“So,” Destin said, “it’s pretty simple.” He lifted a small ball-like object. “The bezoar’ll save you from most poisons. You’ll remember from third year the Antidote to Common Poisons.” 

Sana didn’t. She really didn’t remember much about Potions in general. It was more the class that bored her than the actual potions. If she put an effort into finding things out, maybe by asking how the bezoar worked, then maybe she’d be more interested. 

A few questions came to mind then. Does the bezoar neutralise a poison’s effects? Does it depend on the ‘strength’ of the poison? 

Sana stopped her thoughts right then and there. She was oddly alarmed at how she was thinking. That she even thought of any questions. 

She wondered if a certain someone already knew the answer to that. Had she already done some sort of experiment on that? Maybe Sana had to ask her and not Destin. 

“Can it go against two poisons at the same time?” someone asked. “Like if they mixed?”

Sana looked at Destin. His brow was raised. 

“That is a very good question.” He tilted his head to one side. “Naturally, I haven’t ever tried it,” he chuckled, “but I would believe so.” Then he shrugged. “One usually doesn’t mix poisons, let alone potions in general. There can be several consequences, most of which you cannot even predict.” 

“Like what?” Sana asked, finding that her interest had soared. 

“Oh,” Destin sighed,” hard to say.” A silence. “If different love potions are mixed together, I’m sure that would turn a person mad." He shrugged. "Almost any potion, I'd say, is never good in large quantities or mixed with another. Take Felix felicis. Not only is the potion toxic, but it will also make you truly reckless and perhaps delusional.” 

“Is it the same for the Draught of Living Death?” Sana asked. She felt eyes on her. People were surprised that she'd even spoken in class. It was almost offensive.

“That as well,” he said. “The same for many sleeping draughts actually.” A pause. “And, Ms. Minatozaki, what else?”

“It’s antidotes?” 

“Attention or ‘alertness-inducing’ draughts,” Destin replied, making quotation marks with his fingers, “but yes.” After nodding, he proceeded to talk about other antidotes that use the bezoar. 

Sana sat back and made notes, half listening. She’d gotten good at catching the right information for her classes. Somehow. 

Then class ended. Sana felt eyes on her, but it probably wasn’t much. Some of the main talk in school seemed to be that Sana hadn’t started dating anyone yet. She was also slightly offended that this was such a shocker. 

Apparently, there were many assumptions about what had happened at the party. Many thought it was a repeat of last year (it almost had been), while others thought it was something more. Eric hadn't exactly kept his mouth shut. Then there was talk about Dahyun catching the ball in DADA, as if that was anything to go by. Sana wasn't letting herself thinking too much into anything like that. She couldn't stand the 'what ifs' or 'maybes'.

“What’s on your mind?” Tzuyu asked. “That's the first potion I’ve heard you name.” 

Sana’s mouth fell open. “Excuse you!”

She just winked. “So?”

Was Sana supposed to tell her? If it was up to Dahyun, probably not. But she wasn’t Dahyun. Chaeyoung had told them about something very personal to Dahyun, but she’d deemed it necessary for them to know (although the person in question would also disagree there). 

“I’ll tell you later,” Sana said. “Not here.” Somehow she felt eyes on her. Even more than usual. 

Tzuyu nodded once. 

They kept walking. Unless they were in a less crowded place, Tzuyu didn’t talk much. Sana appreciated it. 

She still couldn’t believe that Dahyun had made her own potion. Yet the new information also made her uneasy. Sana couldn’t stop thinking back to the day after Dahyun’s fall. It must have been one of the very first times since she’d seen her without a concealing charm—at least since she’d started with them, which Sana didn’t know. She hadn’t even known that the Hufflepuff was using it. Sana had cast the spell on herself, but for different reasons. 

Aside from the cuts, Sana had been struck again and again by the dark shadows that'd rimmed Dahyun’s eyes. She was sure they’d gotten lesser now, but that would only be because Dahyun wasn’t drinking that draught anymore. It might have kept her awake and alert, but it wasn’t actually letting her sleep. 

Sana sat down, her thoughts still filled with questions. Charms now. She was early. Also not typical for her. 

