“What’s the matter with you?” Nayeon asked. “Rosé didn’t want you in Gryffindor? Jeongie send you away?” She rolled her eyes. 

“I didn’t want to spend the night,” Sana replied. She fell onto the sofa beside her, laying head on the girl’s lap. Tzuyu was writing her essay, those ear-things in. Were they earplugs or earphones?

“You’re lucky I’m just reading, or you’d have ink all over your face.” Then she looked down at her. “Why not?” She patted her head before going back to her essay. 

“We go to breakfast together after,” she said. “Then we talk.” 

A chuckle. “So she’s boring?”

“No, Rosé’s fun, but conversations are not.” And it wasn’t her fault. It was almost always like that. 

“You don’t think it’s because you didn’t get to know her?”

Sana gave her a look. “I always do. They just don’t get to know me.” 

“Do you let them?” There was something off about her tone. 

“Something happen?” Her dating qualms could wait. 

She rolled her eyes again. “Yoo Jeongyeon.”

“You’re back together?” 

Her eyes widened. “No!” She grimaced. “She cornered me in the Great Hall, saying you better not break that girl’s heart before the match.”

“You’re kidding.”

She shook her head. “You can do it afterwards, but not before.” There was an edge to her eyes. “I almost wish you could do it before.” A sigh. “But it’s time we’re in for something better here. Mina’s spent more time with the Son girl than in the last five years and you have had actual conversations with Hufflepuff’s golden girl again.” 

Sana’s face warmed. 

“Oh,” Nayeon’s face lit up, “you’re missing those kind of conversations.” 

“Nope,” she shook her head, “not at all.” 

“You liar.” She poked her in the side. 

Sana squirmed. “Anyway, Yoo can’t be your only problem.” 

“You’re changing the subject,” she frowned, “but I’ll let you, given everything else happening there.” Yet she didn’t say anything.

“Was Momo with her at the time?”

Her head tilted back to look up at the ceiling. “No.” A sigh. “I just can’t help but think Jeongyeon won't let that happen. Especially if she suddenly cares about Rosé.”

Sana had vowed to stay silent about her friend’s feelings. And vice versa. “It’s just her vendetta against me. Us. All of them.” She felt a pang of shame. 

Tzuyu suddenly spoke. “Not Dahyun.”

Nayeon jumped. “I thought you weren’t listening to my blabbing.” 

“When you get serious, I listen.”

Sana extended her feet to put them on Tzuyu’s lap. “Why not Dahyun?” She didn’t bother calling her Kim. They wouldn’t buy it for a second. 

She shrugged. “When has she ever mentioned that stuff to you?” A look. “And don’t say last year.” 

“She never had to.” Her face felt even warmer now. “Did she ever talk to you?”

“Never had to,” she replied. “But she never joined in when the topic came up. Even after that party.” 

“What do you mean never joined in?” Nayeon asked. 

“Either shut it down or ignored it. I just remember she never once talked about it, not even when asked. Maybe it’s different when I’m not there, but I thought it was a good sign.” Then she put the ear stuff back into her ears. 

____

Chaeyoung trudged into the library. Dahyun was at one table, head bowed low, the coil of her earphones peeking out behind her head. As she walked by, she squeezed her shoulder. The Hufflepuff looked up and smiled, but it was stiff. Her skin was clear. She’d charmed it to hide the thick cuts all across her face. 

When she pulled out one earbud, Chaeyoung heard the slow tunes of jazz. 

“How’re you feeling?” 

She shrugged. “Weird. Drowsy, but this stuff is keeping me awake.” The thermos to her side was a new one. It was a deep purple.

“What’s in it?” 

“I think both coffee and tea,” a smile, “the perfect cocktail.” 

Knowing her, it probably was. 

On the table she’d spread out a Potions book and a Defence Against the Dark Arts book. Right in front of her was an essay. By the looks of it, it was for Transfiguration. 

She couldn’t help but smile. “Which one are you working on? Both?” 

Dahyun looked between the two, as though she wasn’t sure which one. Then she smiled lightly. “I’m trying to figure out the mixture that was sent to me.” She slid the notebook over to Chaeyoung and traced some sort of shape on the corner. The blank paper suddenly filled with Dahyun’s messy scrawl. She’d been trying to write with her hands instead of the wand, and it still wasn’t working right. Even so, after years of seeing Dahyun’s worst and best writing, Chaeyoung could read it without squinting too much. 

There was a list of colours and then ingredients, linked to one or the other with a wobbly line. 

Draught of Peace?

