Chapter Two: A Busy Train

     “I do hope you fix things with Woohyun-ah’s son, Kang Seulgi.” Her mother, Kang Ahyeon, let out a delicately frustrated sigh as she dusted imaginary dirt off of Seulgi’s crisp school robes.

    Seulgi squeezed her fists shut as she restrained herself from talking back to her own mother. Such an act would already be highly disrespectful, but doing it on a public space such as Platform 9 3/4 would be incredibly embarrassing and damaging for her household’s reputation. Not that she held much importance for her social standing, but she can’t deny the privilege and power she’s enjoyed for most of her life was thanks to her pureblood lineage and the powerful Kang surname.

    Regardless, Seulgi doesn’t plan on fulfilling her mother’s wishes—but she doesn’t have to know that. “I’ll do my best, eomma,” she murmured. “But there’s nothing more I can do if Taeyong himself doesn’t wish to be with me any longer.”

    “He’s still totally in love with you, though?” Minhyuk, her brother, who just cannot keep his mouth shut, interrupted the two. He and their father had just come back from greeting another pureblood family—Seulgi assumed it was the Zhang-Zhou household, the only prominent pureblood family that was absent from last night's festivities, as she had spotted the Chinese siblings, Yixing and Jieqiong, when they had just arrived at the station. The Zhang-Zhou's are a mysterious bunch, so there wasn’t much to say about them. She has, however, spent some time with the two siblings before, and both seemed pleasant enough to not warrant any suspicion towards the family.

    Their mother gasped as Seulgi rolled her eyes at her chuckling brother. “Please don’t listen to him, eomma. You know oppa likes to say whatever’s on his mind.” Internally, however, she was starting to grow antsy. Any conversation involving Taeyong that takes longer than necessary always makes her anxious to get it over with. And even if she and Minhyuk aren’t the closest siblings, she knew him to be just as observant as she is, so she at least knew his teasings weren’t ever unfounded.

    Her father, Kang Baeksoo, gave Minhyuk a scolding look. “Don’t tease your dongsaeng so much, Minhyuk-ah,” However, he gave Seulgi a sideways glance. “But you are going to patch things up with the Lee boy, aren't you?”

    Seulgi couldn’t help but feel a blush rise on her cheeks due to her parents’ insistent digging on her relationship with Taeyong. Desperate to change the topic, she just waved off his remarks. “Appa, please. Let’s not do this right now. You do know you won’t see Minhyuk oppa and I until Christmas break, right?”

    “Oh, Seulgi, why did you break up with the boy in the first place?” Her mother shook her head in disappointment. Seulgi wanted to just escape to the train—if this was all her family would ever discuss until things died down, then it would be better off for her not to show her face until they forget about the issue.

    More than it becoming a repetitive topic, it was truthfully still a painful reminder of why she broke up with Taeyong from the start. Most people believe that she’s cold-hearted, and they weren’t wrong, but Taeyong had completely blindsided her with the breakup. To be reminded daily of what he had done to her was starting to become exhausting.

Seulgi almost let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw Namjoon's family approach them. Her

friend looked like he was having a heated discussion with Seokjin, while their three younger siblings were playing around with themselves. Seeing them made her remember her conversation with Namjoon last night before she left his manor:

.

.

           Finally, the night had come to an end. Most of the attendants were fighting off their yawns, Seulgi included, but some had still managed to slip from . It was a little over twelve, which means the ball ended two hours later than usual. It must have been because it would be their last social ball in a while.

    Seulgi just spent the remainder of her time entertaining the twins, but she just couldn't shake off Taeyong’s—and consequently, everyone else’s—constant stare at her direction. Wasn't it enough that they had gotten the attention of every pureblood in attendance with his irrational and, frankly, stupid decisions? 

           "See you tomorrow?" Seulgi squeezed Namjoon's hand tightly while she did her best to force out a smile. Her family was one of the first to bid farewell to the Kims, who had all gathered to see them off. She's been smothered by stares from absolutely every pureblood in attendance that she had looked forward to leaving more than anything else in her life at that moment.

           Namjoon squeezed her hand tighter, offering her a small smile. "You'll be okay, won't you?"

          “Oh, Joon-ah. You know I have to be.” She gave him a rueful smile in return.

          "It'll get easier, I think." That was his way of consoling her, with his concise words, and she gratefully accepted them. 

          One of his little sisters, Jisoo, who was only a year younger than them, approached Seulgi with a kind smile. She was an incoming fifth year from Hufflepuff, and she was the only one coming from that house in their family. Those things shouldn’t even matter in real life, because defining someone based on their school house sounds encaging and honestly utterly useless, Seulgi had observed. Outside of school, many of her pureblood friends from Slytherin weren’t as cunning or scheming as they appeared to be, nor were the Gryffindors as uprighteous as they pride themselves on to be, either. For her house, Ravenclaw, everyone was doing well in school, naturally, but she’s met her fair share from her house who was so clueless about everything else. 

    As for Hufflepuff, it was no secret that a lot of the students from that house were hypocrites. There were rumours going around about how some Hufflepuffs actually bully their own—but isn’t it so ridiculous, Seulgi would always wonder, how those students who call others hypocrites aren’t aware of their own hypocrisy? And to even think of that thought is already hypocrisy on its own—the thought never fails to baffle her.

