First Year

Dahyun cradled her hand as they walked towards Hogwarts. While she was still on a high after being in the air like that, the outing might have been too much for her. Her whole arm was sore now. 

“You okay?” Sana looked back at her, a smile on her face. 

“Yes,” she nodded, “it just hurts.” 

The Slytherin slowed. “Should we go to the Hospital Wing?”

Dahyun giggled. “Then they’ll really know we broke the rules.” 

“But if you’re hurt?” 

“I’ll go tomorrow,” she patted her shoulder, “but right now we have to get back.” 

She didn’t look convinced, but nodded. 

Together, they crept down the stairs. Dahyun had recently learned a charm that got rid of dirt, so they at least didn’t leave any muddy footsteps. Otherwise they could be followed and found if they hid somewhere. 

When they reached the corridor leading to the kitchens, they saw a prefect. Sana’s hand closed around Dahyun’s arm. 

“What are you two doing out of bed?” they asked. Their tone was kind. 

Dahyun would have relaxed. Until the prefect’s gaze landed on her. It cooled immediately. 

“What are you doing with her?”

“It’s my fault,” Dahyun said quickly. “I told her to—”

“Shut it.” Then he turned to Sana. “Get to the common room.”

The girl beside her straightened. “We snuck out together.” 

He looked bewildered. “You shouldn’t have anything to do with her.” He grabbed Dahyun by the arm and pulled her away. She fought a cry as it shook out the bad arm. Sana’s hand fell away.

She looked between them, confused. “That,” she started. 

“Twenty points from Hufflepuff, five from Slytherin,” he spat. “Now off to bed. Yours is right there,” he waved a hand to the barrels, “come on.” He strode down the hall. “Minatozaki.”

“They said I can stay in another common room,” Sana said. “I am today.” 

The prefect just shook his head. “Bunking with the mudblood, a Hufflepuff at that.” He his heel. “Make it ten from our house, doesn’t matter.” Then he was off. 

Mudblood. A word far worse than muggleborn.

Dahyun tapped the necessary barrel with the right rhythm. 

“You didn’t need to stay here,” she said. “Now you lost five more points.” And she had lost twenty. Her eyes stung. 

The passage to the common room opened. 

“But it was worth it.” Sana nudged her arm. “You can fly now.” 

“Badly.” But she still smiled. “Are you really going to stay here?” 

“Yes.” A broad grin broke out on her face. “Come on.” 

They walked into the warm room.

Mudblood. She knew the word, but it had never been said to her. Chaeyoung had also been called it after she’d made a Gryffindor’s robes turn green. He'd deserved it, but it had led to an extended conversation with one of their professors on what that word meant (as well as one where you shouldn’t colour someone’s robes, but neither Dahyun nor Chaeyoung has listened much to that). 

Hopefully Sana didn’t know what that word meant yet. She didn’t want to explain it. “They have extra toothbrushes,” Dahyun said. “But if those are all used, we can use that cleaning spell on mine.” It grossed her out a bit, but it wasn’t as bad as the feeling of waking up with teeth that weren’t brushed. She hated that. And the taste. 

A small pause. “Thank you.” Sana was probably also grossed out at that.

Thankfully, there were enough toothbrushes. They got ready for bed. Dahyun was sure Sana was getting tired. She’d been so energetic the entire day, and excited too. She’d also flown circles around her. That was why she was quiet now. She was just tired. 

Sana wore bright pink pyjamas. Dahyun’s were white with bunnies on them. 

“I like it.” The Slytherin poked one of them. 

They got to the dormitory. Everyone was asleep. Dahyun pointed to one of the spare beds, but Sana grabbed her sleeve. 

“I don’t like sleeping alone here,” she whispered. 

“Then why did you come to the common room?” She started to move to her own bed, the other girl trailing behind. 

“I mean I don’t like sleeping alone in school,” she replied. “Minari sleeps with me. Momoring too when she can.” Then she patted Dahyun’s head. “Dahyun-chan now as well.” 

