As soon as Yuri and Jessica walked into the Great Hall, all chattering stopped for a second before resuming with an even greater rigor. Yuri scoffed slightly to herself. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who they were all whispering about. Yuri flicked her hair back in the faux arrogant way like she was in a shampoo commercial, a habit she picked up whenever she was nervous but wanted to hide it.

 

The school had been buzzing nonstop about Sooyoung’s disappearance and their hospitalization in the infirmary. It’d been a week. One would think that at a place like Hogwarts, one would have better things to discuss by now.

 

Next to her, Jessica paid no attention to all the stares as she sat down at the Slytherin table and began eating breakfast nonchalantly.

 

Yuri followed suit, forcing herself to go through the motions and pretending she couldn’t hear the names they were calling her behind her back - that it didn’t affect her. It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d been called a Death Eater behind her back. Nor did she doubt it would be last time.

 

She glanced to brunette next to her and took in her relaxed posture. Jessica seemed completely at ease while buttering up her toast and Yuri couldn’t help but assume that girl had long gotten used to being the center of attention. Though Jessica didn’t seem like the type to revel in the attention of others, that didn’t mean she was necessarily able to avoid it. Yuri couldn’t help but wonder for a brief second what her life back in Makouhotoro was like.

 

As the owls came rushing in with the mail, the attention was finally diverted from them and Yuri found herself relaxing slightly. A copy of the Daily Prophet landed right next to her plate but she promptly ignored it and turned her head to face Jessica who was placing her fork down, toast buttered.

 

“Hey,” she called out to Jessica quietly in case someone overheard them. “So what are we going to do about the thing?”

 

Jessica paused mid bite, raising a delicate eyebrow at Yuri. “What thing?”

 

“That thing,” Yuri emphasized, knowing Jessica knew fully well what she was referring to. .

 

Yuri watched Jessica chew her toast slowly with agonizing impatience as she waited for the girl to speak.

 

Finally, Jessica swallowed. “I haven’t got a clue what you’re referring to.”

 

Yuri bit back a laugh. Jessica was starting to pick up some British ways of speaking and it amused her.  “Does infiltrating a certain someone’s office ring a bell?” she asked as she leaned in closer, careful to prevent any possible eavesdropping.

 

Jessica picked at her eggs with a fork before delicately placing a piece in .  “I thought we agreed that we weren’t going to do it,” Jessica stated clearly as she went back to picking at her eggs.

 

Seohyun had been very adamant about not breaking any more rules and if anyone attempted anything, she would go straight to McGonagall and turn them all in. Hence, they had decided to forgo the plan.

 

“Yes,” Yuri muttered. “But I don’t believe you’re one to give in so easily. Especially not to someone younger than you.” Jessica didn’t say anything in response, but Yuri saw her hide a small smile behind her goblet.

 

So she was right. Jessica hadn’t forgone the plan like she said she was.

 

“Maybe not,” Jessica muttered slyly, taking a small sip from her goblet.

 

“You snake,” Yuri accused lightly at her friend’s deception. She rolled her eyes, though the grin on her face showed that she was merely joking.

 

“We’re Slytherins,” Jessica shrugged, the smile still on her face.

 

“And when were you going to tell me of your plan?” Yuri asked before suddenly pausing. Uncertainty seeped into her voice. “You were going to tell me, right?”

 

It was Jessica’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yes Yuri. You’re my partner in crime now.”

 

Yuri grinned at that. She liked to think that Jessica and her were a package deal. And for the first time, Yuri realized she had a friend at Hogwarts. She wasn’t alone. The thought warmed her heart.

 

“Besides, that map of yours could come in handy,” Jessica joked back. “I was going to tell you eventually, but as they say, in order to fool your enemies, you must first fool your allies. Though,” Jessica added. “You clearly figured it out without me telling you.”

 

“That’s because I know you too well,” Yuri grinned, heartily biting into a sausage and reveling as the sauces burst inside . “You’re pretty easy to figure out,” she said with full, accidentally letting some sausage juice spill down her chin.

 

Jessica paused in her actions and raised an eyebrow as her face took on a more serious look. She regarded Yuri curiously who was busy wiping her chin. “Really?” Jessica looked back down at her plate. “That’s the first time someone has ever said that to me,” she added quietly. It was spoken so quietly that Yuri was unsure if she was meant to have heard it at all.

 

Instead of commenting on it, Yuri decided to change the subject. “So, what’s the plan? Don’t forget our last class today is Potions with Ravenclaw. I doubt you can sneak away without Seohyun noticing.”

 

“No,” Jessica agreed. “She’ll probably be keeping a close eye on the both of us too. She’s smart so she’ll probably suspect that we were going to do something like this and go behind her back.”

 

“How are we going to slip away from the others unnoticed?” Yuri asked, biting into another sausage.  

