“I can walk now,” Dahyun declared, a broad smile on her face. True.

Sana had to return it. “No pain?”

She shrugged. “A little, I guess.” As she headed to the front of the Hospital Wing, she limped. “I know you said it would take a few days, but if I can walk, I don’t need to be in bed all day.”

Madame Selen began to level her with a stern look. “You’re not ready.”

Dahyun didn’t miss a beat. “I won’t go to class yet, at least not the ones that go beyond a certain floor.” 

“You’re not going to any classes. Not even those on this floor.”

“But I can go to the library?” She sounded hopeful. 

“And here. Don’t think you’re free of me just yet.”

Dahyun smiled. “Of course.” 

“How many classes do you two share?” The woman turned to Sana. 

“Uh,” she said, caught very much off guard. “Four, I think?”

“Actually five,” the Hufflepuff said. “Charms.”

Sana’s surprise rose. She thought the girl wouldn’t know that. 

“Good. She shows up in class, you send her out. Potions especially.” 

That wouldn’t be easy. Dahyun loved potions. It rivalled her unusual passion for History of Magic. 

“I’ll try.”

Madame Selen nodded. “The only reason you can leave is because you might go mad if you stay any longer.”

Dahyun waggled her eyebrows. “Way ahead of you.” 

She smiled. “Don’t worry about your things, I’ll get them down.”

The girl looked surprised. “Thank you.” She bowed her head. Then she turned to Sana. “Do you mind waiting? I just need to change, then we’re good.”

Sana had not expected that. “Yeah, um,” she was stuttering, "sure." The jinx on her legs had taken much longer to wear off than expected. She’d been in here all day. Maybe that was why she couldn't talk properly. 

Dahyun went back to her bed, pushing the curtains together behind her. 

Madame Selen turned back to her Sana. “My office,” she mouthed. They went over. The door closed with a tiny snap. “I know you have a lot on your plate already, especially after yesterday,” she said. “But I would like you and your friends to watch her.” 

Sana frowned. “Watch her?”

“Whatever she’s told, most of it will go in one ear and out the other. I’ve told her to stay away from the potions room for the time being, but she might very well go against that.” Her eyes hardened. “But you can’t let her in.” 

“Why?” Did she think something could happen there?

She in a breath. “Keep this to yourself, but Dahyun’s body reacts badly to potions. I don’t know for certain, but the beneficial ones don't take hold, and I fear the malevolent may have too strong an effect. Professor Destin says it might be a few weeks until she’s allowed to even breathe in the fumes of a poison.”

Sana wanted to ask why, but she knew Dahyun was probably ready by now. 

“I’ll—we’ll keep an eye on her.” That would definitely be an awkward conversation.

“Thank you.” She opened the door. 

Dahyun was checking something in her book. Her hair was light pink at the top, purple at the bottom. The sight made Sana’s chest lighten and twist at the same time. 

She looked between the two of them. Then she smiled. Fake. 

“Ready?” She moved some of her hair over her shoulder. It had to be a coincidence. Maybe she took that colour when she was in a good mood. End of O.W.Ls, release from the Hospital Wing, it was probably just celebratory. Or just a coincidence. 

Sana nodded. “Got tired of brown hair?” She wondered if the creation of that spell had put her on the Ministry’s radar. It can't have been the only thing, or else Chaeyoung and Jihyo would have also gotten a summer job. Unless they had, and that secret had just been hidden better. 

“Thought I’d go back to it.” She glanced at a few strands. “Let’s go.” Then she reached down to get her bag, hissing in the process. Straightening, she put a hand to her side. 

“I’ll get that.” Sana walked over. She lifted the bag. It was heavy. “Why haven’t you charmed this?”

“Strength training,” she replied. “You can make it lighter if you want.” 

“You’ll call me lazy once I do.” 

“Not this time.” 

Sana made the bag feather-light, almost sighing in relief as her shoulder was freed of the weight. 

“Lazy.” A light smile. True

They left the Hospital Wing. Sana wanted to ask her why they were going down together, but something held her back from that. 

“Can you see fine?” Her hand gripped the bannister tightly. They were the only ones on the stairs. A little late to dinner too. 

“Yep.” Her eyes still felt dry, but she’d gotten drops for that. “What are you going to do all day? I meant it when I said I’ll keep you out of class.” 

