Free Response.

In which a teacher really tries to give you the bulk of the points in partial credit. It’s so much more, so much deeper, than “this or that” or “one of these.” There’s no one right answer, so long as you try. Sometimes you need a push to get your pen to the paper. It’s all you. So it kills you to see everyone stamp an X over your heart and soul, but there’s a silver lining when one person writes “Good job!” in the margins. Take it and run with it.

I.O.I’s Doyeon x Yoojung, featuring Somi & Sohye and OCs

Yoojung yanks Doyeon down by the collar to whisper “I accept who you are” into the girl’s ear. She does this every morning when they meet in front of the Great Hall for breakfast. She does this every evening when they leave the library after studying and part ways to their dormitories. She does this when Doyeon passes behind her to get to the store cupboards in Potions. She does this when a second rat scurries onto her desk in Transfiguration and Doyeon reaches over to grab it by the scruff of its neck. She even braves saying it out loud in the empty greenhouses after classes when they scrape the beans out of Snapping Snowpepper pods, which oddly only grow in the hottest, muggiest greenhouse on the grounds.

At first, Doyeon wriggled and fidgeted whenever Yoojung said it. It felt so cringeworthy, more so now that there were other students milling about. But, as Yoojung expected, Doyeon grew more comfortable hearing it. It meant she wasn’t ashamed to think such a thing. It meant she was starting to believe it. And the more she believed it, the more she would accept herself for being who she is. Yoojung was pretty darn proud.

One morning, Sohye fusses to Doyeon about their Transfiguration practical. They decide to get some breakfast and bring it outside to study without other people disturbing them. At the same moment they come up to the Entrance Hall, Somi and Yoojung reach the bottom of the staircase. Doyeon and Yoojung offer to get the food while Somi and Sohye find a shaded spot by the lake.

There’s a crowd of girls by the Gryffindor table where a brooding teenage boy has announced the end of his relationship. The students are openly sympathetic for the boy, but subtly antagonistic towards the other prospective girlfriends lined up. Doyeon veers off to the right to get food from her table instead. Walking past the Ravenclaw table, she sees a girl muttering incantations nonstop while flicking her wand indiscriminately. Doyeon immediately recognizes the sharp nose buried deep in the notebook. Conscious of this, Yoojung tugs her a bit farther away and hastens her steps. A boy cuts in front of them on his way to the table and accidentally knocks over a bottle of grape juice.

“No! How could you do that?! Do you realize how important today is?! Ugh, you’re such a… a—” 

Nobody ever finds out what the boy is because Heather switches from an aggravated troll to a weeping mess in seconds. She stares at the sheets of parchment, dark purple liquid dissolving the ink into blurry lines. The boy breaks out of his shock and runs to her side.

“Uh, I’m sorry?” He says, patting her on the back awkwardly as if petting a sea urchin.

He looks around at the other students for help. Some look away with smirks, obviously having experienced less than pleasant conversations with Heather, and are not exactly jumping at the chance to intervene. The rest just shrug uselessly at the boy. Yoojung feels guilty for anyone that distressed, but she thinks it’s more reasonable to leave the situation alone. She tugs at Doyeon’s hand again and they slowly move towards the Hufflepuff table.

With her left arm, Yoojung balances two plates piled with bacon, eggs, and waffles. On the table is an open cloth with some pastries stacked in the middle. Wanting to ask if they should take some cheese and drinks with them, her free hand reaches out to the right. She touches nothing but air. Looking over, she sees Doyeon’s open bag lying on the floor. Before she can search for the girl, someone in front of her speaks.

“Would you like to take some of these? They’re really sweet.”

A sixth-year boy across the table offers to scoop two bowls of fresh berries for Yoojung. He also conjures two large goblets and fills them with pumpkin juice. Yoojung nods her head in appreciation and the boy goes back to eating. She jumps a bit when a hand reaches across her to tie the cloth bundle with a knot. Doyeon hangs it on her arm, loops her bag over her shoulder, and takes the goblets and bowls of fruit from the table.

“Ready?” Doyeon says casually. Yoojung nods and they head outside

Somi and Sohye meet them by the door and help them carry the food to their spot. After settling down, they dig in hungrily. Somi has worked up an appetite in the short period she was outside. Sohye explains Somi was trying to change a fallen empty nest into a glass paperweight and it somehow melted instead. Yoojung actively ignores the smoking patch of grass fifteen feet away. They finally get to the lecture from last week and practice the spells.

“Don’t get frustrated. If you randomly jab at the air, you could bore a hole through the object or blast it away. Focus on the goal, don’t do it by force. The way you think affects how you move.”

Doyeon wraps her hand around Sohye’s wrist and guides it through the wand movement. The dented metal plate on the ground morphs into a silk handkerchief.

“Oh… Oh!” Sohye realizes she casted the spell successfully for first time since learning it and thanks Doyeon. She tries again on her own, changing the other plate into cloth.

“Hey! I was using that!” Somi whines.

“Sorry,” Sohye says, not sounding sorry at all, and happily changes it back. Somi gives it a try, but nothing happens.

“You’ve got the syllables mixed up,” Doyeon explains.

“What?” Somi says incredulously, dragging out the vowel. “I’ve been saying it that way for a week! I wrote that all over my notes too. Can I see your notes? I’ll just get confused again if I look at mine.”

Doyeon reaches for her bag and jostles the books around. Yoojung scoots over to help look when Doyeon suddenly stops moving.

“Uh, actually no.” Yoojung raises an eyebrow and the unexpected response. Doyeon is usually really flexible and willing to help.

“Aw, why? I promise I’m not freeloading. Look at how much I wrote.” Somi holds up three sheets of parchment, chicken scratch lining the margins with words of varying sizes. “It’s just, you know, all the wrong things apparently…”

“It’s not that,” Doyeon smiles sheepishly. “I mean, you’re not going to have your notes in front of Professor McGonagall.”

“Well yeah, but I don’t know how to spell the incantation. And you just said I kind of need it,” Somi says, scratching her head.

Doyeon picks up a quill and scribbles the words in a free corner on the back of Somi’s notes. Somi recites it a few times, then Doyeon hides the parchment behind her back and prompts her friend to try casting the spell. Third time’s the charm when the plate fully transforms into a soft, periwinkle handkerchief. Somi lets out a piercing whoop and high fives Doyeon, who immediately recoils her hand when it stings.

“That’s the friendship,” Somi says in a singsong voice.

Doyeon laughs and turns to Yoojung. “So, how are you— Is something wrong?”

Yoojung looks suspiciously between Doyeon and Somi until she realizes she was being spoken to. She shakes her head and transfigures both plates into cloths, earning a whine from the other girls.

“Okay,” Doyeon says slowly, but offers a small smile to lighten the mood.

Yoojung rests her head on Doyeon’s shoulder. Doyeon pats her hair soothingly, thinking her friend is just tired this early in the morning. But the gears in Yoojung’s head are working overtime and it isn’t even eight o’clock yet.

The fourth-years get really antsy when it hits noon. An anonymous tip-off about a plot for cheating prompted Professor McGonagall to hold practicals in private. The wait is just as agonizing as the prospect of failing under the professor’s scrutinizing gaze. The growling stomachs don’t do much to calm their nerves either. Half of the class has gone through the small exam. Whether they passed or not is a different matter. Somi bites her nails nervously seeing the seventh student in a row swear upon exiting the office adjoining the classroom.

“Miss Somi Jeon,” Professor McGonagall’s voice carries across the chatter.

“Pray for me,” Somi squeaks before leaving her friends.

“Ugh, this is unbearable!” Doyeon groans into her hands.

“You’re nervous? You know all of this like the back of your hand,” Yoojung mumbles.

“I did, but having to wait makes me all fidgety and I second-guess myself. What if she stares right into my soul and I forget everything? What if I end up setting fire to her office by accident?” Doyeon dramatically shakes Yoojung by the shoulders.

A loud shout and a deafening boom silences the room. Everyone looks towards the door to the office, but nobody comes out. The room bursts into noise.

“Do you think the professor got fed up and turned Somi into a guinea pig?” A girl gasps.

“Hell if she did! We have a match next week!” A boy shouts.

“Really? That’s your concern?” Someone else scoffs. The boy just shrugs.

“I should’ve been like Sohye. Fake being sick and take it first so I can spend this wonderful hour at lunch, free from my misery,” Doyeon says, sprawled across her desk.