 

“By giving them something else to notice,” Jessica hummed as she picked at her blueberry muffin.

 

“A diversion,” Yuri concluded as she swallowed.

 

Jessica nodded.

 

“And how are we getting that diversion?” Yuri asked, stealing a sausage from Jessica’s plate.

 

Jessica grinned as she stared knowingly at Yuri who couldn’t help but gulp in nervousness. Yuri knew that look. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew she wouldn’t like it too much.

 

“Yuri...how close are you with Peeves?”

 

 

---

 

 

Seohyun couldn’t help but glance at them every few seconds or so just to make sure they were still there, the Potions lesson be damned. She had no doubt that they’d noticed by now considering how many times she’d looked back to meet dark hazel eyes. Even Sooyoung, who was usually the densest person on Earth, had noticed her staring.

 

“Seriously, what are you looking at?” Sooyoung muttered, her head resting on her arms as she too glanced to the side where the Slytherin duo was sitting. Yuri’s gaze met hers and Sooyoung immediately averted her eyes. “Why do you keep staring at the them? Do you fancy one of them?” Sooyoung narrowed her eyes at Seohyun who blushed at the insinuation.

 

“No,” Seohyun bristled as she fought the heat from her cheeks. “I don’t fancy them. I just don’t trust them completely.” She’d said the word ‘fancy’ as if the mere thought of liking someone in that way was improper.

 

“I don’t trust them either completely either even if they did save my life, but you don’t see me staring at them,” Sooyoung muttered. “So is it Yuri or Jessica? Neither seem like your type to be honest,” Sooyoung joked knowing full well how to push Seohyun’s buttons.

 

Seohyun turned away from the Slytherin duo and for the first time in class today, turned her full attention to the girl slumped in the chair next to her. Seohyun scowled lightly at the poor display of posture. “And what is my type exactly?” she questioned steely with a threatening undertone.

 

Sooyoung shrugged. “You tell me. The only one that comes to mind is Ms. Perfect herself. You strike me as someone who wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfect.”

 

Seohyun’s eyes narrowed as she peered down at Sooyoung, her jaw tense and squared. “Yoona is just a friend.”

 

Sooyoung blinked lazily. “So that’s not why you dislike Yuri?”

 

Confusion swirled in Seohyun’s eyes. “What do you mean?” she asked, the threatening edge in her voice was gone, replaced with caution and confusion. “I don’t hate her. I told you, I just don’t trust them. I doubt they’d seriously drop their plan that easily.  And what does this have to do with Yuri?”

 

Sooyoung didn’t respond, and instead stared at Seohyun, trying to make out all the emotions dancing across her eyes and face. “Whatever,” Sooyoung eventually sighed and shifted her position to take a nap. As she closed her eyes, she heard Seohyun huff and even without opening her eyes, Sooyoung knew Seohyun was back to staring at the Slytherin duo out of her peripheral.

 

Mentally, Sooyoung rolled her eyes. Seohyun always thought Sooyoung was dense yet when it came to the matters of the heart, Seohyun was even denser.

 

For some reason, Sooyoung was always able to pick up these cues pretty easily. That was how she knew that Yuri has a crush on Yoona, and how Seohyun too has a slight crush on the said Hufflepuff, no matter how much the younger girl may deny it to herself.

 

Sooyoung had thought they were just friends at first, but seeing them interact with each other this past week confirmed that Seohyun did indeed have feelings for Yoona. Yoona didn’t know of course. No one else knew of Seohyun’s little crush. The girl was too good at hiding her feelings behind that stoic face of hers. In that way, she was sort of like Jessica.

 

Sooyoung had to wonder what it was that made Yoona so...loveable. Not only did she have that uncontrollable, deceiving, delinquent pining after her, but also her no nonsense friend crushing on her. Sure, Yoona was really pretty, and kind, and smart, and a Chaser on the Quidditch team…

 

Yoona’s smiling face invaded Sooyoung’s thoughts and immediately Sooyoung reeled her mind back. Pushing away anymore unwanted thoughts, Sooyoung fell asleep, ignoring the slight twinge in chest.

 

 

---

 

 

As soon as class was dismissed, Seohyun stood up, swinging her book back over her shoulder. She whirled around on her heels, not wanting the Slytherin girls to slip away in case they tried to run away, only to come face to face with Jessica.

 

Gulping, Seohyun instinctively took a step backwards, her back hitting the table. “Unnie,” she nearly squeaked in surprise.

 

Amusement danced in Jessica’s eyes as she glanced from Seohyun to the still sleeping figure of Sooyoung.

 

“You should wake her up,” Jessica nodded towards Sooyoung.

 

Still taken aback, Seohyun observed the two girls in front of her. She hadn’t expected them to stay behind and walk with her. Were they telling the truth yesterday when they agreed to not break anymore rules?

 

Seohyun nudged Sooyoung with her elbow who groaned back into consciousness.

