DAY ONE

 

Yeojin stretched her arms out and yawned loudly as she got out of bed. She’d had a time getting to sleep, but once she had, she was out like a rock.  As she slipped into her uniform, she pondered the events of the night before.

 

The moments after the hat had yelled out Slytherin were a blur to her. She had wandered over to the green and silver table, dazed and disoriented.  Heejin cleared out a space for her and she sat down obediently. The noise had died down between her stepping out of the chair and her sitting down at the table. The other kids were looking at her like she was some kind of refuse that had washed up on their private beach. Someone had told them she had muggle parents--was it Heejin? And why was that a bad thing, anyway? She had no idea.

 

Heejin’s eyes were huge as she sat down. The girl clearly hadn’t been expecting this. Yeojin thought she looked more worried than upset. That gave Yeojin a little comfort-- she had been sure that Heejin hated her. Now she just had to worry about everyone else.

 

The thin man finished up with the rest of the first-year students, and then the Headmistress stepped forward to make a few announcements. Yeojin wasn’t really paying attention though--she was too focused on trying to avoid the glares from the rest of the students. This was just about the worst way this could have worked out.

 

The girl named Kim was the worst, though. The other students were looking at her with revulsion or fear, but she had neither. Her stare was cold and fierce, and filled with a hatred that made Yeojin wilt. What was her problem? Yeojin didn’t know and she didn’t really want to know. She just wanted to get through school without dying.

 

Things got a little better when the food arrived. The headmistress finished her speech, and witth a wave of her hands, food materialized on the tables in front of them. Literally materialized. Yeojin gasped. Food always made her feel better. She spent the next hour stuffing her face with fried chicken and roast potatoes and a dozen other things she’d never had before. She finished it off with a sticky-sweet bun that melted in . Yeah, she was in heaven.

 

But then they’d had to go back to the dormitories. Haseul had told her a little bit about each house’s housing--Slytherins slept in the dungeon, beneath the lake she had just crossed in a tiny little boat. Yeojin hated the dark! Why had the hat put her here?

They’d all gone inside the common room and the first years were assigned rooms. Some of the students marched off to bed straight away, but Yeojin was way too amped to get any rest. So were Kim and a few of the other students. They lingered for a little bit. Too long, in Yeojin’s case.

 

She wanted to start a conversation with her housemates. She liked making friends and she’d rather have some here than not.

 

Unfortunately, the moment she opened to talk, Kim started screaming at her. Really screaming. She called her names and said she should just go to bed and leave her alone. Yeojin hadn’t even done anything to her! She guessed it had something to do with what had happened with her and Haseul last year, but she wasn’t around for that. Whatever it was, it was clearly a painful memory.  

 

Kim had caused such a scene that a few of the students who had already gone to bed came out of the dorms just to see what all the commotion was about. Yeojin ran off into the girls dorms, embarrassed, and did her best to fall asleep on the rough, unfamiliar bed. For the first time, she found herself wondering if running off to Hogwarts had been a good idea. Nobody seemed to want her here except for Haseul, and she wasn’t there.

 

Well, it was morning time now. The first morning of the rest of her life as a witch. That thought still got her excited, even if it upset other people. She put on her spare uniform--she only had the two, mostly because she’d only been able to afford two. Magical money was strange. They gave muggle-born students a small deposit to buy supplies with, but she had insisted on trying some of the candy. She didn’t regret that a bit.

 

She  briefly inspected herself in the hand mirror she had brought with her. When she was satisfied in her appearance, she tossed it back inside her case and traipsed out of the mostly empty dorms. The common room outside was still dark. She guessed it always would be, considering where it was located. There were a couple of people still hanging around, talking amongst themselves. Luckily, Miss Kim was not one of them. She was glad. Yeojin wasn’t sure she could handle more yelling.

 

Heejin was there, standing off in a dark corner by herself. Yeojin had a feeling that was something she did often. The dark eyed girl’s face shot up to meet hers when she walked by.

“Hey, Yeojin!” She waved the younger girl over with one frantic arm.

 

“Yeah, Heejin? Actually, can I call you Jinnie? It’s a cute nickname, don’t you think?”

 

Heejin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

 

“No, you may not.” Her eyes darted from side to side, as if to make sure no one was listening in on them. “I called you over because you need someone on your side. It’s not safe for a mud-- a muggle-born in this house. There’s more of you guys then there were, but some people still aren’t as tolerant as they should be.” She put a hand on the smaller girl’s shoulder. “Stick with me, okay? I might not know you too well, but Haseul likes you, and if she likes you, I do too.” She gave Yeojin a small smile, but it was enough to make her previously tired face light up like a Christmas tree. Yeojin couldn’t help but smile back, comforted in the thought that she had a friend here. If you have friends, you can get through anything. That’s what her mom would always tell her.

 

“Okay, Jinnie! I’ll follow your lead!”

 

Heejin groaned.

 

The two of them ate a quick breakfast in the Great Hall, which Yeojin enjoyed greatly. Heejin sat next to Hyunjin, who was stuffing her face full of bread. Haseul and Vivi were nowhere to be seen. “Probably already in class,” Hyunjin told her when she asked. That Gryffindor girl with the beagle face was there, though. She was laughing and chatting with the blonde haired Ravenclaw that had used Kim’s lap as a seat last night. Both of them were at the far end of the hall. They stopped laughing when Kim herself showed up to have a quick meal.

 

That was Yeojin’s cue to leave. She got up, hiding her face beneath the hood of her cloak. Heejin looked around in bewilderment before hopping to her feet in order to join her.

 

In the corridor, on the way to class, Heejin wheeled on her, stopping Yeojin in her tracks.

 

“What was that?” Her voice held no real malice, only genuine curiousity.

 

“She doesn’t like me. That girl, Kim? She yelled at me last night. I don’t like bullies. And I don’t want her to yell at me again.”

 

Heejin looked puzzled. “Kim? Oh, you mean Jungeun! Yeah, she can seem a bit cold to everybody at first, but she’s really a goofball.”

 

Yeojin crossed her arms and gave Heejin a stern look. The girl waved her hands into the air in protest.

 

“I believe you, okay? I guess it’s probably because you look like Haseul. Bad stuff there.”

 

Yeojin stood on her tippy-toes, eager to maintain direct eye contact with Heejin. This was a serious topic of conversation, after all!

 

“So, they used to be friends?”

 

Heejin gave her an uneasy smile. “Well, I wouldn’t put it exactly like that…”

 

Somewhere, a bell chimed.  Heejin’s smile turned to a look of panic. “Oh crap! That’s my one minute warning for my DADA class. Sorry, Yeojin, I won’t be able to walk you to class today. Just ask the paintings if you need any help with directions to Transfiguration! It’s pretty much just down the hallway, so you shouldn’t have any trouble.” This was all one breath-- a truly impressive feat, Yeojin thought. As soon as she was done with the words, she was off, sprinting to get to a class she would likely be late for.

