“Hey Princess!” Hanbin speaks to me casually. What is he trying to play at? And why does he keep calling me that? My confused gaze just makes him chuckle. “You know, what you did back there wasn’t nice. I would really appreciate an apology.” Oh hell no.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I trail off while I try to think of an excuse to get out of this situation. I turn to my friends who are all uncomfortable with the extra presence at the table. Hanbin really had to bring some of his friends too.  “And anyways, I think it’s time for me to go. I think I left something in my room.” I let out a breathy laugh. “Really nice seeing you and your friends.” I try pushing his hand off of my arm only for his grip to get tighter. I would totally be into this if the hand was not attached to the devil in front of me. 

“And what exactly did you leave in your room?”

“Oh um my arithmancy textbook.” I flash a smile before trying to get up again. I don’t even have arithmancy today, I have ancient runes today. I’m all good if no one says anything.

“Arithmancy can wait. We have some pressing matters to talk about.” Hanbin says as he stops me from getting up once again. “It’s a simple apology sweets. I’m sure you know how to say sorry.” It feels like he’s mocking me. He’s mocking me, isn’t he?

“Look fine I’m sorry. I was being stupid.” My pride feels disgusted right now. I hear a sigh of relief and see Hanbin’s smile turn into a smirk. “But you don’t have to act like a pompous all the time.” I mutter as I turn away from him. My gaze falls on Jennie, who all but glares at me. Why is she glaring at me? Hanbin takes a deep breath from next and starts to chuckle. Oh. He heard me.

“You know Puff, I was gonna let you go…” He trails off as he gets up. I watch from the corner of my eye before shifting back to Jennie. I feel his chest press against my back and my cheeks flush red as I feel his breath on my ear. “But you better watch your back instead.” He sneers into my ear before he leaves with his stupid posse. I let out a breath I had no idea I was holding before dropping my head down to my hands.

“You’re absolutely ed now, Sweet Puff.” Jennie sighs from her seat. I know, I know, I know! I didn’t think he’d hear me. But it can’t be that bad right? I mean he’s a mean guy but what could he possibly do to me? I feel Hayi’s hand on my back, rubbing up and down to soothe me.

No time for moping and anyways ancient runes is starting soon. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine! What’s the worst he could do?” I question as I look up at my girl gang. They’re all looking at me with pity. Wow, tough crowd. My prefect says it’s best to stay positive and try not to let others get to you. “You guys have nothing to worry about! I am going to be perfectly fine.”

Lisa decides to speak up. “Are you sure? I literally live with Hanbin an-” She’s cut off by Jisoo, who I see shoot Lisa a glare.

“What she means to say is that we’re here for you and that we won’t let Hanbin and his stupid friends get to you.” She says to me with a smile on her face. As much as I feel like they won’t be able to do anything, it’s really comforting to hear how they’ll stick by my side. She really is the mom friend. “And I’ll even talk to Jinhwan! See if he’ll be easier on you!”

“Yeah! I’ll talk to Donghyuk for you too!” Rosé pipes up after thinking for a bit. I turn to her and give her a small teasing smile. Does she want to talk to Donghyuk for me or does she just want a reason to talk to him?

“Are you sure you’re talking to him for me?” I raise my eyebrows at her. Rosie’s cute little crush on Donghyuk was so incredibly obvious. Donghyuk was a cute kid. Met him in his first year and was a real charmer, still is to be quite honest. Pretty sure in his second year he weaseled his way into Rosé’s heart and has been stuck ever since. Donghyuk may be charming but he is definitely not the player in that group. His crush on Rosé is also glaringly obvious. How the two of them don’t recognize each other’s feelings is simply mind-boggling.

Rosé’s cheeks redden at the accusation. How cute! opens to give a comeback but luckily for me, the bell rings. I shoot her a grin and she shakes her head with a giggle. Time for ancient runes with my second favorite house, Ravenclaw. Really have nothing against Ravenclaw other than the fact they can be pretty mean sometimes. I pull at Hayi’s arm before waving a quick goodbye to the crew. Jisoo yells that dinner is going to be at the Hufflepuff table as we all go our own way.

