In the days following, it felt as if there was a definite... shift of sorts. Although Mina had been spending a lot of time with the girls before their sleepover, now almost every free moment she had was with them at her side. The truly astounding part was that having the two girls around all the time didn’t feel stifling or exhausting to Mina, not at all. On the contrary, it was like whenever she was separated from them, she was antsy, counting down the minutes or hours until she could see them again. She didn’t want to be apart from the Hufflepuffs for too long.

It sounded insane when she thought about it. Wanting to be with them all the time… God, just how clingy was she? It made her cringe at herself, knowing she was so attached to these girls. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, she reminded herself that she should probably learn the definition of “healthy detachment” before she wound up getting herself hurt.

Regardless, the Ravenclaw had to give credit to the girls for always including her in everything they did— lately it was less SanaandMomo plus Mina, and more SanaandMomoandMina. Mina had never really experienced that before, and she had to admit, she didn’t hate the feeling.

Not even a week went by before the Hufflepuffs were inviting her around their dorm again. It was a weeknight, so they mutually decided to have another sleepover some other time, but the girls excitedly promised that they rounded up more games for the three of them to play.

With anticipation churning in her stomach, Mina made her way toward the kitchens to meet the girls outside the common room. She hadn’t seen them since breakfast that morning, since she had to skip dinner to work on a Charms project, and she was anxious to spend more time with them today. Even if it had only been less than a week since they’d been able to hang out like this, it still felt like far too long in Mina’s opinion.

As soon as Mina turned the corner, however, she could immediately sense that something was wrong. Sana was standing alone in front of the entrance, looking down and her arms crossed. When she heard Mina’s footsteps approaching, the girl’s gaze snapped up. The immediate smile that spread across her face was convincingly bright and enthusiastic, and if Mina was a little less observant, she would have missed the fact that the grin didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey Mitang!” Sana chirped, reaching out to seize onto one of Mina’s hands. Tangling their fingers together, the Hufflepuff pulled her a little closer, beaming. “I’ve missed you!”

“I’ve missed you too,” Mina replied softly, smiling. She considered not saying anything, hoping she was just misinterpreting Sana’s behavior, but her curiosity got the best of her. Deciding to test out a theory, she asked innocently, “Where’s Momo? Is she inside?”

Sana’s smile immediately flickered. Now, when it reappeared, it was considerably tighter, more controlled, which seemed to confirm Mina’s hypothesis. “No, Momo actually isn’t gonna be here to play games with us tonight,” Sana explained. “I guess she had to have an urgent meeting with her Quidditch friends, so she won’t be back to the room until late.” There was something off about the emphasis Sana placed on the word “friends”— like she was skeptical, almost?

“Oh, okay,” Mina said simply, not knowing what else to say. The wheels in her brain turning as she processed the information, she reached up to tuck some of her hair behind an ear, perhaps as a matter of habit. “That’s too bad, but I’m sure we’ll still have fun, right?” She smiled widely, wanting to bring back that bright grin of Sana’s she was growing so fond of.

Sana did smile back, a little more genuinely this time, and she nodded. “Exactly!”

The Hufflepuff led her by hand into the common room and up to her and Momo’s room, where the games they had promised were waiting.

Although the two girls did have fun playing the games that allowed for only two players, Mina kept a careful eye on Sana throughout the night. She was definitely off— and judging by her reaction to Mina’s question about Momo, it probably had something to do with the older student. Was Sana upset only because Momo had “ditched” them? It seemed to be deeper than that… If she were to caution a guess, Mina thought maybe it also had something to do with the company Momo was keeping.

“So, is Momoring really close to her Quidditch teammates, then?” Mina asked in the middle of one of their chess matches, hoping her voice sounded casual.

Sana released a little huff, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess,” she mumbled. “Not all of them… Mostly just Lisa. And Seulgi.” Again, there was more emphasis placed on that last name, Sana’s voice a bit lower.

Deciding to probe a little more, feeling like she was getting close to the source of Sana’s discontent, Mina continued, “Have you met them before?”

“Yeah,” Sana confirmed, releasing a sigh and giving up on focusing on the game. She looked up at Mina, her lips pursed together in a pout that would have been cute if not for the serious situation. “We never really hang out together, though. Momo’s just… weird about it, I don’t know.” A few beats later, Sana added under her breath, “Probably because she wants to flirt with Seulgi without me there.”

