Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of the Pottermore Universe, including but not limited to: settings, characters, the mechanics of magic, etc. All of this belongs to the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, and Warner Bros. respectively. Idol characters are purely fictional and have no affiliation with the actual person and/or group. Original characters are present in the plot. 

Yoo Jeongyeon was possibly the most frustrating person on earth. Nayeon cursed the sixth-year as she slammed shut the dormitory door. She cursed as she flopped onto her four-poster bed. She cursed as she screamed into her pillow.

Thankfully none of her other dorm-mates were in the room.

The last thing Nayeon had wanted was another lecture from the blonde Gryffindor, but in hindsight, she should’ve seen it coming. The seventh-year had gone to her friend in hopes that she could just let off some steam after Professor Lee told her that she had until the end of the month to pick a career path. Instead, Jeongyeon took the teacher’s side and scolded her for not having made the decision years earlier.

Nayeon’s rational half knew that both Jeongyeon and Professor Lee had the girl’s best interest in mind and were concerned about her future, but sometimes she didn’t want to listen to reason and logic. Sometimes she didn’t want to think about careers, responsibilities, impending bills, or wrinkles – all of that old people stuff. Sometimes she just wanted another person to listen to her venting and tell her that everything is still going to be all right and then maybe snack on some chocolate frogs and toffees together.

Letting out another scream, Nayeon flailed her arms around in annoyance once again, accidentally bumping her bedside table. There was a faint sound of a clinking noise like glass shattering against the floor. Nayeon bolted up from her bed to check what had happened and saw that the ring she found in the study area was broken.

The elegant gemstone was smashed into dozens of pieces, but strangely enough, a beam of light flickered from the mounting head. A hazy image of a young man was suddenly projected against the dormitory wall. He wore silken purple robes with a lot of jewelry and a headscarf was wrapped around his pale-blond head. His deep tan skin appeared as if he spent much time outdoors, though more for leisure than labor. The most intriguing part of him however, was his vibrant, glitter-dusted eyes, tinted with a luxurious lavender that made the man seem almost godly.

“Ah! Have you already found my – oh, you are not who I was expecting.” His voice was surprisingly dainty.

“W-who are you? What was that ring? Who were you expecting?” Nayeon immediately demanded. “This is the girls’ dormitory, you’re not allowed to be in here!”

The young man chuckled. “I was summoned by the gemstone when it was destroyed. The ring was gifted to someone in case I was needed for, ah, emergencies. But clearly the jewelry is no longer in that person’s possession. I am quite curious to how it has fallen into your hands.”

Every instinct in Nayeon was screaming at her to grab the ring and chuck it out the nearest window. Some weird projection of a glittery man intrudes on her privacy and is spouting nonsense about gifts and jewelry? Yeah, no thanks. That sounded like brewing trouble.

Yet for some reason, the seventh year was captivated by the stranger’s presence.

“You seem troubled,” the young man commented, his alluring gaze studying Nayeon closely. “There is much weighing on your mind. If you don’t mind me asking, do you want to share?”

His sweet, honey-filled voice made Nayeon want to strip down to her barest vulnerabilities and confess everything going on in her life. Here was someone who was open, willing to listen, willing to take in all of the Slytherin girl’s troubles. It was as if her wish had come true! He was an outsider, yes, but Nayeon realized how much better – and easier – it would be to confide to a third-party person rather than someone who was well-aware of her situation. There would be none of those aggravating lectures like she got from Jeongyeon.

“I don’t even know your name,” she said after a moment of consideration.

The young man flashed his pearly whites and his lavender eyes burned like the final hours of sunset. “You can call me Florian.”

/ / /

“You did what?”

“Whoa, before you snap my head off, hear me out.”

Mina crossed her arms, glaring at the young Ravenclaw girl before her. She tapped her foot impatiently, her lips pressed in the thinnest of lines.

While Mina and Dahyun had continued to be stumped by the riddle, Chaeyoung met up with them on the fourth-floor study area. She had company though. The Ravenclaw prefect blinked in confusion when she saw the Gryffindor Captain behind the small girl looking just as baffled.

Chaeyoung had immediately plunged into a rushed account about how she told Jeongyeon everything from the dragon deal to Eads’s task to their riddle. It was like the Dahyun-situation all over again. Mina was furious with the youngest student to say the least.

“Well? Go on then.”

