Dahyun walked into the hall, barely lacking a breath. It was a very good sign. 

“What are you doing here?” 

She let herself smile. “I’m training my feet. Now patrols can go back to normal.” 

Sana frowned then. “But you should start slowly.” 

“Starting slowly is not doing quidditch just yet.” She walked over, careful not to limp or even frown. “This is slow. I’ve walked like 20 steps all day.” Except for the trip to the Owlery, but they didn’t know about that. 

Nayeon looked from her to Sana. “You promise you’re not overdoing it?” 

“Hey, I look better than that other time." 

She smiled slightly. “I guess.” Then her eyes flickered off to the side. “You see any sign of exhaustion, she’s off to bed.” A smile was sent her way. 

“That doesn’t count,” Dahyun whined. “It’s night time. I could send Sana down right now by that logic.”

“Which you won’t,” said Slytherin replied. 

“Well,” she said. “Now’s the question on which one of you is in need of more sleep.” 

“Except for you?” Nayeon raised a brow. 

“I’ve gotten enough.”

A small pause. 

“Nayeon, you go,” Sana said. 

“You got this, captain?” The Slytherin looked over at her friend. Another moment passed. Then she smiled. “Goodnight, you two.” She squeezed Dahyun’s shoulder as she passed. 

She started walking down the hall and heard Sana start to follow. 

“Why isn’t Jihyo on this shift?” This Friday was always her one. They had an agreement where the Quidditch players alternated shifts.

“She has Nayeon’s one tomorrow,” Sana replied. 

She let that sink in. “Ah.” 

“Ah?”

“I can imagine patrols might have been difficult.” She glanced at her to see the girl already doing the same. The unspoken words were: aren’t these patrols difficult? At first they had been, but she’d ignored most of the other stuff enough that they became fine. Now. It was different. How she didn’t know. “But if you like the new patrol system better, I can always talk to Seohyun and let her know I’ll patrol with Jihyo and Jisoo, while you’re with Nayeon.” 

“No,” she said. Then she added, “well, I mean, I’d be okay with patrol—with you.” 

A pause. 

Dahyun looked back, pausing in her step. Sana was chewing on her lip, but she wasn’t looking away. 

“If you’re okay with that,” she said. 

That made her smile. The other doubts about patrol left her. “I am.” Sana hadn’t needed to, but she’d gone out of her way to keep her on track with classes and faced being blamed for a fall that certainly wasn’t her fault. 

Her eyes widened. “Really?” 

“Yep.” She laughed. “Don’t be so surprised.” 

“I’m not,” she replied. “Not really.” 

“Really?” Dahyun raised her brow and widened her eyes, mimicking her as best she could, even raising her voice a bit. 

Sana smiled then. It lit up her eyes. She hadn’t seen her smile like that in quite some time. 

“So I’ll let her know we’re patrolling like normal.” She started walking. 

Sana fell into step beside her. “How’s the catch up going?” 

“Essays have been written, but I’m definitely behind on the rest.” Then she smiled. “But I’m getting there. I got notes from the others.” She couldn’t believe how lucky she was. There was so much she owed them. She had to give back. Eventually. She just needed to figure out what she’d say and when. “Ready for the match?”

“Exercises and everything,” she said. “Who’re you rooting for?” A chuckle. “I’m betting you're for Gryffindor?” 

“Don’t be so sure,” she replied. “I’ll cheer for the people I know. Including an opposing counterpart.” She gave her a wink. “So I hope your throw improved, Captain.” 

Sana’s brow rose then. “It didn’t need improving.” 

“Explain our last win, then.” 

“But you didn’t win the cup,” she shot back, her eyes glittering. 

“Because we weren’t in the final.” Dahyun stuck out her tongue. “But if we’d been in the final, we would’ve caught up and that cup would’ve been ours.” 

Sana gave her a look. “And people say I’m cocky.” 

“You are,” she laughed, “but I guess I am too.” 

Another silence. A comfortable one this time. Dahyun would be fine if it didn’t break for a while. 

