“Jessica! Jessica!”

 

There was so much smoke. All Jessica could make out was a blurry figure hovering over her.

 

“For bloody’s sake, Jessica! Wake up!”

 

Urgent hands shook her shoulder, but Jessica didn’t have the strength to fight the unconscious.

 

The voice...it sounded familiar though.

 

“Unnie! We have to get them out of here.” There was another voice. It also sounded familiar but Jessica couldn’t think. She could barely feel.

 

She was warm. Too warm.

 

Two girls hovered over her. She felt herself get lifted by strong arms as one of them scooped her up. Brown eyes peered down at her.

 

Those eyes…

 

Soojung?

 

“We have to leave now!” The other girl shouted.

 

It might’ve been the smoke. It might’ve been because Jessica was delirious, but Jessica swore that among the deadly white flames and black smoke she saw Soojung.

 

Her Soojung.

 

 

---

 

 

Jessica peeked open both her eyes groggily and almost panicked thinking she had gone blind. All she saw was white. Opening her eyes wider in fear, she then noticed that she was lying in a very familiar room staring at a very familiar white ceiling.

Sighing in relief, she closed her eyes again momentarily enjoying the temporary serenity despite her aching throat, pounding head, and sore back until images of fire suddenly flashed behind her closed eyelids. Her heart skipped a beat as terror jumped up , causing her to jerk up in bed.

 

“Woah! Easy there.”

 

Jessica turned to see Yoona smiling softly at her.

 

“Yoona?” Her eyes then drifted from the doe eyed girl to the occupied beds next to her. They widened in surprise and worry. Six lifeless figures occupied the infirmary beds next to her.

 

The Hufflepuff smiled sadly, noticing the brunette’s reaction. “How are you, Unnie?” she asked softly as she handed the older girl a cup of warm water.

 

Jessica took the cup gratefully and gulped it down, ignoring the pain as it went down . It hurt to swallow.

 

She cupped her head, fighting to remember. What happened again? How did they all end up in the infirmary? What happened after they fought the trolls?

 

All she could remember was fire.

 

Ironically, the memory brought shivers down her back.

 

“Yoona. What happened?” she asked. Her voice sounded like she’d just swallowed a bucket of dust and rust.

 

Yoona shook her head. “I’m not sure.” She frowned. “I can’t remember everything. Just...bits and pieces.”

 

“Are they...are they okay?” Jessica gulped, scanning the unmoving bodies on the beds next to hers. She was more scared and worried for the girls than she was concerned for her memory loss.

 

“They’re...they’re fine,” Yoona stated, though she didn’t sound so sure herself. “Taeyeon and Tiffany both woke up a day before you. I woke up before them. Everyone else…”

 

Jessica turned to gaze sadly at Yuri’s lifeless figure in the bed next to hers. Her hand reached out to caress the girl only to stop halfway as pain shot up her arm. She quickly withdrew her right arm, clutching onto it tightly with her left.

 

“Careful!” Yoona rushed over and gingerly helped Jessica move her arm back to a resting position. “You broke your arm, remember?”

 

Jessica did remember. Images of them fighting mountain trolls flashed through her mind. She vaguely also recalled a very scary and very angry Tiffany singlehandedly driving the trolls away.

“Madam Pomfrey was able to mend the bones, but she said you were going to be sore for a while,” Yoona explained as she hurriedly tucked the older girl back in bed. “For now, you should rest Unnie. Don’t push yourself. Sleep. They’ll be awake when you wake up again,” Yoona reassured.

 

Despite all the protests in her head, none of them made it through Jessica’s lips. Her resisting stopped as soon as she closed her eyes and Yoona leaned to leave a quick peck on her forehead. It was such a familiar and soothing gesture that Jessica let out an unconscious smile.

 

Before she knew it, Jessica Jung was fast asleep.

 

 

---

 

 

The next time Jessica woke up, she heard voices.

 

Forcing herself to open one eye, Jessica caught Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey talking at the foot of her bed. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, only able to distinguish the words ‘fiendfyre’ and ‘memories’.

