Sana hated this.

It had been a week since her and Momo’s fight. A week since she’d slipped into Tzuyu’s bed, body shaking with sobs as she allowed the younger student to hug and comfort her. It felt like she was going crazy— she’d never been apart from her best friend for this long since they’d met, and she hated it. She hated not waking up to Momo’s arms around her every morning, she hated the way they now sat at different tables at meals and in their classes, she hated not speaking to her and not even being able to look her in the eye without wanting to break down all over again. It all felt so wrong.

Merlin, how did it even come to this?

Sana knew what she had said to Momo that night had been unnecessarily harsh, but she had just snapped all of a sudden. She wasn’t even a jealous person, she wasn’t— but just thinking about Momo being secretive with her, sneaking away to spend time with other girls, it awakened something ugly inside of her. After six years of constant push and pull, push and pull between them (with Sana doing most of the pulling) what else was she supposed to say? What else was she supposed to do?

And Momo, with that stupid laugh, like everything Sana said was so ridiculous— like she was so ridiculous, her feelings were so ridiculous… Momo never wanted to talk seriously about anything, and years of Sana’s building frustration just exploded in that moment. Was that so wrong of her? To want to be serious for once, after years of dancing around each other? They weren’t kids anymore— it was well past time to get over those silly, childish games.

Even if Sana hated how things were now, even if she missed Momo so much she felt like she could barely breathe, even if Sana’s body had become so accustomed to sleeping with Momo at her side that she hadn’t been able to get a single good night’s rest since… Maybe this was for the best. Maybe this was just how things were meant to be… or meant to end, rather.

———

Momo hated this.

She woke up that next morning, and for a few precious moments, she’d forgotten what had happened the previous night. Forgotten that she’d cried for hours until she eventually fell asleep. She’d just yawned, eyes still closed, waiting for the smattering of kisses Sana would surely press against her cheeks and along her jaw. But the kisses never came, and the bed felt horribly cold, and when Momo’s eyes opened the illusion shattered. Sana wasn’t there, and this aching emptiness had settled in Momo’s chest that hit her so hard she almost burst into tears all over again.

She refused to cry, though— in fact, she refused to show that this affected her at all. Despite the fight, despite everything, she was stubborn. If this was what Sana wanted, then fine. Whatever. Sana always got what she wanted, didn’t she? At least, she had ever since they’d first met. Maybe Momo was the fool for never being able to say no, for being all too willing to give her best friend anything and everything. For Merlin’s sake, she gave Sana her heart— was the other girl too blind to see that, or was that just not enough? What else did Sana want from her?

It didn’t matter, anyway. That next day and the days following, Sana didn’t approach her once, wouldn’t even make eye contact. It was like Momo didn’t even exist. Even though it stung, Momo wasn’t about to put in any extra effort toward reconciliation. Why should she, when Sana was making it blatantly obvious that she didn’t want anything to do with her anymore? They’d never fought like this, not ever, and it was almost like there was a certain finality to it. How were they supposed to move on from this? Would they even be able to?

If Sana wanted to act like nothing had happened, like they were perfect strangers, that’s how things would be. Momo could handle that— even if she hated it, even if her hand was itching to hold Sana’s and she was searching for her gaze across the room every five minutes, even if she’d become so dependent on Sana’s constant presence that it felt like pieces of her were being chipped away with every heartbeat they spent apart… Momo could handle it.

She would have to, anyway, wouldn’t she?

———

Mina hated this.

That first morning, she’d gone to the Great Hall for breakfast, praying that everything would be fine and she’d be greeted by the enthusiastic Hufflepuffs like usual. Of course, that feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach that she’d woken up with proved to be valid as neither of the girls were at their normal seat. Sana was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Jihyo, Nayeon, and a girl Mina assumed was Jeongyeon though she’d never met her, while Momo was further down the Hufflepuff table with Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu.

