It took a little more effort on both Sana and Mina’s part to convince Momo to attend her next match two weeks later.

The Hufflepuff had been nervous enough going to her first practice after the previous week’s loss, convinced that her teammates wouldn’t want to see her face again and would boo her out of the locker room. Luckily, though, those fears had been unfounded— according to Momo, Seulgi had convened the whole team to apologize for blaming her solely for their loss. That was especially a good thing considering Sana had wanted to throttle her fellow Hufflepuff for making her girlfriend so upset. Ultimately, though, cooler heads prevailed— said cooler head being Mina, of course.

This time, it was both Sana and Mina dropping Momo off at the locker room before the game. Sana knew that having Mina there with them helped calm Momo’s nerves, both of them holding onto Momo’s hands.

Momo quickly noticed, however, that Mina’s other hand was hidden behind her back. The Chaser tried to peek over her shoulder, pouting when Mina stepped away. “What’re you hiding?” she asked suspiciously. She shot Sana a questioning look, which she answered only with an eyebrow raise and smile.

“It’s a gift,” Mina replied, finally revealing what she was holding: a long, thin package, carefully wrapped in Hufflepuff-yellow silk.

Momo’s eyes widened, obviously recognizing the unique shape in an instant. “Is that…?” She released both hands from Sana and Mina’s grip, reaching out to accept the package. Her fingers eager but careful, she unfolded the silk, gasping when she revealed what was underneath.

She held up the shiny new broom, gaping at it. Sana gathered the silk wrapping before it could fall away, tucking it into her pocket. “I think she likes it,” she giggled to Mina, watching Momo fondly as the girl was rendered speechless.

“I- I don’t-” Momo stammered, shaking her head. “You didn’t have to do this for me,” she eventually continued, staring at Mina. “You didn’t have to pull strings with your father or something just to-”

“I didn’t,” Mina quickly interrupted with a soft smile. She tilted her head in Sana’s direction, “Sana was already saving up money to buy you a new broom. All I did was contribute a few galleons and send in the order. No string-pulling involved.”

Well, Sana knew that was a bit of a white lie— Mina had contributed quite a bit more than a few galleons, and she had dropped her name only once in order to ensure a speedy delivery. They wanted to make sure they’d be able to give Momo her gift before her next match after all.

Momo’s eyes fell on Sana now, looking at her in that intensely soft way she did sometimes— like she thought Sana was the one who hung the stars in the sky every evening. It never failed to make Sana blush, even now. “Is that true?” the Chaser murmured, taking a step closer.

She nodded, offering her girlfriend a playful smile. “You can’t be the best Chaser you can be without the best broom, right?”

The older Hufflepuff nodded distractedly, her gaze panning from Sana to Mina, back and forth. There was a few seconds silence, and then, without any warning, her face crumpled and her eyes welled up. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she set the broom aside and threw her arms around both of them, pulling them into a somewhat-crushing bear hug.

Sana laughed, rubbing Momo’s back. “Don’t cry, baby,” she cooed, pulling back slightly to smush her girlfriend’s cheeks.

Not releasing either girl from her grip, Momo blinked rapidly to stay her tears. “I just love both of you so much,” she mumbled shyly, burying her face into Sana and Mina’s aligned shoulders.

Sana didn’t miss the way Mina tensed right next to her, or the Ravenclaw’s quiet, shaky intake of breath. Their group hug eventually ended as Momo did have to get to her game, the girl squealing about how she couldn’t wait to try her new broom out. Before she could scamper off, Sana pulled Momo in for their customary good luck kiss, letting it linger for an extra few seconds today.

When she turned back to Mina, the girl’s eyes were fixed downward at her feet— her shoulders hunched, her hands fiddling with one another. She looked as if she felt totally out of place, like she wanted to be anywhere else but there.

It was as if a lightbulb in Sana’s mind. She recalled all the times when Mina had had similar reactions to her and Momo being affectionate to each other, and how Mina had avoided them when Sana and Momo first made things official. It made sense to Sana now, and she scolded herself for not seeing it plainly before.

Now determined to prove her hypothesis, Sana resolved to gather more evidence the best way she knew how.

