I can't exactly pinpoint their character voices so if it feels a little off, I'm sorry (I'll try harder as we go by).

In which within the first 2 days of school, Sejeong meets cute girls and almost dies.

-------

Sejeong barely makes it onto the train. Seriously, how was she expected to know that she had to ram herself into a specific wall of London’s busiest train station, with oblivious Muggles milling around, in order to access the platform? They really needed to have an orientation guide or something; Sejeong wouldn’t have known anything about Hogwarts had she not asked her mother upon reading the acceptance letter.

Her steps increasingly drag as she wanders down the train corridor, peering into every compartment in hopes of an empty space welcoming her, but collecting a dollop of disappointment each try. As she approaches the end of the last carriage and starts to entertain the idea of sitting at the front of the train with the conductor - Sejeong supposes he might make for good conversation, though distracting him might not be such a great idea considering the lives of a thousand students are in his hands - she strikes jackpot with a compartment just shy of the end. Oddly enough, there’s just a lone girl sitting by the window, lolled head a clear indication of her being asleep. Sejeong supposes that might be why no one has entered the compartment to share it with her, but she has literally walked from the head of the train to its tail to no avail and she’s tired . Hence, she sheds a few layers of shame and - still considerate enough - quietly slides the door open.

Thankfully, the girl continues swaying along with the motion of the train and Sejeong safely seats herself on the opposite velvet-cushioned bench. With her dark hair draping over her face, Sejeong can’t make anything out of the girl apart from her arms tightly wrapped around a large rectangular cage, twice the length of the girl’s width. She spies a hazel-furred hamster sleeping in the corner just like its owner, and Sejeong wonders if her cabin mate knows that that’s probably not what Hogwarts had meant when they had mentioned that a pet is allowed.

As the girl before her shows no sign of awakening, she supposes some silence would be good on this trip - after all, the journey to Hogwarts takes almost 7 hours and not even she can find that many things to talk about to someone completely new to her.

---

She’s just about ready to chuck her Astronomy textbook out the cabin window when a gasped “oh crap” diverts her attention. Her clueless companion is finally awake after a grand 4 hours - completely missing lunch too. Sejeong observes her flustered movements, hastily but still incredibly gently shifting her hamster’s cage off her and then proceeding to smoothen her sleep-wrinkled clothes.

Cute.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had come in at all,” the sheepish smile flashed at her makes the thought resonate in Sejeong’s mind even louder. “How long has it-”

She would’ve thought the train had rolled over a couple of boulders with the volume of that stomach rumble. The girl flushes even redder, hands masking her face as she laughs out an apology.

“It’s alright, you did sleep through lunch, after all,” Sejeong couldn’t help the teasing in her voice, wide grin completing the set. “I bought some extra snacks when the trolley lady came around earlier. Figured it might make for a nice peace offering for having invaded your compartment. You can help yourself to them.”

She gestures to the various treats splayed out on the table before them, a little bit of everything adorning the area. Wide eyes filled with bewilderment catch hers.

“I might have gone a little wild with my purchase.”

“Tell me about it,” light laughter bubbling out of the girl. “How much did you spend?”

“Bit less than 3 galleons,” Sejeong sheepishly admits and reaches over to a cauldron cake. “These little devils are pricey, but oh so good.”

She places it down on the opposite side, gesturing for the girl to go ahead. Response comes in the form of a grateful smile and Sejeong busies herself with sizing up the sole box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans on their table. She had the unfortunate luck of scoring a vomit flavoured one as her experience with them earlier, but the path to the sweetest berries is always wrought with the thorniest bushes. Firming her resolve, she delves into the pits of terror and pulls out a lone cream coloured bean. She bites bullet and pops it into .

“What’s your name, by the way?”

Then promptly spits it out after a single chew.

She blindly grabs for a Jelly Slug and stuffs it into , desperately attempting to override the explosion of earwax coating every surface of . Her scrunched up face meets the other girl’s quirked eyebrow and chaffed smile.

“Was it that surprising of a question?”

“I landed an earwax flavoured one,” Sejeong chokes out when bile finally stops threatening to spew out of her.