Yoojung is about to reply when the door bangs open and Somi steps out, cheek smeared with soot and the burnt ends of her sleeves shriveling up. Doyeon straightens up immediately and shoots a pointed look at Yoojung. For emphasis, she jerks her head in Somi’s direction with such force that her neck cracks.

“You’ve got bigger problems to worry about if instead of failing, you think you’re going to cast spells like Somi,” Yoojung mutters under her breath.

Professor McGonagall, still poised and collected but with a disgruntled expression, calls Heather into her office. Some of the students milling around their friends’ desks make a pathway, staring at her as if she was on death row. To Yoojung’s surprise, instead of hissing at them like usual, Heather meekly thanks them for moving aside. Somi, meanwhile, bounds towards Doyeon’s desk with a haughty expression. Yoojung raises an eyebrow at the girl and waits expectantly.

“I failed,” Somi chirps.

Doyeon and Yoojung exchange looks that scream “has she gone mad?”

“Then…” Doyeon trails off with a questioning tone.

“I think I’ve created a new spell!” She squeals.

“The world doesn’t need any more explosives, Muggle- or wizard-made,” Doyeon deadpans.

Somi ignores her. “I can cast lightning!” She exclaims proudly, throwing her hands in the air. She visibly deflates when neither of her friends applaud her.

“Sohye would be excited—”

“I don’t think that’s the word you’re looking for,” Doyeon cuts across.

“—and I’ll tell her at lunch, now that I’m free to leave, unlike someone!” Somi finishes loudly.

Anything Doyeon has to say is drowned out by Somi asking Yoojung to come with her. Yoojung declines and motions that she’ll wait for Doyeon to finish up. Somi nods and crosses the room to pack up her stuff. She sticks her tongue out at Doyeon before leaving for the Great Hall.

“She… didn’t really make a new spell for lightning, did she?” Yoojung whispers.

“No, she probably just seriously mispronounced the incantation again. Seems like it worked this time.”

Their conversation is cut off when Professor McGonagall steps out, calling for Doyeon to take her practical. Yoojung wishes her good luck and waves her off. When the door closes, Yoojung’s attention is drawn to the girl standing in front of her. Heather packs her bag with a soft smile on her face. Yoojung momentarily entertains the thought that Heather is quite pretty when she’s not biting everyone’s head off for being a nuisance. But then she remembers Doyeon and ignores Heather’s presence. She collects all of Doyeon’s belongings so they can leave right after the practical is done. Someone clears their throat to get Yoojung’s attention.

“Excuse me…” Heather says sheepishly.

Yoojung also notices how soft and feminine Heather’s voice sounds when she’s not screeching about other people’s incompetence. Yoojung quickly pushes the thought to the back of her mind. She nods slightly for the girl to continue.

“Uh…” Heather looks at the office door, then back at Yoojung. “Here, tell Doyeon I said thanks. She’s a life-saver, really.”

Heather gently pushes a stack of parchment into Yoojung’s hands. They’re loaded with writing. Incredibly detailed notes neatly organized with no wasted space. There are incantations handwritten in italics, concepts of magical theory underlined, and diagrams of wand movements sketched in the margins. A chart on one of the pages lists every spell they learned that year, every object or animal they were given, what it transforms into, and shorthand notes on what to think while casting. The top right corner of every page is labeled with Doyeon’s name using the sharp-point quill she got for her birthday.

Yoojung is utterly baffled. She almost wills herself to ask Heather why she had Doyeon’s notes. Before the anxiety of speaking out loud kicks in, she notices Heather holding crumpled pieces of parchment stained a deep purple. The pages are dry, but the writing is far too illegible to be of value anymore. Heather disposes of them in a bin against the wall. She turns around to walk towards the door and catches Yoojung looking at her.

“Turns out it wasn’t grape juice,” she shrugs with a small, nervous smile. “It’s someone’s personal concoction that uses some kind of oil. Couldn’t siphon it off with magic, must be nearly impossible to clean by hand. I reckon it was meant for Filch to find splattered all over the corridors.”

Yoojung doesn’t give any sign that she heard or cared. But naturally, she did. Heather sighs at the silence.

“I know this doesn’t make up for anything I’ve said about you or Doyeon, but for what it’s worth, I’m really sorry. To put it plainly, I was horrible. To you, to her, to everyone. There’s no good way to say it. None of you deserve that, and yet…” Heather gestures vaguely around her. “It, um, it takes a lot for people to put up with me. But then there’s someone like Doyeon, who takes it all and still helps me without expecting anything in return? It’s a first, at least for me. Nobody talks to me except to cower away or tell me to get lost,” she admits.

Heather wrings her hands together waiting for a response, but she gets none. She dips her head a bit under Yoojung’s piercing gaze.

“Its definitely not my place to say this, but it’s great that you have someone like her. She’s rare. She’s special. It’s awful that all I’ve done is try to degrade her. It was immature of me. And that’s no excuse to attack the people she cares about either. So, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry to you both.”

Heather doesn’t expect an answer this time. She just nods away the awkward guilt, wishes Yoojung a good weekend, and leaves the room.

Doyeon exits the office looking positively radiant, and Professor McGonagall’s lips quirk up a bit as well. She calls the next student in with a tired sigh. When Doyeon reaches her desk, she looks weirdly at Yoojung, who’s staring at the brick wall.

“You dropped something,” Doyeon says, using her index finger to push Yoojung’s jaw back up.

Yoojung looks around the room. Doyeon thinks she’s wondering what happened while she zoned out.

“I passed! With flying colors, she said! Apparently I’m the only one who got it on the first try. I even got the extra credit for extending the tendrils out to the length she asked for,” Doyeon grins.

“Oh, congrats!” Yoojung says softly, still a bit dazed.

“You were right, there was no reason to panic. Maybe this is my thing, like my thing. This is working out alright,” Doyeon sighs in satisfaction.

“I’m really happy for you. Come on, let’s go eat,” Yoojung whispers, giving Doyeon a side hug.

Yoojung subtly slides the notes into Doyeon’s bag, handing it to her by the strap. Doyeon thanks her and leads them out of the noisy classroom.

~|~|~|~

“Bloody hell—”

“That’s what it feels like—”

“I’m melting! I’m melting!”

“Leave it to wizards to dress in robes all the time.”

“Guys, the more you talk, the worse you’ll feel,” Doyeon says in frustration, rounding on them at the bottom of the stairs.

“I can’t help it! It’s too hot to keep my thoughts to myself!” Somi whines.

Sohye sways eerily from side to side. She abruptly grabs onto Somi for support, who dramatically flattens against the dungeon wall under the added weight.

“Oh thank Hippogriff feathered buns, the wall is so cold,” Somi sighs in relief.

Sohye scrambles to the space next to her without a word and anneals herself to the chilled surface. It’s a welcome refuge from the unexpected sweltering heat of mid-April. Her nose scrunches up at the heat radiating over her face. Opening her eyes, she sees a torch bracket just above her head. She faces the other way and leans her cheek against the cold stone bricks.

Doyeon feels more of her sweat pooling into the drenched collar of her robes. She pushes her sleeves up as far as they will go. The cool dungeon air rolls over her skin, but her shoulders feel twice as stuffy now. When she relaxes with her back against the wall, the sleeves unravel and insulate her arms again.

In front of her, Yoojung is trying to stay as still as possible. Her eyes are closed and she’s breathing very deeply and very slowly. Some of her hair is matted against the base of her neck, soaked through with perspiration. Just when Yoojung thinks she’s going to pass out, she feels a discontinuous breeze against her face and hears something flapping in front of her. Doyeon is fanning Yoojung with a stack of her Charms notes.

Yoojung looks at Doyeon with half-lidded eyes and reaches up to stop her. You don’t have to—

“Just let me. You look like you’ve sweated out five pounds walking here from the third floor,” Doyeon says, pushing Yoojung’s hand back down.

Just then, Professor Slughorn unlocks the Potions classroom. Everyone rushes in like a stampede and sinks into their chairs with a groan. Somi drags Sohye’s limp body through the door, plopping her down in her seat. She catches Sohye’s head lobbing around and places it gently on the table. Figuring the girl is way too out of it for now, Somi slowly pulls out their cauldrons and ingredients. Her annoyance grows when she sees their dried plants have partially rehydrated from the humidity. One of the packets squelches under her touch. Sticking her tongue out in disgust, she looks up at the board and reads about the potion they’re making. Thankfully, the dried materials they do need were sealed in an air-tight container. She makes a mental note to never nag about Sohye’s fussiness ever again.