That comment threw Mina somewhat for a loop— was Sana jealous? Knowing, of course, that asking this question outright wouldn’t be the most tactful choice, Mina decided to attack it from another angle. “You think Momo has a crush on her?”

Sana shrugged, fiddling with one of the chess pieces moodily. “I don’t know, but anyone with eyes can see that Seulgi has a giant crush on Momo. And, why wouldn’t Momo like her? She’s an amazing Quidditch player, she’s gorgeous, and she’s one of the most popular girls at Hogwarts.” Sana sounded so dejected, it broke Mina’s heart a little— and also left her feeling more confused than ever.

Okay, so Sana definitely had to be feeling jealous of this “Seulgi” then, right? What was Mina supposed to do with this information? She wanted to comfort Sana, assuring her that she was all of those things too (minus the Quidditch star part), but she didn’t want to step out of line. She didn’t want to assume things about the nature of Sana and Momo’s relationship either— she was confused about that part especially, but she didn’t think now was a good time to ask about it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rant at you,” Sana apologized, pulling Mina from her thoughts.

Dummy, you didn’t say anything so now she thinks you don’t care! Mina mentally scolded herself. Her social skills were admittedly quite rusty, but that was no excuse. She needed to be a good friend to Sana right now, even if she wasn’t sure she was fully equipped to deal with this sort of situation.

“No, you can rant as much as you want,” Mina assured, reaching out for one of Sana’s hands. She gave the other girl her best, warmest smile, “I’m here to listen.”

“Thanks, Mitang,” Sana said softly, mirroring Mina’s smile. “There’s nothing left to say, though. Momo can hang out with whoever she wants, and it’s none of my business.” She shrugged and looked down at their game again, “Now, not to change the subject, but I’d really like to beat you at this game again.”

Sana didn’t mention Momo again for the rest of the evening as they continued games and talking about any other topic under the sun. And though they did have fun, it was still obvious to Mina that Sana was much more withdrawn than usual. After a while, Mina was beginning to feel drowsy, unable to hide her yawns, and Sana urged her to get back to her dorm so she could have a good night’s sleep. Mina felt guilty leaving Sana alone when she was obviously still upset, but what else could Mina do?

She just hoped that when Momo returned to the room later, her and Sana could talk and work things out so everything would be okay. Mina wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle seeing Sana sad again— seeing the usually cheerful girl upset was like looking at a kicked puppy.

———

“Are you serious?” Momo deadpanned, fixing her Housemate on the opposite bed with a critical look. “You made me ditch Sana and Mina just to whine to us about how you have absolutely no game?”

Seulgi groaned and threw a pillow in Momo and Lisa’s direction, Lisa squealing and hiding behind Momo for protection. “Shut up, I so too have game!” she protested.

“That’s a blatant lie,” Lisa snickered, peeking over Momo’s shoulder to smirk in Seulgi’s direction. “If you had any game, Kim Yerim would be your girlfriend right now and you wouldn’t just be pathetically pining over her!”

“Exactly!” Momo agreed enthusiastically.

Momo had really been looking forward to hanging out with Sana and Mina that night, and she felt awful for ditching them. Sana especially— she was sensitive, even if she often didn’t show it outwardly, so Momo knew she’d have to find a way to make it up to her somehow. Usually lots of kisses did the trick.

But Seulgi had seized onto Lisa and Momo’s sleeves urgently earlier that day, pulling them aside to beg them to cancel their plans so they could help her out. Who was Momo to say no to one of her best Quidditch bros?

Her, Seulgi, and Lisa were a trio— they didn’t hang out a lot outside of Quidditch because they all had different circles of friends, but on the pitch, they were inseparable. In fact, they’d gained quite a reputation for themselves, known among the other Quidditch teams as the “Unbeatable Three”. Momo was a Chaser, Seulgi a Beater, and Lisa the Seeker, and in every game they had all played together, they hadn’t lost once. In fact, in all the years they’d been on the Quidditch team, the only time Hufflepuff had lost a game was when one of them had been unable to play for whatever reason. Although it was likely just some sort of coincidence, Quidditch players were a superstitious lot, and the trio’s reputation as unbeatable had unsurprisingly become a source of pride for them.

