xv. Bitter Feelings
Chaeyoung Gets a DragonDisclaimer: 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 will be present in the plot.
“It happened just like you said it would.”
“Oh, Nayeon, my dear. I am so sorry to hear that.”
“I can’t believe Jeongyeon had the audacity to invite me to the Halloween Bash with her, and then ditch me halfway through! One minute I’m talking to Jisoo, and what do you know? Next I see her sneaking out of the Great Hall! And it wasn’t just her either, my other friends were there too! Momo, Mina, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung!”
“That does sound strange.”
“R-right? It was so suspicious – I mean, Mina never hangs around the other four. I wasn’t even aware they all were on speaking terms.”
“It seems like your so-called friends cannot be trusted. Think about it, Nayeon. They’ve been toying with you, keeping secrets from you, leaving you – playing upon your worst fears. True friends do not do that. You do not deserve to be treated like such.”
“I . . . What should I do then?”
“Know that you are not alone, Nayeon. I’m here, and I always will be. Trust me. I can show you what is to be a real friend.”
Nayeon sighed as Florian’s image vanished from the spotted bathroom mirror. She was standing over a sink, hands gripping the sides, now gazing at her own reflection. This was their new way of communicating – hers and Florian’s, that is.
The broken ring that originally introduced her to Florian was a one-time usage device; she had spent hours chatting with the man, pouring out her entire heart. It helped a lot to have someone just listen. The more Nayeon talked, the more she felt comfortable with Florian. Every once in a while, he would add in his own opinions, yet they were never forceful nor demeaning. Nayeon felt like the man truly cared for everything she said. She didn’t want their conversation to end when it was time to wind down, but then Florian suggested an alternative way to talk.
Mirrors, he had stated. A simple charm he taught her could be cast on any mirror, allowing two-way contact. Whenever you feel the need to talk, please do not hesitate to reach out. He flashed her that charming smile, and Nayeon couldn’t resist.
So here she was in the rarely used girls’ bathroom on the second-floor. The place was by far the gloomiest spot in the castle: it was filthy with chipped sinks and rusting faucets, the floor was always mysteriously wet, and the candles burned low, making the bathroom feel discolored and bleak. The stalls were not in much better shape; their wooden doors were unhinged with flaking paint chips and scratch marks everywhere. Normally, Nayeon would never step foot in such a vulgar place, but she needed the privacy and almost no one ventured in here.
“Haven’t your parents ever told you, you shouldn’t talk to strangers? A pretty girl like you could put herself in grave danger.” In the mirror, Nayeon saw a pale figure emerge from one of the toilet stalls; she was stout with glasses and wore an old Hogwarts uniform. She was also transparent.
“Stay out of my business, Myrtle,” said Nayeon, turning around to meet the ghost face-to-face. “Florian isn’t a stranger.”
Myrtle, the residential lavatory ghost, shrugged. “He did not seem like a friend, even if he insisted he was.” She tapped her chin. “I can’t place my finger on it, but there is something off about him . . . dangerous, perhaps.”
Nayeon rolled her eyes. “What do you know? You’re dead!” she spat out.
Surprisingly, Myrtle giggled at the comment – usually she did not take it well when someone pointed out her passing.
“Oh goody, I’m so glad you noticed,” she said drily. “Yes, I am indeed dead. And you will be too if you keep this up.” Her usual sad face turned sinister like she was relishing the thought.
Nayeon scowled. She wondered if it was possible to physically throttle a ghost.
“Leave me alone,” the seventh-year snapped instead.
“That is what they all say. No one wants Myrtle around. No one likes a poor, poor ghost like me,” Myrtle sneered. She let out a cold, dead laugh as Nayeon clamped her hands over her ears, not wanting to hear anymore. “Run away, why don’t you? But we shall see how you like it, Im Nayeon. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when you end up as a sad, lonely, and pathetic ghost roaming the school hallways.”
Nayeon angrily stormed out of the bathroom, the shrill, haunting laughter of Myrtle echoing behind her.
/ / /
It was almost midnight when Momo and Dahyun decided to return to their dorms. The night had been weary: Jeongyeon explained everything to the girls – from the secret room to the balance to Hadubert the acromantula – though she could not give them much detail since she had been knocked out for most of it. Aside from the occasional gasp or whimper, neither Momo nor Dahyun made a sound during Jeongyeon’s retelling. The air in the kitchen chamber was heavy and somber by the time she finished.
