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.

Tzuyu was awful at lying.

She didn’t exactly lie to Chaeyoung when she told her friend she felt a bit under the weather, but that wasn’t the reason why she didn’t go to Hogsmeade. With most of the school away at the village, Tzuyu had some time alone. Much needed time alone. Perhaps there was a little guilt with leaving Dahyun and Jeongyeon to be pulled into Chaeyoung’s absurd plan, but Tzuyu hoped that between the two older students, some much needed sense would be drilled into the small girl’s brain.

Besides, she had other things to think about that weren’t flying reptilian beasts.

Tzuyu drummed her fingers against her leg as she quietly left the Slytherin common room, hoping her absence wouldn’t be noticed by the students who stayed behind or the Head of the House. She checked over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her and then slipped into the shadows of the dungeon.

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor and Tzuyu’s heart began to beat faster and faster. Nerves and excitement surged through her as she took out her wand, having to light her own way due to the lack of candles. None of the other students knew of this passageway, even the professors didn’t show any signs that they were aware. It was perfect because it gave Tzuyu her own privacy.

The third year reached end of the hall, greeted by a worn down, red doorway; there were dozens of scratches on the woodwork and an odd circular symbol that Tzuyu didn’t recognize. She supposed that the room probably once had some historical significance to the castle, but was long forgotten by now. It was only the end of last year when she stumbled upon this secret hideout. Initially she was going to tell her two best friends about it, though after much consideration, Tzuyu decided against it. She needed something that was just for her and her only. At least for the moment. It was difficult when the three already shared so much (sometimes a little too TMI) in their lives.

She’d tell the two eventually, just not yet.

A sharp pain seared through Tzuyu’s head and she had to steady herself against the wall. It had been like this all day: throbbing sensations, dizzy spells, fatigue, and a slight cough. Im Nayeon, a seventh year in Slytherin, had thrown a worry fit at breakfast when Tzuyu mumbled about feeling ill and immediately began pampering her.

Nayeon had an ongoing affinity towards Tzuyu, Chaeyoung, and Dahyun ever since they were first introduced to each other (thanks to Jeongyeon), claiming to be their surrogate mother during their shared time at Hogwarts. Whilst the older girl constantly babied all three of them, Chaeyoung and Dahyun were lucky they weren’t in the same House as Nayeon. That girl stuck to Tzuyu like a leech. The tall brunette thought that Nayeon took her self-proclaimed role as “mom” a little too seriously, always lecturing and hugging and kissing the third year whenever she had the chance.

That morning Tzuyu had suffered through a long-winded talk about why self-care was important and the necessity of the school’s hospital wing. It then took several minutes to convince Nayeon that she didn’t have to stay behind from Hogsmeade and look after Tzuyu because she had a small cough.

At last, the pain subsided and the Slytherin girl recomposed herself. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

She didn’t lie to Chaeyoung, Tzuyu told herself. Because lying wasn’t the same thing as keeping a secret . . . right?

/ / /

Evening was approaching and Dahyun was positive that her blood pressure levels were through the roof all thanks to a certain Son Chaeyoung. She never thought that a single girl of such a tiny size could cause so much stress. Congratulations, Chaeng! You will be the reason I pass away at the ripe age of fourteen! She thought humorlessly to herself.

Dahyun and Jeongyeon had searched for Chaeyoung (and Mina) throughout Hogsmeade to no avail. The sky had turned from the bright, clear blue to a blazing magenta as the sun lowered itself behind the horizon. Luckily the temperatures outside weren’t too unbearable so Dahyun didn’t regret wearing only a light jacket.

“It’s getting late,” said Jeongyeon as they circled a residential neighborhood for the sixth time. “We should probably head back; the others might’ve found Myoui by now.”

“What about Chaeyoung?”

Jeongyeon sighed. “Maybe she’s safe and sound at the castle?”

The two students, dejected, began to trudge back to the village gate. Dahyun really didn’t want to give up, but Jeongyeon was right. It was getting late and the situation wouldn’t be any better if they themselves got lost.

Where are you, Chaeng?

As if the universe decided to be kind this time around and attend to Dahyun’s desperate plea, she spotted the small Ravenclaw girl and Myoui Mina stroll out from an alleyway. Dahyun felt a scream leave her own lips as she raced towards the girls and hugged Chaeyoung tightly. Both Chaeyoung and Mina looked stunned, but the pale girl didn’t care. Tears stained Dahyun’s cheeks and Chaeyoung’s coat as Chaeyoung awkwardly patted her friend on the back.

