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 will be present later in the plot. 

Mina wasn’t entirely sure what time it was when she finished her assignments for the night, but she could tell that it was late. The Ravenclaw common room was empty, for everyone else had gone to bed, and the only sound was the crackling of the dying fire. Even the portraits of past famous Ravenclaw witches and wizards were sleeping soundlessly. The moon peeked through the giant arched windows that encompassed the circular room, illuminating the space all around.

Mina gazed thoughtfully at the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of the House, which stood adjacent to the House’s library located in a small niche. The casted shadows heightened the statue’s grim appearance, emphasizing her worn facial lines of stern concentration. Mina laughed silently to herself. She imagined that she held a similar expression when she did her studies.

Yawning and stretching, exhaustion finally fell upon Mina. At least tomorrow was Saturday so she had some time to sleep in before Hogsmeade. Jihyo would probably kill her anyway if she saw dark circles underneath her eyes. She could already hear her friend’s nagging.

Mina basked in the silence for a moment. She always enjoyed the dead hours of the night because it felt like time stopped and she could finally catch up with her hectic life. Between her classes, prefect responsibilities, and O.W.L. preparation, there never seemed to be enough time to just breathe.

The fifth year was about to turn to towards the girls’ dormitory when the Ravenclaw Tower door squeaked open. A small girl with long black hair and a satchel strapped across her shoulder walked in. Mina frowned. Students weren’t supposed to be out at this hour.

“Excuse me,” said Mina.

The newcomer yelped in surprise. She grabbed her satchel and held it close to her chest, eyes narrowed.

That wasn’t suspicious at all, Mina thought sarcastically.

“I didn’t think anyone would be up,” the girl said, not moving from her spot.

“And I didn’t think anyone would be coming in this late,” Mina replied. She edged closer to get a better look at the student’s face. With that straight nose, sharp jawline, round eyes, and a mole at the bottom left corner of her lips, Mina immediately recognized who it was. “Son Chaeyoung.”

“You know me, Myoui?” The girl raised her eyebrows.

Mina didn’t think Chaeyoung was being serious; the young Ravenclaw was pretty well-known throughout the school. The pranks she and Kim Dahyun of Hufflepuff pulled off were . . . memorable to say the least – Mina herself had a few unfortunate run-ins with Chaeyoung’s jokes. But despite how funny or unfunny the consequences were, they also left an irreparable dent in their House points score. The younger girl was either praised or detested in Ravenclaw. Last year, Chaeyoung was lucky that she helped their Quidditch team win the Quidditch Cup to make up for them coming in last place for the House Cup.

“I’m going to have to report you,” stated Mina, crossing her arms hoping that she looked a bit more authoritative, “and dock points off our House.”

Chaeyoung snorted. “What are you? A prefect?” She then noticed the badge pinned proudly on Mina’s robes. “Of course, as expected.”

Mina’s frown deepened. The girl had said it almost like an insult.

Chaeyoung let go of her satchel and held her hands up, slowly walking forward. “Look, you can report me and dock points . . . or you can pretend that you never saw me come in. No damage done.”

Mina hesitated, biting her lip. What Chaeyoung said sounded reasonable. Did she really want their House to lose points already so early in the year? Maybe she could pretend it never happened . . .

Chaeyoung saw her waver and smirked. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Heat rose to Mina’s face. “Ten points from Ravenclaw!” she snapped.

A flash of annoyance passed over Chaeyoung’s face, but she quickly covered it up and shrugged. “Tsk, Myoui. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Go to bed or I will report you.”

“Wow,” said Chaeyoung. “No need to be uptight.”

Much to Mina’s relief, Chaeyoung didn’t stay to put up a fight though and obediently went up the dormitory staircase. Mina shook her head, disappointed with herself. She could’ve done better as a prefect; if this was the Ministry, this wouldn’t have been allowed. She couldn’t let a rule-breaker get away. Rules were there for a reason and people who defy them should be stopped. It was as simple as that. Mina worried that after going easy on her, Chaeyoung would try to exploit that from now on. The prefect silently promised herself to be more resilient next time.

Though, if it was any consolation, she did dock points; at least there was some sort of punishment that took place. She hadn’t wanted to, but it needed to be done.

Jihyo’s words from earlier echoed in her mind. Just remember to watch out for any trouble, there can be some students who are quite the handful.

“Son Chaeyoung,” Mina whispered to herself. She knew that the short girl would be quite the handful.

/ / / 

It occurred to Dahyun that neither she nor Tzuyu had asked Chaeyoung what her plan for getting a dragon was.

So stupid.