———

Mina hadn’t meant to flinch when Momo said she loved them— both of them, as if she and Sana were equals— or when Sana kissed her girlfriend (her girlfriend) goodbye. She couldn’t watch them together without it hurting, so she stared down at her feet, repeating her well-rehearsed speech, over and over: Don’t be selfish. Be a good friend. Try not to let it hurt so much.

When she looked up, Sana was staring at her curiously. Feeling as if she’d been caught, Mina forced a polite smile. “We should get to the stands before they fill up,” she recommended.

Sana approached her until they were standing side by side, curling a hand around Mina’s waist and pulling her closer. “Okay, Mitang,” she replied sweetly, squeezing at Mina’s hip. “You lead the way.”

All Mina had been able to do was swallow thickly and nod, overwhelmed by Sana’s proximity as well as her almost possessive grip that had always been reserved for Momo. Trying not to overthink it, Mina led them toward the Hufflepuff tower.

Unfortunately, just as Mina had feared, the stands were packed— it seemed like the whole House had shown up to cheer on the team after last week’s disappointing loss. There was barely room for one of them to sit, let alone two.

Standing near the stairs, Mina pointed out to Sana a tiny empty gap among the Hufflepuff crowd. “You go sit there,” she shouted over the roar of the crowd, “I don’t mind standing.”

Sana shook her head and leaned in close. “You can sit on my lap,” she murmured directly into Mina’s ear, “Come on!”

The Ravenclaw scarcely had time to open to argue before Sana was tugging her along, scooting them down the aisle past rowdy fellow Hufflepuffs. Eventually they reached the tiny gap, and Sana sat down, patting her thighs for Mina to sit. When Mina didn’t immediately do so, the girl’s eyes grew large. “What’s wrong?” she asked innocently.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Mina nervously settled onto Sana’s lap. She was positive her entire face was flaming red as Sana wrapped her arms around Mina’s waist, pulling her flush against her chest and resting her chin on Mina’s shoulder.

Despite Mina’s intense embarrassment and nerves, it was hard to not relax into Sana’s warm, comfortable embrace. She shouldn’t be surprised— she’d learned firsthand that Sana and Momo gave the best hugs. At first it was hard to focus on anything except Sana’s touch, but once the match started, both girls became immersed in the game.

It seemed like Momo had regained her confidence and her focus. Unlike the last game, she played just as well as she normally did— maybe even better, now that she had an actually fast broom to ride around on. The Gryffindors were no match for the cohesive power of the Hufflepuff team, with the Chasers scoring point after point before Lisa eventually caught the Snitch barely an hour into the game.

As Madam Hooch announced the end of the match, the Hufflepuff stands went wild. The excitement was infectious, both girls standing up to cheer and scream with the rest of the crowd. Laughter bubbling in , Mina turned and threw her arms around Sana, both of them bouncing around.

In that moment, Mina felt the happiest she had in a long, long time.

——

It’d been three days since Momo’s winning match, and Mina was ready to combust at any given moment.

Both Sana and Momo had been generally affectionate with her, more or less since she had first met them. She’d been able to dismiss it easily before, citing their naturally affectionate personalities, especially Sana’s. Sure, she had been wrong about their affections for each other being platonic, but she’d witnessed them being touchy with their other friends as well. Now, though— ever since Momo’s game— it was like a switch had been flipped.

It seemed like they were now involved in some kind of conspiracy to make Mina blush (and/or die of embarrassment) as often as possible.

Momo, for her part, was more clingy than normal. Wherever they went around the castle, she would hang onto Mina’s arm, pouting whenever Mina was forced to pull away. She also now insisted on carrying both Sana and Mina’s schoolwork around for them in addition to her own, ignoring all of Mina’s protests. (If Mina hadn’t caught a glimpse of her biceps one weekend when Momo was wearing a sleeveless tank top at Quidditch practice, she’d be concerned that the weight of all those textbooks would break the Hufflepuff’s arms.)

Sana was extra touchy too, though not in the same koala-bear clinginess way as Momo. Her touches were brief but purposeful— against Mina’s shoulder, her hip, her elbow, her jaw. The most dangerous change, however, were the new nicknames. For whatever reason, Sana had begun referring to Mina as “darling”. It had started out like a joke— “our darling Mitang”, Sana had said teasingly (the “our” especially making Mina’s heart flutter). Except she didn’t stop saying it after that— in fact she now referred to Mina by “darling” almost exclusively.

