “You mean like you did?”

Dahyun just shook her head. There was something about the sober expression on her face that made Chaeyoung’s easy grin falter.

“I cannot believe I was so stupid.”

There wasn’t anything amusing about the way Dahyun was looking at her. Chaeyoung felt like the girl was looking right through her exterior, into the deepest parts of her. She almost wanted to look away, but there was something in Dahyun’s gaze that held her, made her feel captured.

The sound of a book falling off a shelf broke Chaeyoung and Dahyun out of their mutual reverie. Chaeyoung coughed, returning to her books in a daze.

“So, um, I think we’re about finished, yeah?” Chaeyoung asked, voice shaky. She felt hot and confined all of a sudden, certain that she needed to get out of the library.

Dahyun blinked in surprise. “Um, yeah, I guess we are. Are we still on for next week?”

Chaeyoung stood up, shoveling her books in her bag. “Totally. Same time work for you?”

“Yeah, the time is fine, but maybe next week we could meet somewhere more… private?”

Chaeyoung’s heart skipped a beat. She whipped her head up to look at the Metamorphmagus girl, who hadn’t moved from her seat.

“I… Um… Well…”

“Just so we don’t get interrupted so often!” Dahyun was quick to explain, when it became apparent that Chaeyoung was in danger of passing out from her own awkwardness. “I just feel like we didn’t get a lot of work done today. Turns out a lot of my friends hang out in the library. Who knew?”

Chaeyoung relaxed, allowing a small smile to slip through. “Yeah, a change of location might be a good idea. Where were you thinking?”

Dahyun met her smile with one of her own. “How about the abandoned classroom next to Binns’ room? Jungyeon and Nayeon use it to, er, study.”

Chaeyoung nodded, giggling a little bit. “See you then.”

“See you then,” Dahyun agreed, softly. Chaeyoung could still feel her eyes burning holes into her back as she walked away.

Chapter Text

“That Hufflepuff menace is staring at you again,” Joy said early one morning at breakfast, as she calmly buttered her toast.

Chaeyoung whipped her head up from her Charms homework to find Dahyun, all the way over at the Hufflepuff table, with her eyes trained on Chaeyoung. When she noticed that Chaeyoung had met her gaze she brightened, smiling and waving at the Slytherin girl. Chaeyoung chuckled and waved back in response, before going back to her work.

“Is there something going on between you two?” Joy asked, suspicion clear in her tone.

Chaeyoung blinked, confused and alarmed. “You mean… romantically?”

“No, I meant professionally,” Joy deadpanned, with a wicked eye roll. “ Yes, I meant romantically! She stares at you. All. The. Time.”  

Chaeyoung flushed, letting out an incoherent sound from the back of her throat. She could feel the back of her neck heat up and she knew her face must be bright red.

“It is sort of strange,” Yugyeom commented in between his daily routine of pelting Jinyoung with grapes. The older Slytherin looked like he was seconds from Transfiguring Yugyeom into a bowtruckle and “losing” him in the Forbidden Forest. It wouldn’t be the first time.  “That day on the train when she was walking me back to her compartment to reverse the jinx on Jackson she kept asking me all these questions about you.”

Chaeyoung’s eyes widened as Joy gave her a triumphant look. Tzuyu, though she’d been sitting next to Chaeyoung the whole time, looked lost in thought, like she wasn’t even listening to the conversation at hand.

“What sort of questions did she ask about Chaeng?” Joy demanded of Yugyeom.

Yugyeom considered the question. “Nothing out of the ordinary, I guess. She wanted to know who you usually hung out with. She asked a lot of questions about Jessica noona, actually.”

Chaeyoung relaxed. Nothing about that was out of the ordinary. Joy was just reaching, as usual-

“Oh!” Yugyeom exclaimed, his lips curling into a sly smirk. Chaeyoung’s eyes grew as big as saucers. “I just remembered something. She did also ask me if you were gay.”

Chaeyoung started choking on her pumpkin juice while Joy crowed in delight.

“See? She’s totally into you,” Joy gushed, an unusual twinkle in her eye. “You should ask her out.”

Yugyeom nodded in agreement, but all Chaeyoung could do was rapidly shake her head, her heart pounding in her chest.

“No way,” she insisted, crossing her arms around her chest. “Absolutely not. Asking if I’m gay is not sufficient proof that she’s into me!”

Joy sighed, reaching out to ruffle Chaeyoung’s hair. “It’s time to face the facts, Chaeng. Kim Dahyun has a massive crush on you.”

“No!” Chaeyoung protested, a little childishly. She took a deep breath, smoothing down the hair that Joy had ruffled in an attempt to regain some dignity. “I don’t believe that’s true. Besides, isn’t she dating that Hufflepuff Bobby Kim or something?”

Chaeyoung had no idea if that was true, and if it was it made the whole "pushing him out of a tree" incident a little alarming, but she would say anything to get her friends to back off the topic.

Joy rolled her eyes, calling Chaeyoung’s bluff. “Hey Hanbin!” she called out to their fellow Slytherin sixth year, who was talking to Yerim and Yoongi a few seats over from them. “Are Bobby and Dahyun going out?”

Hanbin snorted in response. “With the way she keeps making moon eyes at our own baby Chaeng? Not fucking likely.”

Everyone within hearing vicinity started laughing and cooing at Chaeyoung, who flushed bright red in response.

“I’m surrounded by crazy people,” she muttered once everyone lost interest in teasing her.

Before any of her friends could defend their honor, the owls flew in to deliver the post. Chaeyoung perked up, practically bouncing in her seat with enthusiasm. She watched the flurry of owls swooping overhead, keeping an eye out for Jessica’s graceful snowy owl, Persephone. They had an antagonistic relationship at the best of times, but she was willing to let bygones be bygones if Persephone would. She’d even forgive the time that Persephone “accidentally” delivered a letter Chaeyoung wrote to her mum to a group of unhinged Voldemort worshippers in Siberia. The letter she got back was enough to give twelve year old Chaeyoung nightmares for weeks.

Chaeyoung’s efforts to mentally reach out to Persephone with her olive branch must’ve paid off, because Persephone landed on the table in front of Chaeyoung, carrying two letters, one with Chaeyoung’s name written on the envelope in a familiar, elegant hand. Ignoring the fact that Persephone landed on top of Chaeyoung’s scrambled eggs, Chaeyoung slowly extended a hand outward to take letter. Persephone just stared at Chaeyoung. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that the owl was taunting her. Just as Chaeyoung’s hand brushed the letter, Persephone flapped her wings and flew away, straight for the Ravenclaw table to drop the letters off in front of Soojung.

Chaeyoung buried her head in her hands and groaned. She could’ve sworn that Persephone’s screeches sounded just like laughter.

“What did you do ever do to that poor owl?” Tzuyu mused, shaking her head at Chaeyoung in disappointment.

“I never ruined her scrambled eggs, that’s for sure,” Chaeyoung muttered, pouting.

Soojung eventually strode over, her robes as immaculate as always. As Jessica’s always were. The Jungs were a family that valued order and precision above all else. They rarely let anyone see past their icy exterior, but when Soojung approached Chaeyoung, her eyes were soft.

“I believe this belongs to you, pixie,” she said, handing Chaeyoung the letter she’d tried to grab earlier from Persephone.

Chaeyoung snatched the letter from Soojung’s hands, running her fingers over the neat, flourishing script that spelled her name. She distantly registered Soojung teasing her and using the opportunity to take a seat next to Jongin, and Joy trying to get her attention. It was all just white noise to her- the only thing that existed was the letter.

“Forget it,” Tzuyu told Joy. “She’s lost to the world.”

Chaeyoung ripped open the envelope, a stupid grin on her face.

Dear Chaeyoungie,

I know, I know, sixth year blows. At least it’s better than fifth year, right? No OWLs to speak of. And please, take comfort in the fact that however difficult you think sixth year is, seventh year is going to be much, much worse. Remember that minor breakdown I had last year? You can blame the Muggle Studies NEWT for that. Honestly, if I didn’t have you to help me, I probably would’ve gotten a T on it. Why on earth do they need so many kitchen appliances? Can’t they just use their macrowaves for everything and be done with it? Lucky for your peers, it sounds like you haven’t given up the tutoring mantle quite just yet, have you? I don’t really know anything about Kim Dahyun, except for the Metamorphmagus thing, but I could always ask Yoona if you’d like. She probably knows her a bit, because of the Hufflepuff connection. One thing I do remember was her sorting though. The hat took FOREVER. Her hair was positively green. Makes you wonder what other houses she could’ve been in, right? In all seriousness, I am really happy that you’re making new friends outside of Slytherin, Chaeyoungie. I know that I probably sound like such a hypocrite telling you that, considering the only non-Slytherins I ever interacted with in school were Yoona and Sunny, but ever since I’ve graduated I’ve started to realize that none of that matters. Seriously, in the real world, no one cares what House you were in. One of my closest friends that I’ve made in the office was a Gryffindor. A GRYFFINDOR, Chaeyoungie. Can you imagine me, Jessica Jung, friends with a Gryffindor? I’m telling you, none of it matters. I hope you don’t deny yourself this relationship just because of the House difference. Or any other reason you might have for not pursuing her friendship. It sounds like she likes you, Chaeyoungie. You should feel free to explore that. All right, I’m through with the preachy unnie portion of the letter. I know you’re probably dying to know how I’m doing at B&E. The company itself is amazing, and I’m learning so much, but the other day, I discovered one glaring fault and it’s name is KIM MOTHERFUCKING TAEYEON. No, she doesn’t work at B&E, thank Merlin. But she is interning at the Hogsmeade Herald, which has their offices right next door, so it’s almost as bad. We have to run errands together all the time. You know Tiffany Hwang, right? Taeyeon’s best friend from Hufflepuff? She actually is interning at B&E with me, so I’m forced to be in the same vicinity with Taeyeon all the time, which is literally torture. I know she was your Quidditch captain and you have some sort of misguided allegiance toward her, but she’s the worst, Chaeyoungie. She turns everything I say into an argument, just like she did when we were kids and our parents forced us to play together. I don’t know how anyone can stand her. Anyway, other than that, it’s brilliant. I’m learning so much and my boss seems to really like me. Fingers crossed that she’ll write me a wicked letter of recommendation next year!

With love, J

Chaeyoung folded the letter closed with a wistful sigh. She didn’t know what she had expected from Jessica’s letter, but it wasn’t the way she was feeling then. Part of her thought that hearing from Jessica would make everything go back to normal, make her feel like Jessica was only down the hall again instead of as far away as she really was.

“Bad news?” Tzuyu asked, eyeing Chaeyoung with a shrewd concern that was almost suspicious in nature. Chaeyoung wished she were better at reading people, because she had no idea what was going on in Tzuyu’s head. 

“No,” Chaeyoung replied with a thin smile. “Everything’s fine. Jessica unnie… is having a great time. She’s glad to be out of Hogwarts and in the real world.”

“I see,” Tzuyu said, and Chaeyoung got the sense that she really did see, far more than Chaeyoung did.

Entirely unbidden, Chaeyoung spared a glance back at the Hufflepuff table to see if Dahyun was still watching her. The Hufflepuff girl wasn’t even looking in her direction, instead occupied with transforming her nose into an elephant trunk, causing Kim Taehyung to spew pumpkin juice out his nose at the surprise. Dahyun and her companions let out loud guffaws at Taehyung’s misfortune, Dahyun’s hair shining bright pink.