 

Yeojin wandered down the corridor on her own with little urgency. She had plenty of time before she would be needed and she wanted to take in the ambience. The stonework in the hallway was incredible. Actually, the fact that she was in a centuries old castle at all was incredible. Not even the disapproving looks she got from her housemates could dampen her excitement.

 

She didn’t see the two girls come up behind her until they had already tossed her and her books onto the floor. She fell onto her knees, the wind knocked out of her by the sudden impact. When she tried to get up, she found a foot pressed against her back, forcing her down onto the ground. The side of her face smacked into the cold stone, leaving a painful red mark all the way down. Yeojin whimpered. She had no idea what was going on.

 

“Owwiiieeee….”

 

A female voice giggled. Another voice, huskier and rougher, shushed her. The second voice was closer to Yeojin. She guessed that was the girl that had her foot on her back.

“Hey, what are you trying to do...I just want to get to class in peace.”

 

No response, only more laughing.

 

Yeojin’s face was red now. She could feel her eyes beginning to water. She hated confrontation. That’s why she always tried being nice to everyone. Why were they doing this to her? She hadn’t done anything to them!

 

“Please...let me go!”

 

The second girl laughed now, uproariously, as if the girl pinned under her was the funniest joke in the world. The first girl finally decided to speak to Yeojin.

 

“No, I think we’re happy with where you are, little Mud-Blood.” She spat the last word out as if it were a rotten piece of fruit that had gotten into somehow. Yeojin thought it must be a slur of some kind. Heejin had almost said it earlier. Yeojin’s stomach turned.

 

“You’re right where you belong.” The second girl was speaking. “Beneath the feet of your betters. And not at our side, like an equal. Ugly little girls like you won’t ever be our equals. You should leave Slytherin. Nobody likes you and nobody wants you there. Not even your friend!”

 

She spat, right into Yeojin’s carefully combed hair. Another round of laughter. It was all such a joke to them. Yeojin fought back tears. She didn’t want the bullies to see her cry.

 

Very fortunately for her, someone decided to make their way down the corridor at that moment. The two girls whispered hurriedly to each other, and then they ran off. By the time Yeojin had gotten back up, they were already gone. She hadn’t even seen their faces.

 

DAY TWO

 

Yeojin awoke to a very nasty surprise. While she had been sleeping, someone had dumped a bucket of mud onto her bed. She woke up caked in sticky, half-dried mud. It had gotten into her pajamas and ruined the small set of chocolate frog collectible cards she had fallen asleep holding onto. Nobody copped to responsibility for the prank, but she had a feeling the two girls who had attacked her yesterday were guilty.

 

It was now clear to her that absolutely no one wanted her in Slytherin. Not even Heejin. No one wanted to hang out with a filthy mudblood. It really stung, because Yeojin had wanted nothing more than for magic to be real and for her to be a witch all her life. When she finally got there, the reality was nothing at all like what she had been expecting. Everyone hated her for something she had no control over.

 

It just wasn’t fair.

 

She wanted to talk to her parents. They were probably worried sick about her, wondering where she had gone. Well, her dad probably knew, and he might have told her mom, but that meant that they were angry instead of relieved. No, she had to talk to them, to let them know that she was alright.

 

She asked Heejin if she could use her cell phone, but the girl only stared at her like she was some kind of alien. When Yeojin explained what a cell phone was, she only got more confused. Yeojin finally gave it up as a lost cause and asked what she could use to communicate with her parents. Heejin directed her to the Aviary near the top of the school.

 

So there she was, letter clutched tightly in her hands. She unfolded the piece of notebook paper  she had written her message on. With a critical eye, she looked it over one more time, looking for any mistakes or typos she might have made.

 

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

I’m sorry I ran out in the middle of the night. I’m sure I scared you a lot, and I’m sorry for that, too. I just had to see it. It’s magic! Can you really blame me?  I guess you can.

 

But everything seems wrong. I don’t have a lot of friends here and I don’t have you. It’s a totally different world. Be careful what you wish for, I guess. There’s a couple of girls who have been bullying me. It’s only been two days and I already have people who hate my guts. Why? I don’t know.

 

I’m scared. I don’t know if I have what it takes to see it through. I need to talk to you. I need to see you. I miss you so much. Please write back to me as soon as you can. Please. I know you’re mad, but please forgive me.

 

I’m sorry.

 

-Yeojin.

 

She brushed her fingers against the damp spots where her tears had fallen while she was writing. They were still warm, and the ink was stained and blurry where the two met. She hoped it was legible.

 

She carefully placed the paper in the inner lining of her robes and moved towards the owls that were flitting around the room. There were at least three dozen of them, all told. Most of them belonged to the school, but sometimes students would keep their owls up here instead of in cages in their rooms. It gave their beloved pets time to socialize with others of their own kind.

 

She spotted a winner hanging onto a metal bar on the far wall. He had tawny brown feathers and sharp yellow eyes. Just what she was looking for. Before she could take a step forward, however, she was accosted by a white blur. The mass of feathers and talons took a swipe at her head. She only avoided it because she was already halfway onto her knees.

 

She screeched and held her hands above her head, hoping to ward off another attack. The bird screeched in response and landed gracefully in front of her. When Yeojin realized it wasn’t going to strike again, she put her arms down and sighed in relief.

 

The owl was a pure, untouched white. Its intelligent red eyes seemed to bore into her soul. It was slightly creepy but also incredibly cool. She gave the creature a small wave and a shy smile. It cooed and turned its head, looking off towards the sound of the opening door.

 

A voice came, smooth and cool.

 

“Hey Artemis! What did I tell you about being polite to strangers?” A pause as she realized who was on the floor. “Oh, it’s you.”

 

Yeojin winced and craned her neck up to look at the older girl. Jungeun (or Kim, as Haseul had called her) was cool as ice, her hands tucked behind her back and her face unreadable.

 

“Ah, sorry. I’ll just be getting out of your way.” Yeojin scrambled to her feet, eager to escape the room and the awkward situation that had just entered it.

Jungeun held up a hand. “Hold on.”

 

Yeojin froze. She was sure Jungeun was gonna whip her wand out and curse her or some other equally nasty thing.

 

Instead, Jungeun gave her an uneasy smile. “I want to apologize for the way I treated you earlier. I was upset--for reasons that don’t have anything to do with you. I just saw you hanging out with Haseul and I thought...well it doesn’t matter what I thought. It was unfair. You’re only a first year. I bet you’ve only known about this,” she gestured at the room around them, “for about a month or two. It’s exciting, isn’t it?’

 

Yeojin nodded, her eyes still searching the room for possible exits, her muscles tensed to sprint at a moment’s notice.

 

Jungeun’s smile brightened slightly, became a little more genuine.

 

“Let’s start over. My name’s Jungeun. It’s nice to meet you...Yeojin, right?”