And it didn’t. At least for several minutes where she was just focusing on her steps and looking out for any movements in the tapestries or robes flitting around the corner. 

“Did you figure out the potion in the letter?”

Dahyun looked at her hands and saw the outline of raised skin on one. A scar. From said potion. That was because she’d helped her. Her stomach tightened at the thought. 

“What burned us was probably an enhanced version of hydrochloric acid. As for the rest, there were ingredients for the Draught of Peace, Draught of Living Death, one for drowsiness, and the confusing concoction.” She shrugged. “Not in excess amounts, but enough to have a very weird effect.” 

“I’m gonna sound dumb, again, but what’s hydrochloric acid?” she asked. “I said that right, didn’t I?”

Dahyun nodded. “It’s something that burns you when it touches your skin, but it normally doesn’t do that so fast. It’s also some of the stuff that’s in your stomach.” 

“The stuff that can cause this,” she looked at her scar, “is in here?” She put the hand on her abdomen. 

“It digests the food,” she replied. “That’s all in a biology lesson, so you don’t need to know about it here.”

“And you do, because of your parents?” 

“More or less.” She wondered if she was doing the right thing, admitting her lingering interest in the muggle world and its knowledge like this. Then again, Sana was one of the most open-minded purebloods she’d ever met. She was also one of the most curious. “I wanted to know what I was missing in school, so I read up on it.” 

“For fun?” The Slytherin sounded as though she couldn’t believe her ears. 

She nodded. “If you start getting into it, it’s really fascinating! Like a neuron, did you ever hear about those?” When the girl shook her head, she went on. “They’re these cells in your brain. The system is so complex that we don’t actually know much about it, but what we do know is that information is transmitted between those cells through chemical and electrical signals!” she said. “So even though there’s next to no use of electricity among wizards, we’re still semi-powered by it.” That was probably too much. “Sorry, got a little carried away.” 

“No,” Sana said. “It’s just a lot to take in.” Then her shoulders drooped. “And you’ll probably think I’m even worse, but biology, like Potions and Herbology, that stuff was never in my favourites circle."

“Well, as much as I like the classes, Herbology doesn’t exactly tell you how a plant works, just how you use it, nor does Potions explain what the ingredients mean for the potion itself.” Only biology did, but in terms of muggle understanding. There was so much potential to fuse it together with the wizarding world. 

Her eyes widened. “I thought you loved potions.” 

“I do love potions, but for what it’s about. Brewing something, creating something entirely new from ingredients like flobberworm mucous.” The words still made her smile.

Sana was looking at her. She didn’t say anything for a long time, just looked. Dahyun felt her face redden. 

“Let me guess. The main word going through your head is nerd.” 

“Not the main one,” a smile appeared, “that’s passionate.” 

Dahyun shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I’m passionate.” What was she then? Eccentric? Maybe. 

“You’re the only person I know who looks like you’re having the time of your life when you’re in that class.” 

Did she really? 

Then Sana straightened and looked towards the end of the hall. “So when do you think you’re coming back to class?”

“Next week.” 

“Already?” 

She nodded. “Took a little convincing, but Madame Selen’s agreed, so none of you have to chase me out of class if you see me. Just potions class.” She’d started slowly today by examining the ingredients in a drop of the potions sample Yuri’d sent her, even though she knew what was in it already. She also needed to see if the spell was fully accurate. It was. 

Despite wearing a mask, she’d also held her breath for most of the time. The one small one she had taken hadn’t made her fall asleep or even drowsy, so she took that as a good sign. As for sleep in general, it was difficult to fall sleep, and she had really weird dreams, but she was still sleeping. Not for long still, but maybe she’d try for a proper night today. 

“Wearing out?” 

She'd been spacing out. “Not yet.” And she really wasn’t. They had an easy pace, one she could take in her stride. She was really recovering. “You won’t be getting rid of me that easily.” 

Sana smiled. “Good.” There was no playful edge to her eyes, just a tenderness to them. 

Somehow, that made Dahyun’s face warm. She looked away. Patrol continued with alternating bouts of silence and conversation. Somehow, it lacked all the awkwardness of previous patrols. It was a great change. 