“Uh, Dubs? You can let go now.”

“No way. I thought you were dead! Never gonna come back – buried in the ground – cold as stone – d-e-a-d – DEAD. I would’ve been best friendless for the rest of my years at Hogwarts. What would I do? Who would be my partner in crime? Do you know how boring it would be with just Tzuyu? Wait – don’t tell her I said that.”

Chaeyoung snorted at Dahyun’s dramatics, but continued to pat her on the back.

Jeongyeon jogged over to the small reunion, puzzlement written all over her face. “Kid! Myoui! We were looking everywhere for you! Why are you two together? Where did you come from? What happened with the you-know-what?”

“Yeah, what happened with the dragon plan?” Dahyun blurted out as she finally let go of Chaeyoung, not really caring that Mina was standing beside them.

Chaeyoung and Mina exchanged glances. Letting out a soft chuckle, Chaeyoung rubbed the back of her neck. “Um, you see –”

Mina cut her off, glaring at the young girl like a mother reprimanding a child. “Chaeyoung came to her senses and realized that wanting a dragon is an absurd, outlandish, dangerous, stupid, totally unreasonable –”

“Okay, okay, they get it.”

“–Absolutely reckless, utterly selfish desire and she decided not to go through with it.”

Both Dahyun and Jeongyeon couldn’t believe their ears. They gawked at the short girl who was now staring attentively at the ground.

“Whoa, hang on. How did you know that Chaeyoung wanted a dragon, Myoui?” prompted Jeongyeon, her expression becoming even more perplexed.

“I caught her sneaking off to the outskirts of the village and demanded for her to tell me what she was up to,” replied Mina as she crossed her arms almost defensively.

“And you talked Chaeng out of wanting a dragon?” Dahyun cried out, unsure of whether or not to believe the older girl. She and Jeongyeon failed to change Chaeyoung’s mind, how could this girl – who was an acquaintance at best – get through to that thick skull?

“It’s amazing how persuasive a prefect can be,” said Mina coolly.

Dahyun stared at her friend again who still wasn’t meeting anyone’s eyes. Something wasn’t right. Chaeyoung rarely listened to reason when she already had her heart set on something. And Chaeyoung definitely did not care what prefects had to say. There had to be something else going on.

But why would Myoui Mina lie? Her reputation was well-known at Hogwarts; she was a considerate, gentle, quiet stickler to rules. She was smart. She was honest. She had no reason to lie.

Maybe her persuasion skills really were remarkable.

“Well . . . glad to know that you’re okay, kid,” said Jeongyeon, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen upon the girls. “And Myoui, Nayeon and the others all split up to search for you when you didn’t show at Three Broomsticks. It’s good to see that you’re safe too. Let’s return to school, hopefully everyone else is there.”

Mina’s face flushed when she heard that her friends went on a search party for her. She gave a long, unreadable look at Chaeyoung before she and Jeongyeon took the lead, chatting away.

Dahyun stayed by Chaeyoung’s side, deciding that she would comfort her friend. If what Mina said was true and Chaeyoung really did give up on her dragon dream, then her heart must be shattered at the moment.

“Hey,” she said as she walked shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ravenclaw student. “Sorry to hear about the dragon thing. And I’m really sorry about ditching you earlier, I . . . it wasn’t right for me as your best friend to leave you like that. But I was thinking, you seem really into dragons and we were kind of harsh on you; Jeongyeon said that maybe we could go visit the dragon sanctuary in Romania this summer – I’m sure some strings could be pulled. You, me, Tzuyu, Jeongyeon. A dream vacation, right? For you, at least. This is a much safer option though, the dragon keepers there will make sure that we don’t get hurt or you know, die.”

Chaeyoung remained quiet.

“Or maybe the Swedish dragon reservation would be better since Sweden it’s closer to here –Hmmm, I’m not sure if that one is accessible to the public. I could ask around to see if we know anyone who has contacts with the place,” babbled Dahyun. “What do you think, Chaeng?”

“Hm?”

“Romania or Sweden?”

Chaeyoung studied the pale girl, tugging on the right sleeve of her jacket. “Uh . . . Neither. You and Jeong don’t have to do this for me. I’m okay, really. And I understand why you backed out, it was kind of ridiculous in hindsight.” She linked arms with Dahyun as she attempted a smile. “Let’s just forget about the dragon stuff; we still have an entire year’s worth of mischief to plan out, yeah?”

