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 in the plot. 

The skies were clear that Saturday morning as the school buzzed with excitement for the first Quidditch match of the season. Students packed the stands – some with binoculars at hand, others with large signs of support – chatting in anticipation. Chaeyoung and Dahyun took their seats next to Momo, the oldest girl completely decked out in black and yellow to show her House pride.

If you asked any witch or wizard, they would tell you that Quidditch was a simple sport: there were seven players on each side and four balls between them. Three Chasers per team would pass around a large, red ball called the Quaffle, trying to score in the three ringed goalposts on the opposite ends of the pitch. It was the Keeper’s job to protect the goals. Beaters from either side would smack two, wild Bludgers to the other players with clubs, and finally the Seeker who had to catch the tiny, golden Snitch which would not only earn the team one-hundred fifty points, but also end the game. See? Simple. It was quite exciting and widely popular, drawing in masses like muggle football (soccer) matches.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry took its Quidditch just as seriously as any of the professional leagues. House rivalries were no joke; losses often ended with great humiliation and scorn while victory could mean everlasting glory – or rather a few days’ worth. Teams made sure to keep tabs on the other Houses to construct effective strategies and plays, ensuring that they would bring their best the day of the game. With this particular pair, everyone knew that Hufflepuff was a dark horse, though many were curious to see how Slytherin would shape up this year.

Tzuyu was also looking forward to the match. It was a new shot at the Quidditch Cup, a new chance to redeem the House. Last year was pretty pathetic, the House came into last place all because their Captain, Cowley, had gotten into a fight with Yoo Jeongyeon. While Jeongyeon ended up with a broken arm (ruining Gryffindor’s chances), the entire Slytherin team was suspended from any further play. It would’ve seemed outrageously unfair, but it was also the fifteenth fight that a Slytherin player was involved in on the pitch. Headmaster Park had enough of the House’s rows and decided that everyone should take one for the team.

Needless to say, Slytherin’s season ended right then and there.

However, the House now had a new Captain, the fifth-year and ace Seeker Jeon Jungkook. With Cowley and the other trigger-happy higher-years gone, Jungkook was able recruit fresh blood to join the few remaining players. They practiced tirelessly every single day of the week, trying to build upon their teamwork and technique. Although Jungkook had to start mostly from scratch, everything was shaping up pretty well. Tzuyu was confident the Cup would be theirs by the end of the season.

The team gathered around in the locker room, waiting for final comments from their Captain before they headed out.

“Okay team,” Jungkook said as he cleared his throat. “This opening match is a chance to prove to everyone that Slytherin is back stronger than ever. Don’t worry about what happened last spring; this is a new year, a new us.”

Tzuyu nodded along with her teammates.

“Remember, Hufflepuff’s strength relies on their Beaters. Watch out for Minatozaki – that girl is force to be reckoned with. Let’s keep it simple and stick to the basics. Chasers, just play a strong passing game, the more shots we take, the more likely we’ll keep scoring. As for our two Beaters, be on the defense instead of trying to get into a war with the other team. Trust me when I say it’s not a battle we’ll win.”

Jungkook gazed at each and every one of the members. “This is will be our year, I just know it. Get out there and show everyone the power of the green and silver!”

The locker room filled with cheers and the players rushed out onto the Quidditch pitch. Adrenaline pumped through Tzuyu’s blood as she was met with a roaring crowd.

Madam Hooch, the referee, blew her whistle calling for the Captains to meet and shake hands. “I want this match to be clean and fair,” she said sternly, her piercing eyes staring at the Slytherin side. Jungkook didn’t even flinch, simply nodding. He and the Hufflepuff Captain grasped each other’s hands with tight smiles on their faces.

A girl with brown hair and cheery smile caught Tzuyu’s eye. Minatozaki Sana. She waved happily and mouthed good luck to the third-year.

Tzuyu frowned in confusion. Was this some sort of psychological ploy? Was the Beater trying to throw her off her game? She knew that Minatozaki was dangerous. Tzuyu shook her head. Concentrate.

“Players, mount your brooms!”

As Tzuyu climbed onto her broom, her head suddenly felt dizzy. Not good. She cursed under breath. It seemed that she had not yet fully recovered from her cold. The Chaser brushed it aside though, she would deal with being sick later. Right now, all that mattered was the game.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle once again and fourteen brooms took off.