Then patrol came to an end. They were making their way downstairs and it was here where Dahyun felt her body wearing out. Her muscles ached and she was starting to sweat. 

Perfect timing, she thought, gripping the bannister tightly. The dizziness was kicking in. 

“Everything okay?”

“Fine.” Her voice sounded shaky. Great. “Just getting a little worn out,” she admitted. “But before you start saying I overdid it, it’s the end of patrol, not the middle.” 

“We can take a break.” Her hand rose, but it fell quickly again. Did she want to reach out? “The only ones watching are the paintings.” 

Dahyun didn’t want to, but Sana was right. Nobody was there, except, of course, for Sana. And she’d seen her during her worser moments. Not the very worst, thankfully, but she could take this break. “One.”

She chuckled. “You’re talking like I’m the one who needs the break.” 

“Who knows, maybe you’re tired?” She’d had quidditch practice today, hadn’t she?

“I am.” She leaned against the bannister beside her. “So I’m going to bed. Hope you are too.” There was a bossy edge to her tone. 

Dahyun smiled. “What's that supposed to be?" 

A look was sent her way. “You said it yourself, you’re caught up. Don’t you think that lets you take a Friday off?” 

“When I say caught up,” Dahyun began, “I mean essays. Can’t say the same for the spells. I put off Transfiguration for the weekend.

“Are you saying you procrastinated?” The girl’s eyes widened. 

“I at it,” she replied. “You know that.” She got a flash of when she’d partially transfigured a bird into a quill. It was supposed to become a goblet. 

A smile grew. “Animal cruelty at its finest.” She remembered it too. 

Dahyun aimed a light punch at her. She didn’t dodge it. “Well, I haven’t gotten much better since then.” 

There was a small pause. She saw the Slytherin bite down on her tongue. An odd habit, but she looked cute doing it. 

“If you need help conjuring, we can practice.” She glanced at her. “Like your attempt at crutches. I tried it and it lasted three hours.” 

“Show off,” Dahyun grinned, “we can keep going. I caught my breath.” She was slightly nauseous still, but that would be fine. “And thanks for offering, but you already helped me too much.” 

“If that’s the only reason you’re saying no, then it’s not a good one.” 

They were on the third floor. And Sana was going to step directly onto the faulty step. 

“Wait.” She reached out to grab her elbow. Her heart lurched at the sudden movement and look down the set of stairs. She pulled Sana away. 

The girl stumbled over to her, grabbing Dahyun by the shoulders as she steadied the two of them. 

“So it’s not just first years I have to warn about that step.” She forced out a grin. Her heart was racing. Breathing was a bit of a chore. The dizziness was back. 

“Hey,” Sana said. “It’s okay. We’re fine.” She grimaced. “Sorry, I’m an idiot, not just a klutz.” 

“Nah,” she shook her head, “you’re just forgetful.” She didn’t want to keep on walking. Either she would be off these steps right this second or she’d stay where she was. She could go to the library. “I think I’ll go to the bookcases today. You go ahead.” Taking a step back, she let go of her. 

Except Sana didn’t let go of her. 

“First off, I’m not leaving you alone on the stairs.” Her gaze hardened. “Second, if you need time, just say it.” She squeezed her shoulders before rubbing her hands up and down Dahyun’s arms. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” 

That made her laugh. “I can tell.” She took a deep breath. “But I can make it. It’s just,” she trailed off, “four flights of stairs.” 

The Slytherin wrapped her arm around her shoulders then. “We’ll make it.” She deliberately stepped over the trap step. 

Dahyun did the same. She was reminded of when Sana had found her on her way back to the library. She slipped her own arm around the girl’s waist, trying not to dwell on the fact that her face was warming up. 

As they went down, she focused her gaze on their feet, making sure their steps matched. Sana was walking slowly, also holding the bannister. 

“I’m sorry about the step,” she said.

“You already apologised.” 

“I know, but I'm still sorry.” 

Were they still talking about the step?