 

“What?” Sooyoung whined, her voice husky from sleep.

 

“We have detention now,” Seohyun stated, her eyes never leaving Jessica or Yuri, who merely stood there patiently.

 

Sooyoung groaned once more before standing up and gathering her stuff. She didn’t notice the other two until she turned around.

 

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “What are you guys doing here?”

 

“We have detention too,” Yuri raised an eyebrow as she responded amusedly. “Did you forget? I thought Ravenclaws never forget.”

 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “You’re talking about elephants. Elephants never forget.”

 

Yuri smirked as she ran her eyes up and down Sooyoung’s figure once. “I stand corrected.” Next to her, Jessica bit back a smile. Even Seohyun felt a smile threatening to lift the corner of her lips.

 

Sooyoung narrowed her eyes at Yuri. “Did you just - Did you just imply that I’m fat?!”

 

“Okay! Let’s go. We don’t want to be late and have McGonagall give us more detention,” Jessica interrupted sensing a childish fight about to start. Seohyun agreed with Jessica wholeheartedly. The last thing she needed was more detention.

 

Sooyoung grumbled as she brushed past Jessica and Yuri to take the lead. “You’re just jealous I can eat so much and still maintain a skinny figure without doing anything.”

 

The four walked in silence through the halls until Jessica decided to engage Seohyun in some small talk, surprising the younger girl once more.

 

“So Seohyun, I heard you skipped a grade. Is that true?” Jessica asked politely.

 

Seohyun nodded slightly. “I was born into a pureblood family. My parents taught me magic as I was growing up. So naturally, when I came to Hogwarts as a first year, I was already familiar with a lot of the material. McGonagall saw that I was excelling and asked me one day to go to her office. She’d asked me if I found my classes challenging enough. When I said no, she asked if I wanted to skip a grade. I said yes, and now here I am.”

 

Jessica hummed as she listened to Seohyun’s story. She was surprised at how similar it was to her own. Jessica was a pureblood herself and had started learning magic as early as she could remember. Her experience at such a young age was the reason she’d dropped out of the Wakai program.

 

“Do you regret it?” Jessica asked. “You’ll be missing a year at Hogwarts, leaving your friends, going into the real world a year earlier.”

 

Seohyun glanced down at her feet as they walked. Of course she’d taken all that into consideration. “Yes, but I didn’t want to waste another year not learning anything.” Seohyun kept the part of not having any friends to miss to herself.

 

“I see.” Jessica glanced once more at the younger girl next to her and felt a pang of sympathy. She just saw so much of herself in the young Ravenclaw. “Don’t grow up too fast though,” Jessica stated before walking on ahead, where the other five girls and McGonagall stood waiting for them.

 

Seohyun furrowed her eyebrows at the brunette’s words. ‘What did she mean by that? And why would she care?’

 

She stared at Jessica’s back as if hoping to arrive at the answers by doing so. However, when McGonagall started speaking, Seohyun cleared her mind and immediately paid attention.

 

“Now that you are all here, I will inform you of your duties for today,” McGonagall stated once everyone gathered together. “You shall start at the main entrance. I expect every statue be perfectly polished when you’re done. And remember, magic is not allowed. Any questions?”

 

She swept her eyes around the group. No one spoke up.

 

“Good. You may begin.”

 

The group immediately dispersed to gather their cleaning supplies.

 

 

---

 

“Why?” Sunny cried. “Why does this castle have so many goddamn statues!” she shouted to the ceiling. Next to her, Hyoyeon and Taeyeon grumbled their shared sentiments.

 

“I thought most of these got destroyed in the Battle of Hogwarts ten years ago,” Yuri huffed. She’d been rubbing the same spot for over five minutes now trying to get rid of a stubborn rusting stain.  

 

“They replaced them all,” Seohyun deadpanned. “If you’d read ‘Hogwarts, A History’ volume two, you’d have known.”

 

Yuri shot the know it all a look behind her back, but stopped as she caught Yoona staring disapprovingly at her. Feeling remorseful, she shrunk back and retreated to Jessica with her rag. She joined in on helping her polish a statue of a knight in armor before leaning in.

 

“When is Peeves coming?” Yuri asked as discreetly as she could, making sure to keep an eye on Seohyun. “I can’t take another minute of polishing statues.”

 

“Soon,” came the answer.

 

And Jessica was right. Less than five minutes later, a loud cackling was heard as Peeves came zooming through the air. Immediately, the other girls were on alert.

 

“ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAACK!" Peeves screamed as he dropped his powder bombs on the girls who immediately began coughing and covering their mouths and noses. Dust clouds of purple, yellow, blue, red, green, and white exploded into the air.

 

Peeves, now out of powder bombs, used the powder as a cover to snoop in.

 

“Hey give that back!” Seohyun protested as she felt her scarf leave her neck. Her attempts to grab the ghost were clearly met with nothing.

