Short-ish chapter because I split it into two in the end.

In which Sejeong and Chungha bond over medical wards and foul medicine while she and Heehyun try to murder each other.

-------

Sejeong registers muted babbles floating around her first, then the bright blots mistily drifting around as she strains her eyes a peep open. She attempts to lift her hand to rub her eyes into focus, but the stab of pain in her shoulder and soreness spreading throughout her right arm restricts even the slightest tense of her arm. Eyebrows furrowing even more in concentration, she trains her senses in on her surroundings, trying to calibrate herself.

She distinctly hears an unfamiliar voice exclaiming that she shouldn’t be awake now, then promptly feels some liquid being shoved down , spilling over onto her robes.

Then she’s back in that dreamless sleep once more.

---

When she fully wakes, she thanks Merlin for the absence of blinding lights and disorienting chatter. Looking around, she’s not surprised at where she finds herself in: lying amongst the clean white sheets of the Hospital Wing, soft bed under her, a dozen more unoccupied ones neatly lined in the same room around her, bar one. One bed beside her, which was currently host to a peacefully resting Chungha, slow light breaths wafting in the air. Sejeong’s face scrunches in confusion. In the meager half an hour she had survived in Flying class, she had been witness to Chungha’s surprisingly proficient flying; definitely a cut above everyone else around them. She wonders how the girl had ended up lying in bed, exposed arms looking just about as busted as her own, bundled in a cast and all.

She squints at the clock somewhere in the far corner and notes that it’s nearing 3 in the morning; they certainly have been out for long. Figuring she’d just get her answers tomorrow, Sejeong falls back to rest once more, catching up on the naps she had resisted in all those introductory lessons.

---

This time, she’s awoken by the blinding glares of the sun, seeping through her eyelids and invading her consciousness. Groggily, she rubs the sleep from her eyes, then belatedly notes that she’s able to move her arms freely. She examines her arms in awe, seeming perfectly fine with no visible damages nor any sharp pains, just a slight film of discomfort coating her muscles.

“Magic sure does save lives, huh?” Sejeong’s head snaps towards the source of the voice - she recognises it as the same one from her half-conscious state earlier - and finds Madam Pomfrey walking over with some breakfast.

Her stomach growls on cue, eliciting a chuckle from Madam Pomfrey. The food is set on the polished wooden table connected to her bed and a simple gesture from Madam Pomfrey is all Sejeong needs to start tucking in; bread rolls have never tasted any better.

“Thank you for the food, Madam,” she chirps after the first bite. “Oh, and for healing me too!”

“You’re welcome,” Madam Pomfrey chuckled. “You were both in pretty horrid shape when they had rushed you two in, but nothing I couldn’t heal. Flying classes always seem to keep the Hospital Wing busy.”

Sejeong pauses, perplexed. So Chungha did fall in Flying too. But how, and why? Anxiety creeps up, a cold trickle climbing up the veins of her heart.

“Was her fall really that bad? Is that why she’s still not awake yet?” She glances over to her left, observing the patient still very much out cold. “She was really good during the lesson, how did she ge-”

“Relax, my dear, too many questions in one shot! She’s just sleeping; that child can really rest,” Madam Pomfrey poured her a glass of milk and set it on the table. Hesitantly accepting the answer, she reaches for the glass gratefully, not forgetting to express her thanks, and takes a generous gulp to quench her parched throat.

Then proceeds to spurt half of it out - thankfully she managed to cover in time.

These incidences seem to be happening way too often to her.

She pauses mid coughing fit to glare at the offensive substance in the glass, affronted. The innocent creamy white liquid simply sits there unassuming.

“What were you expecting, milk? You’re in recovery, of course we feed you medicine,” chides Madam Pomfrey as she brings a towel over for Sejeong to clean her hands. “Now finish it up, no spitting this time.”

Sejeong grimaces as she takes the sinful glass in her hands again, hardening her crumbled resolve. The memory of the medicine lingers in after downing it and she gags slightly. What a disincentive for students to visit the Hospital Wing, indeed. She stuffs another bread roll into .