On the other side of the room, Doyeon and Yoojung silently set up their stations. They mutually agree to work together and share all ingredients because neither want to move more than they have to. When Professor Slughorn gives the signal, everyone sluggishly begins brewing. Yoojung pushes her cauldron to the far side of her station and lights a fire. Doyeon does the same, grumbling about the extra heat in the room. She would wait until all of her materials are ready, but the board says to begin with boiling water, otherwise the potion will be ineffective.

Despite the heat, Yoojung diligently untangles a bundle of Knotgrass, counting exactly thirty-seven fibers for each of them. Doyeon quickly measures out two portions of thick Shocktree sap. Then she drags her feet over to the store cupboards and scoops out a cupful of Fire Seeds. She forces herself to run to her table since sweating and huffing like a bear is preferable to burning her hands. The ceramic cup becomes too hot to hold just as she reaches her station. She hears something shatter behind her and Somi hissing in pain. Doyeon immediately turns around, repairs the cup, and sweeps the seeds back into it using her foot. Somi thanks her and pulls her sleeves over her hands to carry the cup back to Sohye, nearly tripping along the way. She reminds Doyeon of a certain cartoon dwarf in a childhood movie.

By their combined efforts, Doyeon and Yoojung speed through prepping their ingredients. They move on to boiling their solutions over medium heat for twenty minutes while everyone else is still stirring in their chopped leeches piece by piece. They sit down to wait, but it’s uncomfortable now that the room is swirling with steam. Their friends’ voices float across from the other side.

“Do you have any extra leeches? I’m two short,” Sohye says.

“Yeah, over there. I quartered them,” Somi replies, pointing at the bowl by her chopping board.

Sohye walks around to the opposite side and reaches over the table to pick up the bowl. She doesn’t take three steps before the student at the next table bumps into her. She trips over her robes and the entire bowl of leeches tips into her cauldron, juice and all.

“Somi, watch out!” Sohye shouts.

Her potion hisses menacingly and shoots upward like a geyser.

“What? Gah!” Somi screams.

Somi sidesteps to dodge the splashing liquid, accidentally pouring an entire bottle of extract into her own cauldron. Her potion turns from a vibrant gold to a deep sewage green. Everyone in the vicinity pinches their nose from the rotting smell.

Another yelp sounds from Doyeon’s side of the room. She faces forward to see two boys jump aside. One of the cauldrons is bubbling over, the resulting vapor fogging up the area. Doyeon covers in time, but Yoojung inhales and goes into a coughing fit. She shoots out of her chair and scurries to the back of the room.

The class is in total disarray. Students flock back and forth trying to avoid the stench from one side and the suffocating smoke from the other. Some are torn between escaping the fumes and tending to their cauldrons. Others completely abandon the assignment and run out into the corridor for clean air.

“Now, now everyone, settle down!” Professor Slughorn says in a nasally voice.

Everyone ignores him and he figures it’s best to just solve the problem at hand than refocus his class.

“Miss Kim, will you please help Mr. Strider over there?” He says, rushing over to Somi and Sohye’s table.

Reluctantly, Doyeon walks into the heart of the smoke and fans it away by casting a weak breeze with her wand. Nick eyes her from head to toe, unsure about the help he’s getting. Doyeon looks twice as displeased at this as everyone else with stinging lungs, and rolls her eyes in annoyance. The sooner she fixes the potion, the sooner Yoojung’s face can return to its normal shade. So she deals with it.

Doyeon gets right to the point. “What did you do?” She says as polite as possible.

“Uh, it’s ok. I think he can help me,” Nick says, pointing vaguely behind himself.

Doyeon looks over his shoulder at his friend gagging while retreating to the door. She raises her eyebrow and looks back at Nick.

“I think your help left you behind.”

Nick’s head snaps back to confirm, seemingly shocked that his friend has disappeared.

“Look,” Doyeon sighs tiredly, “let me just help you get back on track so everyone can breathe again, then you won’t have to talk to me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that—” Nick starts.

Doyeon holds up her hand. “So, what did you last do? Stir it the wrong way? Add too much of something?”

“No, the book said to add a spoonful of Springleton spores, so that’s what I did. Honest.”

“Springleton spores?” Doyeon asks incredulously with a puzzled expression. “Do you know what they’re harvested from?”

Nick shakes his head. “I do the minimum. I don’t look anything up unless we have an essay,” he admits.

“Springleton spores are from a glacial fungus,” Doyeon explains.

“Okay?” Nick shrugs.

“We’re making an Energy Elixir.”

“Yeah, I read the board…”

Doyeon takes a deep breath. “An Energy Elixir increases your metabolism to produce a lot more mechanical work than your body normally would.” Nick stares at her blankly. Doyeon pauses to reword her explanation. “It… It feels like a Pepper-Up Potion cranked up to ten times the strength and duration. That’s not its main function, but the excess heat is definitely a physical side effect.”

Realization dawns on Nick’s face, much like when they spoke only once before. Doyeon pushes the memory away and recites something in her head. It calms her down.

“If I wasn’t supposed to add the spores, what did I need?”

“Fire Seeds. Didn’t you see everyone else juggling hot cups from the store cupboards?”

“I don’t really pay attention to anyone else,” Nick mumbles lazily.

“Not being rude, I genuinely mean this. You could learn quite a bit from watching others,” Doyeon says. “Anyways, the spores are probably what made it bubble, but they won’t do that by themselves. What else did you put in here?”

Meanwhile she starts adding a thin liquid from a bottle on the table to stop the cauldron from overflowing. The bubbles fizzle out and the potion reduces to a low simmer.

“Pinches of powdered spines, some Lacewing Flies, three whole skinned pickled leeches, only the core of dried Shocktree bark, the inner tubules of a bat spleen, just the top-most blades of Knotgrass…”

Doyeon’s eyebrows furrow with every ingredient Nick lists.

“Why did you add all of that? Almost none of those things go into this potion. Any that do, you’ve prepped incorrectly,” she interrupts.

“What are you talking about? It says it right here on the page.”

Nick looks skeptical again. He pulls his textbook to the edge of the table. Doyeon skims the pages and looks at Nick in alarm. Nick thinks it’s for a completely different reason and smirks back, an “I told you so” on the tip of his tongue.

“That’s weird. You would be an excellent potioneer,” Nick stands a bit taller and puffs out his chest proudly, “if this was the legitimate textbook.”

“Wait, what?” Nick splutters. Doyeon can hear the record screeching in his head.

“You’ve followed the recipe to a T. The thing is, it’s a completely fake recipe. If this was your Potions book all year, it’s no wonder you’ve been brewing nothing but disasters.”

Even Nick sees that as a fair assessment of his work since September so he stays silent.

Doyeon flips to the cover of the book. “I think this is someone’s idea of a prank. They must have replaced the cover of this fake Potions book with the cover of the real one. It’s pretty clever. All of the pages match up, but the instructions are nearly reversed. Most of the ingredients actually counteract the effect the real ingredients are supposed to have in the potion. Springleton spores are excellent for coolants while Fire Seeds give the elixir an initial source of energy to jumpstart your body upon consumption.”

Doyeon jumps a bit when she looks up and sees Nick’s face grow dark.

“My brother…” He growls. “I thought he was being a great role model, giving me his annotated books after he left Hogwarts. They were for all the classes he got N.E.W.T.s in, his last present to me before he went to work abroad.”

Doyeon feels her stomach churn uncomfortably when his expression turns from anger to defeat. Like someone else she knows, Nick has to uphold his family’s standards. The difference is that he actually had someone to lean on, and it backfired. Maybe not intentionally, but it hurt all the same.

Doyeon’s gut is trying to communicate with her again. She doesn’t fight it. She pulls out her wand, vanishing Nick’s potion. She casts a charm to fill it up with water and puts it over a newly lit flame.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Nick says a little too loudly.

“Trust me, it would be very difficult to fix what you made. It’s better if you just start from scratch, as annoying as it may be.”

“That’s going to take forever. The period’s already more than half-over.” Cue kicked puppy look.

“Well,” Doyeon says, placing her own textbook on top of Nick’s fake one, “isn’t it better to turn in a potion that’s actually what it’s supposed to be? I’ll make it with you, even if we do go past the end of the period. That is, if you want my help.” She scans the pages to review the first steps of the brewing process.

