“It should not be a surprise to you that next June is the month of important examinations. For Potions class, you are required to attain an ‘Outstanding’ for your O.W.L. to take my advanced classes. It is difficult to score a high mark and I will not accept any students who are not good enough,” said Professor Scape.

Taeyeon bit her lip at the mention of O.W.L. and sighed. A headache was coming up. She could just feel it.

“The first potion you will brew is the Strengthening Potion. You will also submit an essay on the properties of Moonstone and its uses in Potion making.”

The dead silence was broken by the sound of stool legs moving across the floor as students collected the necessary ingredients for the potion. Taeyeon gathered the ingredients and opened her textbook, all ready to begin.

“Grind the Griffin claw into fine powder,” Taeyeon read out loud. “Pass me a claw, Yul.”

Yuri dropped a claw into Taeyeon’s mortar. “Happy grinding.”

Taeyeon made a face. Grinding was her least favourite activity. It made her arm tired and sore afterwards. Once, she did not grind finely enough and the potion blew up in her face. She had to live with a blue spotty face for a week after that. The memory made her shudder and she gripped the pestle hard, determined to grind the claw into ultra-fine powder this time.

Perspiration was beginning to form on her forehead when she was finally done with grinding. Next was the addition of salamander blood into the cauldron and a whole lot of stirring. Stirring with force and strength.

“If I had this much strength to stir, I wouldn’t need the Strengthening Potion, would I?” Taeyeon whispered to Yuri as her arm ached in protest after several minutes of stirring.

“Professor Scape, Taeyeon is bad-mouthing the Strengthening Potion.”

Taeyeon turned and gaped. Tiffany was right behind her, standing straight as a pillar, eyes hard as steel. She knew the Slytherin prefect was beyond strict when it came to students of other Houses but this was ridiculous.

“Oh, she did, did she?” Professor Scape narrowed his eyes and glared at Taeyeon. “Did you?”

“P-Professor Scape, I didn’t. All I said was—”

“Ten points from Hufflepuff.”

“But—” The glare of Professor Scape silenced Taeyeon. She could not risk losing more points.

“Perhaps you will learn to focus on what you’re brewing instead of talking and achieve a better result than this foul mess you have made.”

Taeyeon held her tongue as Professor Scape flicked his wand and vanished her potion.

“Write an essay on how to properly brew a Strengthening Potion and hand it in before the next lesson.”

It was hard to suppress her dismay at the extra work she was required to do but Taeyeon held on until Professor Scape walked away. Turning around to shoot Tiffany with an angry glare, she was hit by the smirk on her face. Tiffany was not only hard on her, she was out to get her into trouble!

Tiffany’s smirk bothered Taeyeon after Potions class, all the way to dinner.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Yuri asked her halfway through the meal. “Something bothering you?”

Taeyeon shook her head but Yuri wasn’t having it.

“Don’t bottle it up. Tell me. Is it about Potions class?”

“Yeah . . .”

“Don’t worry too much about it. We know what Tiffany and Professor Scape like. No Hufflepuff will blame you for it.”

“But why did she do it?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? She’s a Slytherin. And not just any Slytherin. She’s a Slytherin prefect out for blood.”

“But why does she hate me? Didn’t she help me before?”

“Did you offend her or something?” Yuri asked.

“I haven’t crossed paths with her until Potions class today.”

Yuri shrugged. “It’s hard to understand a Slytherin mind.” Then she smiled, gave Taeyeon’s shoulder a pat and a quick squeeze. “Try the gravy.” Nudging the bowl of gravy towards Taeyeon, she added, “It’s absolutely divine today.”

x

Looking up at the beautiful blue sky above and feeling the chilly breeze on her face as she stood on the school grounds outside the castle, Taeyeon felt the urge to burst into song.

Light’s filling the sky, e-ie-e-ie-i . . . 

A child just like I, e-ie-e-ie-i . . .

Broomstick dreams of fly, e-ie-e-ie-i . . .

My life is a beauty . . .

“She said her life is a beauty, ha ha ha, stupid Puff.”

“Her life is a pity, she meant.”

Startled and upset, Taeyeon turned and saw Bellix and Narcy, Slytherin fourth years, laughing as they walked by. Just a length behind them was Tiffany, holding a textbook. “Tiffany,” she blurted.

Tiffany stopped and looked at her like she was something distasteful. “So the frog singer speaks. Croak or shut your mouth, I don’t have all day.”

“Bellix and Narcy called me names and insulted me.”

“Oh? And what do you expect me to do about that?”

“They deserve to have ten points taken from Slytherin for doing that.”

Tiffany stared at her for a moment before breaking out into taunting laughter. “You’re being serious right now. Ha ha ha ha, you’re actually serious.”

“It’s only right since I lost ten points in Potions class because you reported me unfairly.”

With the same infuriating smirk, Tiffany stepped up to her and leaned close enough for her to see how long Tiffany’s eye lashes were. They were long. And curled. “Let me tell you a fact about life. You’re a pathetic loser of a Hufflepuff. I’m a Slytherin. If you think I’m ever going to take points from Slytherin for one of you, you’re stupidly mistaken.”

“You did it once. In the Great Hall.”

Tiffany’s nostrils flared. “You are mistaken. That act was not done for you. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was Vince and his recklessness, pulling that stunt right in front of everyone. I stopped him the moment I saw it to save us from losing more points.” Tiffany rolled her eyes. “It’s no wonder Hufflepuff never wins the House Cup. We Slytherins have won the House Cup year after year because we are superior to useless Puffs like you.”

Taeyeon’s momentary dash of determination died like a flame snuffed and she was at a loss. She had been mistaken all along. The loss was empty, a vacuum that the courage out of her. But from another corner of her mind, anger rose. It surged rapidly, occupying the vacated space, filling it up with another kind of fire. And before she knew it, her hands were on Tiffany, pushing her away.

The shock in Tiffany’s eyes spelt it all. Taeyeon knew without a doubt that Tiffany was going to report her and get points taken from Hufflepuff again.

“This is going to cost you at least twenty points,” Tiffany minced in a growl as she turned to leave.

No, not again, she thought. Not this time.

So she pounced, tackling Tiffany to the icy ground. Her victory did not last for long. Tiffany was quick to turn it around and she ended up lying face down on the snow, eating snow.

“Weak like a Hufflepuff,” Tiffany sneered.

Taeyeon growled. Super strength came from nowhere and she fought back like a mean honey badger. Hands, nails, hair, teeth. It was a tussle, then it was not. Taeyeon found herself hovering in the air, apart from Tiffany. Looking around for the first time, it was then she noticed the furious glare of Professor Spout, Head of Hufflepuff House. Her heart sank lower than it had ever gone.

Nothing. Nothing could get worse than this.

x