Dahyun had told her what she’d found. While she insisted it was an accident, she’d not talked about simply getting out of whack and missing the step. She’d wanted Sana to know a part of the actual cause. She knew Dahyun wanted her to not feel responsible any more, but was it because she knew the actual reason? Or that she had a very good suspicion for it? 

McGonagall probably knew what that suspicion was. She also had to know that this wasn’t an accident. Sana wanted to go to her and ask, but what if this was really something that had to be kept under wraps? Of the people Sana respected, the headmistress ranked high among them. Sana did trust her judgement, but she wasn’t sure about Dahyun’s. For all she knew, McGonagall could be more than okay with Dahyun telling the truth. Maybe this was still just Dahyun keeping everything to herself. 

Not everything, Sana thought.

Then two people walked in. A Ravenclaw and a Slytherin. Not holding hands, but talking with light smiles. They looked good together. 

Then Mina gave Chaeyoung one more smile before going over to Sana. 

“I won’t blame you if you wanna sit with her,” Sana whispered. She spoke in Japanese. Just in case. 

Mina elbowed her. “Not a word.” 

She held up her hands. “I’m just saying. You’re cute.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of purple. 

Sana looked over to see Dahyun going to sit beside Chaeyoung. She sat down with a huff. 

“I swear,” Dahyun sighed. “Nothing like two flights of stairs to tell you you’re unfit.”

Chaeyoung chuckled. “And you call me lazy.” 

“Do you want to sit with them too?” Mina asked quietly. “I won’t mind.” A bright smile was growing. 

Sana shook her head. “I’m staying right here.” She linked their arms. “Where I belong.” 

Mina snorted. “That was terrible.” 

“I know.” She leaned her head on the other girl’s shoulder, trying her best not to look at a particular someone again. 

It had been two days since their last patrol. Everything about that might have been a lot. She remembered that look in Dahyun’s eyes, similar to the one she'd given Sana when she’d said she didn’t regret the kiss. It hadn't been veiled by a bright smile or hidden by a humour-filled gaze. 

There’d been a tenderness in her eyes, one that spoke of a certain amount of guilt, but also one of care. Sana had wanted nothing more than to envelope her in a tight hug. She hadn’t, because boundaries, but she’d wanted to close the distance. Dahyun had been honest and open. It was all Sana had needed to know two things: Dahyun’s fall wasn’t an accident and Sana was a hopeless case when it came to the Hufflepuff. 

Someone nudged her then. 

“Time for the water spell,” Mina muttered. “You can look at my notes later. I figured you were distracted.” She winked. 

____

Dahyun walked down the hall towards the Hospital Wing. She’d left one day between working on potions. It was more to give Madame Selen some peace of mind, rather than to take a proper break. 

She opened the door and was surprised to see Professor McGonagall in addition to Madame Selen. She’d been in the Hospital Wing long enough to know that injuries and the like weren’t all that common. All the beds were empty. 

“Should I come back?” Dahyun already started to step back.

“No need,” McGonagall said. “Professor Destin has told us that you may attend Potions class again.” 

Dahyun felt her heart flutter at that. She missed Potions. 

“Already?” She looked at Selen then. 

“Already,” Selen repeated. She didn’t share Dahyun’s enthusiasm. 

“I wanted to ask her if you were ready for such a thing, given,” McGonagall paused. She didn’t need to finish that sentence. 

Dahyun just nodded. 

“But apparently you are,” the headmistress said. “So you’ll be able to go to all your classes again:” 

“As long as you're not overwhelmed,” Selen added. “And you’re still not going to play at the game. You should also keep holding off on practice.” 

Dahyun nodded again. The walking she had to do in a day ensured that she was exhausted by the time she came back to the common room. She barely worked late anymore, but she still wasn’t so behind on her work. So it was all working. The only drawbacks were that she woke up still tired and almost always incredibly sore. Dahyun could barely imagine what it would be like after the first round of Quidditch practice. The muscles that kept a person on a broom were probably pretty weak now. 

Still, Allison had been asking her to be there for at least one practice. The girl was incredibly nervous to be subbing in for the first match. Dahyun needed to keep her calm. She played well, but when the pressure got high, she caved. Slightly. Maybe Dahyun would be on a broom for less than an hour. To go through a few different shots and saves. 

