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.

A/n: So turns out everyone voted for Only Mina Does All of the Work Even Though There are Four People as their official group name. It's nice to see her efforts be acknowledged. The group's dynamics reminds me of school groupwork, you know, when you have to shoulder the entire project by yourself whilst everyone else is useless. That's exactly the situation that Mina is trapped in right now. Hahaha. 

(Earlier that week, before the second Quidditch match)

Tzuyu was frustrated.

Why? Oh, there were plenty of reasons why. Where should she begin?

First of all, she was out for the Quidditch season for the next several weeks because Madam Pomfrey insisted she had to fully recover from her fall. Maybe one week, sure, but two months? Outrageous.

Second, she was still stuck in the hospital wing. It had been almost three full days since the unfortunate Quidditch match, and Tzuyu was on the brink of losing her sanity thanks to the school matron’s frequent nagging. Don’t get out of bed unless you have permission. Don’t forget to take your medicine. Are you eating enough vegetables? You can’t rely on a bread-only diet. No, I will not allow Kim or Son to visit you again, they’ve already used up their one-visit pass for the day.

Third, the pounding in her head still hadn’t gone away. The dizziness subsided, but the faint throbbing sensation remained, as if some greater force was trying to squeeze her brain like lemons. The fatigue hadn’t let up either.

“Tzuyu! How are you?” a chirpy voice sang out from the hospital wing’s entrance.

Oh yeah. And then there was the chatty sixth-year that repeatedly stopped by her bed: Sana.

While Madam Pomfrey seemed to always find a reason why her two best friends couldn’t come in to see Tzuyu, Sana had no problem with strolling right through the door whenever she felt like it.

“Minatozaki,” Tzuyu greeted with less enthusiasm than her visitor.

Sana pouted. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Sana. Calling me by my surname makes me feel like we aren’t close.”

Because we aren’t close at all, Tzuyu wanted to protest, but she thought that might come off as rude. “Why do you come to see me every day?” she asked instead.

“I wanted to make sure you’re doing all right. Any friend of Dahyunnie’s is a friend of mine!” Sana replied, happily. “Besides, you look like you could use some company since Madam Pomfrey won’t let Dahyunnie or Chaeyoungie in.”

The Slytherin girl groaned. She had begged the nurse numerous of times to extend the two knuckle-heads’ visitor pass to twice a day. Alas, it always ended in vain. Ever since the great spaghetti-fiasco of last fall, resulting in twenty-six injured students, the names Kim Dahyun and Son Chaeyoung were ill-received by the older woman. Tzuyu was scarcely able to convince Madam Pomfrey to allow the troublemakers to step foot in the hospital wing once a day – and it was under severe restrictions and supervision. There was absolutely no way she would permit them to be near incapacitated students more frequently than what she deemed necessary.

Tzuyu slumped in her bed. Her best friends really screwed themselves over.

Sana smiled kindly and took Tzuyu’s hand as she sat down on the cot. “If you want, I can try to talk to Madam Pomfrey to let you see your friends more often.”

The third-year raised an eyebrow dubiously. “You can convince her?”

“You’d be surprised, I’m a pretty persuasive person.”

“Right . . . Um, thanks . . . Minato – er . . . Sana.”

The girls’ eyes lingered on each other for a moment before Tzuyu hastily pulled away. Well, that was awkward. She averted her attention to the window; it was cloudy so all she could see was a backdrop of gray.

Tzuyu hugged her plush dog, Minjoong, tightly to her chest. She was thankful when the older girl delivered her beloved doll to her hands – even if that did mean that a prankster tofu and a wild cub blabbed their mouths. The thought of not having the dog with her was too horrendous. She couldn’t sleep at all without the stuff toy, and Minjoong was a precious reminder of someone very dear to her.

Speaking of which . . . There was one more reason why Tzuyu was frustrated.

Tzuyu tapped her fingers against her thigh as she watched the wall clock tick by slowly. She needed to get to the hidden chamber in the dungeons.

“You seem anxious,” noted Sana. “Is something bothering you? Do you want me to get Madam Pomfrey?”

“NO!” Tzuyu practically jumped out of bed, grabbing Sana’s wrist with both hands to prevent her from moving. “Please don’t.” Her voice weakened into a plea.

The sixth-year shot her a curious look. “Tzuyu, if something is going on, you can tell me. We may not know each other that well, but I can be of help. You can trust me.”

Tzuyu hesitated. What could she do? Lie? That wouldn’t turn out well. Tzuyu wasn’t like Chaeyoung who could lie so effortlessly, she was sure that Sana would be able to see right through any fib she told. She could try giving the older girl the silent treatment and hope that she would eventually go away. However, Tzuyu got the feeling it would only leave room for Sana to bombard her with questions. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey could remove the Hufflepuff . . . but then that would mean she’d have to deal with the school nurse, and Tzuyu was not about to step foot in a minefield of nagging.

So Tzuyu went with her only remaining option: to tell the truth. Besides, she reluctantly admitted to herself, she could use the help.

She drew in a long, exasperated breath before asking, “Can you keep a secret?”

Sana nodded furiously.

“The truth is, I’m worried about Gucci. There’s this place tucked in the dungeons that I need to get to, but . . .”

“Madam Pomfrey won’t let you,” finished Sana. There was another awkward silence between the girls. Tzuyu tensed her shoulders, waiting for Sana to laugh at her or rush off and tattletale to the teachers. But the bubbly girl did neither. She was unfazed by Tzuyu’s confession, her eyes only filled with thoughtfulness and support. “Let’s break you out,” she said several moments later.