Mina’s soul had almost left her body the first time they’d kissed her cheek. She’d received a perfect grade on a Potions exam, and the two Hufflepuffs had leaned in simultaneously to press their lips on either of Mina’s cheeks in congratulations. She almost thought they must have planned it in advance, it was so in sync. Mina wished she could say she’d handled it gracefully, but she hadn’t, of course— all she’d been able to do was gape like a fish, stammering out something unintelligible. They had started doing it regularly now, and everytime it happened Mina was sure her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest.

They were always asking her to come over to their dorm for sleepovers, too, to the point where Mina spent more time in their room than in her own. She still spent a good chunk of her free time hanging out with Yoohyeon and her group of her friends since she’d developed a close bond with them quickly, but other than that, Sana and Momo stuck to her side like glue. Mina had begun to feel guilty, thinking she must be taking up precious moments of their “couple time”, but Sana and Momo insisted that they would much rather have her with them— a statement that truly confounded her.

Mina almost wished they wouldn’t treat her so kindly like this. It allowed her to hope, to dream that they felt the same way about her as she did about them. With the way they clung on to her and spoke to her so lovingly, she could imagine some alternate reality where she was their girlfriend, too.

Anyway, it didn’t matter, because that was still all it was— a dream. That was likely all it’d ever be.

——

After dinner Saturday night, the girls decided to take a walk by the lake to watch the sunset while the weather was still decent. The sky was crowded with rapidly darkening clouds, but still they walked hand-in-hand, Sana and Momo on either side of Mina. It was another one of those moments that felt too good to be true, that allowed Mina to fantastize that their relationship together was something beyond friendship. They talked about anything and everything, and sometimes nothing, too, just walking in silence. The silences never felt awkward with Sana and Momo.

Just as they were walking back, the brooding sky opened up— first little droplets, and then what was more or less a torrential downpour. Giggling, the girls ran back toward the castle, Momo whipping out her wand from her back pocket to conjure up an invisible umbrella. She kept her arm out in order to cover Mina and Sana completely, exposing herself to the rain in the process.

Eventually they reached the safety of the castle doors, and once they were inside, Mina and Sana simultaneously realized that Momo was sopping wet.

“Momoring, you’re drenched!” Sana cried out, rubbing at Momo’s arms with a frown.

The older Hufflepuff shrugged. “It’s fine,” she insisted, though at that moment her body shuddered with chills.

In an instant, Mina was slipping out of her outermost robe in order to drape it over Momo’s shoulders. Momo blinked over at her in surprise, and Mina hurried to explain, “It’ll keep you warm until we get back to your room and you can change.”

“Thanks, Mitang,” Momo murmured. She leaned forward to place a lazy kiss on Mina’s cheek, dangerously close to the corner of .

It seemed like every one of Sana and Momo’s cheek kisses were progressing closer and closer to Mina’s lips— though then again she was sure she was imagining it. Wishful thinking, right?

With that, Sana led them back to the Hufflepuff dorm before Mina could overthink any further.

When they got back to Sana and Momo’s room, Sana immediately began to rummage through their cupboards for a fresh set of clothing for Momo. Eventually she turned around and presented two sets of pajamas— Mina smiled when she spotted the Barbie patterns. Momo had mentioned in passing her fascination with the Muggle toy line, which Mina now guessed had been an understatement.

Mina had assumed the second set was for Sana, so she was surprised when Sana walked over and handed it to her instead. She tilted her head at Sana inquisitively. She hadn’t even verbally agreed to stay the night, though then again at this point it seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them. Still, she was confused about why Sana made no moves to change into pajamas herself.

As if reading Mina’s mind, Sana explained, “I have Frog Choir tonight.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and her eyes began comically wide. “Merlin’s beard, is it that late already?!” she squeaked. Hurriedly crossing the room to gather her things, Sana tossed Mina and Momo an apologetic smile over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in a couple hours. Don’t have too much fun without me, okay?” she teased.

Both Mina and Momo nodded, and then Sana was gone.

When Mina turned back around, she immediately averted her eyes when she saw Momo starting to peel off her wet clothes. Staring down at the pajamas in her hands, she mumbled awkwardly, “I-I’m going to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Mina was already out the door before Momo could answer.

After a few minutes, Mina returned to the room, a little embarrassed that she had been too shy to change in front of Momo. The other girl didn’t comment on it, however, simply beaming up at her from the bed as soon as she saw her.