She raised a brow. “You said you’d try.”

Was Madame Selen right? Was Dahyun really that stubborn? 

“You’re not actually—”

“No,” she said. “Even if I tried, the only class I might sneak in to would be Binns’, but you can be sure she’ll check that one.” A chuckle. “So really, I’m just going to be in the library.” 

Working. She didn’t say that, but she didn’t need to. Sana had woken up at one point in the middle of the night. Dahyun had still been awake. 

Now they were in front of the doors. Neither of them went to open them. 

“Dahyun.” 

She looked at her. “Yeah?”

“Why did you want me to walk down with you?”

Dahyun looked just about perfect. There were no bruises, cuts, or shadows on her face. All fake. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Her hand rose, reaching for the bag on Sana’s shoulder. “I just thought it might be good for them to see that I don’t blame you.” The hand fell. “But if you think it’d make it worse, I’ll go to the library while you have dinner. There doesn’t have to be any,” a pause, “connection.” She chewed on her lip. “Not like last time.” 

Was she hearing her right? Appear together in the Great Hall, revive the rumours that they had a thing, just so people would stop thinking Sana got Dahyun hurt? 

“We’ll have to decide quickly, before people finish up.” 

“You’re,” she had trouble finding the words, “okay with this?”

“Yes.” She said it so casually. “Are you?”

Sana didn’t know what to say. She just reached out and opened the door. All eyes fell on them. 

______

Sana knew she should have pulled away first. She always did, but the kiss just kept going. She didn’t want it to stop. But at some point they had to break for air. 

Dahyun pulled away first, her breath heavy. Her eyes locked with hers. 

Sana chuckled. “Wow.” 

The Hufflepuff looked away. She stood up, her eyes going around the room. Then she walked away. 

Sana watched her go. Her heart was still racing, her face burning. She saw what Dahyun had. People were looking their way, now only hers. Their brows were raised, some were giggling, others frowning. Luke was glaring at her. 

Her stomach twisted. Why was she uncomfortable? She’d kissed many people in public. Being seen was never an issue.

The door opened and closed. With a bang. It jolted her out of her daze. She got up as well, pushing past Hwasa and Wheein who had separated from their own embrace.

She opened the door again. Across the hall, a two-toned head disappeared around the corner. 

“Dahyun!” she called, rushing after the girl. Her elbow caught on the corner. She hissed as the arm seized up. “Wait!” 

She didn’t. Sana hurried down the stairs. Why did the Hufflepuff common room have to be so far away?

Luckily, she caught up with her, almost tripping, the gin tonic not helping. They were on the third floor now. She reached out, grabbing her hand, careful not to pull too hard. 

Dahyun didn’t turn around, but she did stop. Sana couldn’t read her gaze. It was completely closed off, not even hidden by a smile. 

“Forget that happened.” 

She couldn’t believe her ears. “Everyone else won’t.” Sana certainly wouldn’t. Her lips were still tingling. 

Dahyun closed her eyes. Again. “I know. Just don’t talk about it. Don’t fan those flames.”

“I don’t get it. You said it—”

She didn’t let her finish. “I’ve had a lot to drink.”

“So you regret it?”

The response was immediate. “Yes.”

Sana didn’t know why, but the dismissal punched her in the gut. “Can you tell me why?” Her face was on fire. She despised the feeling. It wasn’t nervousness or irritation, but embarrassment. 

“You and I both know what’s on their minds. They’ll say I decided to pursue this side of myself and you found a new target. One is a rumour confirmed, the other is just the dating update of the week.” She opened her eyes then. There was no warmth in them, or even cold. “Just go back to the party. Might be better if you find someone else. There’s a fair amount there who have eyes for you.” A smile appeared. Completely fake. Then she walked off. Sana didn’t go after her.

________

Mina was staring up at the shelves when Chaeyoung arrived. Late. She didn’t look annoyed, but her brow was furrowed. She’d taken out her headband, some of her hair falling down to hide the side of her forehead. 

“Hey,” she said. 

The Slytherin turned, her eyes widening. 

“Hi.” A smile appeared. Had she thought Chaeyoung wouldn't come? “Do you know where I’d find a book on the Ministry? We have stuff on the ones in America, Asia, Africa, even Australia, but few on ours.”