“I figured out the first line of the riddle,” Chaeyoung explained gingerly, her eyes never leaving Mina’s cold gaze. “It has nothing to do with actual royalty, but is instead referring to a lion. The Gryffindor lion to be exact.”

Mina’s heart started to race. Could it be?

Chaeyoung continued, “I have a theory too – you and Dubs mentioned Vulcan’s hands as a place of fire – I think it’s talking about the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. I already asked Jeong about it; she said there’s a portrait of a lion above their hearth. I think what we’re looking for is there.” The younger girl finished with a sheepish look. “Pretty good, right?”

“Darn right, Chaengie!” Dahyun shouted proudly as she got up and clapped her best friend on the back.

Mina remembered Dahyun’s earlier words about how the third-year moved at her own tempo. Chaeyoung’s unique way of thinking birthed awful ideas, but it appeared that there were good ones too. Mina began to understand she couldn’t expect Chaeyoung to follow standard methods of research or brainstorming; where the prefect preferred procedure and organization, the younger girl opted for a more spontaneous, fortuitous approach. It didn’t matter if no one else understood how she navigated the world, as long as it made sense to the third-year. No, Chaeyoung would come to conclusions by her own way, in her own time.

The fifth-year’s lips twitched. “That was pretty brilliant, Chaeyoung,” she admitted.

The small girl met Mina’s compliment with silence as the words registered. Slowly her eyes widened and that dimpled smile crept onto her face. She let out a dramatic gasp. “Oh my, can you please repeat that again? I thought I imagined Miss Perfect saying ‘Chaeyoung’ and ‘brilliant’ in the same sentence. Dubu, did I hear that right? Has the Myoui Mina finally recognized my awesome brain? The world must have finally gone to chaos!”

Mina rolled her eyes. “You know what, I take it back if you’re going to act like this.”

Chaeyoung broke into laughter – the loud, boisterous, carefree sound of joy that the prefect had surprisingly missed. “Okay, okay,” she yielded, the old Chaeyoung coming back. “I was kidding, but it’s nice to get some credit around here.”

“Time out, I am still seriously confused,” Jeongyeon said as she made a “T” with her hands. She looked back and forth between the three younger students in front of her. “You guys actually made a deal with a Black-Market dealer for a dragon egg? Damn . . . Myoui, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Shhh!” hissed Mina, bringing her index finger to her lips. “Not so loud! And it was Chaeyoung who made the deal. Son Chaeyoung. I was just a victim of circumstance.”

“Excuse me, I told you to leave the pub, but you said that you had to fulfill your stupid ‘prefect duties.’”

“If you had listened to me in the first place, neither of us would be in this mess at all!”

“How was I supposed to know that Eads was going to drag you into this?”

“For the record Jeongyeon, I only found out about this recently too. You were a witness to me smartly backing out of that disaster at Hogsmeade.”

“You mean ‘cowardly.’”

“How dare you! Myoui’s right, we wouldn’t be here pulling our hair out for over some riddle if it weren’t for you.”

“Uh, did you not hear me just a minute ago? I solved the riddle! Well, part of it – the important part. And don’t lie, I know you find this whole lost heirloom intriguing. An actual treasure hunt, Dubs! We could be heroes!”

“Or get us all killed by the end of it.”

“Can you not the fun out of everything, Myoui?”

“Stop it! All of you!” Jeongyeon scolded loudly, interrupting the three girls’ banter. “It’s not important right now how you guys stupidly – yes, even you, Myoui – got tangled in this mess – there are more urgent matters at hand. From the sound of it, you need to find this heirloom and fast. The kid asked me for help which is why I’m here. So, quit arguing, you guys are all on the same team!”

Mina regarded the Gryffindor Captain tentatively. She didn’t want another person involved, but much like Dahyun, the older girl would be of great help. If Chaeyoung’s hunch was correct, they would need a way to get into the Gryffindor common room – something that, despite being best friends, Jihyo would never allow. “Why would you help us? You know that means you’ll have to sneak us into your House tower,” Mina asked.

Jeongyeon’s eyes lingered on the small girl who in turn stared back in pure adoration. “It’s not like I necessarily want to let you into our tower,” she responded. “But there really isn’t another option. You two are already in way over your head and I’m not gonna tattle and get both of you expelled. The main thing is making sure that the kid doesn’t get herself murdered by some crazy man – oh, and you as well, Myoui.” Jeongyeon then playfully tugged on Chaeyoung’s cheeks with both of her hands and teased, “Besides, who can say no to this cute face?”