Jeongyeon waited for the Hufflepuff students to say something, but the two remained stunned with silence. Dahyun eyed Chaeyoung sleeping in Jeongyeon’s lap with a look of pity whilst Momo stared at the Gryffindor Keeper intently, ajar and a half-eaten biscuit in her hand.
“If I wasn’t sitting right here looking right at you with a big bandage wrapped around your head, I would’ve thought you made this all up,” said Momo. She leaned back on her free arm and let out low whistle. “It still sounds really bizarre when you think about it – who knew that there was a gigantic spider in our school this entire time.”
Jeongyeon traced Chaeyoung’s face lightly with her finger. Momo made a good point: there was a gigantic spider right under their noses this entire time. And an acromantula doesn’t just go unnoticed by some of the most prodigious witches and wizards in the country, even if it did dwell in a hidden room. Somebody – or maybe somebodies – in Hogwarts was aware of Hadubert’s existence. How else would he have gotten inside in the first place? There were protective charms placed around the castle. No, there was definitely an accomplice at hand residing within the school.
Hadubert had mentioned a master, one that he seemed to highly respect. Jeongyeon recalled that acromantulas could not be domesticated and often viewed wizards as inferior. This meant that whomever Hadubert served must be a powerful person. Master whose eyes are mirrors and can see everything . . .
A lump formed in Jeongyeon’s throat. If there was one thing she was sure about, Hadubert – and his master – knew of the quest and were trying to stop anyone from completing it.
“What are we going to do now?” asked Dahyun.
Momo finally remembered there was an unfinished cookie in her hand and took a bite out of it. “Shouldn’t we inform the teachers?” she said as she chewed her treat.
“NO!” Both Jeongyeon and Dahyun shouted. Momo winced.
“Sorry, Momo . . . it’s just that . . . you’ll get Chaengie and Mina expelled if you tell anyone!” Dahyun exclaimed. She hastily explained Chaeyoung’s desire of owning a dragon and how found themselves for a lost family heirloom. If Momo had looked overwhelmed with Jeongyeon’s story, her eyes definitely glazed over as Dahyun caught her Housemate up-to-date with the entirety of the quest.
“Hey, Momo . . . earth to Momo . . . Oh no, Jeong, I think we lost her!” cried out Dahyun once she was done. She waved a hand in front of the Hufflepuff sixth-year, hoping to get her attention.
Jeongyeon shook her head and grabbed another pastry from the plate that Fig left for them. She held the lemon meringue bar in front of Momo’s nose which seemed to snap the girl back to reality.
“Oh. Jeongyeon. Hi.” She noticed the dessert in Jeongyeon’s outstretched hand, “Is this for me?” she said before eagerly snatching it and her lips.
“So . . . what do you think, Momo?” Jeongyeon asked hesitantly. “About . . . all of this.”
“Honestly, I’m not entirely surprised – Chaeyoung getting caught up in a shady deal and some bloke threatening her life – it was bound to happen at some point.”
Jeongyeon thought back to all of the chaos Chaeyoung had incited over the last two years. Okay, fair.
“Mina getting mixed into this though – that’s really unfortunate. Now I understand why you don’t want to tell the teachers. Yikes.” Momo sighed. “From what I heard, Mina has such a bright future ahead of her too . . . or had . . .” The Hufflepuff sixth-year flinched again, unsure if she should even be inviting such a thought.
Dahyun chewed on her lip. “You don’t think Mina is actually . . . dead, do you?”
Jeongyeon felt the sudden urge to throw up all of the contents from the Halloween banquet. She had watched the Ravenclaw prefect slip out of Chaeyoung’s grasp and disappear into the chasm. Mina’s screams haunted Jeongyeon in the back of her mind, sending chills down her spine.
Jeongyeon did not want to think about what happened to Mina because her thoughts kept drifting back to the possibility that the girl was gone for good. She glanced at Dahyun who seemed to be on the verge of tears, then at Momo who was still trying to process everything, and lastly Chaeyoung who was completely passed out on her lap. The scene reminded of her when the Gryffindor Quidditch team was demoralized during a difficult match against Slytherin last season: the players were dejected as they trailed behind by an outrageous amount, and their opponents kept pushing back in a nasty way. Jeongyeon had taken the team aside, attempting her best to uplift their spirits. She encouraged for them to push on, to not give up, and to press until the very last minute.