“They have earwax ones?” A cross between disgust and horror flashes across the girl’s face. “I knew I would be in for a hell of a ride when entering the Wizarding World, but bad choices of flavours of jelly beans had not been in my list of Things To Look Out For.”

“You didn’t actually make a list, right?”

“Of course not. Even if I had been the listing type, I wouldn’t know where to begin. My parents aren’t magic.”

Sejeong doesn’t know why the news surprises her, but it does. Perhaps it’s the way she has always hidden her magic from Muggles around her that had resulted in the impression that magical and non-magical worlds don’t collide.

“I hadn’t thought that Muggles could give birth to a magic child,” she enunciates her thoughts.

“Muggles? Is that a term for non-magic people?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a mouthful to always say ‘non-magic people’, so I guess the old witches and wizards coined a term for them.”

“Huh,” the girl nods in understanding, as if absorbing the information. “But yeah, I’m Muggle born then. I’m guessing by your surprise that your parents are magic?”

A slight twinge manages to nick her heart before she stifles it.

“Yeah. I’m also Sejeong.”

The abrupt jump in the flow of conversation threw the girl off. She her head, eyebrows furrowing.

“What?”

“My name,” a cheeky smile grows on Sejeong’s face. “Just answering the question you asked before we digressed.

“Ah,” the girl responds in understanding, returning the smile.

“I’m Chungha.”

---

They’re beside each other as they marvel at the ceiling of the Great Hall together; the self-rowing boats from before paled so greatly in comparison to the landscape of the galaxy above them, candles afloat lighting up the Hall. It almost makes Sejeong bridge her relationship with her Astronomy textbook - almost.

Professor Jang hushes their excited chatter and flamboyantly - she hadn’t expected that adjective to be matched with any of their teachers, especially not the one ushering them in - gestures to the front: a worn wooden chair, with an even more worn conical hat perched atop. She does an excited jiggle on the spot.

“What was that?” Chungha regards her amusedly.

“We’re going to get sorted into our houses! Remember the 4 houses I mentioned on the train? Housemates see each other all the time, so it’d be great to end up being near people we can have fun with for the next 7 years.”

“Now, when I call your name, you will come forth and place the Sorting Hat atop your head. Do not be alarmed when it speaks to you; only you can hear its voice. When it announces your home for the next 7 years, accept it with pride and join the rest of your family sitting at one of those 4 tables there!” And Sejeong wonders how everything Professor Jang says could be conveyed theatrically - must be some form of magic in its own way too.

In no particular order that she can decipher, Professor Jang called out a first year one at a time and within a couple of seconds to a minute, the hat would bellow out a house, followed by the drowning cheers from said house. It was all very festive and welcoming; the students all made each other feel at home, and Sejeong wistfully wonders if she could ever feel that too. Thankfully, a question hauls her out from drifting further inside herself.

“Where are you hoping to end up in?”

She pauses at Chungha’s words, deliberating.

“Somewhere I can grow to become someone great. I’ve got places to be, after all,” the hint of contempt slips through and she hastily tries to lighten the mood. “Would be great if I ended up with you though.”

Her trademark cheeky smile incited a possibly-soon-to-become trademark eye roll from Chungha.

“Kim Sejeong.”

The slight grip around her heart kickstarts a series of fervent thumps, gradually accelerating. She looks to her right for encouragement - why she felt she needed it, she doesn’t really know - and is met with a reassuring grin, said girl somehow looking even more excited than her. Sejeong returns a shaky one of her own and inhales a steadying breath, striding to the front a beat later. Professor Jang holds the hat in one hand and when she takes her seat, she feels the hat encompassing her head.

They probably should hire a tailor soon, because this hat was definitely way too big for 11 year olds, and she definitely prefers the view of the Great Hall to the inside of the hat.

“I might have been slightly offended, if I were not plenty more amused by that sentiment.”

Holy Merlin’s right buttoc-

“And I’ll have to cut you there, I believe. Wouldn’t want the imagery of that ruining the sorting now, do we?”