If Dahyun didn’t know Chaeyoung that well, she would’ve easily eaten up the girl’s words and thought little of the entire situation. Chaeyoung reflected on wanting a dragon and decided to be rational human being and not do the stupid thing. Right? But Dahyun had known Chaeyoung since they were young, long before they attended Hogwarts, and she knew when her best friend was lying.

First Mina, now Chaeyoung.

Something happened. Something happened between Chaeyoung and Mina, and both were lying through their teeth about it.

Dozens of scenarios flew through Dahyun’s mind, but before she could call out her friend’s fib, the four reached the castle. Mina ran to find the rest of her friends and apologize; Jeongyeon said she needed to attend to some Quidditch obligations; and Chaeyoung, bidding a quick farewell, dashed off to Ravenclaw Tower leaving Dahyun alone.

The Hufflepuff fourth year sighed in frustration. Why would Chaeyoung be keeping secrets from her? The two never hid anything from each other – ever. And Dahyun was still skeptical that Chaeyoung would drop wanting a dragon that fast, especially when she had been so persistent and prepared to give up her free time at Hogsmeade to chase after the wild dream.

No, something fishy was definitely going on. Maybe it was out of guilt for ditching her best friend earlier, or the growing curiosity in the pit of her stomach, or simply because she wanted to be there for Chaeyoung this time, but no matter the reason, Dahyun was determined to get to the bottom of the truth.

/ / /

Chaeyoung collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion. She had expected the day to be exciting, but perhaps not this exhilarating.

Her heart was still racing from her encounter with Eads, high from the pure euphoria of succeeding an actual dragon deal to the bone-chilling terror as she recalled the dealer’s words. But despite how much Chaeyoung wanted to celebrate the day’s small victory, Myoui Mina had been dragged into this entire mess and it was a complete disaster. The young Ravenclaw girl didn’t want to get unconsenting parties involved in her dragon business; that was why she never pushed Dahyun or Jeongyeon when they made it clear they didn’t want to participate. Chaeyoung was willing to make the necessary sacrifices to get what she wanted because she believed that ultimately the benefit outweighed the cost. However, not everyone thought the same way. Mina certainly did not.

It was rather clever, Chaeyoung reluctantly admitted. Holding a third party’s life as leverage was unwarranted and callous, yet totally effective. It was as the dealer said, Mina was insurance to ensure that the young girl would follow through on her end of the bargain. Who would want to be responsible for another person’s life? Not Chaeyoung. But here she was with the fate of Myoui Mina resting on her shoulders.

Chaeyoung groaned, rolling over on her bed. Why couldn’t Eads understand that the Aurorean Blackhide was enough motivation for her to run around in circles like a chicken without its head? She didn’t have any intentions of backing out; she’d do anything for that fire breathing lizard.

Speaking of which . . . Chaeyoung took out the Drakoscope from her pocket, whispering the Revealing Charm as she tapped it with her wand. The image of the embryonic dragon appeared on the shard and she gazed at it fondly.

Ah, so this was what true love felt like. All of those love clichés she heard as a child – the butterflies in the stomach, the aching of happiness inside, the sensation of floating in the air, the weakness in the knees – Chaeyoung could confirm that they were very much true. Her heart fluttered in excitement every second she looked at the glass shard. The young girl giggled to herself, she couldn’t believe she was looking at a real-life dragon. Her dragon.

Well . . . not hers yet. There still was one tiny obstacle in the way before she could claim her baby.

Chaeyoung inspected her mysterious mark that Eads placed on her right wrist; the red tinted moon serving as a constant reminder of the deal. How the bloody heck was she supposed to find a lost heirloom? Heavy emphasis on lost. Plus, Hogwarts castle was freaking huge! Where the hell would she start? Mina had been right. The deal was so unfair.

Myoui Mina . . . the Ravenclaw girl crossed Chaeyoung’s mind as she ran her hands through her dark hair. They would have to work together, even if it wasn’t ideal for either of them. But Chaeyoung didn’t trust herself to be capable of finding Eads’s treasure by herself. She needed Mina’s help. Already there were a dozen of problems though. For one, the two were an unlikely pair, practically opposites of each other. If Jeongyeon were here, she’d say they were like a comic duo, Mina the serious one and Chaeyoung, well, the not-serious one.