 

“What the heck?” Taeyeon shivered as Peeves flew through her, taking her tie with him. “That was bloody unpleasant.”

 

“Ouch!” Sunny cried as Peeves nearly yanked her arm off pulling the book bag away from her.

 

Sunny pulled out her wand. “Give our stuff back, Peeves!” she threatened.

 

“The little Hufflepuff does not scare me!” Peeves grinned before flying away with the girl’s belongs in his hands.

 

“After him!” Sunny cried as she shot a stun spell after the ghost.

 

“You can’t stun ghosts,” Seohyun shouted as she ran after the ghost, trying not to hit the other girls as she navigated through the smoke. The other girls ran after the ghost too, trying to help.

 

Amidst all the chaos, Jessica pulled on Yuri’s arm, and quietly they slipped away.  

 

“How much time do you think we have?” Yuri panted as they sprinted through the hallways.

 

“Not much. Five minutes. McGonagall would have resolved everything by then.”

 

“Give Peeves some credit. He’s spent all his life,” Yuri paused, and then corrected herself, “Afterlife, messing with headmasters and students. I’m sure he could stall McGonagall for more than five minutes.”

 

Suddenly, Jessica pulled Yuri into a different hallway.

 

“What are you doing?” Yuri gasped in surprise. “The office is that way.”

 

“We’re being followed,” Jessica answered grimly as she peered around the corner. Yuri paused and heard the footsteps headed their way. Was it too late? Had they already been found out?

 

A loud voice rang through the hallway. “Jessica! Yuri I know you’re here!”

 

It was Tiffany.

 

Yuri glanced down at Jessica, asking the girl silently what she wanted to do. Jessica’s eyebrows were furrowed as she wondered how the girl had followed them here. However, something told Jessica that she could trust the Gryffindor girl so she stepped out of the hallway they were hiding behind, ignoring the noise of protest that came from Yuri as she revealed herself.

 

“There you are!” Tiffany beamed as soon as Jessica came into sight, relieved she hadn’t lost them. The girl had yellow powder in hair and face but looked unscathed from the diversion otherwise. “You’re going to break into McGonagall’s office right now, right? Can I come?”

 

“How did you find out?” Jessica asked, still trying to grasp the situation. Having Yuri figure out her plan was one thing, but Tiffany too? Was she really that obvious?

 

“Oh please. When you’re friends with Hyoyeon for so long you can spot a diversion from miles away,” Tiffany beamed and was relieved to see Jessica’s lips curl up slightly.

 

“Time is ticking,” Yuri reminded the two.

Jessica glanced over at Tiffany who beamed back. “Let’s go then.”

 

They ran until they arrived at the gargoyle protecting the headmistress’s office. Jessica stepped forward, taking a deep breath, and muttered “Phoenix Tears,” as she exhaled. The trio waited.

 

Nothing happened.

 

Jessica glared at the gargoyle that refused to move. “What?”

 

Yuri mirrored the frown on Jessica’s face. “Had McGonagall changed her password already?”

 

“Maybe she knew we were coming?” Tiffany offered.

 

Jessica bit her lip. Had she read McGonagall wrongly? Had McGonagall knew that Jessica invaded her mind and changed her password? Jessica knew she wasn’t good at legilimency as her sister, but usually she was able to enter and leave people’s minds without being detected.

 

“I don’t understand,” Jessica muttered at a complete loss.

 

“Well we have to do something. We don’t have much time left,” Yuri pushed.

 

“Can you check where McGonagall is?” Jessica asked as she racked her brains for their next plan of action.

 

Tiffany watched with interest as Yuri pulled out a map. However, before Yuri could say the words, “I swear I am up to no good,” rushed footsteps sounded down the stairs. Someone was coming.

 

Before anyone could act, a familiar face rounded around the corner covered in blue and green powder.

 

“I knew it,” Seohyun spat. “I knew you were still planning on breaking into McGonagall’s office. I can’t believe you guys.” Her eyes scanned each of the three girls with contempt. Only Tiffany looked even the slightest bit sheepish. “I can’t believe you thought I was dumb enough to fall for such an obvious diversion.”

 

Jessica sighed. She seriously needed to think out her plans better if everyone could see through them. The lack of planning was clearly biting her in the .

 

“I’m so going to report you,” Seohyun stated before turning around.

“We didn’t even succeed,” Yuri shouted after the girl. “You can’t accuse us. There’s no proof.”

 

Seohyun turned around and eyed them all suspiciously.

 

“It’s true. Phoenix Tears wasn’t the password. If you don’t believe us, you can try it yourself,” Tiffany stepped in, knowing that she was on friendlier terms with Seohyun than Jessica and Yuri.

 

Seohyun focused her gaze on Tiffany, who looked back unwaveringly, and concluded they were telling the truth.