Doyeon doesn’t hear a response and tentatively looks up. Maybe Nick still thinks lowly of her skills. He stares at her thoughtfully. Doyeon notices he seems lot more collected now, not like the bumbling fool he was back in October. Or maybe it was because she bothered to look past the surface this time. His voice brings her back to the present.

“You know, you’re nothing like I expected from…” He doesn’t finish.

“Is that a bad thing?” Doyeon asks, genuinely curious.

Nick glances at his boiling cauldron, then smiles at Doyeon. “No. No, it’s definitely not,” he says. He stands in front of his cutting board awaiting Doyeon’s commands.

Doyeon directs him on prepping his ingredients. She tells him she’ll be back to help once she finishes brewing her own elixir. She stoppers her sample and places it on Professor Slughorn’s desk. While there, she explains to him the circumstances of Nick’s potion and the professor allows them the extra time to brew a new batch while thanking her profusely for being such a big help. Yoojung packs up all of her items while waiting. When Doyeon returns, she tells Yoojung to go ahead of her. The shorter girl follows Somi and Sohye out of the room. Turning back to check on Doyeon one last time, she sees her friend set up a station at Nick’s table.

~|~|~|~

“Wake… up…” Says a voice echoing in the distance.

“Dancing… Unicorns and Bicorns…” Doyeon mumbles, drool dribbling onto her quilt.

“Hey… wake up…” How annoying.

“One and… two and three… and…” Doyeon snorts and rolls over.

“Doyeon?”

“You’re off beat… Don’t tell Yoojung…” She hugs her pillow tighter.

“Wake up!”

Someone pushes Doyeon off of her bed and she tumbles onto the hard floor. Sitting up, she brushes the hair out of her face and wipes her drool with her sleeve.

“Whywouldyadothat?” She whines indiscernibly, her voice cracking like dry soil.

“It’s noon, haven’t you slept enough?” Says a sackful of sass personified.

“It’s Saturday, so no…” Doyeon answers immediately.

She blinks a few times until her vision clears. The person standing over her focuses into the image of a fussy mother hen, hands on her hips, who goes by the name of Sohye Kim.

“Well, you’re up now. Besides, don’t you have Quidditch practice?”

Doyeon’s head jerks up at this. Now wide awake with gunk in her eyes, she throws on her robes and rushes out of the room to get ready. Sohye allows herself a mocking laugh before making Doyeon’s bed. Peering out of the ground-level window, she sees Doyeon’s feet trample across the grass towards the Quidditch pitch.

“Sorry. I’m. Late,” Doyeon pants, rubbing the stitch in her side.

“Actually, you’re right on time,” Kelsi says cheerfully. She leaves to check the equipment quickly when two people approach Doyeon.

“How are you on this fine morning?” Alek says and thumps her on the back.

“Lovely day for flying, isn’t it?” Asks Tobias, gesturing grandly at the clear blue sky.

“What’s with you guys? Eat some rotten eggs?”

Doyeon shakes their arms off of her shoulders but smiles anyway. She catches them sharing a look. They slap a grin back on their faces when they turn back to her.

“What’s wrong?” She says bluntly.

“Doyeon, can I talk to you for a moment?” Kelsi interrupts.

Tobias and Alek wave away her questioning stare and motion for her to follow the Captain. She walks to edge of the stands and Kelsi leans her arm over the railing.

“Kovic’s been temporarily suspended,” she sighs.

Doyeon’s eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Usually this doesn’t happen, but his marks have been so low that his parents wanted him off the team. It was quite the wake-up call and he’s trying to make up his work. But our last match of the season is next week and realistically, he won’t make the deadline.”

“So you want me to take his place?” Doyeon asks slowly.

“You hate me for asking that, don’t you?” Kelsi says.

“Not at all, I’ll do it.” Doyeon breaks into an easy smile.

“Really? You will?” Kelsi jumps up in excitement. “Why? I mean it’s wonderful, but I really thought I was going out on a limb here.”

“Well, first and foremost, you’re Captain. You dictate what goes on with this team. That’s what we all agreed to when we signed up to play Quidditch. And even if you’re in charge, we all have an obligation to this team. If that means putting my skills in playing Beater for your last chance at the Cup, then I’ll do it.”

Doyeon thinks she’s just made Kelsi’s day because the Captain lifts her up by the waist and hugs her like she’s a hero. The rest of the team looks over at Kelsi’s uncharacteristic behavior, but it seems like they knew about the issue because they all visibly relax. The two rejoin the group and Kelsi slips into her authoritative persona to begin a rigorous practice.

A week passes and Kovic has only raised two of his five failing marks. Yoojung, Sohye, and Somi are already up in the stands decked out in yellow and black attire, some of which may or may not have been stolen from Doyeon’s wardrobe. Doyeon pulls on her gear and checks over the state of her broom. Satisfied with the tail twigs, she picks up a Beater’s bat and gives it a test swing or two, stretching her arms and shoulders. Kelsi gathers everyone in the changing room to give them her last pep talk of the season. Just before they move out onto the pitch, she stops Doyeon around the corner.

“Thank you, again, it really means a lot to me,” Kelsi says sincerely.

Doyeon smiles at the unfamiliar gentle tone coming from the Captain. “No problem, I’m happy to do this. Let’s win this match.”

Kelsi takes her place at the center of the pitch while Doyeon stands off to the right. When the whistle blows, everyone kicks off into the air.

The match starts off well with Hufflepuff in possession of the Quaffle. The Bludgers whip around the perimeter but don’t fly in anyone’s way. Their Seeker, Zoe, keeps a close eye on the Snitch while waiting for the Chasers to scores some points. Gryffindor is tied with another house for the Cup thanks to Somi’s triple-goal tactic in the previous match against Ravenclaw. So if Hufflepuff wins today, they’ll be in the lead. Unfortunately, they’re up against Slytherin who have an excellent line-up this year, but who are notorious for playing rough. Slytherin is like an angry bull that bulldozes the concept of strategy. But there’s determination in the air. Hufflepuff soars across the pitch, their bold yellow and black robes screaming “don’t mess with us.”

The Chasers keep shuffling the Quaffle between them to keep it moving. It does a good job of confusing the Slytherins at first, but they catch on quickly. A Chaser donning emerald green robes closes in on Tobias. Just as he reaches to knock the ball away, he pulls up and out of sight. Tobias doesn’t have to time to think it’s odd and races towards the goalposts. A shadow looms from his left side. Out of reflex, he pulls back on his broom and slows down. The Bludger flies right at him, but someone cuts across his path from the right and swats it away with extraordinary force. Doyeon curves around the border of the stands and motions for Tobias to get moving. He sees an opponent approaching so he tosses the Quaffle up to Kelsi who smoothly guides it into the left hoop. Ten points for Hufflepuff and the day has just begun.

The teams are neck and neck, neither giving in. Just when they’re tied with Slytherin, Doyeon and Connor, the other Hufflepuff Beater, shield Kelsi with a double-swing. The two Bludgers shoot off like cannonballs, splitting up the Chaser formation guarding Slytherin’s Keeper and hoops. Kelsi throws the Quaffle ahead to Alek, who backflips and sends the ball through the unprotected center goalpost. The score is eighty to seventy with Hufflepuff in the lead. Kelsi calls for a time-out. Madam Hooch blows her whistle and the players descend onto the pitch.

“I don’t mean to be pushy, but I don’t have many more tricks to keep their Seeker off my tail. He’s spotted the Snitch quite a few times already from following me around,” says Zoe.

“I know, but we need to be at least sixty points in the lead and their offense is just as strong as their defense this year,” Kelsi sighs.

“So what do we do? Our tactics only keep us afloat. We’re not making any headway,” Tobias says, crossing his arms in frustration.

Connor nudges Doyeon with his elbow. He’s is a lot like Yoojung. He does speak, though not much, especially not when there’s people around. He’ll add his two cents every now and then, only if he’s absolutely certain though. Any doubt at all, he’ll shut up like a clam.

“We’ll take the offensive.” This gets everyone’s attention. “Usually a Beater’s priority is to keep the Bludgers away from their team and knock the opponents off their brooms by consequence. A defensive strategy with a backup offense by random chance. We’ll do the opposite. We’ll actively search for and aim them at the Slytherins. Whatever formation they have, even if it’s head-on, will be broken. It’s a flexible plan, completely based on opportunity. Wherever we are, wherever they are, Bludgers will go after them.”