Chaeyoung had wanted to discuss the day’s events after the two left the pub, but the prefect completely shut her down. The older girl was scared, no doubt. She was really shaken up even after they ran into Dahyun and Jeongyeon, going as far as pretending that it never happened. Chaeyoung had wanted to dish out the details to her friends – particularly Dahyun because what are best friends for – but Mina’s abrupt lie caught her off guard and the piercing brown eyes made Chaeyoung keep her lips sealed.

There had to be a bright side to all of this chaos. Chaeyoung made a mental list in her head: she had the Drakoscope with her soon-to-be-named baby; Mina was really smart – out of both of them, she’d be the more useful one in finding the heirloom; and lastly, Mina valued her own life.

Okay, so maybe everything wasn’t hopeless. They could find this relic-thingy before the first new moon of December, get her dragon, and then live happily ever after. Easy-peasy.

Chaeyoung just needed to talk to Mina; they had to be on the same page if they were going to get anywhere with this. That was . . . less easy-peasy.

Deeply contemplating her next move, Chaeyoung decided that she had done too much thinking for a single sitting. Why not start now? What better time than the present? The small third year jumped up from her bed and scurried down to the common room, hoping to find Mina there.

“Darn it,” muttered Chaeyoung when she could find no trace of the older girl. She spotted a lanky boy in the corner, lounging in a chair deeply enamored with a book. “Captain!” she said as she tapped him on the shoulder. “Captain Tuan!”

“Oh, all right Son?”

“Have you seen Myoui anywhere?”

“Myoui as in the new prefect?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Not sure, maybe she’s in the library. She spends every inkling of free time she can get over there.”

Chaeyoung nodded. Of course! The library! The second-home to school nerds! She thanked the Quidditch Captain and darted towards the library-corridor on the first floor.

Cursing under her breath for the umpteenth time, Chaeyoung had checked every place she thought Mina could be. Library? Nope. Study area? Nuh-huh. Astronomy tower? Negative. The staffroom? Nada. She also looked in the kitchens (only found Momo), the Hufflepuff Basement entrance (Sana told her Mina wasn’t there either), the Owlery (she stopped to say hi to her own owl, Pique), and even turned back to Ravenclaw Tower to check the dorms (“Sorry, I haven’t seen Mina since this morning”).

“Where could you be?” Chaeyoung said as she roamed the long corridors of the castle. It was almost like the girl was avoiding her!

Chaeyoung huffed and scuffed the ground. She had searched for Mina for hours, even skipping supper to find the prefect – though she did check the Great Hall for any signs of Mina and found nothing.

Feeling ready to give up, the girl began to head back to Ravenclaw Tower wishing she had taken some of the snacks Momo offered when she checked the kitchen.

“It’s getting a little late for a third year to be wandering in the hallways.”

Chaeyoung stopped in her tracks. “Park Jihyo.” The Gryffindor prefect stood in front of her, curious eyes studying Chaeyoung and hands placed on her hips. Jihyo was nice most of the time, but could be really scary when she needed to be.

Chaeyoung hoped this wasn’t one of those times.

“Oh, sorry Park,” she mumbled. “I was going back to the Tower anyway.”

Jihyo nodded slowly. “By the way, Son. You wouldn’t happen to know why Mina was crying, would you?”

Chaeyoung froze. Mina, crying? She let out a short, nervous cough causing Jihyo to narrow her eyes.

“Son.”

“I-I have no idea why Myoui would be crying,” the small girl stammered. C’mon Chaeyoung, quit stuttering! “She and I aren’t even that close.”

“I thought so too, but when she ran past me a few moments ago, she was cursing your name. And I heard from Jeongyeon that you and her were together when they found you in Hogsmeade.”

Damnit, Jeong.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Chaeyoung said quickly. “Um, uh, I-I’ll go apologize . . . Where did you last see her?”

“Fifth floor, going towards the prefect bathroom. Look, Son, I’m not sure what you did, but I’m warning you: no harm better come upon my best friend. Not now, not ever. Got that? You don’t want to feel my wrath, right?”

“No, ma’am,” squeaked Chaeyoung.

Jihyo smiled. It was bright and chipper laced with all of the menacing Mother-Bear protection the girl could muster up (which happened to be a lot). Chaeyoung concluded that Park Jihyo was by far much scarier than the Black-Market dealer she had met earlier that day. “Good to hear.” Jihyo leaned in closer, her lips brushing the tip of Chaeyoung’s ear. “And I better not find her hair green tomorrow.”