“You look so cute,” she cooed, opening her arms wide and beckoning Mina closer.

The Ravenclaw approached the bed, sitting at the edge when Momo scooted over to make room for her. The older girl held onto Mina’s arm, smiling down at Mina’s pajamas. “I like it when you wear my clothes,” Momo murmured distractedly, almost as if she didn’t realize she was speaking out loud.

Afraid that she was going to start blushing again, Mina cleared in order to distract herself. She turned her head slightly to peek at Momo’s face, but it was hidden by her long, dark hair, made unruly by the rain. Mina wasn’t sure what quite possessed her to say it, but all of a sudden she found herself offering, “If you get your hairbrush, I’ll brush your hair for you.”

Momo twisted her neck to look at Mina for a few seconds, eyebrows raised curiously. “Okay,” she agreed, rolling over to the other side of the bed to get up. She padded over to her desk and returned a few moments later with her brush.

Before Mina could scoot back on the bed, beginning to fold her legs under her, Momo plopped right in between them. The Hufflepuff guided Mina’s outstretched legs to wrap around her, her hands resting just above her knees. Although Mina was wearing pants, Momo’s touch seemed to burn straight through the fabric.

Momo handed her brush back to Mina, and, trying to stay focused, Mina began to comb through Momo’s wavy hair. It proved to be a task easier said than done, but Mina tried to be gentle as possible whenever she came upon any knots. Momo didn’t seem to mind, humming every so often to assure Mina she was doing a good job. Otherwise they sat in silence as Mina worked.

As the minutes went by, Momo progressively leaned back further and further into Mina’s chest until Mina could barely brush her hair anymore. Finally Mina had to tap her shoulder to let the girl know she needed to sit up.

“Oh, sorry,” Momo mumbled, and Mina could tell from the girl’s voice that she had begun to doze off.

“It’s okay,” Mina automatically said, leaning over to place the brush aside. “I was pretty much done, anyway. You can take a nap if you want, I’ll wake you when Sana gets back.” She began to pull her legs away, intending on moving over, but Momo’s hand squeezing her knee made her pause.

There was a few seconds of silence. At first Mina thought Momo had fallen asleep again, but then Momo spoke, sounding more awake than before. “You know, I really like having you around, Mitang. We both do, both Sana and I,” Momo began. “You’re so… You’re so good, you know? You always take care of us and make sure we’re happy. You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met. But I want to… I want to make sure you’re happy, too.” She turned around abruptly, still sitting between Mina’s legs but facing her this time. “So we should just be honest with each other. I want to know what you want.”

Her gaze dropped slightly, and Mina realized with a jolt that Momo was staring at her lips. With Momo looking at her like that, Mina didn’t have it in her anymore to say anything but the truth. “I want you,” she said, voice betraying her desperation.

She once again wasn’t sure what came over her at that moment. It wasn’t courage, exactly, that made her lean in— it was more that, for practically the first time in her life, Mina decided to give in to her desires. Regardless of her reasoning, Mina did close the gap, and suddenly she was kissing Momo.

Mina had admittedly thought a lot about what her first kiss would be like. A little bit when she was younger, but a lot more since she’d come to Hogwarts. It was embarrassing, but lately, kissing Momo and/or Sana (preferably both) had been constantly in the back of her mind. She’d also been plagued with the thought that if she ever did have the opportunity to kiss one of them— as unlikely as that seemed— then surely she’d make a fool of herself. Obviously Sana and Momo had both had a lot of practice with each other, but Mina had never kissed anyone before. She would be awful at it, and she’d ruin any chance with them that she may have had.

Now, though, that was the last thing on her mind. Mina found herself in a complete haze, only aware of Momo’s lips moving against hers and Momo’s hands resting on her thighs. She wasn’t thinking at all— not really. However, when Momo sat up and pushed at her shoulder to get her to lean back, some vague competitive instinct in her urged Mina to switch their positions. Though Momo was still setting the pace, Mina shifted so she was now leaning over the other girl, fingers tangled in her hair and clutching at the fabric of her pajamas.

Minutes passed, but it could have been seconds or hours to Mina who felt like she was floating. Neither girl noticed the sound of the door opening and then closing. Mina was only brought out of her trance when she heard a voice whining, “I thought I said no fun without me!”