“Testing – testing – is this thing working?” A booming voice echoed in the stands. A tall, scrawny boy with glasses was speaking into his wand. “Alrighty folks! It’s your favorite, awesomely handsome mate, Park Jae-Hyung of Gryffindor bringing you the absolute best commentary from here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Today on this fine day, we have our first match of the season starting off with Chou Tzuyu of Slytherin taking the Quaffle and – oh! That was a beautiful fake-out – Chou passes it off – Jennie Kim receives it – she’s going down the pitch – holy! – those Hufflepuff Chasers are breathing down her neck – she goes in to score – intercepted by Johnson! – Johnson bringing the Quaffle up the sideline there and – knocked out his hands by Varma! Gotta guard it better next time, buddy – Slytherin back in possession – whoa! Minatozaki is over there swinging that bat like there’s no tomorrow – LOOK OUT! Ouch! That’s going to leave a bruise – Kim grabs the Quaffle again and passes it off back to Chou – Chou is nearing the goal posts – takes a shot . . . SCORES! Ten to nothing, Slytherin.”

The stands shook as Slytherin students jumped up and down, fiercely chanting Tzuyu’s name. The brunette thought she could hear Nayeon screaming at the top of her lungs, “That’s my baby! Chou Tzuyu is my baby! That’s my baby who scored!” and ducked her head in embarrassment.

Jennie flew over to Tzuyu and gave a friendly knock on the shoulder. “Nice shot, Chou! Let’s go do that again.”

The rest of her teammates shouted out praises too.

“Not bad,” Sana commented as she drifted over to the Chaser. She tossed her hair and smirked. “I guess I’ll just have to work a little harder.”

She zipped off, leaving Tzuyu baffled yet again. The young girl couldn’t help but wonder if Minatozaki had some personal vendetta against her. She’d have to ask Dahyun about it at another time since the two were friends.

The match continued with Slytherin taking a strong lead thanks to Jungkook’s strategy. The players wouldn’t come out unbruised (Sana got each player good at least twice), but the team could always brag about having battle scars afterwards. Tzuyu passed the Quaffle off to Varma and was taken over by another dizzy spell. An intense, pulsing sensation throbbed in her head and she paused in mid-air to steady herself.

“Chou? Are you okay?” Jungkook called out, concerned.

“Yes. I-I’m fine.”

The Slytherin Captain sent her a hesitant look, but Tzuyu tossed him a thumbs up to give him reassurance. “Okay . . . please be careful,” he said before zooming away.

“Slytherin seems to be pretty comfortable with their lead at the moment and Jeon is now scouting the perimeter for the Snitch.” Jae’s loud voice continued to commentate in his wand-now-microphone. “Not gonna lie, but Slytherin looks pretty sturdy this season – none of that cheap crap that their ex-Captain Cowley pulled – what a dirty bast –”

“LANGUAGE MR. PARK!” Professor McGonagall scolded.

“Sorry Professor – anyway, where was I? Right, Slytherin seems formidable but nothing like what Captain Yoo has done with our team. Man! The Gryffindor Quidditch team is bomb this year, all of the other Houses better watch out – we not only have the prettiest and coolest Captain, but you should see our –”

“MR. PARK, YOUR JOB IS TO COMMENT ON THE MATCH, NOT BRAG ABOUT YOUR HOUSE’S QUIDDITCH TEAM.”

“C’mon Professor, I’m know you’re really proud of our team. Wouldn’t surprise me if you had a bet going on with the other teachers. What did you put down? Ten Galleons on us? Twenty? Next weekend is Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, by the way. It’s a rematch for sure since it should’ve been us to play off against them in last year’s finals. I’m telling you, Ravenclaw better watch out because we’re ready to whoop some a – HOLY !”

The crowd gasped. Tzuyu’s dizziness had gotten worse and she was now stumbling in the air on her broom. Her focus was out of control and she barely managed to maintain any stability with her flying. Tzuyu’s body teetered on the broomstick, threatening to fall off at any moment.

The Chaser’s eyes fluttered as her teammates were calling out to her in horror. Almost all of the players in the air had stopped playing, their attention turned to the third-year. Unfortunately, one of Slytherin’s own Beaters was still trying to keep the Bludgers away from knocking out people and accidentally hit it straight to Tzuyu.