“She’ll have one waiting for her when she wakes up too,” Madam Pomfrey gestures over to Chungha, consciousness still not present despite all the ruckus Sejeong had created. “And when she does, you’ll be taking one with her too.”

“But--”

“No buts, you were in a worse state than her. Now go rest up and occupy yourself; your friend left a book for you to read earlier,” Madam Pomfrey commands as she finishes preparing 2 glasses of lukewarm poison and strides out.

Sejeong belatedly spots a rather new book sitting on the side desk, crisp edges a sign of the lack of usage. A note rests atop it, a ‘figured this suits you very well’ scrawled on it. She picks it up and examines the cover: How to Stay On Your Broom - Flying Tips for the Worst.

Her library trip was severely overdue.

Glancing once more at the sleeping Chungha, who showed no signs of waking soon, she resignedly flips the book open to the first page - who knows, it just might help her. The scenario feels awfully familiar, and Sejeong just hopes she doesn’t end up feeling the urge to chuck the book resting in her hands out the window.

-

The book actually does make for an interesting read and Sejeong thinks she just might be able to show some improvement next lesson. She thumbs through the pages, which emphasize that ultimately it takes practice to actually get better, but the tips like imagining a line cutting through both her body and the broom to keep in balance are information she definitely could have used before the fall.

Chungha eventually starts to stir and Sejeong promptly puts the book away - interesting or not, it couldn’t hold a candle to her concern for her friend. Sejeong observes the unknowing girl beside her, nose scrunching as her eyes screw tighter, subconsciously snuggling into the blanket as a hand reaches up to rub her eye slightly. She sits up a little, tousled hair shining under the bright morning sun already high up in the sky, and lets out a little yawn. A sufficient portion of Chungha’s consciousness finally seeps into her body and she turns to her right, greeted by a Sejeong with her elbow perched on her bed’s table, head cocked and supported by her palm with an impish smirk spread across, eyes already showing her teasing mechanisms revving up their engines.

That certainly hauls the rest of Chungha’s consciousness back into her.

“So is watching you wake up going to be a running thing for us now?” Sejeong begins, corners of mouth further upturned. “Good morning-almost-afternoon, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?”

Chungha seems to still be a little slow - she did just wake up, after all - and only catches and registers the last sentence after a few beats. She glances down at her arms, eyes progressively widening as gapes to complement the action. After flapping her arms a little, she wriggles about and stretches apprehensively, managing to seem even more amazed with each little test she conducts with her body. A chuckle finally slips through Sejeong’s arduous attempts at stifling her laughter, and it seems to catch Chungha’s attention as she looks up to meet Sejeong’s gaze, awe etched deeply on her face.

“Wow. How long was I asleep for?”

“According to the calendar there, less than 48 hours. Guess broken bones and torn muscles aren’t exactly the hardest things to heal with magic,” Sejeong remarks as she reaches over to her glass of medicine and gestures to the matching one Chungha has on her own table. “Drink up, it’s good for us.”

She watches as Chungha takes the glass in her hands with not a speck of suspicion and takes a generous gulp; the knowledge that she had a companion for the arduous experience made the drink a little more bearable. As expected, Chungha stops at the first gulp, face contorting. Sejeong almost spits again as a result of her laughter.

“What on earth is this?” Chungha exclaimed as she tried to wipe her tongue on the roof of .

“Medicine that Madam Pomfrey ordered us to down. I’ve had a glass already, but apparently I still need this last one,” Sejeong sighed. “At least we both aren’t drinking this alone.”

Chungha nods solemnly in agreement and they steel their nerves, finishing the rest of the glass.

“Ugh, if this is what Madam Pomfrey’s going to feed us each visit, I definitely will try not to land here again.”

Her words remind Sejeong of what she had been curious about in the first place. “How did you end up here, anyway? I saw you on that broom - you were amazing. There’s no way you could have gotten into an accidental fall.”