“But can I still work on the other potions in here?” Dahyun hoped she could. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust brewing potions in the dungeons, but to brew there, she’d be alone and quite vulnerable compared to working in the Hospital Wing. 

“Yes,” Selen said. “The hour-rule still stands, with a half-hour buffer, but of course you can.” 

Dahyun smiled. This was all very good news. “Thank you.” 

____

“Come on,” Mina said, “you can do it.” She raised the rubber. 

Chaeyoung raised her wand and cast the shield charm. 

In the next moment, Mina threw it. It bounced right back, hitting the Slytherin in the nose. She winced. 

“Sorry!” Chaeyoung dropped her wand and went over. “Block, not deflect, I know.” They’d been practicing all afternoon. Mina was in the other DADA class and they’d finished with shield charms last week. 

Mina laughed. “All good.” She massaged her nose. “It’s not broken.” 

“Still, maybe we should try it with a feather or something.” Chaeyoung conjured one. “Might be better?”

She gave her a look. “That defeats the purpose of learning how to defend yourself.” 

“Hey,” Chaeyoung waved the feather about, “if you use the right amount of speed, this could probably kill you.” 

“Which is also not the point,” Mina replied. Then an ink pot dangled between them. It didn’t have a lid on it. “Block this and I won’t get a face full of ink.” A gummy smile appeared. 

“You’re putting a lot of faith in me getting this spell.” 

Mina’s smile widened. The ink bottle circled Chaeyoung’s head. “You going to cast the shield charm or do I have to surprise you?” 

“Alright!” Chaeyoung readied herself. “Protego duo,” she muttered. 

When the ink bottle stopped right in front of her eye, she flinched. The charm faltered and there was a smash. Ink splattered across the floor. 

“You did it!” Mina laughed again. She held her wand to the ink stains. They were absorbed into a ball at the tip of a wall. It was like a reverse staining. 

It was a spell Chaeyoung always enjoyed using if she ever messed up a painting. At least the paintings she managed to do in school. She wondered if she’d ever tell Mina about the differences between muggle and wizard art, about the fusions you could do if you ever used proper muggle kits (expensive ones too) and added some magic to it. She wanted to. 

She pulled herself out of those thoughts. “And you’re ink free." She chuckled. “On a scale from one to ten, how surprised are you?” 

“Not very,” Mina replied. “I’d say a five.” The ball of ink hung between them now. “Do you think you can summon me an ink bottle?”

A glass vial appeared in the next moment. 

“Damn.” Chaeyoung sighed. 

“That works too.” Mina’s laugh was light. “Thank you.” Her brow furrowed as she guided the ink in. When it was finished she waved her wand and a stopper appeared. 

“Remind me why you wanted me to summon it?” Chaeyoung asked as she repaired the broken one. 

The Slytherin shrugged. "You still cast it," she winked, “and a bit more practice is always better than nothing.” 

Chaeyoung smiled. “Ouch. So it’s not just my shields charms that need training.” 

She threw her hands up. “You said you were struggling in Transfiguration.” 

Her actual words had been, my spells are trash, but Chaeyoung didn’t say that. She just sat back as Mina packed the ink-filled vial into her bag. 

“Thanks for helping me,” Chaeyoung said. She handed her the newly repaired (and empty) ink pot. “Dahyun was pretty close to switching partners yesterday.” 

“I have a hard time believing that."

“You caught me,” Chaeyoung replied. “I wanted to switch partners. Then I’d actually enjoy seeing the ball hit someone in the face.” 

“Like Luke?” Mina asked. “I already heard about that one fiasco.” Her lip twitched. “And that Nayeon paid him back for it.” A look. “So did you.” 

Chaeyoung laughed, remembering his face when it hit him in the back of the head. Twice. Nayeon hadn’t been willing to hit him in the face. So Chaeyoung took that as her cue to be equally as nice. It made for one of the more entertaining DADA classes. 

“He tried to get a couple rumours out,” Chaeyoung said. That included ones about Momo and Nayeon dating, which they weren’t (yet). “Like the one where our hair charm will probably make you bald.” She sniffed. “Terrible PR.” When Mina looked confused, she clarified what she meant, “public relations.” 