The walk to ancient runes with Hayi was quick and full of small conversation. Small conversation regarding home just to keep the thoughts of a certain Gryffindor away. We talked about how our parents were planning a winter getaway together and how Minzy absolutely does not want to go. It’s really nothing against Hayi’s family, it’s more against our family. Our mother has a tendency of going overboard with safety precautions and really does not let us do whatever we really want to on vacation. All understandable, I mean anything could happen but it can get extremely annoying especially to someone like Minzy who is an adult. I tell Hayi that I might spend Christmas here at Hogwarts just because I want to spend more time with our friends. I know Lisa, Jisoo, and Jennie do not go home for the holidays so I might just spend time with them over break.

We arrive at the classroom and immediately move to our desks to prepare for class. I sit down at my desk behind Hayi and take out my parchment and ink and quill. Ancient runes with Ravenclaw is an alright time because the Ravenclaws answer the questions and the Hufflepuffs don’t really worry about participation. While a few of us decide to answer questions for house points, the rest don’t really bother because we know that our professor is biased towards the claws.

The bell rings indicating class is starting and the professor writes a paragraph on the board for us to translate. I quickly start writing the first couple sentences before something catches my attention. I glance at the boy sitting to my left. Okay cool it’s Yunhyeong. Wait. It’s Yunhyeong. Ah Song Yunhyeong. The cutest Ravenclaw boy in our year. He’s an absolute sweetheart and has all the girls at the school falling for him. I mean I really do not blame them, he’s so nice! He is always complimenting everyone and just being so freaking amazing. I had the biggest crush on him in second year but I never acted on it because I was nervous and scared and insecure and yeah. I caught him in the third-floor restrooms with a Slytherin girl. Crush dissolved.

I do a double-take and catch his gaze. My confused gaze must be real funny because Yunhyeong gives me a grin. I raise an eyebrow in response. What does he want? He never sits next to me. It seems like he read my thoughts though because he tosses a note onto my desk. I grab it and I look at him. He nods his head as if to say go on. I roll my eyes at him before opening the note.

“So-Hee,

I am incredibly sorry for Hanbin’s behavior from this morning. He was being incredibly harsh and you did not deserve that. I wish I could say that he would stop bothering you but unfortunately that is not the case. Please be careful, he can be quite the handful. You could maybe apologize again.

Sincerely,

Yunhyeong”

What the absolute ? I shoot Yunhyeong a dirty look before crumpling the parchment up and shoving it into my bag. I go back to translating the paragraph. Who was Yunhyeong to say that I should apologize to that dirtbag? He’s the one threatening me! He’s the one telling me that I should watch my back. I hear Yunhyeong sigh like he’s had a long day. Well me too buddy.

---

Class goes by quick enough and before I know it, I’m packing my supplies away to go to DADA. I tell Hayi to save me a seat at the Hufflepuff table and ruffle her hair as I walk by. I hear her giggle and give me a goodbye. I make my way to my next class with a skip in my step. I love DADA! Easily one of my most favorite classes. I have nothing against my other classes but I enjoy actually applying what I learn. Lectures can’t always teach you everything.

I step into the classroom and immediately make my way to the front of the classroom where Jennie is sitting. So glad I have this class with Slytherin and not Gryffindor. I might go mad if I had to deal with the idiots in that house in this class. I give her a quiet greeting and she gives me a grin. We have a small conversation about our previous class before the professor starts class.

Class goes on without any problems. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs get along well, I feel like we get along more than the other houses. There really is no bad blood between Slytherins and Hufflepuffs and based on this class alone, it seems like we are very good at helping each other out. We get through today’s lesson and before we know it, the bell rings indicating the end of classes for the day. Jennie and I quickly pack up before making our way to the Great Hall.

I pull at Jennie’s arm as we fast-walk to the Great Hall. “Come on slowpoke! I’m starving!” I giggle at her as we finally walk through the doors of the hall. We get to the foot of the Hufflepuff table and scan the students before spotting the girls. I walk in the aisle by the left side of the long table before sitting down next to Hayi.

“Hello my loves!” I exclaim as I take a good look at the various foods on the table. Nothing new. The same Shepherd's pie as yesterday. Lisa laughs at my burst of a greeting.

“Someone’s happy! Let me guess, Defense class?” Lisa snickers as she begins to eat her food. She is definitely right, I mean I am also excited to see my friends but DADA is just such an exciting class! Rosé shakes her head with a bright smile before speaking to me.

“What did you learn today?” She questions me. “I had defense earlier this morning and we learned the impediment jinx!”

“Oh that’s a fun jinx to use! We’re learning nonverbal spells right now so today we learned the shield charm!” It was actually a really fun class and interesting to see how everyone did.