Now, Momo couldn’t believe that Seulgi had so dramatically pleaded for their help just to ask them for ideas on how to ask a girl she was interested in out on a date. Wanting to be good friends, Momo and Lisa listened to Seulgi spout off ideas for over an hour, contributing where they could. It was admittedly endearing to see Seulgi so soft, talking about her crush— a far cry from the serious, intense Quidditch star she was during games. Then again, Momo supposed the same could be said about her and Lisa, too. All three of them certainly had very different images when they were on and off the pitch.

“Seriously, you have noooooo game,” Lisa sighed, clicking her tongue and shaking her head once Seulgi had tired herself out.

“You’re one to talk!” Seulgi scoffed, pointing at her with an accusing finger. “I don’t see you with a girlfriend, either, Manoban.”

Lisa covered her face with her hands, releasing a fake sob. “Don’t remind me!” she groaned, “It’s not my fault Jennie Kim won’t even look at me!”

Both Seulgi and Momo laughed at that, Momo giving her friend a sympathetic pat on the back. “There, there, friend,” she said solemnly, exchanging smirks with Seulgi.

Lisa sighed heavily, “Okay, I guess the only one who actually has game here is Momo.”

“Yeah!” Momo said proudly, pumping a fist in the air.

Seulgi hummed in agreement, grinning as she teased, “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Myoui Minari, huh?”

Momo felt her cheeks begin to warm without her permission in an automatic reaction. “Yeah, she’s really cool,” she replied, shrugging.

“I bet Minatozaki’s not too happy about that,” Lisa commented to Seulgi, the both of them releasing chuckles.

That side comment immediately made Momo lift her head up, gaze switching between her friends with a confused look. “What do you mean?” she asked slowly. “Why wouldn’t Sana be happy? We all hang out together usually.”

“C’mon, Mo,” Lisa rolled her eyes, “Don’t be coy with us. We see the way that you look at Myoui.”

“Yeah,” Seulgi agreed. “I mean, I’m way past trying to figure out... whatever it is with you and Sana, but like…” She paused, and when she continued, her voice was stressed with some kind of underlaid meaning. “You might want to be careful, you know?”

“Careful with what?” Momo shot back, voice rising in volume. What was Seulgi trying to insinuate?

Lisa answered this time, her own tone wary as she obviously sensed Momo’s growing agitation. “I think what Seulgi’s trying to say is… You hanging out with another girl a lot, Sana might not like that. She might feel jealous, you know?”

Momo scoffed, pushing back away on the bed to scoot further away from where she was sitting next to Lisa. “Are you serious?” Momo glanced between the two girls incredulously. “Sana wouldn’t get jealous, not over Mina. You guys have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The other two Hufflepuffs exchanged looks, eyebrows raised skeptically, and that was enough for Momo. With an annoyed huff and a shake of her head, she jumped up from the bed.

“Wait, Momo, come on,” Seulgi called out as Momo made her way to the door.

“No, you guys are being s,” Momo retorted. She turned around to fix them with one last irritated look. “What I choose to do with Sana, or with Mina, isn’t any of your guys’ business. I don’t care if it makes sense to you two, and you have no right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. With them, or in general.” Swinging the door open, Momo called over her shoulder, “I’ll see you guys at practice.”

It wasn’t a far walk to her and Sana’s room— it was just down the hallway— but Momo found herself hesitating outside their door. Despite her furious denial of Sana ever getting jealous over Mina, her Quidditch teammates’ words had sewn seeds of doubt in her mind. Sana wouldn’t get jealous over Momo being fond of Mina… right?

Shaking her head, Momo assured herself she was just being silly. She was right when she said Seulgi and Lisa didn’t know what they were talking about— Momo knew her and Sana’s relationship was complicated, and a little unorthodox maybe, but she trusted the strength of it. Besides, Sana was fond of Mina herself, too, right?

Still, Momo decided the best course of action would be to talk to Sana about it, just in case. It’d be best to clear the air now before it could potentially lead to any misunderstandings.