“What?”

Sana shrugged. “I’m not an expert, but you appear to be in a better shape than you were Saturday morning; and if going down to this secret place of yours is so important, then you should do it.”

Tzuyu was stunned by Sana’s directness. She didn’t expect the sixth-year to encourage her to sneak out of the hospital wing. However, this was Tzuyu’s one chance and she wasn’t about to let it go to waste. “Okay,” she confirmed with a determined expression, “Let’s do it.”

“I just have one question,” said Sana, raising her hand as if she was in class.

Tzuyu frowned. “Yes?”

“What’s a Gucci?”

Madam Pomfrey had good intentions with her patients; she healed them, cared for them, tried to keep the ruckus in the hospital wing down to a minimum so students could rest. She was an excellent school matron. She also happened to be painstakingly overprotective. Any living creature in the hospital wing was under her jurisdiction; this meant that Madam Pomfrey’s extreme measures of “patient safety” kept Tzuyu a prisoner in the white room during the night. All of the windows were sealed and doors were locked from the outside to make sure that patients were secured whilst they slept. The nurse justified her actions claiming that if any patients tried to sleep walk, they wouldn’t be able to wander away and hurt themselves, likewise no intruders could break in either.

“This seems like child mistreatment,” Tzuyu grumbled to herself as she waited by the double doors. The other two students in the room were sound asleep and Madam Pomfrey had already departed to her own quarters. It was approaching midnight; Tuesday would come right around the corner once the clock struck twelve. Tzuyu and Sana had created a game plan for sneaking down to the dungeons that night. According to Sana, Madam Pomfrey casted a special spell on the doors that unless you had the correct password, any attempt of opening the doors would cause a glue-like substance to spit out from the handles and trap the offender there until morning when the nurse returned.

For mysterious reasons, Sana claimed she knew the password. She didn’t explain how she obtained that information or why she knew it, and Tzuyu didn’t ask. After being friends with Dahyun and Chaeyoung, Tzuyu learned that sometimes ignorance was indeed bliss.

A click sound came from the doors, and Tzuyu watched as a doorknob cautiously turned. The door slowly creaked open, and a girl peeped her head in. She smiled at the sight of Tzuyu, pumping her fist in the air. “Yay! It worked,” she cheered in a low voice, motioning for the third-year to exit.

Tzuyu glanced back to make sure that no one was awake and then slipped outside of the hospital wing.

Ah, freedom. Tzuyu felt like she could finally breathe fresh air – though she was still indoors. No more stale, hospital air that lingered like fog and made the whole place feel suffocating. It would’ve been nice if Madam Pomfrey cracked open a window every now and then, but the school matron said she didn’t want the cold coming in and tainting the children. 

Sana eagerly greeted the Slytherin girl as Tzuyu shut the door behind her. It was dark, but Tzuyu could make out most of the Hufflepuff’s features: light brown hair tossed over her shoulder, a large white T-shirt engulfing the sixth-year’s figure, and plaid pajama pants that Tzuyu was confident Dahyun also owned a pair. Sana’s face was bare of any make up, though Tzuyu noticed there was very little difference.

“I’m actually surprised that you were able to get the door open,” Tzuyu admitted as the two girls headed toward the dungeons. “I mean no offense, but you don’t seem like the type.”

“There’s a lot you about me that may surprise you,” said Sana, coyly. “Just as I’m sure there’s a lot about you that I don’t know.”

“Fair.”

The two students made their way to the Front Hall, both of them quiet. Tzuyu suspected that Sana wanted to have a conversation – the older girl constantly stealing glances her way – but didn’t because they couldn’t risk being loud. As they passed the Grand Staircase, Tzuyu caught sight of a figure moving towards the direction of Gryffindor Tower, a flash of pale skin and black and yellow pants quickly vanishing from her view. Tzuyu knew of only one student in the entire school whose skin was as white as snow.

Why is Dahyun going to Gryffindor? Tzuyu wondered. Strange. Usually her desired destination was the kitchens.

But Tzuyu dismissed her curiosity, focusing on her own problem at hand. She and Sana were getting closer to the hidden room; they had reached the dungeon corridors, twisting and turning around corners like a labyrinth had been built beneath the castle. Sana followed in awe as Tzuyu confidently led the way.

“I didn’t realize that the dungeons were so complex down here,” said Sana. “Or cold.” She shivered and rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot to mention to you that gets really chilly in the dungeon at night. Doesn’t help that we’re partly under the lake too. Chaeyoung’s mentioned that Slytherin students sort of live like cave creatures, and I have to agree, it can be quite unpleasant at times.”

At last, Tzuyu and Sana reached the red, wooden door; the third-year’s heart pounded rapidly.

Finally.

The place remained just how Tzuyu remembered it. Unlike the dungeons, built of cold gray stone, this hidden room lavished in color and marble. Upon entrance, the floor stretched out in a stone mosaic, forming a celestial map. The two girls’ shoes clicked against the metallic sapphire blue; silver specks sprinkled across the tiles with shimmering veins linking together constellations. Tzuyu thought the decoration was a bit ironic since the chamber was subterranean, far from the reach of the sky. Additionally, there were splotches of dull, crimson red staining the floor as if blood had been spilled in recent memory. Alongside both walls were pillars carved into the stone, and sconces placed evenly between each column. When Tzuyu initially discovered the room, it had been pitch-black and she needed her wand as a source of light. She later was able to get her hands on some long-lasting candles to brighten up the place.