Rosé nods her head at me with a big smile. “That’s really exciting, So-Hee!” I nod happily at her as she turns to talk to Jennie. I turn my attention to Hayi, who is taking a drink from her goblet.

“What about you, my dear? What did you learn today in herbology?” I question as I take a bite of my dinner. Shepherd’s pie may be the menu practically everyday but I’ll have to admit, it’s really good. I might have to visit the kitchens soon. 

“It was interesting…” Hayi trails off. I furrow my eyebrows while I take another bite of food. I nod to urge her to go on but it seems like her attention is elsewhere.

“Is everything okay, Hayi?” I question as I move to rub her arm in comfort. Not exactly sure what could’ve happened but it’s better to help out in any way possible. “Did something happen?”

“Oh no nothing bad happened,” Hayi starts. Is she blushing right now? “I actually got partnered with Jiwon for a herbology project…” I roll my eyes and remove my hand from her arm. If today was yesterday, I would be overcome with joy but unfortunately, it is not. I pout at her as her face continues to turn a deep red.

“You cannot be fraternizing with the enemy!” I whine at her. I hear Jennie laugh at me from across the table. I shoot her a frown but I guess it looks more like a bigger pout because she starts laughing at me even more. “I didn’t realize my suffering was so funny!” I try to sneer at the Slytherin as I fix my gaze back onto Hayi. I scowl at the snort I hear. Not funny at all.

“Come on! Be happy for me!” Hayi snickers as she goes to take a drink from her goblet. I am happy! I really am! Hayi has had a giant crush on Jiwon since first year. It was endearing, really, but I am not feeling it today. I sigh as I turn to take another bite of my food while Hayi goes on talking about the project and how the two of them need to work together on the healing properties of Fluxweed or whatever. At least maybe in the end, Jiwon can see how amazing Hayi is and will possibly ask her out. From what I have seen, the pining between them is not mutual like Donghyuk and Rosie’s.

I look up from the mostly-eaten plate of food when I see a crowd stand up at the Gryffindor table. The effort really was not worth it because I made eye contact with Hanbin. I sigh as I look back down to my food. Gosh this is so embarrassing. Has he been there the entire time? My cheeks are definitely flaring up a red color and it definitely is not a cute blush. I sense the others decided to take a look back because I hear a faint “oh” from who I presume to be Jisoo. She clears .

“So So-Hee, I overheard that they’re starting to take the 6th years into account for the head girl position.” My ears perk up at the mention of head girl from Jisoo. I have always wanted to become a head girl because my mother had been a head girl in her 7th year. She always spoke so highly of it. The privileges of being a head girl were so amazing like you get your own private chamber! It’s so cool! Jisoo is the head girl for Ravenclaw and she talks about how much fun it is even though she has many responsibilities. I would love to be able to show the professors here how hard I work. While my short-term dream is to be the head girl of Hufflepuff, my long-term goal is to become a professor. And yeah, I know I don’t need to be a head girl to possibly become a professor and I still need higher education but if I know that responsibilities like those that the head girl has can definitely help me in the future.

“Do you think I have a chance?” While I am a diligent student, I wonder if I can even make the cut. There are so many exceptional students in Hufflepuff and I’m just average. I mean my grades are stable and I do not purposely get myself into trouble. But I am not sure if I can compete with the other girls in my year, especially the prefect. I lowly groan at the thought of the Hufflepuff girl prefect. God she’s an absolute witch and I do not mean that as in she practices witchcraft. “I do not stand a chance against Eo Sung.” I pout as I look up to talk to Jisoo. Also can that prick stop staring. I can feel him looking at me. But back to Eo Sung. She’s the resident Hufflepuff . She’s really nice actually! Super sweet but she definitely thinks she’s better than everyone around her and ever since she became prefect, she’s been acting like she runs the Hufflepuff house. So annoying.

Hayi tries to soothe me by rubbing my arm. “Don’t say that!” Hayi exclaims at me. “You most definitely have a chance! What does she have that you don’t?”

“Everything!” I drop my head into my hands. You all probably think I’m a total cry baby right? Well, you’re right. I was put into Hufflepuff for a reason. I hear a collective sigh from everyone sitting around me. I must be tiring them out too much today. I look back up at everyone. “I’m sorry.” I mutter.