Sure, Professor Jang had preempted them about this, but hearing an unfamiliar voice resonate so strongly within your mind was just strange. Cool, incredibly awesome, but still disorientating. Sejeong loves it already.

So if you’re placed on my head, we can have a conversation through thoughts? What about if I speak, will you be able to hear that?

“My dear girl, I’m not deaf. But we digress. Don’t want to keep all the other kids waiting, yes?”

Right. Sorry. How are you?

“As much as I’m thankful for your concern of my wellbeing, I believe that question should be directed towards you. Curious child you are, indeed. Very complex, with your layers all intermingling. Must be quite a tall ordeal to reach the core; you certainly have closed off some parts of you well. And for good reason too, these issues you bury seem to bring about too much pain to yourself.”

The barrage of observations makes Sejeong freeze up and stay mum; her burning fascination had frozen solid and plummeted down with her heart mid-beat. She tries to kickstart her brain, pushing forth the usual bright side of her while repressing the other side even more, compressing it so it would be easily outshined.

Everyone has their different issues, after all. But I’m fine, I’m great actually! Gotta be thankful that I’m here, with new friends and surrounded by all the wonders of magic.

It doesn’t work.

“You’re strong; or at least, you try to be. But the brightest lights also cast the darkest shadows. When the time comes for the right people to pave through this ever-evolving maze you have constructed, I hope you guide them to the heart of it.

“But alas, we have digressed once more. Forgive me, it has been a while since I have met a curious individual like you. Aside from that glaring issue, you have within you facts of your life that will throw some hurdles in your path. You will encounter difficulties, you will question everything, but your will is strong and your desire is great. It is only fitting that you belong in--”

“Slytherin!” The hat’s voice booms out, and the resounding cheers from the rightmost table almost drown out the hat’s parting words.

“Welcome back to your roots.”

Sejeong breaks into a relieved smile - mainly at not having to be subject to the Sorting Hat dissecting her any longer - and skips over to the long table. Her eyes seek for her newest and only friend in Hogwarts thus far and a tiny flash of double thumbs up makes her smile wider. She returns the gesture encouragingly.

As she seats herself at the end of the table, a girl who reminds her way too much of a cat or a fox reaches over to introduce herself, hand outstretched.

“Heehyun, nice to meet you,” there’s a smirk accompanied with it, but Sejeong doesn’t see any malice in her eyes; she figures it just might be Heehyun’s default smile.

She takes the offered hand with a firm shake, returning a smile. Heehyun grins wider, eyes lightening up.

“You sure took a while up there; certainly more than a minute. What held you up?”

“Nothing much, apparently having a conversation with the hat isn’t something students usually do,” she brushes off, not entirely lying.

“Yeah, I don’t think so. What would you talk to a dusty old hat about, anyway?”

Sejeong was about to respond, when the next name Professor Jang calls out catches her attention.

“Kim Chungha.”

She diverts her eyes to the front of the hall, where Chungha strolls to the front, seemingly relaxed with easy smile. The slight tremble in her hands as her fingers play with each other doesn’t go unnoticed by Sejeong, and she sends a tiny fist pump the former’s way. Chungha flashes her teeth a little before the hat gets placed on her head and soon engulfs half of her head.

“Did we all really look like that, with the hat covering half our face?” Sejeong asks incredulously. “They really do need a tailor.”

“Probably has to be kept large enough to be perched atop those big-headed Gryffindor kids, though,” Heehyun shrugs. “Not that Slytherins are any much better, considering the way it sat neatly on my head for all 15 seconds.”

They exchange wry smiles at the joking counter, Sejeong deciding it might be great to have this girl around already. It’s always fun to have people who could both take and dole a joke out.

A couple of seconds pass, and then more. The consistent hum of indistinct chatter around the hall dims as people start to notice the absence of a bellowing voice every couple of moments. More eyes train on the lone figure sitting in the front, looking incredibly small under the massive hat, though her straight posture and slight smile does exude a reassuring confidence that helps mitigate the nervous bubbles Sejeong feels in the pits of her stomach.

Must be the hunger, digestive juices flowing around and all.