At the far end was a series of marble statues with tapestries hanging above. Four were kneeling like how one would bow before a king, a pair placed on either side of the wall. A fifth statue stood alone in the center. Paint chipped away from the stone: once brilliant hues now faded to an imprint of color, despite any magical spells that kept them preserved. Nevertheless, the craftsmanship was still astounding, like the classical sculptures displayed in Muggle museums.

Tzuyu recognized the four kneeling statues as the Founders of the school. On the left was Godric Gryffindor and Helga Hufflepuff with their respective House colors and animal on the banner overhead; Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin occupied the other side with the exact same arrangement. All of the statues’ faces were wrung in solemnity and rigor.

Sana stepped closer to each statue, eyes drifting down the line in awe. “These are breathtaking,” she murmured. Her gaze rested on the center: a man neither of the girls could identify – although there was something oddly familiar about him. The center figure stood proud on a white plinth inside a silver arched alcove with his chin tilted upward and arm raised like an emperor. Behind the man was an enormous circular contraption, surrounding the body like a halo. It was designed like the same weird symbol that marked on the door.

The statue wore long, thick purple robes and a necklace hung around his neck. It seemed to be missing the pendant, leaving a hollow hole gouged at his . A hood was pulled over his head so it was difficult to discern his bearded face, but his sunken, empty eyes were visible, surveying the room with a hidden anger Tzuyu couldn’t place her finger on. A chill slithered down her back.

“And the moon shall rise,” read Sana as she examined the carefully carved words into the plinth of the middle statue. “Sounds a bit poetic – almost romantic – don’t you think, Tzuyu?”

“There you are!” Tzuyu exclaimed, ignoring the Hufflepuff. A small brown and white long-haired Chihuahua was sleeping in a small bundle of blankets. Tzuyu ran towards her pet and swept him into her arms. The dog’s eyes bugged out in alarm until he noticed that it was his owner. Lazily, he smacked his lips and nuzzled her neck. “Oh, Gucci! I missed you so much. I’m so sorry I haven’t been here for days.”

Gucci yawned in response.

“Ah, so this is your secret,” said Sana. She walked over to the reunion, beaming at the sight. Sana held out her hand, allowing for the small dog to sniff, and then proceeded to pet his soft head once he gave her a friendly .

“Sana, this is Gucci. My dog.” Tzuyu wasn’t sure why she was stating the obvious, but she thought that both the older girl and her dog deserved formal introductions. “Gucci, this is Sana. My . . . uh . . .”

“Friend!”

Tzuyu blinked. That wasn’t the word she was going to use; acquaintance would have been more appropriate.

Sana drew her face in close at the sight of the Tzuyu’s hesitation and asked sincerely, “Do you not want us to be friends?”

Suddenly Tzuyu became keenly aware of Sana’s proximity, her breath hitched in the back of like a small animal daring to not make any sudden movement. Sana held her gaze upward to the taller girl; long, dark lashes lined the honey-colored eyes as she raised her eyebrows in anticipation for Tzuyu’s answer. was in a slight pout, although Tzuyu could see the ghost of a suggestive smirk on the corners of those pink lips. What the bloody hell? What was with this girl? Dahyun sure had some weird Housemates.

The third-year quickly turned her head away, avoiding the girl in front of her. A hint of a blush threatened to color her cheeks.

“I . . . um . . . uh . . . yeah, sure. We can be friends . . .” The words slipped out involuntarily, but it was enough to make Sana squeal.

“Terrific!” The sixth-year clapped her hands together, giggling like an overexcited child. Gucci, not wanting to miss the celebration, yipped happily as well. Tzuyu suppressed a smile.

After the brief rejoicing, Gucci wiggled out of Tzuyu’s arms and plopped onto the floor, tired from barking along with Sana’s laughter. He lazily let out another yawn. It was the first time that Tzuyu noticed how exhausted her dog looked. If dogs could have dark circles, Tzuyu swore she saw black rings edging the weary black eyes, and his sluggish movements reminded her of the few instances when Dahyun and Chaeyoung attempted to do early morning cramming before exams.

“Hey, buddy, are you okay?” she asked, crouching down next to him. There was a tremor of concern in her voice. Tzuyu wouldn’t know what to do if there was something wrong with Gucci. Who could she take him to? Not Madam Pomfrey for sure. Perhaps the Care for Magical Creatures professor, but that would mean Tzuyu would have to expose her secret to faculty.That was a big no.

“Maybe he’s just lonely, sick of being cooped up in this room by himself,” stated Sana. “When was the last time you were down here?”

Tzuyu considered Sana’s suggestion. “Perhaps so. I usually visit him three times a day – morning, noon, and night – sometimes more if I can. The weather is still nice so I like to take him outside in discretion. I guess it’s been a couple of days since he’s seen the sun. You’d like some fresh air, wouldn’t you?” She Gucci’s delicate head as the dog whimpered in response.

“The set up you have is pretty impressive,” Sana complimented, taking in the room again. Tzuyu had meticulously prepared everything to ensure that Gucci would be comfortable. He had a bed of blankets with a large plate of dog food and a bowl of water next to it. Dog toys were scattered across the floor, and there was even a box for him to do his business (Gucci had already been trained how to use one). “How did you come across this place?”