 

“Fine, but the attempt of breaking into the headmistress’s office is still not - “ Seohyun stopped mid sentence as  more footsteps came down the stairs and neared them.

 

The girls all froze. Was it McGonagall this time? Despite not having done anything wrong, nervousness gripped Seohyun’s heart.

 

To their relief, it wasn’t McGonagall, but the alternative wasn’t too mood lifting either.

 

Kwon BoA paused as she eyed the four third years.

 

Tiffany felt Jessica tense up next to her.

 

“My, my. What do we have here?” BoA smirked amusingly. Her eyes darted from the interesting gathering of girls to what was obviously the entrance to the headmistress’ office. “Sneaking into the headmistress’s office?” She grinned.

 

Seohyun’s eyes widened, aghast at being accused of such an act and rushed to protest when Tiffany cut her off. Tiffany knew Seohyun was too nervous and would probably give away too much if she spoke. Instead, Tiffany gulped quietly before quickly faking a smile, hoping the intensity would cover up her nervousness. “Of course not. We were just looking for her.”

 

“I’m sure you were,” BoA grinned knowingly. “Unfortunately, she is caught up with other matters concerning Peeves newest prank, but I’m sure you know all about that, am I right?”

 

The hairs on Jessica’s neck bristled. Was BoA implying what she thought she was implying? Did BoA know it was their doing?

 

As if she could read her mind, BoA settled her eyes on Jessica before saying, “Don’t be so surprised. I’m pretty well acquainted with my house ghost.”

 

Jessica narrowed her eyes at the older Slytherin. The Bloody Baron. Of course. The Bloody Baron was the only ghost that Peeves listened to. Peeves must’ve told him about their plan. Jessica hadn’t exactly taken Peeves to be a blabbermouth, but she should’ve known that even the dead could not be trusted.

 

“What are you doing here then?” Jessica questioned suspiciously. BoA knew McGonagall wasn’t here so she clearly wasn’t here to meet her. They hadn’t told Peeves about their plan to break into the office, only telling him to serve as a distraction which he accepted giddily, always ready to cause chaos. There was no way BoA could’ve known they were going to break into McGonagall’s office. There wasn’t any reason for BoA to be here.

 

“Don’t mind me,” BoA tilted her head. “I’m just an innocent passerby. But next time,” she smirked, pausing for the dramatic. “I wouldn’t discuss secret plans in the Great Hall where anyone can overhear.”

 

Jessica bit back a growl and felt Yuri tense up next to her. BoA had listened in on their conversation this morning.

 

“What do you want?” Jessica growled.

 

BoA blinked in faux innocence. “Nothing. What makes you think I want anything?”

 

“Just spit it out,” Yuri growled despite her fear of the older Slytherin. As BoA’s eyes moved from Jessica to hers, Yuri tried her best not to back down.  

 

BoA hummed happily, eyeing the four students once more before turning around. “Have you tried Devil’s Snare?”  

 

The girls watched in confusion as BoA walked away. However, she stopped once she reached the stairs before turning around to look at Jessica over her shoulder. “You owe me a duel, Jung,” was all she said before heading upstairs.

 

Once she was gone, the four girls eyed each other. Seohyun was the first to speak up.

 

“No,” she blocked them from the gargoyle with her body. “No way. I’m going to let you.”

 

“Seohyun.” Jessica’s voice sounded resigned and tired. “Please?”

 

“No.” Seohyun was firm.

 

“Seohyun, move.” Jessica’s voice was firmer this time, and Tiffany was scared that if Seohyun didn’t move soon, something was going to happen.

 

“Look, I don’t care how scary you may be,” Seohyun paused as she gulped, taking in the sight of Jessica’s cold and intense but seemingly apathetic eyes. “But I can’t just let you break into the headmistress’s office. Why do you need those memories so badly? Why can’t you just move on?” Seohyun questioned, raising her voice louder than she ever had in her entire life time. “Isn’t it better to just forget anything ever happened? What’s so important for you that you have to get back?”

 

Jessica watched as the younger girl breathed out heavily through her nose. Though her gaze remained on the younger girl’s fiery eyes, Jessica felt the stares of all the other girls.

 

“Because,” Jessica emphasized. “Hogwarts may be in danger and if I don’t-”

 

“How do you know that though?” Seohyun demanded. She was tired of being led around blindly. She wanted, no, needed to understand what was going on. This need for information and understanding, this was what made her a true Ravenclaw. “There’s clearly something you aren’t telling us.”

 

Jessica clenched her jaw at the confrontation. “Look, just step aside.”

 

“No.” Seohyun repeated. “Tell me what you know.”

 

The two stared each other down, the tension thick in the air as Yuri and Tiffany watched on with apprehension.

 

Seohyun stepped up closer to Jessica. “I’m not letting you through.”

 

No one moved, until Tiffany decided she’s had enough of this stalemate and sprung into action.