Living Death? 

Drowsiness? 

“That was all in there?” 

She nodded. “I need to analyse it later, but I,” she trailed off, “just don’t have the time or the energy right now.” 

“Need help then?” She felt hopeful. Dahyun was telling her stuff. Should she be that happy that her best friend was actually talking about this to her? It dawned on her that Dahyun had a spell on her papers, one that hid the text from just about everyone.  

A shake of the head. “I’ll let you know what I find, but I bet it won’t be much,” she sighed, “Destin is looking into it anyway.” 

Chaeyoung couldn’t help but make a face. “He’ll be a great addition to the team.” She didn’t like Destin. He was always trying to be funny. It had driven her crazy when he’d come in fifth year and O.W.Ls were the priority. He was a big part of the reason why she hadn’t been able to take Potions at N.E.W.T.

“Better than you or me at figuring out what’s in it.” 

“Doubt it.”

A small snort. “Go easier on him. He tried.” 

She waved her off before lowering her voice. “Any idea who could have sent it?” 

Another shake of the head. “An old student, according to Lisa?” She raised her eyebrows. “Did you all think that up or was that—”

“Jihyo.”

A small frown. “Should we really be going to that level?”

“It could stop people from digging. Do you want to tell them we have no idea?”

“Do we have an idea?” 

“I don’t,” she admitted. “Not really.” 

Dahyun was silent for a moment. “I do.” She bit her lip. “I don’t know much, and none of this should be spread around.” She was speaking Korean now. 

Chaeyoung felt her heart leap. She leant forward. 

“Right before school started, I was in Knockturn Alley,” she whispered. “Someone attacked me. I still don’t know who they were.” A shrug. “It might very well have been them.” 

“Wait, before that,” Chaeyoung said. “You were attacked?” 

Another silence.

“Yes.” Something in her eyes hardened, but it wore on the rest of her face. She looked more tired than Chaeyoung had ever seen her. “And no one can know. A lot of it was a,” she faltered, “it happened. And all I really know is that it was blood related.”

“How do you know that?” 

Dahyun was quiet again. Then she shut her book and stood. The motion was smooth. She was fully recovered in that sense. Chaeyoung knew it was only a matter of time until she reached the pitch. According to Dahyun, she’d be able to attend her classes by the next week. She wondered if that was her friend’s prediction or Madame Selen’s. 

“Help me find a book,” she whispered. “I actually need it,” a small smile, “for Binns.” 

They went to the History of Magic shelves, ones that were usually not visited. Today was no exception. Dahyun reached up and pulled out a book. It was on Ancient Egypt. Then she tugged up the sleeve of her robes and shirt, revealing a pale wrist, before she drew out her wand. The book was angled to hide it from view from the opening of the shelves.

“Revelio,” she whispered. The smooth skin became jagged. "I guess I'm lucky they didn't write the full thing." The scar was faint, but she saw it perfectly. MB in coarse letters, as though carved into the skin. Muggleborn, or mudblood. Then she murmured another charm and the letters disappeared. “Don’t tell the others. McGonagall knows about it and the people who helped me then as well. We leave it at that.” Then she turned around and left the shelves. 

Chaeyoung followed, but her thoughts were a mess. She wanted to ask her about it, but these weren’t things she could ask in the library or anywhere else really. Maybe if she went to the Owlery again? Would she answer those questions? Or was it too much? Or would there be more shutting off? 

The secrets and the hiding had come this year. They never bottled this stuff up, not with each other. They’d always told each other when there had been a jinx or hex cast on them, or if someone had tried something else with them—be it a date or some other prank. Chaeyoung knew that Dahyun didn’t want to be Head Girl, that she had been torn about being a prefect, but had still been thrilled when she got the badge. She knew that everything Dahyun did was to be proud of herself and to make her parents proud. The goal was a job at the Ministry. Chaeyoung had always admired that part of her, but it had been reaching a limit last year. Dahyun had been overwhelmed when the O.W.Ls came around. It was a part of the reason why she’d created her own potion to balance everything. The potions hadn’t actually increased her productivity, just let her stay alert for the time she would have normally been fading as she finished an essay. They’d also stopped her from falling asleep in class and getting a bunch of detentions for it. 

Once during O.W.Ls, Chaeyoung had asked for one. They all had at one point or another. It had been incredible, but the Hufflepuff had made them a less potent one, saying she didn’t want to ruin their sleep schedules completely. 