Fear surging through her veins at the familiar voice, Mina immediately tore away from Momo, staring at Sana in horror.

“She kissed me, to be fair,” Momo mumbled, slightly out of breath and blushing bright red. She sat up, tilting her head at Sana curiously. “Why are you back so early?”

“I went all the way down to the Great Hall just to find out that Frog Choir is cancelled tonight,” Sana huffed.

Mina barely heard Sana or Momo’s words, and she certainly hadn’t noticed Sana’s teasing smile. All she could think about was the fact that she had just kissed Momo. Guilt crashed over Mina like waves as she realized what she’d done. She’d just kissed her best friend whose girlfriend was Mina’s other best friend. Mina had made numerous other mistakes that had threatened to ruin their friendship, but this… This was unforgivable.

Feeling like she was going to be sick, words began to stumble out of . “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I’m so sorry, Sana, I don’t know why-” She pressed her hands against her face, eyes firmly shut as she shook her head. “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m so sorry-”

Before she could get up and run from the room as fast as her legs could carry her, she felt fingers curl gently around her wrists. Her hands were pulled away, and when she opened her eyes, Sana was right next to her, smiling gently.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, darling,” the Hufflepuff giggled, tucking some of Mina’s hair behind her ear.

All Mina could do was stare at Sana and Momo in turn. “Why aren’t you angry with me?” she eventually choked out to Sana. “I-I kissed your girlfriend, you should hate me.”

Sana simply shook her head. “I don’t mind,” she assured, confusing Mina even further. “Well... I don’t mind on one condition, that is.” Her eyes were suddenly glinting mischievously, her lips curved in a smirk.

“What’s that?” Mina managed to ask, distracted by Sana moving closer and closer.

Pouting, Sana insisted cutely, “I want a kiss too!” Despite her words, she stayed still, watching Mina closely. Leaving it up to her to decide how to proceed.

Mina felt like she must be dreaming. She’d thought she would never have the opportunity to kiss one of them, much less both— she thought they’d never be interested in her in that way. It seemed too good to be true. She needed to make sure that this was real. Shyly, Mina leaned into Sana’s touch, forcing herself to meet Sana’s eyes. “You… you really want to kiss me?” Her eyes shifted to Momo. “Both of you?”

“More than that,” Sana replied. At the shocked expression suddenly on Mina’s face, she started laughing and shook her head. “What I mean is that, Momo and I have talked about this a lot.” In one hand she held Momo’s, and in the other she held Mina’s. “Ever since we met you, we’ve been drawn to you. Momo and I, we’re happy together, but we don’t feel… complete. And when you’re with us, we do feel complete.” She tilted her head. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I…” Mina swallowed thickly. “I think I do, but I just want to make sure.”

Sana nodded in understanding. She looked over at Momo, quirking an eyebrow, and Momo slid closer to the both of them.

“We want to be with you, Mitang,” Momo said softly. “We know it’s kind of unusual so we understand if it’s too much for you, but Sana and I really, really care about you.”

As if she knew where Mina’s thoughts were wandering to, Sana added, “You wouldn’t be intruding, we promise. Like Momoring said, we want this, but we aren’t going to force you into anything you're uncomfortable with.”

Mina hesitated. This was everything she wanted, everything she hadn’t allowed herself to dream about in excessive detail. It was overwhelming, having to face this all at once. Part of her wanted to ask for more time to think about it, not because she was unsure of her feelings for them, but because she was unsure of herself. Why would they want her? What could she offer them?

She closed her eyes briefly. Calmed her breathing and quieted the hateful voices from her past that told her that she wasn’t good enough and that Sana and Momo could never truly love her. Mina couldn’t drown them out completely, not yet, but she refused to let them hold her back anymore.

Opening her eyes again, Mina smiled shyly and nodded. “No, I think… I think I would like that, actually. I want to be with you, too,” she admitted. Her voice shook, but at least she said it out loud. She never really thought she would ever get that far.

Momo immediately began to bounce a little on the bed, throwing an arm around Mina’s shoulders. “I’m so happy,” she squealed, exchanging excited grins with Sana.

The blonde Hufflepuff leaned closer, and Mina was reminded of that time before in the Ravenclaw common room. Mina had chided herself then for thinking Sana would ever want to kiss her— obviously she’d been sorely mistaken. She’d been wrong a lot since she’d come to Hogwarts, hadn’t she? (Somehow, Mina didn’t mind.)