The Gryffindor student flashed another smile and went on her way, whistling a cheery tune. The click of her shoes against the stone floor faded in the distance as Jihyo disappeared out of sight.

Chaeyoung let out an exasperated sigh and made her way to the fifth floor.

/ / / 

Mina had hoped that taking a bath would help to ease her worries, but instead she sat in the soothing water and sobbed. This was the absolute worst way to start her fifth year of studies. Within the span of a single day, Mina had not only gotten dragged into a Black-Market trade with dragons and her life threatened before her, but she also had an impossible quest to fulfill before Christmas.

Great.

Luckily the prefect bathroom was empty and she didn’t have an audience to witness her pitiful state. A girl crying her heart out in a giant bathtub – truly pathetic. Soaking in her misery, Mina knew she needed to talk to Chaeyoung, but every time she thought of the girl, frustration boiled up inside of her. This was Chaeyoung’s fault! Her mess, her problem to solve. Mina never wanted to be involved in the first place.

“Stupid idiot,” she hissed under her breath; her words were directed towards Chaeyoung, but also herself. Mina wished she stuck to her instincts and ignored the third year back at the village. She hadn’t even been a prefect for a full month and she already broke most of the school rules. The irony of it all was that she justified following Chaeyoung because it was her responsibility as prefect to look after the younger students.

But she failed. Failed to stop Chaeyoung. Failed to upkeep school principles. Failed to abide by her own morals. Failed as a prefect. How could she possibly think she could handle the Ministry?

Her eyes wandered to the mark on her wrist from Eads; the crimson curved lines almost glowed in the bathroom’s mellow lighting. A scar of her regret. The red moon glared back at her as if it were taunting, this is what you get for breaking the rules!

Mina sank further into the water.

After finishing her bath, Mina dressed and exited the bathroom still feeling as miserable as before. She nearly let out a blood-curling scream when she saw Son Chaeyoung waiting for her at the entrance. Sitting on the floor, knees hugging her chest, Chaeyoung was staring at the Drakoscope in her hand with that stupid grin on her face and that stupid dimple.

“What are you doing here?” Mina shouted, causing Chaeyoung jump in surprise.

“Isn’t it kind of obvious? I’m waiting for you.” The young girl stood up, brushing the dirt off of her robes and shoved the Drakoscope back into her pocket.

“Leave me alone, Son.” Tears formed on the brim of Mina’s eyes and she bit back another sob. She didn’t want to do this now. Ducking her head, she stormed past Chaeyoung with clenched fists. Or she tried to. The shorter girl seized Mina’s wrist and stopped her from moving.

“Mina,” she said softly, her voice a low whisper which was surprisingly comforting. “Mina,” she repeated.

Chaeyoung gently rubbed her thumb over Mina’s marked wrist, her dark eyes staring at it intensely. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry that you got involved in all of this, and I know that I am entirely to blame for everything that happened today.

“But I can’t do this without you. I need your help. Us working together will be far better – and probably faster – in finding what Eads wants. Then it will all be over.”

Mina didn’t say anything right away. Of course, she knew that two heads were better than one (even if one of them was Chaeyoung’s), and she needed the girl just as much as Chaeyoung needed her. As unwilling as she’d admit it, they were stuck in this together.

“Fine,” she finally said. Her voice was hoarse and sounded far away. “Let’s find the relic and end the deal as soon as possible. But this must be kept a secret – you can’t tell anyone else. No professors, none of your classmates or our Housemates, not even any of your friends. This must remain our secret.”

Chaeyoung nodded in agreement.

“And when this is over, we’re done; we’ll go our separate ways and never talk about this ever again. Got it?”

Chaeyoung’s expression was blank, but Mina thought she saw a glint of sorrow behind those round eyes.

“Okay. I understand.”

A/n: Sorry for this a bit later than usual; I've been rather busy, but at least this chapter is a tad bit longer. Speaking of which, with the Lunar New Year coming up, my schedule will be heavily occupied with performances throughout February so unfortunately I will not have much time to write. Thus, updates might be bit a slower. Apologies in advance! 

Thank you to everyone who's taken their time to read, comment, subscribe, and/or upvote the story. I am extremely flattered by all of the compliments in the comments section though I must say, please don't have too high of expectations. This is actually the first time I've pursued an ambitious plotline and my first time really doing any extensive fictional writing. But we'll see how this plays out. Thank you so much once again! Cheers!