The next moments were a blur: Tzuyu’s grip loosened around her broomstick, the jet-black Bludger was speeding towards her, someone screaming out her name . . . the pounding in Tzuyu’s head was too much . . . it hurt so bad . . . the world began to spin . . . BAM! The Bludger struck Tzuyu hard, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head.

And then she fell.

/ / /

Panic was much too weak of a word to describe how Dahyun felt when she witnessed one of her best friends fall from fifteen meters in the air. Try heart-wrenching terror or absolute dread. The pale girl would have fainted had it not been for Chaeyoung and Momo holding her upright.

The three of them were currently outside of the hospital wing, nervously awaiting any news about Tzuyu. Chaeyoung paced around, unable to stay still, with her nose scrunched and jaw locked. Dahyun noticed the young girl anxiously pull on strands of her raven-black hair as if she was going to yank it all off at any moment. The fourth-year herself was sitting on the ground with knees hugged tightly against her chest. She leaned in closer to Momo who was gently caressing Dahyun’s head, trying to reassure her friend that everything would be all right. The rest of the Slytherin team, Nayeon, and some of Tzuyu’s Quidditch fans were there as well.

No one said anything.

The door opened and a silver-haired woman downed in old British nurse attire stepped out. Next to her was Professor Lee and Sana.

“Is she okay? Is Tzuyu okay?” Nayeon promptly asked as soon as she noticed Madam Pomfrey.

“Miss Chou is doing well, Miss Im,” replied the woman. “She passed out mid-air, but she just woke up a few minutes ago. It was very fortunate that Miss Minatozaki was able to save her in time. We would probably be dealing with a corpse if that were not the case,” she added bluntly.

Sana blushed at the mention of her name and a warm sense of pride swelled up in Dahyun. As Tzuyu was falling, Sana – the closest in proximity to the girl – had nose-dived after her and managed to catch an arm as other players flew in to help.

That’s my girl! Er, friend. Girlfriend! Wait, no. Friend-girl. Not girlfriend. Just a friend . . . that’s a girl . . . with no romantic affiliations . . . simply platonic . . . argh, you know what I mean!

“There were some tears in Miss Chou’s shoulder ligament as well as several nasty bruises. I was able to heal the worst of her injuries, but she will need to avoid any strenuous activity for the next several weeks. I’m sure Mr. Jeon will see to her absence on the Quidditch team.” Madam Pomfrey eyed the older boy who looked devastated at the news of losing a Chaser.

“Why did Tzuyu fall though? She’s usually a really stable flyer,” commented Jennie.

“She had a cold a few weeks ago, maybe she hasn’t fully recovered,” suggested Nayeon.

“If that is the case, Miss Chou will remain here in the hospital wing for the next few days. Sunmi, if you could please inform the other teachers. I will look over the girl to make sure everything is all right,” declared Madam Pomfrey.

Professor Lee nodded and took off.

“Um, Madam Pomfrey, is it possible if we can see Tzuyu?” Chaeyoung asked as she tried to peer through the door.

“Miss Chou is resting and doesn’t need any disturbances –”

“Please? She’s our best friend!” Dahyun begged.

“As her best friend, you should respect that she needs to recover. Alone,” the school matron said sternly, shooing away the children. “And that goes for everyone.”

Instantly the hallway erupted with shouts and protests.

“That’s not fair!”

“You said she’s awake, yeah? I bet she wants to talk to us!”

“Tzu’s our mate. Let us see her!”

“That’s my baby – er, I mean she’s like my baby! You can’t just part a mother from her child!”

“She almost died! Do you know how much we were freaking out?”

“There’s no way Tzuyu would let this happen!”

“Minatozaki got to see her!”

“SILENCE! DO NOT TEST ME!” the elderly woman thundered. “You may visit your friend tomorrow and that is that. Now, be off!” The matron swiftly shut the door, indicating that the conversation was over.

Everyone groaned in disappointment, but there was nothing they could really do when Madam Pomfrey had made her intentions clear. The crowd of students began to disperse with even Nayeon and Momo bidding their farewells, alleging that there were other things they needed to attend to. Only Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Sana were left behind.