“Can I get that kiss now?” Sana murmured, practically against her lips already.

All Mina had to do was drop her head a miniscule amount in a nod before Sana had closed the gap. While her kiss with Momo had been somewhat frenzied in the moment, this one was slow and sweet, warm and comforting. When Sana pulled away, she was holding Mina’s chin. She smiled before pressing another lingering kiss at Mina’s forehead.

In a daze again, Mina mumbled out, “You both are really good kissers.” She winced when she realized how stupid that sounded.

Luckily, both Sana and Momo giggled. Momo burrowed into Mina’s side and Sana crawled onto the bed as well, the Hufflepuffs framing Mina’s body as they always did whenever Mina slept over.

She couldn’t stop smiling. This didn’t feel real— almost like a story, or a dream. Sana and Momo actually chose her. They wanted to be with her because they liked her, genuinely and unselfishly, and they liked her because of who she was as a person. Mina wasn’t sure she deserved it— deserved them— but for once, she wasn’t going to question it.

——

“You got this!” Minji whisper-shouted. “Just say it like how I told you and it’ll be fine.”

Bora smirked and clapped Mina on the back, “Go get your women!”

The rest of Mina’s friends offered her more words of encouragement and thumbs ups, gesturing for her to go approach Sana and Momo at the Hufflepuff table.

It was Monday morning, and Mina had formally enlisted the help of Yoohyeon and company in order to get advice on how to properly ask Sana and Momo on a date. The three of them had already confessed to each other, but now Mina wanted to be brave and take the next step herself. She didn’t feel confident enough to do that without a little help, however.

Finally Mina walked across the room to sit with Sana and Momo at their usual spot. She slid onto the bench next to Momo, hugging the girl in greeting and smiling at Sana across the table.

“We missed you last night,” Momo commented with a cute frown. “It’s weird now when you don’t stay over.”

“I know, I missed you both too. I’m sorry, I’ll stay over tonight,” Mina promised, squeezing Momo’s upper arm comfortingly. “I just… needed some advice on something.”

“Oh?” Sana arched her eyebrows.

Mina cleared . “Yeah, I wanted to ask you both something. I was thinking…” She shifted a little awkwardly, the words that Minji had instructed her to say having fled her mind. She would just have to do her best to improvise. “I was thinking that we could go to Hogsmeade sometime? Together? You know, like a, um…”

Sana’s eyes twinkled with amusement and she turned to Momo with a dramatic flip of her hair. “Why, I think our Mitang is trying to ask us on a date, Momoring,” she gasped.

The older Hufflepuff also gasped teasingly, “So cute!”

“‘Trying’ being the key word,” Mina complained, jutting her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout. “I don’t know, Minji told me that students here always ask their… significant others-” Mina caught Sana mouthing “that’s us” to Momo in the corner of her eye, “-on dates to Hogsmeade. And I have no clue what I’m doing, so I thought that would be a good place to start, anyway.” She finished with a huff, sticking her tongue out at the two Hufflepuffs.

Sana placed her elbows on the table, her chin balancing on her hands. “What, was there no special someone at Mahoutokoro?” she asked with a smirk.

The Ravenclaw shrugged her shoulders, playing along. “There was a girl I liked for a while,” she hummed vaguely. That was true— Mina had had a crush on an upperclassmen in her first years at Mahoutokoro, but the other girl had barely even looked at her. Maybe that was why she’d liked her. Mina’s eyebrows lifted playfully. “Don’t tell me you’re the jealous type.”

Releasing a little giggle, Sana sat back and shook her head. “I’m not usually. I’ll give you five galleons if you can guess who is, though.”

At that she gestured to Momo, and when Mina turned to look at the girl next to her, she saw the sour expression on Momo’s face. Realizing that Sana was referring to her, Momo’s scowl deepened. “I am not!” she insisted, obviously trying to sound serious though her whining just made Mina and Sana laugh.

“Whatever you say,” Mina chuckled, leaning into Momo’s side and squeezing her hand. “Don’t worry, Momoring, I only want to be with you and Satang.” Obviously her overly cute voice worked, as Mina spotted the corner of Momo’s lips twitching.

“Good, then,” the Hufflepuff declared, wrapping an arm around Mina’s waist in a side hug.