Chaeyoung just shook her head, feeling her own lips quirk upward into a slight smile.

~~~

“Alright everyone, listen up!” Jennie hollered, resting the hand not clutching her broom on her hip in a clear power stance. “I’m going to need everyone to line up behind whichever current team member has the position they’re trying out for. Chasers get behind Jeongguk and beaters behind Yugyeom. We don’t have a current keeper to help out, so both potential seekers and keepers will have to get behind Chaeyoung. May I remind you that while everyone is of course welcome to try out for any position they want, we already have a pretty decent team, so unless you blow my mind, it’s unlikely you’ll be replacing anyone. When it comes down to it, we only have three open spots to fill.”

All the new students trying out scurried into line, any chatting amongst themselves coming to a screeching halt at the entrance of Slytherin’s Quidditch captain. Somi was the only one who didn’t look petrified by Jennie, a determined expression plastered onto her face from her spot directly behind Jeongguk. When Chaeyoung caught Somi’s eye, she sent her a reassuring thumbs up, which the younger girl only rolled her eyes at.

Once everyone was in their designated line, Jennie cleared her throat. “ATTENTION!”

The newbies all straightened up, eyeing the seventh year girl with wide eyes. Yugyeom just snorted. “This isn’t military training, noona,” he pointed out. “Scare tactics aren’t necessary.”

Jennie scowled. “Shut up, Yugyeom. Now, if everyone will please-”

“Drop and give you twenty?” Jeongguk suggested with an innocent smile, prompting Yugyeom to snicker and offer his friend a high-five.  Chaeyoung smirked, doing her best to suppress a giggle. Jeongguk and Yugyeom were difficult to handle at the best of times, but now that they were senior members of the team, they were going to be downright insufferable. Chaeyoung didn't envy Jennie's captaincy one bit. At least BamBam wasn't in Slytherin. Chaeyoung shuddered to think what their lives would be like if the three of them were on a team together. 

Jennie swore, rubbing her temples to indicate a headache. “Jeon Jeongguk, I swear to Merlin, if you test me-”

“You’ll send him back to the barracks?” Chaeyoung interrupted, temptation getting the best of her. Yugyeom and Jeongguk threw back their heads in laughter, reveling in Chaeyoung’s rare rebellion. The girl in question smirked to herself, satisfied. She really was her brightest self on the quidditch pitch.

“Okay, remember what I said about there only being three spots to fill?” Jennie addressed the crowd of students waiting to try-out, who all looked torn between laughing and crying. “I take that back. I would gladly pick any of you to replace these idiots. Now, no more interruptions. Today we’re going-”

“Um, Jennie sunbae?” a pretty girl in line behind Chaeyoung interrupted, raising her hand. Chaeyoung recognized her as Park Siyeon, one of Somi’s friends.

Jennie scowled. “I said no interruptions. Now-”

“But Jennie-”

“Now isn’t the best time, Siyeon,” Chaeyoung said before Jennie could whack the poor girl in the head with her broomstick.

“But-”

“No interruptions! Anyway, as I was saying-”

“I THINK HUFFLEPUFF IS SPYING ON US!” Siyeon finally shouted.

Jennie swiveled her head around to face Siyeon so fast she looked like a blur. “ What?”

Siyeon pointed to the stands. “That girl watching is on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. She could be trying to get a scope on all the players.”

Everyone turned to look at the stands. Sure enough, there was a familiar girl sitting in the stands, wrapped in a yellow and black scarf. When she saw everyone looking at her, she stood up and started waving, her skin briefly flaring so bright everyone was forced to avert their eyes. Chaeyoung groaned.

Jennie savagely tossed her broom at Yugyeom, who barely caught it, taking her wand out of her robes. “I’m going to obliterate that Hufflepuff piece of-”

“Hey, isn’t that Chaeyoung noona’s new girlfriend?” Jeongguk called out, giggling to himself when Chaeyoung turned a scowl on him.

“Chaeyoung, you have five seconds to confirm what Jeongguk is saying is true or else I will personally go over and turn her into a gerbil, which I will then donate to a Muggle classroom,” Jennie said, wand still poised for battle.

“I am not dating Kim Dahyun,” Chaeyoung insisted, ignoring Jeongguk’s derisive snort. “He’s been spending too much time with Joy. She’s a bad influence on him.”

“Actually, Taehyung is the one who-”

“Save the clarifications for when you’re not on the pitch,” Jennie commanded, slipping her wand back into her Quidditch robes. She was watching Chaeyoung closely, causing the younger girl to squirm under her gaze. “Chaeyoungie, I don’t care if you’re dating, should be dating, about to date, or whatever-”

“None of those are viable options,” Chaeyoung muttered under her breath.

“-she cannot be on the pitch during the time we have it reserved. You can either tell her to leave or we’re going with my gerbil idea.”

Yugyeom sighed. “You really need to work on limiting your extremes when you make ultimatums, noona. You’re scarier than Jinyoung hyung sometimes.”

Chaeyoung looked back at Dahyun, who was still smiling and waving, seemingly oblivious to all the conflict surrounding her.

“Well, she can be kind of annoying sometimes, but I suppose she doesn’t deserve living out the rest of her days as a gerbil,” Chaeyoung joked with a weak smile. “I’ll go talk with her.”

“Make it fast!” Jennie called after her, as Chaeyoung advanced to where Dahyun was sitting in the stands. “Ravenclaw has the pitch booked directly after us and I will let a vampire drain my body and the bodies of all my loved ones of blood before I let Ravenclaw gain an advantage over us.”

Yugyeom and Jeongguk exchanged horrified looks.

“Should we reporting this or something?” Chaeyoung heard Yugyeom mutter to Jeongguk as she walked away. “There’s no way she’s psychologically sound. What if she tries to lock all the other Quidditch captains in the dungeons like Taeyeon noona did last year?”

“Hey,” Chaeyoung said when she reached Dahyun.

“Hi!” Dahyun replied, beaming up at the Slytherin girl.

“So, um, I hate to do this, but you sort of can’t be here. It’s a closed practice.”  

Dahyun’s eyes widened until they reached her hairline. She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped, even more theatrical than usual. “Oh really, it is? I had no idea! I am just so sorry.”

Chaeyoung studied Dahyun. The two girls locked eyes, Dahyun with a wide grin, Chaeyoung suspicious. After a while, an impressed smile transformed her lips.

“Kim Dahyun,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re more devious than I thought. Maybe you should’ve been the one in Slytherin.”

Dahyun threw back her head and laughed, an open, delighted laugh that filled up Chaeyoung’s insides with something warm and pleasant.

“If anyone should’ve been in Slytherin, it’s Seulgi unnie,” Dahyun insisted. “She’s the one who ordered me to spy on you guys in the first place. I swear, she’d do anything to win the Cup this year.”

“Well, she should’ve chosen a better candidate to spy on us,” Chaeyoung said, giggling. “You weren’t exactly subtle.”

“I wasn’t trying to be,” Dahyun answered, easily. Chaeyoung stopped laughing, taken by surprise. Dahyun flashed her a crooked grin, taking a step forward so she was only a breadth apart from Chaeyoung. “I wanted you to see me.”

“Um. What?” was all Chaeyoung could manage back.

Dahyun chuckled. “Never mind.”

Dahyun looked like she was about to turn around and leave, when she hesitated. Chaeyoung watched her carefully remove her Hufflepuff scarf from her shoulders and wrap it around Chaeyoung’s neck instead. Although it was nothing more than a scrap of fabric, it felt like it was heavy enough to be made of iron over Chaeyoung’s shoulders.

Chaeyoung felt a blush color her cheeks. “Is it cursed or something?” she half-joked, unable to fully repress her suspicions.

Dahyun just smiled. “You looked cold,” was all she offered as an explanation. “Consider it a good luck charm.”

Then, she turned around and left.

Chaeyoung made her way back down to the pitch in a daze, her legs a little wobbly.

“She gave you her scarf? That is so cute,” Somi cooed, all suspicions toward Dahyun forgotten. In the back of her mind, Chaeyoung worried over what Jeongguk might’ve told them all while she was out of earshot.

“Are you really going to wear a Hufflepuff scarf to our Quidditch tryouts, Chaeyoungie?” Jennie questioned, not upset, just curious.

“Um,” Chaeyoung said, her cheeks flaming up once again. “I’m cold.”

That wasn’t strictly true, but taking the scarf off didn’t feel right. There was something comforting about it’s presence on Chaeyoung, something Chaeyoung didn’t want to lose.

Jennie shrugged, accepting her answer, and the team finally began tryouts, for real, beginning with Chaeyoung’s line. As it turned out, all three people in Chaeyoung’s line were trying out for Taeyeon’s old keeper position, no one daring to rival her spot as the seeker. Besides Siyeon, there was Lee Jihoon and Meng Mei Qi, both fifth years. Chaeyoung felt a bit sorry that they didn’t have an actual keeper to lead them through the exercises, but also was fairly` positive she knew enough to make sure they were handled well. She had each contender fly up to the goals, where she would then throw Quaffles at them, to see how well they each could block them from going in.

As soon as Chaeyoung was up in the air, she felt lighter. There was something about flying that always managed to clear her head, improve her mood. Ever since she first sat on a broomstick as a small, frightened, Muggleborn first year, she’d been enchanted.

Siyeon was the first one up. She had the steady handle of her broom that marked her as someone who had been flying for years along with a confidence that came naturally. She blocked an impressive seven out of ten Quaffles, setting a high precedent for the rest to follow. In the corner of her eye, Chaeyoung saw Jennie give a satisfied nod, her enchanted quill writing rapidly on a floating clipboard a few feet away from her.

Meng Mei Qi went after her, the poor girl clearly nervous at the display of Siyeon’s prowess. She was a decent flier, and she managed to block five of the Quaffles, which was by no means awful, but not enough to make her a serious contender for the spot. Judging by the hunched set of her shoulders as she landed, Mei Qi was well of aware of this. Chaeyoung made a mental note to tell everyone to be extra nice to her for the next couple days.

Finally, it was time for Lee Jihoon. Chaeyoung didn’t know much about Lee Jihoon, who usually kept to himself, so she had no idea what to expect from him. He was clumsier than Siyeon on his broom, but had all of her confidence. There was a sureness in the jerky way he directed his broom that could only come from raw, natural talent. Chaeyoung herself had had it once and with a jolt, Chaeyoung remembered that Lee Jihoon was also a Muggleborn. Although times had changed dramatically since the war, they were still a rarity in Slytherin house, much less ones who tried out for the Quidditch team. Chaeyoung’s heart went out to him in solidarity. Jihoon performed well, having saved six shots before it came down to the final one. If he made it, he and Siyeon would be tied and Jennie would have quite a dilemma on her hands.

Chaeyoung took a deep breath, threw the Quaffle and sure enough, Jihoon blocked it.

Everyone erupted into cheers for him, including Siyeon and Mei Qi. Since there was no clear winner in who saved the most goals, who Jennie chose for the keeper position came down to preference. Siyeon was the safer choice, with more flying experience and a good handle on her broom. Jihoon, on the other hand, had a natural instinct that couldn’t be taught. If his abilities were successfully honed, Chaeyoung was willing to bet he could become unstoppable.

Once her part of the tryouts were done, Chaeyoung flew over to Jennie’s side to watch chaser and beater tryouts.

There were some good candidates for beater, but in the end, Chaeyoung thought Jennie would choose Jeon Wonwoo, a sure flier with a strong arm to take Minho’s former beater spot. As for Taemin’s old chaser position, there was no real competition. Somi was the obvious choice.

When Jennie officially concluded tryouts and announced that she would post the results by Monday evening in the Common Room, Chaeyoung lingered behind to get in some last minute flying practice before Ravenclaw showed up.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one with this idea.

“Hey, unnie,” Somi greeted her, a flush in her cheeks Chaeyoung attributed to both the crisp air, the exercise she’d just undergone and a hint of nervousness.

“Somi!” Chaeyoung cried, dropping her broomstick to throw her arms around the younger girl. “You did so well!”

Somi bit her bottom lip, a grin working it’s way through her teeth. “You really think so?”

Chaeyoung nodded, a smile splitting her face. “Of course! I shouldn’t say this, but there’s no chance Jennie unnie is going to pick someone else over you.”

“Even over Jae oppa? He flew really well and he’s older than me, so-”

“Jae was great, but you were better,” Chaeyoung assured her, giving her shoulder a firm squeeze. “Trust me.”

Somi seemed to accept that, closing her lids as if to savor the moment. When she opened her eyes, they were shining.

“So,” Somi began, a knowing tone to her voice that immediately raised Chaeyoung’s suspicions. “What did Dahyun sunbae want? To declare her undying love? Invite you to run away to some remote tropical island and raise a family? Any of the other things she so clearly wants to do with you?”

Chaeyoung groaned. “Oh no. Not you too!”

Somi raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I’m not the one wearing her scarf.”

Unbidden, Chaeyoung’s hand went to the scarf, which she’d almost forgotten about until then.

“Well, don’t be silly,” Chaeyoung scolded, cheeks flaming. “Kang Seulgi just sent her here to spy on us on behalf of the Hufflepuff team. You know, for strategy? She’s always been good at that.”

Somi snorted. “Joke’s on them. We’ve got General Jennie leading our troops to victory. Unparalleled in strategy.”

“More like unparalleled in sheer desire to crush all opponents,” Chaeyoung quipped. “I guess that could be interpreted as strategic.”

Somi laughed, unbridled. “I think you just described the quintessential Slytherin,” she said around her giggles. “Slytherin House: faking it till we make it since 990.”

~~~

Chaeyoung and Dahyun had been studying in one of the many abandoned classrooms that populated the area surrounding Professor Binns’ classroom for about two weeks when Dahyun first asked her about Jessica. Without having to deal with near constant interruptions since they moved locations, the pair had accomplished loads more than they had in the library. Dahyun hardly needed any help at all and would probably be fine without anymore tutoring sessions, but Chaeyoung liked spending time with Dahyun. Despite there being outwardly nothing in common between the two, their conversations flowed with a spark and an ease that Chaeyoung had only rarely experienced before. So, when Dahyun asked how she and Jessica met, Chaeyoung was taken aback. Not that the question was unusual, for most people wanted to know what the beautiful, talented Jessica Jung was doing spending so much time with the awkward, forgettable Chaeyoung. Just that for some reason, Chaeyoung hadn’t expected Dahyun to be one of those people.

Still, Chaeyoung smiled brightly. She couldn’t blame Dahyun for being curious. They did make an odd pair, she had to admit.   

“I first met her at Kings Cross,” Chaeyoung explained. “I must’ve stood between Platforms 9 and 10 for an hour, desperately looking for 9 ¾. It got to the point where I thought I would have to go back home and tell my parents that the whole magic thing was just some trick someone played on me, that there was no answer for all the strange things that kept happening around me, that we were back to square one.”

Chaeyoung took a deep breath, glancing up to see how Dahyun was reacting so far. The girl was watching Chaeyoung with wide, attentive eyes, face completely serious for once. Chaeyoung continued.

“I started to cry. Like, really, really cry. I was just so sad and frustrated, I couldn’t help it. In my rush to get out of the station, I tripped and almost face planted into the ground. Someone came over to help me up and it was Jessica unnie. She showed me how to cross the barrier and answered any questions I had, and believe me, there were a lot of them. When all the other first years scrambled to find people to sit with, I ended up sitting with her, Soojung unnie and a bunch of their friends for that first train ride. They were all so good to me.”

Dahyun took a moment to process the information. “I always forget you’re Muggleborn,” she murmured, shaking her head. “You’re so talented.”

Chaeyoung bristled, immediately on guard. Her hand gripped her quill so tightly that her knuckles turned white. There was a coppery taste in her mouth and her stomach rolled. Blood rushed to her ears. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

Realizing how her words must’ve sounded, Dahyun’s skin turned as red as a tomato. “I didn’t mean it like that!” she insisted, desperate. “I just mean… Look. I’m good at Quidditch, right? Both of my parents played. I’ve been riding a broom since before I could walk. With a lot of hard work, I finally made it off the reserves my fourth year. Meanwhile, there’s you. You’re one of the- if not the - best players at Hogwarts since Ginny Weasley, and you hadn’t touched a broom until you were eleven. You made the team as a second year. Do you know how rare that is? Imagine how amazing you’d be if you grew up flying. None of us would ever even stand a chance.”

A blush stained Chaeyoung’s cheeks and she looked away from Dahyun, unable to meet her eyes after such a sincere compliment. She began to slouch back down in her seat as her tense muscles relaxed. “Oh. Well, um, thanks. Quidditch is actually another thing I owe to Jessica unnie.”

Dahyun cocked her head and furrowed her brows. “I thought Jessica sunbae hated Quidditch. She and Taeyeon unnie were always getting into those massive fights about it.”

Chaeyoung laughed. Unlike Soojung, captain of the Ravenclaw team and the rest of the Jung family, who kept season tickets for the Wimbourne Wasps, Jessica was rather notorious for her hatred of Quidditch, which just gave her and Taeyeon more to argue about. Not that the pair of them ever needed much incentive to argue.

“Jessica unnie definitely hates Quidditch,” Chaeyoung agreed, smirking at the understatement. “But after she realized how much I love flying she got Soojung unnie to show me the ropes. Soojung unnie got Jongin oppa and Taemin oppa to help too. Between the three of them I had about one half-way decent teacher. Except now everytime Slytherin beats Ravenclaw in a match, Soojung unnie claims I have to give her most of the credit since she taught me everything I know.”