“By accident,” confessed Tzuyu. “I stumbled across a deserted corridor last year which led to here. I’m not really sure what the room is for, and as far as I’m concerned, nobody else knows it exists. I thought it would be a good place for Gucci, away from the teachers and other students, but now I see that it’s kind of harsh keeping him down here secluded from everything.”

Tzuyu had desperately missed her beloved dog for the past two years when she was away at school, and so she selfishly snuck Gucci into the castle this year. Discovering the mysterious room had seemed like a blessing at the time, and a sign that she could get away with maintaining Gucci a secret. It was against school rules to bring an animal that wasn’t a cat, an owl, or a toad (sometimes there were exceptions made for rodents). Tzuyu spent most of her free time slipping down to the room, making sure that Gucci was okay whilst trying not to raise suspicion with anyone. Everything seemed like it was going smoothly until she had her accident. She had left him all alone.

Tears dampened the third-year’s eyes. Gucci deserved better, that was for sure. He needed space to run free and stretch his legs, inhale the fresh air, see the goddamn sun for goodness sake! Tzuyu started to regret ever bringing Gucci to Hogwarts.

“Hey, there. It’s okay. It will be okay. Tzuyu, don’t cry,” Sana said softly as she knelt beside the Slytherin girl. She reached out and rubbed her thumb across Tzuyu’s cheek, wiping away a stray tear. There was too much worry in Tzuyu’s heart to feel embarrassed in front of the sixth-year.

“I’m such a bad dog owner,” Tzuyu whispered, almost choking on her own voice.

Sana smiled tenderly. “No, you’re not Tzuyu. Gucci will be all right. If you will let me, I’d like to help you. We can find another place for your dog to stay, someplace better – perhaps there is an empty shed near the Greenhouses that we could use. And when you cannot tend to him, I can cover for you. Especially since you are still under the watchful eye of Madam Pomfrey.”

Tzuyu stared at Sana. “Why?” was all she asked.

“Because we’re friends!” Sana replied cheerfully. “That’s what friends are for, Tzuyu. It is as I said before, you can trust me. You don’t have to do this all by yourself.”

In all honesty, Tzuyu wasn’t sure if accepting Sana’s offer would be the right move. There was a lot at risk involving another party in on her secret. But just like breaking out of the hospital wing, she certainly needed the assistance. It would be foolish of her to decline Sana.

“All right then,” Tzuyu accepted. Sana’s smile grew, glowing so brightly that this time Tzuyu did blush. The sixth-year mouthed thank you, and Tzuyu in turn gave a small nod.

Deep down inside, Tzuyu was relieved that Sana offered to help; the more care Gucci could get, the better off he’d be at the school. She watched as the older girl pet the Chihuahua, her touch as gentle as her voice.

Tzuyu didn’t fully understand her so-called new friend, but in the short amount of time she spent with the Hufflepuff, she concluded two things: first, Sana was correct when she said she could be very persuasive. The girl certainly had a charm to get things going her way. Second, though she never was one to open up or put complete faith in a stranger, Tzuyu was genuinely moved by Sana’s earnestness. Sana didn’t appear to have any ulterior motives or malice. She just wanted to help the younger girl. There were only a handful of people Tzuyu believed she could depend on, and it was in that moment, she decided, that she would trust Sana with her entire heart.

/ / /

(Present Day)

News about Chaeyoung’s dismissal from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team spread quickly like fire throughout the school. Initially, the other Houses thought the sentence was extremely harsh for only the opening match of the season and pretty stupid too since Chaeyoung was a really good Seeker – it was just unlucky she crashed into the Ravenclaw Keeper. But when rumors about the third-year trying to sneak into Gryffindor Tower began to pass from students’ mouths, everyone believed that Ravenclaw’s decision as justified and the objections stopped.

Dahyun thought the decision was still absolutely ludicrous (in a non-biased way, of course). People needed to get over it. Quidditch was just a game. But she was in the minority with such an opinion. The whole school viewed Chaeyoung as either a traitor or a cheater. And unfortunately, Dahyun couldn’t reveal the actual truth to defend her friend because that would definitely make the situation a whole lot worse.

Things weren’t looking too good for Chaeyoung.

She, Jeongyeon, and Mina all had tried console their small friend, wishing to uplift her spirits and convince her that there was life beyond Quidditch, however, it was to no avail. Chaeyoung shut down completely. She did not speak to anyone, barely left the tower – leaving the dormitory only when she had lessons or had her carry out her punishment from last Tuesday – and skipped meals altogether. It worried Dahyun that the girl wasn’t eating properly when she was already so small, but Mina assured the fourth-year she snuck a plate of food and put it in front of Chaeyoung’s dormitory room after each meal. It was empty every time the prefect recollected the plate so they suspected the small girl was eating. She better be eating.

Dahyun noticed that despite how hard it was for her to see Chaeyoung isolate herself from everyone, Mina also seemed deeply affected by the third-year’s absence. When they would meet up at their study table to work on the clue, the prefect could hardly focus. You would’ve thought with the group’s biggest distraction gone, they'd be able to plow through the riddle. Instead, they got even less work done than before. The anxious bite of the lip, the tap of the quill against a book, eyes flickering to the study entrance in hope that Chaeyoung would bounce through the door with her dimpled smile. Jeongyeon eventually told Mina that maybe they should take a break from the clue until everyone was in a better state of mind. The prefect didn’t argue.

“A sickle for your thoughts?”