She smiled in the darkness. “If you hit me while I sleep, I’m sleeping in one of those beds.” 

“Fine.” 

They crawled into bed. Both were so small that there was enough room for them to lay side by side. Or the beds were just so big. 

Dahyun had to say it before one of them fell asleep. “Thank you, Sana.” She meant it. This was the last time she would ever sneak out like this with someone, but it was a good last time. “I don’t think I’ll need any more lessons now.” Today had been the third, extended because of ‘how close’, according to Sana, Dahyun was to flying properly. 

“You’re welcome!” she half whispered. 

“Quiet, or we’ll be in trouble here too.” 

“Okay.” A small giggle. “Just remember what I told you and it’ll always be okay.”

Dahyun remembered how fun it had been to soar through the air. She still couldn’t believe that her flying lessons had been so terrible when the other girl had been such a good teacher. Maybe it was the way she'd started to fly. The teacher had just said to kick off, but Sana had made them take their time. 

Her fear of heights wasn’t gone. Just thinking about the height at which she’d been, her feet not touching the ground, her body not surrounded by metal or anything, just air—it made her heart start racing again. She remembered falling in that first flying lesson. She had been so scared. Then embarrassed. 

She repeated the words. “Don’t worry about falling, worry about moving.” 

Another giggle. “Exactly.” Pause. “What does mudblood mean?”

“Nothing good,” Dahyun replied. “Don’t tell anyone they called me that.” She knew Chaeyoung might punch him. Jihyo could hex him. He was a prefect. They’d get into even more trouble. 

“Why not?”

“It’ll be a secret,” she said. “Can you keep it a secret?”

“Yes!” 

“Good,” Dahyun turned around to face the wall, “goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Dahyun.”

She didn’t fall asleep for a while. What would the others say when they found out she’d lost twenty points for their house? All so that she could help Dahyun not be scared of flying? What would Sana’s house think when they learned she’d lost points for them? Helping her? She’d been told that your blood wasn’t important, but she was starting to think that wasn’t true. 

Would the prefect tell the others about this? Would Sana get into more trouble? Maybe it would be better if Dahyun wasn't around her. She didn't want her to get into more trouble. 

_____

The Great Hall was loud today. There was talk of Sana and Rosé, Luke and Lisa, and Sana and Dahyun. Dahyun’s headache was flaring. She didn’t know exactly why. It had started when she got out of the common room. Maybe it was the dizziness of the past few days, yesterday especially when she’d forgotten to hand something in. She’d gone up the stairs a bit too quickly, charmed her essay so that she could watch where it went, until of course Jeongyeon had caught sight of her exhausted state and asked where she should bring it. 

The Gryffindor had told her not to push her limits. Those were the ones of her body, not her mind. All of this activity wasn’t good for her, she knew, but if she had her way, she would be doing more. But she didn’t, because Madame Selen would kill her. Chaeyoung and Jihyo too. 

Then the owls began to fly in. She saw one with a broom. It went to Slytherin’s table. A few let out a cheer as Sana untied the broom from the owl, a broad smile on her face. Why did she need a new broom? 

A letter landed in front of her. It was muggle paper. For a brief moment she thought it was from her parents, but she didn't recognise the writing. It wasn’t like those notes at least. Still, it would be best if it wasn’t opened in the middle of the Great Hall. 

“Everything okay?” Jihyo asked. She was looking from the letter to Dahyun.

“Yep.” She smiled. She loved her friends for it, loved that they cared so much for her. Even so, it could be too much, even though they had no idea why. When had school life become so complicated?

Even so, she stood up. Maybe it was just from their old captain, or someone else from the Ministry, but she didn’t know. She walked between the tables, ignoring the curious glances she got. Once she got to the doors, she opened the letter, closing her eyes as she did so. 

A scent entered her nose. She opened the doors. There was a bang. 