 

Another stiff nod. Jungeun held out her hand to Yeojin expectantly. Yeojin cautiously took ahold of her hand. It was surprisingly soft. Jungeun took the opportunity to pull Yeojin up. Yeojin nodded, more eagerly this time, and brushed the dust of the aviary floor off of her pant legs.

 

“Nice to meet you too, Jungeun.” Yeojin gave the older girl a shy smile. Any friends she could make in her own house would be helpful. It would make things slightly more bearable, at least.

 

Jungeun looked around the room, as if she was seeing it for the very first time, which was clearly not the case. Artemis, her owl, hopped off the floor and flapped his way onto Jungeun’s leather clad wrist. She cut an impressive silhouette that way. She looked like something out of one of Yeojin’s Beast Tamer books.

 

“So…”

 

“So…”

 

Jungeun laughed, a raucous and joyful thing, and Yeojin couldn’t help but join her. She was starting to feel a little better about this whole situation already.

 

When they finally settled down, Jungeun looked at her inquisitively.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Yeojin’s hand unconsciously drifted to the side of her robe, atop the pocket that held her oh so precious letter home.

“I’m gonna get one of these guys to carry a letter home. That’s how you all communicate, right?”

 

Jungeun raised her eyebrows playfully.

 

“Don’t you use ‘you all’ on me! I’m a half-blood. I’ve been in your shoes, trust me.”

 

Strangely, Yeojin found that she did.

 

“What’s the letter about?” She held up her hands at the look Yeojin gave her. “I’m just curious! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

 

Yeojin looked down at her clasped hands.

 

“No, it’s okay. I was just missing my parents. They have no idea where I am, and I wanted to let them know. “ In a smaller voice, she said, “I feel like I don’t belong here. I was never prepared for any of this.”

 

Jungeun’s eyes were sympathetic. She gave Yeojin’s hand a tight squeeze.

 

“I’m very sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was upset...it had nothing to do with you. You do belong with us. You are a Slytherin, and there’s nothing anybody can do to change that.”

 

Yeojin gave her a small, sad smile.

 

“Have you ever done this before? Sent a letter by owl?”

 

Yeojin shook her head. That was a big no. She didn’t even really see birds all that often in her hometown.

 

Jungeun smiled encouragingly and held out her hand.

 

“Let me help you out. Give me the letter and I’ll have Artemis fly it out. She’s the fastest bird in this room. Probably in the whole school. And you can trust her. That’s my guarantee.”

 

Yeojin pondered it for a few moments. Was she really going to trust the delivery of such an important letter to a suspicious owl and someone who had only just started being friendly to her? For all she knew, this was just the first step of a really elaborate prank.

 

In the end, she couldn’t help herself. There was something about Jungeun that made Yeojin want to trust her. A natural charisma. She dug the letter out of her robes and plopped it down onto Jungeun’s ungloved hand. Jungeun took the letter between two fingers and held it up to Artemis’ eyes.

 

“Listen, Arty, this is my friend’s letter. Make sure you get it there fast, and make sure it gets there safely, okay? No funny business.” The bird seemed to nod, and with that silent acknowledgement, she handed the letter over. The bird took it in one talon and flew out the aviary window., wings flapping furiously.

 

“She’ll be back when they’ve given her something to deliver. Shouldn’t be more than two days. Take that, Amazon!”

 

Yeojin giggled. It felt good to laugh after being scared out of her wits.

 

Jungeun tilted her head curiously.

 

“It’s too late now, but me and some friends going to have lunch out near the Great Lake tomorrow. Would you like to come?”

 

Yeojin only barely held herself back from screaming out “YES!”. Instead, she nodded.

 

Jungeun clapped her hands together and began to walk backwards out of the room. “Okay! Looking forward to it!”

 

Not as much as Yeojin was.

 

DAY THREE

 

The Charms classes she had that morning were particularly grueling. It was all beginner stuff, and her classmates picked it up easily, but she struggled. They had practiced a spell to change how heavy or light an object was...she hadn’t gotten it until the class was nearly over, and even then it wasn’t as effective as her partner’s. She couldn’t lie, the results were disappointing.  

 

But that was all over with for now, and it was time to spend some time with Jungeun and her friends. She sincerely hoped they would take a liking to her. She wasn’t sure she could take any more disappointment today.

 

As she turned the corner to enter the expansive grass field that comprised Hogwart’s grounds, she saw the three of them. It was like something out of a painting, the three girls enjoying themselves on top of a red picnic blanket, the sun high in the sky and the sky a purest blue. The clouds had failed to show up today, and the world was better for it. The lake was placid and still, a perfect, untouched mirror.

 

Yeojin couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face.

 

She skipped over to join the girls. Excited was a light word for the feeling that was currently expanding in her chest. Jungeun was cool, so her friends must be just as cool!

 

When she was halfway across, Jungeun caught sight of her and waved her over with one hand, her other wrapped around the shoulder of her blonde friend. The other girl had her face turned away from Yeojin, munching away on something she held in both hands. A third girl, this one a brunette, peered over Jungeun’s shoulder curiously. Wait a second, that was beagle girl--what was she doing here? Yeojin waved back enthusiastically with both hands, still moving forward at an incredible speed. The girls were only a couple of feet away now and it was way too late to stop. Jungeun cringed and ducked out of the way, pushing her blonde friend onto her side. The girl whined, but Yeojin was no longer paying attention to that. Instead, she was focusing on trying not to die.

 

She tripped over Jungeun’s legs and onto beagle girl. Beagle girl let out an oof and fell onto her back. Yeojin screamed, afraid she might have seriously hurt her potential new friend. Beagle girl was wincing now-- she probably had a broken leg! Or maybe she was bleeding internally! They went on like this for a few seconds until Yeojin realized that the other girl had her fingers in her ears. Oh. She stopped screaming. The girl unblocked her ears and breathed in a sigh of relief.

 

Yeojin blushed a vivid shade of red. She quickly hopped back, letting the other girl pull herself into a sitting position.

 

“I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t mean to crush you! Are you okay?”

 

To her surprise, the other girl started laughing.

 

“I’m fine! But your face...you’re so red! Ahahahahahahaha!”

 

Yeojin crossed her arms and huffed. “This is so embarrassing.”

 

Jungeun stuck her head up cautiously. When she was sure everything was safe, she sat up again, carefully wiping off the crumbs of bread that had gathered on the front of her friend’s shirt.

“Wow.” This came from Jungeun’s friend, whose long blonde hair hung in two perfectly straight curtains on either side of her face. Yeojin thought she might look like a doll if it wasn’t for the ragged white lines that marred the left side of her personage. They weren’t just on her face, either--the scars trailed along her neck and down onto her shoulder, were they disappeared into her robes. She looked more amused than angry at the interruption.  Yeojin’s gaze must have been exceedingly obvious, because the girl asked her, “You like my beauty marks?”