They were at the first floor now. Dahyun wondered if she should separate from Sana and just go to the library now. Tzuyu wouldn’t be there because of the match. Maybe Mina was actually going to sleep today. She hoped so. The shy Slytherin was looking even more tired each time she saw her in the library. 

Dahyun recognised the hypocrisy of those thoughts. 

“Let’s keep going?” she asked Sana. They’d stopped here. 

She didn’t miss the way the corners of the other’s lips tugged up. 

They kept going. Dahyun’s heart had finally stopped racing. 

“I think I already asked you this, but you’d just woken up.” Her voice was quiet. “Do you remember the fall?”

“Still not much.” It was true. She didn’t. “Just that I was pretty out of it. So I missed the step.” It was what she told everyone, because it was partially true. She had. She knew that the reason why wasn’t normal, but she wasn’t sure yet how that had happened. She was still figuring it out. 

Sana didn’t respond. She looked over only to see her biting her tongue again. Her brow was furrowed as she walked. Two things were clear: she didn’t believe her and she knew something else. Dahyun wasn’t sure which fact she disliked more. She also knew they had to drop the subject. Or at least redirect it. 

“But I do remember the initial falling part. I twisted my ankle, I know that part, and I hit my head. That’s all.” 

“Probably better, all things considered.” 

She nodded. “Yep.” 

Now they were reaching the lower levels. Finally. 

Sana directed them in the direction of the kitchens first. 

“Why are you allowed to walk the halls alone?” Dahyun asked then, raising her eyebrows. 

She smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. They’d broached the subject and now she was thinking it all over. Great. 

“I’m a fast runner.” Sana looked at her. Well, down at her. There was that softer edge to her eyes. “Goodnight, Dahyun.” 

She didn’t want it to affect her, but it did. Her stomach flipped. “Night. Sleep well.” She smiled at her. 

There was a moment where they were just standing there, Sana’s arm around her shoulder, while Dahyun’s was around her waist. It felt long. 

Dahyun broke the contact first. That seemed to jolt the Slytherin out of that weird look. 

“Good luck tomorrow. I’ll make sure to take notes on your tactics.” 

She laughed. “And I’ll make sure to surprise you.” With that, she turned away. 

She wasn’t sure what kept her on the spot, but she watched the green-clad girl go. Her shoulders were slumped, but she walked quickly. As she rounded the corner, Sana looked back, catching her looking. She waved. 

Dahyun waved back. Then she tapped the barrels and went into the common room. She felt light, but her chest was also really ticklish. She sighed. Hopefully not every patrol would leave her like that.  

____

It was freezing. Mina regretted coming to the match the moment she stepped outside of school. But she had to be here. She’d even woken up early to calm her friends down. Tzuyu was either talkative or mute when she got nervous. Today she’d been chatting away. Nayeon didn’t show it much, so she’d engaged in the conversation, but also held Mina’s hand the entire time. Sana had been the quiet one today. She always was, her mind already on the pitch, going through the weather conditions and potential strategies. It had gotten more pronounced since she was made captain. This was her first match with the badge. These would be her tactics in place. When she wasn’t scrambling to catch up on the work she’d missed, she was using her time to make strategies. And while Mina didn’t have much interest in Quidditch itself, she respected Sana a lot for how dedicated she was. 

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t curse the sport for having its matches in the time just before winter really kicked in. She’d brought a big coat, her scarf, and gloves, but her face felt like a block of ice. The only chance she’d have of doing any work would be to take out a book, but it looked like it was going to rain. And she wouldn’t dare risk facing Madame Kang’s wrath. No, she’d have to actually watch the match. Maybe she’d get into it today. 

“Where’s your merch?” someone asked. To her surprise, it was Dahyun. Her face was absolutely clear of any scar, but there would have been one underneath that. 

She was reminded of yesterday’s meeting. She still felt terrible for how she’d made her friends felt. They’d looked betrayed at the fact that she hadn’t told them anything. 

Did Dahyun feel like that too? Her lies weren’t a secret. She had to know that. Maybe that was why she just tried to keep everything as normal as possible. It didn’t make much sense, but maybe it did to the Hufflepuff. She wasn’t sure. 