 

She must’ve made some sort of noise as both witches suddenly stopped mid conversation and turned to look at her. She saw Madam Pomfrey walk towards her and instinctively, Jessica closed both her eyes pretending to be asleep despite knowing her efforts were futile. A warm hand was placed on her forehead and next thing she knew, she was asleep once again.

 

 

---

 

 

“Oh, Jessi’s waking up!”

 

Though she hadn’t opened her eyes yet, Jessica could feel that people were suddenly crowding her bed. Guess she should try to wake up then.

 

Opening one eye, she saw four girls smiling wearily down at her.

 

Jessica leaned back into her pillow, surprised at how close their faces were to her own. “Could you guys uh,” cough. “Move back?”

 

The girls immediately complied and Jessica relaxed. Tiffany, Yoona, Sunny, and Seohyun stared down at her.

 

“How do you feel?” Tiffany grinned softly. It made Jessica’s heart nearly skip a beat at how concerned Tiffany was for her wellbeing despite clearly being just as exhausted and beaten up.

 

“Fine,” Jessica said gruffly. “Could use some water,” she commented as she reached up to massage her sore throat. It felt like she had tried to drink fire, which probably wasn’t too far off the truth.

 

Seohyun, being the youngest, immediately scurried off to get a cup. “Here you go, Unnie.”

 

Jessica sat up with some difficulty, careful not to use her left arm. Her arms and legs felt like rubber. She took the cup gratefully and gulped it down.

 

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “How long was I out?”

 

The girls looked at Yoona who shrugged and answered, “A week?”

 

Jessica stared at Yoona in shock. “A week?!” she squeaked, causing everyone else to cover their ears, unprepared for the sudden high pitched attack on their ears.

 

“Ack, I think I’m deaf,” Sunny joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

 

“How about the others? Are they awake?” Jessica switched topics, her eyes immediately scanning the beds next to her.

 

Tiffany shook her head. “Taeyeon woke up before I did. But Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Sooyoung still haven’t woken up. Not even once.”

 

“Madam Pomfrey said they should wake up soon though,” Sunny reassured Jessica as soon as she saw the brunette’s frown deepen.

 

No sooner than she said that, a noise to their right made them all shift their attention.

 

“Yuri?”

 

“She lives!”

 

The four girls bounded over in joy. Yuri looked up, dazed at all the commotion.

 

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay, Yuri!” Tiffany beamed before launching herself onto the confused raven haired girl.

 

“Careful,” Yoona admonished, pulling the clingy mushroom off of Yuri by her collar. “Don’t hurt her.”

 

Tiffany merely raised an eyebrow at the protective gesture.

 

“Tiffany? Yoona?” Yuri squinted against the light. “What - what happened? Where am I?”

 

“You were passed out for a week, Unnie,” Seohyun explained. “You’re in the infirmary right now.”

 

Yuri looked around and noticed the two girls that still had to wake up. She then turned to see Jessica staring at her. “What happened? I don’t...I don’t remember anything.”

 

Yoona shook her head lightly. “Don’t worry about that right now. We’ll talk later. For now, I’m just glad you’re okay,” she grinned softly causing Yuri to burn bright pink at the sight. Jessica noticed and let out a chuckle causing Yuri to scowl. In a fit of annoyance, she picked up her pillow and ignoring the screaming soreness in her arms, flung it across her bed, hitting Jessica square in the face. However, that only caused Jessica to laugh louder.

 

“Yah! What do you think you’re doing?” Yoona suddenly scolded the girl. “You guys both just woke up! Be careful!”

 

Yuri shrunk back under her covers and nodded her head pitifully, relenting immediately to Yoona’s wrath. The sight caused Jessica to laugh even louder. Yuri growled at her friend from underneath the covers.

 

Tiffany, sensing another childish fight, stepped in. She clapped her hands and grinned widely. “Okay, so who’s hungry?”

 

“I AM!”
 