_____

Sana looked up from her broom to see Dahyun fall to the floor. She stood, climbing past Tzuyu’s breakfast. 

If the bang hadn’t already caught people’s attention, the scream pierced the conversation of every student. The Hufflepuff was at the door, clutching her face. Blood was streaming down between her fingers and her neck. Her white collar had already turned crimson. 

Her friends were rushing over, but Sana got there first. Her stomach clenched at the sight of it. She really couldn’t handle the sight of blood well. 

“Hey,” she said. “I’ll take you to the Hospital Wing.” Any questions she had about the letter and what this was could wait. 

“Don’t,” she gasped, “b...breathe it i-in or touch any–anything.” 

You have, she thought. Then she closed her hands around the girl’s arms and helped her up. She knew blood would get on her robes too. She pushed down the revulsion that rose up. 

“Let go of the letter,” Chaeyoung said. 

She shook her head. “I’m keeping it.” 

“It’s burning your hand,” Sana said, reaching for it. 

“And it’ll burn yours too,” she hissed. Tears were streaming down her face. They joined the blood on her face. Deep gashes had appeared all across her face, even her neck. Whatever had struck her hadn’t just burned her skin, but cut it too. How was she able to handle this pain? 

“Come on.” Sana knew all eyes were on them. Dahyun’s other friends had arrived, but Nayeon, Mina, and Tzuyu were also standing close by. 

The nine of them left the Great Hall. 

Sana felt her anger rise. What if that spell had struck anywhere else? She knew enough of the body to know that one cut went very close to a huge danger zone on the neck. Not for the first time, someone had nearly gotten Dahyun killed. 

“I can get up these stairs myself.” She shook off Sana’s arms, but stumbled in the same moment. Blood was already flowing onto the stone floor. 

“Sure.” She caught her and kept going up the stairs. A drop of whatever was in that letter smeared onto her skin. She hissed. How could the girl still hold the thing and not scream? 

“Sorry,” Dahyun muttered, angling her hand away. It shook as it clutched the letter, also covered in deep cuts. The liquid from the letter was clear and also soaking into her sleeve. She was going limp. Sana tightened her grip on her. Was this also because of the letter? 

“Let go of it,” Nayeon said. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t drip.” She was already taking out her wand. Without waiting for a response, she waved it. The letter rose into the air, a protective bubble around it. Sana saw that whatever was in it now dripped, forming a pool of it at the bottom. 

“Tergeo,” Jihyo muttered. 

The liquid was carefully siphoned off of Dahyun’s hand and robes. Some of the blood joined it. 

Dahyun used her good hand to dig around in her bag. She drew out an empty vial. “Put it in this.” Her words were slurred. “I need a sample.” She sounded more than out of it. 

They were in the first floor corridor now. There was definitely going to be a trail behind them, but she didn’t look back. She’d probably vomit if she did. That wouldn’t make anything better. 

“What do you think it was?” Chaeyoung asked. 

“A complex curse,” she mumbled. Her knees gave out. The Ravenclaw caught her by the other side. “Sorry.” Her head lolled to the side. 

Finally, they reached the Hospital Wing. 

Madame Selen’s eyes were as wide as plates when she saw Dahyun. 

“Was she attacked?” The woman immediately took the Hufflepuff from the two of them, drawing out her wand with the other hand. She whispered a flurry of spells. Thankfully, some took hold and the blood flow stopped—or at least slowed. 

“Got a letter,” Dahyun sighed. “Thought it was fine,” she giggled, “how dumb.” Then she was lowered on to the bed. “They put some sort of sleepiess potion in.” Her head hit the cushions and her eyes drooped. 

The healer stiffened and sat Dahyun up straight. The girl whined in response. 

“You cannot let her sleep,” she said. “This is exactly why she should have never gone to the potions room, I,” she shook her head, “keep her awake.” Then she left for her office. 