They’d asked her what that meant for her, but Dahyun had just shaken her head, muttering something about how the summer would fix it. If anything had become obvious this year, it was that it hadn’t. If anything, this summer had made things worse. Chaeyoung just wasn’t sure how. 

_____

Last Summer

Dahyun was glad she wasn’t afraid of the dark. The Department of Mysteries would have been intolerable otherwise. 

The blue flames around them weren’t hot, as they should have been, but cool. 

“Dress warmly whenever you come here,” Yuri said over her shoulder. “Even if it’s summer. They’ll never turn the heat up.” She waved her wand and a blanket appeared over Dahyun’s shoulders. The young woman she was following already wore a thick coat. 

“Why?”

“Apparently magic works best like that,” she rolled her eyes, “but I was in a desert and everything worked fine. My guess is they just want to make it even less nice for outsiders. Dark, freezing, and quiet.” 

Dahyun smiled, but the words failed her. She was still in disbelief. How was she here? In a place of utmost secrecy? One that might be viewed as the one of the coolest places on the planet—or the most terrifying. She’d found an account on some of the rumours, and they’d erased most of that initial coolness factor. Yet it didn’t make the opportunity any less valuable. 

Even so, she couldn’t help but think that the reaction to the rumours Luke had spread were right. Did she really deserve to be here? There were students who had far better capabilities than her. Most like that had gone to the Ministry, but very few had ever been invited to it like this, especially in their fifth year. 

“From what we’ve heard,” Yuri began, “you’re best suited for the Potions Chamber. Imaginative name, I know.” They reached the dark door. She opened it with ease, despite the thing looking like it weighed at least a tonne. “That doesn’t mean you’ll be restricted to it. Once you’re in for real, we encourage collaboration between the chambers. Take love. We have a Love chamber and a Potions one, but those who study Amortentia and potions like it include people from both groups.” 

The new room they entered a round room with glossy black floors and walls. All the doors were identical. 

“We’ve added a couple rooms in the past years. Even one for electricity, since the muggles have come so far there.” 

Dahyun was even more surprised. Muggle technology here? And not in the Department whose offices dealt with muggles in the sense of wiping their memories and making sure no cursed objects ever reached them. Here, where they tried to learn more about the inner workings of a concept, where they tried to turn that into something more practical. What might arise from that? 

“That’s right,” she smiled, “we’re not dismissive when it comes to that.” A pause, as one door swung open. Inside there was proper lighting, as well as many tables, even proper electronic machines. “I read your essay on the use of chemistry in Potions, as well as modern biology in Herbology. Good ideas there.” 

“Thank you.” It was strange to hear praise for that work. It was also slightly concerning that the Ministry had read a student’s work. More concerning that the school would hand over such a thing. 

They went through the door. The scent was an amalgamation of different potions, some Dahyun could pick out, others she didn’t know at all. 

“This is where you’ll be most of the time. There are a couple of projects needing attention. One is how administration of potions changes the effectiveness of them, another's on modified sleeping draughts, antidotes to those draughts, and two on perception-altering substances.”

“Drugs?” That probably didn’t sound too sophisticated. 

But Yuri nodded. “The stuff of muggles and wizards. It’s how Veritaserum was made.”

The truth potion. The ease with which it could be given had always unsettled Dahyun. She’d also wanted to know how they’d managed to change someone’s state of mind like that. Maybe she’d find out here. A part of her wondered if she really wanted to know that answer.  

“We have workplaces too, separate from the main room, because, you know, fumes and all that.” With a wink, she walked with Dahyun around the edge of the tables. It was like a laboratory, but with more objects acting on their own accord, like a pipette doing the filling of tubes without anyone to oversee its project. There were also actual cauldrons filled with an array of colourful potions, often changing colours without anything being added to them. The people working there nodded at her. She’d not expected there to be so many Unspeakables in one area. There had to be at least seven people and twice as many workbenches. Either one had two areas, or there were even more.

The next door was a simple wooden one, mundane compared to the other heavy-duty ones. Behind it were a number of elaborate desks and an array of shelves lining the walls. She saw the typical leather-bound tomes, but beside some were textbooks she’d seen in bookstores in London or at home. Ones for biology, chemistry, and a number of medical subjects. There were even scientific journals. No computers, however. She wondered if they knew about the online databases where you could get the articles. Then again, the location services on devices would have a hell of a time trying to find most of the Ministry, let alone the Department of Mysteries. And if that were hacked, all hope of secrecy might disappear. Or the wizards simply weren’t that far yet in their acceptance of the muggle world. She’d try and find that out this summer. 