All heads turned to the bed behind them and was surprised to see Sooyoung sitting up with her arm raised in the air and her eyes wide open.

 

“Sooyoung?” Seohyun asked nervously, unsure if the girl was awake or merely sleep talking. It definitely wouldn't be the first time Seohyun had witnessed Sooyoung sleep talking about food.

“Where’s the food?” Sooyoung moaned, her eyes darting left and right as her stomach let out a monster growl.

 

At that moment, the door to the infirmary opened then and in walked Taeyeon with a cart full of food.

 

“FOOD!” The Ravenclaw giant jumped off her bed and raced haphazardly towards Taeyeon with a vigor that left the other girls gaping.

 

“What the!?” Taeyeon froze as the girl charged towards her. She ducked out of the way as Sooyoung dug her hands in and ravished on the fried chicken, one leg in each hand. Taeyeon watched in shock and slight disgust as Sooyoung munched away.

 

“You might need to get more food, Tae,” Tiffany observed.

 

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow. “Did she just wake up? If I had known she was going to wake up, I would’ve brought two carts!”

 

Taeyeon scanned the room to see who else was awake and like a magnet,  met Jessica’s eyes. Immediately, Taeyeon froze. The two stared at each other with an indescribable tension.

 

Jessica looked away first, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the prolonged eye contact. ‘That was weird,’ Jessica thought. They were no longer cold towards each other, but she couldn’t help but feel awkward around the other Gryffindor girl. She knew Taeyeon felt the same way as the girl refused to meet her eyes after that.

 

“Why don’t we all eat up as we wait for Hyoyeon…” Yoona trailed off as all eight girls turned to look at the remaining girl.

 

“Ughhhhh…”

 

The girls perked up at the sound. They hadn’t actually expected Hyoyeon to respond.

 

“Hyo!” Tiffany bounded forward, followed by the other girls.

 

Hyoyeon woke up groggily to see six girls staring worriedly down at her, including Sooyoung (who was still eating chicken by the mouthful).

 

“I-I what?” she slurred. Suddenly being surrounded like this, she wasn’t able to form a coherent sentence.

 

“YOU’RE AWAKE!” Tiffany squealed and suddenly everyone was screaming in joy.

 

“We’re all alive!”

 

Seohyun pulled Yoona and Sunny into a hug. Taeyeon and Tiffany were jumping up and down with their hands clasped. Sooyoung raised both her chicken legs into the air cheering at the top of her lungs. Jessica and Yuri sat their hospital beds, grinning at the scene before meeting eyes and grinning at each other.

 

Hyoyeon just squinted at them, still completely out of it. “What are we celebrating exactly?”

 

Before the girls could respond, the doors to the infirmary suddenly burst open again. This time, in walked Professor McGonagall with Madam Pomfrey. One look at McGonagall’s face and everyone quieted down.

 

McGonagall scanned the room with her usual stern face. “I see you all have woken.” She looked around meeting everyone’s eyes once more before saying, “Please, take a seat. We have a lot to discuss.”

 

The girls immediately sat down on their respective hospital beds. Under the headmistress’ gaze, they felt like little kids about to receive a scolding.

 

“I’m glad you all seem to be recovering well,” McGonagall started and the girls gulped in nervousness. “In light of recent events, all of you are banned from the Forbidden Forest, for good this time. If I catch anyone of you in there again, expect severe consequences.”

 

Several girls gulped in nervousness. Clearly, ‘severe’ consequences meant suspension, or worse, expulsion. Seohyun looked the most worried.

 

“The Forest is a dangerous place,” McGonagall emphasized once more. “Forget about what you saw. Never go back there again. Do I make myself clear?” Her gaze nailed everyone to the ground and the girls nodded once more. Even Hyoyeon, who was still too groggy to fully grasp the seriousness of the situation acquiesced.

 

“Very well.” She turned to Madam Pomfrey. “Please do make sure they recover quickly.” Her eyes flickered to the three Gryffindors. “If I recall, some of them have a Quidditch match to play in two weeks.”