The team breaks into smiles, but before anyone can comment, Doyeon says, “And it’s all Connor’s idea.”

“That’s brilliant,” Kelsi beams, patting Connor on the shoulder.

The Beater is taller than the Captain, but he looks like a small, bashful boy with blushing cheeks. “It’s nothing,” he says, scratching the back of his neck.

“But that means less focus on the team. It’ll be up to everyone to be more attentive and dodge when necessary,” their Keeper and Zoe’s twin brother, Zack, reminds them.

“I think we can handle ourselves,” Alek laughs.

They break and get into position. The Hufflepuffs set up like they usually do at the beginning of the match, but some Slytherins make their way across the pitch near Hufflepuff’s goalposts.

“They must already have a play in mind. Stay sharp,” Alek says in passing.

Just as Doyeon offers some encouraging words to Connor, two burly Slytherins bump into her. She would’ve toppled over if it weren’t for Connor catching her from behind. Rubbing her sore shoulder, she side-eyes the retreating green figures.

“Trenton and Corsair. Nastiest Beaters I’ve ever played against. In reality, the rest of their team are pretty decent people. But their co-Captain attitude intimidates and influences the others. It makes the Slytherins a bit arrogant with their strength. They push the rules to the limit and don’t mind penalties,” Connor warns.

Once everyone is in position, Madam Hooch puts the Quaffle back into play and the teams take off immediately. The Beater-offensive strategy works for a good while. Sometimes Doyeon and Connor fly around aimlessly. It throws off the Slytherins because they are constantly on the lookout for incoming projectiles. The “enemy” manages to score ten points, but Hufflepuff pulls far ahead with a total of five more goals.

“Zoe, got eyes on the Snitch?” Kelsi asks as the team gathers in mid-air.

“Yes, Captain,” Zoe yells from above, eyes never leaving the far end of the pitch.

“We’re one goal short of first place. As soon as you hear the score, capture it!” Zoe gives her an okay sign.

“Beaters, kick it up a notch. They’re going to do whatever they can to keep us from scoring. At this point, they won’t mind feinting collisions. Their Keeper is good enough to deal with penalties by himself. Drive a Bludger in their direction, at any player, anywhere, at every chance you get.”

Doyeon and Connor nod in understanding. Kelsi praises Zack for the awesome defense he’s put up so far and asks him to hang on a bit longer. She then leads the others to the boundary line where a Slytherin waits to throw in the Quaffle. Someone pulls up next to Doyeon, blocking her path to the other side of the pitch.

“Be careful. This is about to get much more aggressive. Those other Beaters are vicious, and it doesn’t have to involve knocking people out of the air. They’re getting a lot more verbal. Sometimes that’s more dangerous.”

Puzzled, Doyeon watches Zack fly back to guard the goalposts. Earlier she saw Trenton and Corsair flying around the scoring zone and Zack looked uncomfortable, rigidly guarding the three hoops when there wasn’t even a Chaser in sight. She wonders what on earth they could have said to him. Putting it aside, she tracks down a Bludger when the shrill sound of a whistle signals the start.

Slytherin has the Quaffle, but Hufflepuff is putting up a good defense. Tobias keeps signaling to get a Bludger into play. The Slytherin head Chaser catches this and motions his own team into action. Doyeon tries to warn Tobias, but someone crashes into her right side, nearly unseating her from her broom. She flies outward to put some space between them and sees Corsair closing in again. Doyeon flattens against her broom and descends just enough to avoid colliding again.

“Wha’s this? Can’t even handle a lil’ bop on the nose? Yer in the wrong place, princess,” he cackles above her.

Doyeon ignores his words and puts some distance between them again. Chancing a look at him, she sees something gold flash in the sunlight. She squints and accelerates towards the Bludger she was chasing. Corsair might have a better broom, but she’s lighter. She reaches the iron ball before him and whacks it towards someone in green robes. She doesn’t know who and she doesn’t care. Everyone reverses direction so that must mean Hufflepuff is in possession now.

This makes the Slytherins angry, very angry. Corsair catches up to her in no time and Trenton traps her in from the left. They crush her between them and fly straight into the stands, breaking away just seconds before collision. Thankfully, Kelsi added Doyeon to the team, even as a reserve member, because she’s incredibly agile. She forces herself into a roll and corkscrews down, narrowly dodging the wall protecting the spectators.

In the meantime, Connor had hit a Bludger towards the other team three times, but nobody has had a clear opportunity to score yet. Trenton backtracks to Doyeon while he sends Corsair off to deal with Connor. Doyeon heads for the open sky to have room to maneuver. She thinks she’ll need it if players are directly going after her now.

In the middle of her ascent, something clamps onto the tail of her broom and throws it completely off its flight path. It feels like the magic has been out of it. Her stomach lurches at the sensation of free falling.

“Where’s that puny Runt now?! Don’t worry, you’ll see her in the hospital wing soon enough!” A deep voice yells.

As sick as Doyeon feels, she holds her broom close and falls into the slipstream of a Bludger diving straight down. When she’s close enough, she kicks herself back onto her broom and pulls up, smoothly following the ball flying parallel to the ground. Trenton suddenly appears fifty feet in front of her coming in the opposite direction. Without thinking, she speeds up and knocks the Bludger in his direction. Despite his attempt to dodge it, it splinters the branches of the broom tail.

Doyeon thinks she’s home free while Trenton deals with his malfunctioning broom. She goes off to find another Bludger but someone crashes into her head-on. Doyeon winces when she feels the handle of one of their brooms jam into a spot just under her ribs. They both topple onto the grass, rolling until they naturally come to a stop.

“Foul! Foul! What does it take to keep a nice, clean game going?” Madam Hooch shouts over everyone.

Kelsi and Tobias lift Doyeon up by the elbows and check her over for injuries. Kelsi accidentally pushes too hard on a spot of flesh and Doyeon hisses in pain.

“It’s not a broken rib thankfully, but there will a huge bruise,” Kelsi mumbles.

“I’m fine, I can keep playing. We’re not losing this,” Doyeon says with determination.

“Keep yer Mudblood chained up! Ain’t just useless, yer an annoyin’ lil’ prick! How the hell are ya flyin’ that thing?! Damn waste of space,” Corsair roars, spitting on the ground at Doyeon’s feet.

This sends the Hufflepuff team into a fury. They start ganging up on Corsair, his own team shoving them away. Kelsi yells about unjustified remarks and a Slytherin Chaser howls back at her for having a team of weak, sore losers with no backbones. Madam Hooch’s attempts at bringing order to the pitch are lost among the fighting.

Despite all the noise, Doyeon hears nothing except a very high-pitched buzz in her ears. Her eyes are trained on one person, his golden canine glinting under the sun. A shudder runs down her spine. Zoe, who has taken over in keeping Doyeon standing upright, feels this and asks if she’s alright. Doyeon nods slightly.

“Wait, Doyeon, I don’t think you should…” Zoe squeaks.

Doyeon breaks free from Zoe’s grasp and limps towards the fight, eyes ablaze. Wordlessly, she grabs onto Tobias’ raised fist and pulls him away. She tugs on Kelsi’s elbow and turns her around, walking away from the Slytherins with her team in tow.

“Give up?! Yeah, keep walkin’ back to yer hole in the dirt, where ya belong, ya—”

“We’d like to win the Cup some time this century, if you don’t mind. So quit spouting nonsense and either pick up your broom or clear off the pitch.”

The Hufflepuff team stares at Doyeon in awe. Her voice had never been so strong and sharp, and she had never talked back to anyone. Even Kelsi feels intimidated by the commanding tone coming from the skinny kid who’s been quiet all year. Doyeon prepares herself to take flight and the rest follow along, but not without some not-so-subtle cussing from the other team.

Alek takes the penalty shot but the Keeper blocks it easily, much more alert after the shouting match. The game continues immediately with tensions rising. Doyeon tries to concentrate on setting up opportunities for her team to score, but the Slytherin Beaters are dead set on badgering her. Connor tries to knock a Bludger in between them, but they swat it away like a fly. Despite this, Doyeon manages to escape in the short time they were distracted. This sets them off. Trenton whips around to give hell to Connor, who nods once at Doyeon and takes off down the pitch.