Chaeyoung always thought of those days in her first year, practicing Quidditch on the weekends with Soojung and her boys, with fondness. Taemin was the most patient, always offering gentle encouragement and congratulating her when she did well. Jongin had a knack for explaining things, making the most complicated maneuvers seem entirely doable to the inexperienced Chaeyoung. Surprisingly though, it was Soojung who taught her the most. The younger Jung sister could actually be quite encouraging when she set her mind to it and, coupled with her keen strategic mind, she made an excellent teacher. She was the first one who saw Chaeyoung’s potential as a seeker.

Throughout it all, Jessica was always sitting in the stands, nose buried in a book as if she couldn’t be bothered. Still, there were times when Jessica didn’t think anyone was looking, when Chaeyoung saw her smiling down at them all with pride.

Dahyun interrupted Chaeyoung’s stroll down memory lane with a soft giggle. “Wow. You really are Slytherin’s princess.”

“Yeah, I- wait, what did you say? I’m Slytherin’s what?”

“Slytherin’s princess,” Dahyun said with a shrug.

Chaeyoung flushed. “That’s absurd. Who told you that?”

“It’s what everyone calls you,” Dahyun laughed. “Since everyone in your house is so freaking protective of you.”

“They are not protective over me,” Chaeyoung protested, feeling a little queasy. “That’s not… that’s just wrong.”

Dahyun raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Because ever since we started hanging out, I’ve been approached by Kim Jongin, Do Kyungsoo, Choi Jinri, Im Jaebum and even Jeon freaking Somi, all warning me that if I hurt you they’ll Avada me into the next century. If that’s not protective, I shudder to think of what is.”

Chaeyoung could only blanche at the information provided. She’d always thought of her housemates as being part of some crazy, messed up family, but she had no idea they would go as far as to threaten people for her. If what Dahyun was saying was true, then Chaeyoung had no idea why the Hufflepuff girl wasn’t running for the hills. Chaeyoung wouldn’t blame her at all if she never wanted anything to do with her ever again.

So why was Dahyun still sitting across from her, acting like nothing had changed?   

Rather than think too deeply on it, Chaeyoung just scowled through her blush. “It’s because I’m short, isn’t it?”

Dahyun threw back her head and laughed. “Probably,” she agreed. “Your adorable tininess does inspire some feelings of protectiveness. But also… you’re sweet. Like, unconditionally so. There aren’t a lot of people like you in the world, Chaeyoung. Your housemates are smart to look out for you.”

Chaeyoung crinkled her nose, her face uncomfortably warm. “I’m not a kid. I can look after myself.”

The fact that even Somi, who was herself a year younger than Chaeyoung, deemed it necessary to look after her was more than a little humiliating.

“I know you can,” Dahyun laughed. “I think they know it too, deep down.”

At Chaeyoung’s dubious look, Dahyun clarified. “Deep, deep, deep down.”

Chaeyoung scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sure. Whatever. At least Soojung unnie hasn’t tried to scare you off. She mastered the art of reducing men to tears with a single look before she could even walk.”

“I didn’t know you and Soojung sunbae were so close,” Dahyun hedged, after a moment of quiet spent pretending to focus on their assignments. The metamorphmagus seemed hesitant, like she was worried about crossing Chaeyoung’s boundaries. “Are you as close with her as you are with Jessica sunbae?”

“Um, not quite,” Chaeyoung replied, lips twitching in a smile at the thought. “She’s Jessica’s sister so… she’s kind of like my honorary sister too, I guess?”   

Dahyun nodded, but she didn’t look satisfied at Chaeyoung’s explanation. “Right, that would make sense. So then you’re kind of like an honorary Jung?”

Chaeyoung shoulders lilted in a modest shrug. People who grew up in wizarding families tended to regard the Jungs as enigmas, less human and more god-like. Chaeyoung had gotten used to it, but to her, they would always just be family. “I visit their manor in Brighton during school holidays sometimes. Mr. and Mrs. Jung like me well enough.”

If Chaeyoung were being honest, that was an understatement. Jessica and Soojung’s parents adored Chaeyoung, to the point where they always invited her along on family holidays and labeled one of their guest bedrooms ‘Chaeyoungie’s room.’ They even bought Chaeyoung her first broom when she made it on the Quidditch team, a Dragonbolt that Chaeyoung’s family never would’ve been able to afford on their own. When Chaeyoung tried to tell them that the gift was too much, Jessica only said that her parents would give away their entire fortune if it meant Chaeyoung could marry into the family somehow, so she might as well accept their gift instead. The joke made Chaeyoung’s heart skip more beats than she’d like to admit.

Dahyun might’ve been able to sense that Chaeyoung wasn’t telling the whole story, but she didn’t press her for any details, which Chaeyoung was grateful for. She didn’t want Dahyun to know how much she relied on the Jung’s charity.

The pair went back to work, Chaeyoung only half paying attention to her History essay so she could monitor Dahyun’s progress with the Potions homework. After a while, it became evident that Dahyun had the whole thing under control and Chaeyoung allowed herself to be immersed in the Goblin Rebellion of 1612, or as immersed as anyone could be in the subject, which wasn’t very immersed at all. Still, she jumped a little in her seat when Dahyun suddenly spoke.

“What are you doing for the Hogsmeade trip next weekend?” she blurted out.

Chaeyoung looked down at Dahyun’s homework to find it complete. As far as she could tell, all the answers looked correct, but she figured Dahyun should have them looked over by one of her more clever friends, like Wendy, before she turned it into Slughorn for a grade. Chaeyoung herself always had Soojung or Jinyoung look over her homework before she turned it in.

Chaeyoung opened her mouth to tell Dahyun all that, when she remembered that she was asked a question.

“Oh, I don’t know yet. I think Joy has a date and Yugyeom is going with members from his Dance Club, so it’ll probably just be Tzuyu and I. We usually lay pretty low. Maybe stop by Scrivenshaft’s, load up at Honeydukes. Then we’ll probably leave.”

Dahyun gaped, at a loss as to how someone could spend their Hogsmeade weekend so uneventfully. Chaeyoung smirked in amusement, watching the extroverted Hufflepuff struggle. She knew Dahyun usually went with a huge group of people, so her own quiet day out must seem foreign. Dahyun looked like there were a thousand questions she wanted to ask, and couldn’t decide on which one to begin with.

“Are you not going to see Jessica sunbae?” Dahyun settled on, curiously not meeting Chaeyoung’s eyes. “Doesn’t she live near Hogsmeade now?”   

Chaeyoung shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t think so,” she told Dahyun, not wanting to admit that Jessica hadn’t replied to her letter asking if she could come over that day. In fact, she hadn’t heard anything from Jessica at all since her last letter, nearly two weeks ago. “She’s really busy with her internship.”

Dahyun’s eyes glinted in the light. “That’s too bad,” she said in her usual cheerful manner, before hesitating. “If you and Tzuyu don’t have any concrete plans, do you want to come to the Three Broomsticks with my friends and I?”

“Oh,” Chaeyoung said, surprised Dahyun would offer. She knew it must’ve just been a courtesy invite, but she still wasn’t expecting it. “Thanks, but Tzuyu and I don’t really do well in big crowds.”

She figured Dahyun would be relieved at the way out Chaeyoung offered, but the girl vigorously shook her head, undeterred.

“It’s just going to be Sana, Momo and I this time!” Dahyun told her. “Everyone else has dates. With the way everyone’s been coupling up recently, you’d think it was cherry blossom season or something.”

“Um, yeah,” Chaeyoung agreed, although she hadn’t noticed any excessive coupling up among her peers. Then again, she wasn’t known for being the most observant girl at Hogwarts. “You’re sure it’ll just be you three?” she asked, before she realized what she was saying.

Sana and Momo were nice enough, but it’s not like Chaeyoung knew them very well. Under normal circumstances, Chaeyoung would find a way to decline Dahyun’s invitation, but Dahyun actually seemed sincere, like she wanted to spend time with Chaeyoung outside of tutoring. And Chaeyoung would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t interested in getting to know Dahyun a little bit better.  

“If anyone else tries to tag along, I’ll find a way to ditch them!” Dahyun promised, with her signature sunny smile.

“You don’t have to do that,” Chaeyoung giggled, though the proposed gesture touched her heart. She’d made up her mind. “I’ll have to ask Tzuyu, but I’m sure I could convince her.”

“If Three Broomsticks is too crowded for you we could always- wait, you’re actually going?”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes and laughed at the same time. “Yeah, I’m going.”

Dahyun clapped her hands together in glee. “Yay! This is so exciting. I promise, I’ll keep it a small, intimate gathering.”

“A small, intimate gathering,” Chaeyoung repeated, smiling to herself. “All right. I like that.”

Chapter Text

The days leading up to the Hogsmeade trip were uneventful, expect for a hellish increase in Quidditch practices while the team got ready for the Gryffindor v. Slytherin match in November. Chaeyoung managed to convince Tzuyu to come with her to the Three Broomsticks, which took a lot less effort than she thought it would.

“I’m curious to see how you and Dahyun operate,” Tzuyu told her, when Chaeyoung asked why she’d agreed to readily. The taller girl shrugged, flipping to the next page in her book. “Even if I’m a third wheel, it’ll be something to lord over Joy, at least.”

The aforementioned Joy was predictably upset at the missed opportunity to see Chaeyoung and Dahyun in an intimate setting.

“Maybe my date and I will stop by after Madame Puddifoot’s for a butterbeer,” she threatened Chaeyoung, one afternoon during lunch. “It’ll give me a chance to ask what her intentions with you are.”

Before Chaeyoung could ban Joy from coming anywhere near the Three Broomsticks, Yugyeom spoke up.

“You don’t have to ask Dahyun what her intentions with Chaeyoung are. Everyone else already has.”

Joy hummed in understanding, turning to Im Jaebum, on her right. “Hey, Jaebum oppa. What are Dahyun’s intentions with Chaeyoung?”

“Completely honorable, as far as I could tell,” the seventh year boy told her, without skipping a beat, despite not even being involved in their previous conversation. “She seems to really like Chaeyoungie.”

Chaeyoung’s cheeks burned as she turned to glare at Jaebum, who was completely unfazed.

Joy merely hummed again, drawing out the torture for Chaeyoung. “Hmm. Jeongguk? Can you confirm that Dahyun’s intentions with Chaeng are completely honorable?”

Jeongguk, who was sitting a few seats down, looked up from his conversation with Yoongi and scoffed. “How am I supposed to know? I’m not Chaeyoung noona’s keeper.”

Just before Chaeyoung could offer him the high-five she felt he deserved, Yoongi wrapped his arms around Jeongguk’s neck in a headlock.

“Come on, Jeongguk, don’t be a prick. Just tell Joy what you told me.”

“OW, hyung, that hurts! Ugh, fine. Taehyung told me that Dahyun isn’t the type to string someone along. If she’s showing interest, it’s probably legit.”

Chaeyoung gaped at everyone. “This cannot possibly be healthy,” she told them, crossing her arms against her chest. “You all realize I’m sixteen, right? Not six?”

“You may have been alive for sixteen years,” Joy said, reaching over to wipe a spot of food from Chaeyoung’s cheek with her napkin, “but your lack of awareness marks you as a child that needs protection.”

“Ugh, you’re the worst,” Chaeyoung complained, irritable and embarrassed. “Why are you all being so extra about it though? It’s not like Dahyun is trying to date me or anything.”

Everyone at the table groaned.

“Huh?” Chaeyoung asked, confused. “What did I say?”

Joy just sighed and patted her on the head. “Like I said, Chaeyoung. The lack of awareness of a child.”

Later that same day, while Chaeyoung was alone in the Slytherin sixth year girl’s dorms trying to study for an upcoming Charms exam, Tzuyu burst in, face screwed up in annoyance.

“I can’t go to Hogsmeade with you,” she announced, yanking her shoes off with force.

Chaeyoung’s eyes widened. “What? Why not?”

“You can blame Minatozaki Sana for that,” Tzuyu answered, which only served to make Chaeyoung more confused. Seeing her confusion, Tzuyu sighed and elaborated. “So we were in Ancient Runes, right? And Professor Park was all like, ‘I’m assigning a group project!’ and I was all like ‘ew’ because group projects are the worst and everyone knows it. The only other Slytherin in the class is Jinyoung so I was going to partner up with him, but before I could even turn to look at him, Minatozaki Sana literally mauled me and was all ‘oh my god, Tzuyu! We haven’t talked in ages, let’s be partners!’ and I was like, ‘um, no thanks I don’t partner up with girls who try to maul me’ but then I saw that Jinyoung had already partnered up with Jackson Wang which was so confusing because since when do they ever talk? Jinyoung actually looked just as confused as me, so I suspect he was also mauled. Anyway, basically everyone already had a partner at this point, so I had to turn back to Minatozaki Sana and be like, ‘alright, fine, I’ll be your partner.’ and she literally squealed and hugged me and it was so weird!”

Chaeyoung stared at Tzuyu for a solid minute before speaking. She had never seen her best friend go on a rant like that, or even say that many consecutive sentences before. It was jarring, to say the least.

“Wow, okay, yeah that’s pretty weird,” Chaeyoung acknowledged. “What does it have to do with you not being able to go to Hogsmeade, though?”

Tzuyu’s already well-defined features sharpened in anger. “That’s right! I forgot to tell you the best part about this whole thing! Apparently, the only time Minatozaki Sana can fit me into her busy social schedule is the same day as our Hogsmeade trip.”

“That’s even weirder,” Chaeyoung said, frowning. “If Sana’s social schedule is so busy, wouldn’t she have plans for Hogsmeade?” Her eyes widened in realization. “Wait a second. Sana was supposed to be at the Three Broomsticks with us!”

Tzuyu eyed Chaeyoung. “Well, yeah. You’re just realizing that?”

Chaeyoung ignored Tzuyu’s comment. “Why would she say she’s free then if she already had plans? What else could she be doing that’s so important?”

“I don’t know, Chaeyoung,” Tzuyu sighed. “Who cares what Minatozaki Sana does in her free time?”

“I do!” Chaeyoung exclaimed. Her heart rate began to quicken as she realized what Tzuyu not accompanying her to Hogsmeade meant. “Tzuyu, I can’t do this alone. I can’t hang out with Dahyun and her friend unless I have someone with me! I’ll probably say something really stupid or weird and they’ll never want to hang out with me again.”