    “Unnie, I’m honoured that you could make it to my family’s ball.” Jisoo’s eloquency could rival even her own, as her etiquette matches her polished look for tonight—a beautiful chiffon cream dress with their household sigil, a rose, embroidered in her chest, and a gold necklace with the same sigil on it.

           The sigil of the Kang's were just as anyone who knew of the family expected it to be—an owl, of course, as that animal typically represents wisdom, something her household always prides upon.

    "Oh, the honour's all mine." Seulgi smiled at her with sisterly affection. Other than Chaeyeon, Jisoo was another that she treated like an actual sibling, as she didn't have actual younger sisters.

    "Go to the others, Jisoo-yah. Your oppa is talking to her," Namjoon shooed her away, causing her to glare at him for a split second before remembering where she was.

     She curtly nodded. "I'll talk to you more tomorrow, unnie." With a farewell smile, she went back to her parents' side.

    "Why are you always so mean to her?" Seulgi couldn't help but chuckle.

    Namjoon shook his head. "That's not what's important right now," his voice dropped down to a whisper. "I overheard Taeyong and a few others talk about something in whispers when I passed by the washing room.”

    Her heart started beating rapidly. Namjoon didn't know the details of her breakup with Taeyong, as she was worried what Namjoon might do to him if he find out, but it can't be that Taeyong would be so careless enough as to discuss something dangerous so openly. 

    "What... Is it?" Her eyes widened as she anticipated his response.

    He shook his head. "I couldn't hear properly, but death was mentioned a few times. Do you know what he's up to, Seul-ah? Is that why you broke up with him?”

    Seulgi exhaled. He doesn't know. "Don't be ridiculous. They're just a bunch of spoiled rich purebloods, what harm could they possibly do?”

    "You didn't answer my question.

    She leaned back and took a step away from him. "I have to go. My parents are waiting for me.”

    "Kang Seul..." Namjoon reached out to her, but she subtly shook her head. Now was neither the time nor the place to talk about such matters.

    "I'll see you tomorrow, Joon-ah.”

    .

    .

    Seulgi pursed her lips. This was not a conversation she was excited to partake in.

    “Ahyeon eomoni, I hope you enjoyed my family’s ball last night.” Namjoon kissed her mother’s outreached hands as he smiled politely.

    “Yes, it was certainly most splendid. Your family hosts amazing balls as always, Kim Namjoon,” Kang Ahyeon laughed lightly. The siren signalling the start of the train’s journey towards Hogwarts howled loudly across the platform. 

    “Oh, dear, so soon?” She pulled Seulgi into a hug and whispered to her ear. “Do as you’ve always done, my dear Seulgi bear, and nothing will go wrong for our family. Do you understand?”

    She knew perfectly well what her mother meant. She’s lived with that thinly-veiled threat all her life. “Crystal clear, eomma.” She released herself from her mother’s hug.

    Her parents gave her a final wave before stepping backwards to the other families who were bidding farewell to their children. 

    Seulgi gave them a small wave, then turned around and headed towards the train. I was wondering when that stupid siren was going to sound off, she irritatingly thought.

    “Your mother’s so strict on you, as always,” Namjoon commented once they were inside the train. They immediately went right and walked straight until near the very end, where the compartments were reserved for Ravenclaws. 

    He was correct, and there was nothing more to add to that, so she said nothing.

    Finally reaching their compartment, they lugged their baggages inside.

    It seems the two were the last to arrive, because everyone else was already seated in their seats: Jimin, Lisa, and Chaeyeon were already there, talking amongst themselves.

    “We’re here,” Namjoon announced. Jimin helped Namjoon put their luggages in the corner while Chaeyeon ushered Seulgi so that she would sit next to her.

    The train slowly began to move. Seulgi sighed in relief as she felt the distance between her and her parents gradually become farther. 

    Ravenclaws are known to be a quiet bunch, and their compartment might be the poster children for that stereotype: Namjoon started reading another one of his books, Lisa and Jimin listening to music on their muggle contraptions, and Chaeyeon just silently clung to one of Seulgi’s arms as she stared at the breathtaking scenery outside the window of their compartment.

    Seulgi closed her eyes. She couldn’t get much sleep last night so she was hoping no one would make a ruckus. Usually, something always goes wrong inside the train once it starts moving, but perhaps this time around the students have matured.

    As if Merlin heard her,  Chaeyeon started coughing repeatedly. “Chaeyeon-ah, did you take your meds?” Away from the watchful eyes of their parents, Seulgi always drops the unnecessary etiquette required from her.

    She nodded and pointed towards the bag on top of the table. Seulgi immediately grabs it and looks for the prescribed medicine. She doesn’t even have to ask what kind it is because this is a normal occurrence for her sickly dongsaeng, no matter how frightening her cough attacks are.

    She rummaged through the small medicine bag. “Are you sure it’s here? I don’t see it,” Seulgi’s eyebrows furrowed.

    Chaeyeon gulped before coughing again. “I think-Jaehyun