In that moment, Mina felt the weight of the world settle on her shoulders. If she sat with one of the girls, the other was surely going to be hurt— she didn’t want them to think she was choosing sides. With a lump in , Mina found an empty section of the Ravenclaw table to sit and eat breakfast alone. Just like old times, she joked with herself, if only because it was the only way to keep her frustrated tears at bay. It took every ounce of strength in her to assure herself, over and over, that she wasn’t being abandoned, that this probably had nothing to do with her at all.

Anyway, she didn’t have to worry about being by herself for long. After that breakfast, Mina didn’t spend a single meal alone— Sana and Momo would alternate coming to sit with her, always just one of them, like clockwork. There was something almost amusing about it— if Mina hadn’t witnessed the fact that they weren’t speaking firsthand, she would have thought they had conferenced about it or something. It was almost as if, even after whatever had happened, they were still on that same wavelength they always talked about. Still connected to each other.

After a couple of days of Sana and Momo still not speaking to each other or even so much as breathing the same air, Mina decided it was finally time to start trying to figure out what had happened between them. Whatever it was must have been after she left that night, presumably when Momo returned to the room— apparently Mina had been a bit too optimistic in hoping the girls had had a nice, wholesome chat.

Unfortunately for her, neither Sana or Momo seemed eager to open up about it. In fact, they both went to great lengths to avoid the topic altogether, talking about anything and everything except each other. It was like they’d both mutually agreed to act like nothing had happened at all, even though it was clear to Mina that they were both miserable with the situation. She didn’t miss the way both of them would stare at the other across the room sometimes— oblivious to the fact that the other was staring, too, as soon as they looked away. It was awfully cliché, even by Mina’s standards.

Mina was far from a pushy person, but Sana and Momo had become the closest friends she’d ever had. She knew they loved each other, in one way or another, and in her mind she owed it to them to determine what was going on so she could help fix things between them. And since neither Sana or Momo were going to give up information willingly, it seemed Mina had to adopt a more direct approach. (Maybe it was all the detective novels she’d been reading lately that helped her to be in a snooping mood in the first place.)

Sana was her first target, perhaps because Mina believed it might be easier to get the normally talkative girl to mention something about it.

“I haven’t seen you or Momo together in a while,” Mina had commented one meal, voice quiet and cautious. She didn’t think Sana would snap at her for asking, but she still wanted to be careful.

Sana’s response was uncharacteristically aloof, echoing what she had said to Mina that night as she replied with a dismissive shrug, “I’m not Momo’s only friend, she doesn’t have to be with me all the time, you know?” Even though she forced a smile and immediately changed the subject, Mina was positive she spotted the Hufflepuff’s eyes filling with suppressed tears as she looked away.

When Mina posed a similar question to Momo later that day, she received another defensive answer.

“Well, maybe we’ve just grown apart,” Momo had mumbled, poking at her food with a frown. “I mean, obviously I’ve somehow misinterpreted how much I mean to her, so, whatever. What can you do!” Another humorless smile, not unlike Sana’s, though Momo was admittedly worse at hiding the pain behind her words.

Mina tried to press a little further, but Momo just shut down, forcing her to change the topic.

What was Mina supposed to do with the limited information the Hufflepuffs had given her? Clearly the fight had something to do with their relationship, and Mina would bet anything that it stemmed from some kind of miscommunication. If Sana and Momo weren’t willing to talk to her about it, though, she didn’t know what else she could do. She wasn’t going to push them about it and risk having them get angry with her for intruding. Technically this wasn’t any of her business, after all.

She supposed they just needed more time to cool down, and heal on their own. Maybe then they’d be able to talk to each other, and everything could be fixed, and things could go back to the way they were before. Mina had finally found a sense of “normal” here, in their little trio they’d formed, so she didn’t know what she’d do if she had to give that up so quickly. More importantly than that, though, it was almost unbearable to watch the two people she had grown to care about the most at Hogwarts be in such pain.