Unfortunately, despite Jeongyeon’s efforts to pep-talk the Quidditch team, Slytherin completely slaughtered them and Jeongyeon came out of the match with a broken arm. But she knew with Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Momo, she had to do the same, or at least try. She had to be their rock – their leader – so they could all keep moving forward, and hopefully, this time around the results would be better.
Pull yourself together, Jeong!
The Gryffindor Captain cleared , drawing the attention of the Hufflepuff girls. “It’s late,” she stated, “and we’re all exhausted and riding high from the emotions of tonight. We should rest and meet up tomorrow when our minds are clear.”
Dahyun and Momo nodded in agreement. Rest did indeed sound nice.
“Let’s meet at our usual place directly after breakfast,” Jeongyeon continued. “Dahyun, you’ll show Momo, right?”
Dahyun gave a salute, “Yes, Captain!”
“Are you going to return Chaeyoung to her dorm?” Momo asked, gently brushing a strand of hair away from the youngest girl’s face.
Jeongyeon hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she could get Chaeyoung back to the Ravenclaw dormitories this late at night; Filch was most likely on the prowl, cranky from the post-Halloween festivities, and ready to catch any dawdling students out past curfew. Ravenclaw tower was also on the opposite end of the school. Jeongyeon wasn’t particularly in the mood to trudge from one corner of the castle to the other.
As Jeongyeon contemplated what to do with Chaeyoung, she felt a tug on the sleeve of her blazer. She glanced down and saw Fig peering up at her.
“Miss Jeongyeon, if you want, you and Miss Chaeyoung can stay in the kitchens for the night. Fig will make sure you will not be in trouble with Pickles,” he said, quickly pressing a thin finger to his lips and adding, “and do not worry either, Fig will keep your secret safe.”
“Oh, uh, thanks . . . Fig,” Jeongyeon replied. The house-elf sent her a smile of reassurance.
“It is always a pleasure to serve the students of Hogwarts, Miss Jeongyeon. Fig shall go fetch blankets for Miss Momo’s friends!” He scurried away before Jeongyeon could stop him.
“I guess that settles it,” Momo said as she stood up, stretching out her arms, and then helping Dahyun to her feet. Both girls looked worn-out – Dahyun was practically falling asleep upright and Momo stifled a yawn. Jeongyeon offered for the two to stay in the kitchens with her and Chaeyoung, but Momo politely declined.
“Sana is probably wondering where we are,” she replied. Dahyun uncharacteristically scowled and murmured something incoherent into Momo’s shoulder. Jeongyeon thought she heard the name “Tzuyu,” though wasn’t entirely sure.
Momo and Dahyun bid Jeongyeon good night and left the Gryffindor Captain alone with Chaeyoung.
Jeongyeon graciously took the blankets from Fig and laid a few out on the hard floor. She made sure that Chaeyoung was comfortable before draping a blanket over the both of them. Chaeyoung unknowingly wrapped her arms around Jeongyeon, clinging to her like a koala. The third-year buried her face into the older girl’s neck as light snores escaped her open lips. Jeongyeon listened to the steady breathing and the crackling of the fire, hoping she could be carried away to a peaceful slumber. The clock tower chimed at midnight indicating that the worst Halloween Jeongyeon had ever experienced was finally over.
As the bells rang throughout the castle, Jeongyeon remembered something: it was the first of November.
That’s right.
“Happy Birthday to me,” she whispered softly.
Morning arrived quicker than Jeongyeon wanted it to.
The banging and clanging of the house elves readying breakfast rudely brought the Gryffindor sixth-year out of her sleep. A portly house elf adorned with a tall chef’s hat was running around the kitchens, barking out orders.
“Let’s move it! Stubbins, is the toast ready? Merlot! I want those eggs cooked to perfection! Chardonnay, STOP ADDING CHARDONNAY TO EVERYTHING! Breakfast is to be served at seven o’clock sharp! You don’t want to disappoint Headmaster Park with your indolence now, do you?”
Groggily, Jeongyeon sat up. She rubbed her eyes and the fog in her brain, only to be met with the face of a disgruntled Chaeyoung. The third-year was also awake (though looking none too pleased) with her blonde hair sticking up on the sides and her button-down shirt so wrinkled it made Jeongyeon internally cringe. Chaeyoung smacked her lips together, adjusting to nosiness of the kitchens.
“It wasn’t a dream, was it?” She said it as a statement rather than a question.