 

Taeyeon and Hyoyeon both raised an eyebrow at the statement. Clearly, after just having nearly escaped death, there were some more important things than Quidditch. However, McGonagall’s underlying message was clear.

 

'Forget this ever happened. Go back to your normal routines.'

 

“Once you all have fully recovered, we will talk again. Clearly, we have some...things to discuss,” McGonagall gave them one last pointed look through her spectacles.

 

Madam Pomfrey gave her reassurance that all nine girls will be up and about in a day or so and McGonagall made her exit. After Madam Pomfrey made her rounds, mostly checking up on the three that had just woken up, the nine girls sized each other up.

 

“So,” Yoona was the first to speak. “I’m just going to address the elephant in the room.” She paused and Seohyun nodded at her, prompting her to continue. “As you all may have figured out by now...someone has tampered with our memories.”

 

Sooyoung and Hyoyeon who had just woken up, stared at Yoona in shock.

 

“What do you mean ‘someone has tampered with our memories?’” Hyoyeon cried, her hands going to her head in surprise.

 

Jessica nodded her head subtly as she processed Yoona’s revelation. It made sense. That’s why she couldn’t remember anything. Still, it was shocking. Who and why would someone mess with their memories?

 

“Does anyone remember what happened after the trolls?” Seohyun spoke up diplomatically.

 

One by one, the girls shook their heads. Everything was fuzzy.

 

“All I remember...was fire,” Yuri frowned. “White fire. Everywhere. And smoke. Lots of smoke.”

 

“Isn’t it weird then,” Seohyun continued. “That not one of the nine of us remembered what happened?”

 

“So what are you implying?” Hyoyeon frowned. “Who would tamper with our memories?”

 

Sunny shook her head. “We don’t know.”

 

Silence.

 

“You don’t think the professors would do such a thing, do you?” Tiffany spoke up quietly. Jessica tilted her head as she was thinking the same thing.

 

“Maybe. But don’t you think it’s weird that Professor McGonagall didn’t even question us about that happened?” Jessica questioned. “If I were her, I would want to know what happened for nine students to disappear and show up completely unconscious.”

 

“Maybe she wanted to ask us later?” Yuri suggested. “After all, she did say we had a lot of ‘things’ to discuss.”

 

“Maybe.” Jessica suddenly frowned. “Sooyoung, do you remember anything that happened before the trolls?”

 

Sooyoung stared into the ground for a good ten seconds before shaking her head weakly. “I-I don’t.”

 

Jessica clenched her jaw. Just as she thought. “I can’t even remember what happened to me the night before either,” she frowned as she once more racked her brains to conjure up memories of that night. Nothing.

 

She remembered the Kodama and the acromantula, but nothing afterwards, only that she woke up in Yuri’s arms. There was an obvious hole in her memory.

 

“What should we do then?” Yoona asked. The nine girls all gazed worriedly at each other, clearly at a loss of what to do.  

 

“We play along,” Taeyeon spoke confidently. “McGonagall clearly does not want us back in the Forest and given the condition we ended up in last time we went, I think we should listen to her. At least, until we know more about what’s going.”

 

The girls nodded. Taeyeon made sense. Even Jessica nodded. Heading back in blindly would not only be stupid, but also a death wish. Heck, most of them would be glad never to go back in ever again.

 

Whatever happened, it was traumatic.

 

“In the meantime,” Jessica muttered. “Does anyone know how to restore memories?”

 

Everyone shook their heads and silence fell over the group again. All of them were still trying hard to grasp the situation.

 

“Do we,” Sooyoung suddenly spoke up, her eyes cast down. Her shoulders were withdrawn and her eyes were hidden behind her long bangs. To Jessica she reminded her of a scared little girl.

 

“Do we even want to remember?”

 

No one answered.

 

 

---

 

 

By the time all nine girls had recovered enough to go back to their normal schedules, the school was abuzz with rumors.

 

“Do you think it was Kwon Yuri again?”

 

“Even Kim Taeyeon was sent to the infirmary for a week!”