——

A week and a half dragged by, with no end in sight to what Mina had dubbed in her head as “The Great Samo Stalemate”. It was awful, not being able to spend time with both of her best friends, but what was even worse was not being able to do anything about it.

Mina was so busy feeling helpless and just generally miserable about the situation in Potions class that she almost didn’t hear Professor Snape’s voice when he instructed them to get with their partners. Most days Mina paid close attention in her classes, not wanting to fall behind, but unsurprisingly her mind had been focused elsewhere lately.

Usually when Mina was forced to pair up with others in Potions, she joined the two Slytherin girls who sat behind her, Bora and Siyeon. They had always been friendly to her, but they were also prone to loud screaming and accidentally exploding their potions, so Mina preferred to do her work alone when possible. Unfortunately, that was not always an option. This time around, she barely had time to turn from her desk before someone else was sliding into the empty seat next to her.

When Mina faced whoever had approached her, she immediately recognized the girl despite having never formally met her.

“You must be Yoo Jeongyeon,” Mina said, addressing the Gryffindor with a smile. Although Mina typically felt nervous talking to new people, there was something about Jeongyeon’s casual, lopsided grin and the fact that she was Sana and Momo’s friend that put her at ease.

“And you must be Myoui Minari,” Jeongyeon replied, holding out her hand for Mina to shake, “I guess we’ve never actually talked before, huh? I’ve heard a lot about you, though.”

“Likewise,” Mina chuckled, shaking the girl’s hand. “Mostly that you’re Jihyo’s best friend and supposedly had your face broken by Nayeon.”

The Gryffindor groaned, “Ugh, I swear, they’re all involved in some great big conspiracy to ruin my reputation…”

“Oh?” Mina teased, eyebrows quirking. “What reputation would that be?”

Jeongyeon puffed up a little, “You know, cool, mysterious…” She laughed and ruffled her dark hair as if somewhat embarrassed, “I mean, that’s what girls find impressive, right…?”

Mina couldn’t help but laugh, too. “Maybe,” she hummed.

“Anyway, usually I partner up with Jiyeon but she’s not here today. Mind if I work with you?” Jeongyeon offered her a hopeful smile.

“Yeah, sure,” Mina agreed easily, moving her things aside to make room for Jeongyeon at her table. Any friend of Sana and Momo’s was a friend of hers, right? Maybe it’d be good for her to try to be friendly with people other than the Hufflepuffs after all, especially now that she couldn’t hang out with the both of them for the time being.

Before Snape could snap at them for not doing their work, Mina and Jeongyeon gathered the materials necessary to prepare the potion that had been assigned. Thankfully, Jeongyeon was quite easy to talk to, carrying most of the conversation and preventing it from ever becoming awkward. Mina could see why Sana and Momo spoke so highly of the Gryffindor.

While Jeongyeon was in the process of cutting up some of the ingredients, Mina realized this might be a good opportunity for some more intel gathering. Jeongyeon had obviously known the Hufflepuffs for much longer than Mina, so maybe she could provide some useful insight on what was going on between them lately.

“It’s pretty strange, what’s happening with Sana and Momo now, right?” Mina asked, somewhat abruptly. She elaborated further, “From what I’ve seen, ever since I’ve been friends with them, they’ve been so close. It doesn’t seem like they fight often.”

Jeongyeon hummed, brow furrowed in concentration as she focused on what she was doing. “I don’t think they’ve ever fought like this before,” the Gryffindor agreed, confirming Mina’s suspicions. She huffed out a sigh, “It’s pretty sad to see, actually.”

Mina nodded her head slowly, processing Jeongyeon’s words. After a moment of thought, she decided to bite the bullet and just ask the other girl the question that had been nagging at her since even before Sana and Momo’s fight. “Are they… I mean, were they, I guess… dating…?” she managed to cough out, hating how awkward she sounded.

The Gryffindor immediately looked up with a smirk. “They aren’t subtle at all, huh?” She rolled her eyes while chuckling. “I don’t think they ever called it dating, per se, but we’ve all known since forever that they had some kind of thing going. It was pretty obvious. No one was all that shocked when poor Tzuyu walked in on them making out in their dorm room last year.”

