Sowon impatiently paced back in forth in front of the Headmistress’ desk as they waited for her to arrive. They being herself, Yerin, SinB, and Professor Im who’d found them. Sowon was the only one moving. Professor Im stood guard by the door in case any of them thought about trying to leave. Yerin stood like a statue off in one corner, face closed off and hard. Sowon wanted to ask if she was okay, but this wasn’t the time or place. Lastly, SinB sat slumped in one of the chairs in front of the desk, head lolling back with a dead look in her eyes.

It served her right to look that way now that she was finally caught. Sowon couldn’t believe she’d been stupid enough to believe that Slytherins weren’t as bad as she’d been told her entire life. Catching SinB writing that awful message was proof to what she’d been doubting for months now. Ridding herself of such indecision was a relief to Sowon, but at the same time, she felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to feel triumphant, but this victory felt hollow.

Sowon looked to SinB again and frowned slightly. She’d heard SinB had always been a support of pureblood supremacy, so when Sowon had met realized Umji, a well-known muggleborn, was her best friend she’d been confused. The conclusion Sowon had come to was that SinB was using Umji, but there was a fondness between them that was hard to fake. Not only that, but according to Yerin, SinB had been thoroughly distressed by Umji’s paralysis. Was it just for show to throw people off her track?

It shouldn’t matter. Sowon has caught her. It wasn’t going to be like—

Her pondering was interrupted by Headmistress Kwon Boa. The headmistress stepped in from the fireplace with her typical grace and elegance, but she also looked worried by what called her there. Headmistress Kwon did not sit behind her desk but walked in front of it and sat on the edge of it, arms crossed sternly.

“Now, would one of you like to explain to me why I’ve been summoned here?” Headmistress Kwon asked. “Professor Im says you know something about the paralyzed students.”

“Headmistress, Yerin and I saw SinB writing a message that proves she’s the culprit,” Sowon replied with more confidence than she felt. “Yerin came with me on my patrol, and we saw her by the dungeons. Her fingers were covered in the same red that was on the wall. The message said she was worse than the Chamber of Secrets, a clear connection to the paralyzed students.”

Headmistress Kwon said nothing for a moment, merely boring her eyes into Sowon. Then she looked to SinB and asked, “Miss Hwang, do you have anything to say?”

“I didn’t do it,” SinB said quietly. “I was walking back to my room when I saw the message. I’d heard running and when I went to see the message was there. I touched the writing to see how recent it’d been. That’s why I had the paint on my hand… I didn’t do this, Headmistress.”

“Stop lying!” Sowon couldn’t help but shout. She didn’t want to hear SinB’s excuses, especially if they weren’t excuses at all. If SinB was telling the truth then… Then everything Sowon knew was a lie. “This is exactly what to expect from someone like you!” Sowon argued.

She looked to Yerin for back-up, but she was just staring at the floor. Why wasn’t she helping? Wasn’t this exactly what they had feared from SinB this whole time? Wasn’t this why Yerin couldn’t trust her? Wasn’t this exactly why Sowon and Yerin couldn’t let themselves fall for Eunha and SinB?

“SinB hates muggleborns!” Sowon cried out in frustration when all she got were blank looks. “She probably wants them all to die!”

“Shut up!”

Sowon stepped back in shock when SinB rose to her feet, cheeks flushed and eyes narrowed. She’d seen this look before.

“Stop acting like you know me!” SinB hissed. “I would never harm anyone, let alone a muggleborn. People think I’m some pureblood supremacist because I’m a Slytherin that doesn’t like talking to people, but I would never stoop to such bigotry. Do you want to know why?” SinB’s vicious glare softened into stilted anguish. “I would never think that way when my muggleborn father died fighting against those supremacists. He died in front of my eyes during an attack on our house the night before Halloween when I was ten, and that night was when I swore I would never be one of those people.” At Sowon’s shocked look, SinB laughed bitterly and said, “Didn’t know that did you? People never bother to check facts before passing judgement on others.”

SinB drew herself up, chin raised high to hide the fact that her hands were trembling and there were tears in her eyes. “I didn’t do it,” SinB repeated.

Sowon was speechless and remained silent even as Headmistress Kwon placed a comforting hand on SinB’s shoulder.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m sure SinB is innocent,” Headmistress Kwon said, something far too much like disappointment in her eyes when she looked at Sowon. “I will have some professors take a look at this message, but I would like the rest of you to retire for the night. We can take of this.”

SinB looked to the headmistress and asked hesitantly, voice softer than Sowon had ever heard, “After I wash up, is it alright if I go back to the hospital wing?”