Dahyun was all for pulling harmless pranks or exploring the castle (as long as it didn’t involve going up to the tallest towers or the darkest corners of the dungeon); in fact, she usually was the leader of the DubChaeng shenanigans and would totally be on board for any chaotic activities to procrastinate from schoolwork. But she drew a line when it came to being in the face of danger.

Or . . . she thought she had drawn that line. After Dahyun returned from her study session with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, she immediately ran to her room and screamed into a pillow. What was she thinking? She had just agreed to a plan she didn’t know anything about! The only thing she knew for sure was that it was definitely illegal and definitely something that would get them expelled if anyone found out.

But she couldn’t back out now . . . could she? No, she couldn’t do that to Chaeyoung. Her best friend since childhood counted on her.

Dahyun groaned when that Saturday morning came. She had dreamt of enormous lizards swooping in from the sky, attacking her and her friends, and sinking their sharp teeth into her soft white flesh. Dragons weren’t vegetarians! They didn’t eat tofu! The young girl had frightfully woken up in a cold sweat.

Normally Dahyun would’ve been ecstatic that it was the weekend, but now she wished that the week had gone by slower, giving her more time to mentally prepare for Hogsmeade.

“You look miserable,” a girl commented as she approached Dahyun; the Hufflepuff common room was filled with students busy mingling and preparing for the occasional weekend outing. The girl had on a camel tan pea coat with a skirt underneath, and a red headband was perched on her head as her mousy brown hair tumbled in waves down her shoulders. Her cute knee-high socks were mostly black except for a few white stripes outlining the face of a badger that looked like it was peeking through. Worry was planted on her face.

Before Dahyun could respond, the girl hastily placed a cool hand on Dahyun’s forehead and inspected her with concerned eyes. “Are you sick? Do you have a fever? Temperatures have dropped recently so you might catch a cold if you’re not too careful. You are looking a little pale!”

“Agh, Sahgna, I-mmfph-fah-nnh!” Dahyun struggled to give a coherent answer since the girl’s hands were now pulling and squishing Dahyun’s white cheeks.

Gently taking the girl by her wrists, Dahyun recomposed herself, her face a little sore. “Sana, I’m fine. Besides, I’m already pale.”

The girl, Sana, pouted. “I’m just checking. You looked really down a minute ago, are you sure everything is fine?”

Dahyun wondered if she should tell Sana about her situation. No! Everything is not fine! My best friend wants a dragon and now I’m torn between my loyalty to our friendship and not dying. I’d prefer not dying!

Instead she said, “It’s okay, I’m just dealing with the stress of school. We’re only one month in and it’s already kicking my .”

“Aw, my poor Dahyunnie!” Sana exclaimed, drawing the girl into a tight hug. “I know our House is full of hard-workers, but don’t push yourself too hard. Rest is important!”

“Er, um, uh yes.” Dahyun’s face flushed red . . . obviously due to the lack of oxygen.

“Are you two ready for Hogsmeade?” Another student came over to join them. She had long, straight black hair with bangs rolled slightly above her eyes, and wore an oversized gray hoodie that said Piggy in pink cursive. In one hand, she had four slices of bread, and in the other, she had a half-eaten banana. The girl happily took a bite out of a slice of bread, letting out a sound of satisfaction.

“Momo, did you take that from the kitchens?” Sana knitted her eyebrows as she watched the girl continue to eat in front of them.

“Yup, the house elves generously gave me some of their freshly baked pumpkin bread, and I swiped the banana.” She held out her hand with the bread slices. “Want some?”

Dahyun and Sana graciously took Momo’s offering. Dahyun took a bite of the bread and warmth filled her body. She was glad that Momo had some sort of agreement with the house elves in the kitchen; they often gave her leftovers or snacks they prepared in between meals, which meant that the pale girl and Sana were recipients of the elves’ generosity as well.

“What are you two up to today?” Momo asked as they finished eating. “Maybe we can stock up at Honeydukes because I think I’m running out of cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties are coming into season.”

“I’m actually meeting up with Nayeon and a couple of friends – you may heard of them, Myoui Mina and Park Jihyo – at the Three Broomsticks Inn,” replied Sana. “You’re welcome to join if you want – both of you.”

“Dahyun?”

Dahyun felt the palms of her hands become clammy. This was it. Maybe she could get out of her original plans. Just say that you don’t have anything going on. Go with Momo to Honeydukes! Or join Sana and her friends!

Unfortunately, betrayed her. “I-I already am doing something with Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and Jeongyeon.”

Momo slumped her shoulders, looking a bit crestfallen. “Oh, okay. Maybe next time.”