Jihyo sat on the side of the bed. Sana tried to wipe away whatever was on her hand. It felt as though a small flame was at the skin. Very painful, but not agony. That had been one drop of it. And Madame Selen had said Dahyun reacts badly to potions. What would this mean to her? 

Nayeon was sitting at another bed, carefully lowering the letter onto a bedside table. Mina had her wand out as well and was collecting the liquid into a dish. Sana went over, as she heard Jihyo’s efforts to keep her awake. 

“What still needs to be done today?” 

“Too much.” Another giggle. Sana hadn't heard that sound in ages. “History, twice, Potions, Alchemy, Runes, Transfiguration, three assignments,” a sigh, “I at that.” 

Sana peered over Nayeon’s shoulder, watching as she pulled out the letter. The flap of the envelope had ‘mudblood’ written in block letters. Her stomach twisted even more.

Muggles and wizards working together. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? 

“How am I going to manage all of this?” Dahyun muttered as her head was tilted up. The blood seeped lazily from her wounds, but she looked unbothered. Madame Selen had probably already given her something for the pain. “I can’t do all of this by myself, school, quidditch, patrols, and the—” she paused. “It’s just too much.”

“Relax,” the healer said. “You’ll get everything done. Like you have already.”

When her head fell forward, Madame Selen dabbed a wet cloth on the uncut parts of her skin. The blood was being cleaned away by an enchanted cloth. Each time it brushed at one wound, the Hufflepuff flinched, but didn't seem bothered. 

“I haven’t done enough.” A sigh. “Can I sleep?” 

“No.” She raised something to her lips. “Drink this. It will help you stay awake, might clear your head too.” 

“I thought she’s not allowed potions like that?” Sana asked. 

“It’s a caffeinated mixture, nothing magical about it.” She gave her more. 

“You’re not going to make me stay here again, are you?” Dahyun blinked a few times, her head still not straight. “It’s just a few cuts.” 

“A few cuts,” Nayeon repeated under her breath, “she’s crazy.” 

Jeongyeon heard it and sent her a foul look. 

“Can I see the letter?” Dahyun's gaze fell on them, also not completely steady. “You probably all read it already,” a snort, “can’t hide anything in this school.” 

Mina lifted it carefully with her wand, letting it hover in front of her face. 

She squinted at it and there was no change in her expression as she read it. Could she even read it in her state? A long silence spread out in the Hospital Wing. Only then did Sana actually look around. It was empty. 

“Alright, you must get going now if you want to catch your first lesson,” Madame Selen said. “Thank you that you all came so quickly.” Her eyes lingered on Dahyun and Sana saw genuine fear there. “Off you go.” She shooed them towards the doors. 

They opened and Madame Selen came with them. There was a snap as they closed again. 

“That is connected to her fall, is it not?” 

The eight of them didn’t respond. Sana didn’t know how. Not one of the teachers had been addressing it. Only once had Sana been approached when Professor Bae had asked her where she’d been. 

“The post will be watched again, it must be,” she said. “But I don’t know how we can take precautions against the other potential dangers.”

“So you don’t think the fall was accidental?” Chaeyoung asked. She sounded almost hopeful, but the look in her eyes was rimmed with fury. 

“I still cannot say,” she whispered. “But you must tell no one of what you see in there, nor spread any of your suspicions. There are already far too many of you here.” Her eyes hardened. “Now, off to class with you, but first,” she raised her wand, “some of you are filthy.” Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Sana could watch as the blood on her robes and skin was drawn away before vanishing. When it was all gone, the healer went back. 

They stood there, stunned into silence. Jihyo was the first to recover. 

“She’s right. They’ll already all be wondering what the hell happened there.” She brushed past Tzuyu and Mina. “Tell everyone it was probably sent by an old student.” 

“Are you sure? What if they try and track them down?” Jeongyeon asked. 