Doyeon speeds up knowing Corsair will catch up to her soon. Time is of the essence. She doesn’t look back and focuses on whacking a Bludger at Slytherin’s Keeper as Kelsi closes in on the goalposts. Just as her club makes contact, something slams down hard on Doyeon’s broom right behind where she’s sitting. Her hit is off angle and the Bludger flies way above the Keeper. Slytherin saves the goal and now they’re in possession. Flying around the bend, she comes face to face with Corsair, his bat raised high in the air.

“Tell me when ya can’t take it no more, nasty vermin,” he sneers.

“You’re going to have to send me to St. Mungo’s if you want me to forfeit,” Doyeon declares.

“Ooh, tha’s a promise, deary,” Corsair whispers greasily before she dives for the ground. He’s quick to follow after.

Doyeon swerves to avoid Trenton chasing after Connor just above the grass and she cuts upward in the middle of the pitch, inadvertently blocking a Slytherin Chaser’s path. Cursing at Doyeon, she drops the Quaffle onto the pitch, which rolls into Tobias’ arms as he sweeps low across the lawn.

Doyeon pays greatly for that. A Bludger flies on Doyeon’s right, but Corsair pulls up on its other side, seemingly to hit it before her. She winds up her arm, but Corsair knocks her club away instead of the bewitched iron ball. The force of the hit shocks Doyeon’s arm, temporarily paralyzing it. Madam Hooch is flying by the far goalposts, so Corsair takes the chance to kick Doyeon’s broom tail, throwing her off course.

“Quit breaking every rule in the sport! What, don’t have enough skill to play without fouls?” Doyeon shouts when she regains her balance.

“Tough words, where was that talkin’ when ya were lyin’ helpless on the ground? Ready ta fight now that yer weak puppy can’t get hurt? That Runt cain’t even defend herself, cain’t even cuss us out!” Corsair goads her on.

“Yoojung is NOT weak! She’s more courageous and honorable than you and your crony will ever be!” Doyeon cries across the sky with anger.

“Can’t hear ya over that Runt yowlin’ so loud. HAHAHA! Aye, I heard she’s got a nice crack in ‘er skull. Watch it if ya don’t want ‘er to get another, or it’ll be all yer fault, again! It’s all you, ya stupid Mudblood! Both a’ you’s can go ta h—”

Corsair stops cackling abruptly when Doyeon surges forward straight towards him. He swings his bat up to strike at Doyeon, not caring that it’s an open act of violence. What stops him is when Doyeon passes him two inches to the right of his head. A deafening crack rings in his ears. He almost loses his balance from the sudden noise shock. Looking over his shoulder, he notices a Bludger shoot straight off between two spectator towers before circling around the pitch perimeter back into the game. He looks back at Doyeon, who’s staring directly into his eyes with a hardened glare.

“Th—” Corsair’s face screws up in ultimate disgust at the thought of thanking someone like Doyeon, at the thought of being in her debt for anything.

Doyeon scoffs. “Despite my personal opinion, you’re a human being and I don’t stand idly by while others suffer.”

Without another word, she flies to join the action twenty feet below. Doyeon pulls up next to Connor, who’s protecting Zoe. He sends a Bludger off towards Trenton on the other side of the pitch.

“We’ve yet to score a goal! Their Seeker won’t let me out of his sight!” Zoe shouts over Connor.

“Trenton’s going after Zoe on their Chaser’s orders. I can’t leave her,” Connor adds, preparing to hit another incoming Bludger.

“I’m on it,” Doyeon says simply and breaks off to defend the Hufflepuff Chasers.

Kelsi, Tobias, and Alek are already in motion to confuse the Slytherin holding the Quaffle by weaving in and out of everyone. The players look like a swarm of killer bees from afar. Before Doyeon has a chance to help out, Tobias catches the falling Quaffle and jets down the pitch, the others zooming after him. Doyeon follows in their wake, avoiding the aggressive emerald-clad Chasers while looking for a nearby Bludger. One is too far way back at the Hufflepuff goalposts. The other however, is right behind Connor. He lets go of his broom handle to reach back and hits it inward. Doyeon takes this opportunity to rebound the Bludger and puts all her strength into swinging her club. She beats the Bludger straight down the center line of the pitch, aiming for the lead Slytherin Chaser gaining on Kelsi, who has the Quaffle.

Doyeon hovers in place watching the scene unfold in slow motion. A good fifteen feet from the Chaser she was targeting, the area is completely clear of other players. Out of nowhere, the second Bludger cuts perpendicularly across the pitch. Corsair comes a millisecond later, Doyeon’s Bludger pummeling him straight in the gut. He’s thrown off his broom and knocks into the Slytherin Chaser in the lead. The Chaser’s broom becomes vertical and whips an oncoming Trenton square in the face. The two other Chasers speed up to catch Trenton and Corsair in the air, the third Chaser mounting his broom in his fall and taking off down the pitch. He shouts at the Keeper to pay attention, but it distracts him instead. Kelsi forgoes the fake throws and launches the Quaffle through the center Slytherin goalpost with all her might. The student commentator relays the score, “a hundred forty to eighty” blasting across the stands. Doyeon cranes her neck around to see Zoe clamp her hands around the Golden Snitch, Connor on her six. Madam Hooch blows the whistle and the crowds of yellow and black erupt in a wave.

When Doyeon descends onto the pitch, she’s immediately pulled into a group hug by Kelsi. The team’s cheers are muffled over each other’s, but resonate loud in Doyeon’s ears. The pure energy buzzing in the air is nothing like she’s ever felt before. Adrenaline still pumps through her veins as she high-fives Zoe and Zack and claps Alek on the back. Tobias lifts her up in a hug, twirling her in the air. Doyeon lands unsteadily on her feet just when Kelsi spins her around and squeezes the air out of her lungs while squealing in joy. The rest of the Hufflepuffs in the crowd stampede onto the pitch, surrounding the team and conjuring confetti bombs and sparks from their wands.

With her arm still around Doyeon’s shoulders, Kelsi pulls her in to shout over the celebrating. “You were absolutely magnificent today. I’m so glad you’re in our house and on the team. You’re a wonder, Doyeon Kim, and I’m proud of you.”

Doyeon reflects Kelsi’s radiant smile and opens to say something, but Tobias reels them in for a team victory chant. They rock back and forth on the balls of their feet, arms across shoulders linking them in a circle, the rest of the Hufflepuffs and their fellow supporters joining in. Everyone gets so pumped up, they eventually break apart and jump on their own. Doyeon turns on her heels to find Yoojung, Somi, and Sohye weaving through the crowd. Doyeon runs up to them and lifts Yoojung up by the waist, Somi and Sohye attempting to lift Doyeon up too and failing. Eventually, the crowd makes just enough space for Professor McGonagall to walk to the center and present the Captain with this year’s Quidditch Cup, a majestic badger magically engraved on the plate with a list of the team players’ names. Kelsi raises it triumphantly and the crowd roars with laughter and cheers.

~|~|~|~

A week after the last Quidditch match of the season, Somi comes running up to Doyeon in the corridor.

“Doyeon! You’ll never believe what I heard!” She exclaims, shaking Doyeon by the shoulders.

“You know those two idiots from Slytherin, the Beaters you said Stunned you and Yoojung? Well, they—”

“Ah, Miss Jeon,” says a clear voice from behind. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor steps out of the staff room. “I see you’re well again, walking around, chatting and gossiping. Seeing as you’ve recovered from—food poisoning, was it?—I believe it is in order for you to complete your exam. It’s not fair if you get too much extra time after everyone else in the year has taken it. I would say now’s a good a time as any. Follow me, please.” His eyes glint knowingly.

Somi gapes like a flounder at Doyeon, who restrains herself from laughing in her friend’s face. She pats Somi on the rear and ushers her to follow the professor to his office. Doyeon continues toward the back of the castle for a hidden shortcut to the greenhouses. As soon as she turns the corner into an open courtyard, someone crushes her in a bear hug. Even though her internal organs are fusing involuntarily, she feels this person is being genuinely kind. Still…

“Air… and… personal… space! Hey!” She wheezes.

“Sorry!” Comes a male voice.

Instead of backing up to speak properly like Doyeon expected, the boy drops to the floor on his knees and bows his head at her feet.

“Uh, this is really unnecessary. Who are you?” She says awkwardly, checking around the courtyard for passing students. “Come on dude, get up. It’s fine, just you know, don’t be so touchy with strangers,” she urges, tugging on his arm when he doesn’t move.

“Please stand up…” She groans quietly with a helpless tone, barely moving her lips.