Jeongyeon’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Chaeyoung, we’re going to find her,” she said as she placed a firm grip on Chaeyoung’s shoulder in assurance. The Gryffindor Keeper squeezed it lightly as if to silently add, so don’t you dare do something reckless! “But we’ll need a plan first. I told Momo and Dahyun to meet us in the study area later this morning, however we should eat first.”
“That’s right! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” A squeaky voice piped up. Both Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung saw Fig beaming at them with a toothy grin; in his hands, Fig held up a plate with an assortment of eggs, tomatoes, beans, and toast. Next to Fig was the elf with the chef’s hat who looked as pleasant as someone who slept on a bed made of tacks.
“Bah, you two are the students Fig told me about,” the sour elf grunted.
“Pickles, both Miss Jeongyeon and Miss Chaeyoung had a long, exhausting night. Fig is asking permission if the two of them can stay and eat breakfast in the kitchens!”
Pickles narrowed his beady eyes, inspecting each student carefully. “Chaeyoung . . . neither of you are Son Chaeyoung, are you?”
Both Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung immediately shook their heads.
“I’m a different Chaeyoung,” the small girl lied, “Park Chaeyoung.”
“I see . . .” Pickles opened his mouth to further interrogate the third-year but was interrupted by Fig shouting out, “Pickles! Chardonnay is slipping wine into the tea kettles again!”
“WHAT? THAT PUNK. CHARDONNAY, WHAT DID I TELL YOU? WE DO NOT SERVE ALCOHOL TO UNDERAGED CHILDREN!” The stout house elf dismissed the Hogwarts students in front of him and stomped over to the other side of the kitchen, ready to unleash all of his fury on poor Chardonnay who was holding a bottle of liquor.
“Phew! Thank goodness for Chardonnay’s obsession with trying to spike the morning drinks!” Fig said gleefully, doing a small victory jig with the two plates of food still in his hands. “Fig is quite sure that Pickles won’t comeback to bother you or snitch to the professors.”
Jeongyeon blinked in surprise. “This is all very kind of you, Fig.”
“Not a worry! As Fig has mentioned before, it is an honor to serve the students of this school! Now, please eat up this hearty breakfast to refuel! You must have your energy levels up in order to rescue Miss Mina.”
Chaeyoung made a strained noise at the mention of Mina. Jeongyeon patted the younger girl on the back and graciously took the plates from Fig. They stayed near the fireplace, sitting on the floor far away from the morning chaos. The girls watched as the elves placed dishes upon dishes on top of the long tables within the kitchen; instantly the food vanished into thin air, teleporting to the Great Hall above.
“You have to eat,” Jeongyeon urged as Chaeyoung picked at her food absently. “I know you haven’t eaten properly since . . . since you were removed from the Quidditch team . . .”
“I’m not hungry,” Chaeyoung responded flatly.
“Doesn’t matter, you need food. Mina wouldn’t want you to starve yourself – remember who snuck in all of those plates of food into Ravenclaw Tower for you these past two weeks? She risked her arse to make sure you wouldn’t go hungry.”
Chaeyoung looked up from her plate of food. “That was Mina?”
“Who else would it be? Tuan can’t get into girls’ dorms – no boys can.”
“Oh . . . I always wondered who would add an entire bottle of ketchup with each meal . . .” Chaeyoung mumbled to herself, “I don’t really know what to do with the bottles in my room . . .”
“C’mon, kid. Eat up,” Jeongyeon said, “or I’ll force feed you all of my beans.” She shoved a forkful in Chaeyoung’s direction who in turn shrank away.
“EWWWW! Okay! Okay! Stop! I’ll eat, I’ll eat – just not the beans!”
And to prove her point, Chaeyoung wolfed down her entire plate . . . minus the beans.
Perhaps it was good that the fourth-floor study area was jam-packed with students, even on a bright, sunny morning. Almost every single table was occupied: books sprawled out, lengths of parchment unfurled, quills scribbled away at note-taking or essay writing. Students scrambled to finish their homework before classes resumed on Monday, the desperate attempt to make up from procrastinating the day before. A typical Sunday.
The busyness ironically gave Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Momo some much needed privacy. No one batted an eye at the four students huddled in the corner, whispering amongst themselves. No one cared that both Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung were wearing the outfits they had on from the Bash (and were covered in dirt and bandages). No one paid attention to the odd device and parchment Chaeyoung pulled out of her pocket. It was perfect.