Sana suddenly let out a gasp and grabbed both Momo’s and Dahyun’s hands. “Wait! I know! We can go to Honeydukes first – us three plus Dahyun’s friends – and then we can all join the others at the inn! I’m sure it’s fine. Nayeon and Chou Tzuyu are in the same House, right? And I think the others share similar Houses too. They probably all know each other anyway.”

Momo’s face immediately lit up and grinned at the idea. “That sounds great! I haven’t seen Nayeon in forever. Isn’t she ancient by now?”

Sana giggled. “She’s only one year older than us, Momoring.”

“Ancient.”

Dahyun smiled widely. Sana’s idea did sound great and not dangerous. Chaeyoung was notoriously stubborn, but if Dahyun could convince her that butterbeer and sweets were much, much better than getting a dragon, then it would be a win-win situation. Plus, she had a feeling that Tzuyu and Jeongyeon were more likely to take her side than the Ravenclaw girl’s. Good. Numbers helped. A lot.

This Saturday morning was starting to brighten up. No dragon today!

“What do you say, Dahyun?” Sana asked, her wide eyes waiting for an answer. “Do you think you can sway your friends to join us?”

“Yeah, I think I can.”

Well, Dahyun was wrong. It felt like the universe was out to get her. Or maybe it was just a person named Son Chaeyoung.

The short Ravenclaw girl shook her head vehemently once again. “Nope, not doing it.”

“C’mon, Chaeng. Forget the dragon,” pleaded Dahyun. “We can enjoy this day with butterbeer, I’ll buy! As many drinks as you want!” The two girls were waiting for Tzuyu and Jeongyeon at a shop corner down the High Street of Hogsmeade. Dahyun had told Sana and Momo that she’d talk to Chaeyoung and catch up with them later.

“Dubu, I thought you agreed to do this with me,” said Chaeyoung.

Dahyun huffed. She had – but she didn’t promise. And it was under the pressure of Chaeyoung’s cute begging face. Who could say no to that?

A gentle breeze danced through the fall air and the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue skies. The Saturday morning weather was pleasant, a nice day to be outside. Dahyun watched in envy as Hogwarts students bustled about in the small village, cheerfully visiting the many stores and laughing with friends. That could be us, Chaeyoung, Dahyun thought to herself bitterly.

“Chaeyoung,” she begged again. She noticed a figure running towards them, her hair tied up in a high ponytail and school uniform ditched, replaced with jeans, a Gryffindor t-shirt, and a cool leather jacket. “Jeongyeon!”

“Alright, you guys?” said Jeongyeon as she finally reached the two. “Looks like Chou is taking her time.”

“Tzuyu can’t come,” confessed Chaeyoung. “It’s just us three.”

Dahyun’s eyes widened with shock. WHAT? Tzuyu weaseled her way out of this? How dare Chou leave her alone to deal with this dragon situation! The audacity!

But she also secretly prayed that Tzuyu would come whisk her way too.

“. Is it okay with three?” asked Jeongyeon.

Chaeyoung nodded. “It should be.”

Anxiety began to creep up and Dahyun sensed that Chaeyoung was ready to move forward with her plan – whatever it was. It was now or never to stop it. “Jeongyeon, please tell Chaeyoung that she’s crazy for wanting a – OUCH!”

Conveniently, Chaeyoung chose that exact time to step on Dahyun’s foot. Hard. She apologized for it right away, claiming it to be an “accident.”

“Accident” my foot. Literally! Dahyun glared at her friend. It then dawned on her that Chaeyoung hadn’t told Jeongyeon what she was planning to do. That little –! Dahyun needed to move quickly. Before Chaeyoung could step on her foot again, Dahyun took a deep breath and blurted out, “Chaeyoungwantsadragonandsheisgoingtogetonetoday!”

“What?”

“Dragon! Jeongyeon, a dragon! That’s what Chaeyoung is planning to get today!” Dahyun pointed at her friend accusingly like a child tattle-telling to a parent.

“Kid, is this true?” Jeongyeon faced the short girl who smacked her forehead in frustration.

“Yes! I want a dragon and I know how to get one,” Chaeyoung responded boldly, clenching her fists. “And I’m going to get it whether you like it or not!” She straightened her posture, trying to meet Jeongyeon eye-to-eye – which kind of looked ridiculous since there was a serious height difference between the two.

Jeongyeon ran her hand through her bangs, taking in everything she just heard. She wasn’t surprised at Chaeyoung’s declaration, but she didn’t look too pleased either. “A dragon, huh? The one that breathes fire?”

Chaeyoung lifted her chin up in defiance. “Yup.”

The older girl clamped both of her hands down on Chaeyoung’s broad shoulders, leaning her face in closer. “Chaeyoung, are you serious? This isn’t like going to a pet shop and adopting an owl or something. There are real consequences if you try to get a dragon – numerous of laws you’re breaking if you do indeed obtain one.”