“The history of the Ministry is near A History of Magic,” she shrugged, “as for the organisation of it all, I think over there?” Nodding at the opposite side, she said, “where the career stuff all is.” It wasn’t a huge section, just enough for students going through an identity crisis where they had no idea what they wanted to do after school. 

Mina just nodded. “Did Dahyun ever talk to you about the people she worked with over the summer?”

“Not really, just that they were really nice. Where is this coming from?”

“She got a package yesterday,” she said. “Delivery wasn’t by owl, but a person. And Madame Selen let him go without even checking that it was safe. He showed her some note.” A pause. “Do you think shortbread needs that kind of security?”

Chaeyoung was stumped. What could she say to that? 

“What did she say about it?”

“That the delivery service does things like that?” The corner of her lip quirked up. “When I used it, I got an owl, nothing special.”

“Maybe so it doesn’t get intercepted? Some of the post we’ve gotten in the past hasn’t always been the  best.” 

Chaeyoung remembered how a box sent to her had exploded in her hands. No one had been hurt badly, but every parcel after that had received a check for curses. At least they had for a few weeks until people started complaining that the school was breaching their privacy and being too paranoid. 

“I don’t think that was the case. She still seemed worried as she opened the letter, so it definitely wasn’t an order of hers.”

“Did she tell you what it said?”

She shook her head. 

A shiver ran down her spine. “Do you think it was another threat that she just covered up?” 

“Actually no,” she said. Then she frowned. “Am I just making you more worried? What if it’s nothing and I’m—”

She cut her off. “Thank you for telling me.” Chaeyoung reached out and squeezed her arm. She hadn’t needed to tell her. “And I don’t think it’s nothing either.” As she said the words, she realised that Dahyun wouldn’t tell them if it was or wasn’t. She’d say it’s nothing, but they wouldn’t know if that was the truth or just a lie. “Any luck on finding out who cursed Sana?” She didn’t think calling her by the surname would be helpful. Mina didn’t look like she’d slept much. Chaeyoung knew that kind of worry. “I figured you didn’t want to say much yesterday, because we were in public.” 

“Technically are now,” she smiled slightly, “but I meant it, I really don’t know.” Her eyes went to the floor. “Somehow, I almost want to think it’s related to whatever caused Dahyun to fall.”

“What do you mean?” She didn’t mean to, but she hadn’t let go of the Slytherin’s arm. Now she did. 

“If it wasn't the same person, it’d mean we have at least two really twisted people in the school.” Her frown deepened. “And the rumours, which aren’t stopping, by the way, would have just fueled the person who cursed Sana." The words got a harshness to them, but her eyes were full of uncertainty. 

Chaeyoung didn’t know what to say. Again. She’d never seen Mina like this. Either she was reserved and polite, or surrounded by a gentle happiness. Of course, she could be cold, as she had been to her when Chaeyoung was attacking Sana—verbally of course— but she’d never been scared. 

“I was thinking about this earlier. We should ask the portraits what they saw.” 

“They already said they didn’t see how she fell.”

“I mean what they saw yesterday.” 

Then she reached out again, grabbing Mina’s clenched fist. It relaxed, turning so that their palms were pressed together. Her skin was cool. 

“Come on, it won’t hurt to ask.”

They walked in silence out of the library. Chaeyoung’s steps were quick and sharp, while Mina barely made a sound. 

“What floor?”

“First.”

“And what was it exactly, a jinx?”

“They made her legs collapse, after casting the Conjunctivitis curse.” 

Chaeyoung cringed. It was the perfect combination: disorient them first, then make sure they couldn’t regain their balance. 

“You know him better than I do, could Luke do something like that?” 

She did a double take. Mina’s expression was serious. She actually thought he might. “Too much of a coward. Operates much better through the grapevine.” They stopped at the top of the stairs. “Why do you think he would?”

“We both know he hates Sana.”

Chaeyoung shook her head. “Next to Dahyun, I’m the last person to defend him, but he’s not capable of going that far.” Even so, words could be just as destructive as spells. Yet she couldn’t imagine him pulling a stunt like this. Ever. 

“Okay,” she nodded, “just wanted to make sure.” 

She had the feeling the girl didn't believe her. 

“You start at the top, I’ll go to the ground floor.” She carefully pulled her hand away from Chaeyoung’s. “We meet in the middle, and discuss.” 