There was a sudden twisting clench in Mina’s chest and in her gut— a feeling she couldn’t identify, or maybe just one she didn’t want to identify. “Oh,” she said, somewhat involuntarily. Why did her voice sound almost… disappointed? But then Jeongyeon was staring at her, almost like she understood what Mina was feeling better than she did herself, so Mina hurriedly added, “Do you think their fight had something to do with that, then?”

Thankfully, Jeongyeon looked away at that, breaking off eye contact. The Gryffindor frowned as she added a few ingredients into the cauldron, causing the potion to sizzle and turn a deeper shade of purple. “I don’t know what else they would fight about,” Jeongyeon replied. “Momo won’t tell me anything about what happened, and from what Dahyun tells me, Sana won’t say anything either. Since you’re asking me, I’m guessing you don’t know anything about it, either, huh?”

Mina shook her head in frustration.

Jeongyeon pushed back from the desk with another sigh, crossing her arms. “My best guess? Those two, they’ve always been so content to not define things between them, but that’s not exactly the basis for a healthy relationship, you know? It was probably just a matter of time before that ended up blowing up in their faces...”

If what Jeongyeon theorized was true, it made Mina’s heart ache to think about how much pain her best friends must be in at the moment, being apart from each other. She thought of all of the soft, intimate moments she had been witness to since she’d met them, the ones she’d dismissed as platonic— the gentle touches, the lingering glances. Merlin, they were quite obvious about it, weren’t they? Mina had just been too blind, or naive, maybe, to see it.

She made a decision, right then and there. If anyone deserved to be happy in this world, it was Sana and Momo, and Mina knew them well enough now to know that what made them happy was each other. Therefore, she would do anything in her power to bring them back together, to get them to recognize and admit how they felt about each other. (Why did it hurt, deep in her chest, knowing that she wouldn’t be a part of that picture?)

Mina fell quiet for the rest of the class period, deep in thought as she began to develop a game plan for how to get Sana and Momo to, well— “kiss and make up”, quite literally. Jeongyeon tried to make more small talk after that, but she stopped trying after she probably realized that Mina was too preoccupied to carry on a conversation. Even in her distracted state, Mina could feel the older student’s gaze on her occasionally, staring at her profile.

Eventually the period ended, and Mina hastily gathered up her things to leave. “It was nice to meet you, Jeongyeon,” she told the Gryffindor, smiling earnestly. She felt guilty for basically ignoring the girl for the latter half of class— Mina didn’t want Jeongyeon to think she was rude— but there was just so much new information to process.

“You too,” Jeongyeon agreed, mirroring her smile. Mina was about to turn and make her way to the exit when she heard the other girl call out, “Hey, Mina?” When the Ravenclaw faced her again, Jeongyeon was looking at her intently again, almost as if she could plainly see the disorganized emotions and thoughts churning in Mina’s brain. “You know… Sana and Momo, they have a lot of friends, right? But for as long as I’ve known them, they’ve always been in their own universe, just the two of them. Since you came, though… Well, from what I can see, let’s just say that their universe has gotten a little bigger.”

A slow frown appeared on Mina’s face. Before she could even open to ask Jeongyeon to clarify what she meant, though, the Gryffindor was offering a sympathetic smile and a pat on her back. In a moment, she was gone, leaving Mina to stand there completely perplexed.

What did Jeongyeon mean by that? What was she implying? She didn’t mean that Sana and Momo’s fight did have something to do with Mina… right? That didn’t seem like Jeongyeon’s intention, though, judging by the soft way she’d spoken and her comforting expression. It made Mina wonder if Jeongyeon had been able to disentangle her feelings better than she herself could— maybe the comment had something to do with that?

Mina supposed it was yet another mystery she would have to solve at a later date, as now her current priority would be “Operation Get Samo (Back) Together”.