“Yeah, probably,” Tzuyu deadpanned. Seeing Chaeyoung’s horrified expression, she rolled her eyes and attempted a smile. “You’ll be fine. Besides, the only one besides you and Dahyun will be Momo. She’s harmless. I sat next to her on the train our first year and she kept talking about how she wanted to be sorted into Hufflepuff because she heard it was close to the kitchens. You’d have more to fear from a puppy.”  

“Puppies can be scary!” Chaeyoung insisted, her worries not assuaged in the slightest.

Tzuyu shook her head, an amused smirk twisting her lips. She crawled into bed next to Chaeyoung and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. “You don’t have to be afraid, Chaeng. Dahyun will want to be your friend no matter how weird you are. And if she doesn’t, I know at least six people who would gladly kill her and do an excellent job at hiding the body.”

Surprisingly, that actually did made Chaeyoung feel a little better.

~~~

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip arrived alongside the falling leaves and crisp, clean air of autumn. Chaeyoung had woken up early to take a refreshing fly around the grounds, feeling bright and optimistic. She’d waved hello to Hagrid, dropped off a snack for the Giant Squid and lectured a group of Slytherin first years who she caught trying to sneak into the Forbidden Forest. All in all, the day had started remarkably well.

Now, at breakfast, she couldn’t get any food down. Her omelette sat untouched in front of her, the sight of the melted cheese and veggies spilling out of it’s folds making her so feel queasy she eventually just pushed it away.

Jinyoung, who was sitting across from her, watched this behavior with a hint of concern on his face. "Are you feeling okay, Chaeng?" he asked. "It's not like you to not eat your breakfast."

Before Chaeyoung could answer him, Jaebum arrived, ruffling Chaeyoung's hair before sitting down next to Jinyoung, slinging a casual arm across his shoulders.

"You don't have to worry about Chaeyoungie," he told Jinyoung with a smirk. "A little fairy named Joy told me that she's probably just nervous about her date with Dahyun."

Jinyoung went from concerned to sly in a second flat. "Is that so?" he cooed with a knowing grin on his face. His eyes twinkled. "How cute!"

"It is not a date!" Chaeyoung protested.

Her protests were made meaningless by Tzuyu, her supposed best friend. "She slept with Dahyun's scarf," she informed the two wizards, while casually pouring herself a cup of tea.

Jaebum and Jinyoung instantly started giggling like maniacs, ignoring Chaeyoung's scowl. "So cute!" they both exclaimed, fawning over Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung glared at Tzuyu in betrayal, who looked unfazed. "It was cold," she muttered in her defense, telling the truth. She'd started to feel a little chilly during the night, and Dahyun's scarf happened to be the first warm thing she grabbed. She could've cast a heating charm she supposed, but that late at night, Chaeyoung's train of thought was decidedly Muggle.

Nobody paid any mind to Chaeyoung's excuse, continuing to tease her. Chaeyoung guessed that from an outside perspective, she could sort of see how people might think she and Dahyun liked each other. They were spending an awful lot of time together, and Chaeyoung sometimes worried that she wore Dahyun's yellow and black scarf a little too often for a self-respecting Slytherin to manage. Still, Chaeyoung thought it should've been obvious that she and Dahyun could never be a real couple. Although it was true that Dahyun always seemed happy to see Chaeyoung, that was how she was with everyone. Chaeyoung wasn't special. There was nothing about her that could possibly capture Dahyun's romantic interest.

Besides all that, there was Jessica to consider.

The thought left a sour taste in Chaeyoung's mouth. She still hadn't heard anything from the older girl. Was it possible that Jessica had forgotten all about her now? Was she too busy with her career to notice a mouse like Chaeyoung? Did she read Chaeyoung's numerous letters with annoyance and pity, wishing the foolish girl would just take the hint and leave her alone?

Her nausea threatened to overwhelm her senses if she continued with this line of thinking.

She stood up, without warning, causing everyone to cease their teasing and look up at her. This time, Jinyoung wasn't the only one who looked concerned.

"Chaeng?"Jaebum questioned, worry dripping from his tone. "Everything alright?"

"Um, yeah," Chaeyoung replied, distantly. She focused on taking frequent, shallow breaths, willing her roiling stomach to settle. "I just feel a little nauseous. I think I need to lay down for a bit."

Jaebum eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure you don't just need some Calming Drought?" he asked. "Jinyoungie practically downed a whole bottle on our first date."

"Heyyy," Jinyoung whined, while Chaeyoung sighed.

"For the last time, it's not a date," Chaeyoung said, feeling like a broken record. "Hirai Momo is going to be there. How can it be a date with three people?"

Jaebum raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Ask Jongin, Soojung and Taemin hyung."

"And that would be my cue to leave," Chaeyoung grimaced, doing her best to ignore their giggling.

Before Chaeyoung could leave the Great Hall for the comfort of her dormitory, she heard someone call out her name. She turned around to see who the voice belonged to, only to witness none other than Kim Dahyun beckoning her over from the Hufflepuff table.

"Are you going to go over there or are you too nauseous?" Jinyoung asked, raising his brow.

"Huh?" Chaeyoung asked, only focusing on Dahyun. "Oh. Yeah. Um, I think I'll be okay."

She made her way over to the Hufflepuff table, where Dahyun was sitting, surrounded by her housemates Minatozaki Sana, Hirai Momo, Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin (the male, Hufflepuff one) and Lisa Manoban.

Chaeyoung smiled at them all nervously. "Um, hey, everyone," she greeted, wishing she could turn around and run back into her room. All of Dahyun's friends seemed just as high energy as her, and she suddenly felt very intimidated.

"Hi, Chaeyoung!" Sana, the president of Hogwarts' Random Acts of Kindness Club, chirped. "It's so good to see you!"

Chaeyoung was pretty sure she hadn't ever spoken a single word to Sana before, but the Hufflepuff girl looked so genuinely enthusiastic to see her, Chaeyoung did her best to muster up a pleased grin.

Momo, who had been stuffing her face with bacon when Chaeyoung arrived, suddenly doubled over with a loud groan.

"Oh!" she cried. "My stomach! I've consumed too many delicious foods today! I must go to the Hospital Wing immediately! I cannot partake in any other activities today such as going to Hogsmeade! Oh!"

Sana's eyes widened as she gasped dramatically. "Momo!" she squealed. "We have to get you to the Hospital Wing at once! This is terrible! Oh, Momo, why must you always test your body's limits like this?"

"I always knew delicious food would be my downfall," Momo sighed dejectedly as Sana lead her to the Hospital Wing, hobbling along as if in great pain.

"Um," was all Chaeyoung could say.

"The fuck?" Jimin asked, turning to Dahyun.

"Wow. I didn't know Momo had a limit when it came to eating," Lisa said, shaking her head.

"It is pretty curious considering we've all seen her consume over twice her bodyweight in food without getting so much as a stomach ache," Taehyung sang, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Dahyun only shrugged, unconcerned. "Guess Momo won't be coming to Hogsmeade with us after all," she told Chaeyoung. "Looks like it'll be just the two of us."

"Oh," Chaeyoung said, blinking. Dahyun was smiling brilliantly up at her, and Chaeyoung felt an odd sense of calm wash over her. It was strange how their original outing of five got cut down to just the two of them, but Chaeyoung found that she didn’t really mind. She was more comfortable with just Dahyun anyway. Any remaining bit of nausea she’d felt earlier had completely faded away as she smiled. “Great! See you then.”

Dahyun matched her sunny grin with one of her own. “See you then,” she agreed.

~~~

It felt like there were a thousand tiny pixies flying around in Chaeyoung’s stomach as she waited for Dahyun to arrive so they could walk to the Three Broomsticks together. The momentary calm she experienced earlier was now gone, replaced by a strong feeling of anxiety. Chaeyoung could hardly keep up with the rollercoaster of emotion she’d been riding all day. She hoped it would settle by the time she and Dahyun got to the Three Broomsticks.

Try as she might, Chaeyoung couldn’t think of a reason why she felt so nervous. All she was doing was meeting a friend for lunch. Dahyun was so sweet, so attentive, so much fun- and she seemed to genuinely like Chaeyoung. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Still, Chaeyoung’s pulse was racing.

She checked her weathered old Muggle watch, a gift from her mother. Dahyun was six minutes late. With a gentle sigh, Chaeyoung took a seat on a nearby bench and began sketching to pass the time. She decided to draw the moment Slytherin won the Cup last year, one of the happiest days in her life. She drew Jennie’s unbridled joy, trapped in a Jeongguk/Taemin sandwich, Somi jumping up and down on the sidelines, thrilled though she hadn’t participated and Taeyeon collapsed on the ground, tears of joy streaming down her face. In the center of it all stood Chaeyoung herself, clutching her broom with one hand and the Snitch with her other, wearing a look of bewilderment. That day, all of her senses had seemed heightened, making the screaming of the crowd louder, the gold of the snitch brighter. It was almost too overwhelming, but before she pull away from everything, Jessica found her. The older girl wrapped her arms around Chaeyoung and pulled her closer to the growing crowd of Slytherins, who all wanted to congratulate Chaeyoung. Her team even lifted her up to their shoulders and carried her to the common room, where there was already a party in full swing.

Chaeyoung was just putting the finishing touches on how Jessica must’ve looked from the stands, lips pulled in a proud but contained smirk, when she felt slim arms wrap around her shoulders. She squealed in surprised fear and jumped about a foot in the air, before twisting around to find that the culprit was none other than Dahyun, who was looking down at Chaeyoung with her signature grin.

To Chaeyoung’s surprise, Dahyun grazed her cheek with her lips in a feather-light kiss, before climbing over the back of the bench to sit next to Chaeyoung. The kiss was over so quickly it almost felt like it hadn’t happened, so Chaeyoung didn’t dwell on it.

“Sorry I’m late,” Dahyun said, sounding a little out of breath. “Momo kept sending me on errands to the kitchens. She wouldn’t let me leave until she had everything she wanted. I ran all the way here.”

“That’s okay,” Chaeyoung assured her, eyeing the pretty pink flush to Dahyun’s milky cheeks that had nothing to do with her Metamorphmagus abilities. In fact, as far as Chaeyoung could tell, Dahyun hadn’t done anything to magically alter her appearance. Her hair hung down her back as a shiny black curtain and her eyes shone dark brown. Chaeyoung noticed that she had rather long lashes and wondered if that was magical or achieved using mascara. Or maybe they were completely natural. “Is Momo all right?”

Dahyun blinked and it occurred to Chaeyoung that they’d both been watching each other. “What? Momo? Yeah, why wouldn’t she- oh. Right. Well, she’s a little bit better now, but not enough to go out today. Just enough to eat four servings of cake, apparently. I think that- holy shit, Chaeyoung did you draw this?”

Chaeyoung followed Dahyun’s incredulous gaze to her sketchbook, which was still open to the drawing of her team winning the Cup. Hastily, she moved to snap the book shut, a red hot blush staining her cheeks. Before the book could close all the way, Dahyun used her abilities to elongate her arm, until her hand was in between the pages.

Dahyun looked almost as flustered as Chaeyoung by her action. She drew her hand back, clutching it to her chest as if it had acted on it’s own accord and needed to be restrained.

“Er, I’m really sorry,” Dahyun attempted to awkwardly explain, avoiding Chaeyoung’s searching eyes. “It’s your art. Totally up to you if you want to show it to me. I just- I thought it was really good and wanted to, um. To see it. But, again, that’s totally up to you. You don’t have to show me anything. I was out of line. Um, sorry.”

Chaeyoung worried at her lower lip, both out of nervousness and to keep herself from smiling. Dahyun’s bashfulness was rather cute. Before she had any time to second guess herself, she was handing the sketchbook to Dahyun.

“Here,” she said, not fully believing what she was saying. “You can look through it if you want.”

Dahyun stared back and forth between Chaeyoung and the book, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. When Chaeyoung nodded in encouragement, she gingerly took hold of the book, stroking it’s cover as if it were a precious material. She was silent as she flipped through the pages, occasionally pausing on an image to run her hands over it. Chaeyoung rarely used the enchanted pencils wizarding artists favored, preferring the fancy Muggle ones her parents got her every year for her birthday instead, which meant the images stayed still on the page. Chaeyoung knew that to someone raised among magic like Dahyun, the images would probably appear flat and lifeless.

The silence became too much to handle for Chaeyoung after Dahyun lingered for a particularly long time on a sketch of Jessica with an indiscernible expression on her face. Chaeyoung knew the sketch wasn’t her best work and couldn’t stand watching Dahyun silently criticize it.

“I know they’re not like, masterpieces or whatever,” Chaeyoung blurted out, causing Dahyun to whip her head up in alarm, like she’d forgotten Chaeyoung was there. Unable to stop herself, Chaeyoung continued to babble thoughtlessly, just saying anything to make the silence less awkward. “They’re just silly doodles. I don’t expect you to say they’re amazing or anything like that. I draw because I think it’s fun. I don’t need someone to validate that.”

“They are not silly doodles,” Dahyun snapped, with a ferocity that took Chaeyoung aback. “They’re art and they’re brilliant. You’re brilliant.”

The pixies in Chaeyoung’s stomach returned with a vengeance. “You mean… you really think so?” Chaeyoung asked, relieved despite her comment about not needing anyone’s validation. “You don’t think they’re boring because I didn’t use enchanted pencils?”

“Not at all,” Dahyun insisted. “I actually think that makes them more interesting. It reflects more on your skills as an artist. They’re stationary and two-dimensional, so you wouldn’t think they’d have much character, but they do. And that has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with you.”

Chaeyoung was speechless. She could only blush and smile in Dahyun’s general direction, not trusting her mouth to say words that wouldn’t sound totally and completely stupid.

“Are you interested in art as a career?” Dahyun asked. “You know, after we leave Hogwarts?”

Chaeyoung couldn’t help but laugh, sure that Dahyun was joking. When Dahyun’s face remained serious, her smile faded.

“Dahyun… even if you like my drawings, they’re not that good. Besides, even if they were, all I ever do is sketch. I hardly ever even add color. I couldn’t make a living off of these.”

“I bet you could,” Dahyun argued, her words dipped in steel. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself. Your drawings are good. Genuinely, really good. And I can tell you love it. Haven’t you ever dreamt of being an artist?”