 

Yeojin wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. This introduction wasn’t going anything like the way she had imagined it in her head. She just shrugged awkwardly and sat down next to Jungeun. Jungeun tilted her head curiously as she looked over the smaller girl. She looked as if she wanted to say something to the girl, but she thinks better of it and shuts .

 

She waves one hand over Yeojin and another over the other two girls in a half-hearted introduction.

 

“So, this is Yeojin.” The blonde and the brunette nodded, the blonde’s eyebrows raised in an expression that said ‘oh yeah, we’ve met’. She wasn’t rude enough to say it out loud, though. The beagle girl said nothing, but she smiled encouragingly. “Yeojin, this is Jinsoul.” She pointed to the blonde. Jinsoul gave her a small wave. “And this is Choerry.” She pointed to the brunette. “Nice to meet you, Yeojin!” Choerry leaned forward, and to Yeojin’s surprise, she pulled the younger girl into a hug. “Nice to meet you too, Choerry,”she mumbled into her shoulder.

 

When Choerry finally let her go, Yeojin gasped. For someone as tiny as she was, she sure had a strong grip! “Ow...you’re really strong, you know?” Choerry nodded enthusiastically. “I know! Isn’t it great? Mom says that if I keep it up I’ll be able to compete in weightlifting competitions when I get older.” Yeojin nodded, kind of overwhelmed by the second year’s enthusiasm. She was like her, but with more energy. She hadn’t thought that was possible.

 

Jungeun cut in, “I saved some food for you, Yeojin. I know you had classes this morning, so I got some extra stuff from the great hall.” Jungeun carefully unwrapped a cloth from around a very juicy looking plate of ham and eggs. “Breakfast for lunch! Never goes out of style. Well, that’s true of breakfast in general.”

Yeojin gratefully accepted the plate and began to munch on the food in silence. Jungeun and Jinsoul watched in horrified fascination as she cleared the plate in less than a minute. Jinsoul’s eyebrows shot straight up into her hairline.

“I think you just beat my record.” Jungeun gave her a warm smile.  Jinsoul tapped Jungeun on the shoulder and when she turned to see what she wanted, Jinsoul planted a kiss on Jungeun’s ruby lips. Yeojin’s mouth formed a tiny, surprised ‘o’. They weren’t just friends...they were girlfriends. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t made that connection before. But it wasn’t too surprising...Yeojin was barely out of the phase were she still thought kissing was gross.

 

Choerry hopped to her feet and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Hey, Yeojin, you know muggles, right?” Yeojin nodded, half her attention still on the scene in front of her. The two blondes were really getting into it. She kind of understood why they called it ‘eating each other’s faces’. “Can you teach me how to skip stones? I keep trying to get Lippie to teach me, but she says she doesn’t know. I think she’s just too lazy to teach.”

 

Yeojin finally forced her attention off of the two lovebirds and onto Choerry. Skipping stones was one of her favorite pastimes, when her mom and dad would take her camping. It was especially perfect on days like this, when the water was perfectly still and the weather was calm.

 

“I’d love to teach you!”

 

The girl beamed and clapped her hands together.

“Great! Now all we need are some stones!”

 

All in all, it had been a very promising introduction.

 

DAY FOUR

 

The following morning hadn’t been nearly as nice. Someone had torn open Yeojin’s suitcase and spread its contents all over the dorm. Yeojin had a rough time collecting all of her belongings from unwelcoming and suspicious dormmates. By the time she was finished packing all of her stuff back into the case, it was nearly time for class. She opted to miss out on breakfast and dash to class instead. Her hair was a mess and she hadn’t had time to grab her books, so there were a few giggles as she entered.

 

But she was here now, and she had a chance to learn something that she might actually be good at.  Yeojin took a seat next to the girl with pigtails that had been so energetic during their sorting. She was less enthusiastic now. In fact, she seemed a little sour, her lips set into a disgusted frown as Yeojin sat down. Yeojin did her best to focus on the little scratch marks in the wood of the desk. She had friends here. She didn’t have to take this from these people. That’s what Jungeun had told her, and she was the queen of cool. If Yeojin was lucky, she could make princess of cool a thing.

 

The pigtailed girl waved her hands in front of her face as if she had just smelled something awful. Yeojin buried her chin into the desk and tried to pretend she hadn’t seen that. She pulled a small black cauldron out of her bag, along with a tiny knife and several ingredients. She had no idea what they’d be making to start with, but it was always good to be prepared.

 

A few more students made their way into class, but only a few. After everyone was in their seats, the professor emerged from behind the curtain that was set into the back of the room. It was probably meant to be theatrical, but the man tripped over the edge of the curtain and flopped onto his desk. The Slytherins in the room managed to supress their laughter, but the Hufflepuffs were not so reserved. The professor straightened himself out, gasping and groaning and clutching his back. His pale cheeks were speckled with pink. “Stop that right now, or it’s ten points from both your houses!” He looked more worried than angry. Fortunately for him and for the rankings of both houses, the laughter died down quickly.

 

The professor sighed, straightened his tie and began to speak.

 

“Welcome to all of you. I am Professor Ellis, and I will be teaching you the art of potion-making. Yes, the art and not the craft, although you might say that we’ll be doing a little bit of both in this class.” He laughed, a high-pitched, nervous giggle. No one else did.  A boy near the back of the class coughed.

 

Professor Ellis grimaced and continued on in a droning monotone about the very basics of potion crafting and the origins of the art. After about half an hour of this, Yeojin was beginning to get very bored. She hadn’t gotten all that much sleep last night, and she could feel herself starting to drift off. She had to support her chin with her hand just to keep her head up. Finally, the professor wrapped up his lecture and rolled out a small table with all the ingredients he would need pre-assembled.

 

“I want you all to have the best chance of succeeding, so everybody team up with the table next to you.”

 

Yeojin turned to her right and saw the students she would be teaming up with. They were a couple of girls who also happened to be Slytherins. Great. There would be no escaping the ridicule during this class.  They dragged their chairs over to either side of Yeojin’s desk and sat down. One of them had short, dark hair and the other was a blonde with a big nose. Neither of them looked too friendly. The blonde struck up a conversation with the pigtailed girl that was supposed to be her partner, and the two had instant chemistry. The dark-haired girl just stared at her with severe, judging eyes.

 

The professor went over how to properly cut open and dissect the glands of a dried Truscan Crawler. Yeojin searched for one in her bag, but couldn’t find anything that even remotely fit the description. She fidgeted in her chair--this really couldn’t be happening. Now she had to ask one of these girls if she could borrow some of theirs.

 

She bit her lip and then tapped the pigtailed girl on the shoulder. The other girl shuddered in disgust, and then she wheeled on her with eyes full of fury. “Who do you think you are, touching me like that? Don’t you know who I am?”

 

Yeojin held her hands up. It beats me, she thought.