The pale girl looked up from her supper plate of roast beef, carrots, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. She had scarcely touched her food, her thoughts far from hunger. Momo sat down beside her; her sweet smile warmed Dahyun. “You seem a bit out of it,” the older girl commented. “Is everything okay?”

Dahyun sighed. “Yeah, just a lot going on.”

Momo nodded, but didn’t ask any further questions. She wasn’t the type to pry, rather she liked others to open up to her in their own time. “Say, are you free tomorrow evening? We’re looking for more people to help out with the Halloween Bash.”

“Sure! Count me in,” the fourth-year answered, her mood lifted at the mention of the party.

The Halloween Bash: after years of having just a feast during the holiday, students were bored and tired of the repetitive traditions and demanded that the celebration be spiced up a bit. First-years may have been fascinated by the live bats or the dancing skeleton troupes, but seeing them over and over again for the following six years became tedious. Headmaster Park finally conceded and allowed students to expand upon the festivities. The feast would still remain of course, but afterwards was when the real fun started.

It was a school dance, really – that’s what the Muggle-born students claimed. Enchanted Halloween decorations were set up in the Great Hall made by a student-led committee who were also in charge of other evening activities like the photo-booth area (somehow every year a student turned invisible). Butterbeer was imported from Hogsmeade (occasionally firewhisky was snuck in too, without the teachers’ knowledge), desserts and snacks were laid out on the tables pushed off to the side, and as students strolled onto the dance floor, Professor Kim Heechul served as DJ using his magical mixing table that had songs pre-ready from the Wizarding Wireless Network. There wasn’t a dress code, so outfits often ranged from jeans to formal robes to some donning clever costumes (presumably a Muggle custom that Dahyun found to be quite fascinating).

Dahyun had a tradition of going with Sana and Momo as a group, and although the pale girl spent most of her time with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu during the actual event, she enjoyed the preparations with her Housemates.

This year though, Dahyun secretly wanted to ask out Sana to the Bash, and definitely in a not-really-friends-and-Momo-not-third-wheeling type of a way. This didn’t necessarily mean she was going to confess everything to the older girl, but she wanted to test the waters and see if something could actually come to fruition.

“Thank you so much!” Momo hugged Dahyun. “We’re meeting in the Charms classroom at eight o’clock and working on the decorations.” She paused, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes. “Um . . . One more thing, are you going to finish that?” Momo shyly pointed to Dahyun’s food.

The pale girl cracked a smile. “You can have it,” she replied, already pushing the plate toward her friend.

Dahyun was looking forward to the decoration-making meet-up. It would be a fun way to kick back from school work for the evening. She skipped down the castle corridors, humming to herself. Hanging out with Momo was always a guaranteed good time, but the pale girl hoped that Sana also would be volunteering. There was a good chance that Sana did decide to help out; as inseparable as Dahyun was to Chaeyoung, the older Hufflepuff girls were the same way with each other. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought and she quickened her pace.

On her way to the classroom, something caught Dahyun’s eye. The fourth-year halted in her tracks as Tzuyu came into view. Dahyun wanted to call out to her friend and ask if when she had been relieved from the hospital wing, but she then saw that Tzuyu wasn’t alone.

Sana was with the Slytherin girl.

Dahyun stared at the two girls from afar, neither seemed to notice her presence. When did the two of them become close? The fourth-year’s chest tightened when she noticed Sana smile that dazzling smile at Tzuyu; she seemed so absorbed with the third-year. Did that mean . . .?

No, no, no. It was just her imagination! She was reading too much into it! Sana gave everyone that warm look, it was in her friendly nature. Nothing more going on.

Dahyun really hoped that there was nothing more going on.

“Glad you made it!” Momo greeted as the pale girl entered the classroom. The older girl inspected her friend and then commented, “You look like you’ve seen the Bloody Baron on a bad day.” The Bloody Baron was the ghost of Slytherin who always had a permanent scowl on his face and a nasty-temper even post-death. There were a handful of times when students would witness his violent tantrums which often included yelling at Peeves and flinging chairs from several floors above.

“Something like that,” said Dahyun miserably. She couldn’t get the sight of Sana and Tzuyu together out of her mind.

Wait. Was she jealous?

Dahyun shook her head. She wasn’t jealous. She couldn’t be jealous. That’d be . . . ridiculous. Sana was free to do whatever she liked and hangout with whomever she wanted. Tzuyu was a great friend, so it was understandable why others would want to get closer to her. Besides, it wasn’t like Dahyun felt that their friendship was threatened by Tzuyu’s presence.

She recalled when her father once told her about the difference between jealousy and envy. Jealousy, he had explained, is fearing you will lose something dear to you. If Dahyun were jealous, the pale girl would fear that one of her closest friends would snatch Sana away. But this didn’t feel like that.

Envy is when you desire what another person has.

As much as Dahyun convinced herself that Sana was genial with everyone, she knew that she had never received the same look as Tzuyu had.

That, she envied.

“Good, everyone is here,” Jihyo called out after the last group of students trickled into the classroom. There were about twenty volunteers scattered across the desks, many from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor (as the two leading the session were from those Houses). Dahyun spotted a few Ravenclaw girls sitting at the far side and felt an ache of longing. She really wished Chaeyoung was here. She tried to track down her small friend to see if she wanted to join, but Chaeyoung was nowhere to be found.

“Is this seat open?” Dahyun turned to see a familiar face. Mina gazed down at the fourth-year with an awkward smile.