 

“Devil’s Snare.”

 

The gargoyle opened up and Tiffany quickly slipped past Seohyun up into the winding staircase.  

 

“Hey!” Seohyun protested. Jessica used her distracted state to also quickly bypass her and follow Tiffany up the stairs.

 

Yuri made to follow them but Seohyun grabbed on to her sleeve.

 

“Off, or I’ll hex you,” Yuri threatened with such conviction Seohyun immediately let go and faltered two steps back.

 

Seohyun stood huffing at bottom of the stairs, battling with her mind as she contemplated whether or not to follow them up there. Eventually, her curiosity won out and she ascended the steps. ‘Merlins, what am I doing?’

 

Seohyun followed after them, fully on intending to reprimand them before her voice caught in . She’d never been in McGonagall’s office before. It was gorgeous.

 

It was a large circular room with a high ceiling. Along the walls were the portraits of all the previous headmasters and headmistresses. They all stared down at her with mild interest and suddenly, Seohyun realized they were all witnesses to her breaking into the headmistress’s office. The thought nearly made her sick with worry.

 

As she stood frozen by the door, the other three were busy exploring the place, searching for any clues.

 

“What exactly are we looking for?” Yuri asked as she rummaged through the shelves.

 

“Bottles of memories,” Tiffany answered while crouching to check the contents of a cabinet. “They look kinda like a milky white mist.”

 

Jessica stood still as she examined the pensieve by the headmistress’s desk. There was already a memory swirling in there and for a second Jessica was tempted to see it.

 

“Jessica.” Tiffany’s voice broke her out of her thoughts.

 

Jessica turned to look at Tiffany. “Yes?”

 

Tiffany pointed to a sheet of parchment paper. From the creases, it was clear that the paper was once folded.

 

Jessica recognized the folds of the paper before she recognized the seal. It was the official seal of  Mahoutokoro. Immediately, Jessica walked towards Tiffany, eyes focused on the document.

 

Her eyes scanned the single line before frowning.

 

“Is...everything okay?” Tiffany asked quietly, watching Jessica for any reaction.

 

Jessica shook her head and huffed. “Nothing I didn’t already know,” she muttered. She noticed Tiffany look at her in confusion but didn’t expand any further.

 

The Japanese Ministry of Magic had always given her a lot of trouble. Nothing was new. Though the fact that Headmistress Ueno had decided to send an origami to McGonagall did surprise her. She knew Mahoutokoro usually liked to stay pretty discreet. Jessica wondered just what was going on back home for Ueno to warn McGonagall.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tiffany’s voice was soft and understanding.

 

“No.” If Jessica noticed the hurt in Tiffany’s eyes, she didn’t comment on it. Pushing down the feeling of regret of rejecting the girl so harshly, Jessica looked around for anymore clues.

 

“What...what is this?”

 

Everyone turned to look at Seohyun who’d spoken. She was staring wide eyed at a parchment. Tiffany stepped closer and noticed that written upon the parchment was a list of sorts. A closer inspection revealed to Tiffany that it was a list of names.

 

She quickly scanned the list and her eyes widened at a very familiar name.

 

Kim Taeyeon.

 

Above her name were the names of her parent.

 

“It’s a list of names,” Tiffany muttered, her eyes tracing over her best friend’s name. “Taeyeon’s name is on here. So are her parents.”

 

“So is my father’s,” Seohyun added quietly next to her. Tiffany frowned as she scanned the list again looking for the surname Ju, only to come up empty.

 

“My father’s name is not Ju,” Seohyun spoke quietly noticing Tiffany’s confusion. “It’s Seo.”

 

With the new revelation, Tiffany scanned the list again and noticed the Seo In Guk. “Is that your father?” she pointed. Seohyun nodded slightly, her eyes trained on the list.

 

“I don’t understand,” Seohyun murmured. “What is this list?”

 

Yuri and Jessica both came closer to inspect list.

 

“Huh, my name is on there too,” Jessica murmured, peering curiously at the names, racking her brain for any connections she might have with the people listed.

 

“Where?” Tiffany asked. She’d already read the list more than twice but didn’t see Jessica’s name.

 

“Sooyeon,” Jessica whispered quietly. “My Korean name is Sooyeon. Jung Sooyeon.”

 

And sure enough, the name was at the very top of the list.

 

“What do you think this is a list of?” Tiffany frowned as Jessica shrugged. For all she knew, Jessica didn’t know any of these people except for Taeyeon and even then, Jessica could barely say she knew the girl.

 

The girls were quietly observing the list when Yuri suddenly spoke up. “McGonagall is on her way back,” Yuri stated looking at the map in her hands. “We have to leave, now.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Where the bloody hell were you guys!” Taeyeon shouted as soon as the four girls found their way back to the other five. Taeyeon took one look at the Slytherin’s spotless robes and immediately narrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. “How the hell did you not get hit by those powder bombs? Where did you guys sneak off to?”