“Okay team, we have two problems at hand: Mina is missing and we have the next clue,” said Jeongyeon as she began their meeting. “Mina is our priority, but with the December new moon approaching us soon, we cannot neglect the quest either. I think we need to split up.”
Momo frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Two of us will work on rescuing Mina whilst the other two will focus on the riddle,” explained the Gryffindor Captain. “Divide and conquer, a simple yet effective strategy.”
“Why can’t we just put all our manpower into finding Mina?” argued Chaeyoung.
“We don’t know what happened to her, kid, it could take days or weeks to find Mina – though I really hope that isn’t the case. We can’t afford to fall behind schedule. We need to work on the riddle to ensure that at least we have a chance at finding the heirloom before next month.”
“But you said Mina should be our priority!” Chaeyoung whined childishly.
“She is! But think about it! This is our third clue – out of what? Five? Ten? One hundred? We have no idea if we’re even close to finding the heirloom. Need I remind you, kid, that it is your arse on the line,” Jeongyeon said, pressing her fingers against her temples. Her head was still sore from last night.
“And Mina is also in danger, BUT I GUESS YOU DON’T CARE ENOUGH!” yelled Chaeyoung, standing up abruptly, her chair falling to the ground. Several students in the study-area turned their heads to the corner table, curious eyes prying in on the four girls.
“Chaeyoung, please stop yelling and take a seat,” Jeongyeon said, trying to keep her voice leveled. The Gryffindor Captain understood where Chaeyoung was coming from, but it was frustrating that the younger girl couldn’t see the bigger picture. Chaeyoung tended to have a one-track mind when it came to important matters, believing she could only prioritize one thing at a time. And right now, Mina was at the top of the list, putting the dragon on hold – which, in Jeongyeon’s opinion, was quite a feat.
Much to Jeongyeon’s annoyance, Chaeyoung ignored her request and remained standing. The younger girl regarded Jeongyeon with an icy glare, her hands squeezed into fists like she was contemplating hitting her friend and making a run for it.
“Say, what is the next riddle anyway?” Dahyun asked out of the blue, cutting the tension in the air.
Chaeyoung snapped out of her mood, and after taking notice of the snooping students staring in her direction, she slowly picked up her fallen chair and plopped down in her seat.
Jeongyeon’s shoulders relaxed seeing the younger girl calm down. She reached for the folded piece of parchment in the center of the table, opened it, and then read the next clue out loud:
Below solve the riddle if you wish to free
A secret that unveils the hidden to be seen
One gra ve mistake pays at a high cost
What you seek inside will dissolve and be lost
* * *
Blessed with three lives I live on a whim
As times passes by, I consume the given
Freely I fall from Heaven’s hand
Here on this earth, I remain holy, yet dammed
A body, no body, I birth none of my own
I travel near and far, there is no one place I call home
What am I?
Silence.
“Sooooooooo . . . any ideas?” Momo spoke up after several seconds.
Jeongyeon shook her head, frowning. She scanned the words over and over again, her mind racing with more questions than answers.
Meanwhile Dahyun leaned back in her chair and exhaled dramatically. “Are you sure we can solve this? I mean, Mina did all of the brainwork on the other two –” Chaeyoung coughed, “– Okay, most of the brainwork. Without our smartest member here, it may take us forever to figure this out!”
“Well, we don’t have forever so we’ll have to step up our game,” said Jeongyeon.
“More the reason why we should focus on rescuing Mina first!” Chaeyoung pouted. “The sooner we get her back, the sooner we can get back on track to solving the riddles.”
This kid was really pushing Jeongyeon’s patience.
“The point isn’t to rely on Mina and make her do all of the work,” Jeongyeon rationalized. “But look, Chaeyoung, why don’t you and Momo focus on finding Mina whilst Dahyun aids me with the riddle,” suggested the Gryffindor Captain. “Is that okay?”
Chaeyoung didn’t look like it was okay, but thankfully she nodded. The third-year hastily stood up again, rolling up her sleeves like she was ready to do hard labor. “C’mon, Momo! We need to head back to the kitchens and check the room – we can find some rope and –”
“Hold on, kid,” Jeongyeon said, holding up a hand, “I know you’re eager to start the search, but you need to shower and change into some clean clothes first. It’s going to be suspicious if you continue the day in last night’s attire. The point is to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.”
The small girl groaned. “That’s so stupid! We’re wasting time!”