“Merch?” Another muggle word she didn’t know. 

“Short for merchandise,” she replied. “To show your support.” Jihyo arrived as well, a red knitted hat on her head. 

“Oh.” She looked down at herself. “Does the scarf count?” 

“Does it?” The girl looked to her right Chaeyoung came up beside her, wrapped in a thick red scarf. 

She looked Mina up and down. Then she shrugged. “If you cheer loud, we won’t say you’re a fake fan.” 

A smile was starting. She didn’t stop it. “Why are you two over here?” She glanced to her other side. The spot she’d taken wasn’t too full, but it was mostly Slytherins. She could have sat with her other friends, but they sometimes got a bit too crazy about the sport for her liking. And they sat in the most crowded parts. She hated being pressed in from all sides like that. 

“We saw that you were alone and shivering,” Dahyun replied. “And I have a huge blanket for these occasions.” She pointed to the huge thing she was holding in her arms. It was yellow and black. “So if you don’t mind being an honorary Hufflepuff for the day and are okay with us sitting with you, we’re sharing.” A broad grin appeared. 

Mina felt her smile widen then. This was the Dahyun she knew since first arriving here, and the one who’d quietly helped her keep sane during O.W.Ls. 

“I don’t mind.”

“Great!” Dahyun unfurled the blanket in her arms and tossed it over Mina’s legs. “Pull it up over your head or whatever. It’s big enough.” She sat down on one side of her. 

“Did you make this?” 

“It was a group effort,” Jihyo said. She sat on Dahyun’s other side. 

Chaeyoung sat beside Mina. “After watching our first match, we all got colds. So when we went home for Christmas, I got something in blue, these two in yellow. When we actually started learning spells, we cheated and made a huge one out of all three.” 

“And,” Dahyun took out her wand, “we can do this with it.” She tapped it and the yellow and black was slowly replaced with red and green. The pattern was almost like that tie-dye thing the maguru did. 

“Not red?” Mina asked. She felt a lot better

“We’re not gonna make you sport your enemy’s colours,” Chaeyoung said. Her gaze dropped to the blanket. “Well, not enemy, because Momo, but you know what I mean.”

She laughed slightly. “Don’t worry, I get it.” It seemed like the girl wasn’t completely at odds with Sana anymore. At least she hoped that wasn’t the case. As ridiculous as it would be, there was still room to blame Sana for Dahyun’s initial fall. If it hadn’t been an accident, then someone would argue that Sana should have protected her. She also knew those very thoughts were running through Sana’s head. She didn’t need anyone giving her reason to believe that and increase her guilt. Let alone the people closest to Dahyun. 

"Hold this." The Ravenclaw put something in her hands. It was a jar of bluebell flames. She also held one, as did Jihyo and Dahyun. 

Mina smiled. "Thank you." It worked to put some much needed warmth into her fingers. 

She returned it. 

The teams came on the pitch then. Their captains met in the middle to shake hands. Sana had said the only downside of being captain was that she had to be close to Luke. They were too far away to see it now, but Mina wouldn’t be surprised if both tried to crush the other’s hands. It would’ve been so much better if Momo had been made captain. Then their teams could have actually done without the terrible pranks.

Then the girl beside her turned as the game started. With her red scarf tucked under her chin, Mina couldn’t help but note that she looked really cute. “Anyone up for a bet?” 

“Aren’t I the only one you’re betting against?” Mina asked. She watched Sana score the first goal and cheered. 

“You might be surprised, these two were,” Dahyun started, “but I think Slytherin’ll start out strong this year.”

“Start out?” she repeated. Gryffindor scored. 

She smiled. “Things might look different when they go against Ravenclaw, definitely after we play them.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure. We’re winning this year again.” 

“We’ll bet on the cup later,” Chaeyoung said. “But for the match I was thinking ten sickles.” 

“High stakes,” Mina said. “I’ll take it.” 

“There’s the house spirit!” Dahyun exclaimed. “I’ll join for that reason.” 

Then Momo was in front of them. “Nice blanket!” She grinned before zooming off again. 