“I know what’s at stake,” retorted the shorter girl.

“No, I don’t think you do!” Jeongyeon scolded. “If anyone in the school finds out, you’ll be expelled and your wand will be snapped and that’s the end of magic for you!”

The fire in Chaeyoung’s eyes never left. “Only if I’m caught.”

Jeongyeon shook her head, dropping her hands. Dahyun bit her nails as she watched the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain assess their friend sternly. “You must really want a dragon.”

“You have no idea. I’ve already made up my mind, and you won’t be able to talk me out of it, Jeong.”

“Honestly kid, what you’re doing is really, really stupid.”

“I don’t care,” replied Chaeyoung, grudgingly.

“Chaeng, stop being a child and just listen to Jeongyeon – we care about you!” Dahyun protested. “Come with me to Three Broomsticks instead!”

“Just admit that you don’t want to come!” snapped Chaeyoung. “Dubs, if you wanted out, you should’ve just said so. I can do this alone, I will do this alone!”

Before Dahyun or Jeongyeon could stop the Ravenclaw girl, Chaeyoung took off. Her small legs quickly carried her away while the other two stared in shock, speechless. Neither of them made a move to go after her.

Argh. Dahyun wanted to rip her hair out; as far as she knew, her best friend was only one step away from jeopardizing her entire life. There was no way Chaeyoung could get a dragon without doing something crooked.

“S-should we tell someone?” panicked the pale Hufflepuff student, turning to her taller companion.

Jeongyeon blinked a few times, recovering from what had just happened. “I dunno . . . If we tell someone, then Chaeyoung is surely going to be kicked out of school. I don’t want to do that to the kid.”

The guilt of dropping out began to settle in Dahyun’s heart. She didn’t want Chaeyoung to get in severe trouble (even if she did deserve it to some extent), but putting a full-time stop to the young girl’s career in magic when she was hardly a teenager seemed absolutely cruel. Dahyun screamed internally. This was not how her day was supposed to go. Nausea and worry swelled within Dahyun and she felt like she was going to vomit. Maybe Sana was right. Maybe she was getting sick.

Jeongyeon heaved a sigh. “There’s not much we can do now. I really hope the kid is careful. Dragons are not something anyone should be messing around with.” She slapped Dahyun on the back. “Let’s go, I’ll buy you a butterbeer. You look like you’ve had a rough day.”

/ / / 

Mina was on her way to meet Jihyo and the others at Three Broomsticks when something grabbed her attention. Well, more like a someone. Son Chaeyoung. The girl was glancing around with that mysterious satchel once again hugged closely to her chest.

Mina checked her watch; she still had some time before she needed to be at the inn. Her prefect senses were tingling and telling her that whatever Chaeyoung was up to, it was shady and needed to be stopped. Keeping a safe distance between her and the girl, Mina quietly tailed behind Chaeyoung.

Unlike most students, Chaeyoung didn’t bother to wander the main streets of Hogsmeade. She didn’t even bother to look at the stores. She bobbed and weaved through the crowds, making her way closer and closer the outskirts of the village. Mina observed the girl as she paused to look at a piece of parchment drawn from her coat pocket momentarily, then folded it back up and proceeded to walk again.

Where in the world was she going?

By now the number of buildings was scarce and there were only a few scattered trees alongside the mountainous Scottish terrain. The area was run-down, and while the heart of the village had been buzzing with people, here there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

Chaeyoung finally stopped in front of a lone, red-stone building. A metal sign reading The Red Salamander Pub eerily creaked in the breeze, sending a shiver down Mina’s spine. The short girl confidently barged through the weather-beaten door while Mina watched from afar, unsure of what to do next. Every instinct in Mina’s body was telling her to bail right now. She wasn’t a Gryffindor. She didn’t pursue adrenaline rushes, she didn’t relish adventure, and she wasn’t daring or brave or reckless.

She was Myoui Mina of Ravenclaw. Calm, cool-headed, intelligent (not that she would ever say it out loud). Smart enough to abandon Son Chaeyoung to her own shifty business and get back to Jihyo and her friends.

But despite Mina’s screaming nerves, she also thought about her prefect duties. As a House prefect, she couldn’t ignore the younger girl’s stupidity – no matter how much she wanted to – and couldn’t desert one of her own (though Mina questioned if Chaeyoung really belonged in Ravenclaw). Even if Chaeyoung wasn’t on her favorites list, she couldn’t let the girl die! And this place definitely looked like a place where someone would murder you.

Mina in her breath and patted her inner coat pocket, making sure her wand was secure. Then, apprehensive as ever, she followed Chaeyoung into the pub.