Before Mina could clarify that yes, Sana and Momo would go on a date with her, the Great Hall was filled with the sound of wings and owls screeching as they delivered that morning’s mail.

Mina didn’t bother to hope that she would receive any letters— the only people who would write to her were her parents, and that was unlikely. She’d written to them her second day at Hogwarts letting them know she’d been Sorted into Ravenclaw, and they’d replied predictably: a brief, disimpassioned congratulations, and then an inquiry about whether or not she’d tried out for the Quidditch team. Mina hadn’t answered, and that had been the extent of their communications in the past months. She’d been so busy with Sana and Momo that she’d barely had time to think much about it.

Both Sana and Momo got letters: Sana one from her parents, and Momo one from her older sister who had graduated from Hogwarts the year before. They got letters every week from their families, checking in on them and giving them updates about how their own lives were going. It was sweet— Mina was glad that they both had strong relationships with their families.

As the two Hufflepuffs opened and read their letters, Mina stirred her oatmeal, trying to regain her appetite. Before she could do so, something dropped into her bowl, splattering the oatmeal onto the table and onto Mina’s face. Squeaking, Mina jolted back, blinking in shock at the letter that had been rudely deposited into her breakfast.

Wiping the oatmeal off her face and off the letter, she began to open the envelope slowly.

“Is that from your parents?” Sana asked curiously, leaning over the table to see.

Mina simply nodded, pulling the letter out and beginning to read.

Minari—

Business has changed. I am needed in Japan again, so your mother and I are moving back to Kobe. You are free to stay at Hogwarts for the rest of your schooling if you wish. The house in Surrey is still being paid for, so you can stay there for the summer.

I hope you have reconsidered your foolish decision to ‘quit’ Quidditch. Remember that you are a Myoui.

Father

For a while, she just stared at the letter, the words not quite processing in her brain. Her parents were… leaving? Without her?

“What does it say?” Momo asked softly from beside her, pulling Mina back to reality.

She passed the letter over a bit numbly, not quite ready to speak. Momo read the letter out loud to Sana, her voice wavering once she reached the end.

There was a few seconds silence, then Sana whispered, “Oh, darling. I’m so sorry.”

She must have climbed over the top of the table, because all of a sudden Sana was on Mina’s other side, both Hufflepuffs hugging her.

At last Mina found her voice. “It’ll be okay,” she said, firmer than she’d originally expected herself to sound. She wasn’t just saying that to convince Sana and Momo, or even in an attempt to convince herself— with the girls on either side of her, Mina suddenly knew that it was the truth.

The events of the past couple months passed through her mind like scenes from a movie. The train ride in, her Sorting, meeting Sana and Momo and telling off that awful boy. Their first sleepover, and flying without any pressure of being the ‘best’ for the first time in her life. Sana and Momo’s fight, and their subsequent reconciliation. Yoohyeon and her friends who accepted Mina warmly into their group, and all the smiles and laughs they’d shared. Sana and Momo’s kind words and gentle touches that made Mina feel truly wanted.

Mina placed the letter back on the table and smiled warmly at Sana and Momo. She felt lighter now than she had when she’d first read her father’s words. “Hogwarts is my home now,” she explained. “As long as I’m here, with my friends and with you two, then I’m happy.”

The Hufflepuffs beamed back at her, and in moments Mina’s cheeks were being covered with kisses.

“We’re happy, too,” Sana murmured.

Momo’s head bobbed, and then she was saying excitedly, “You don’t have to stay alone this summer, Mitang. Sana and I always spend the summers together at my grandmother’s house anyway so you can stay with us! We can go to the lake every day, it’ll be so much fun, right, Satang?”

Sana hummed in agreement. She was still looking at Mina closely— most likely trying to determine if Mina was telling them the truth, that she was really alright with this. The Ravenclaw simply squeezed Sana’s hand, smiling at her reassuringly.

Of course her parents’ words and what was practically their abandonment hurt her, but she had spoken the truth when she said she would be okay. Her time at Hogwarts hadn’t been easy, not by any means. But even when she thought about the tough times, Mina had no regrets.

She thought about the girl she was all those months ago, riding a train toward an unfamiliar school. That Mina never would have guessed what she’d find at Hogwarts— a place where she could truly belong, and two girls whose arms felt like home.