With a new sense of determination, Momo opened the door to their room, stepping inside and closing it behind her. All the lights were off, and she could see the shape of Sana in bed— Mina must have already left for the night.

Quietly tiptoeing across the room, Momo climbed into bed next to Sana. She’d assumed the girl was asleep, and figured they could have their serious talk in the morning, but it was immediately clear to Momo that Sana wasn’t sleeping as soon as she tried to wrap her arms around the girl like she usually did.

The body of her best friend tensed, and after a few seconds, Sana scooted away from Momo.

An instant panic seized Momo— Sana never rejected her cuddles, not even when she was annoyed with her. The first thought that entered Momo’s mind was that Sana must be angry, and due to the conversation she’d just had with Seulgi and Lisa, of course Momo immediately came to the conclusion that it had to be about Mina.

In her experience, there were a few easy shortcuts to getting an upset Sana to forgive her, and Momo moved instinctively. The older student tried to hug Sana again, pressing a kiss to her shoulder blade and cooing sweetly, “Satang, what’s wrong?”

“Stop, Momo,” Sana mumbled, actually pushing her away this time. If that action alone wasn’t shocking enough, it was clear by her cracked voice that the girl was, or recently had been, crying.

Immediately concerned, Momo sat up in bed and turned the nearby lamp on, pulling at Sana’s shoulder to get the girl to turn and look at her. Reluctantly, the blonde did so, revealing her red, puffy eyes. “Sana,” Momo murmured in horror, immediately moving to wipe her best friend’s tears. Yet again, Sana pulled away from her touch, nearly breaking Momo’s heart in the process. Desperately wanting to fix what she assumed was the problem, Momo began urgently, “Listen, we need to talk about something, okay, I-”

“Don’t,” Sana interrupted her, voice smaller than Momo had ever heard it as the girl rubbed at her own cheeks. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“You do?” Momo whispered, nerves making her stomach clench. Here it was… what if Sana didn’t feel the same way? What if she was mad at her?

“Yeah,” Sana nodded her head. Swallowing, the younger Hufflepuff continued, “If you want to date Seulgi, then by all means, go ahead.”

In her absolute shock, not having expected that at all, Momo did the worst thing she could have done in that moment— she released an incredulous laugh. “Wait, what? Seulgi?”

Momo immediately realized her mistake when Sana’s eyes filled with tears again, the girl biting out harshly, “You don’t have to, have to lie and laugh in my face like I’m some kind of idiot, Momo.”

“No, wait, that’s not what I meant,” Momo insisted, her voice distressed as she reached out for Sana again. “Could you please just let me explain?!”

The blonde slid out of bed, avoiding her best friend’s touch. With her back to Momo, Sana was icily calm as she said, “There’s nothing to explain, okay? You can date whoever you want, Momo. You’re not my girlfriend.”

Momo felt those words like a blow to her gut. Sana’s voice was so harsh, so cold— completely unlike the soft and caring girl that Momo had known for six years. Each word was utterly dismissive, like Momo meant nothing to her. Maybe they weren’t dating, not officially, but Momo had thought— she’d thought that they had something special together, something that didn’t need to be defined. She’d thought they’d had some sort of unspoken mutual agreement, that they were each other’s, now and always.

Had she been wrong about that, misinterpreted it, all this time?

Absolutely crushed, and her eyes stinging, Momo found that her heartbreak manifested itself in anger. “I know that,” Momo burst out. “Whatever, fine, maybe I will date whoever I want!” She just wanted a reaction— wanted Sana to turn around, that gentle look in her eyes like she always had when she looked at Momo, wanted her to call her “my Momoring” and say she loved her.

But Sana didn’t turn to look at her at all, and her only response was a clipped, “Fine.”

The blonde began to cross the room to the door, and again feeling a little desperate, Momo called out, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to be staying in Tzuyu’s room for a while,” Sana replied, the door slamming shut behind her before Momo could say anything else.

Momo wasn’t the type of person who cried very often— even when she was little, she’d scream and wail, but seldom were there any tears involved. The only times she had cried since she’d met Sana had been that first night at Hogwarts, and then in their third year when she broke her wrist playing Quidditch.

That night, curled up alone in her and Sana’s bed, it was like a dam had broken. She just couldn’t stop crying.