Truthfully, before Chaeyoung started Hogwarts, besides a short stint where she wanted to be a successful rapper (don’t ask) that’s all she ever dreamt of. Then she found out about wizarding art and how her little sketches had no place in it. Besides, by then she’d discovered Quidditch and it was game over. She never considered doing anything else. Except…

“Sometimes I… um, it’s more like, I used to when I was a lot younger, but… I write comics?”   

Part of Chaeyoung expected Dahyun to laugh at the confession, at how childish and nerdy it was. She certainly would expect that reaction from most people. The other part of her knew Dahyun wouldn’t. Whatever other people thought, she knew Dahyun would never judge her.

Sure enough, Dahyun smiled encouragingly at her. “Chaeyoungie, that’s so cool. I love comics.”

Chaeyoung blinked in surprise. “You do?”

“Yeah, definitely!” Dahyun affirmed, nodding her head vigorously. “Though, I’m more into graphic novels these days. Do you know Lee Sunmi? She was in my house, but she graduated last year. Anyway, she just got a publishing deal for a graphic novel she was working on called Full Moon. It’s about vampire and werewolf rights. She showed me some of her sketches last year, they’re totally sick.”  

Chaeyoung vaguely remembered Lee Sunmi as a quietly popular girl that mostly kept to herself. Sunmi and Taeyeon dated for for all of their sixth year, but that was the extent of what Taeyeon knew about the older girl. She had no idea that she was into graphic novels, much less ones about creature rights. Chaeyoung must not have done a very good job at keeping her interest contained, because Dahyun grinned at her, amused.

“I could put you in touch with her if you’d like,” Dahyun offered, her tone casual. “Sunmi unnie seems scary at first, but she’s a total dork once you get to know her. She could give you tips about getting published or sketching or whatever. I’m sure she’d love to talk with you.”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary!” Chaeyoung rushed to assure Dahyun, cheeks flushing. “I’m not… it’s really just a hobby. I don’t plan on pursuing it after graduation or anything. Quidditch is what I’m best at. It’s where I need to be.”

Dahyun stared intently at her while she spoke, her expression unwavering. Being looked at like that made Chaeyoung feel flustered, like she had to reevaluate everything she was telling Dahyun. No one had ever questioned Chaeyoung’s commitment toward Quidditch, least of all Chaeyoung herself. Chaeyoung didn’t even know if Dahyun was even questioning whether she should try to get into professional Quidditch after graduation, or if she was just projecting subconscious reservations onto her. Either way, looking into Dahyun’s eyes while she tried to explain how her art was just a hobby made her second guess her life plan for the first time since coming to Hogwarts.

When Dahyun finally spoke, her words were careful, calculated. There was none of the earlier enthusiasm she displayed when Chaeyoung was talking about her art.

“Still, you might like talking with her,” Dahyun insisted, a small, almost encouraging smile on her lips. “Even if it’s just a hobby, that’s no reason not to explore it. Besides, I don’t see why you’d have to pick between either Quidditch or art. If you like both, you can find a way to do both.”

Chaeyoung chewed on her lower lip. “You think?”

Dahyun blinked, her cheeks tinging red. “Um, yes. For sure. Definitely.” She seemed to snap out of whatever reverie she was in to offer Chaeyoung a sweet smile. Gently, she tucked a stray hair behind Chaeyoung’s ear. The gesture was something Jessica often did when she was fussing over Chaeyoung’s appearance, but nothing about it reminded Chaeyoung of Jessica. It was all Dahyun.

“Thank you,” Chaeyoung said. Her mind was brimming with possibilities. She felt as if a weight she didn’t know she was carrying had been lifted off her shoulders, like she had all the time in the world to figure out her life.

It was a novel feeling, one she cherished.

Dahyun’s answering smile was sunny, signaling the end of their serious discussion. “Don’t thank me,” she chimed, leaning over to flick Chaeyoung’s nose. “I didn’t tell you anything you wouldn’t have figured out on your own eventually.”

Chaeyoung opened her mouth to protest, but Dahyun hastily stood up, stretching her limbs. The Muggle t-shirt she wore rode up a bit, exposing her flat, pale stomach. Chaeyoung quickly looked away, blushing.

“We better get on to the Three Broomsticks,” Dahyun said, grinning down at Chaeyoung, who nodded in agreement and stood up to follow the Hufflepuff girl.

Hogsmeade was never really that important of an occasion to Chaeyoung, not like it was for other students. She liked the village and in third year she was fascinated by the newness of it all, but once she’d seen everything she decided that she much rather preferred to spend her free time in the castle, drawing or doing flying drills. She usually only went to Hogsmeade when she needed some new quills or to stock up on sweets, and hadn’t spent much time in The Three Broomsticks, which, judging from Dahyun’s reaction when she found out, was unthinkable to most Hogwarts students.  

“But the Three Broomsticks is… The Three Broomsticks!” she sputtered, once they’d found a table, nestled against a rather foggy window. “Everyone comes here. It’s like, a staple of the Hogwarts experience.”

Chaeyoung shrugged, eyes darting around to take in the bustling scene. Indeed, it seemed like Dahyun was right. The establishment was packed to the brim, most of the patrons being people Chaeyoung recognized from school. She spotted Soojung and Jongin sitting at a corner table, heads tilted close together, murmuring softly to each other. Soojung looked the most relaxed than Chaeyoung had ever seen her, Jongin gazing at her with fondness. Almost the entire Gryffindor quidditch team seemed to be taking over the front of the restaurant, much to Madame Rosmerta’s annoyance. Chaeyoung spotted Im Nayeon, Jaebum’s cousin, curled up on Yoo Jungyeon’s lap, discretely stealing sips from Jackson Wang’s butterbeer while he was busy arguing with Amber Liu about whether Professor McGonagall actually appreciated his flirting with her or not. The hyperactive beater’s booming voice carried throughout the room as he insisted she secretly loved it. Meanwhile, Park Jihyo was swaying in her seat and belting out the lyrics to an old Celestina Warbeck song that Jessica’s grandmother liked, not seeming to notice the way that Madame Rosmerta’s wand kept twitching in her direction.

Chaeyoung looked up at Dahyun from underneath her eyelashes. “You’ll just have to show me what I’ve been missing then,” she told her, surprising herself with her own coyness.

Dahyun’s cheeks flushed before she giggled, meeting Chaeyoung’s hooded gaze with a contagious brightness.

“That’s a lot of pressure,” she teased, looking pleased rather than put upon. “What if you end up hating it here? Will you hate me by extension?”

“Not likely,” Chaeyoung scoffed, finding the suggestion absurd. She fully expected to hate the Three Broomsticks when she agreed to come with Dahyun. She was bearing it in the first place because she liked the Hufflepuff.

Dahyun’s answering grin almost blinded Chaeyoung. Before she knew it, the two girls were fully engaged with each other, their outside surroundings melting away. Chaeyoung wasn’t even bothered by the table of rowdy Gryffindors making such a ruckus, which would normally annoy her to no end. They spoke about everything and nothing, from their families and pets to which foods they liked to eat during the holidays.

“My mum goes crazy with baking for Christmas,” Dahyun told a riveted Chaeyoung, laughing. “We have a ton of these special holiday platters that each have four tiers and every year she always stacks them to the brim with cookies and fudge and other treats. I remember one year before I started Hogwarts I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard someone rustling around our kitchen. Naturally, since I was like six or whatever, I assumed it was Santa and went to check it out, but it turned out to just be my dumb older brother gorging himself on peppermint fudge. Go fucking figure, you know?”

Chaeyoung laughed. “You have an older brother?” she asked, surprised by the information. Dahyun came from a solidly magical background, so Chaeyoung assumed her brother would’ve attended Hogwarts as well, but Chaeyoung couldn’t remember anyone from Dahyun’s family in their time at school, except for a younger cousin who got sorted into Gryffindor earlier that year. “Is he a lot older than us? He must be a lot quieter than you if I’ve never heard of him. Maybe I’m hanging out with the wrong Kim.”

Dahyun chuckled, but it was much softer than her usual laugh. Chaeyoung’s teasing grin faltered, as she became worried that she accidentally said something to offend Dahyun.

“He’s only four years older than us,” Dahyun explained, wrapping both hands around her mug of steaming hot butterbeer. The gesture struck Chaeyoung as anxious, something she didn’t often associate with Dahyun. “You’ve probably never heard of him because… well, he’s a Squib, actually. He can’t do magic.”

“Oh,” Chaeyoung breathed, her eyes widening at the new unexpected information. She shifted in her seat. “Well… that’s okay isn’t it? Not being magical isn’t the worst thing in the world…”

Dahyun vigorously shook her head, pale cheeks tinging red. “No, no, no. It’s not at all. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. We’re not prejudiced. My family has no problem with him being a Squib, it’s just that it was so unexpected is all. No one in my family knows anything about the Muggle world. I mean, one of my grandfathers is a Muggleborn, but he’s been in the wizarding world for so long that he probably doesn’t even know who the Muggle prime minister is. My mum wasn’t sure which school she should enroll him in, how to help him with his homework, what sort of clothes to buy him… just none of it. I think it was really hard for him growing up.”

Chaeyoung nodded, sympathetic. “I can imagine,” she murmured, thinking of her own family situation. As supportive as her parents were, they were clueless when it came to magic. If she didn’t have the Jungs to rely on, growing up in the wizarding world could’ve been incredibly lonely.

“Of course you can,” Dahyun agreed, smiling slightly. She took one last gulp of her butterbeer before continuing. “To be honest… Jaehyun took it out on me a bit growing up. Nothing super serious, or anything. He would just call me names and push me around a little. Normal sibling stuff. It got a lot worse when I got my Hogwarts letter though. The summer after our first year, my family went on holiday. Jaehyun was always annoyed with me, because I wouldn’t shut up about how much I loved all my friends and classes. Just… constantly reminding him that he was different.There was a pool at our hotel, but I wasn’t a very strong swimmer. My mum made Jaehyun promise to watch me while she and my aunt took my cousins shopping, and he was really upset about it. He was sixteen, he didn’t want to spend his holiday watching his stupid kid sister. But she made him.

“Anyway, I was being stupid and running around the pool, even though all the signs were very clearly like, ‘do not do that! You will slip and die!’ but I was a really hyperactive, careless kid so I didn’t listen. Of course, that meant I fell into the deep end. I remember flailing around, in total panic, just screaming my head off when I wasn’t choking on water. At one point I guess I started screaming for Jaehyun, because he came up to the edge of the pool and was like, ‘why don’t you just use magic to save yourself?’”

Chaeyoung listened to Dahyun’s story with a growing sense of horror in her chest. When Dahyun got to the part where she started drowning, Chaeyoung clapped a hand to her mouth and gasped. Chaeyoung always remembered Dahyun as being so cheerful and carefree in their younger years. She never would’ve assumed her home life was so difficult.

Without thinking, she reached over the table to grasp Dahyun’s hand in her own. The unblemished softness she had once admired in Potions class was still just as pleasant, this time contrasted with her own rough, weathered hands. Dahyun looked at their entwined hands and smiled.

“I’m so sorry, Dahyun,” Chaeyoung told the Hufflepuff, hoping to convey how much sincerity was behind her words. “I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been.”

Dahyun waved away her concern. “Oh, I was okay,” Dahyun dismissed. “There was a lifeguard at the pool, so it’s not like Jaehyun thought I would die or anything. I was saved within the next minute, not any worse for wear. I think Jaehyun was more traumatized from the experience than I was, after the chewing out our mum gave him when she got back and the lifeguard told her what happened.”

“Still,” Chaeyoung murmured, squeezing Dahyun’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

For once, Dahyun’s smile warmed instead of dazzled.

“Thank you. That really means a lot,” Dahyun said. “Luckily everything is much better now though. Jaehyun started going to a Muggle uni in America and I think it’s really good for him. The first summer he came back he took me out to lunch and apologized. Apparently all throughout school he was bullied for not understanding their references and just not getting Muggle culture in general. He said that at school he always felt like he wasn’t Muggle enough and at home with us he never felt magical enough, so he took out all his frustrations on me. Now things are great with us. He always buys me wicked Christmas and birthday presents. Probably out of unresolved guilt, but still. I appreciate it. Last year he got me this really cool Muggle device that lets you play any kind of music you want. I have to plug in these special ear machines but it’s still pretty amazing.”

“You mean an iPod?” Chaeyoung clarified, laughing to herself a little. The wizarding community’s continuous failure to understand Muggle technology never ceased to amuse her.

“Yeah!” Dahyun affirmed, brightly. “That’s right. An iPod. It’s wicked cool. Anyway, what about you? You have a younger brother, right?”

Chaeyoung blinked, surprised. She didn’t think that she’d ever mentioned her brother to Dahyun.

“Yeah, his name is Taeyoung,” Chaeyoung eventually answered, figuring she must’ve spoken about him sometime that she couldn’t remember. “He’s only thirteen, but he’s already like a foot taller than me. And way cooler. It’s so unfair.”

Dahyun laughed. “If he’s a foot taller than you than he’s still pretty short. Must run in the family,” she teased.

Chaeyoung sputtered in indignation. “Excuse me, Kim, I’ll have you know that everyone in my family is at a perfectly healthy height. Honestly, just because we’re not descended from giants like some people must be-”

“Oh dear,” a familiar, melodic voice chimed in from behind Chaeyoung, interrupting her mid-rant. “Has someone commented on Chaeyoungie’s notorious short stature again? She has quite a complex about it, someone should get a hold of the MLE before things get violent.”

Chaeyoung gasped, eyes wide, before twisting her body around in her chair to get a clearer view of the person behind her.

“Jessica unnie!” she cried, drinking in the older girl’s appearance. Her beauty was a familiar ache that resided deep in her chest. Jessica was clearly dressed for work in crisp black robes, looking effortlessly chic in a way Chaeyoung would never be able to pull off herself, but seemed to come naturally to both Jessica and Soojung. Chaeyoung stood up before she could be accused of gawking for too long and wrapped her arms around Jessica’s slim waist, resting her cheek against her chest. “You’re here.”

Jessica chuckled, running her long, slender fingers through Chaeyoung’s short hair. “I missed you, kiddo.”

“I missed you too,” Chaeyoung breathed, releasing Jessica from her tight embrace and returning to her seat. “What are you doing here though?”

“It’s our lunch break,” Jessica explained. “The office block where B&E is sends the interns out to Three Broomsticks sometimes to pick up food for the more senior staffers. We come here quite often. I knew it was a Hogsmeade weekend, but I never expected to bump into you here.”