Mina nodded. “Most people don’t believe that anyway. They love your spell. Especially Jackson.” 

“You never used it, did you?” 

She smiled then. “Actually yeah.” As if remembering it, Mina ran a hand through her currently black hair. “I tried dark red in fourth year, and another type briefly in fifth.” She rolled her eyes. “People thought I was betraying my house.”

“But it looked good,” Chaeyoung said. She felt her stomach flip when she registered her own words. Too late to take it back. She meant it too. 

Mina’s eyes widened. Then she looked away. She looked at her watch. “Time for dinner?” 

“Yep.” Chaeyoung got up. “Thanks again for today.” She walked one way, very much away from the staircase that led to the Great Hall. “I gotta go get something.” 

“Uh, alright.” Mina smiled slightly. “See you.” She turned away as well. 

Chaeyoung rounded the corner, wondering if she looked as red as she felt. She really was hopeless. 

____

The room was freezing. Someone had left the door open when they left. Sana was sure it was Jennie. Maybe Hwasa.

They were all at dinner now, having all been starving, but Sana had needed time to think and strategise. The next match was a way’s away, but it’d be against Ravenclaw. They were, for lack of a better word, crafty. 

With difficulty, she tied her wet hair into a ponytail. She was just about shivering.

She opened her locker. All she had to do now was drop her stuff off in the common room, have a quick dinner, and meet Dahyun for patrol. 

There was a paper on her robes. She picked it up. In the back of her mind, she knew she was an idiot for not checking the paper for curses. 

Yet there was no curse that jumped out as she unfolded it. Just a note. 

The writing was in block script. 

Next time, ask what she's doing for the Ministry.

Sana felt eyes on her. 

She grabbed her wand. That was when she felt a terrible pressure on her leg. It snapped. She screamed. Then she threw out a curse. She didn’t know which one it was, but it didn’t seem to land. 

Sana hit the floor, hard. She tried to look for whoever had attacked her, but she couldn’t see a thing. Just the walls of the changing room. 

Then her limbs were frozen, her leg held at a painful angle. She couldn’t even make a sound. 

There were footsteps. Whoever it was walked towards her. Each step sent a burst of terror through her. 

Their voice came out as a rasp. “Make sure you ask the question. Would be great if you knew what they let a mudblood do.” She didn’t recognise the voice, but she knew it was a man. "I can't make her tell me, but," he trailed off. 

The pressure came again. This time on her arm, but nothing broke. She was powerless. Anything could happen. 

Something was pressed into her hand. A paper. The note.

And then there were more footsteps. Sana heard the door creak. Then she was alone. Each second hurt. It was still so cold. 

____

Dahyun looked around the Great Hall. She saw Nayeon, Mina and Tzuyu still having dessert. No sign of Sana. She should have been done with practice. The rest were. And even if she was practicing on her own, she’d have come to dinner. 

She knew what it’d look like, but it didn’t matter. Maybe they’d know. 

Dahyun went over to the Slytherin table. 

“Did you guys see Sana? She wasn’t in the halls.” 

Maybe she was exhausted. Dahyun couldn’t blame her. It was just strange not to get a warning. 

Nayeon’s spoon stopped midway. “She didn’t go straight to you?” She frowned. 

“Had a lot on her mind,” Tzuyu said. “I think she got carried away.”

Dahyun nodded. Maybe Sana really was still practicing. She had seemed distracted when Dahyun had seen her. Was the pressure of being captain and prefect getting to her? Maybe. 

“I’ll go get her.”

“One workaholic to another?” Nayeon winked. 

Dahyun smiled. “Yep. If she’s too tired, I’ll send her to you.” 

“She won’t let you do that,” said Mina. 

“I know, unless she knows I have someone else to walk with.”

“I’ll be in the library,” Nayeon raised a hand, “you can always come get me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dahyun said. “Enjoy.” They were eating banana bread. She hadn’t expected the house elves to keep making it. Clearly it had been a hit among the students. The thought made her smile.

Walking out of the Great Hall, she felt eyes on her. Unbelievable. You couldn't talk to anyone not in your immediate circle. Everyone was so eager to shoot out their theories about who was interested in who and who hated who. Conclusions were jumped to.