“This is so stupid,” Dahyun mumbled. “We all know that Tzuyu would much rather see us, especially if she’s stuck in that prison.”

Chaeyoung nodded, looking ready to fight. “Yeah! Dubs, what if one of us caused a distraction so the other could sneak in? You know, just to say a few quick words to her.”

“That wouldn’t be helping your friend out in the long run at all,” reasoned Sana. “Madam Pomfrey was right when she said Tzuyu needs to rest; disrupting her recovery will only delay her discharge from the hospital wing and she definitely would not appreciate that.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Dahyun agreed glumly. “But we were so worried about her, Sana! She fell fifteen meters! You got to check up on her, yeah? How was she?”

“She was a little shaken from everything – rightly so – but was doing well overall. She seemed tired and could barely stay awake though – she might’ve passed out again.”

Dahyun sighed in relief. Hearing that the Slytherin Chaser was okay from Sana was more comforting than hearing it from Madam Pomfrey.

“Wait, if Tzuyu is staying the night in the hospital wing . . .” Chaeyoung creased her brow together, making a face, “Someone needs to bring her Minjoong!”

Sana tilted her head. “Minjoong?”

“Minjoong is a plush dog,” explained Dahyun. “Chaengie’s right. Tzu is gonna be upset if Minjoong isn’t at her side, you know she can’t be apart from it for long.”

“Awww, that’s so adorable,” Sana cooed softly. She smiled brightly at the younger girls and informed them that she could probably sweet talk her way with Madam Pomfrey to give Tzuyu her precious doll – the school matron liked her so it would be easy. All they had to do was retrieve Minjoong.

“Great, we can ask Na –” Chaeyoung said.

“What are you saying? We can’t ask Nayeon!” Dahyun interrupted. She pulled the Ravenclaw girl aside and whispered, “Tzuyu would literally murder us if Nayeon found out that she sleeps with a plush toy.”

“Then how do you expect to get her dog? We can’t just stroll on up to the Slytherin dungeons and demand to be let in.”

“Aren’t you friends with one of Tzuyu’s dorm-mates?”

“Oh yeah. Yerim.”

“There you two are!” Dahyun and Chaeyoung turned to see Mina jog up to them, her face slightly flushed. Her black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she was dressed in a wine-red knit turtle neck with black jeans. Although the girl was wearing casual clothes instead of her uniform, she still held an intimidating, elegant aura. “I heard what happened! Is your friend alright?”

Dahyun noticed Chaeyoung stiffen at the sight of the prefect, but smoothly told her, “Tzuyu is going to be fine; she’s resting now. Anyway, where were you, Myoui? Why weren’t you at the game?”

“Quidditch isn’t really my cup of tea,” the fifth-year said. She casted a glance at Sana, who stood off to the side watching the three curiously, and lowered her voice. “Besides, it was a good chance for me to search the castle for anything related to Scottish royalty.”

“And . . .?”

Mina’s shoulders slumped. “Nothing. There wasn’t anything connected to English royalty either.”

Normally Chaeyoung would've done something really immature like shout “I told you so!” or dance gleefully on the balls of her feet or flash a smile so big, her dimple looked like a black hole. The young girl never liked to miss out on a chance to playfully tease a perfect student being wrong. Yet Chaeyoung did none of those, instead she nodded solemnly.

Myoui’s words must’ve hit Chaeyoung hard, Dahyun thought.

The older Ravenclaw student continued, “Unfortunately, this means we’re back to the drawing board. I think we should start brainstorming again right away. Are you two free at the moment?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Both Dahyun and Chaeyoung exchanged looks.

“Dubs, we gotta go get Minjoong. Remember?” Chaeyoung elbowed her friend harshly in the ribs.

The pale girl bit back a retort. That was unnecessary. She didn’t need a hint; years after being Chaeyoung’s friend, she knew how to read the girl’s subtext. Getting Minjoong wouldn’t take more than ten minutes, twenty tops if Yerim was in a talkative mood. The third year was acting like the job would take the entire afternoon. But Dahyun knew it was more than that. Whenever Chaeyoung became reserved, it always meant something.

“Why don’t you and Sana go get Tzuyu’s doll?” the younger Hufflepuff student proposed. “Myoui and I can get to work on the . . . other stuff.”

Sana jumped in. “Wait, Dahyunnie, you’re not coming with us? Mina neither?”