Chaeyoung suddenly remembered Dahyun, blushing bright red. “Oh, well, Dahyun invited me. You remember my friend Dahyun, right? She’s a Hufflepuff?”

Jessica turned her calculating eyes on Dahyun, who squirmed under her stare. Only Chaeyoung could see the slight upward tilt of Jessica’s lips, how her dark eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement as she considered Dahyun.

“How could I forget?” Jessica asked, with a rhetorical intent. She spoke directly to Dahyun when she remarked, “Chaeyoungie’s told me so much about you.”

Chaeyoung’s face started to burn up at a furious speed while Dahyun brightened, perking up in her chair. Before she could say anything though, Chaeyoung realized something.

“Wait a minute,” she said to Jessica with a frown. “Earlier you said that ‘we come here often.’ Who’s we?”

Jessica’s cool expression turned sour, but before she could answer, none other than Kim Taeyeon, Chaeyoung’s former Quidditch captain and Jessica’s archnemesis, approached their table, levitating two large take away bags behind her.

“What’s taking so long, Jung?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “If you make me levitate all this takeaway all the way back to the office all by myself again I’m going to purposefully drop it somewhere and blame you.”

Kim Taeyeon was hardly any taller than Chaeyoung, but she always carried herself as if she were twice her actual size. The last time Chaeyoung had seen her, she’d had shoulder length auburn hair, easy to tie up into a ponytail for Quidditch, but it was now down to her waist and bleached a striking platinum blonde color. If Chaeyoung didn’t know her any better, she’d think that the new hair color made Taeyeon look benign and fairy-like, complimenting her filmy, floral dresses, today worn with silver studded combat boots and an oversized gray cardigan that dwarfed her slight figure. But Chaeyoung did know Taeyeon better, so she knew to look for the steely glint in her eyes and the unimpressed arch of the brow that marked her as a formidable Slytherin, through and through. She and Jessica were well-matched in that regard, but that was where the similarities ended. Jessica was sharp and traditional, always in command of herself, and analyzed all situations with an icy detachment that masked her true intentions and feelings. In contrast, Taeyeon was explosive, unable to hold back her true feelings, willing to do anything to get from point A to point B. Both quintessentially Slytherin, but just different enough that they would never see eye to eye.

Jessica let out a huff of irritation, gesturing toward Chaeyoung and Dahyun.

“Please don’t act like you’re the responsible one,” she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. “I might just die of shock and indignation.”

For once, Taeyeon seemed not to hear Jessica’s disdain, focusing immediately on the younger girls, a genuine smile spreading across her face, a rarity for her when around Jessica.

“Chaeyoungie! Dahyun! It’s so good to see you both!”

“Hi, unnie,” the girls chorused nervously, exchanging glances. The last thing either of them wanted was to get caught between an infamous Jessica-Taeyeon stand-off. Chaeyoung, close to both of them, had often been forced to serve as a sort of middle man between them, during some of their darker spats. Once, in Chaeyoung’s fourth year, after Jessica docked house points from Taeyeon for sneaking around the castle with Sunmi after curfew, Taeyeon had organized a school wide protest against prefects abusing their power, resulting in the most divisiveness Hogwarts had seen since the war. If Chaeyoung and Soojung hadn’t locked them in a broom cupboard until they agreed to drop the issue, Hogwarts would probably still be in turmoil. Chaeyoung and Dahyun might not have even become friends. If Chaeyoung remembered correctly, Dahyun had been a key figure at protests, though she seemed to participate more out of a sense of amusement than deep seated resentment.

Truthfully, the only person who actually felt any resentment was probably Taeyeon.

Taeyeon’s gaze narrowed as she glanced between the two younger girls. Chaeyoung wondered what had caught her attention. Had Taeyeon noticed the way Chaeyoung automatically leaned into Dahyun, just to be closer? Could she see the way their feet were touching under the table? Or did she somehow know that Dahyun had insisted on paying for Chaeyoung’s butterbeer, suggesting that the latter could pay her back later? And had she somehow seen the wink that accompanied the suggestion, seen the way it made Chaeyoung flush from head to toe? Chaeyoung herself hardly noticed any of these details until she started wondering about whether or not Taeyeon noticed them. Or even worse, if Jessica had noticed them.

Chaeyoung scooted back in her chair, until she was against the wall.

She needn’t have worried. Taeyeon clearly wasn’t paying attention to the same things Chaeyoung was.

“The first Quidditch match of the season is coming up, isn’t it?” Taeyeon asked, glancing between the pair in disapproval. “Chaeyoungie, you haven’t been giving away team secrets, have you?”

Chaeyoung huffed indignantly. “As if I even would!”

Taeyeon considered her for a moment, before nodding, satisfied. “You’re too afraid of Jennie. She’d probably turn you into a gerbil or something. I chose her to be captain over you for a reason. Fluffy marshmallows don’t exactly inspire fear into the hearts of wizards.”

Chaeyoung sputtered indignantly, while Dahyun laughed. “Gerbils! That’s exactly what Jennie sunbae threatened me with when she caught me spying!”

“Spying?” Taeyeon turned to Dahyun, with fire in her eyes. If she wasn’t mistaken, Chaeyoung could also catch a spark of respect. Taeyeon used to hire first years to spy on rival Quidditch teams until Jessica found out and reported her to their head of house. “I like you Dahyun, but if you’re not careful I know several curses that can make you regret your ever being born. They’ll make Jennie’s gerbil jinx look like a picnic.”

Dahyun only laughed harder, unconcerned, though Chaeyoung blanched on her behalf. She’d seen what Taeyeon was capable of.

“If you’re quite done threatening minors,” Jessica chided, irritable. Chaeyoung guessed she’d reached her Quidditch threshold of the day. Possibly the year. “We should really be getting back to our offices. We’ll already be late getting back.”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes, but complied, ruffling Chaeyoung’s hair and winking at Dahyun before stepping outside the pub. Jessica hesitated before following, her gaze lingering fondly on Chaeyoung.

“Listen, Chaeyoungie, I’m sorry I never replied to your letter. I’ve just been so busy, I’ve hardly had time to write to my own parents.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about it! I hadn’t even noticed,” Chaeyoung said, though her tone was perhaps a tinge too relieved to be believable.

Jessica chuckled sweetly. “Well, if you don’t have further plans after lunch, you should drop by my flat. You can take the secret passages back tonight, after I cook you dinner. How does that sound?”

“Great!” Chaeyoung exclaimed. She hesitated, remembering Dahyun. “That is- there isn’t anything else you wanted to do after this, right, Dahyun? You probably have plans.”

Dahyun’s earlier grin was frozen on her face, and her eyes flashed a murky yellow for a moment before returning to their natural dark brown. “Yes, definitely! So many plans tonight, I’m swamped. Don’t worry about me at all.”

Chaeyoung let out a long breath, unable to keep the smile off her face. “That’s a relief. I’ll see you in a bit, unnie,” she said, directing the last comment to Jessica.

Jessica kissed the top of her head. “You know where the spare key is. You can just let yourself in whenever and wait for me to get home if you want.”

After Jessica left, Chaeyoung turned back to Dahyun, feeling happier than she’d felt in weeks. Dahyun wasn’t looking at her, instead staring steadily down at the table, where she was tearing her napkin into tiny little pieces. Chaeyoung shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling awkward. Had she been rude to throw herself into the conversation with Jessica like that? It had just been so long since she’d seen her. She hoped Dahyun wasn’t offended.

“Wow,” Dahyun finally spoke, though her tone was leagues more subdued than her usual ebullience. She finally glanced away from her torn napkin, to give Chaeyoung a slight smile. “You and Jessica sunbae really are close.”

Chaeyoung beamed, all worries forgotten. “She’s my favorite person in the world,” she gushed. She stopped to consider her words. “Well, besides Tzuyu. And my mum. She’s top three at least.”

She laughed, expecting Dahyun to join her, but all Dahyun managed was a stiff, strangled chuckle.

Chaeyoung gnawed on her lip, wondering what could’ve been bothering Dahyun so suddenly. Was she intimidated? Lots of people were intimidated by Jessica. Or maybe she was bothered by Taeyeon’s threats? Except that didn’t make sense, they seemed to be close. Anyone who was close to Taeyeon had to get used to being threatened, quick. Maybe she was just annoyed with Chaeyoung for ignoring her. Dahyun’s own friends had been giggling in their direction and sending them furtive glances ever since they first sat down, yet Dahyun hadn’t even acknowledged them. Had Chaeyoung broken some sacred rule of friendship she didn’t know about since she was so socially inept? She should probably just pretend like nothing was wrong and ask Joy or Yerim about it and-

“Is something the matter?” she blurted out, before the logical part of her brain could intervene. “You seem uncharacteristically quiet all of a sudden.”

Dahyun blinked rapidly and examined Chaeyoung with her head cocked. Chaeyoung shifted in her seat, burning under her gaze. After a prolonged moment of studying Chaeyoung, Dahyun smiled, radiant. She reached out and squeezed Chaeyoung’s hand, although her touch didn’t linger as long as it had been.

“Don’t worry, Chaeng. Nothing’s wrong, I just got lost in thought.”

Chaeyoung felt relief at Dahyun’s assurance. The worried pucker of her lips melted into a smile. “Good! I was so worried I’d done something wrong or said something stupid or-”

Dahyun’s eyes widened and she rapidly shook her head. “What? No, Chaeyoungie, of course not. You could never… that’s not something you should worry about. I know that you would never do anything to intentionally hurt anyone.” She let out a breathy laugh and averted her eyes from Chaeyoung once again, gripping her piping hot butterbeer in both hands. “And as for the rest… I don’t think anything you do is stupid or wrong. I think you’re brilliant.”

Oh. That was…

Something.

Chaeyoung felt…

Something.

With no warning, the room had become unbearably hot. Chaeyoung longed to take her sweater off, but she was too afraid to make any sudden movements. She had a terrible feeling that Dahyun would get spooked and run off at the slightest disturbance, and the last thing she wanted was for Dahyun to leave. Only a minute before, Chaeyoung was completely assured by Dahyun that everything was fine between them. Why did Dahyun complimenting her make her question that surety, instead of reinforcing it? Why did Chaeyoung feel so guilty? She should be reveling in the chance to spend time with Jessica, not analyzing every single thing that Dahyun said or did.

Her mind danced toward a possible explanation for Dahyun’s odd behavior, the rather sinister one that her housemates had been espousing earlier. Before the thought could even fully form in her brain, she pushed it out again. It was too much to handle, too embarrassing to think seriously about. There was no way that Kim Dahyun could ever think of her in a romantic light.

Still, the guilt stayed for the remainder of their time together, though Dahyun quickly rid herself of her uncharacteristic solemnity.

Jessica’s name wasn’t brought up again, though her presence hung over them like a storm cloud, altering the energy between the two. Even Chaeyoung, for all her obliviousness, could sense a shift in their dynamic.

She hoped it wouldn’t last. The thought of losing Dahyun just as quickly as the Hufflepuff had stumbled into her life was unbearable.

Dahyun was in the middle of telling Chaeyoung about the time one of her little cousins kidnapped her owl and held it for ransom when Nayeon and Jungyeon approached their table, arms linked.

“Hello there, lovebirds,” Nayeon sang, oblivious to the way it made Chaeyoung flinch.

“We’re not lovebirds,” Dahyun corrected, flatly.

Nayeon only raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in response. Though she and Jaebum didn’t look much alike, Chaeyoung could notice a certain familial resemblance in the way they carried themselves, with such an easy confidence. The Ims weren’t as influential as Jessica’s family, but they came fairly close.

“Lovebirds or not, it’s time to start heading back to the castle,” Jungyeon told them. “Filch will have our heads if we’re out for too much longer.”

Chaeyoung glanced out the frosted window pane and registered the beginning of dusk falling over Hogsmeade with surprise. She’d never stayed out this late on Hogsmeade weekends. The little village looked even more picturesque with a subtle orange glow illuminating the shops, brightly colored leaves littering the cobblestones. Amber, Jackson and Jihyo were lingering outside the Three Broomsticks, presumably waiting for Dahyun, sheltered from the cold by their Gryffindor scarves, their muffled laughter and excited chatter filtering through the glass.

“Well,” Dahyun murmured, looking out the same window as Chaeyoung. “I guess this is goodbye, then.”

Chaeyoung could only nod, feeling even smaller than usual.

Nayeon and Jungyeon watched their exchange, then shared a look between them.

“You don’t want to walk back with us, Chaeyoung?” Jungyeon asked, in a tone that tried too hard to be casual.

“I’m actually meeting a friend,” Chaeyoung explained. “So I won’t be getting back until late tonight.”

Nayeon smirked. “Rebel. Tell Jessica I said hi.”

Chaeyoung squirmed, feeling uncomfortably that Nayeon was mocking her. She stood, if only to have something to do with her limbs, and Dahyun did the same, knocking over her empty butterbeer glass in the process. Without thinking, Chaeyoung cast a hasty reparo over the broken glass before Rosmerta could see.

“You’re certainly handy to have around,” Jungyeon commented, grinning. She poked a finger into Dahyun’s blushing, squishy cheek. “Especially with this one.”

Dahyun batted Jungyeon’s hand away and smiled, though her normally milky skin maintained a pink flush. “She is, isn’t she? I think I’ll keep her.”

Just like that, Chaeyoung’s heart swelled. She threw her arms around Dahyun, not caring that the other girl’s friends were watching. Her head fit perfectly into the crook of Dahyun’s neck.

“Thanks for today,” Chaeyoung breathed into Dahyun’s neck, still squeezing the girl in a tight embrace. “I had a lot of fun.”

“Ahgsfrjmsf,” said Dahyun, stiff but warm in Chaeyoung’s arms.

Chaeyoung disentangled herself from Dahyun and furrowed her brows at her unintelligible response, but Nayeon pulled her away before Chaeyoung could ask her to clarify.

“We should probably be going,” Nayeon said, already walking a wobbly looking Dahyun out the pub toward the rest of their friends. “Nobody on our team needs any more detentions from Filch. Jackson already has to miss practice next week for that dungbomb incident he pulled with BamBam.”

“Right,” Chaeyoung agreed, still confused. “Bye, Dahyun! See you later!”

Dahyun let out a sound that could either be a deep groan, or a noise of affirmation.

“Is she okay?” Chaeyoung asked Jungyeon, under her breath.