Chungha ducks her head a little at the compliment, shy smile blooming. “I’m not that great - I couldn’t save us in the end. We’re still lying here having to drink horribly-tasting things like that medicine.”

“Wait-- Save us?” Then she recalls the tug she had felt just shy of a metre off the ground. “You managed to grab and pull me when I had been falling?”

Sejeong’s mouth hangs open as her pan-wide eyes stare at the other girl - who just shyly nods in affirmation. A hot-pot of emotions stew within her - shock, awe, respect, worry, guilt .

“Oh god, I landed you in the hospital? I’m so, so sorry,” and Sejeong just feels bad , a pressure creeping higher from her chest to , stifling any coherent words from forming a better apology than just the repeated ‘sorry’. “I-- should have- flown better or something, I--”

She hangs her head low, face crestfallen. “I’m just-- argh.”

A hand roughly ruffles her hair in frustration, stemming from her guilt from hurting Chungha and anger at not being more capable and the incessant blaming of herself and her inability to form a better apology and not knowing how to make it up to her and-

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s fine, we’re both fine, right?” A soft touch on her hand - the one not messing her hair and is instead a tightened fist pressed hard against the crumpled sheets - grabs her attention and she looks up, pained grimace meeting reassuring smile.

Chungha had never been great with comforting people - the right words always evaded her and initiating typical comforting actions seemed too close for comfort most times with her shy disposition - so she hopes her sincere assurance and minute action is sufficient. Thankfully, Sejeong seems like the type to bounce back fast - and bounce back she did.

“Alright, I just have to practice a lot harder to make sure you never need to risk your life to save mine ever again,” Sejeong resolves as she lightly slaps her cheeks a few times and pumps her fists a little.

It makes Chungha giggle, seeing the quick transformation of the shrivelled, self-reproaching girl to a determined and spirited fighter. “Just make sure not to push yourself too hard and end up here again. But I believe in you.”

And she really does - it’s hard not to when Sejeong’s will is so potent it seems contagious, optimism washing over her as well. It also helps her in finding the right words this time, she supposes, as Sejeong regards her with an unbridled beam, gratefulness blinding.

“Thanks,” and Chungha notes how Sejeong’s eyes are as bright as her smile, “for both instances.”

---

It turns out that Chungha should probably have taken her own advice - a point that Sejeong doesn’t hesitate to quip in greeting as she sets down a plate of dried sweet potato slices and a glass of proper milk. Befriending the house-elves did have its perks it seems, even if they did regard her strangely for being one of the few Slytherins to do so.

She huffs as she plops down on the stool by the bedside, eyeing the cast Chungha sports once again. Gingerly, she seeks a confirmation. “Did you really not make the team?”

After the incident at the Training Grounds, where every member of the existing Quidditch Teams and Professor Kahi had been witness to Chungha’s feat, she had been offered a chance to try for the Quidditch Team despite having touched a magical broom for the first time that day. First Year tryouts were still pretty much unheard of and tended only to be for exceptional cases through recommendations, even if they had become more common post the legendary Harry Potter’s tryout. Coupling this with her Hatstall just a week prior, it’s no exaggeration to say Chungha’s name had spread throughout the entire school. Just as many had predicted her failure as those who had anticipated her success in making it into the team as the Seeker - position personally highly recommended by the existing Gryffindor Captain--Chaser. It was all anyone could and would talk about recently.

Chungha casually hums out a confirmation mid bite (sharing her comfort food picks with Sejeong had definitely been a good move).

Sejeong supposes it was going to be all anyone could and would talk about for even longer.

Her eyebrows knit closer together at the lacklustre response. For someone who had just ended up in the Hospital Wing because of a Bludger at full force to her right shoulder - Sejeong is almost certain the Sixth Year Beater had done it to protect his friend’s Seeker position, damn that Gryffindor obsession with individual glory and pride - and had fallen just short of getting the much coveted Seeker position in her First Year, entire situation resulting in many guaranteed uncomfortable murmurs and stares, Chungha seemed incredibly unaffected by it all. Sejeong had been prepared to come here with Comforting Mode set to the highest gear, ready for the possible tears of frustration and woe, encouraging responses and motivational attitude all prepped. A small happy jiggle from Chungha as she relished in the taste of milk - a nice change from the regrettably familiar medicine Madam Pomfrey had force fed her just minutes earlier - and dried sweet potato slices flushed that all through the Hogwarts’ plumbing fast.