“Er . . . um . . . there doesn’t need to be four people to retrieve a plush dog and Chaeng is the one who knows Yerim, so she should be the one to go at the very least.” Dahyun crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that Sana wouldn’t push it. As much as she wanted to spend time with her crush, she knew there were more important matters to be addressed.

The Hufflepuff Beater cutely puffed out her cheeks like she wished all of them were going, but thankfully didn’t object.

“We should go now, Minatozaki.” Chaeyoung beckoned Sana and the two headed towards the Slytherin dungeons, leaving Dahyun alone with Mina.

/ / /

It took about five minutes for Mina’s concentration to break. She and Dahyun settled themselves at their favorite table in the study area with books, parchment and quills, and the metal plaque (still not yet returned to the statue). The girls brainstormed different meanings of what each word in the rhyme could represent – whether literal or symbolic – circling some and scratching out many. But whilst it was Mina’s suggestion to work on the clue, she couldn’t get the short girl out of her head. She saw how Chaeyoung’s expression changed the second they locked eyes. Fresh guilt ate up the fifth-year.

There was no denying the tension between Mina and Chaeyoung. The jubilant third-year disappeared whenever the prefect came around now. There was no banter, no teasing, no snarky comments, and no annoying dimpled grins. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Mina missed Chaeyoung’s dorky behavior.

Setting down her quill, Mina couldn’t take it anymore. “Is Chaeyoung truly okay?” she asked out loud. “I mean . . . after what I said . . .”

Dahyun raised an eyebrow at the older girl’s question. “What does it matter to you? No offense, but I didn’t think you cared.”

Mina bit her lip. Did she care? She must’ve if she was worried about the young girl. Since when though? Before Hogsmeade, Chaeyoung had been like a pesky fly, coming in and out of Mina’s life at the most inconvenient times, irritating the hell out of her. And she still did. But after spending days and days with Chaeyoung, Mina built up a pretty good tolerance to the childish personality. Perhaps there was a very, very, very small – really microscopic – soft spot growing towards the third-year.

Or maybe it wasn’t concern she was feeling, rather she just wanted the suffocating atmosphere to stop and put her conscience at ease.

“She keeps insisting that she’s okay, but you can tell that she isn’t,” Mina stated. “I don’t relish in Chaeyoung’s misery; as bothersome as she can be, I hate seeing her be so distant. We’re stuck on this treasure hunt together too, I would like to have our relationship be on decent terms whilst it lasts.”

The fourth year considered Mina’s answer carefully. “I know you feel guilty about what you said the other day. Trust me, I’ve been where you are before. Chaeng can be so infuriating sometimes, you end up saying things aren’t exactly . . . nice,” began Dahyun. “Most of the time, she forgives, laughs it off and then moves on.

“However, despite how easygoing and confident Chaeyoung can be, she still is a sensitive kid that takes everything to heart. Did you know she cried on her very first day of school? It was after she heard the words Ravenclaw leave the Sorting Hat’s mouth, she burst into tears. Chaeyoung wanted to be in Gryffindor. When we were younger, she bragged about how she was just a natural for that House: courageous, bold, daring, passionate . . . sometimes boneheaded. It came to be quite a shock when she didn’t get it.

“She told me later on that she didn’t believe she could live up to the Ravenclaw standards. ‘Everyone in the House is smart and academically driven; students there are perfect and teachers love them. They aim so high, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to reach their level,’ she said. Chaeyoung felt like she was misplaced and as those around her got to know her better, they started to think the same. It led to endless bullying and even some of her same-year Housemates isolated her in class during year one. It was horrible. She was alone.

“Last year things got a bit better though. Chaeyoung worked really hard to try and carve a place in her House through Quidditch, something she did have confidence in. Ravenclaw had a great season and you all even won the Cup. Everyone slowly started to accept that, yeah maybe she didn’t always know the correct answer and her grades were mediocre and she often did dumb stuff, but she was good at something so that made her worthwhile. Although there’s nothing remotely related between Ravenclaw traits and Quidditch, being the House Seeker is a crutch for Chaeyoung: it gives her validation for why she was put there in the first place. It gives her a reason why other Ravenclaws would welcome her.”