Jungyeon laughed. “Oh, she’s fine. She just had too much fun today is all.” She winked and started to walk out the pub behind Nayeon and Dahyun. “She’ll be fine in time for your study session tomorrow. See you on the quidditch pitch in a few weeks, Son Chaeyoung.”

Chapter Text

When Chaeyoung approached Jessica’s flat, she was tingling in anticipation. She could hardly even hold her wand still to cast the unlocking spell Jessica taught her on the door knob, which caused a small silver key to materialize in the lock. The door swung open with a quick twist of the key, and Chaeyoung breathed in the familiar scent of fresh linen and rosewater. In other words, she breathed in Jessica.

The aforementioned witch wasn’t home, which Chaeyoung wasn’t surprised by. It was barely six o’clock, and Jessica was the type to work until she reached the point of exhaustion. Chaeyoung hoped she wasn’t stretching herself too thin- Jessica wasn’t kidding in her letter about Muggle Studies almost giving her a nervous breakdown last year.

Since Chaeyoung knew Jessica, she knew that her promise of cooking dinner for Chaeyoung was never actually going to happen, and that once she was home she would claim to be too tired and beg Chaeyoung to just let her order Chinese food from the nearest Muggle town. To prevent that inevitable outcome, Chaeyoung headed into the kitchen to see if she could make something. Jessica’s flat didn’t have any Muggle appliances, so Chaeyoung would have to use cooking spells, but that was only a minor concern. She didn’t know many household spells (Chaeyoung could hear Jinyoung’s voice in her head ranting about how Hogwarts spends seven years teaching you how to battle an ogre and never bothers to teach you a simple cleaning spell that would actually be useful in your day to day life) but she knew enough to make a large pot of ramen.

While the noodles boiled in a pot suspended in midair, Chaeyoung took the opportunity to look around. She’d visited a few times in the summer, but it was before Jessica had finished unpacking and they’d spent most of their time together exploring beaches with Jongin and Soojung, or school shopping at Diagon Alley.

Unlike her immaculate appearance, Jessica’s flat was a mess, with clothes and dirty dishes strewn everywhere. It always surprised Chaeyoung how someone so put together could stand living in such a disaster zone, though she supposed all that control had to spill out somewhere. Besides that, growing up with a small army of house elves there to pick up after every dropped crumb probably didn’t help matters. With a few flicks of Chaeyoung’s wand, the dishes were in the sink and the clothes in a hamper.

Chaeyoung halted at a wall of photographs in the living room, searching for ones of herself in the wave of grinning witches and wizards. They were all wizarding photographs of course, a continuous flush of movement. There were the perfunctory family photographs of Jessica’s parents and Soojung, with some of the later photos even featuring her, an awkward presence by Jessica’s side. There were several of Yoona and Sunny, going back to when they were kids running around at whatever fancy parties purebloods seemed to throw every week. One group photo taken at such a party caught Chaeyoung’s interest in particular. She spotted several familiar faces, though the photo was clearly taken years ago, before anyone she knew had started Hogwarts. Jaebum, Nayeon and Jennie were there, blowing raspberries at the photographer while Jinyoung and Jisoo knelt at their feet, giggling at some long forgotten joke. Myoui Mina from Ravenclaw was unfairly beautiful even as a child, almost static beside an elegant woman who must be her mother, if it weren’t for the giant yawn that escaped her toward the end of the loop. Joy and Yerim were tucked into a corner, giggling and whispering to each other as if no one else was around, the same way they had for as long as Chaeyoung had known them. Soojung was on her father’s shoulders, sticking her tongue out at two boys who could only be Jongin and Taemin.

What really caught Chaeyoung’s eye was a younger, chubbier Jessica, sobbing dead center of the photograph. Mrs. Jung’s hands were on her shoulders, though it looked more like she was restraining her daughter than comforting her. Sure enough, Taeyeon was nearby, trying to kick her way out of her father’s arms, toward Jessica. At the last second of the loop, Jessica broke free from her mother’s grip and lunged at Taeyeon, though the loop restarted before Chaeyoung could witness any action.

“That was taken at the Myoui’s annual Easter brunch,” Jessica observed from over her shoulder, causing Chaeyoung to start. She hadn’t even heard her come in. “I must’ve been about nine or ten there. Not too long before I started Hogwarts, anyway. Is that ramen I smell? Chaeyoungie, you’re a godsend.”

There was a pleasant fluttering in Chaeyoung’s stomach at the praise but she wouldn’t let herself be distracted.

“Why do you and Taeyeon unnie look like you’re ready to kill each other? Even more than usual, I mean.”

Jessica sighed. “Oh Merlin, I don’t remember. It was so long ago. All of Taeyeon’s offenses start to blur together after a while. If it was at the Myoui’s it probably involved quidditch. They have a pitch in their backyard. Naturally, Taeyeon could never contain herself and had to rope all the kids into… ugh. Never mind. You can imagine.”

Chaeyoung doubted Jessica’s memory was as fuzzy as she claimed, but she didn’t press the issue.

“So why is it on your wall if it’s such a horrible memory?”

Jessica studied the photograph for a long moment, a small smile tilting her lips. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, lost in a memory Chaeyoung would never know.

“It wasn’t all bad,” she said, finally. “I made Soojung kiss a frog to see if it would turn into a prince, which was hilarious. Nayeon’s accidental magic went off which made the Myoui’s rose garden turn into a giant trampoline. And, well… about five seconds after this picture was taken, my accidental magic went off and turned Taeyeon’s skin green. It lasted a month before the Healers could figure out how to fix it.” An unusually fond smile played on her lips at the thought of Taeyeon’s suffering.

It was times like this that made Chaeyoung wish she’d grown up around other magical children. Her accidental magic stories would never be this charming, because each time they happened, her parents would freak out and wonder if they should take Chaeyoung to the doctor. Nothing would ever quite beat the awkwardness and humiliation of hearing your mother try to explain to a skeptical, condescending physician how Chaeyoung’s peas always turned into chocolate chips whenever she touched them.

“Everyone I know who had to go to those parties growing up always complains about them, but they sound like they were fun,” Chaeyoung told Jessica, moving into the kitchen to finish with the ramen. “Besides, I think it’s nice that you have so many childhood friends.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “It’s alright now that we’ve grown up, found our own friends and only have to see each other at the odd wedding or garden party, but when we were kids it was stifling. Knowing that all the people you spent time with were the children of the people you’re parents grew up with who were the children of the people your grandparents grew up with et cetera et cetera. There was no diversity. Yoona was the only half-blood we knew, but her father was an Im and her mother wasn’t around, so it’s not like she could teach us about Muggle culture or anything. Hogwarts was the best thing that ever happened to any of us.”

Chaeyoung hummed thoughtfully to herself as she passed Jessica a bowl of noodles and curled up on the couch with her own. Jessica sat in the armchair instead of next to her on the couch. Chaeyoung tried not to think about that too deeply.

“I still think it’s sort of nice,” Chaeyoung said, shrugging. “Even though I see where you’re coming from. I just wish I had people I grew up with. The only people who still know me now that knew me before Hogwarts are my parents and brother.”

Jessica’s eyes softened and she moved to sit next to Chaeyoung so she could squeeze her hand. “Aww, Chaeyoungie. If you want that badly, I’ll take you to a Christmas party this year. Sunny’s family usually hosts a pretty big one. We’ll probably be the only people older than thirteen and younger than thirty, but whatever, we’ll make it fun.”

Chaeyoung couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering. “That’s okay,” she said, though she was unable to keep the wide grin off her face. “It was just a sort of feeling I had. I guess lately I’ve been wishing that I was known by more people than I am. Flying under the radar has never bothered me before but now… I’m starting to feel like I’m missing out on something. Something that I actually really want.”

Jessica squeezed her hand tighter. “That’s good, Chaeyoungie. Not about feeling like you’re missing something, but about wanting to be known. You deserve more people who know and love you. And they would be lucky to have you. Is there someone in particular that made you feel this way?”

“Not really,” Chaeyoung shrugged. “I just started feeling it all of a sudden, earlier in the year.”

Dark, searching eyes met Chaeyoung’s own. “So… it has nothing to do with Dahyun?”

Chaeyoung tensed. “Why would Dahyun have anything to do with it?”

“I thought…” Jessica shook her head and let out an abrupt laugh. “Chaeyoungie, when I saw you at the Three Broomsticks today, you looked so happy. And you were looking at Dahyun like… well. I don’t know. I’ve never seen you look at anyone that way, except...” She trailed off, shaking her head. “That doesn’t matter. I just thought- or, I was hoping- that you two were on a date.”

Chaeyoung blanched, her heart dropping into her stomach. It was one thing for her housemates to tease her, but Jessica couldn’t think that she and Dahyun were going out. She just couldn’t.

“It wasn’t a date!” Chaeyoung insisted, her voice taking on a shrill quality. She swallowed, digging her nails into her arms from frustration. “It wasn’t a date,” she repeated, softer.

Jessica raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay. It wasn’t a date. Would it be so bad if it were, though?”

Distantly, Chaeyoung registered the half moon marks her nails have left in her skin. “I don’t feel that way about her,” she muttered, looking anywhere but at Jessica. “I can’t feel that way about her. Everyone wants me too, they keep trying to convince me that she likes me just so I’ll do something about it, but I can’t. I am both physically and psychologically incapable. You- you know what I’m trying to say, don’t you, unnie?”

There was a long silence, the kind that was so loud it made your ears ring. Chaeyoung still couldn’t look at Jessica. She had no idea how she was reacting to what Chaeyoung was so poorly trying to let her know. Then, there was a pressure on Chaeyoung’s shoulder, as Jessica’s hand came a top it. She steeled herself and looked up, into Jessica’s sharp, gentle, compassionate eyes.

“I love you, Chaeyoungie,” she whispered, more tenderly than Chaeyoung had ever heard from her. “I hope you never doubt that. You know that, don’t you?”

Chaeyoung could only nod. Her chest constricted and her breathing became shallow. She didn’t dare entertain the idea that Jessica was about to tell her what she’d dreamt of since she was twelve years old. She didn’t dare hope. Her heart didn’t feel light and full of love- it felt leaden and full of dread. Fear.

If Jessica confessed to her that night, Chaeyoung didn’t know what she would say, or how she’d react. For so long she’d kept her feelings for the older girl locked inside her heart, encased in a bulletproof shell, curled up in a titanium cocoon. Never in her wildest dreams had she allowed herself to imagine a world in which her feelings could be reciprocated. Now, on the possibility of that threshold being crossed, all Chaeyoung knew how to do was close her eyes and pray that Jessica didn’t love her back.

Unrequited, one-sided love was a continuous ache. It was a dull, steady burn that never fully soothed, always remained in the back of your mind. One sided love was many terrible things, but it was safe.

Chaeyoung didn’t think she could handle the alternative.

“I’ll always love you, Chaeyoungie,” Jessica repeated, keeping a steady hand on Chaeyoung’s shoulders. There was a pointed, meaningful edge to her voice. “You’re like another little sister to me.”

Chaeyoung closed her eyes, then opened them again. There was no bitterness or heartache- only relief. She smiled.

“Who’s your favorite?” she asked, her relief making her playful. “Me or Soojung?”

Jessica laughed and the tension disappeared from the room like air in a popped balloon.

“You, obviously,” she teased. “You’re so cute and cuddly. Soojung practically hisses at anyone who even tries to touch her.”

“I’m telling her you said that.”

They spent the rest of the evening eating ramen and catching up, never touching the issue of Dahyun or dating or anything of the sort. Chaeyoung listened patiently while Jessica prattled on about Taeyeon, relayed a funny story her new work friend Yuri told her and gushed about all the designs she got to glimpse in between fetching coffee and lunch orders. In turn, she only wrinkled her nose slightly when Chaeyoung started talking about the upcoming first Quidditch match of the season and even let a brief twinkle display in her eyes when Chaeyoung mentioned how well Somi was doing.

By the time they were done talking, they’d eaten the entire pot of ramen and finished a bottle of Jessica’s favorite elf-made wine. Chaeyoung felt warm and hazy, not quite drunk, but reveling in the pleasant lightness that came with alcohol.

“It’s already after midnight,” Jessica murmured, watching Chaeyoung’s blissed out state with fondness. “Are you okay to walk back to the castle?”

“‘Course,” Chaeyoung responded. She leapt to her feet and immediately fell back down to the couch, unable to cope with the sudden rush to her head. “Give me a second.”

Jessica hid her smirk behind her well-manicured hand. “Just sleep here tonight,” she insisted. “The guest bedroom is all made up from when Soojungie last came to visit.”

The thought of a soft, warm bed was infinitely more appealing than braving Hogsmeade’s late night autumn chill, wandering down a dark and musty secret passage and trying to sneak into the Slytherin dorm without being noticed by any professors.

“‘Kay,” Chaeyoung agreed, lifting her arms and arching her back into a contented stretch.

Jessica went into her closet to find a t-shirt and sweatpants for Chaeyoung to wear while the girl in question went into the bathroom to brush her teeth with a transfigured eyeliner pencil. While engaged in the activity, a small coil of glittering silver resting on a crystal soap dish caught her attention. Mesmerized, Chaeyoung picked it up to reveal a necklace so delicate, it looked like it was spun instead of forged. The only adornment was a small bar of diamond.

“Dish ish beautiful,” Chaeyoung told Jessica with a mouth full of toothpaste once the older girl entered with the sleep clothes. She spat into the sink, and rinsed her mouth out with water. “Did your parents give it to you?”

Jessica wrinkled her nose at the necklace in question. “Oh, that? Some designer brought it into the office a few days ago for B&E’s new accessory line. It’s just a mock-up- the diamonds aren’t real or anything. I think they might’ve just Transfigured it from a piece of string.”

That explained why it was so carelessly tossed into a soap dish. Jessica might be messy by nature, but her mother taught her to be fastidious with her jewels. She kept them all in an ornate, goblin-made chest that had been in her family for generations. If something was left out, it wouldn’t be valuable.

“Can I have it?” Chaeyoung asked, already fastening it around her neck. It was the most grown-up thing she’d ever worn, even if it wasn’t actually worth anything.

Jessica shrugged. “Sure. Knock yourself out.”