She became aware of the commentary then. Also the score. Slytherin was losing 30:10. 

“Im passes to Chou Tzuyu,” Eric said. “Chou dodges the bludger and—oh! Chou gets hit by the other bludger. Hope that didn’t break anything. Gryffindor have it again! Yoo passes to Charlie Boot, Boot to Grent. Luke scores!”

Mina watched as Tzuyu clutched her side. Might have been a broken rib. Of all the matches, this was going to be the most brutal one. It always was. 

“Has Momo seen it?” Jihyo asked. 

She looked where she was pointing. Momo was high above their heads, moving in small bouts. 

“She’s trying to put Hwasa on edge,” Chaeyoung said. “Got me with that tactic last year.” 

Then Nayeon scored. Beside her, Dahyun was grinning. Was she really supporting Slytherin this match? The evidence was right next to her. 

“They might still be behind, but Jennie Kim seems to be getting her A-game back. She got that last one with a kick. What’s that muggle game? Sock—sorry, football?” A chuckle went around the stadium. 

Chaeyoung sighed. “He’s just mad he can’t kick a ball to save his life.” She leant closer to Mina, their shoulders brushing. “Tried to teach some of the people in my house football. I look like a duck when I play goal, but even I could block those shots."

She laughed, imagining lanky Eric Nam wildly swinging his legs and Chaeyoung flapping her arms. In her time at Hogwarts, Ravenclaw had always seemed like a house with duality. On the one hand, there were students like Eric Nam who was one of the most energetic people she’d ever seen, or there were people like Kent who fit the brainy stereotype as if he’d been made for it. Then there were others like Chaeyoung, who was artistic and could be b with sarcasm, but also had her moments where she wore a scarf like a giant turtleneck. Duality. 

“Chou gets the ball, maybe not quite recovered from that earlier blow, but she passes to Im. Im dodges the bludger Rosé—sorry, Park—sent her. She’s going for the goal. Will Andrews be ready?”

Mina tuned him out. It was 80:50. Were they going to do that play? She watched as Nayeon doubled back as the chasers hurtled towards her. She evaded past one of the pillar stands and then her speed kicked up. 

“Is she hogging the quaffle or something?” She heard one of the other students ask. 

Then Nayeon rose above the stadium and, to everyone’s surprised, flipped upside down. 

“What in Merlin?” Eric’s voice boomed. 

The Slytherin chaser hurtled in an arc to the goal posts where Sana was now waiting. She launched the quaffle at the captain. They scored easily. 

Dahyun laughed. “Love it.” 

When Mina looked over, she saw the girl’s eyes shining. How she was so into this game was beyond her. Then again, she had seen Sana be on the edge of her seat during a Gryffindor–Ravenclaw game. She’d even been outraged when Luke fouled Chaeyoung while she was going for the snitch. Not that Mina hadn’t been mad, but Sana’s enthusiasm for quidditch was on another level. The same applied to Chaeyoung and Jihyo who had hollered when Momo made a dive for the snitch or Jeongyeon had scored. 

The game continued in favour for Slytherin. Sana must have been waiting for the surprise tactic before laying into each new play. Now they were at 100:120. Slytherin in the lead. 

Then Chaeyoung straightened. “I see it.”

“See what?” Mina tried to follow her gaze, but saw nothing. 

She whipped her head to the left. “There,” she leaned closer to Mina again, “the snitch.” 

When she squinted, she caught a glimpse of movement before it was gone again. Green robes followed it. Hwasa had also seen it. 

“You saw that from here?”

A dimpled smile appeared. “What can I say? I’ve got good eyes.” She reached over her and patted Dahyun’s leg. “Unlike a certain someone.” 

“That’s not fair,” the Hufflepuff didn’t look away from the match, “bad eyes are partially genetic.” 

“Don’t use that as your excuse,” Jihyo said. “You know exactly that reading with a crappy lumos didn’t make it any better.” 

“Anyway,” Chaeyoung cut in. “All I was saying is that’s why Dahyun is good with the quaffle and I’m better with the snitch.” 