 

“Since when did that loser Ravenclaw know Im Yoona?”

 

“I bet it’s all that transfer student’s fault. After she arrived, Hogwarts has been a bit weird.”

 

“What if Sooyoung attacked them all?’

 

‘My parents were worried for me. They even asked if I wanted to transfer to Beauxbatons.’

 

The ones who had it the worst were Im Yoona, because of her many many fanboys and fangirls, and the two Slytherins, who even before the incident were not popular amongst the student body.

 

One dramatic thing that did change though, was the fact that after the incident, all nine of them had formed some sort of unspoken bond.

 

While the Hyoyeon and Taeyeon couldn’t stand the Slytherins before, they were able to come to a silent agreement of truce. Sooyoung had also stopped her hostile ways towards the two Slytherins.

 

It was a little weird to the rest of the students, but the nine of them formed somewhat of a group.

 

 

---

 

 

“Bugger me, why are we here?” Hyoyeon complained as she plopped into an empty seat near the back of the tiny classroom. Taeyeon and Tiffany entered the room behind her and occupied the seats next to their fellow Gryffindor.

 

“Aw, is Hyo grumpy today?” Sunny teased with a wide cringey smile from a couple seats away up in the front.

 

“Ew, piss off, Soonkyu. No one needs to see your cute act first thing in the morning,” Hyoyeon groaned, burying her head into her arms.  “Why are we hereeeeee,” she complained once more.

 

Sunny stuck her tongue out at the annoyed blonde while Seohyun pursed her lips at the curse words coming out of Hyoyeon’s mouth.  

 

“We’ll find out soon, I guess,” Yoona replied sympathetically being the good tempered person she was.

 

It was around six in the morning and the nine girls were called to gather in this room by McGonagall. Right now, everyone was here except for the two Slytherins.

 

“What do you think she wants to talk to us about?” Tiffany asked as she lazily drummed her fingers against the wooden tabletops.

 

“Probably about what happened,” Taeyeon responded bluntly, causing everyone to tense up slightly.

 

It’d only been a couple of days since they were all released from the infirmary and gone back to their normal routines. Everyone had been trying their best not think about the incident and go on living life like normal, but it was harder done than said.

 

While they seemed fine on the outside, they were all constantly tense and on the alert. They were all to scared to think about what had happened. In a sense, some of them were grateful their memories were wiped.

 

“Does anyone remember anything,” a small voice asked. Seohyun in particular had been plagued with this chilling, unsettling fear since waking up. The situation was for once completely out of her comprehension.

 

Only shaking of the heads went around the room.

 

Suddenly, the doors to the classroom opened and in walked the last two of the group.

 

“Sorry we’re late,” Yuri muttered as she walked in, not even bother to make eye contact with anyone as she kept her head down. “Jessica wouldn’t wake up.”

 

Jessica rolled her eyes slightly at the jibe before looking around the room. She took in everyone’s appearance one by one. Everyone definitely looked worse for wear.

 

And regrettably, Jessica felt the familiar jolt of guilt invade her chest.

 

This was her fault.

 

The bags under their eyes, their slightly disheveled appearances, the unsettling look in their eyes, the tenseness in their bodies…She should’ve never involved so many people in the first place.

 

A warm touch on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. Jessica looked up at Yuri who lightly shook her head as if she knew what the girl was thinking and was trying to say ‘it’s not your fault.’

 

Jessica doubted Yuri was that observant though.

 

As the two took their seat right in front of the Gryffindors and behind the Hufflepuffs (because of course the Ravenclaws sat in the front) a black cat suddenly appeared from behind the teacher’s desk.

 

It hopped atop the surface with ease and gracefulness. Jessica was just thinking how the glasses it wore reminded her of the headmistress when suddenly, the cat morphed into the said woman.

 

‘Woah. An animagus. I’ve only read about them in textbooks,’ Jessica thought in wonder, completely missing the way Professor McGonagall was staring her down.

 

“Thank you for coming,” McGonagall stated in her usual stern voice.