 

Tiffany merely sighed at her best friend’s behavior. “Stop cussing. It doesn’t suit you Taetae.” She gave Taeyeon a once over and grinned at the green and purple powder that covered Taeyeon’s robes. “You look good though.”

 

Taeyeon pouted and tried to ignore the fact that Tiffany just checked her out. “That wasn’t an answer.” She eyed the four girls once more before she came to a conclusion. “You guys just came back from McGonagall’s office didn’t you?”

 

“How’d you guess?” Yuri asked curiously.

 

Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “Where else would you guys disappear off to? But I don’t get why you decided to distract us only to take Seohyun with you. I thought you were against the idea. Changed your mind?” Taeyeon asked the Ravenclaw girl who glared back.  

 

“No,” Seohyun clenched her jaw. “I was trying to stop them.”

 

“You came in anyways,” Yuri pointed out, making Seohyun shoot a nasty glare at the Slytherin.

 

“So did you guys find anything?” Yoona interrupted. “Did she have our memories?”

 

The four girls shook their heads. “No, but we did find something else that was interesting,” Jessica answered. As the five girls who weren’t at the office turned to look at her in question, she pursed her lips. “Let’s go somewhere else to talk. We don’t want anyone eavesdropping in,” Jessica said, remembering how BoA had listened in on her and Yuri’s conversation during breakfast.

The girls nodded before Jessica led them to the only room she knew to be safe.

 

---

 

 

The eight girls gathered in the Room of Requirement where Yoona proceeded to tell them what happened after Yuri and Jessica slipped away. “We chased after Peeves, but he wouldn’t give our things back.”

 

“We ran all over the ing school,” Sunny glared at Jessica who mouthed a quiet apology back. “You know I hate exercise. I will get you back for this Jung. Never cross a Hufflepuff, mark my words.” Sunny’s hair turned a bright angry red as she huffed.

 

Jessica merely smiled, knowing that Sunny meant no harm though she might need to be prepared for some exploding quills in her future. Or worse, cucumbers.

 

“Anyways,” Yoona continued diplomatically. “McGonagall eventually came and sorted everything out. We made sure to tell her we weren’t involved in anyway and she didn’t punish us for everything. Though all the statues we polished today will have to be redone after your little powder stunt,” Yoona grimaced as she brushed off some remainder blue powder off her robes.

 

“Thanks a lot by the way,” Hyoyeon shot the two Slytherins her biggest glare. “Because of you guys, we’re back to square one.”

 

“Oh please, you were having the most fun chasing Peeves around and shooting curses at him,” Sooyoung rolled her eyes.

 

Seohyun frowned. “You can’t-”

 

“Curse a ghost, I know,” Hyoyeon rolled eyes. “Doesn’t mean it’s not fun trying,” she grinned. Seohyun’s frown showed she was displeased at being cut off mid sentence but didn’t retaliate. Instead, she just pinned Hyoyeon down with her disapproving glare while the girl merely smirked back.

 

Yoona ignored the duo and faced Jessica. “So what happened to you guys?” she asked.

 

Jessica went on to explain what had transpired. After she was done, everyone was silent.

 

Taeyeon was the first to speak up. “Wait, did you say Seohyun’s father was Seo In Guk?”

 

The three girls nodded in confusion wondering why that was important. Meanwhile, Seohyun fidgeted in her seat as everyone turned to look at the girl.

 

“Why? Do you recognize the name?” Jessica asked Taeyeon. Taeyeon waited for Seohyun to explain but when it was clear that she wasn’t going to, Taeyeon decided to speak up.

 

“Seo In Guk is the head of the main branch of the prestigious Seo family. They’re one of the last few pureblooded families left in Europe.” Taeyeon only knew because she herself came from a pureblooded family. The Kims were equal in prestige to the Seo’s. Though she had never met the Seo family, she had heard the name mentioned many times at various events and family dinners. She did know that the Seo family had a daughter around her age.

 

Everyone turned from Taeyeon to stare at Seohyun with wide eyes, who, despite her perfect posture, fidgeted from all the unwanted attention.

 

“What?” She raised an eyebrow at all the questioning stares.

 

“Seohyun,” Tiffany began slowly. “Are you by any chance, the heiress to the Seo family?”

 

Seohyun squared her jaw as the question slipped out of Tiffany’s lips. She dreaded the question, but knowing she was caught, she merely nodded.

 

“But your last name is Ju!” Sooyoung shouted out stupidly in disbelief. Who wouldn’t be skeptic if you suddenly found out your best friend was from one of the most prestigious wizarding families in Europe?

 

“Unless it’s not your real name,” Sunny realized with wide eyes. Her hair turned a bright blue as she grinned, inwardly praising herself for how smart she was to figure it out.