“Uh, no . . . you can take it . . . if you want.” Dahyun scooted her chair over, giving Mina room to sit down. It was surprising that the prefect was here for the volunteer work when she usually used her free time to study or work on the riddle. “Why are you here?”

“I just thought I’d sit with you. You’re nice, and we’ve hung out together sometimes – mainly when we’re trying to figure out the riddle . . . Okay, only when we’re trying to figure out the riddle . . . But ever since – well, you know – it’s been kind of weird being near my Housemates –”

“I meant how did you get roped into this?” Dahyun gestured to Jihyo, Momo, and a few other students giving out enormous pumpkins to some tables and streamers with tubes of glitter, quills, and colored ink wells to others.

“Oh.” The prefect’s face flushed bright red, flustered as ever. Dahyun couldn’t help but chuckle. She didn’t peg the girl next to her to be socially awkward, she always assumed that the cool, composed Mina was good at everything. It was nice to know that even the most perfect people could struggle with small talk.

“Mina! Kim!” Jihyo’s loud voice interrupted their conversation. Mina tilted her head in her friend’s direction as if to say she’s why I’m here. The two students watched as several pumpkins of various shapes and sizes floated over to their table. “Pumpkin carving duty. You can use magic, of course, but be careful. We already had one student miscast a spell and slice his hand open. Professor McGonagall wants sixth and seventh years to supervise so I’m putting Jeongyeon over here – although, I’m pretty sure Mina can handle this herself.” Jihyo grinned at Mina. “Yoo! Hurry it up already!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Jeongyeon huffed. She jogged over to the table and gave a curt nod to Dahyun and Mina. “So, all I’m supposed to do is watch them make silly faces on pumpkins?”

A large, cumbersome pumpkin from the air was immediately shoved into Jeongyeon’s arms who stepped back with a grunt. “Nope. You’re also carving. Just keep an eye out for any blood or missing fingers. Remember, it’s Halloween so make these gourds scary. I want to see some creativity, people!”

The Gryffindor prefect walked off to another group of students, leaving the three girls behind. Jeongyeon placed the pumpkin on the table with a groan of contempt. “Argh, this feels like payback for something. I hate pumpkin carving, it’s too messy.”

“It’s messy? Really? Why?” asked Mina.

Dahyun and Jeongyeon gaped at Mina.

“W-what?” she said a bit defensively, “I’ve never . . . carved a pumpkin before.”

“NEVER? Like never-ever? Myoui, everyone does it!” exclaimed Dahyun, startling the poor prefect.

Mina bashfully shrugged.

“Okay, you are seriously missing out. I pity your childhood for lacking the joys of making jack-o’-lanterns, lighting them up, and then catapulting them into the air to see how far they’d launch.”

Jeongyeon made a face. “What kind of childhood did you have? Really, pumpkin carving is overrated, Myoui, you didn’t miss out on anything.”

“Rubbish. I bet you twenty-five sickles, Jeong, that she will love pumpkin carving by the end of the evening.”

The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain perked up at the sound of a good wager. “All right, you’re on, Kim! Let’s get started before Jihyo circles back here to scold us. If she finds us slacking, I guarantee she will not hesitate to chuck pumpkins at our heads.”

Pumpkin carving was going spectacularly much to Dahyun’s delight – mostly spectacularly.

Mina picked up on the process pretty fast and seemed to be enjoying it. She even taught Dahyun some tricks to make the cutting go smoother. (“Whilst most wand work relies on wrist movement, it’s better to engage your full arm, that way you have better stability and cleaner lines.”)

Jeongyeon, on the other hand, already despised pumpkin carving and so she ignored the activity altogether. Dahyun was pretty sure that the older girl was also bitter she was losing the bet as she aggressively cleaned the table. Jeongyeon dedicated herself to maintaining a spotless table: with each hollowing of gourd guts, she had a bin ready for the disposal. There was one bin for the pulp and seeds of a pumpkin – which would go to the kitchens for the house elves to use in the feast – and another for loose shavings from the carving itself.

“Dahyun, how many times do I have to tell you? Wait until I have the bin underneath the slosh before you pour it out! You’re making a mess!”

“You’re so slow though. By the time you’re done with cleaning up from the previous pumpkin and moving to the next one, I’ll be as old as Nayeon. And why only me? You’re not picking on Myoui!”

“That’s because she’s tidy and doesn’t discard the pumpkin insides everywhere like you!”

“That’s so unfair. She’s already on her seventh carving, and I barely started my third one.”

“Quite whining. Honestly, I’m helping you here in the long run; cleaning as we carve means we won’t have to stay late to do it. Hold up, you said she’s on her seventh pumpkin?”

Dahyun and Jeongyeon peered over at Mina’s pumpkins and saw that each one had a cute drawing of a penguin etched into its orange skin. The penguin was simple: it had a stumpy, round body with two huge, circular eyes covering a good portion of its head (or body? It was hard to tell), and a beak that was two triangles pressed together into a diamond shape. Every single pumpkin had the same basic design, though Mina did try to change it up a bit. Some of the penguins were looking in different directions whilst others were holding wands or hearts in their stick wings.

“Uh . . . Myoui?”

“Yeah?” The prefect glanced up, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Dahyun could tell that she was taking this task very seriously. Her black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, sleeves were rolled up at the elbow, and she even had an apron on (where did that come from?). Sweat glistened on her brow, showing that she had been concentrating very hard. “You like them?” Mina flashed the girls a gummy smile: she was clearly proud of her work.

“Ummm . . . y-yeah, they’re great! I just don’t think that penguins really scream ‘Halloween’,” said Jeongyeon.