 

“I just wanted to ask you if you had any spare Truscan Crawlers I could use?” The girl looked Yeojin up and down as if she were crazy. She looked over at the blonde and then leaned in to whisper in her ear. The blonde giggled and then nodded, as if she had just told the funniest joke in the world.

 

Pig-tails turned back to her and smiled. It was unsettling, mostly because her smile didn’t reach her eyes, which were just as cold as ever. Yeojin didn’t much care, as long as she got what she needed to make the potion.

 

“Here, I’ll do you one better. These are the glands from the crawler I just dissected.” She dropped two tiny green orbs into Yeojin’s bare palm. They looked alright to her, but she couldn’t help being a little suspicious. Still, she set the glands down among the rest of her ingredients and sat in to listen to the rest of the recipe.

 

The professor rushed through the preparation instructions and the cooking times of the potion so fast Yeojin could barely understand him. She wasn’t the only one, either, because many of the Hufflepuff students raised their hands in confusion. She should have been one of them. She probably wouldn’t be getting this much crap if that were the case.

 

The professor didn’t answer questions, but he did keep moving along. He made another potion and mixed the first potion with that one to create a glowing orange mixture that sparkled like fireworks when completed. It was impressive, but Yeojin was too busy trying not to mess up her own. She poured in a little bit of pixie tears and stirred a bevy of carefully chopped roots--everything seemed to be going well so far.  Five stirs clockwise, two counterclockwise, and a dash of spriggan root. The solution shimmered promisingly in the bottom of her cauldron. She smiled brightly and dropped the final ingredient, the crawler glands, into the basin.

 

That’s when everything went wrong.

 

The previously clear solution turned a bright, violent green and exploded up against her face and into . She coughed, trying to spit the volatile solution out of , to no avail. The bitter taste clung to her tongue, her teeth and the back of . But it was more than that...she was gagging on something long and squishy. She was pretty sure it was going to choke on it if she didn’t get it out soon. Pig-tails giggled and clapped her on the back, grinning jovially. “Hey, what’s wrong? Got something caught in your throat?” The three girls at Yeojin’s table shared a knowing look. The glands! They had poisoned them somehow and now she was going to die!

 

The truth was not nearly as lethal, but it was terrible all the same.  Yeojin stood up, tipping her chair over in the process. She put her hands up to , trying to squeeze the offensive thing out of her. It didn’t work. It did, however, earn her some looks from the rest of her classmates. The professor didn’t even look up. Yeojin made gestures at , trying to indicate that she was choking on something, but no one made a move. They only stared in a strange kind of fascination.

 

Yeojin needed to tell them what was going on, to get someone to help. As soon as she opened to speak, the thing that had been waiting at the back of popped out. It kept growing, long and squishy and pink. Yeojin looked down at the thing and let out a muffled scream. That thing was her tongue, horrifically mutated beyond all recognition. She screamed again, and this time the teacher looked up. His look was one of mild surprise, but he didn’t seem all too concerned about the fact that one of his students had a THREE FOOT LONG TONGUE STICKING OUT OF THEIR MOUTH. Yeojin coughed. She couldn’t pass any air past her massive tongue, and she was starting to feel quite light headed. The girls who had pulled this nasty prank were laughing their heads off now, screaming in raucous laughter. Yeojin focused on putting one foot in front of the other. She had to get out of here, to get somewhere safe.  She moved towards the front door as black spots began to manifest in the corner of her eyes. Tears, wet and hot, began to roll down the sides of her face. Why wasn’t anyone helping her?

 

She took another step, and she accidentally stepped on the tip of her tongue, dragging its way across the floor. To her horror, she could actually taste the sole of her shoe and the dirty dungeon floor. Her vision was beginning to blur. She wasn’t going to last much longer now. Was this how she died? As a freakshow in front of a bunch of people who didn’t care about her?

 

Yeojin tripped over the edge of something. It might have been a foot, or it might have been the leg of a stray chair. In the end, it didn’t matter. The result was the same-- she sprawled over the floor in a tangle of limbs, hair and tongue. Her last thought before she passed out was  a sincere hope that her parents got her letter and that they wouldn’t miss her too much.

 

DAY FIVE

 

“Is she going to be alright?”

 

Those were the first words Yeojin heard as she returned to consciousness. Her sight came back a few seconds later, blurry and indistinct, but it was there. Yeojin sighed deeply. She was so glad to not be dead. The only thing she could see was the boring beigeness of the infirmary’s ceiling.  Even that was wonderful to her right now.

 

The girl who had asked if she was alright let out a loud gasp and rushed to her side. Yeojin’s neck was way too stiff to turn more than few inches in either direction, and she was pretty sure her tongue was still messed up. The girl grasped her hand firmly and leaned over Yeojin’s face.

 

“Don’t try to speak, Yeojin. Your body’s not ready for it now. At least, that’s what Madame Abbott says. She’s usually right about these things.”

 

Haseul smiled warmly, her eyes scrunched up and pleasant. It made Yeojin want to smile too, but her tongue was still in the way. She was sure she must have looked ridiculous to an outside observer.  Haseul’s hand came to rest on Yeojin’s shoulder as she took a seat on the side of her bed. Yeojin strained her eyes, trying to see if there was anyone else waiting to comfort her. She could only see Madame Abbott. The stern-looking woman had her arms crossed over her chest and impatient expression on her face. None of her other friends seemed to be here.

 

As if she could sense Yeojin’s question, Haseul was quick with an explanation.

 

“It’s just me, Yeojin. Hyunjin and Heejin were here last night and earlier this morning, but they had to go to class. It was just Vivi and me for a while there. Kim tried to get in here, too.” Yeojin’s eyes widened. “Don’t worry, I kept her out of the infirmary. I told her that it was none of her business and that she should get her own friends.” Yeojin shook her head. Jungeun was her friend, too. She didn’t like this fighting. If what Haseul had said to her before getting on the Hogwarts Express was true, Jungeun and her used to be friends. What had happened last year to wound the two so badly?

 

Haseul frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Probably because she didn’t want to understand. Old people were funny like that. Yeojin decided to just move on. She gave Haseul’s hand a light squeeze. Haseul clasped Yeojin’s hand in both of hers.

 

“We were really worried about you, you know.  You must have been so frightened. You haven’t been exposed to much magic, and that probably wasn’t a great first impression. But it can be really good. I can show you. Later. Madame Abbott wants to keep you for the rest of the day, just to be safe.” She didn’t mention any of the girls from her class, so Yeojin was sure they must have denied responsibility, if they had even been suspected in the first place. Yeojin had a sick feeling they were overlooked because of blood status.

 

Haseul left shortly after that.