“That and your duck-like playing?” Mina asked. 

She snorted. “That too.” 

“Ooh, that looked like it hurt. Is it gonna be a penalty?” 

Mina looked over. Sana was on the ground. 

“What happened?” She glanced at Dahyun whose brow was furrowed. 

“Bludger got her in the chest. I think she’s just winded.” 

“Better have been accidental,” Jihyo frowned, “but should still be a foul.” 

“Agreed. And if it was aimed, then we all know that Hannah’s a for sure," Chaeyoung said. 

It was unexpected to hear them talk like that. Mina hoped it didn’t show on her face. She looked at the score. 150:160. Cutting it close. 

Dahyun let out a breath. “She’s waving them off. Either she’s fine or she’s just gonna try and keep playing.” Her face was still pulled into a frown. 

“Let’s hope it’s because she’s fine,” Mina said. Then Gryffindor scored. Neither Chaeyoung or Jihyo cheered. 

“Oh? Has Ahn seen something? Or is it Wheein?” She heard a whack and ‘ow’ follow soon after. 

“Nope. Faking it,” Chaeyoung said. 

She’d known the Ravenclaw played well, but that she could pick up on everything so quickly? It surprised her to say the least. 

Jihyo groaned. “But Momo fell for it.”

Sure enough, she saw the red following the green down to the grass. Then Hwasa veered off sharply, shooting up and in their direction. Mina felt the air blow across her face as the seeker swerved to the right. Momo was hot on her heels this time. Even she knew this was the real chase. 

She stood up, craning her neck to see. The others did the same. 

“Who’s getting the sickles?” Dahyun murmured. 

Hwasa was still in the lead. She shot up then before tilting left again, almost cutting into Momo’s path. Both swerved in response. Until—

“She got it!” Eric roared. “Slytherin wins! 330 points!”

“Yes!” Mina found herself jumping up and down. She came to a slow stop when she caught Chaeyoung’s eye. Her face warmed, but it was too late to take back her celebratory dance. Now she just had to see if this was going to be an incredibly embarrassing moment or a mildly embarrassing one. 

“Defs not a fake fan,” she laughed, “guess I owe you ten sickles.” 

Mildly embarrassing then. 

“Definitely,” Mina said. “They were well earned.” 

____

“I still can’t believe it,” Momo groaned. “How could I be so dumb?” She put her head on the table. 

Chaeyoung patted her shoulder. “You fell for the fake-out. It happens.”

“Like Lisa got you in fourth year?” Dahyun asked. 

She stuck out her tongue. “I thought we weren’t gonna mention that.” 

“We are,” the Gryffindor’s seeker raised her head, “because that’s going to make me feel happiness again.” 

Chaeyoung covered her ears as Dahyun and Jeongyeon launched into a dramatic retelling. It didn’t bother her anymore. Not really. But to hear it now, she still kicked herself for it. 

“It was the perfect day for it,” Jeongyeon said. “Cloudy skies, but no rain. Ravenclaw had the lead 60:20, but the game had been going on for a good half hour. Neither side were really getting a one-up after the first successes.” 

“The only chances were the seekers, Lisa Manoban and Son Chaeyoung,” Dahyun sighed, “yellow and blue, quick and slow.” She dodged a slap. “They’d been circling the stadium, Son was trying a few manoeuvres she’d learned over Christmas. She did a successful feint, nearly colliding with her own keeper in the process.” 

Momo chuckled. 

“Wrong,” Chaeyoung said. “It was the post.” She tried to ignore how Momo laughed harder, so was Dahyun. 

“Son nearly hit an inanimate object,” Jeongyeon said. “With a huge hole in it, but Manoban fell for it. It seemed as if the birds had the upper hand, even if it was a boring one. Until,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “Manoban shoots up into the middle of the pitch, her arm already stretched out. Son follows immediately.” 

Dahyun clutched her chest, tears starting to appear in her eyes. “But what Son doesn’t see is that Manoban is already changing directions. She flies past her while the daring Hufflepuff sinks down towards the audience and,” she turns to Jeongyeon, “you do the honours.” Then she covered , laughing away. 