She gave the Gryffindor a look. “They’ll have a long time to look. By then they’ll forget why they’re even searching for someone to blame.” Then she left with Chaeyoung.

“None of that got on you, right?” Momo asked. She was looking at Nayeon. 

“No,” she shook her head, before nodding at Sana, “you did. Get back in there, Satang. Right now. We’ll let Bae know you’re not coming.” Then she was striding down the hall, Momo trailing behind, while Jeongyeon went in the opposite direction, not a word to either of them. 

“See you at lunch?” Mina looked as confused as Sana felt. 

“Yeah.” She glanced at her hand. The skin was red. 

Mina and Tzuyu both gave her small smiles, before they were also off. Sana stood alone in front of the doors. Too much had come at once. First it was that letter, now it was clear that it was a threat related to blood status. Everyone always said they were past this, especially after the Second Wizarding War. Had that just been optimistic of them? Or were the few exceptions to that precisely the ones who had made Dahyun a target? 

Sana raised a hand to the door. For a second, she thought about knocking, but that would be ridiculous. She took a deep breath and opened the door. 

_____

Dahyun had never been so thankful for potions as she was in this moment. The searing cuts across her face were numb, as was the rest of the skin on her neck and hands. In the minutes before getting Madame Selen’s potions, it had hurt terribly, but it wasn't complete agony. She'd felt that before. The strangest thing was that she had not been kept awake because of it. The pain was constant, but her mind had been slipping. Her body had felt so heavy. It still did, but it was better now because of the caffeine-filled drink she’d gotten. 

She got up and went to the window. She was lucky it hadn’t gotten into her eyes. At least most of it.

It was getting lighter outside now, but most of the trees were barren. If it wouldn’t rain in the next few days, the conditions for the Gryffindor–Slytherin match would be perfect. She really hoped she’d be fit for Hufflepuff’s first match. Chaeyoung and her had a bet. Whoever’s team lost had to finance a limited shopping spree in Hogsmeade, capped at one galleon. It wasn’t much, but it made for a long stroll between the different shops. 

“How'd that get there?” she heard Madame Selen say. “You should have told me immediately, girl. This is nothing to dismiss.” 

Dahyun didn’t look to see who it was. She was so dizzy, but she needed to stand. The soft cushions of the bed were too inviting for sleep, even if she was on a caffeine high. Whatever potion they had mixed in was strong.

She fought a sigh. Too many were involved now. The other girls had all come with her. They had definitely seen the letter and she could only guess what they’d been babbling about before Madame Selen had given her the cocktail of healing potions. Considering the title the sender had given her, she could at least dismiss it as being from some blood supremacist. How would the others see it? They’d definitely make connections between that and her fall. Would she be able to lessen that suspicion? She had no idea. The letter had complicated things more than she’d ever imagined. It was also a bold move. She wondered if anyone had caught the owl. Most likely so. What might they find there? 

“Feeling better?” 

Dahyun turned. Too quickly. She swayed and hands steadied her. One was wrapped in a bandage. 

“You got some on you too,” she said. “Told you your hand would burn.” 

“I just got a drop,” Sana replied. “I didn’t take the letter. Nayeon did.” 

This was the second time she’d gotten hurt because of Dahyun. Or the first time, if the jinx and curse had been independent events—which she doubted. Either way, she felt guilt pool in her stomach. 

“It doesn’t hurt?” 

She shook her head. “Gave me whatever she gave you.” 

“Good.” She looked around the Hospital Wing. It was empty. Even Madame Selen wasn’t there. 

“She went to show Destin that stuff.” 

The dish in which it had been was gone. Dahyun still had the vial. She would need to analyse it. Maybe Destin would glean more from it, but he wasn’t obligated to tell her. Only Professor McGonagall would learn about its contents, probably Madame Selen too in case there were lasting effects. 

She dug it out from her bag, hoping that the bandages around it would protect the skin from getting too irritated. She couldn’t feel much more than pressure, so she wouldn’t know until the potion wore off. Even though Sana was there, she had to see what was in this potion. 