A full minute passes by, then two. The chatters are back now, as everyone starts to discuss about how “it’s almost been 4 minutes! Will this be the first Hatstall in 6 years?” and Sejeong’s stomach is in knots, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed as she wonders why her friend is taking so long up there. If her taxing conversation had barely taken a minute and a half, what exactly could be going on up there for Chungha’s to be this long? She hopes it’s nothing to do with her being a Muggle born - that just wouldn’t seem fair.

Sejeong watches as Chungha remains in her position - not that she could have moved from the seat, but her upright back and twiddling fingers had been the same for the past 4 and a half minutes - with her lips occasionally pursing, or mouth opening in understanding; simple indications of a long conversation with the hat.

The 5 minute mark passes, and the chatters bloom even greater. Everyone is taking guesses as to where the Sorting Hat would place this girl who “must be someone extraordinary, or simply just doesn’t belong anywhere”, when a voice finally blares out to shatter the tension.

“Gryffindor!”

The cheers holler out louder than anyone preceding Chungha, volume intensified by every other student from the remaining houses discussing the peculiar event. She watches as Chungha lifts the hat off herself, bright grin - albeit a twinge ambivalent - breaking through as she lightly pads over to the Gryffindor table, receiving a storm of whoops and pats on her back on the way. Sejeong catches herself grinning at the actions, happy to see the girl finally sorted and surrounded by people welcoming her. Their eyes meet once more amidst all the congratulating of the other girl, as if Chungha’s had been seeking hers, and a gentler smile is exchanged with a genuine one of her own. Then some Gryffindor buffoon intercepts their line of sight by standing in front of Chungha, possibly to hear all about the juicy details of the Hatstall. Sejeong feels her surroundings fade back in.

“Good friend of yours? You were concentrating real hard on her Sorting, shooting each other looks and all,” Heehyun questions with a light tease.

“We did just meet on the train,” Sejeong ponders the title for a while.

“But I suppose you could call us that.”

---

She makes a mental note to visit the library later for a spell to keep herself awake; really, she should have known that having a professor and formal classes wouldn’t magically - she mentally snorted at the irony - conjure up some love for Astronomy within her. At least she’s actually trying to stay awake; Heehyun had passed out within the first 5 minutes and the numerous kicks Sejeong has delivered to her chair have all been futile. Said chair would probably have their leg collapse if she kicks it one more time, and Sejeong tries to affirm that it’s because of that thought, and not her crumbling resolve to stay awake, that she does not attempt once more.

Then she feels a kick to her chair.

Jolting up a little, she snaps her head to her right, slightly affronted. The culprit stares blankly at the front, looking neither guilty nor attempting to feign ignorance - she’s simply continuing to pay attention to Professor Sinistra marvel on about the exceedingly complicated chart she has displayed at the front beside her, diligently taking notes. (Sejeong offhandedly wonders why their first introductory lesson has to be about the night sky in the dead of the morning when the only star visible is the sun shining high up ahead on a Sunday morning.)

Sejeong would have confronted her if not for the note that slides silently onto her sleep-scribble-filled notebook.

“Sinistra’s been eyeing you. 88, 224.7, 365.2, 686.97, 4331.572, 10747, 30589, 59800, 90560.”

She frowns at the random string of numbers, wondering if Ravenclaws really liked puzzles that much that they even passed notes in encrypted messages. Nevertheless, she deduces that her tablemate was trying to give her a heads up and scribbles a thank you on the lined paper.

She has barely scratched out the ‘a’ when Professor Sinistra calls her out.

“Ms Kim, would you be so kind as to remind the class what the orbital periods for the 8 planets and 1 dwarf planet in our solar system are?” She raises an eyebrow challengingly, arms crossed and weight resting on her right.

All that runs through Sejeong’s mind is a blank, save for self-reproaching thoughts like “why in the name of Dumbledore’s wispy beard did I not try writing some of these stuff down, it might even have helped in keeping me awake”. She glances over to Heehyun, as if the girl might magically have the answers written on her drool covered arm, but one look at her friend’s obliviously peaceful sleeping face does nothing but make her lament her luck.

Then she realises something actually might have the answers miraculously written on it.