“Jeongyeon has a point,” Momo gently reasoned with Chaeyoung. “Let’s meet in the kitchen corridor as soon as you freshen up. I’ll see if I can get us some rope and any other supplies we may need during that time. We still have the whole day to look for Mina.”
“Ugh. Fine.” Chaeyoung crossed her arms like she was a kid having a fit.
The Gryffindor Keeper leaned over to Dahyun and said in a hushed voice, “Please make sure Chaeyoung actually follows through. I’m concerned that she’ll go off on her own and do whatever boneheaded thing is running through her mind right now.”
“You got it, Jeong!” Dahyun whispered back, giving the thumbs up sign. “No boneheaded-ness from Chaengie.”
After a few more minutes of final planning, Jeongyeon took the cylindrical device and piece of parchment. She and Dahyun agreed to also meet later on once the Gryffindor Captain herself was able to wash up. Jeongyeon really hoped that everything would work out for them; Mina’s absence was a huge blow to the team’s morale, but they couldn’t lose sight of what they needed to do. With any luck, she and Dahyun would be able to solve the riddle without the need of the Ravenclaw prefect and get on with the following clues. Although Jeongyeon didn’t completely understand how Mina solved the last two, the third clue seemed to be a little bit more straightforward.
“One last thing,” she called out suddenly as the girls were ready to part ways. “There’s five of us now who are part of this quest, and it’s bit redundant to say, but please do not tell anyone about this. I don’t want another person – or persons – to be involved in this, it’s too dangerous for us and for them.” She eyed each of the girls carefully, one by one. “Understand?”
“We understand,” the other three echoed back.
/ / /
It had been a long time since Tzuyu last met up with Dahyun and Chaeyoung so she was excited when she spotted them in the corridor that Sunday morning. The two girls were pushing and shoving each other, Chaeyoung looking annoyed and Dahyun not giving in to the third-year’s whining.
“Stop following me, Dubs! I don’t need a babysitter!”
“No way. You can’t be trusted, not with the emotional state you’re in right now.”
“What emotional state? I’m fine. Look, I’m even smiling.” Chaeyoung flashed Dahyun one of fakest and most frightening smiles ever.
“Chaeng, maybe we should talk about what happened –”
“Chaeyoung! Dahyun!” Tzuyu called out with a small wave. Both of the girls stopped in their tracks, turning their attention to the Slytherin girl running towards them.
“Oh . . . Hey, Tzu,” Chaeyoung greeted, her voice a tad hoarse. She was a mess: her hair was unkempt (and surprisingly shorter and blonder), her clothes were dirty and torn, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Tzuyu wondered what kind of wild night her friend had.
Dahyun, on the other hand, only nodded in Tzuyu’s direction.
“Haven’t seen you two in a while,” Tzuyu said, ignoring the detached welcome from the other girls, “now that I’m officially out of the hospital, we should hang out some time.”
“Er, yeah . . . sorry we couldn’t visit you more often whilst you were bedridden,” Chaeyoung said as she played with the ends of her hair. “You know how Madam Pomfrey is though; she acts like the hospital wing is a vault at Gringotts or something.”
Tzuyu nodded in agreement. A rare, awkward silence fell upon the three. Chaeyoung and Dahyun kept shifting their gazes to anywhere but Tzuyu, as if signaling the Slytherin they wanted her to leave. But Tzuyu didn’t want to leave, she wanted to chat with her best mates.
“Oh! Are you excited for the upcoming Quidditch game next weekend? I heard that Ravenclaw is playing against Hufflepuff,” Tzuyu spoke up, trying to start another conversation. Usually Quidditch was a safe topic.
Unfortunately, she just made it worse. Chaeyoung stiffened at the mention of Quidditch, and her expression darkened. Dahyun placed a protective arm around the smaller girl despite having been in a yelling match with her minutes earlier.
“You’ve missed out on a lot, Tzu. Chaeng was kicked off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team,” stated Dahyun bluntly.
Tzuyu’s eyes widened. “Oh! I-I’m sorry . . . I didn’t – I really – I . . . that , Chaeyoung,” she stammered. Tzuyu didn’t know what else to say, the news was all too shocking. Chaeyoung really liked Quidditch, so she couldn’t fathom the Ravenclaw girl without it.
Another silence sank in.
The air became suffocating to Tzuyu. It felt as though an invisible wall had formed between her and the other two girls whilst she had been trapped in the hospital wing.