“The golden snitch was hovering by Professor McGonagall’s head, not moving as two seekers charged towards the middle. Manoban had had her eye on it since before the fake-out," a snort, "so when she changed directions, our poor Son was left hanging, and then it was all over. Lalisa had caught the snitch, but not before she shouted a quick, “Hey, Professor!”. Hufflepuff wins 180:60.” She let out a soft scream, because as brave as Jeongyeon was, she wouldn’t risk angering Madame Kang. 

“170,” Momo corrected. “They didn’t score another.” She wiped at her eyes. "I loved that." She grinned at Dahyun and Jeongyeon. 

Chaeyoung’s face burned. “You people remember this day too well.” 

“I’ll never forget,” Dahyun giggled. “At least you made up for it.” 

That was why she let them tell the story. They’d won that year. She’d made it her mission to make up for the mistake and had succeeded. Hufflepuff hadn’t made it to the final, which she’d found a shame. She still had yet to beat Hufflepuff—or more specifically Lisa. That would be different this year. 

“Here you guys are,” a loud whisper sounded. It belonged to a Slytherin with lightly pink cheeks. “You owe me ten sickles,” Mina said. She came over and sat down beside her. Chaeyoung remembered how she’d been ecstatic at the win. It almost made losing ten sickles worth it. Who was she kidding, it had been worth it. It was also the loudest she’d ever heard the Slytherin. She could also be pretty witty herself. That just made her like the girl more, but she wouldn't dare say that aloud. 

“Why aren’t you at the party?” Momo asked. A pout was already threatening to form at the reminder of the loss. 

“They dragged me over,” she replied. “Gave me a firewhiskey right away.” She looked between them. “I wanted to find you guys.” 

“To get away?” Dahyun raised her eyebrows.

She shook her head. “To invite you. It’s open invitation. Most of your team is already there. Some of yours too,” she looked at Chaeyoung, “even Rosé and Charlie showed their faces.” 

Momo rolled her eyes. “Only because he’s crushing on Jennie.”

“Come on,” Mina said, her eyes glinting. “There’s a beer pong tournament and everything. Maybe you can win back your pride. I’ll be on your team.” 

“You play beer pong?” Chaeyoung asked. The image of Mina at a table full of beer didn’t compute for her. 

“She’s great,” Momo replied. “Beat Sana at least twice.” Her eyes flashed. "I'm in. We'll challenge her. Nayeon too. I also need to get Hwasa back." 

Mina just smiled, averting her gaze. 

Dahyun spoke then. “You two go then.” 

“No no!” the Slytherin said. “You too.” 

“She’s right,” Chaeyoung turned to her, “you have to come. We’re a package deal.” 

“But I’ve—”

“No buts!” She got up. “We’ll drop this in your common room and then go.” She grabbed Dahyun’s bag, which was amazingly light. Had she finally put the weightlessness charm on it? “Come on!” She didn’t care that Madame Kang would shoot daggers at her.

The Hufflepuff gave her a look. “Fine. I increase the debt to twelve sickles.” 

“But Jihyo owes it to you!” She heard Madame Kang shush her. 

She smiled. “You’re not giving it to me.” 

Mina’s frown disappeared then. “Oh?” She raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Deal!” She grabbed Mina’s hand. It was to steady her along the way. “We’re going.” She dropped her head as the librarian glared at her. At least she wasn't screaming at them. Maybe she was in a good mood because of the match. 

They’d join the party, Myoui Mina was going to play beer pong, and Dahyun was coming with. She wouldn’t have it any other way. 

_____

Author's Note

I'm not sure how it turned out, but I had a blast writing that quidditch game. I don't remember getting a quidditch match narrated from the sidelines, but maybe I'm wrong there. 

Either way, this was a much needed change for both myself and the characters. Something filled with Saida at the start, quidditch banter, and some more Michaeng as well. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! 

My other hope is that the next chapter will be up later this week or the beginning of next week. It'll be another party and I'm really looking forward to writing that. So hopefully you'll be reading it soon! 

See you then.