“Oh.”

“Buuuuut that’s totally fine! I’m sure Park is gonna love them no matter what. I mean, who can say no to cute penguins?” Dahyun said hastily when Mina’s shoulders slumped. “Right, Jeongyeon?”

“Huh? Oooooh of course, Jihyo will accept them. She adores you, Myoui. But just so you know, if she starts yelling and hurling things at me, I’m using you as my human shield.”

“I’m sorry. Halloween isn’t really my thing, and I’m not a big fan of horror.” Mina looked gloomily at her pumpkins. “I can start over.”

Immediately, Dahyun and Jeongyeon insisted to Mina that she did not need to start over and waste her hard work. If Jihyo did throw a fit about the adorable pumpkins, Dahyun offered to take them back to the Hufflepuff common room as decorations. She liked them.

The girls continued their work – this time Mina trying to make her penguins seem scary, which really just meant her putting angry eyebrows on them. As with the riddle meet-ups, there was very little chatter. The three carried on in a silence that Dahyun found to be unbearably awkward – like they didn’t know what to talk about. She realized that between her, Mina, and Jeongyeon, they all had little in common; the force that drew them together was Son Chaeyoung.

But Chaeyoung wasn’t here.

The young girl’s absence left a heavy hole at the table. Dahyun missed her friend sorely. Chaeyoung would’ve loved pumpkin carving; she often sought out opportunities around the school to let her creativity thrive such as painting unsolicited murals on the walls or reconfiguring statues to look like they ingested curdled milk. With the Halloween Bash decorations, Dahyun was sure that her best friend could’ve produced some amazingly horrific pumpkins.

It appeared that Mina and Jeongyeon were also missing Chaeyoung’s lively spirit.

“Say, Myoui, have you seen or talked to the kid lately?” Jeongyeon asked.

Mina shook her head sadly. “She’s been avoiding everyone. I waited for her outside one of her classes today, but she darted away before I could say anything. I heard from her dorm-mates that she has been in their room less and less as well.”

Jeongyeon exhaled. “That kid . . . She can’t keep this up forever. She’s going to have to face reality at some point. Furthermore, she needs to play her part in this quest you two are stuck with – Chaeyoung is the one who got you into this, so she needs to take responsibility.”

Dahyun knew that Jeongyeon had been outraged when she heard Chaeyoung was booted from the Quidditch team. She’d do anything to defend the honor of her favorite lower-year. The Gryffindor Captain had a lengthy talk with Tuan about the decision, but ultimately surrendered because it wasn’t technically her business. It did leave some nasty sentiments between the House teams though. However, despite whatever opinions Jeongyeon carried, she saw the whole picture and held Chaeyoung accountable for her actions.

“The Halloween Bash would be a nice way to lift Chaeng’s mood,” said Dahyun thoughtfully, “she could use a night of fun. By that time too, this surely would all pass over.”

The other two agreed.

“So, who wants to make it a date then?” teased Jeongyeon. “Myoui?”

“Jihyo dragged me into volunteering for the event that night, I don’t think it’d be a lot of fun spending the entire evening with me serving punch.”

“Dahyun?”

“WHAT? WHY ME? Why can’t you ask her?”

“I already have plans to ask someone else!”

“Then take her as a third-wheel!”

“C’mon, Dahyun, you’re her best mate!”

“Which is precisely why I don’t want to take her as a date. Ew, she’s like my bro!”

“Geez, you’re one who suggested inviting the kid to the Bash. She’ll know it’s just a friend thing. Don’t make this weird.”

“YOU’RE THE ONE MAKING IT WEIRD.”

“You’re asking someone on a date to the Bash this year, Dahyun?”

The three girls’ attention snapped up to Momo standing at the table with an innocent smile.

“What? N-no, of course not.” The pale girl glared at Jeongyeon who was now laughing her head off. “That’s absurd . . . ha, me having a date – as if. WAIT, NO! I didn’t mean for it to sound like that . . . I just . . . who needs a date? I am a strong, independent girl who is totally fine with being single . . . I’m not going to ask anyone . . . Pfft.” Dahyun thought she was able to successfully pull off a disgusted look at the idea, but her face betrayed her when she blushed profusely at the thought of asking Sana to the Bash.

Momo arched her eyebrows at her Housemate’s funny reaction, Jeongyeon was now clutching her chest and still howling with laughter, and Mina just sat there confused by everything.

“Okay . . .” Momo scratched her head, trying to process Dahyun’s ramblings. “Well, good for you that you’re happy being single? Does that mean you can still join me and Sana? It’s kind of fun keeping our like holy trinity together. We had a blast last year – until you got kicked out.”

“AAAAAH!” Mina jumped up from her seat, covering in shock and eyes were wide like she had an epiphany. Before anyone could react, she pulled out her book bag and began to rummage through it. Dahyun wondered why in the world the girl had her school stuff with her even though lessons were long finished for the day. But then again, Mina was that kind of person. Finally yanking out an astonishingly thick textbook, Mina slammed it down on the table.

Momo stared at the Ravenclaw prefect as if she had grown another head. She leaned over to Dahyun and whispered, “Um. Is she okay?”

“I think so? We might be witnessing a genius breakthrough.” Momo nodded with grave understanding.

Mina furiously flipped through the pages. She had the same crazy look that Chaeyoung got when the younger girl had one of her ideas.