“You’ll be here. We’re neighbours.” Yuri pointed to two desks. The first was empty save for a thick notebook and a quill, while the other had a stack of books, a heap of scrolls, and several scraps of paper scattered across it. “But first, I’ll show you to the communications area. You can leave your stuff here.” 

Dahyun set her bag down on the floor, leaning against the base of the desk. 

They came into a room that had comfortable lighting and grey walls. It was homely compared to the rest and had a kitchen area, as well as sofas and armchairs. Almost like a common room. 

“Want something to drink?” Yuri went to one of the armchairs, taking a seat. The woman still kept her poise as she did. The sight reminded Dahyun of McGonagall. 

“Just water, please.” She sat as well, sinking down far into it. Smooth. 

She waved her wand and two glasses appeared on the coffee table. 

“Thank you.” 

She smiled. “No problem.” 

They both drank. Dahyun knew something was coming. And it was best to be seated for it. 

“First off, I want you to know that there’s no curse or anything put on Unspeakables so they never speak. At least not in our Chamber. Otherwise I couldn’t even talk to you right now, because you’re not one yet.” The glass was set down with a sharp clink. “We’re just sworn to absolute secrecy and, save for a couple cases, that’s worked out.” She gave her a look. “Ever hear about Bode and Rookwood?” 

“Rookwood,” Dahyun said. “He was a spy in the war?”

A nod. “Fed Voldemort information during and after his time here. You’d think they'd have tightened the precautions, but the people here protested at that. Instead, there are a couple of what you’d call training sessions you’ll be completing this summer. The rest come only after you’re finished with school.” 

Dahyun didn’t respond. Yuri’d probably clarify. 

That she did. “First it’ll be simple briefings where you learn how to go about explaining what it is you do here. Of course, most of that won’t be applicable while you’re at school,” she said. “But it’s good to know for when the questions come around.” Then her expression turned serious. “What I’m about to tell you might be the reason you turn our offer down. If you do, you’ll still have work in the Ministry for the summer, but not here.” 

Why would they tell her that after she’d seen some of the Department? Unless— “If I say no, you erase my memory of what I’ve seen and heard here?” 

was set in a line. “Yes.” 

She understood that, but it was still ominous. She’d never had her memory wiped—not to her knowledge at least, but she’d heard plenty about the cases where it went wrong. That wouldn’t be the case here, but it still made her feel uneasy. 

“Unspeakables are mostly anonymous, but if someone really wants to find out, they’ll usually end up knowing who is and who isn’t one. Once they know, they’ll want to know what you know and what you do here. The sessions are meant to arm you against those attempts.” 

“Like interrogation?” The other word was torture, but she didn't even want to say that out loud. 

“You’ve probably heard of a few methods for that. This summer you’ll start getting small amounts of Veritaserum. You can build up a tolerance, but also personal mental blocks against it."

Dahyun nodded. Would they ask her questions when they gave her the truth serum? She considered the secrets she had. All of them paled in comparison to this. Even what happened at the party and what she felt for a certain individual. She could have smiled at how the significance of that was tiny compared to what they were talking about right now. 

"There’s also going to be Occlumency training so no one’s going to get to your thoughts that way.” A sigh. “And you’ll be trained to fight the Imperius curse.” 

A string of questions bubbled up at that, but she shot them all down. Her stomach had twisted itself into a knot. 

“I know, Unforgiveable curses used like that?” Yuri smiled slightly, but it was pained. “Believe me, it sounds worse than it actually is, but if that all makes you uncomfortable, you can turn away,” she took another sip of water, “and if you decide during the summer that you can’t go on, that’s fine too.” 

She’d just lose weeks of her memory. All that she could learn here would disappear. She might never be able to share what she learned here, but she’d put it into practice and build upon it. That was worth the ‘training’, wasn’t it? It was for the sake of preserving the secrecy of this Department. Many had gone through it before, hadn’t they? 

“Do you need time to think about it?”

“No,” she said. It was true. This wasn’t something she’d decline for those reasons, even if they were unsettling. Yuri acknowledged that fact, but she’d done it. “Is Bode the reason for that last one?” 

“He’d resisted their control at first, but had still gone through with what they’d wanted of him. There’d been other failsafes in place, but that was the Hall of Prophecies. For some things, we just don't have those precautions. Yet.” 

Dahyun nodded. had gone dry. She drank the water. It was wonderfully cool. The action gave her some more time to think.