Or maybe she was imagining it. Tzuyu decided to press forward again. “What about you, Dahyun? Are you going to the match? Sana mentioned –”
“No, I’m not going.” The pale girl cut her off rather coldly, startling Tzuyu. She had never heard the fourth-year sound that defensive before.
“Don’t mind Dubs, Tzu,” said Chaeyoung quickly. “She’s been in a sour mood lately because she’s having problems in her love life. Something happened at the Bash with her crush – though she won’t say.”
“Crush?”
Chaeyoung was about to respond, but Dahyun hastily clamped her hand against the smaller girl’s mouth. “The details aren’t important,” she said scowling, though a tinge of blush crept onto her soft white cheeks.
Tzuyu raised an eyebrow. Who could Dahyun’s crush possibly be? She tried to recount if Dahyun had been with anyone in particular at the Bash . . . but she could only remember Sana. Tzuyu didn’t think it was anything special; Dahyun and Sana were close friends and always went to the party together. She felt like she would’ve known if Dahyun fancied someone like Sana.
“Anyway, we should get going,” Dahyun interrupted Tzuyu’s thoughts, “places to go, things to do – and Chaeng very much needs a shower.”
Before the Slytherin girl could say anything, Dahyun dragged Chaeyoung away, leaving Tzuyu behind with dozens of questions.
Tzuyu’s chest tightened as she watched her two friends walk away. She had hoped they could spend the Sunday catching up and possibly study together (she wanted to ask Chaeyoung if she missed anything interesting in their Care for Magical Beasts class – the only class she was actually interested in). However, seeing Dahyun and Chaeyoung with their arms around each other and their secretive whispers only reminded Tzuyu that she, in some ways, was still a third-wheel in their friendship. She supposed this was what she signed up for when she joined the troublemakers; Dahyun and Chaeyoung would always have a pre-Hogwarts history with each other. There would always be a gap between her and the other two. There would always be secrets that only Dahyun and Chaeyoung would know. It hurt, but what could she do?
Besides, Tzuyu thought to herself, they weren’t the only ones with secrets. They don’t know about Gucci . . . or Sana.
And she definitely was not planning to tell Dahyun or Chaeyoung about her secrets anytime soon.
/ / /
Mina was lucky.
As she fell into darkness, her ears falling deaf to her own screams and her own heart nearly exploding from her chest, she expected to hit the cold stone floor and shattered every single bone in her body. She expected to be dead – or at the very least meet her doom moments later by a ginormous spider ready to sink his fangs into her flesh.
But none of that happened.
Instead, Mina landed on the prickly body of Hadubert the acromantula – almost rolling off, but she managed to grab ahold of one of Hadubert’s legs. She had never been more thankful for the existence of spiders in her life than that moment right then (even if she didn’t like them at all). Who knew they would make such great landing cushions?
It seemed that Hadubert was dead: his legs were raised stiff in the air with his belly facing upwards. Mina didn’t think that the fall was far enough to kill an acromantula, but Hadubert wasn’t moving at all. Maybe giant spiders were a lot more fragile than they appeared.
Mina glanced around, trying to register her bearings, but wherever she was it was dark and difficult to see. She needed light . . . Mina suddenly remembered that Chaeyoung’s wand remained gouged in one of Hadubert’s eyes. Cautiously, she fumbled around, crawling closer and closer to what she suspected was the spider’s head. Her hands warily brushed against the bristly hairs irritating her skin and the slimy gunk that she was certain used to be Hadubert’s eyes. Finally, she found what she was looking for.
Tightly gripping onto Chaeyoung’s wand, Mina yanked it free and sighed in relief. She quickly wiped the slime on her ruined dress (Sana for sure was not getting this dress back).
“Lumos,” she whispered, the tip of the wand illuminating with light.
The first thing Mina noticed in the light was that her ankle was still bound by Hadubert’s silk. Her skin was ripped raw and colored a grotesque reddish-purple. There was also a nauseating amount of dry blood around her foot. She freaked; although the injury was not painful, it was susceptible to infection which could make everything worse. Mina cursed. She wanted to use the severing charm to free her leg from the spider silk, but she was worried she might end up amputating her whole foot off.
Mina bit her lip. Her mind was trapped in between a paralyzed state of panic and trying to rationalize a solution. Suddenly a very Chaeyoung-like idea popped into her head. Mina peered over Hadubert’s head and located his fangs in her low wand-light. That could work. Though it wasn’t like she had many other options.