 

Yeojin was alone in the infirmary for a while, with only the soft sounds of Madame Abbott moving about and treating other patients to accompany her. Slowly but surely, she began to regain movement in her neck. She used her newfound flexibility to take a closer look at her surroundings. There was a card on the table next to her. Yeojin snatched it off the table and sat up in order to read it, ignoring the groaning pain that shot through her back as she did. ‘

 

It was handmade, not store-bought, which was a change for Yeojin. The entire thing had been cut in the shape of a heart and was made out of red construction paper. There were several messages inside from the few friends she had made in her time here. Jungeun and Jinsoul were noticeably absent, although Choerry had written a short ‘get well soon’ message with a cute drawing of a bat next to it.  Heejin’s message was short and curt, as was expected of her. Hyunjin had written a goofy joke, which did its job of making Yeojin smile. Vivi’s message was unexpected, though.

 

On the card, she had written:

 

“I know I haven’t spoken to you much or at all, but you make Haseul happy. She wants to be your friend, and you make her shine in a way she hasn’t for a very long time. Please do your best to get well and to rejoin us. You’re a very nice person and I’d like to introduce myself to you very soon.”

 

The writing was formal and stiff. Someone had mentioned that she was a transfer student from China-- it definitely showed. Yeojin thought that she’d like to talk to Vivi too, if only to ask her why she was so down all the time.

Hours passed in that bed, with nothing to do. Anytime Yeojin tried to get up and walk out of the infirmary, she was stopped by Madame Abbott, who insisted she rest for at least 24 hours so her tongue could restore its full function. Yeojin tried to protest, but her tongue was still overly large in , so it came out as a muffled, muddled series of high pitched squeaks.

 

Finally nighttime came, and Jungeun with it. She strode into the infirmary casually, as if nothing in the world could stop her. And nothing did. She sat down on the stool next to Yeojin’s bed and glared at the ceiling in cold fury.

 

“I know someone did this to you, Yeojin. I’m still trying to find out who, but once I do, they WILL be punished. I’ll make sure the headmistress knows about this. Don’t worry, Yeojin. Everything’s going to be fine.” When she said it, Yeojin believed it.

Jungeun stood up quickly. She dug something out of her robes and tossed it into Yeojin’s hands. She tilted her chin at Yeojin and then walked off, presumably to hunt down the culprits.

 

Yeojin looked down at what Jungeun had gotten her and smiled.

 

It was a chocolate frog.

 

DAY SIX

 

Yeojin was released from the infirmary early the next morning. Much to her dismay, there was no one waiting to accompany her when she left. She had thought at least Haseul would be there to make sure that she didn’t fall over or something. She whined about it a little to herself, but as there was no one there to listen, it was not very effective.

 

The halls were very empty. Pretty much everyone was at class, furthering their knowledge of magic. That just made Yeojin even more upset that her own education was interrupted by a couple of bullies. Anger rose in her chest, scarlet red and full of gnashing teeth. She wanted to get them back, to make them hurt the same way they had hurt her. She knew it was wrong--her mom always told her anger was useless--but she couldn’t help the way she felt.

 

She stopped against one of the many stone columns that were set alongside the hallway at regular intervals. Her fingers fumbled with the folded cardboard that contained the sweet chocolate of the frog. She was still fiddling with it when they came up on her.

 

Yeojin had been so wrapped up in thoughts of chocolate frogs and what she would do to those girls when she met them that she hadn’t noticed the sound of footsteps echoing behind her. Her head shot up when she heard the first girl speak in a voice that was all too familiar to Yeojin.

 

“Did you have fun with your little potions accident?”

 

The blonde girl with the big nose was there, along with a slightly older girl that Yeojin didn’t recognize. Neither of them looked very friendly. Yeojin’s hand shot to the side of her robes where she kept her wand. The instant she did, the two girls wands were on her. Yeojin growled softly. “We all know it wasn’t an accident.”

 

The girls ignored her, their wands never wavering from her face. They were feet apart, but the threat was clear. “You go for your wand and we zap you into next year. That little prank was just a taste of what we’ll do to you if you don’t leave this school.”

 

So that was their end goal. Force her out of Slytherin and out of Hogwarts. It’s funny, because just a few days ago she might have been willing to go, fearful as she was of these two. But now...she had met Jungeun. And Jungeun had given her the confidence and strength to go on, to stand her ground. If she didn’t stand up to these bullies, who else was going to? Also, she was really pissed off. They’d made her miss almost three whole days of classes in her first week.

 

“Who the hell do you think you are?”  The words were her own, loud and angry.

 

The blonde girl scoffed and put a hand up to her chest, as if she was so offended that she hadn’t recognized her. “I’m Elena Vantrell, heir to the Vantrell family fortune.” At Yeojin’s unimpressed look, she added. “They practically invented Transfiguration.” Yeojin just shrugged. All of this was pretty meaningless to her, beyond letting her know that this girl was insanely privileged. The other girl, eager to establish her own reputation in this little contest, cut in with, “Yeah, and I’m Krystal James. My older sister is a prefect, you know?” Yeojin didn’t know, nor did she care. Elena didn’t seem to either, as she cut Krystal off before she could continue. “And what are you? Some rat from the filthy streets you muggles seem to love?” Yeojin’s hands clenched into fists. She wasn’t a muggle, she was a witch. Who was this girl to tell her otherwise?

 

Elena’s eyes looked over Yeojin carefully. When she spotted the half-opened chocolate frog in her hand, she snapped her fingers. “Ah! That’s it! You’re a frog. Nothing more than a tiny little fly-eater.” Yeojin’s face burned with an angry heat. She wished her wand was in her hand so she could try fighting back with something more than words. Her magic skill was basically nil at this point, but she didn’t care. She wanted to hurt them.

 

“And you’re a two bit bully who has nothing better to do than to attack someone who has done nothing to you besides exist.”

 

The girl rubbed her chin in mock-thoughtfulness. “You know what, you’re right. Your existence does bother me. Let’s change that.” She motioned to Krystal, who lowered her wand. Yeojin tried not to let her relief show too vividly on her face. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against two more experienced witches, especially without a wand.

Yeojin let her fists relax. Elena smiled brightly, but there was something wrong about it-- like she had too many teeth. It made her think of a shark, eager to feast on your bones. Wait, she was saying something-- Yeojin’s eyes widened as she realized it was spell. She threw her arms up to shield herself, but it was already far too late.

 

A beam of light shot out from Elena’s wand and hit Yeojin dead center in the chest. She felt a series of weird sensations across her body, through her limbs and in her feet. Every centimeter of her being tingled, and then--she was on the floor. She felt so..different.  She couldn’t see anything in front of her except for a dark grey cloth. When she tried to take a step forward, she found that she was on all fours. Standing up seemed impossible. She hopped forward instead, and emerged in a changed world.

 

Everything was huge to her now. There were a pair of massive, flesh colored pillars standing a few hundred feet away. She came to the realization that those were feet, and that the cloth she had been covered in was her uniform. She looked down, ever so slowly, at her limbs, dreading what she would find there.

 

Just as she had expected, instead of her normal human hands, she had slimy green skin. Elena had actually done it. She’d transfigured her into a frog. Yeojin wanted to scream, but the only thing that came out was a ignominious croak.