The first portrait was of a young girl lounging in her chair. She hadn’t seen anything. The next was a young man with an incredibly long beard. 

“You should’ve seen it!” he exclaimed. “A curse with such precision. The eyes blossomed with red and—”

“I get the picture.” She waved him off. The real guy must have been sorely lacking in decency. Or this portrait was just really bored. To have to watch students go up and down the stairs every day, that couldn't be too much fun. As she looked for another painting, she thought about all the things they might have heard in passing. If people really wanted a good source of gossip, they might have the best luck with the portraits. Until the painted people decided they wanted to mess with them. 

The third painting was just waking up. 

“Excuse me?” Chaeyoung stood on her tip toes, not even wanting to imagine how that looked from afar. She waved her hand in front of them. Some students passed by now and then, but they didn’t pay her any mind, probably all eager to finally eat.

“I can see you, girl,” the elderly woman chuckled, “though I’m surprised you’d like to chat.”

“I actually have a question,” she said. “Uh, yesterday, someone was cursed and made to fall down these stairs.”

Her eyes widened. “Again?” 

Chaeyoung felt both hopeful and scared. She just nodded. 

The woman huffed, staring at the unpainted ceiling. “And they say this school is safe. I have seen battles unfolding in front of me, heard terrible rumours, and now seen at least two students made to fall down the stairs." She shook her head. "Terrible. 

“Who was the first?” Maybe they’d fallen years ago and she’d just not forgotten. 

“A blonde-haired girl, part of that yellow house,” she trailed off. "Very pale."

“When was it?” Mina came to her side. 

“Not long ago, certainly,” she grimaced, “I can’t quite remember.”

“What happened?” Chaeyoung tried to make herself sound patient. What most portraits had in common was that they were very sensitive. Their egos were incredibly high, probably because of the fact that the people wanted to get parts of themselves preserved forever in a painting—one that talked and thought. 

“Poor thing was already out when she got to me, but she was drifting down, not rolling. I didn’t see anyone,” she frowned, "after that, I heard a whisper. I don’t remember what, exactly.” A sigh. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful. This probably isn’t even the person you want to know about.” 

For her it was, but they needed to hear both stories. At least the snippets about either. “What about the second girl?”

“I’m sorry, dear, I only knew someone had fallen when the screaming started. I’m a nocturnal bird, in that sense.” 

Chaeyoung felt the tension in her shoulders dissipate. That was it then. No more from this one. 

“Thank you, miss,” she bowed her head, “you were very helpful.” Not much, but far more than the rest, as well as the ones who followed. Most of them said the same thing. They had seen Sana being cursed and stumbling, but no one knew anything about the cause. No one else knew much about Dahyun either, but one mentioned seeing the first year, Soyeon, find the girl. He was very sympathetic to the girl, admiring her bravery. 

After the tenth portrait had told them how outraged he was that students were fighting each other, again, Chaeyoung had heard enough. People were also starting to come out of the Great Hall and up the stairs. They shouldn’t be asking any questions like that now.

“Let’s go eat?” she asked. 

Mina looked downcast as well. She nodded. 

Together, they went to the Great Hall. It was already emptying, most of the dishes full of dessert, rather than anything savoury. 

She was about to go when she noticed Mina watching the Slytherin table. Chaeyoung followed her gaze. She didn’t see Nayeon, Tzuyu or Sana. 

“Wanna eat together?” She wanted to slap herself for how lame that sounded, but it was already said. One terrible thing about words was, there was no counter-curse. 

“Uh,” her brow rose, “I–okay.” 

They walked between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. There were a few looks their way, but not many. Most of the people who had stayed for dessert on her table were in a deep discussion. She heard talk about the most recent Care of Magical Creatures mishap, namely a demiguise being chased into the forest. That had cost the students and the professor hours until the creature willingly came back. They suspected it had found the giant spiders hidden in the forest and preferred anxious students to eight legs and pincers. 

Others were talking about Sana, and Dahyun. She didn’t hear much else.

“Chaeng!” Jihyo called. “I made sure the goulash was left behind.” Her eyes went to Chaeyoung’s side. “There’s a couple of plates of other things too,” she said to Mina. Jeongyeon and Momo sat beside her and smiled at the two of them. 