“Ompf! Jeongph! That hurfmphs!” The small girl tried to shove her friend away whilst the sixth-year coddled her. Dahyun erupted with immense laughter, tears glistening in her eyes as she held onto the table to prevent herself from keeling over. Mina also giggled softy, watching the ridiculous sight of tiny Chaeyoung epically struggling against tall Jeongyeon.

For once, everything felt . . . normal. Hanging out with Chaeyoung and her friends, messing around with each other, laughing their hearts out, and even forgetting about all of the worries looming overhead! There were no thoughts of the riddle, of the heirloom, of Eads. No thoughts about school or the O.W.L.S. either. A moment where Mina could enjoy the present.

However, the moment was short lived. Chaeyoung eventually broke free of Jeongyeon’s grip and stuck her tongue out at the Quidditch Keeper. “We’ll need a plan to get in,” she said after everyone calmed down. “It’s best if we do it as soon as possible.”

Jeongyeon nodded. “Let’s try it this week. There’s usually some laggards in the common room over the weekend, trying to finish their homework, so we won’t be able to do it then. I think Tuesday night might be good, nothing special ever happens on a Tuesday. It’ll be quiet around midnight for sure.”

“Wait, don’t you need a password to get in? I heard that you have a portrait at your entrance. What if we wake it up? What if it causes an alarm?” said Dahyun, voicing Mina’s own thoughts as well. The prefect was concerned with how exactly Jeongyeon would sneak them in. Unlike the other House entrances, the Fat Lady had a conscious and was well-aware of who was entering and exiting Gryffindor Tower. She’d know if three non-Gryffindor students were trying to get in – correct password or not.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Jeongyeon replied, smirking. “I hope you all don’t mind wearing disguises.”

/ / /

Sneaking out on a Tuesday night was not unusual behavior for Chaeyoung. When she was a first-year, she, Tzuyu, and Dahyun would sneak out all of the time during the late hours so they could explore the castle. Chaeyoung liked to consider herself an expert of the school’s passageways and a master at avoiding cranky Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, as they patrolled the corridors for students just like her.

But, alas, Myoui Mina was not well-trained in sneaking out.

Everyone knew that the first rule of stealth was to be quiet. Chaeyoung thought that Mina would excel in this area because when she wasn’t busy nagging the third-year or mumbling some geeky things to herself, the prefect normally had her lips glued together. And initially, Mina was very good at it. But as the two delved deeper and deeper into the school hallways, the prefect began to frantically whimper about how many school rules they were breaking (as if they hadn’t already set a new record for the naughty list) or what would happen if they get caught (make a run for it, duh!) or how much she hated that Chaeyoung got her dragged into this whole dragon-ordeal (cue eye roll).

“You’re going to make things worse if you keep complaining,” chided the small girl as she checked the around the corner. She motioned for Mina to follow once the coast was clear. “Then we’ll actually get caught. Stop thinking about the what-ifs and have-dones, you need to focus on the now. And right now, it’s stealth mode.”

“But what if –”

“Mina.”

“Sorry,” the prefect whispered, meekly.

The four students had agreed to meet up minutes before the clock struck midnight in the hallway leading to Gryffindor Landing, the place where the tower entrance resided. Chaeyoung and Mina waited and waited in their own common room as their Housemates trailed off to bed one by one. Watching the last person leave finally their sight up the dormitory stairs, the girls slipped out the door and into the darkness.

Chaeyoung rushed through the corridors, zipping around like a bee. She was excited. She’d actually get to go inside Gryffindor Tower, something she dreamed of since she and Dahyun were in grammar school. She imagined deep red tapestries strung high from the ceiling with golden ribbons reaching wall to wall. Crimson chairs and couches were next to the fire so students could spend late nights talking and unwinding after a long day of lessons or an extra hard Quidditch practice. She thought of the crackling fire with dancing embers around the hearth as a majestic statue of the House founder, Godric Gryffindor stood near a window, watching his very own legacy.

“Myoui, hurry up!” she said as she looked back at the prefect with mild annoyance. Mina didn’t seem too eager to reach the landing and glanced around nervously at every twist and turn they made. To even greater frustration, the girl was barely moving, instead shuffling her feet along the cold stone floor like a lost penguin trying to find its way home. Chaeyoung sighed and reached out to the fifth-year, firmly gripping Mina’s hand as she led them quickly down the hallway. A sudden muffled noise from a nearby classroom startled the older girl and she let out a squeak, hiding behind Chaeyoung.