 

Elena and Krystal crouched down to take a closer look at the frog they had made Yeojin into. Krystal cackled and Elena gently the back of Yeojin’s transfigured head. “Aww, you actually make a pretty cute frog. You’re better off as a frog than as a witch,  anyway.” She wrapped her hands around Yeojin’s entire shrunken body and brought her up to eye level. “Bye bye now, little mudblood. Enjoy your new life of eating flies and bathing in the muck!” With that, she tossed Yeojin into the grass field that served as Hogwarts’ school grounds. When Yeojin recovered from the sudden shock, she turned around to see Elena and Krystal leaving, presumably back to the Slytherin commons. She was beginning to get really scared now. Those two were the only ones who had any idea that she wasn’t really a frog, that she was in fact a transfigured witch.They had to come back, right? This wasn’t really their plan--leaving her to spend the rest of her life as some gross, slimy frog? Elena turned, and Yeojin felt a spike of hope shoot through her heart. She was going to fix this, because underneath all the spoiled rich girl stuff, she was really a decent person. Her heart dropped when Elena only gave her small wave and a teasing smirk.

 

Yeojin was stuck. No one was going to fix her. She was going to live a very short life as a frog and no one would ever know what had happened to her, not even her parents. She wanted to cry, but frogs didn’t have tear ducts.

 

She hopped through the grounds for hours, aimlessly wandering and hoping someone would save her. She encountered several people, but they generally only shooed her off or screamed in distress. One boy, hanging out with his girlfriend, actually tried to kill Yeojin on her request. Yeojin very narrowly dodged the red bolts that shot out of his wand to run back to the edge of the forest that surrounded the school. Thankfully, he didn’t chase her.

 

She walked around the edge of the forest for a while, wallowing in her own misery. She had thought she was so brave, standing up to those girls, and she had only sealed her own doom. It was such a dumb move, she couldn’t believe she had gone through with it. They were so much more powerful than she was.  She wanted to see Haseul again, and Heejin and Hyunjin and all of her other friends. They had been so concerned for her safety, it was touching. At the same time, she was angry at them for not being there that morning to her to the house commons. She knew they hadn’t even suspected foul play, but still. They should have known.

 

Yeojin stopped hopping in order to catch her breath. This was so overwhelming. Being something entirely inhuman was something she had never thought she would experience. Certainly not like this. But she couldn’t say it was totally unpleasant. It might have been fun if she was doing it of her own free will, and if she was sure she could come back at any time.

 

These were the thoughts that were running through her head when she spotted her. Or, rather, when the other girl spotted Yeojin.  The smiley camera girl Yeojin had noticed on sorting night was standing there, taking pictures of the forest at sunset. So she did take pictures of things other than swan girl. Yeojin had to admit that the forest looked beautiful that way, the green leaves dyed an autumnal orange by the dying rays of an exhausted star.  Smiley turned to take a picture of the log Yeojin was currently resting on. She gasped as the two of them locked eyes. Her huge smile stretched her tiny face once more. Yeojin felt fear thrill through her. She wasn’t sure what this girl was going to do to her, or what her thoughts were on amphibians.

 

Smiley set her comically large camera down on a stump carefully. She skipped over to Yeojin’s log and crouched down so the two of them were on the same level. She inhaled, and then she let out a high-pitched squeal that hurt Yeojin’s tiny frog ears.

“Oh my gosh, you’re so adorable!” She clapped her hands to the sides of her face and bobbed up and down, as if Yeojin really was the cutest thing she had ever seen. “Oh, I’ve got to bring you to Sooyoung! She loves animals!” Yeojin would have rolled her eyes if she could-- did this girl ever think about anything but swan girl? That’s who she assumed she was talking about, anyway.

 

Smiley put her hands together, palm up. She put them right next to Yeojin’s spot on the log and smiled encouragingly at her. Yeojin realized this might be her only chance at getting back into Hogwarts castle and thus to people who could help her. She took the opportunity and hopped into Smiley’s hands. Smiley put her hands together so Yeojin couldn’t hop out, but she left enough space between her fingers so that the girl-turned-frog could still see what was going on.

 

“Come on froggy! Let’s go introduce you to Sooyoung!”

 

Yeojin let herself relax as the girl skipped back into the castle. Warm yellow light streamed through her fingers and onto Yeojin’s face. Eventually, Smiley was climbing up a set of tightly wound spiral steps. Ravenclaw tower, she presumed. She’d never actually been up here, but it was nice enough from what she could see. A voice muttered a question indistinctly. Smiley hopped in place and answered eagerly. “Sweet Potatoes!” The door to the common rooms slid open, somewhat reluctantly.  The girl cautiously snuck in, watching for anyone that might notice the unwelcome intruder. When she was sure the coast was clear, she made a beeline to the dormitories. She dislodged one of her hands to knock on the door urgently. A sleepy looking Sooyoung (yup, it was swan girl) opened the door, dressed in her pajamas. It seemed she had turned in early.

 

“Jiwoo? What are you doing here? It’s late…”

 

Jiwoo shook her head fervently. “It’s only 7:30, Sooyoungie~. Why are you going to sleep so early?”

 

Sooyoung took a peek outside the dormitory door, and then she waved Jiwoo in urgently. Her voice was a hushed whisper. “I spent all of last night studying for the test on Monday. You should study more. Maybe you’d actually get good grades that way. Instead of focusing all your attention on me. Not that I’m not flattered, but...school is important, Jiwoo.” Jiwoo nodded her head politely. She had clearly heard this speech before.  “Also, you never answered my question.”

 

Sooyoung tilted her head curiously as she spotted the guest Jiwoo had brought with her. “And who’s this that you’ve got in your hands?”

 

Jiwoo lifted Yeojin up so she was right in front of Sooyoung’s face. The girl was still elegant, and still beautiful, even as tired as she looked. “A frog?”

 

Jiwoo nodded emphatically. “Yup! I found her in the forest! I was just taking pictures of the trees for my photobook and she was just sitting there, watching me! She looks so smart, don’t you think?” Well, smart wasn’t a thing Yeojin was generally known for being. Another reason she didn’t belong in Slytherin. That hat was a sadist.  Jiwoo gasped and nearly dropped Yeojin in the process. “Oh no, Jiwoo left the camera in the forest!” She dropped Yeojin into Sooyoung’s hands hastily and ran out the dormitory door, presumably to go save her camera before darkness completely took over the sky.