Then the girl on their side stood, she had purple hair. Then she turned around, a broad smile on her face. 

“Dahyun!” Chaeyoung rushed over. “You’re out?” She gave her a hug, careful not to hurt anything. She still smelled of the Hospital Wing

They could talk about what the paintings had said later. 

The two girls sat at the Hufflepuff table. 

“How much convincing did it take you to get out?"

“A lot,” she said. “But I wore her down these past few days. Today I just needed to promise her I’m not going to any classes for a little while.” 

“We’ll hold you to that!” Chaeyoung said, meaning it fully. Then she dove into the food. She hadn’t eaten lunch today. That, combined with Quidditch practice, made sure she was starving. 

Jihyo and Dahyun were giving her weird looks. She waved them off. 

“You’re with Minatozaki now?” a familiar voice asked.

Chaeyoung didn’t bother fighting a sigh. Beside her, Dahyun’s hands had stilled, but her smile hadn’t disappeared. Chaeyoung was stunned to see that her eyes hadn’t gone cold. Momo's, on the other hand, had gone shockingly hard. Jeongyeon just kept eating. Jihyo wasn't hiding her glare. Beside her, Mina had stopped eating. 

“Who told you that?” One brow rose. 

“No one had to tell me anything, I saw you,” Luke said. 

She had a sudden urge to start a food fight in the Great Hall. Starting with a cake to the face. Fortunately for him, Professor McGonagall was still in the room. She didn't want another 'conversation' like fifth year, fourth year too. Maybe third?

“You saw us come into the Great Hall,” she replied. “From the Hospital Wing.” 

People were looking over now. Chaeyoung had thought the interest in Luke and Dahyun had faded. Apparently not. 

Luke’s scowl softened. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better.” 

She believed him. Partially. 

“I’m glad to feel better.” She halved a potato. Then quartered it. 

“When do you think you’ll be back on the pitch?” 

How he had managed to turn his voice around, Chaeyoung couldn’t say. She also had no idea how Dahyun could keep her smile up. She’d never seen her like this. 

“I probably won’t make the first match,” she said. “But don’t start slacking. Allison will still block your shots, no problem.” 

Luke laughed. “I'd like to see her try.”

Dahyun just nodded. Then she continued eating. Jihyo exchanged a look with Chaeyoung. The silence in their section was awkward, but she knew it would be worse for Luke. There were a few seconds that passed. Then she heard him walk away. 

She wished they could talk about what an idiot he was, but that’d have to wait until later. There were still too many people around them—too many who would try to listen in on their conversation. And, if Dahyun’s act was anything to go by, she wanted to make people think they were on good terms, maybe even friends. Just the thought made her want to laugh.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mina eating a burger. With a knife and fork. 

“You’re kidding, right?” 

The Slytherin lifted her head, eyes full of confusion. “What?”

“How do you eat your burgers?” she asked the girls, a smile growing on her lips. 

Dahyun smiled again. “With a spoon.” 

Mina frowned. “That wouldn’t work.” 

“This,” Chaeyoung pointed at the cutlery in her hands, “shouldn’t work. It should be eaten with your hands.”

“But the bread is soggy,” she replied. “I’m pretty sure muggles use a knife and fork too.” 

"I've seen it," Momo added. 

“A few do,” Jihyo chuckled, “but they’re the posh ones.”

Her back straightened and she cut the burger slowly, raising a brow at them. “As long as it’s eaten, I think it’s fine.” 

“Sure thing,” Chaeyoung said. “It’s fine, even if you eat it wrong.” She nudged her with an elbow. 

The girl just gave her another look. She smiled back at her. 

They launched into a discussion on muggle food and the many brands wizards were missing out on. Chaeyoung’s smile never left her. She was having a genuinely lighthearted conversation for once, wasn’t being bombarded by questions from others, and a particular Slytherin was sitting beside her. And, to top it all off, her best friend was back. They’d figure out the rest. Later. 

_______

Author's Note 

What are your thoughts on flashbacks to previous years? I've got a few ideas lined up to give an impression of how Saida developed throughout the five–six years they've known each other. 

This was a fun combination to write, both Saida and Michaeng, but also some more on the core story. I love exploring it!

Thank you all for the support, once again! It always puts a smile on my face. See you next chapter!!