Working swiftly, Mina tore off the hem of her dress and carefully wrapped it around one of Hadubert’s fangs, making sure she didn’t get any excess venom on her skin. Next, she severed the fang from the spider, a loud crunch sound echoed in the air as she snapped it off. Placing Chaeyoung’s wand in (she tried not to think too hard about where the wand had been just a few minutes before) in order to give her accessibility to both arms, Mina held the fang in one hand and the thread around her foot in the other, and slowly began to saw. It took forever for the spider fang to thoroughly cut the silk, but at long last, she did it.
Mina choked back tears as she massaged her free ankle. She tossed aside the fang, throwing it as far away from her as possible. Afterwards, the Ravenclaw prefect ripped off more of her dress, bandaging her leg the best she could. It was sloppy, but it would have to do.
Carefully, Mina slid off the spider and surveyed her surroundings once more. She was in a long, empty corridor. It wasn’t grimy or horrific like one would expect some hidden tunnel to be, instead it was clean and well-preserved. The walls were made of white stone and an arched ceiling hung low overhead. Mina found it odd that there was no sign that she and Hadubert had fallen into the mysterious place, rather it was like they had suddenly materialized in the hallway.
The subterranean chill caused Mina to rub her arms, goosebumps forming on her exposed skin, and her dislike for the dress Sana gave her now turned into full blown hate. Her heels clicked against the stone, the only sound aside from her ragged breathing and the pounding of her heart. The corridor seemed endless: She walked and walked and walked and walked. Blisters formed on her feet and eventually, Mina had to give up on her shoes, limping barefoot, a shiver riding up her spine with each cold step.
Closer . . . closer . . .
Airy whispers tickled her ears, and Mina wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or if something was actually speaking to her. Mina gulped. She hoped it was the former.
Eventually, she reached a dead-end: there stood a gated door trimmed with silver with nothing else around it. Unsurprisingly, carved into the door’s body was Eads’s mark. Of course.
Mina scowled in exasperation. The mystery of Eads’s mark, the school’s architect, and the Founders all seemed related to each other as she suspected, but she just didn’t know how. Mina tried to open the door but it was locked. She tried using an unlocking charm which had no effect either. The Ravenclaw prefect shined the light around, hoping to find some sort of clue on the walls that could tell her what was hidden behind the entrance, but there was nothing. The walls were white and blank.
Exhaustion caught up with the Ravenclaw prefect, and Mina slumped to the floor. Her legs ached from walking so much, her hands were scratched and bruised, her hair was a mess, she felt an oncoming headache, and her stomach rumbled with hunger. Mina coughed. Great, now she was probably getting sick too.
The Ravenclaw prefect lifted Chaeyoung’s wand in her hand, observing it closely. She thought about Chaeyoung screaming her name as Jeongyeon hauled her away. She thought about how Chaeyoung held onto her hand and distracted her – comforted her – from her hanging off the ledge. She thought about Chaeyoung’s warm gaze; those round eyes – usually they were colored like liquid black, but in the soft candlelight, Chaeyoung’s eyes had glowed like bronze at the golden hour. Mina knew that she should’ve been annoyed with the third-year for starting the whole floor-breaking fiasco (she told Chaeyoung to wait) in the first place, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Maybe she was too tired, or maybe she realized it was futile to get infuriated at every single thing Chaeyoung did.
Letting out a worn-out yawn, Mina curled up on the cold, hard ground. It had been a long day, and she needed to rest.
Tomorrow, she told herself, tomorrow I’ll try to find a way out. But for now, as her eyes fluttered shut, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
A/n: Oh, look. It's an actual full chapter update lol. I apologize immensely for the long wait, I wanted to get the emotional set up right for this chapter because there's a lot coming in the next few. Only five more chapters until the end of Part I (which I hope to finish by the end of the year).
But hey, new riddle! Think Jeongyeon and Dahyun can solve this one?
I'm super stoked for the next chapter which I actually have a good amount written already so fingers crossed I can get it out soon. I'll just say it now but: Mina-rescue mission. MiChaeng reunion. Should be fun.
Anyways, thank you so much for all of the support! I appreciate it very much and I'd also like to thank to those who've reached out to me and started conversations. It's always a good time gushing over Twice :) Let's talk some more! Cheers, everyone!
* * *
We love you, Mina.
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