 

“Why are we here?” Hyoyeon (who else?) questioned blatantly from the back of the room, not even bothering to sit up straight (causing Seohyun to frown at the slight display of disrespect. She herself of course was sitting as straight, and prim and proper as the Queen).

 

“I’m sure you all know why,” McGonagall answered ambiguously as she peered at them through her glasses.

 

“Not really,” Hyoyeon complained as Sooyoung rolled her eyes in exasperation. For the first time, Sooyoung experienced what she usually called the ‘true Ravenclaw moment’. ‘I swear, I had no idea it was possible for people to be dumber than me.’

 

McGonagall was not fazed by Hyoyeon’s attitude. “Well if I must spell it out for you, I am here to discuss the details of your detentions.”

 

“What?” Sooyoung gaped as everyone else perked up in their seats, all caught off guard by the announcement.

 

“Detention?” Seohyun squeaked meekly. The mere thought of serving detention made her want to cry. Never in a million years would she have thought that she would have to serve detention.

 

“Why?” Hyoyeon cried indignantly as she banged the desk in protest. “What have we done?”

 

“Well for starters,” McGonagall glowered sternly at the Gryffindor as her patience slowly started to wear thin. “You all disobeyed orders to stay in the Great Hall and inside the castle.”

 

“But!” This time it was Tiffany who protested. ‘If we hadn’t left, Sooyoung could’ve very much been found dead! Or not found at all!’

 

Unfortunately, McGonagall was having none of it and interrupted her.

 

“And you go and you venture into the Forest, which might I remind you, is quite forbidden.” McGonagall shifted her gaze until her eyes were settled on Jessica’s.

 

“I thought I made that especially clear to you, Ms. Jung?”

 

It wasn’t really so much a question as it was a warning, and Jessica found herself feeling anxious under the older witch’s stare. She didn’t know if she were supposed to answer the rhetorical question but opted for a quick nod of her head in acknowledgement.

 

That seemed to satisfy McGonagall as she ceased staring at Jessica and moved on to her next prey.

 

“As for you, Ms. Choi.” McGonagall walked until she was standing right in front of Sooyoung’s desk and shifted her gaze downwards onto the Ravenclaw girl. Sooyoung gulped. She regretted sitting next to Seohyun in the first row.

 

Now Sooyoung, being taller than average for most girls her age, was used to looking down on other people and using her height as an intimidation technique. Now that she was craning her neck up to meet McGonagall's dry gaze, she realized just how scary it was to be looked down upon.

 

“We learned the hard way not to break curfew and stroll into the Forest anymore, haven’t we?”

 

Sooyoung could only nod her head dumbly. Suddenly struck by guilt, she stood up. Taking a deep breath and knowing she was going to regret this later (because really who are these people to her, yet they still came to saver her dumb arse), she faced McGonagall and tried her best not to falter.

 

“It was all my fault. Don’t punish them. I went missing and they only went into the Forest to look for me. If you’re going to punish someone, punish me,” Sooyoung declared with bravado.

 

McGonagall took in the sight of the Ravenclaw. The determination in her eyes surprised her. This was not something she had expected.

 

The screeching of a chair against the floor made turned everyone’s attention elsewhere.

 

“It was my fault too. She wouldn’t have been in the Forest if it weren’t for me,” Jessica stated calmly. The guilt from before was back. She shouldn’t have involved anyone. If only she’d kept everything to herself. This was all her fault.

 

Yuri gaped at her friend. Indignant, she and Tiffany both stood up at the same time.

 

“It was our fault too.”

 

Not one to leave her best friend alone, Taeyeon stood up next, followed by Hyoyeon who was pressured by her fellow Gryffindors to stand up.

 

One by one, all eight girls were soon standing. The last one still sitting, Seohyun, glanced at all her Unnies before taking a deep breath and standing up as well. While she hated the idea of detention, there was no running away from the consequences of her actions.

 

“I am at wrong as well.”

 

McGonagall took in the sight of the nine defiant girls before sighing through her nose. “Sit down please. You have made your point. The nine of you shall serve detention for a month."