They said their good nights after that, each trodding off to their respective rooms, feeling full, fuzzy and satisfied.

~~~

Chaeyoung ran through the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade as fast as she could. Without the hordes of students bustling about, the little village seemed sleepy and sparse, barely reminiscent of the hub of activity it was the day before. Most of the people out and about were elderly witches and wizards- Chaeyoung remembered Jessica complaining about B&E holding their main office in a glorified wizarding retirement community the night before.

Chaeyoung paused for a moment outside Honeydukes to catch her breath. A pair of older wizards were playing Gobstones at a table outside and they both chuckled when they caught a glimpse of a panting Chaeyoung.

“Played a bit of hooky, eh?” one of the older men questioned, winking in Chaeyoung’s direction. “Did my fair share of that back in the day. Of course, it was much easier before the secret passage on the fourth floor corridor caved in.”

“You’ll be going through the secret passage in the Honeydukes cellar, right?” the other old man asked her. Without waiting for her answer, he assured her that the two of them would distract the owners so she could sneak into the cellar.

Chaeyoung didn’t have the heart to tell them that her Disillusionment Charm was nearly perfect, so she just thanked them profusely and waited until they got the owner, Mr. Flume’s, attention.

“Excuse me, Mr. Flume!” one of the old men called, wobbling inside the shop to query the busy looking men. It really didn’t look like it would be that difficult to get by him, but Chaeyoung didn’t want to take away the older men’s fun. “Do you sell oral hygiene products yet?”

“Honestly Marvin,” Mr. Flume huffed, his impatient tone indicating that the two of them had had this conversation multiple times before. “How many times do I have to tell you? This is a sweets shop. We sell the opposite of oral hygiene products.”

“Well, as a concerned citizen of the wizarding community and a longtime loyal patron of your store, I feel as if it’s my duty to inform you that this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. If you would just-”

The other man gestured for Chaeyoung to go into the cellar while Mr. Flume was occupied. She gave him a quick thumbs up in thanks and went into the cellar, hurrying straight into the secret passage she and Tzuyu discovered their third year. She cast lumos to brighten the dark, confined space, doing her best not to shiver too badly at the long stretch of blackness ahead of her.

She felt a bit hesitant to rush forward until she checked her watch.

11:06. She was already six minutes late to her study session with Dahyun, with at least fifteen more minutes of tunnel to travel, not to mention the amount of time it’ll take her to get to the abandoned classroom she and Dahyun used. In the best case scenario, assuming the moving staircase felt like cooperating that day, she would be around 45 minutes late. Worst case scenario, it could be well over an hour and a half.

She swallowed her guilt, using it as motivation to keep running.

When she finally did make it to the abandoned classroom, Chaeyoung was so out of breath that every inhale felt like a knife attacking her lungs and a sheen of sweat condensed on her brow and it was 11:52.

Dahyun was still waiting at their usual study table, her homework in front of her, though it didn’t look like she was paying much attention to it. Her fingers on one hand were drumming a nervous rhythm into the table, while her other hand held a sugar quill that had clearly seen better days. To Chaeyoung’s mixed horror and intrigue, Dahyun brought the sugar quill to her lips and sucked.

It was then that Chaeyoung’s mouth chose to form words. “Hi there,” she wheezed, clutching her torso. “Sorry I’m late. Slept in.”

Dahyun’s hair turned her signature pink and orange combination when Chaeyoung spoke, and it was only then that Chaeyoung noticed that Dahyun’s hair had been a mousy brown when she first approached.

“Oh, no problem!” she insisted, beamin up at Chaeyoung. “I was a little late too, actually.” She hesitated for a short second. “How was Jessica’s?”

“It was fine,” Chaeyoung told her, still panting, taking a seat across from the other girl. Her overworked muscles sang in relief. “We had a nice chat. Ate some decent ramen.”

Chaeyoung didn’t particularly want to discuss the evening she and Jessica spent together with Dahyun. When she was with Jessica, everything felt the way it should. There were no surprises, no discomfort- just pure ease. Though the second Jessica had started talking about Dahyun, that pure, familiar ease morphed into something twisted and unrecognizable. Similarly, now that she was with Dahyun, everything felt clear and simple. The longer she dwelled on Jessica however, the hazier and more complicated her feelings became.

The obvious solution, it seemed to Chaeyoung, was just to keep the pair completely separate from each other. So she focused on Dahyun instead, pushing all thoughts of Hogsmeade sleepovers and Jessica behind her.

Dahyun was wearing a yellow, oversized Hufflepuff jumper instead of her school robes and her hair was tied in two braids so loose that they were barely even twisted. Chaeyoung had never seen her hair styled or up and had to resist the urge to take a braid into her hands and tug. She hadn’t noticed it when she first came into the room, but a small wicker basket filled with pink muffins rested on the desk in front of Dahyun.

Dahyun noticed Chaeyoung’s gaze on the basket and grinned. “They’re strawberry. I remember when you said it was your favorite so I went into the kitchens last night and asked the house elves to help me make them. I cast a preservation spell on them so they should still be fresh and warm.”

Chaeyoung’s heart swelled, threatening to burst. Realizing she hadn’t yet eaten, she grabbed a muffin and took a bite, closing her eyes at the sweet yet tangy melt-in-your mouth flavor.

“Mmm. So good, Dahyun. These are better than the kind my grandmother makes.”

Dahyun’s only answer was a brilliant beam. Her eyes, which were as pink as the strawberry muffins, trailed down Chaeyoung’s face and halted at her neck. Noticing this, Chaeyoung shifted self-consciously. The sweater she wore the other day was too thick for the unseasonably warm weather of the day, so Jessica had lent her another shirt to wear back to the castle. It was a simple white t-shirt, which was all Chaeyoung would accept, but it looked like no t-shirt Chaeyoung owned. What was a form fitting t-shirt on Jessica dwarfed Chaeyoung, but not in a cute, my-boyfriend’s-hoodie sort of way. The neckline was stretched to the point where Chaeyoung had to continuously pull it upward, but it always stubbornly returned to dip low toward her chest, exposing more skin than Chaeyoung was used to.

Despite Chaeyoung’s insecurities about her chest, Dahyun seemed focused on only her neck. She reached over with her long, thin fingers, causing Chaeyoung’s heart to go into palpitations, but she only ran a light finger over the delicate silver chain she wore around her neck. Goosebumps still erupted wherever Dahyun’s fingers touched.

“This is pretty,” she murmured, taking the chain in between her fingers. “I’ve never seen you wear it before. Is it new?”

Chaeyoung swallowed. “Jessica gave it to me last night,” she confirmed.

Dahyun dropped the chain and shook her hand as if it had been burned, her mesmerized look replaced with one of strained cheer. She didn’t say anything else about it, but Chaeyoung was unable to suppress the urge to babble.

“I was in such a hurry to leave this morning that I almost forgot it but luckily Jessica remembered and-”

“Wait,” Dahyun interrupted, her brows furrowed. She no longer even bothered with a strained smile, her expression dead serious. “You spent the night at Jessica’s?”

Chaeyoung blinked, taken aback by Dahyun’s sudden shift in demeanor. “Um. Yes?”

Dahyun’s reaction was immediate. She started shoving papers and books into her school bag, not seeming to care that her homework was becoming crumpled and the ink would probably smear. “Right,” she said as she packed up her things. “I’m an idiot.”

“What?” Chaeyoung was alarmed, not sure what to do with her hands. She kept waving them about as if that would slow Dahyun down so she could explain. “You are not an idiot. What’s going on? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?”

Chaeyoung’s genuine question seemed to stop Dahyun in her tracks as she stared down at Chaeyoung in disbelief. She let out a strangled sound that seemed like a cross between a laugh and a cry, massaging her temples.

“Wow,” was all she finally spoke, just when the silence was getting too much for Chaeyoung. “You really, genuinely are that oblivious. It’s not an act.”

Chaeyoung tensed, Dahyun’s scornful words raising her Slytherin defenses. She scowled at the other girl, baring her teeth.

“Don’t talk to me like that,” she hissed. “I understand that you’re angry for some reason, but don’t take it out on me. I just got here.”

Dahyun matched her scowl. “It isn’t taking your anger out on someone when they’re the reason you’re angry. Then it’s just expressing your anger.”

“And why exactly are you angry at me?” Chaeyoung asked, crossing her arms. She hoped the question sounded firm and demanding, not as small and needy as it did in her mind. This wasn’t the time to show weakness. “Please, tell me. I’d love to know what imagined slight has gotten you so worked up.”

“Oh, of course. An imagined slight. Sweet, angelic Chaeyoungie can never do anything wrong, right? You’re just a little, innocent soul that needs to be protected-”

Chaeyoung’s face heated up. “I am not! I’m not innocent and I don’t need to be protected so you can take your-”

“I know that!” Dahyun interrupted, to Chaeyoung’s surprise. She sounded frustrated, her previous rage a little cooled down. “You’re different from what people think. People only ever focus on how- on how small and sweet and  cute and, and cuddly  you are and that’s all true! But it’s not even close to the full story. You’re also ambitious and clever and pragmatic to a fault. I mean, it’s not as if you’d be in Slytherin for no reason! Chaeyoungie, you’re sharp. If you were a drawing you’d be all angles and bold lines and no eraser marks. When you’ve set your mind to something there isn’t a force in the entire universe, not even the combined power of Merlin and Harry Potter and- oh, God I don’t know- every other famous wizard ever, that could make you think of something else.

“That’s why everyone thinks you’re oblivious, Chaeyoungie. It’s not because you’re stupid or innocent or whatever other harmless personality trait they plaster onto you to justify your chosen ignorance. It’s because you are literally incapable of acknowledging anything other than the viewpoint you’ve settled on. If you believed that the sky was red, you wouldn’t see that it was actually blue until someone forced you to stare at the sky for an hour and kept shouting ‘blue’ into your ear. Then you would act all shocked even though the sky has always been blue and it’s always been right in front of you. I mean, you look at this sky every single day! You see that it’s blue! But you think it’s red so it can’t be blue. Is any of this making sense?”

Chaeyoung was shaking, hugging her arms to her chest. “No,” she insisted. “I don’t understand, you’re not making any sense.”

“Yes I am,” Dahyun insisted with equal fervor. She eyed Chaeyoung, showing no sympathy for the girl’s physical distress. “Chaeyoung. I’m about to tell you something. It’s something that you know. I know that you know this, because I’ve made it so painfully obvious that you would have to be an idiot to not know it, and you are not an idiot. Okay?”

“No,” Chaeyoung repeated, squeezing her eyes shut and feeling like she was trapped in a cell, with no way to escape. “I don’t want to hear it, please don’t tell me-”

Dahyun peeled Chaeyoung’s arms from her body and gripped her clammy hands in her own. Chaeyoung’s eyes opened, seemingly of their own accord, and met Dahyun’s, which blazed with determination.

“Too bad. You’re going to heart it anyway. Son Chaeyoung, I like you. So. Fucking. Much.”

There it was. The dreaded words, confirmation to a reality Chaeyoung kept hidden under lock and key, buried six thousand feet in the ground. Spoken aloud, and yet, nothing changed. The floor hadn’t split open, the earth was still in orbit around the sun and, perhaps most importantly, Chaeyoung’s heart still beat. True, it was faster than normal, but it still beat, all the same.

If Dahyun expected a response from Chaeyoung, she wasn’t getting one. Chaeyoung felt over taken by an eerie sort of calm, hearing everything as if she were underwater. She was in the eye of a hurricane and it was quiet, for just a moment, but she could see the implosion just on the horizon.

Dahyun continued on, propelled by a force that seemed to exist outside herself.

“I’ve always done well in school, but obviously I’m a bit thick,” she was saying, bitterly. Chaeyoung’s hearing returned full force and she focused on Dahyun, trying not to overwhelm her senses. “You made it clear from the beginning that anything between us would be impossible. That… your loyalties lay elsewhere.

“Can you blame me for hoping though? I mean, you can’t possibly think that I actually need to be tutored, so why do you keep arranging sessions with me? All we do is talk and smile stupidly at each other! What am I supposed to think when you want to meet up every week? When you lean into every word I say as if you find me fascinating? When you watch me from the Great Hall during meals, when you squeeze my hand every time you hold it, when you wear my scarf in public? When you have a special smile for me that I’ve never seen you use on anyone else… Then again, I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at Jessica yesterday.”

She trailed off, sighing, and things were quiet again for another moment. All Chaeyoung could do was focus on her breathing- in, out, in, out.

Dahyun’s gaze turned soft. “Maybe I’m being too harsh on you. I don’t know. Just-” her voice hitched and she took a deep breath to steady herself. “Just tell me I’m not completely crazy. Tell me that if things were different, you might-”

Chaeyoung lunged forward. The desk between them was digging uncomfortably into her sternum, but the only thing Chaeyoung knew was that Dahyun’s mouth was soft, warm and tasted of strawberries.

Somewhere through the haze in her mind, Chaeyoung registered that they must have moved, because now Dahyun was standing against a wall and Chaeyoung’s fingers were cradling her cheek and in her hair but all that mattered was that their mouths were moving against each other like they were both trying to devour the other girl. Chaeyoung pressed closer to Dahyun even though their bodies were already perfectly aligned, until they felt fused together, a single entity. She wanted to stay like this forever, wrapped up in Dahyun, the outside world unintelligible and unimportant. She felt like she was flying; euphoric, looking down on the rest of the world from above, unable to see anything except tiny little specks and smudges.

Seemingly from a thousand miles away, a quill dropped. How it fell, Chaeyoung didn’t know, but it resounded against the floor louder than anything of its size had the right to. Dahyun shoved her away and Chaeyoung stumbled back, dazed.

She had no idea how long they’d been kissing, if it was for five minutes or five hours. Her lips felt swollen and bruised. Dahyun looked the way she felt, leaning against the wall with a finger to her lips, panting softly. She was staring at Chaeyoung wide eyed like a deer, with something akin to fear in her eyes. On the normally bright and confident Dahyun, it was an unfamiliar and unsettling look.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Dahyun eventually rasped, voice like sandpaper.

Chaeyoung nodded, biting her lip. “I don’t know why I did.”

Dahyun closed her eyes, looking pained. “I know why,” she said. She walked back to the desk, grabbed her bag and began to leave, pausing at the door. She looked back at Chaeyoung over her shoulder.

“I think you did it because you might be a little bit of a bitch.”

Then she was gone. For a long time, Chaeyoung didn’t move, feeling like she was glued to her spot as she processed not only what had just happened but Dahyun’s parting words as well.

After a long moment of reflection, Chaeyoung tore the necklace from her neck, the cheap, transfigured chain easily breaking in two.