“Are you… not upset?” Sejeong inquires, words feeling foreign on the tip of her tongue. She couldn’t comprehend that thought.

Chungha’s small smile turns a shade woeful and Sejeong suddenly understands. “I was - I am. But I can’t do anything about it now, right? I wasn’t good enough, so I failed.”

“If it’s about that Bludger, that guy was totally doing it on purpose-”

“It wasn’t just that,” her murmur, albeit quiet, held magnitude that snipped Sejeong’s budding rant cleanly. “We both know I wasn’t as fast as that day. I just couldn’t go as quick with the same control. I was so caught up with trying to be swifter, sharper, I didn’t see the Bludger at all. That’s why I’m just not good enough.”

And although Sejeong now sees the Chungha she had been expecting - dejected, deflated, demoralised - the hurt it induces within her is a far cry above what she had prepared for.

She doesn’t have to dig into Hogwarts’ plumbings to find words nor actions.

Wrapping both arms around her slightly taller friend, careful not to disturb the injured arm, she embraces Chungha warmly. “Not good enough yet . You still have so much time to grow, we’re only First Years. Honestly, you might not have been as fast as the previous time, but you were still great, speeding around in the sky of the Training Grounds. My eyes could hardly keep up!” A genuine chuckle spills from Chungha and Sejeong feels the air lighten around them. She continues with renewed energy. “We know where you went wrong this time, so we can work on that together to make sure you make it into the team next year! Gryffindor can just let Slytherin win the Quidditch Cup this year since they don’t have you yet.”

This incites a full chortle from Chungha. “No way, we’re so much better than you guys.

“How are you going to help me, anyway? You can barely stay on your broom,” Chungha smirks as she finally teases back; Sejeong mentally fist pumps in celebration that Chungha seems back.

“I can fall and you can catch me again. That seemed to work the last time we tried it.”

Unrestrained laughter rings out from the both of them - Chungha is definitely back to her usual state. Sejeong smirks.

“Just don’t make me have to fall too much for you.”

Chungha rolls her eyes.

---

She opts for an early discharge, leaving her arm still sore and half-functional, but she reasons that at least she doesn’t have to drink more doses of Madam Pomfrey’s medicinal potions - all of which seem fouler than its predecessor. She makes it back just in time for their first Charms practical lesson. By some strange of luck, she ends up in the same class as Jieqiong, Sejeong, Heehyun and another Ravenclaw named Nayoung - who Jieqiong so fondly dubbed as Tall Statue ever since she tried to have a conversation with her during their first Transfiguration class and Nayoung had kept a straight face throughout, even when complimenting Jieqiong’s jokes - for most of their lessons. She doesn’t actually know if this is a good thing, considering Jieqiong is absolutely determined to make Nayoung open up and Sejeong and Heehyun are always either completely horsing around or devoted to killing each other, which means that she’s perpetually surrounded by chaos and having to calm three agitated kids down with the help of one reluctant sta- girl. Someone has to ensure they don’t end up killing themselves, after all.

Right now is one such instance where she questions it. Professor Flitwick had allowed them some time to practice on the Levitation Charm - perhaps he figured leaving students to their own devices might be more effective in getting them to learn rather than wasting time and effort in reining them in to watch a demonstration for the upteenth time. Having her dominant arm still in a cast, she couldn’t get the motions precise with her left and had decided on just observing the class instead. Incantations of ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ and other commotion throughout the class were all drowned out by Jieqiong’s inane chatter on her right; as much as she adored her fellow Gryffindor, the girl’s boundless energy and hyperactivity went far beyond Chungha’s capacity, and she has a feeling Nayoung’s energy levels are just as - if not more - low as hers. She feels a slight twinge sorry for her and when Nayoung’s eyes send a silent call for help, she sends what she hopes is an encouraging grin over. Lesson time is Nayoung’s duty; Chungha had to deal with the loss of sleep last night in their shared dormitory room. At least this time, Jieqiong’s story was actually pretty entertaining.