The boy finally gets off the ground and lifts his head. Doyeon is shocked into silence. She recognizes the familiar handsome visage of Xerxes, the Slytherin student who initially backed Yoojung into a wall. The setting sun peeking over the roof of the castle into the courtyard gives his profile a warm glow. More noticeable than his good looks however, Doyeon sees that he is relaxed, smiling, and happy. He looks nothing like the two-faced boy she encountered previously, the one who panicked one second and become stoic and threatening the next.

“I, um, thank you,” he says shyly.

Yet again, Doyeon is surprised. “For what?” She asks suspiciously.

“Corsair and Trenton,” he answers simply.

Doyeon remembers Somi was about to tell her something when they were interrupted. “What happened to them?”

“You don’t know? Everyone’s been talking about it.” Xerxes looks at her with a confused, puppy-like expression. It’s absolutely adorable and Doyeon feels conflicted for thinking so.

“No. After our win, our common room has been bombarded by nightly parties. And all day I’ve been stuck revising for final exams before term ends,” Doyeon explains.

“Oh. Well,” Xerxes looks around the courtyard, as if searching for someone else to tell Doyeon, but the place is empty. “During the match, your last blow knocked them out cold. They were sent to the hospital wing obviously, but it was actually pretty bad. Not that it was your fault or anything!” He says hastily when Doyeon’s eye twitches. “I mean, Madam Pomfrey can mend anything…” He trails off.

Doyeon sees him deflate at the mention of the school matron. They both know what Xerxes is referring to by praising Madam Pomfrey’s healing skills. Doyeon coughs awkwardly but has long ago decided there’s more to this boy than meets the eye.

“So how are they?” She asks, not at all curious as long as they’re alive, but it’s for Xerxes’ sake.

“They’re still in bad shape. It is a Bludger after all, and for some dumb reason or another, Corsair wasn’t wearing his gear. Must’ve been his cockiness, thinks he’s too good to ever be hit. Anyway, they’ve both been transferred to St. Mungo’s, even though Madam Pomfrey insisted she could patch them up at the castle.”

“Who ordered that?” Doyeon questions, actually intrigued now.

“Their fathers. The Corsairs and Trentons are rich, entitled families, with long lines of Purebloods. A long line of arrogance is more like it. Their fathers heard about what happened and sent their sons back to London, furious that the school would allow their children to end up in such a state. Everyone tried explaining that it’s just the nature of Quidditch. I mean literally any of the staff could have helped heal them, but I guess it’s not good enough. Their fathers were so offended at what they considered to be ‘indifferent and preferential care’ by the professors, they declared their sons would be transferred to Durmstrang.”

Doyeon just stands there, speechless. How on earth did her trying out for Quidditch back in September end up with two students being sent to the nation’s wizarding hospital and transferring schools? She feels ecstatic, they’ll never bother Yoojung or her again. But what does this have to do with Xerxes? Doyeon’s eyes widen slightly in realization. She vaguely remembers Xerxes reluctantly holding his wand to , telling her not to interfere or else they will get to him. Did he mean the two Slytherin sixth-years?

“Corsair and Trenton bullied you.” Doyeon slaps her hands over with a resounding smack, horrified that she said that out loud.

“Yeah, they did, since first-year.” Xerxes looks at the ground, ashamed. “I wanted to say thank you, and I’m sorry. Thank you because they’re not here anymore to coerce me, or any of the other decent Slytherins, into pushing around other students and acting like we own the wizarding world. My brother was sorted two years ago and he’s been having a rough time too. I know you didn’t injure them on purpose, but it did happen and it definitely affects me. Relief isn’t something you usually feel when people get hurt, but honestly speaking… Um, just, thank you.”

Doyeon feels extreme pity for him. He and his brother suffered by being the top dogs. That’s not a story you hear every day. They might not be on the receiving end of a nasty prank or spell, but they had to fight with their conscience every time they did it for fear of the consequences. And being teenagers, everything was a consequence, everything was dramatic, and everything mattered even if it didn’t. It was confusing and scary and they didn’t want to deal with it. The only way not to, was to be right at the center of it.

“And I’m sorry because none of that excuses what I put you and your friend through. She was just walking alone, she was the perfect target and they pushed me outside to confront her. They were getting impatient. They were going to go back inside and leave me, but I saw my brother in the corridor by himself. I didn’t want them to get any ideas and drag him in too, so I said I’d do it. But I should’ve been like you, I should’ve stood up to them. Maybe you two wouldn’t have been hurt. I felt awful when I heard what happened but I couldn’t dare face you two after that.” He falls silent, having run out of words.

Doyeon takes a deep breath. She wants to mean what she says next. It’s difficult. “It’s okay,” she says slowly. She barely wills herself to say it while managing not to force it out. She processes everything Xerxes just told her. “It’s okay,” she's repeats with more finality.

“What?” Xerxes says, obviously not expecting to have been forgiven so easily.

“You’re right, that doesn’t excuse you for helping them attack my friend and me. But you felt like you had no choice, no control. And you only realized you did after the fact. But you also have to realize it would have never been easy to act in the moment, even knowing what you know now. I’ve… I’ve been there before, felt something like it. It takes time and the right people to help you fight your battles. And it takes acceptance to realize not all of your battles need to be fought.”

“What do you mean battles don’t need to be fought?” Xerxes says, tilting his head. The sunlight frames his jaw perfectly.

“That’s the fun part, figuring out what your battles are and what you’re going to do with them,” Doyeon smiles.

Xerxes nods slowly, trying to understand. “I couldn’t say no to the older students, so I just sat back and let them control me. But now that they’re gone, I can do what I want. And I wanted to speak to you, to tell you how sorry I am.”

“And I’m thankful, honestly,” says Doyeon.

“One battle down,” Xerxes laughs.

“One battle down,” Doyeon repeats encouragingly.

~|~|~|~

“What’s up, buttercup?” Glistening blue bubbles float around the table isolated by towering bookshelves.

“You’re so odd,” Yoojung laughs quietly and turns to the next page.

“Is that bad?” Doyeon asks, taking a seat next to her friend.

“Never. It’s fantastic,” Yoojung says. She puts her book down and fully turns to face Doyeon. “You.”

“Me!” Doyeon squeaks with a wide grin, hopping in her seat when she speaks.

Yoojung pokes her in the stomach. “You’re acting different.” She leans back in her chair, inspecting Doyeon from head to toe.

“How so?” Doyeon mirrors Yoojung’s posture.

Yoojung reaches down into Doyeon’s messy bag and pulls out some crumpled pieces of parchment. Smoothing them out, she lays them on the table in order. Yoojung takes a moment to admire the neat, organized handwriting. She marvels at the thoughtful notes and reminders written in the margins with arrows pointing to what they refer to.

“You’re a life-saver, according to Heather. She said to thank you, and tell you she’s sorry. Well, she said a lot more than that, but I don’t think I could ever really capture her thoughts.” Yoojung tries to keep her face straight when Doyeon snaps her head in her direction. “I think you should go see her one last time before we go back to London, so she can speak for herself.”

Doyeon sees for once that Yoojung is trying to gauge her thoughts and is struggling. But Doyeon’s mind is already made up. “It’s ok, I think I got the message just fine,” she smiles.

Yoojung leans forward to prop her elbow on the table. “I’m blunt, I’m curious, but I don’t want to be rude too. And you know it.”

In other words, Yoojung wants to know why she did a favor for some stuck-up girl who seemed to thrive off insulting others. Doyeon grins easily. “Heather was the epitome of ‘having a breakdown’ that morning. So I gave her my notes,” she explains.

“Just like that?” Yoojung raises her eyebrow.

“Just like that.” Doyeon snaps her fingers on the last word. “You don’t think she deserved it,” she guesses.

“Not exactly…” Yoojung shifts her gaze to her book on the table.

“Then you think it should’ve been harder, or it should’ve taken a bit more for me to give in.”

Yoojung thinks for a bit. “Something like that,” is all she can come up with.

Doyeon sighs. “It’s not like I forgave her at the drop of a hat. But she was just so desperate, she was at her wits’ end. I know she doesn’t seem to care about anyone else, but—” She tries to find the right words.

“How often does ‘seeming’ equate to ‘being’?” Yoojung wonders. “And how often do people care enough to ask that?”

