Eunha found herself with Sowon more often than not these days.

Ever since SinB and Yerin had reconciled, they’d been inseparable. It was sweet, almost nauseatingly so, but SinB had a smile on her face nowadays that Eunha hadn’t seen since before Umji’s paralysis. There was no way Eunha could complain about SinB being happy.

Besides, it wasn’t all that bad being with Sowon now.

Since SinB was still skipping classes, Sowon was the one to walk her to every class she could. Eunha wasn’t sure what to make of it, whether it was just the excitement of being on good terms again or something more. In the end, she decided not to think too much about it and simply enjoyed the company. Most of the time it was only Sowon, but more and more often, Yerin would be there too.

At meal times, it was typically the five of them in the infirmary with food smuggled from the Great Hall, and Eunha had to admit those were her favorite times of the day. It almost felt like everything was perfect, having everyone there, talking over each other and laughing. All they were missing was Umji, and Eunha was confident they’d have her back sooner than later.

Every other night, SinB and Eunha would send the other girls back to the dorms while they stayed in the infirmary with Umji. During this time, they would go over the plan to lure out the criminal, discussing every little detail. It was tedious to keep going over the plan, but neither of them wanted to risk anything happening to Yuju. So far, the plan seemed decent, but there were too many variables to have a set plan. They knew next to nothing about the perpetrator, meaning they had no way of knowing what the person would do.

After these planning sessions, Eunha would often stop by the Gryffindor dorms to rant to Sowon and Yerin about her frustrations. It was stressful to be risking Yuju like this, but Eunha knew that SinB and Yuju didn’t need any extra stress. Therefore, she often went to the lions’ den. Honestly, Eunha spent more time there than her own dorms these days, so much time that she wondered if she should just trade her green-lined robes for red ones.

With all this time spent with the Gryffindors, Eunha was also beginning to see why SinB fell for Yerin in the first place. The girl was adorable and she knew it, capable of wielding her cuteness almost like a weapon. However, Yerin was more than just a cute girl with silly jokes. Whenever they discussed classes or Umji, Yerin got this fire in her eyes that screamed just how determined she was. It was something Eunha admired, not that she’d ever tell her. Still, it was a relief that Yerin appeared to be everything that SinB was in love with.

This also meant that Eunha was also beginning to become increasingly aware of her own feelings for Sowon. The giraffe was clumsy and stupid sometimes, but she also cared so damn much. Sowon put her heart into everything she did, especially her relationships. Eunha would have to be blind to not see just how much Sowon cared about Yerin, almost like a sister. However, it took her awhile to realize that Sowon’s intense caring had spread to her too. Sowon always saved her favorite pastry in the mornings, asked her how she slept. Sowon made sure she made it back to her common room safely, made sure that SinB was comfortable in the infirmary for the night. Eunha never had anyone care for her the way Sowon did, aside from SinB and Umji. Sowon was all shy smiles and awkward gestures, but Eunha loved all it despite her efforts not to.

SinB had noticed Eunha’s feelings the other day during dinner and had commented slyly, “When’s the wedding?”

Eunha hadn’t given her an answer, merely stealing back the chocolate frog she’d given her and walking away in a huff as she ignored SinB’s laughter following her.

A few days later, Eunha found herself in a rare situation where it was just her and Yuju. She didn’t mind at all. It was just that nowadays there was usually at least three of them together. The two of them were relaxing out by the lake after a particularly grueling exam, enjoying the rare sunlight in the middle of February. It still should’ve been too freezing to go out, but after Yuju’s begging, Eunha had casted warming charms on their clothes and allowed Yuju to drag her outside.

“Hey, Eunha?” Yuju called, voice soft and tentative.

Eunha opened her eyes, blinking a few times to wake herself up from her light dozing. She smiled warmly and replied, “Yeah?”

“How’s the plan going with SinB?” Yuju asked, staring down at her folded hands.

“It’s going,” Eunha shrugged as her eyes carefully tracked Yuju’s actions. “We’re trying to cover every possibility, but it’s tricky. All of the plans so far have sounded pretty good though, right?” This gets Yuju to jump slightly and then guiltily look away. Sighing, Eunha scooted closer and wrapped an arm around the other girl. “What’s wrong, Yuju?”

It took Yuju a few moments before she whispered, “I’m scared.” She looked up with wide eyes, and Eunha suddenly felt horrible. Her feelings must’ve been clear on her face because Yuju immediately grabbed her arm and said, “No, we’re still doing the plan.”

“Yuju–”

“We’re doing it,” Yuju told her firmly, even as her hand trembled ever so slightly on Eunha’s arm. “This is our only chance to catch the guy. We can’t let him get away with this, just because I’m scared.”

“This isn’t fair to you,” Eunha reasoned. “You’re risking your life for a plan that might not even work.”

“It’ll work,” Yuju said confidently. She flashed a shaky smile and said, “It’s a plan made by the two smartest Slytherins ever. It’s gonna work.”

“There are other ways,” Eunha tried, but Yuju just shook her head.

“Did you know the paralyzed students only have a year before their healths start becoming deeply affected from the paralysis?” Yuju asked her, the solemn look in her eyes making Eunha look away. “Of course, it depends on each person. Sometimes, it can be up to fourteen months, but for others it can be just five months.” Yuju gave Eunha a hollow smile as she said, “Did you know Umji was sick as a child? Her health hasn’t been the same since. She’s been paralyzed for three months already, and we have no idea if it’s already compromised her.” Yuju smiled again, this time a bit more genuine and earnest. “We can’t risk letting this go on any longer. Not for her and not for any of the other students. We’re doing the plan.”

Eunha regarded Yuju for a long moment before saying, “The Hat should’ve put you in Gryffindor.”

This got Yuju to laugh and shake her head. “I wouldn’t last two days in that house,” Yuju told her. “Sowon and Yerin can be a little much. Imagine a whole house of them.”

This got Eunha to laugh too, and the rest of the afternoon was spent giggling together about reckless lions, until Sowon and Yerin found them and scolded them for being outside for so long.

It was that day that Eunha thought of as she hid in the shadows, watching as Yuju walked down the seemingly empty corridor.

Eunha’s eyes nervously darted over to where she knew SinB was and then over to where Yerin and Sowon were. It was the end of February, and they’ve finally decided to implement their plan. There was no going back now.

Yuju pretended to trip, whining as all the papers she’d been carrying flew everywhere. It was decent acting, and Eunha was mentally applauding her when a figure hurried over to Yuju to help her. Eunha tensed, seeing a flash of a familiar face wearing blue-lined robes.

“Let me help you.” The voice was familiar, but Eunha couldn’t put her finger on it. Her hand hovered over her wand as she watched, waiting for one wrong move. “You’re Yuju, right?”

“That’s me,” Yuju replied, sounding cheerful but there was still a slight wariness to her voice.

The young man laughed and shook his head. “You have no idea how hard it is to get you alone.”

The words had Yuju scrambling backwards, and Eunha was running toward her with her wand out. When she saw the man pull out his wand, Eunha ran faster, trying to keep her panic at bay as she tried to reach Yuju.

Eunha stopped breathing as a spell soared through the air.

A/N: We're almost to the end, guys. Just a few more chapters left... Expect lots of action next chapter!