Silence enveloped the table as Dahyun’s words sunk in. Mina didn’t realize how deeply the House Sorting had affected the third year; Chaeyoung did a pretty good job hiding her insecurities. But upon hearing how hurt the first two years were for the small girl, Mina felt awful knowing the full impact of her words yesterday.

“I didn’t know . . .” Mina said in almost a whisper. “I feel so bad . . .”

The pale girl shrugged. “Honestly, it’s something Chaeyoung has to deal with and get over herself. We all have our issues with self-confidence and belonging. I know she can through this, she’s inherently a tough kid and she’ll learn to live with being a Ravenclaw.

“You know, Chaeyoung can be smart when she’s interested. You’ve probably seen her geek out with dragons – she knows what she wants to know, and she does it how she wants to do it. But her way of looking at the world is different and to many, it is equivalent to being less intelligent.”

The fourth year made a fair point.

Ravenclaws weren’t only known to be smart, but also creative, unique, and original, Mina thought. Chaeyoung certainly fit that criteria! (Seriously, the thoughts that went through the third-year’s head. A dragon? Really?) If only the younger girl grasped that though . . .

Mina massaged her temples, trying to rub away an oncoming headache. “But I really shouldn’t have said what I said,” she groaned. “I don’t know if apologizing will ever make up for it.”

“If you’re wondering what you should do, the most important thing is to just be there for her. She could use a friend in Ravenclaw. During my first year at Hogwarts, Chaeyoung wasn’t here so I was alone and lost until Sana and Momo came along and helped me open up. Look, I’m not saying you have to be tight mates with her, but having someone who is supportive goes a long way.”

The prefect blinked in surprise. “Wow . . . I truly am impressed. You’re a great friend, Kim.”

Dahyun smiled softly. “You once said that Chaeyoung was lucky to have me as a friend, but I think it’s the other way around. I’m super lucky to have Chaengie as my best friend.”

/ / /

The entrance to the Slytherin common room was surrounded by stone and stone and . . . Gasp! Even more stone. Chaeyoung always found the castle dungeons to be quite dreary and unpleasant. She didn’t understand how all of the Slytherin students could stand such a cold, bland environment, it was like they were cave creatures scurrying around in the dark.

Chaeyoung and Sana were waiting patiently outside the entrance for Yerim to return with Minjoong. Luckily, they had caught up with the Slytherin girl on their way to the dungeons and told her about Tzuyu’s situation. Yerim happily agreed to grab the plush dog for them, claiming she knew the exact spot where Tzuyu kept it.

It was a bit strange being with Sana as Chaeyoung rarely talked to the sixth-year. Sana, on the other hand, had filled up the silence with chatty conversations throughout the afternoon. It was hard for the younger girl to keep up with everything she said. Chaeyoung ended up falling back on her poor habit of tuning out the parts that didn’t interest her (which was majority of what Sana’s blabbered about), instead wondering about Dahyun’s crush on the bubbly Beater.

She was pretty – but then again there were a lot of pretty girls at Hogwarts. It was definitely Sana’s lively and caring personality that appealed to Dubu, Chaeyoung thought. Classic of her best friend falling for the sweet type.

They would be cute together. that Dubs is too much of a wuss to make a move.

Wait . . . Ah-ha! Chaeyoung decided to do a little prying and see where Sana stood with her feelings towards the fourth-year student. If all went well, maybe Chaeyoung could go back to Dahyun with some good news. She just had to be subtle so Sana wouldn’t catch on.

“Say Minatozaki, you and Dahyun have been good friends for some time now, right? What do you think of her? Like . . . do you like her? Think she’s cool? You know, Dubs talks about you a lot. She thinks you’re cool. Like, really cool.”

Nice! Very subtle! She won’t suspect a thing! Chaeyoung mentally gave herself a pat on the back for a job well-done.

As Sana was about to reply, the two of them were interrupted by a loud shout down the corridor.

“Leave me alone, Yoo Jeongyeon!”

“Be realistic, Nabongs. You’re an adult that’s graduating at the end of the year, it’s time you start acting like it!”

Nayeon, fuming at the ears, stomped towards Chaeyoung and Sana, tailed by a concerned Jeongyeon. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff awkwardly watched as the newcomers bickered with each other. It wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar scene; this normally happened at least three times during the regular week and a bit more on the weekends. Some days Jeongyeon nagged Nayeon, whilst on others, the older girl would mess around with the Gryffindor Captain out of boredom.