 

Sooyoung, to her credit, did not drop Yeojin or accidentally crush her. Instead, she just peered at the girl curiously. Yeojin realized that she had a chance here, a chance to return to normal. She ribbited and croaked at the girl, trying to show her that she had an intelligence beyond the norm for a forest creature.  Sooyoung clicked on the lamp sat on a small table next to her bed, and she set Yeojin down on the wooden surface carefully. She didn’t say much, but Yeojin could tell that she was keeping track of Yeojin’s every movement. Yeojin felt hope, actual hope for the first time in hours that she might be restored. Yeojin craned her tiny frog neck up at the Ravenclaw, tapping both of her forelegs in a rhythm she hoped Sooyoung would recognize. Happy Birthday to me, Yeojin thought. Sooyoung’s eyebrows rose higher and higher as she realized exactly what the frog was doing. She leaned over her bed and pulled her wand from its silk holding bag.

 

With a flick of her wrist, she tapped Yeojin on the head with the tip of the wooden stick. Much to her disappointment, she didn’t start shooting up and growing hair. She was still the same frog as before. Maybe she had been wrong to put her faith in this girl. Sooyoung looked at the tip of her wand with intense concentration. When she was satisfied that she had gotten the answers she wanted, she nodded. “Huh.”

 

She carefully picked Yeojin up and set her down on the ground. She swished her wand over Yeojin’s head and enunciated several very long and very complicated words that Yeojin couldn’t quite decipher. She wasn’t that far along yet. Finally, a beam of light identical to the one that had turned Yeojin into a frog shot straight into her body. She began to grow larger, her green skin fading into a more familiar shade of pink. The feeling of growing hair and bones were intense...and painful. Sooyoung was considerate enough to cast another spell to numb the pain. Yeojin was unspeakably grateful for that. Eventually, she was full-sized and human again. Sooyoung had tossed a blanket over her while she was changing to make sure she wasn’t when she came back. It didn’t stop her from blushing deeply at the older girl.

 

Sooyoung clapped and smiled beautifically. “Welcome back, whoever you are!” Yeojin let out a small gasp and jumped up to hug the older girl, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She was shaking uncontrollably, and tears were running down her face. She must have looked like a mess, but she didn’t care. She was so happy to be human again, to have hope of a future. She had been so scared. Yeojin tried to get out a thank you, but her words were all incoherent through her sobbing. Sooyoung hugged her back and rubbed her hands up and down her back. “Hey there, it’s okay. You’re safe now. That was a really bad situation to be in. You’re a very lucky girl.”

 

Yeojin didn’t feel particularly lucky. Just relieved. And tired.

 

“Hmm...Can I sleep here tonight? I’m scared to go back.” That was the truth.

Disappointingly, Sooyoung shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules. You should find a prefect or a teacher and tell them about what happened to you. They’ll work something out.”

 

Yeojin nodded and then blushed again. “Um, I don’t have any clothes…”

 

DAY SEVEN

 

Sooyoung let Yeojin borrow some of her clothes. She’d transfigured them into something more her size before escorting her through the halls of the castle in a search for an authority figure. It took them awhile, but eventually they came across a prefect who was making sure the halls were free of students in time for curfew.  They’d had a time trying to convince him of Yeojin’s story, but he eventually relented and led them to the Headmistress’ office.

 

They headmistress, naturally being very tired after a long day of managing an entire school, told them that they could have this meeting tomorrow morning, and that in the meantime, Yeojin could sleep in one of the other dorms. The two of them returned to the Ravenclaw common room, where Jiwoo was waiting for them with a confused look on her face and a camera in her hands. She’d asked where the frog had gone, and Sooyoung had pointed to Yeojin. Jiwoo looked shocked for a moment, and then she’d started hopping up and down before giving Yeojin the biggest hug she’d had in a long time (possibly ever). Jiwoo could probably get excited over anything. Sooyoung dismissed Jiwoo after that, but it wasn’t unkind (she even tossed a smile in Jiwoo’s direction!). Yeojin slept next to Sooyoung’s bed on blankets and pillows. She had a tough time getting to sleep after the day she had just had, but sleep eventually came.

 

Now, Yeojin was standing in front of the Headmistress once more. Sooyoung was by her side, holding her hand in a gesture of comfort. Yeojin relayed her story to the Headmistress, careful not to leave out any details. She mentioned Elena and Krystal specifically by name, and told them about the earlier incident in potions, along with the assault she had experienced on her very first day. She told the headmistress about how unsafe she felt in the Slytherin dorms and how traumatizing the experience of the previous day had been for her.

 

McGonagall nodded patiently, two fingers held up against her temples. She clearly had a headache coming on.

 

The meeting was interrupted when Jungeun entered, hands firmly on the shoulders of both Krystal and Elena. “I found these two laughing about turning my friend into a frog. So, if you had any doubts…” Jungeun’s face was cold, but Yeojin could tell that she was barely keeping herself from wringing the necks of the bullies.

 

McGonagall sighed and pulled herself up to her full height from behind the chair.

 

“Alright. No decisions will be made at this moment, but you, Elena Vantrell, and you, Krystal James, are under investigation. If Miss Yeojin’s claims are proven to be true, you will be facing a very severe punishment. I am incredibly disappointed in the both of you. “ She turned to Yeojin. “You are to stay out of the Slytherin commons until this investigation is complete. You can room with your friends in the meantime.” She looked over the rim of her glasses. “And I am sincerely sorry that this happened to you. We want all of our students to feel safe within the walls of this castle.” She nodded at Jungeun and Sooyoung, and then she sat back down in her chair. “Dismissed.”

 

Sooyoung and Jungeun exchanged queer looks and descended the elevator back down to the rest of the castle. Jungeun released the bullies’ shoulders and they ran off, their faces paler than sheet paper. Jungeun pulled a pebble from her robe and tossed it at their retreating backsides.

 

Sooyoung crossed her arms and walked a distance away, keeping a careful, if slightly paranoid eye on Yeojin and Jungeun.

 

Jungeun placed her hands on Yeojin’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry. I should have been there. You shouldn’t have had to face that alone. Those girls deserve a whole lot worse than being expelled.”

 

Yeojin was still shaken, but she managed to give Jungeun a crooked little smile.

 

“How are you feeling now? A little bit better?”

 

Yeojin nodded. She didn’t feel much like speaking. She was still trying to process what had happened to her.

 

Jungeun looked around a bit and then bit her lip.

“Arty came back with a letter. Your letter. From your parents.”

 

Yeojin looked down at her shoes. “Oh.”

 

Jungeun placed an envelope in her hands.

 

“I haven’t read it, so I can't tell you what it says. I hope it says good things. You deserve good things, you know?” She looked around awkwardly, her hands tucked behind her back, and then she stepped away to leave Yeojin to read the letter privately.

 

With shaking hands, Yeojin tore the envelope open. She fumbled with the paper within for a few seconds, trying to get it unfolded and readable. When she had it all settled, she began to read. There were only three words on the paper.

 

We love you.

 

Stapled beneath that was a drawing Yeojin had done a few years ago, a crude depiction of her and her parents holding hands. The little stick-figure version of her was wearing a witch’s hat.

 

Yeojin could do nothing to stop the tears that ran down her face, warm and damp.