Pulling out her wand, she took out one small drop. Then she muttered, “Ingrediens revelio.” The spell itself was quite straightforward. It was the wand movement that was complicated. First it was a tick-mark sort of sign, but also a circular motion. It almost looked like a cauldron. The drop turned red, black, transparent, purple, and white. Then it proceeded to turn other shades. She wrote down the colours in her notebook, repeating the spell when she forgot the sequence. Her hand cramped as she did so and the handwriting was terrible, but she couldn’t do two spells at once. Maybe they’d learn that next year. Or afterwards. 

Sana was frowning at the drop. “You figured out that spell?”

“Nope. I thought that I could, but it ended up backfiring.”

Her eyes widened. “You used it without knowing if it would work?”

“Used it on a smoothie,” she replied.  “A mixed drink of fruits.” Or vegetables, she thought, but that wasn’t necessary to clarify. 

“And how did you get it right?”

She compared the colours to the notes she’d taken. “Found an interesting book in the restricted section.”

Sana didn’t respond. Dahyun raised her head from her notes. The other girl was looking at her, but she couldn’t read that gaze. 

“What?”

“Nothing,” the Slytherin said. 

“Really?”

“It’s just,” a small smile, “did you track down a book just for this one spell?”

Dahyun began to write down the ingredients she’d found. “You can recreate potions, check your own potions if you missed an ingredient. It’s an awesome spell!”

The list was growing: moonstone, wormwood, asphodel, sneezewort, scurvy grass, hellebore, unicorn horn— seemingly random. 

She stopped writing and read through them again. They weren’t random. She knew which potions they belonged to, but she couldn’t write them down now. Not when Sana was likely watching each little note. At least the writing would be near illegible.

“Doesn’t make much sense,” she shook her head, closing the book, “bet Destin will find something.” 

The look that the Slytherin gave her now was more than understandable, but Dahyun nearly blushed. She didn’t believe her at all. She should have known. It had always been difficult to hide things from the girl. 

To her relief, the doors opened. Dahyun put the vial back into her bag, along with the book. In came Madame Selen and Professor McGonagall. 

“Professor Destin says he will need at least a week to determine the composition of that potion,” the healer said. 

That made her pause. This would take a few days. She’d have to be sure it was this combination and it worked, as well as the respective amounts, but it would take a week at maximum. 

Muggles and wizards. That had been in the letter. Maybe Destin would have trouble with the ingredients from the muggle world. There had been colours appearing that didn’t have a place in the key of that book. Those must be the other chemicals. Right. That would take longer. She sighed. Another order might be necessary so she could find those out. She made a mental note to apologise to Yuri when she next wrote to her. 

“And how can we figure out the spell on the letter itself?” Dahyun asked. 

McGonagall’s expression was a stone wall as she took in Dahyun’s face. She hadn’t looked at her reflection yet, but from how people had been looking at her, they seemed to be pretty bad. 

“Ms. Minatozaki,” she said. “Would you leave us for a few moments?”

Sana nodded. Her eyes flicked between the letter, the headmistress, and Dahyun. Then she left. The door closed with a low bang. 

“I’ve seen this spell used at least twice before,” McGonagall said. “It was created by a student, though he did not use it very often, thankfully. I suppose someone else learned of the spell.” A shake of the head. “I won’t be saying what it was, for obvious reasons. It is not to be tampered with.” She went to the nightstand. Upon it rested the letter. “It was as though the spell was fired from it.” She tapped it with her wand. “Prior incantato.” White and red light flickered across the paper. “Yes, it was on the letter, as well as depulso.” 

To propel the mixture into her face. Dahyun would have hugged her arms if she’d been alone. 

“And the owl?” she asked instead. 

“Caught,” she said. “It will be sent to the Ministry.” 