It was a never ending (entertaining) cycle.

“Please – stop talking,” Nayeon said with her hands up in exasperation. She muttered the Slytherin password to the entranceway and as the door swung open, the seventh year collided into Yerim who had Minjoong in hand. Both students fell to the ground. “OUCH! WHAT THE HECK?”

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” Yerim sputtered as she and the rest of the girls quickly helped Nayeon get up.

“Yem-Yemie, what are you doing?” snapped the older girl.

“I, um . . .”

“She was doing us a favor,” Sana said, coming to the younger Slytherin’s rescue. “Chaeyoung and I had to get Tzuyu’s plush dog because she’s stuck in the hospital wing and she can’t stand to be without it. But since we’re not of the same House . . .” Sana vaguely gestured at the obvious.

Nayeon eyed the plush dog, her bottom lip jutted out like she was in deep concentration. “So Tzuyu has a doll . . . hmm . . .”

Chaeyoung thought back to Dahyun warning her not to let Nayeon know about Minjoong or they’d be at the top of their best friend’s hit list. Oops.

Sighing, Nayeon tossed her hair and fixed her clothes. “Just be careful next time.” She took the dog from Yerim’s hands and shoved it into Sana’s. “Here, make sure my baby is happy.” The seventh-year whirled around and briskly disappeared into the common room as Yerim followed suit, the door shutting behind them.

“Minatozaki, you can go on ahead and take Minjoong to Tzu,” Chaeyoung said, wanting to spend time with Jeongyeon. Like the young Ravenclaw, the Gryffindor girl was a busy bee, juggling Quidditch and N.E.W.T classes on the daily. Thus, it was quite difficult to schedule time with her.

After Sana left, Jeongyeon pulled Chaeyoung into a sisterly headlock, grinning widely. “Alright, kid? Haven’t seen you for a while. You’re not getting into any more trouble, are you?”

“Uhhhh . . . that depends, what do you consider to be ‘trouble’?”

Jeongyeon let out a hearty laugh and released the raven-haired student. “I’m glad to hear that Chou is doing okay. Nabongs was so worried that she almost cried. I hope this isn’t an omen for the whole Quidditch season, not really a great way to start off.”

Chaeyoung grunted in agreement.

“Excited for next Saturday? I know we’re itching to kick some eagle-. You’re going to experience firsthand the pride of the mighty lion as we cream you all.”

At that moment, Chaeyoung’s heart stopped.

Jeongyeon frowned. “Kid? C’mon, I thought that my pun was pretty good. Lion, pride. Gryffindor pride. Geez, usually you laugh at my jokes.”

But Chaeyoung was far from listening to the older girl.

It all was coming together. How could she not have seen it? The pride of the lion . . . prideful king . . . Of course! The lion was the king of beasts! The mascot of the red and gold House. The riddle was referring to Gryffindor! There was no doubt in Chaeyoung’s mind. It made sense too . . . if the heirloom was in the castle and related to the architect . . . naturally it would also be linked to the Houses of the school!

What did this mean though? How did it fall into place with the other lines of the riddle? Chaeyoung recalled Mina and Dahyun discussing Vulcan’s hands having something to do with fire. Somewhere with fire.

The small girl was suddenly struck with an idea. But she would need help . . .

“Kid? Chaeyoung? Oi! Why are you smiling like that?”

That’s right, Jeongyeon could help.

The young Ravenclaw gazed upwards at her friend, a mischievous gleam flickering in her eyes. “Hey Jeong, do you remember my dragon plan?”

A/n: Wow, the longest chapter thus far. Sorry the update took a while, but as you can tell, there's a lot that went on. Finally Quidditch though!

There were a handful of cameos too. Which, by the way, I'm not too familiar with third generation groups (or younger) aside from Twice, so I am open to suggestions for idols/House placements just to be used as extras. Otherwise you'll just have to deal with my own sortings based on what I read from forums or out of convenience and necessity. Or if I think that idol looks good in certain House colors. 

Anyway, thank you again for the reads, subscribes, upvotes, and comments. I'm touched that we surpassed 150 subscribers even though none of you really had to. Truly appreciate it all. Cheers!