But seeing as she has heard the same story about 3 times in the past week, she tunes them (or just Jieqiong, really, since Nayoung hardly ever says anything) out and looks to her left. To her surprise, the Slytherin duo is actually working on the charm, wands swishing as they flick towards the feather. Sejeong calls out a firm ‘Wingardium Leviosa!’ and her feather starts to float up, drifting around in wobbly circles first then stabilising, completely imitating the way she moves her wand. Naturally, she makes it traverse around the class, brushing past noses and ticklish spots just to disturb them. Typical Sejeong. It catches everyone’s attention, and soon Chungha’s not the only one watching Sejeong’s antics, various degrees of impressed. Professor Flitwick doesn’t hesitate to compliment her, awarding 5 points to Slytherin on her account, which Sejeong thanks him gratefully for. Then turns her attention back to Heehyun.

“ on that, Ki! I’ll be expecting that bag of Cauldron Cakes later tonight,” Sejeong taunts smugly. Chungha should have known they’d only be serious in Charms class with other strings attached.

“You sly little pixie, should have known you wouldn’t have suggested the bet without having practiced beforehand,” Heehyun grumbles. “If you’re so good at the spell, why don’t you use it to keep yourself on your broom? Might save Chungha some time in future.”

Slytherins and their uncanny ability to always squeeze in a last insult.

Chungha can see where this is going already. She lets out a tired sigh, though the affectionate smile teases on her lips. The banter between Sejeong and Heehyun never ceases to entertain, what with their quick wit and them never getting offended by each other. As long as they don’t go too far.

“If you had actually paid attention in Charms lessons, you would know that the Levitation Charm doesn’t work on humans. Merlin, you’re as thick as a troll,” Sejeong fires back without missing a beat. “You know what spell does , though? Levicorpus!”

Which, she should have expected that they would, because they always do.

A quick flick up of Sejeong’s wand and Heehyun follows, hanging in the air upside down as if an invisible pulley had lifted her by the ankle. This definitely catches everyone’s attention, and it’s suddenly silent after everyone gasps in astonishment, save for Heehyun’s frustrated string of insults at Sejeong’s mirthful refusal to let her down. Before Professor Flitwick can cut in, Heehyun manages to somewhat orientate herself mid-air and counter.

“Flipendo!”

And Sejeong gets thrown back towards the wall - thankfully with Heehyun’s state, the spell’s effects had been weakened and she doesn’t crash into it. Sejeong does end up losing control of her jinx on Heehyun though, which of course results in Heehyun falling towards the ground. Chungha silently thanks the heavens that the feline-like girl resembled cats in ways more than just appearances, for she manages to land somewhat safely. No one should have to go through the medicinal potion ordeal, even if she has a feeling her tiny group of friends might just be the Medical Wing’s regular customers in the near future onwards.

“You’re not the only one with tricks up your sleeves! How about a little duel, double the stakes?” Heehyun challenges as they both pick themselves up from the ground.

“You’re on!” The matching exhilarated countenances the two Slytherins sport makes her dread the worst. Before they can even begin to unleash their barrages of hexes and jinxes on each other - in which Chungha briefly makes a note not to let them go to the library so often, the irony - she gets up from her seat and whips out her wand, hoping her left hand wouldn’t fail her.

“Immobulus!”

Sejeong and Heehyun get stopped mid wand wave, much to Chungha’s relief. The charm wears off pretty quickly, as she had expected, and her two targets turn to regard her.

“Really? You could cast the Freezing Charm but not the Levitation Charm?” Sejeong questions in disbelief.

“I practiced it in case you’d really fall off your broom again, when we do start practicing together,” Chungha deadpans.

Sejeong groans, Heehyun’s cackles ringing in her ears.