The younger Ravenclaw shot Mina a look of surprise. Gone was the cool, collected prefect. Here was a scared girl hugging Chaeyoung’s arm so tightly that she thought her circulation was going to be cut off.

Chaeyoung opened to companion, but stopped. If it had been Dahyun, she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot off jokes about how much of a scaredy-cat her friend was, yet seeing the genuine fright on Mina’s face made Chaeyoung think twice.

“Mina, are you okay?” asked Chaeyoung.

“I-I’m not too good when it’s dark out,” Mina murmured so faintly, it sounded like a gentle hum of the wind. Though the castle was barely lit, Chaeyoung could see the pallor of the prefect’s skin and the undesired look to go through with the rendezvous.

Ah. It made sense now why Mina was so reluctant to sneak around the castle at night – and not just because they were breaking school rules.

“Um, well – oh, look! We’re here,” the young girl said awkwardly, unsure of how to react to Mina’s confession. The two had reached the designated hallway. Dahyun waved to them warmly; her hair was tied up in a messy top-bun, and she wore an oversized t-shirt with black and yellow plaid pajama pants. Round-framed glasses were perched on top of her small nose.

“Why are you wearing your pajamas?” Chaeyoung questioned as she approached her friend.

Dahyun skimmed over the two Ravenclaw girls still in their uniforms and frowned. “Why aren’t you? It’s night time which means comfy clothes time.”

“Won’t really matter what you’re wearing because you three will be putting on these.” Jeongyeon came down the corridor with a large sack in her hand. She opened the bag and tossed Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms to Chaeyoung, Mina, and Dahyun each. “These are your disguises. The Fat Lady will be grumpy when we wake her up, but she won’t look too closely at who you are. As long as you’re wearing Gryffindor gear, it should be fine.”

Chaeyoung enthusiastically put on the Quidditch robes, wishing that it was actually hers to wear. She examined the lion emblem with a taste of longing and envy.

“This is my first time wearing anything for Quidditch,” Dahyun stated, twirling around and checking herself out. “The uniform is pretty nice. What do you think, Chaeng? Do I look like a natural born Chaser to you?”

“Pffft. Please. This is coming from the girl who failed Madam Hooch’s first-year flying class.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that’s quite common for students to not pass that class. Acrophobia is a real thing. At least I got on a broom, I heard Momo couldn’t even touch it.”

“Whatever. You have no idea what you’re missing out on with flying, right Myoui?”

“I hear a lot of chit-chat so I assume we’re all good to go,” said Jeongyeon. She grinned at the sight of three non-Gryffindor students downed in the red and gold attire and gave a snort. “Dahyun, Myoui, you both look a little ridiculous. But the uniform really does suit you well, kid. Team, let’s move out!”

The sixth-year led Chaeyoung, Mina, and Dahyun to Gryffindor Landing; at the end was a humongous portrait with a large woman dressed in pink. The lady seemed to be in a peaceful slumber, snoring very, very loudly.

Jeongyeon cleared .

Nothing.

Jeongyeon cleared again.

Nothing.

“AH-HEM.” This time Jeongyeon purposefully yelled so her voice could be heard above the snores.

“What? What?” the Fat Lady jolted awake, her head frantically shaking back and forth, looking to see who stirred her out of her dreams. The portrait’s face soured when she saw the four girls in front of her. “What are you lot doing up so late?”

“Just getting in some last minute Quidditch practice before the season starts,” Jeongyeon explained. Chaeyoung and Dahyun sent the Fat Lady a half-wave whilst Mina shied away in embarrassment.

The Fat Lady let out a huff of annoyance. “Password?”

The three younger girls backed away out of courtesy to let Jeongyeon say Gryffindor’s password in privacy. But Chaeyoung was still within earshot when she heard her friend quietly say, “Blackberry flummery.”

The portrait swung forward revealing a hole in the wall. The four students climbed through and entered the barren Gryffindor common room. Chaeyoung inhaled sharply as she looked around in awe at the cozy, circular area. Unlike the Ravenclaw common room, Gryffindor’s was a lot homier: there were soft, squashy lounge chairs and couches spread out, blankets strewed across the floor, and tables topped with dozens of empty coffee mugs and plates. It seemed like Gryffindor students used their room more for napping and relaxing than studying. A golden chandelier hung from the ceiling and large, scarlet curtains covered the tower’s windows that looked over the school grounds. Off to the side was the fire mantel with a fire still roaring inside of it, and above – just as Jeongyeon said – was a portrait of a lion standing on a rock. However, unlike other paintings in the castle, the lion did not move at all; its amber eyes remained fixated on nothing in the distance.