“88, 224.7, 686.97, 4331.572, 10747, 30589, 59800, 90560. All in Earth Days, Professor.”

Sejeong has never been more thankful for her gift in keeping a steady voice no matter the situation. Professor Sinistra’s other eyebrow now joins its raised sister in surprise, and she’s evidently mildly disgruntled that the student she had been so sure had not been paying attention could answer her question. She doesn’t hesitate to verbalise that sentiment.

“I suppose that might have seeped into your dreams in your previous half-asleep state. Let’s just hope your friend beside you manages to study through diffusion as well.”

This time, Sejeong doesn’t hesitate to kick Heehyun’s chair - danger of causing a broken chair leg be damned.

-

The long-awaited end of Astronomy lesson arrives, and Heehyun jolts awake on cue. Before Sejeong has even gathered her books proper, her dormmate flies past her, screaming something about grabbing her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and meeting her straight in class. Sejeong supposes it shouldn’t be surprising that Heehyun is so energised.

The Ravenclaw beside her also starts on her speedy march out the class, and Sejeong calls out, stopping her before she loses sight of her.

“Wait, wait.”

The girl turns around mechanically and regards her expectantly, face albeit still as expressionless as ever. Sejeong wonders what kind of smile she has, and thinks that maybe they have more in common than she expected.

“Thanks for the note just now, you really saved my life there,” the girl just nods in response. “Why did you do that, anyway? Not complaining of course, just curious.”

“I just thought it wouldn’t be nice to get picked on on your first lesson,” Sejeong is kind of amazed at how the former delivers that completely stoic.

She does pick up on the slight natural warmth in the other girl’s voice - maybe she just isn’t very good with expressions yet.

“Watch out next time though, I might not be able to give you the answers again.”

Sejeong grins at the lack of finality in the warning, as if the other girl was keeping the possibility of feeding her more answers open for the future. This girl really isn’t as cold as she seems.

“So there’s a next time? Got that! May I know the name of my new Astronomy class buddy then? I’m Sejeong,” she chirps.

Eyes widen in surprise at the title Sejeong had bestowed on her, and the girl’s lips quirk into a hesitant smile. Sejeong thinks she’s instantly ten times cuter.

“Nayoung. Im Nayoung.”

---

Sejeong eventually comes to the conclusion that she might not have an affinity with anything related to the sky.

After a day filled with introductory lessons as boring as History of Magic, the last lesson finally arrives with everyone jittering about in excitement. It was the only introductory lesson in which all the First Years would be experiencing together, and for good reason too: had any of the various batches gone for their Flying class before any other lesson, they would definitely not have been able to concentrate on anything else. Though, Sejeong wonders if having over a hundred 11 year olds - of whom most have no experience in flying - unleashed in the sky was really such a good idea.

Then she sees the 4 Quidditch teams and understands why Hogwarts was so confident of their arrangement.

A quick display of their elite flying abilities is put on for them, everyone marvelling at the way the Slytherin Chasers’ paths interweave tightly without any collision, or how the Hufflepuff Seeker makes a dive so steep and fast that everyone is sure he was bound be reduced to a splatter that Professor Kahi has to scrape up later, only to pull up a mere half metre off the ground, cruising away elegantly. The 28 fliers land and they all break into cheers, secondhand adrenaline coursing through them.

“Welcome to the Introductory Lesson of Flying. You’ve just witnessed what some of you might just be able to achieve, if you give your all into the lessons coming your way.”

A ball flies towards Professor Kahi - mounted on a broom a bit off the ground - at an alarming speed as she talks, and ranges of tense murmurings and heated warnings sound out, but she ignores it all and continues.

“As glorious as Quidditch is, flying isn’t just about the sport; if you have a broom and the necessary skills, you can escape any situation, outrange all your opponents, incorporate it into any battle - it can be a skill that helps you in your daily lives.”

Just as the ball is about to cave her skull in, Professor Kahi suddenly swoops around it, wand flourishing with a “Bombarda” cried out, and the ball explodes into a tiny flurry of fireworks. Exclamations of awe sound out from amongst them and Sejeong shares an excited smirk with Heehyun - flying might seem cool, but flashy things blowing up is definitely right up their alley.