“Oi! Why aren’t you three working on your pumpkins? You’ve barely finished ten, and there are still twenty left to get through!” Jihyo stomped over to the table. She wasn’t exactly angry, but she looked pretty annoyed. Dahyun could sympathize: the Halloween Bash was in ten days and there still needed a lot to be done. The Gryffindor prefect picked up one of pumpkins and scowled. “Really? Penguins? MINA!”

Mina ignored her friend, continuing to flip through the gigantic textbook.

“Awww, they’re so cute though,” gushed Momo as she took another of Mina’s pumpkins in hand. “At least they’re in the Halloween spirit. Look, this one is holding a bloody knife.”

Jihyo pinched the bridge of her nose. Dahyun swore the prefect was counting backwards from ten. Eventually Jihyo heaved a sigh. “Fine. Whatever. Only because we are running out of time and we need decorations am I keeping them. Please, just get through the rest of the pumpkins for the night.”

“Merlin’s beard! I gotta go!” Mina cursed suddenly. It was evident that she did not soak in a single word Jihyo said – something the latter was not used to. She crammed the big book back into her back and took off, leaving the rest of the girls in her dust. Dahyun wondered about the urgency in the prefect’s voice. Maybe it was about the second clue?

Jihyo watched her best friend sprint out of the classroom with thin in suspicion. Her owl-like eyes drifted over to Dahyun and Jeongyeon. Dahyun squirmed underneath the gaze. It was like the older girl was trying to pry into her mind and figure out why Mina abruptly left.

We really need to work on subtly skills or we’re going to get caught one day, thought Dahyun. The last person they needed breathing down their neck was Park Jihyo. That would be big trouble. Unlike Chaeyoung who stupidly wanted a dragon, or Mina who had no choice but to follow through with Black Market deal, or Dahyun who willingly sought out answers from Chaeyoung, or Jeongyeon who wanted to protect her friends, Jihyo would not hesitate to go to Headmaster Park. It wasn’t she was a snitch or wanted to endanger her friends, but usually Jihyo’s way to solve problems were the most efficient solutions. And the most efficient solution, in this case, would be to tell a capable adult about one foolish girl (well, two really. Sorry Mina!) and her foolish idea and have them put a stop to it all. Yeah, there would be severe consequences, but that’s what happens when you get involved with dragon deals.

“Well, if Myoui gets to leave, then I’m out of here too.” Jeongyeon placed the bin full of pumpkin seeds on the table and wiped her hands on a cloth. “I have Quidditch plays I need to polish, and those won’t get done if I’m stuck here.”

“Yoo Jeongyeon! You can’t leave, who’s going to supervise Kim?” barked Jihyo.

“Momo can do it, right?” Everyone turned to Momo thinking the same thing: Could Momo do it?

“Don’t worry,” Momo assured the Gryffindor prefect. “No one’s going to slice off a limb. Promise.”

Jihyo looked extremely doubtful, but gave in. “Okay, I better not hear about any damages tomorrow from Madam Pomfrey.”

Momo grinned. “Relax, Jihyo. Dahyun and I will finish this up, no problem. You might want to check on the streamers table, I think one of the first-years got some glitter in his eye.” Jihyo looked over to see what Momo was pointing at and swore loudly. She ran off to help the unfortunate fellow.

“Right, well, thanks for taking over, Momo,” said Jeongyeon.

“Wait, Jeong – the bet!” Dahyun started, her palm out for her winnings. Even though Mina took off, it was clear that the fifth-year had a good time pumpkin carving. The precious penguins were evidence of that. 

But Jeongyeon just sent the pale girl a wave and clueless smile. “I have no idea what you're talking about, I don't gamble. Anyway, see you later, mates.”

After Jeongyeon parted, Dahyun and Momo plowed through the pumpkins – the process going a lot smoother when a certain someone wasn’t pestering about messes all of the time. They chatted about this and that, giggled a lot, and even enchanted a pumpkin to start dancing (they had to stop before Jihyo noticed it). Dahyun’s mood had brightened significantly since she first stepped foot in the room that evening, her earlier worries buried in the back of her mind. 

There was just one thing that was bothering Dahyun, and Jeongyeon and Mina left before anything was confirmed. Did this mean she still had to ask Chaeyoung out to the Halloween Bash?

A/n: FINALLY. Wow, a lot was covered in this chapter including Tzuyu's secret! Someone had mentioned something similar in the comments early on - I apologize I can't remember who it is - so I applaud you for almost nailing it on the head. Hopefully Tzuyu's arc sparked more questions than leave answers though. Also we're getting more into various character interactions that aren't Chaeng-centric (SaTzu? SaiDa? DahMo? Others???). We shall see how it goes. 

I do apologize for the long wait, but this chapter was difficult to write (probably because Chaeyoung doesn't appear at all and so far she has been the pushing factor for everyone in the story). Initially the chapter was titled In Need of Help - which was something I definitely needed, hahaha - but I think it really should've been called T E N S I O N. More of that to come. 

ANYWAY, DID EVERYONE SEE THE FANTASTIC COVER ART FOR THE STORY????? IT WAS MADE BY LLAMA-KOI (Insta: @lilpotato_ken) AND IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL I CRY EVERY TIME I SEE IT. I am so flattered and honored that someone wanted to draw out this story! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please check out the Insta handle for more awesome artwork :) 

Thank you to everyone for the comments, subscribes, and upvotes as well. But most importantly, thank you for taking your time to read (or skim? ha) each update. I really do appreciate it. Cheers to everyone.