“Beneath the prideful king who stands, rests his heart in Vulcan’s hands,” Mina breathed, drifting over to the fireplace.

Chaeyoung followed the prefect, reciting the next lines, “Behind a tongue which cannot speak, unravels a – BLOODY HE – MPH!”

Mina’s hand clamped over the third-year’s mouth, stopping her profanity. “Quiet!” she warned in Chaeyoung’s ear before releasing her. They both looked over nervously to what startled Chaeyoung. There on the couch closest to the fireplace was a body sleeping soundlessly. And not just any body . . .

This time it was Jeongyeon who swore profusely under her breath. Jihyo, she mouthed. She signaled for the girls to take the long way to the fireplace.

Cautiously circling around the couch, Chaeyoung thought she was in the clear until her leg hit the corner of a table and she yelped in pain. “BLIMEY!” she let out, unintentionally.

Much to the four girls’ horror, Jihyo’s body popped up like it was possessed. Immediately Dahyun hit the floor and crawled behind a couch whilst Mina hauled herself and Chaeyoung behind a full suit of armor near the fire mantel.

Jihyo’s large, round eyes blinked open, her face clearly displeased by the disturbance. “Hello? Anyone there?”

Chaeyoung and Mina held their breath as the Gryffindor prefect adjusted to her surroundings. Their bodies were pressed closely together as it was a struggle to make sure both of them were covered by the armor. Chaeyoung could feel Mina’s hair tickle her nose and the older girl’s lips brush against the side of her head. The prefect’s hands were drawn up at her chest whilst Chaeyoung wrapped her arms around Mina’s waist to keep them both stable. It was certainly an awkward and uncomfortable position. The young girl prayed that they could get out as soon as possible. If Dahyun saw this, she would sure get a kick out of it and friend mercilessly.

“Jeongyeon? Is that you?” Jihyo was now fully awake. “What are you doing returning to the tower so late?”

Jeongyeon scratched her cheek with her index finger. “Oh . . . you know . . . getting some late night Quidditch practice in . . . the usual.”

Jihyo frowned. “Kang said you finished practice early today though.”

“It was just me practicing.”

“Seems kind of hard to practice by yourself when you’re a Keeper.”

“Damn, Park is good,” Chaeyoung whispered to Mina.

“It’s a blessing and a curse that nothing ever gets past Jihyo,” Mina muttered back.

“Look, I have my ways. What are you doing in the common room so late?” Jeongyeon countered.

“To be honest, I was waiting for you. Sana mentioned that you were arguing with Nayeon earlier –”

“Oh, not this again. Jihyo, you know that we practically fight every single day. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes, but –”

“You’ve known Nabongs for ages and know that she’s a Drama Queen.” Jeongyeon stretched out her arms and exaggerated a yawn. “Forget about that, it’s super late right now and I’m deadbeat. This conversation sounds like it’s a tomorrow problem, so why don’t we just head upstairs . . .” The Quidditch Captain threw an arm around Jihyo’s shoulder and started to guide her to the girls’ dormitory. She ensured that Jihyo’s back remained facing the three hidden girls the whole time until both of them were gone entirely.

Chaeyoung peered from behind the armor and then slipped out when the room was empty. Looks like they would have to complete their task without Jeongyeon. She motioned to the other girls that it was safe to appear.

“Phew! That was way too close,” Dahyun said as she hopped to her feet. She pretended to wipe sweat from her brow. “If we were caught, that read at least two months’ worth of detention. My limit is usually two weeks.”

“Yeah, definitely would take a hard pass from feeling the wrath of Park Jihyo,” Chaeyoung agreed. She recalled when she ran into the fifth-year the evening after this whole heirloom-thing started, and Jihyo deliberately made it crystal-clear that no harm should come to Mina. What would the Gryffindor prefect say if she discovered her best friend was indeed in danger’s way? Or worse, what would Jihyo do?

Chaeyoung still shuddered at the thought even though it felt like ages since she had come face-to-face with the fierce girl. She shook her head, refocusing her attention back to the mission at hand. The third-year watched as Mina examined the fire mantel gravely, her eyes shrewdly tracing every detail in front of her. She knelt in front of the hearth. The fire snapped and hissed, embers flying and bursting in the dark as flames lashed out despite the hour of the night. Even the Gryffindor fire was aggressive as its students.