She wondered if she’d be strong enough for those trials, but she’d only find that out if she went through with the summer. It dawned upon her then what she was agreeing to—a life of secrecy from not only the people who’d want to do harm, but also those who were completely oblivious and would need to stay oblivious. Could she do that? If she really wanted this position—one of such innovation and knowledge—she’d have to try. 

_____

“Momo doesn’t have the same opinions as the others, does she?”

Sana was surprised at the fact that Nayeon wasn’t beating around the bush. “No,” she said. 

“But they hate me. Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, those types.” She looked dejected. “What do you think she’s heard?”

“None of them hate you. They just lump us in with all Slytherins.” And there was the added bonus that they thought Sana was even more terrible for her dating habits. 

“Except for Mina,” she grumbled. 

“Don’t forget Tzuyu.” Somehow, she’d managed to be close to all of them without even trying. It took long to get to know her, but Sana considered the girl to be one of her closest friends. She could be steady when no one else was. She’d also proven time and time again that she could be trusted. 

“I think it’s the gossip train. They say Dahyun hates it, but I don’t think she actually cares about it anymore. The rest just actively hate it.”

“Or what comes through it.”

She scoffed. “Come on, the worst thing that ever came out about them was—” she cut off, her eyes locked on the stairs above. “What the hell?” Her gaze hardened. She strode towards the stairs.

“What is it?” Sana struggled to keep up. Her toe bashed against one of the steps. She cursed. 

“You’ll see,” she said. “Insensitive brats.” 

Sana heard the light clatters. She looked up and saw three familiar first years. 

“Wait!” She caught her arm. “Don’t start shouting at them yet.” 

They were at the second floor. A straw dummy was at the foot of the stairs. Three first years were at the top of the third floor. 

“Girls,” Sana called softly, “what are you doing?” She went up the stairs, Nayeon close behind. 

Shuhua looked terrified as she took in Nayeon’s scowl, but relaxed slightly when she looked at Sana.  

Yuqi spoke then. All were in pyjamas. “We wanted to see if the fall would have actually hurt Dahyun like she was.” Her quiet voice was Sana’s normal volume. She hoped no one was listening in. 

The Gryffindor’s was very soft in comparison. “It never falls past this floor.” She waved her wand and the dummy soared up to the top of the stairs. The ease with which she did it was surprising. 

A straw foot sank into the trap stair and it toppled over, hitting its arm and leg as it fell, but it quickly began to slide. It arrived at their feet. 

“We tried attaching weights and everything to it, but it never reaches the first floor.” 

“Alright, well off to bed now,” Nayeon said, but not with the stern prefect tone. “What house are you two? We’ll walk with you.” 

“Gryffindor and Hufflepuff,” Yuqi said. “But we’re all in Hufflepuff today.” She glanced at Sana then. 

“Come on then.” She stretched out a hand. “Where’d you get that?” 

Yuqi came down first and took it. 

“I told my parents we wanted to make Guy Fawkes,” said the Gryffindor. 

“Who’s that?” Nayeon asked, a puzzled smile on her face. 

“Someone who tried to blow up the government,” Shuhua replied, “the muggle one.”

“Do you still need it?” Sana asked. When they shook their heads, she vanished it. 

“Wow!” Yuqi exclaimed. “When do you learn that?”

“When you’re at our old ages,” Nayeon grinned, taking Shuhua’s hand. 

“Why are you checking the fall like that? Dahyun wouldn’t want you to be out of bed like this.” Over their heads, she saw the other prefect raise an eyebrow at her. Sana did a small shake of the head. 

“We,” Shuhua hesitated, glancing up at Nayeon. 

“She’s a friend of mine and Dahyun’s,” Sana reassured her. 

She nodded. “We don’t believe her,” her bottom lip jutted out, “I know we’re supposed to, but it doesn’t make sense that this was an accident.”

“I saw her today,” the Gryffindor said. “She showed me the letter. The writing isn’t the same as the notes, but it’s probably connected.”

Sana remembered Dahyun’s strained smile after the first years had first talked about the notes. 

“What notes?” Nayeon frowned. 

“Soyeon-unnie found Dahyun. A note was on her. Shuhua found another in the Hospital Wing,” Yuqi explained. Thankfully, much quieter. 

She looked her way, eyes wide. “What did they say?”

“Ministries and mysteries. Seen once,” the Gryffindor frowned, “twice.” She shook her head. “Don’t remember the other one.”

Shuhua shrugged. “Also talked about mysteries, but I don’t know.”

“But both were in the same writing,” Yuqi said. “Dahyun-unnie said not to worry, but well,” she smiled slightly, “we worry.”