 

Once more, all the girls focused on Seohyun as they waited for an answer. Seohyun merely sighed at the attention. “You’re right. My real name is Seo Ju Hyun, but I asked to be enrolled as Ju Seohyun.”

 

“Why?” Hyoyeon asked clearly confused. “Why would you want to hide the fact that you’re from one of the most powerful wizarding families ever? If I were you, I would totally flaunt it and get everyone to do my bidding.”

 

Seohyun shot her an irritated look. “I am not like you.”

 

“You didn’t want the attention,” Taeyeon muttered solemnly, speaking from her own experience. When she’d first arrived at Hogwarts, everyone had expected her to excel at all of the subjects as well as Quidditch and Dueling all because of her last name. Then eleven years old, Kim Taeyeon had worked her off trying to meet everyone’s expectations.

 

Seohyun nodded slowly. “I didn’t want people to see me because of my last name. I wanted them to see that all my accomplishments are my own and not because I was born into a certain family,” Seohyun bit her lip. She hadn’t planned on outing herself so soon. She hadn’t planned on outing herself at all.

 

“That would also explain your strict upbringing,” Hyoyeon murmured.

 

“And how experienced you were as a first year,” Sooyoung added in.

 

If their words bothered Seohyun, she didn’t let it show.

 

“But that doesn’t explain why your father’s name was on that list” Yuri noted seriously, bringing everyone back to the important topic at hand. “Or what that list was of, or why McGonagall had it.”

 

“Seohyun,” Jessica perked up. “What does your dad do?”

 

Seohyun furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what the brunette was trying to achieve with this question. “He’s an ambassador.” Seohyun’s eyes widened slightly in realization. The next few words tumbled out of slowly. “He’s the ambassador to Japan.”

 

Jessica raised an eyebrow, surprised at the sudden information. This was unexpected. Could it just be a coincidence, that McGonagall had a list of names with hers and the ambassador of Japan both on it?

 

“Taeyeon,” Jessica frowned as she turned slowly to look at the short Gryffindor. “What do your parents do?”

 

Taeyeon frowned. “My dad is the Chief Auror and my mother is the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot.” The words held no arrogance as one might have expected from any other witch with parents of such high importance in the wizarding world.   

 

Next to Seohyun, Sooyoung sunk deeper into the couch as she let out a low whistle. “Dayyuuuuuummmm. That explains a lot.” She ignored the sharp look Taeyeon sent her way.

 

“So they don’t have anything to do with Japan, or the Japanese Ministry of Magic?” Jessica interrogated  suspiciously.

 

Taeyeon shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

 

“Do you?” Jessica raised a questioning eyebrow. “Your name was on there too.”
 

“No. I don’t have anything to do with Japan or the Japanese Ministry of Magic,” Taeyeon denied exasperatedly. She had no idea why her name along with her parents would be on a list with Jessica’s and Seohyun’s father.

 

“Do you think it’s just a list of purebloods?” Taeyeon asked suddenly. When everyone turned to look at her, she expanded. “It’s the only thing all five of us have in common. We’re all purebloods.”

 

“But then why isn’t Seohyun’s name on there?” Yoona pointed out. “Or her mother’s?”

 

“I don’t know anymore,” Taeyeon groaned, stuffing her face into her hands and leaning backwards in exasperation. She just wanted to melt into the sofa right now.

 

“Wait!” Tiffany grinned, sitting up straight, and nearly bumping Hyoyeon off the sofa. “Taeyeon, you don’t have anything to do with Japan or the Japanese Ministry of Magic, but you did visit Japan this summer after you visited Korea.”

 

Taeyeon stared at her best friend. “Don’t you think that’s pushing it a bit? Now you’re just forcing connections.”

 

Tiffany immediately deflated like a balloon and instantly Taeyeon felt bad. “But I mean, who knows? We could look into it, right?” she amended hastily. To her relief, Tiffany shot her a small smile at the gesture.

 

Taeyeon immediately turned to Seohyun. “Has your father visited Japan recently?”

 

“He’s there right now,” Seohyun deadpanned.

 

“Oh.” Taeyeon was taken aback by the dry answer and looked at a loss for words, so Jessica decided to speak up.

 

“I can check” Jessica stated, hiding her grin at seeing Taeyeon so flustered because of Seohyun. “My dad actually works in the Ministry of Magic in Japan. I’m sure he’ll have a list of people who visited Japan recently.”

 

The girls all looked at each other and nodded in confirmation. After a few more moments of silence, they dispersed. There was nothing else they could do but wait.

 

---

AN:

hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I had written and rewritten this chapter more than five times. I honestly had no idea how to advance the plot to the place I wanted it to be, so it took a long time. Thank you for being patient. 

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! Comment them below!

Also, be on the lookout for another, more lighthearted chapter later this week. (spoiler: the first quidditch match of the year!)

Love, 

Sosh