 

“A month?” Hyoyeon hissed under her breath as soon as she sat down. 

 

“Fifty points will also be deducted from your houses,” McGonagall added. “For each of you.”

 

Hyoyeon’s nostrils flared silently in outrage.

 

“And what exactly are we doing, Professor?” Yoona asked. She was probably the only one who wasn’t showing signs of distress on their face at the idea of detention for a month.

 

“You will be polishing the school’s many ornate candelabra. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for four weeks.”

 

“What about Quidditch practice?” Yuri inquired with her hand raised in the air.

 

“Or Dueling club?” Tiffany chimed in.

 

“And potions club?” Seohyun meekly added in the front.

 

“There will be no exceptions,” McGonagall stated strictly. “This is already a light punishment. I did not take away your privileges to participate in Quidditch games or Dueling club. And consider yourselves lucky to not have been suspended or facing expulsion.”

 

“That’s because she wants Gryffindor to win the Quidditch cup again,” Yuri muttered under her breath to Jessica but regretted it instantly as McGonagall fixated her gaze on her.

 

“Any questions?” McGonagall scanned the room. No one moved.

“Good-”

 

“I have one,” Jessica suddenly raised her hand.

 

McGonagall peered curiously at the brunette before saying, “Yes? What is it, Ms. Jung?”

 

The two stared at each other for a second before Jessica quickly shook her head. “Nevermind, I forgot what I was going to ask.”

 

McGonagall kept her eyes steady on Jessica’s face before nodding slowly. “Very well, then. You may go.”

 

As soon as she left, Yuri turned towards her friend.

 

“What was that?” she asked, knowing that it was very un-Jessica like to forget a question.

 

“I was trying to get into her mind,” Jessica frowned down at her hands as she played with her newly polished wand. Sooyoung had returned it to her during Potions class earlier this week though it was covered in potato grease. 

 

"You know Legilimency?" Seohyun frowned to herself, still not used to Jessica's prodigy-ness. She wasn't alone though, as everyone besides Yuri was also taken aback at the revelation. 

 

“Why?” Yuri furrowed her brows in confusion. 

 

“To get the password to her office,” Jessica replied.

 

“Why do you need that?” Tiffany asked curiously.

 

“If she was the one who erased our memories, then she’s got to have kept it somewhere right?” Jessica shrugged.

 

The eight girls let the logic sink in.

 

“So did you get it?” Sunny asked.

 

Jessica didn’t answer. Instead, she held up her wand and in yellow letters, wrote out two words.

 

Phoenix Tears

 

The girls stared at the letters in the air until they dissolved into nothingness.

 

“Does this mean we’re breaking into the headmistress’ office soon? Because you can count me in,” Hyoyeon grinned excitedly at the idea.

 

“I doubt this counts as breaking in if you already know the password,” Sooyoung snorted sarcastically.

 

“We’ll need to do it soon,” Sunny observed. “If we are to go through with it, we’ll have to do it before the password changes.” Jessica nodded in affirmation.

 

“When should we do it?” Yuri thought out loud.  

 

“I know a time when we’re all free,” Jessica spoke up. They all turned towards her. “Tomorrow after class.”

“We have detention tomorrow though,” Tiffany pointed out.

 

“Exactly.” Jessica smirked.

 

“I like the way she thinks!” Hyoyeon exclaimed. Yuri wanted to laugh at the irony.

 

“But-”

 

Everyone turned to look at the youngest in the room.

 

Seohyun peered back shyly. “I don’t think we should be doing this.” Taking a deep breath, Seohyun steeled her stance. “I’m not going to let you do this.”

 

‘Oh no,’ Jessica sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

 

---

 

AN:

Hii~ long time no see.

Um I kind of hit a writer's block for this chapter, so this was the best I could do. It was a little more heavy than usual. Things will get lighter again before they get tense again (because I'm a little dried out from writing intense stuff). 

Please do comment though because i love hearing your thoughts.

Thanks!

~Sosh