“Exactly.” Doyeon’s lips quirk up at how Yoojung immediately grasps the situation. “Yeah, she was mean, but maybe she felt like that’s all she could be. Maybe she felt like there was no room to be any other way. She couldn’t afford to be friendly or nice or sociable. She felt like she had to do it all on her own, rise to the top and fight to the death to stay there.”

“Not the best mentality to have,” Yoojung says sadly.

“No, it’s not, and she stewed in that way of thinking her whole life.” Doyeon lowers her eyes to the table at the slightly somber mood of the conversation.

“And you understood all of that just because she screeched bloody hell in the Great Hall about her ruined Transfiguration notes?” Yoojung asks.

“Believe it or not, yeah, I guess I did,” Doyeon shrugs. “She might have been screaming and crying that morning, but there was something so pitiful about her normally nasally and irritating insults.”

Yoojung watches her carefully. “What was it?”

Doyeon looks right back at her, asking for understanding through her eyes more than her words. “She had no one.”

This makes Yoojung speechless for the first time since she started talking to Doyeon. She doesn’t know how to respond, what to ask. She just waits.

“Nobody backed her up. Nobody fought with her. Everyone just went silent. The boy asked if she was okay, but it was out of guilt and fear. He didn’t really care about her emotional state. He just wanted the situation to be dealt with. But that’s not what Heather needed. For once in her life, she needed someone to be there for her and tell her it’s okay to try. Not win, but try.”

Yoojung nods slowly at Doyeon’s insight.

“I’m lucky enough to have that one person. She’s my ride or die.” Doyeon smiles at Yoojung, who mirrors her expression. “To have someone on standby when you just can’t take it anymore, ready to sweep up the pieces of you and glue you back together without complaint. I thought Heather should know what that feels like even if only for a moment.”

“You’re quite the unconventional hero,” Yoojung smirks lazily. “Speaking of which, Nick’s in the same boat?”

Doyeon chuckles. “Yeah, turns out he’s not as much of a dunce as we thought. He’s just a little lost. He stuck to what he knew but that path’s been so trodden on, it leads to nowhere special by now.”

“If the path’s been trodden on, wouldn’t it lead to somewhere? Where everyone before went to?” Yoojung muses.

“If the first person got lost, and everyone after them was stubborn enough to stick to the one path already made, wouldn’t they be lost too? And who’s to say that’s the place you’re looking for anyway? But if you’re stubborn enough, you won’t go on any other path.”

“So you told him to make a new path?”

“He doesn’t need a new path, per se. That’s a bit too adventurous and risky for a lot of people. But maybe looking around for other ones isn’t such a bad idea.”

“He might end up somewhere better than what he was looking for.” Doyeon silently nods in agreement. “On the other hand, some people might take a road, where it diverges to a murky rushing river or a rocky mountain cliff. But just on the other side is the place they’re looking for, beautiful and glorious and exactly how they imagined it to be,” Yoojung continues.

“We’re not talking about Nick anymore, are we?” Doyeon squints one of her eyes at Yoojung suspiciously.

“A little birdie told me you’ll be playing Quidditch next year, and not as a Beater.”

“Is that birdie flightless and native to the Antarctic?”

“Maybe. Sometimes that birdie is a shark too, but that’s up for debate,” Yoojung giggles.

“That must mean Somi knows by now too. She stole my thunder,” Doyeon growls half-heartedly.

“She didn’t tell me much though. So spill.” Yoojung taps Doyeon’s knee once.

“There was a particularly raucous party in the dormitory two nights ago. The seventh-years snuck in some Firewhisky and even the plants in the common room joined in the singing and dancing. They really shouldn’t have the tolerance to withstand how much alcohol was poured into their pots. Needless to say, the Quidditch Cup is still shining valiantly on our fireplace mantel. It was late so I was on my way to my room when Tobias invited me to have one last Butterbeer for the night.”

Yoojung is listening intently to the story when Doyeon suddenly stops and just smiles, remembering the conversation clear as crystal. She snaps out of it and continues to share.

“He found out early that he’ll be Captain next year, after Kelsi’s gone. He asked if I was still interested in being on the team. Of course, the tradition is to have everyone, former and new members, try out. But he said I’d have a pretty good chance of making Chaser, especially since we’ve been practicing together all year and my skills have improved by leaps and bounds.”

By now, Doyeon’s grin is so wide, it feels like her face will split in two. Yoojung lunges out of her seat to hug Doyeon in congratulations. Luckily the floor is carpeted, so her chair doesn’t scrape against the wood and they’re still as quiet as possible. Doyeon holds Yoojung tightly by the waist so the girl doesn’t fall out of her lap.

“I’m so proud of you. Being the bigger person, helping colleagues in need, achieving your teenage dreams. My Doyeonie has grown up so well.” Yoojung cradles Doyeon’s head affectionately, wiping away a fake tear, though genuinely happy for her best friend.

“Question,” Doyeon mumbles into Yoojung’s shoulder.

“Shoot,” Yoojung whispers into Doyeon’s hair.

“If you think I’m changing, does that still make me Doyeon?”

Yoojung tightens her hold. “Change, growth, refinement, call it whatever you want. But all of it is Doyeon, past, present, and future. There’s just more to add to my best friend now.”

Doyeon laughs and pats Yoojung’s back. “Hey, I think you should get in on this too. You’ve helped me so much, it’s only fair if I return the favor.”

Yoojung lets go of Doyeon’s head and slightly leans back to look at her. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve got a strong heart, one of pure gold, and a strong mind to go with it. Your friends can see that. But I think it’s about time they heard it too. It’s about time they heard you.”

Doyeon is beaming at her so brightly, Yoojung doesn’t notice the anxiety creeping up her spine. Not until someone sneezes and knocks a couple books down from the other side of the bookshelf does she start shivering. Doyeon holds her tightly. Just like Yoojung did for her, she wants to make Yoojung feel safe enough to venture out of her comfort zone. Because Doyeon feels selfish keeping Yoojung’s voice all to herself.

After Yoojung takes some deep breaths and stops shaking like a leaf, Doyeon gently nudges her off her lap. They stand and walk over to peek through the hole in the line of books. Sitting on the ground on the other side of the shelf were their two friends and housemates. Somi is pinching her nose with one hand and covering with the other, eyes tightly closed, ears straining to hear. Sohye has her own hands slapped over Somi’s, muffling any squeaks or squeals even more, her eyes wide as saucers staring at the taller girl in shock.

Doyeon clears conspicuously. Somi and Sohye slowly turn their heads to face the Cheshire grin framed in gaping hole. The three giant tomes that used to occupy the space are now sprawled over their legs like a blanket.

“I swear we weren’t listening!”

“We didn’t know you were there!”

“We always sit on the floor between random bookshelves!”

“So that Madam Pince can’t chase us out!”

“See? Chocolate Frogs and Sugar Quills! We’re hiding from her, honest!”

“Please don’t be mad!”

Doyeon nearly explodes into laughter at Somi and Sohye shout-whispering excuses. Then she feels Yoojung’s back stiffen. Doyeon smiles and grabs Yoojung’s hand in hers, squeezing it encouragingly. Yoojung looks back at her with what seems like a blank stare, but Doyeon notices her pupils shaking.

“I’m right here. You taught me to accept myself. So now I want you to take a leap of faith. Let your voice be heard by the people you love,” Doyeon whispers into Yoojung’s ear. Doyeon already feels her chest swelling with pride.

Somi and Sohye wait with bated breaths, not wanting to miss a single peep. They’re half anxious about putting the spotlight on Yoojung, which they know the girl abhors, but are half excited to be let into her inner circle. Hearing Yoojung speak is a privilege. It’s a precious one they will never force out of her but one they will treasure if they get the opportunity.

With a final squeeze of Doyeon’s hand for assurance, Yoojung cautiously leans forward through the hole in the bookshelf.

“H… Hi… Somi… Sohye…” Yoojung squeaks courageously.

~|~|~|~

There is a fine line between individuality and abnormality. Doyeon has been teetering on that line for so long, but she’s learnt not to care anymore. Someone came along and meticulously scrubbed it away. Now all she sees is clear, clean, flat ground. No more balancing, no more wondering, no more waiting. She sprints forward and decides she’s never going to stop.

A/N: It's taken me nearly two months for all four parts. I never knew how long it took to write a single paragraph or one scene of dialogue when I actually have to do something instead of being a couch-potato for 18 hours a day. But still, I invested a lot into this story and I really hope you guys like it! Cheers!