Sowon felt guilt swell up in her as Headmistress Kwon looked down at SinB with so much compassion as she replied, “Of course, but please let Professor Jung you.”

SinB nodded and quickly left, but Sowon watched as she stopped right in front of Yerin. It almost felt like time stopped as the two stared at each other. SinB was looking at Yerin like she’d just crushed her heart while Yerin was barely keeping her composure and trying to look indifferent. After what felt like forever, SinB shook her head and left the office.

Sowon apologized to the headmistress for her misjudgement and tugged Yerin out after her. She held onto Yerin’s arm as they walked because Yerin was nothing more than deadweight, face back to a carefully crafted blankness. However, halfway to their dorm, Sowon dropped her arm and her.

“What is wrong with you?” Sowon demanded. “Why are you like this?”

Yerin didn’t answer her for a long time, and just when Sowon was ready to storm off, Yerin said something too quiet for her to hear. When Sowon probed her to repeat herself, Yerin looked down with tears in her eyes as she said louder, “I should’ve done something.”

“Hey, you can’t blame yourself for the paralyzed students,” Sowon soothed, reaching out the comfort her. She was taken aback when instead of accepting her, Yerin smacked her hands away. “What?”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Yerin spat. Tears spilled onto her cheeks while her hands curled into tight fists. “I should’ve stood up for SinB when you accused her.”

“Why would you do that?” Sowon asked, dumbfounded. “Isn’t this exactly what we thought SinB would do? After everything we’ve heard, isn’t this what we feared? Wasn’t this why we told ourselves we couldn’t trust them?”

“What we heard,” Yerin repeated with an emphatic wave of her hands, “but I’ve seen so much more. SinB is nothing like what the rumors make her out to be, and I know that. I know that, but I still said nothing.” The tears falling from Yerin’s eyes didn’t seem to stop, and Sowon was at a loss of what to do. “What have I done?” Yerin cried as she buried her hands into her face.

“Yerin…” Sowon tried to reach out again, but instead of just rebuffing her touch, Yerin turned and ran away from her. “Yerin!” Sowon shouted, but it was no use because Yerin didn’t even pause as she ran.

Sowon sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Where had it all gone wrong? She’d thought she’d been doing the right thing, reporting who she thought to be the person behind the paralysis attacks. Instead, Sowon had to learn about SinB’s traumatic past and caused Yerin to have a breakdown.

She’d just wanted to save someone this time.

“You!”

What now? Sowon thought as she turned toward the voice. However, Sowon flinched when she saw it was Eunha striding to her with furious steps. Immediately, Sowon threw her hands up in surrender, but before she could even say anything, a sharp slap stung her right cheek.

“I can’t believe you!” Eunha snarled, pushing Sowon back roughly as if slapping her hadn’t been enough. “How dare you?”

“Eunha–”

“What could you possibly say to make this better?” Eunha said, voice harsh so unlike its normal sweetness. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that everything I knew about SinB made it possible for her to be blamed, along with the actual sight of her standing in front of the message with blood on her hand,” Sowon defended. “What was I supposed to think?”

“Oh, I don’t think you thought at all,” Eunha snapped. “That was your first problem. Your second? You don’t know anything about SinB. All you know is rumors. Horrible, nasty rumors that have no actual basis in facts. Though, I’m sure you learned that the hard way when SinB had to reveal her father you.”

Sowon suddenly felt her guilt grow tenfold at the sight of Eunha in front of her, practically shaking in her rage. She never thought her actions would have such a fallout. She didn’t think that the rumors had been so far off on SinB. Maybe Eunha was right. Maybe she hadn’t thought about it all. Maybe her mind had been stuck in the past while did all the talking.

“Eunha, I’m sorry,” Sowon said helplessly.

Eunha just laughed sadly and shook her head. “Sorry doesn’t fix this, Sowon. Sorry doesn’t change the fact that you’ve betrayed mine and SinB’s trust so deeply. Next time you say sorry, maybe you should actually know what you’re sorry for and mean it.”  

With that, Eunha walked away, leaving Sowon staring after her. How was it that in just a few minutes Sowon felt like she’d just lost everything important to her? Sowon sighed and reached up to grip at her hair. She felt like she was going insane. What was even true anymore?

Were Gryffindors always the good guys? Were Slytherins really as bad as people said? Were Eunha and SinB just exceptions, or were there more like them? Was Sowon even a good guy anymore?

Sowon has just wanted to save someone. Be a hero. Redeem the mistakes from her past.

Head swirling with too many contradictions to even comprehend, Sowon trudged back to her dorm as she clutched at her overworking mind.