Suddenly Mina let out a mix of a gasp and a squeal. “I got it!” she said excitedly. The prefect stood up and bounced on the balls of her feet while enthusiastically shaking her clenched hands. Chaeyoung noticed that a wide smile was spread across Mina’s face, but it was different from the previous (and very few) smiles she’d seen. A lot gummier for one thing. But this smile was also bright and genuine, capturing all of the delight dancing in Mina’s expression. Chaeyoung watched amused at her Housemate’s giddiness; it was nice to see a different side to Mina. Something a bit more unwound.

Chaeyoung and Dahyun joined Mina at the fireplace who dove into a detail explanation about her thought process. As words flew through the small girl’s ears, Chaeyoung carefully observed the prefect. There were a lot of new things she learned about Mina today – a lot within the last half-hour. New sides of the fifth-year came to surface, though not in the way as if Mina had been hiding them from Chaeyoung. Rather, it was as if the walls between the girls were crumbling as their familiarity with each other grew.

The uptight image of Myoui Mina began to chip away in Chaeyoung’s mind and the small girl realized she had never really known the older student at all. She had assumed most of what Mina was like beforehand, not bothering to consider who Mina actually was.

Perhaps it had been the same from Mina’s perspective. Though the third-year hadn’t been angry at the older girl’s previous harsh words, they did tug her heart with a past she didn’t like to think about. But Mina’s honest acknowledgement of Chaeyoung earlier that day proved that something in the prefect’s judgement was changing as well.

“– And voilà! That’s how I figured that the riddle must mean tongues of fire! I’m confident that our prize is behind the fire,” Mina finished. She beamed at the two younger students; both Chaeyoung and Dahyun seemed lost with the prefect’s winded clarification, but sang praises at her success nonetheless.

“Right, so first we got to extinguish the fire,” Chaeyoung said as Mina pulled out her wand. “Tell me, why does Gryffindor have their hearth roaring on at the middle of the night? Isn’t that a safety hazard?”

Dahyun shrugged. “Guess some house elf is good at doing their job.”

Mina her lips as she pointed her wand to the fireplace. “Okay, here I go.”

Chaeyoung waited. And waited. And waited.

“Are you going to do something?” The prefect hadn’t budged a muscle.

“Er, yes . . . I was just thinking . . . the water-making spell isn’t something they teach you until sixth-year charms . . .”

“So, can you do it or not?”

“It isn’t something that I’ve ever tried before; I haven’t properly prepared how to cast it.”

“No time like the present,” Chaeyoung reasoned.

“A lot could go wrong, Chaeyoung. The least-dangerous scenario is that I cannot conjure up any amount of water. The worst? I could accidentally flood the entire common room.”

“Well, we have to put out the fire somehow. If you aren’t willing to try it, I am.” The small girl eagerly whipped out her wand and directed its tip at the fire as well. “What’s the spell, Myoui?”

“No! Don’t let her!” Dahyun frantically grabbed Chaeyoung’s wrist, trying to restrain her friend. “Myoui, please do it. If Chaeng attempts the charm, I guarantee you it will not go well.”

Chaeyoung glared at Dahyun.

Mina remained hesitant though. Chaeyoung could see all of the potential consequences flooding the prefect’s mind. Instinctively, she reached for Mina’s free hand. “Remember what I said earlier?” Chaeyoung said softly. “It’s not about the what-ifs or have-dones, it’s about the now. We’ll deal with whatever happens, but I think you should still try. We’re so close, why should a water-charm get in our way?”

The fifth-year gazed at Chaeyoung; hues of orange and red and yellow kissed the side of her face as darkness from the room crept onto the other. The fire itself reflected in Mina’s eyes. Its tongue flickered out in a taunting manner, as if it was daring the prefect to cower away. Chaeyoung wasn’t sure what the prefect was thinking, but she hoped that Mina could see that she had every ounce of faith that the older girl could do it. Finally, Mina gave in. “I-I’ll try it.”

Chaeyoung nodded and gave her hand a squeeze.

Mina pointed her wand at the fire once again and took a deep breath. She made a smooth wave motion with her wrist. “Aguamenti.”