So do I, Sana thought. That the fall really wasn’t an accident made everything worse. Sana could have been there that day, but she hadn’t been. 

They walked with them to the Hufflepuff common room. Nayeon had changed the topic to the upcoming match. 

“We're both on the team,” she winked, “so support us and you’ll definitely get off with just two points taken away each.”

Yuqi smiled. “Just like Dahyun did.”

The other prefect didn’t ask, but patted her head. “Look, I know it all looks weird, but you three don’t have to worry about this. There are eight of us here to take care of her.” 

“But more is better,” Shuhua said. 

“Usually,” Sana replied. “But this is your first year. Have fun with it. Sneak out to practice flying or something.”

Three pairs of eyes widened. 

“She’s kidding,” Nayeon gave her a wink, “but you three were pretty obvious. What if the others had found you?”

They each looked away. Hadn’t thought of that. 

“Get sneakier,” Sana said. “Or stay until you know the right spells.” She opened the passageway. “Night.” 

“Goodnight!” They each waved before turning back. 

“You two are terrible influences.”

They turned. Jihyo was standing to the side, but didn’t look mad. 

“Where’s Jisoo? You’re not supposed to—” Nayeon was frowning. 

“Patrol’s over,” she said. “Care to explain why three first years are worried about Dahyun?” She crossed her arms. “I am one of the eight, after all. Or at least, I hope you counted me in on that.” There was a tiny softening in her gaze. 

“I saw Yuqi and Shuhua before with Dahyun. Their friend was the one to find Dahyun on the stairs.”

Her eyes widened. “That poor girl. Is she alright?”

“Seems like it. Still really worried,” Nayeon replied. “Which I get, but the best thing we can do is tell, or show, them we’re handling it.”

She frowned then. “Are we?”

“We’re going to try,” Sana said. She told her about the notes. 

“That doesn’t sound like a threat.” She brushed a hand through her hair. “Right? There isn’t even a hint at what they want.”

“Wouldn’t she know?” Sana asked. “Maybe she’d tell you.”

Jihyo gave her a look. “Not likely. This is the first time I hear about this and it was through first years.” 

“Does she usually keep stuff like that from you?”

“Like that?” she repeated. “There’s never been anything like this.” A sigh. “But she’d not want any of us worrying.”

“Too late for that,” Nayeon scoffed, “should we organise some group meeting?”

“When and where would we do that?” 

“Seventh floor study room,” Sana said. “I don’t wanna say it like this, but Dahyun’s not getting up that far any time soon. Plus, unless people are ‘hanging out’, it’s usually empty.” 

Jihyo’s nose wrinkled. “Tomorrow then, if no one has practice.”

“We have late.” 

“Works,” she tapped the barrels, “and it should go without saying.” Her brow rose. 

“Not a word,” Nayeon rolled her eyes, “gotcha.”

The Hufflepuff scowled. Then she went inside. 

When the passage closed, Sana said, “longest conversation with her in a while.”

“But she hasn't changed. Always gets right to the point,” she sighed, “maybe we’ll finally get some answers.” 

“Maybe.” She hoped so. Dahyun still hadn’t told her closest friends about the notes. That was worrying in and of itself. How and why would she ever tell Sana anything? Still, this was something they had to figure out. Sana would have to at least try. 

_____

Author's Note

Happy New Year! I'm still in disbelief that it's 2020. Just a quick thing first, in the next few months, the updates will be less frequent. I've got entrance exams I need to prepare for. Writing will certainly still happen, because I want to continue the stories I have here (plus I need to preserve my sanity somehow :D ). Regardless, I'll try to keep them to a weekly basis, but there might be delays. 

As for the chapter itself, the rest of Twice are 'mobilising' when it comes to the mystery that is Dahyun. However, the Hufflepuff in question is opening up a bit more, at least to Chaeyoung. Is she telling her this to ease her in to the truth, or is it just a crumb to throw the attention away from everything else? 

Regarding the Department of Mysteries, I'm taking a lot of liberties while writing this story. From what I saw, there isn't even a Potions Chamber (but there really should be) and I always thought it would be more than restrictive if they cursed the Unspeakables to a life of secrecy. For me, I feel they'd be trained never to tell and monitored closely, but not magically bound (if that makes any sense). 

I hope you'll forgive my small NaMo side-plot. It will stay small, given the fact that Michaeng and, especially, Saida, are the forefront here, but I couldn't resist. 

Would love to know what your thoughts are about this chapter or the story as a whole. See you in the next one!