“Now everyone stand beside a broom over there - they’re all the same so no need to pick and choose.”

Sejeong spots Chungha a bit away from her with another Gryffindor girl mid conversation, and skips over to their brooms to join her with Heehyun coming along. She hasn’t seen her since the Sorting last evening, what with their introductory lessons having been split by houses with the Slytherins paired with Ravenclaws and Gryffindors with the Hufflepuffs.

“Hey! Haven’t seen you in a while; how were lessons today?” She enquires with a bright smile greeting them both.

“Might have learned more if Jieqiong here hadn’t distracted me throughout with her antics,” Chungha rolled her eyes, but the smile playing on her lips gave away that she hadn’t been upset after all.

“Come on, I kept you awake in all those boring lessons! Oh hi, I’m Jieqiong by the way,” the girl’s eyes curve as she waves.

“Sejeong, and this is Heehyun. We sure could’ve used someone like you in our lessons today; all Heehyun has done is rejuvenate herself for Flying class,” Sejeong jabs her elbow playfully into Heehyun’s side, inciting a punch on her shoulder in return.

“Yeah and that’s going to be what makes me fly circles around you later. Ain’t going to save your if you fall.”

“Please, no one’s going to be that bad.”

-

She swallows her previous statement - apparently she can be that bad. While Chungha had gotten her broom up in one try, Heehyun and Jieqiong not long after her, Sejeong had been one of the last few to accomplish that - a whole 10 minutes after them, in which Heehyun had spent delightfully cackling while keeping true to her words, circling around her a little off the ground. Chungha - bless her soul - had stayed beside her, mounted broom off the ground, encouraging and occasionally grabbing the broom the few times its handle had threatened to fly into Sejeong’s face.

Now that they were in the air, 10 metres off the ground with Professor Kahi and the 28 Quidditch Team members on standby, Sejeong struggles to keep up with her friends zooming past and around her, the scene before her every bit the chaos she had imagined it to be when a 100 kids get unleashed on flying brooms. No one’s exactly doing tricks or flying at top speeds, but they’re all at least somewhat stable - something Sejeong can’t really say for herself. She wobbles a bit more in the air as she chases up to Heehyun, who is consistently taunting her; Sejeong adds some hexes and jinxes to her growing checklist for her library visit later on.

“Maybe you should have used your time efficiently as well, then you wouldn’t be tottering behind now,” Heehyun digs as she leans her weight a little to the left, forcing Sejeong to have to veer left as well.

She sighs in exasperation and attempts to mimic Heehyun’s actions - her infuriating roommate is helping her in her own vexatious way, Sejeong begrudgingly supposes - but she ends up leaning a little too much weight onto her left and is abruptly jerked sideways across the field, broom with no intention of stopping.

A voice that sounds suspiciously like Professor Kahi warns that “the brooms have a tendency to fly a little too far to the left” in her mind, and Sejeong can only think that this is way more than a little before she feels herself slip off the blasted broom.

She has a sense of déjà vu just as she tumbles down, memories of the boy from her childhood falling down the tree, and she wonders if she can replicate that moment as the ground zooms in at an alarming speed. Filled with dread, her eyes squeeze close as her rapid heartbeat fills her ears, body tensing in wait of the horrid end to her short life.

The breath she had unconsciously been holding is choked out of her when she suddenly feels her robe being yanked upwards, drastically reducing the speed of her fall. The impact with the ground still arrives, but it didn’t feel like the 500 tonne smash to her tiny body like she had imagined. Instead, she lands on her left arm with an unceremoniously loud thud, momentum forcing her body to bounce and roll, traversing a few metres with every collision multiplying the bruises bound to form on her body, and perhaps a couple of broken bones. As she lands one final time, reduced to a crumpled mess of sore flesh and excruciating bones, a bundle of black lands on her like a rag doll, the impact knocking the wind out of her once more.

Somewhere in her dimming consciousness, she registers a stampede approaching with Heehyun’s and Professor Kahi’s voice leading the pack.

I knew this lesson was a bad idea.