A burst of water shot from the prefect’s wand as she gave a cry, stumbling backwards due to the sudden force which was incredibly strong. Chaeyoung held onto Mina tightly to keep the older girl from falling over completely. The fire let out a loud sizzle as the water extinguished it; a cloud of smoke unfurled from the pit causing a coughing fit amongst the girls.

“See, I told you that you could do it,” said Chaeyoung, waving away the smoke.

Luckily for the trio, Mina’s successful water blast was short lived. As sudden as the water had surge from the tip of her wand, it died within moments, leaving a puddle pooling at the base of the fireplace.

The girls gathered around the now-doused fire, inspecting it closely, searching for anything that could be related to treasure hunt.

“There!” exclaimed Chaeyoung, pointing to a brick at the bottom right of the hearth. It looked like any of the other bricks, except it was a tad weathered and discolored – similar to the statue plaque – and had Eads’s mark engraved in the center. No one would ever take notice of it, unless they were looking for it specifically. Chaeyoung expertly cast the severing spell and removed the brick from its spot.

The stone was a shell: its innards were hollowed out and contained four circular plates. Warily taking out the objects, Chaeyoung displayed on a nearby coffee table for Mina and Dahyun to see. Each plate was about the size of a small tea saucer and had two sides like a coin. On one side, there were beautiful, inert illustrations of each House mascot painted on the white surface. Chaeyoung couldn’t help but admire the attention to detail as whomever the artist was brought the animals to life magnificently. She ran her thumb over the Gryffindor plate, the lion’s mane was a dull bronze with brushstrokes of marigold embedded in its fur. Its handsome face stared back at Chaeyoung, with amber eyes unblinking. The familiar features made the young girl suddenly note that the picture of the lion at hand was alike to portrait above the fireplace.

Beneath the animal illustrations were roman numerals, labelling the Houses as such: Gryffindor as the first, Hufflepuff as the second, Ravenclaw as the third, and lastly, Slytherin as the fourth.

The other side of the plate had words and numbers painted on it.

“Although they’re really pretty, these circle-things don’t look like treasure,” stated Dahyun with the Hufflepuff plate in her hand. “Is this what Eads asked you both to retrieve?”

“I doubt it,” Mina replied, disappointed. “I think this is a set up for the next clue. Here, place these in order of the roman numerals, the writing will make sense.”

Once the plates were arranged accordingly, the three girls huddled close to read the text in its entirety.

Start from nothing to the number of truth

Caesar skips A right over to the sacred root

Interpret quantity to character if you are able

Tend to m y judgement and set it stable

The numbers of each plate together read:

207 87312 27 17047

“Well, I’m thoroughly confused,” Chaeyoung concluded when she finished reading the plates over for the fifth time. “Despite how brilliantly I solved that first riddle, (“Hey, you only got the first line,” Dahyun whined) adding numbers seems excessive.”

“What? Your ‘brilliant’ brain can’t handle maths?” teased Mina.

“No, I just hate the subject.”

“It doesn’t look like this riddle has much to do with maths though,” said the fifth-year as she scanned over the plates again. “Interpret quantity to character if you are able is obviously referring to the numbers below as a code we must break.”

“Obviously.” Mina shot an annoyed look at the third-year.

“The rest of the riddle must tell us how to solve it then, right?” Dahyun asked.

“Hopefully,” agreed Mina. “Otherwise, this would be impossible.” She sighed; Chaeyoung could hear the exhaustion in her breath. “We should get back to our Houses, we have lessons in the morning. We can mull over this tomorrow.”

As Mina gathered the plates and Dahyun dutifully cleaned up the water spill, Chaeyoung took one last look around the common room. She’d never be in here ever again – it was a miracle that she even got to step foot inside – so the young girl did her best to drink it all in. Her heart ached as she stepped through the portrait hole knowing very well that being in Gryffindor would only remain a fantasy, no matter how desperate she wanted it to change. Chaeyoung was part of Ravenclaw; it was something she’d just have to live with.

Maybe it was because both of the girls were so tired, neither Chaeyoung nor Mina noticed that the young girl was still wearing the Gryffindor Quidditch uniform until they reached Ravenclaw Tower.

It was Mina who pointed it out.

“Argh I totally forgot!” Chaeyoung ran her hands through her hair in exasperation. “I need to return it! Wait – where’s yours?”

“Kim and I took them off when we were tidying up the common room and placed them on a chair.” Mina cocked an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you take yours off?”

“Uhhh . . . it’s like I said, I forgot.”

“Return it to Yoo tomorrow, we both should get some rest.”