“You don’t need to apologize to us.” Jennie speaks softly. “It’s been a long day. Maybe it’s time to retire to our common rooms.” She suggests as she begins gathering her things. I nod with the others and we grab our stuff as well. We quietly make our way out of the Great Hall. We all have to go our separate ways… well Lisa, Jisoo, and Hayi have to go their separate ways as they live in their respective towers. Jennie, Rosé, and I have to make our way to the dungeons. We reach the entrance corridor and say our goodnights and decide where to sit in the morning. Ravenclaw table it is.

Jennie, Rosé, and I turn to make our way down the stairs for the dungeons when a hand pulls me back. I gasp and I feel myself crash into a really hard chest. Not again. I inwardly groan because I know exactly who it is. Maybe he should lay off on the cologne too.

“Hello Princess.” I look up to glare at Hanbin. I jerk my hand away from him. “Aw is that really how you’re going to treat me?” I roll my eyes at him while he gives me a stupid smile.

“I don’t think I should treat you in any special way.” I mutter as he continues to tower over me. “Is there anything you want?” I see Rosé from the corner of my eye talking to Donghyuk. Of ing course she’s flirting right now. And I’m sure Jennie is talking to her housemate Junhwe.

“Oh I don’t /want/ anything…” Hanbin trails off. I narrow my eyes at him. He definitely wants something. “I just need you to get me into the Hufflepuff girl’s dormitory. Now.” I look at him with an extremely confused expression. What the ? I shake my head no.

“No.” I move to leave. But he moves way too quick to block me. “Sneak in with some-” I’m cut off with Hanbin squishing my face together. I try to move my head so he can let go but his grip is unwavering.

“Princess,” He starts again. “ When I tell you to do something, you do it.” I am not getting in trouble because of this dirtbag. What does he even want to do in the girl’s dorms? I’m sure he knows exactly what I’m thinking because he starts to talk yet again. “And don’t worry about getting in trouble. Your prefect won’t discipline you for helping me. In fact, I’ll let her know when I see her there.” What? Why would he be seeing her? My mind is confused but then I realize. 

My eyes widen at his comment. His fingers let go of my face. That actually hurt a lot. I shake my head at him. “I am not letting you into /my/ dorm to bang my prefect!” I exclaim to him. That’s literally so ed up considering I share the room with her. I am literally disgusted at the thought of him having with Eo Sung. “Get someone else to do it.” At this he rolls his eyes.

“You know maybe you should reconsider…” He trails off but I see him reach for his wand. Oh no. I guess my hand and mouth work faster than my brain because I have already cast a hex before I could realize. Hanbin was pushed away from me and the sight I see right now is not so good. I gasp at what I had done. Oh no no no no. He groans and looks up at me. My mouth drops open at the right of his front two teeth. I guess I used Densaugeo because his front two teeth are HUGE like beaver's teeth. “What did you do?” I hear Hanbin yell at me as he reaches to touch his abnormally large teeth. I wince at his yelling and feel my eyes well up with tears. The guilt is eating at me right now as his friends rush to him.

I decide to make a run for it. This is so humiliating. I run to the staircase to the dungeons. “You’re going to pay for this Puff!” I hear him scream after me. . I quickly reach my common room. I tap on the barrels for entrance before fast-walking to my dorm. Some of the others ask if I’m okay but others know to just let it be. My bed is currently my safe haven and it’s best if I just go there instead of possibly making a fool out of myself again.

I barge into my room before shutting it close and jumping into the bed next to the door. I feel lucky to have the bed by the door because it’s the closest to the exit. I do not bother changing out of my clothes before pulling the blanket over my body and head. Today was not a fun day. How embarrassing! I humiliated myself and then I humiliated Hanbin. I turn my body so my face was pushed into the pillow. I scream in both frustration and guilt. The guilt is overtaking my body. Hanbin may be an but he did not deserve that. No one deserves a hex to their face, especially right before meeting someone. I turn to my side and feel a tear roll down the side of my nose. Wish I didn’t cry over others but I feel terrible about my actions.

I sigh as I hear the door open and close. I know it’s Rosé by the small voice but I know she’s not here to lecture me or anything. She knows better than to push me while I’m feeling low. “So-hee…” I feel her crawl into the bed behind me. I turn over to look at her concerned face. She wipes at my wet nose and cheek. “Go to sleep.” I nod my head, knowing if I talk, I might start to sob instead. How weak. Rosé gives me a soft smile before closing her eyes. I close my eyes too, hoping sleep will come easy tonight.