Unless it was intercepted. Dahyun didn’t voice that concern. It was highly likely that whoever had sent it would have the owl killed before it got halfway to its destination. If it was who she suspected, then they would certainly kill it. Even if it wasn’t, the cursed letter didn’t say much for the sender being too sympathetic to animal rights. 

“And how do I go about sleeping?” she asked. 

McGonagall frowned at that, but said nothing.

Dahyun looked to Madame Selen, then back to the headmistress. These weren’t the people she had to keep information from. “Whatever they put in that letter had the ingredients for the Draught of Living Death, as well as the Draught of Peace,” she said. “Nothing caused a deep sleep, but it made me delirious.” 

The healer’s hands were clasped together. Very tightly. “I,” she began, “I don’t know what to make of that. Destin said she shouldn’t be near such potions.” 

McGonagall’s face had become a wall again. Her eyes were fixed on the letter. 

“You have some of that mixture, I suppose?” 

Dahyun nodded. 

“Keep it,” she said. Turning around to the doors, she paused. “Would you like to be sent home for the time being?” 

Her stomach dropped. “No, Professor.” She could see herself begging if McGonagall tried to tell her otherwise. There was too much to do here. She would also be safer in Hogwarts, even if there were two perfect examples for why she was not. It would be far worse if she were to go home. She tried to convey that in her eyes. Madame Selen probably didn’t know anything about the summer. 

“Alright, Kim.” She nodded once. Then the door opened. “Twenty points to Slytherin, Minatozaki. I’ll be sure to give the same to each of the other girls, for how quick the eight of you were to act here.” A short pause and her tone lightened. "You’ll be excused until lunch, but if you wish to take the rest of the day off, you may.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Sana emerged from behind the door, looking awfully tired. Dahyun vaguely remembered how Sana and later Chaeyoung had essentially carried her up the stairs. She’d wanted to push them both off, but that was energy she’d sorely lacked. It would have probably led to her falling down the stairs. Again. 

Madame Selen instructed the Slytherin to a bed, talking about how healing potions can sometimes be fatigue-inducing. She also mentioned adrenaline, but continued before the girl could ask about that. 

“Do you feel any unusual confusion or dizziness?” 

“I’m fine,” Sana said. “Good, actually. The hand doesn’t even hurt.”

Dahyun drew out her notebook then. She’d have to find out what the concentrations in that potion were. If they were small or really off, perhaps this was something to only have been directed at her. Either that, or she was just overreacting. Sana had just gotten it on her hand and, thankfully, the skin hadn’t been broken before. 

Bastards, she thought. That was why they'd put that cutting spell in. 

Whatever the spell it was that had cut her skin, it had exposed her blood to the mixture. Intravenous administration to get the sleep-related draughts quicker in her system. No potion was ever given that way, at least not usually. Most wizards didn’t even know it was the most effective way to give a substance. It was truly a fusion of muggle and wizard methods. A terrible one, but a fusion nonetheless. She wondered why that was important for the sender. 

She fought a sigh. It was either intentional, or she was just being paranoid. Again, most wizards didn’t know much about biology and chemistry, so why would these people take the time to find that out? It might have just been a terrible coincidence. 

_____

Author's Note

For this chapter I thought I'd show a bit more of the context. While the wizarding world has grown much more tolerant as a whole, there is still prejudice against muggle-borns (wizards/witches with two parents who don't have magic). It's much less within the school itself, but, like everywhere in life, you still have a few 'bad eggs'. 

Things get a little bit more complicated regarding the secrets Dahyun is withholding, as the purposefulness of that letter casts a lot of things in doubt. The nine girls are also put together once the letter arrives. Will that last? 

To conclude, the updates might be a little less frequent as we get into the new year (still can't believe 2020 is just around the corner), but I'll try to keep it up! This mystery/romance is turning out to be a lot of fun for me to write. I hope it's reading well :D 

See you next chapter! Merry Christmas and/or happy holidays to you all!