Chaeyoung shook her head. “No way, it would look way too suspicious if I hand over another House’s Quidditch gear to their Captain. It’s still dark outside, I’m sure I can run over fast and put it with the other uniforms.”

“Can’t you bring it to the locker room? That’s where Yoo initially retrieved them.”

“I can’t get into Gryffindor’s locker room though, it’s password protected.”

“So is Gryffindor Tower.”

“I may or may not have overheard Jeong tell the Fat Lady their password.” Before Mina could admonish the third-year, Chaeyoung quickly added, “Don’t worry! It changes all of the time so it’ll be useless to me soon. And you don’t have to come with me, Mina. It’s probably better if you don’t – you know, because you at sneaking around the school.”

Mina looked too tired to argue and nodded, dismissing the third-year to go do her own thing.

Chaeyoung quickly scurried back to Gryffindor Tower. Her pace was much faster now that she didn’t have to take care of a scaredy-cat. In no time at all, Chaeyoung made it back to the Fat Lady’s portrait. But just as the small girl was going to wake up the painting, she heard a small hiss behind her.

Chaeyoung whirled around and her eyes fell upon the bulging yellow gaze of Mrs. Norris. The scraggy cat was in a low crouch, tail swishing back and forth, like she was ready to pounce on the young girl and scratch her face off. Mrs. Norris hissed again and Chaeyoung knew she was irrevocably doomed. Wherever that stupid, old cat was, Filch was only a few steps away.

On cue, the school caretaker stepped from around the corner with an ugly grin and lantern at hand. “Lookie here, Mrs. Norris, seems to me we have a young troublemaker wandering around the hallways in the wee hours of the night. What’s a student doing out of bed, hm?”

Filch lurched forward until they were only a single breath apart. Chaeyoung shrunk back – not because she was scared of Filch, but because the man’s breath was awful. It smelled like when she horribly screwed up her potions recipe once in class, even causing milk to curdle. Yuck.

The caretaker’s close proximity forced Chaeyoung to see Filch’s face at a much more personal level than she ever wanted. She could see his thinning gray hair receding with a light layer of dandruff settled on his pale scalp; his wrinkled, calloused skin caked in dirt and oil; and the pure savage glee that shone through his dark, abysmal eyes. There was nothing that Filch relished more than finding a student to punish.

“I was just getting back to my House,” lied Chaeyoung. “Wouldn’t it be too much work to cause alarm when I’m practically at my tower?”

“Oh, you think you’re so clever, don’t you? Too clever for Argus Filch – Bah! But you’re wrong! I know you aren’t a Gryffindor student! You’re that pesky little brat from Ravenclaw, the one who always runs around with the pale Hufflepuff brat and plays with that devil, Peeves. Son Chaeyoung.” He slurred out her name like it was a curse.

Chaeyoung gulped nervously when Filch saw through her lie. She didn’t realize that the caretaker actually knew who she was – she assumed that he never really bothered with student names or faces since he hated everyone equally. But apparently not. Given the nasty gleam from Filch’s eyes, he definitely hated Chaeyoung a little bit more than the others.

“Very peculiar that you’re wearing a different House’s robe, ain’t it? Trying to get into their tower too. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Wait until Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall hear about this. Maybe even Headmaster Park.” Filch guffawed at the thought as Mrs. Norris hopped onto his shoulder, purring in amusement at Chaeyoung’s imminent demise. “Oh, it certainly will be the end for you.”

A/n: Finally updated! These chapters keep getting longer and longer due to the density of the plot, which is why it takes me a while to post them. So here I am saying that there will be slower updates from now on. 

For those who are curious, Mina's conclusion of the "tongues of fire" is a reference from the Bible Acts 2:3 (during Pentecost). Originally when I wrote the riddle, it was more for figurative language, using "tongue" as a descriptor of flame. It was only afterwards did I do a little research because I was curious if there was any actual substance behind it. Since I didn't want to go into a detailed explanation of religious topics within a fanfic, I omitted it from the story. Also, I wasn't sure what would be an appropriate way to add Christianity into a Harry Potter!AU - too many threads I'd need to tend to. 

Anyway, the new riddle is something else entirely. Can you crack the code? It makes sense in my head, but I wonder if other people can . . . I will say everything presented in the story is carefully thought out and intentional. Everything.  

Sidenote: Flummery is a type of dessert for anyone wondering 

Thanks for all of the support! As always, it's much appreciated. Cheers!