She got to the Clock Tower pretty easily. She’d only come here for the last quidditch match. The next one was coming this weekend. She honestly couldn’t wait. Not only would Hufflepuff be playing, but a trip to Hogsmeade was also coming. She wondered if she’d be able to go. Probably. If she could make this walk, then the rest was fine. Or, at least, she hoped it would be. 

It was freezing outside, but it woke her right up. Practice was always enjoyable in winter. But Dahyun wasn't practicing. Just walking. It was a surprisingly long walk. 

She crossed the wooden bridge and hurried down the hill. Dinner was probably going to be over by the time they’d get back. They’d have to go to the kitchens for that. Then patrol would also be a bit shorter. Maybe. 

Dahyun wondered if she’d have to coax Sana out of the air. She hadn’t flown in a while. She was excited to maybe be able to, if only for a couple minutes. 

What had kept Sana practicing so long? If stress was the cause, she hid it really well. 

Dahyun made it to the changing rooms, breathing heavily once again. She went to put a hand on the door. It slipped inward and Dahyun followed in suit, losing her balance. She put out her hands to catch herself, hissing as pain lanced up her arms. Sana must’ve forgotten to close the door. 

When she started to get up, she froze. 

Sana lay on the floor, her eyes open. She breathed quickly, but wasn’t moving otherwise. Her leg was at an odd angle. 

Dahyun scrambled over. She undid the curse on Sana. 

The girl whimpered. Tears had been streaming down her face. 

“Someone,” Sana said, her breath heaving. “The same,” a cough caught her next words, “who–who.” Her eyes were wide. 

“It’s okay,” Dahyun said. She cast a cooling charm to the leg. “Come on, we’ll get you to the Hospital Wing.” Looking at the other girl, she was reminded of a very specific fear. “I’m right here, Sana.” She slipped an arm around her. “You’re safe." She wanted nothing more than to find the person responsibile. 

She summoned Sana’s things and scooped up the fallen wand. Then she got to her feet, pulling Sana with her. The effort hurt. 

“They have an invisibility cloak,” Sana said. “They could still be here.” She was shivering. The door had let in all of the cold air from outside. 

Dahyun cast a silent revealing charm. Unless it was Harry Potter's famed invisibility cloak, they'd be uncovered. 

No sign of any illusion around them, but Sana's hair turned brown again. She knew the same happened to herself. 

"We're alright," Dahyun said. Her arms felt weaker than they should have holding Sana. She wouldn't be able to walk all that way back. 

Sana’s broom was on one of the benches. A Thunderbolt. Great for flying at longer distances at great speeds. Dahyun had one that was good for short bursts of speed. Perfect for a keeper. Sana’s matched a chaser’s needs. The same for this situation. And Dahyun had never flown something like it. 

She had an idea. Probably a terrible idea. 

“Sana,” she said as she grabbed it, “are you okay if I fly this?” 

She blinked a few times, more tears falling away. “If you don’t break it.”

Dahyun secured both their bags to the broom. She was sure there were other solutions to this, but she couldn’t think of them. 

"First we dry your hair," Dahyun said, raising her wand.

Sana looked at her, an edge of amusement entering her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes." She cast the hot-air charm. 

"And you don't think that's too much?" The Slytherin wiped at her eyes. 

"It might be," Dahyun replied. Then she was finished. She wrapped Sana's cloak around the other, plus her own.

"You don't have to do that." 

"You're freezing," Dahyun buttoned up her cardigan, "and you'll be glad tomorrow when you wake up and don't have a cold." And it was going to be a painful ride. She knew that much. "I could freeze the leg in place. Could act like a cast for the time we're in the air." 

"I'll survive," Sana said. 

The next thing she knew, they were kicking off. Sana had hissed in that moment. She held on to Dahyun now with surprising strength. 

“Don’t turn too fast,” Sana said. "It's sensitive." Her voice was strained. 

Dahyun barely nodded. She knew sensitive brooms pretty well. Her own was. This broom was just too much. It flew well, but it was almost too fast. She felt on edge as they rose into the air. Her core muscles were aching from trying to keep her balance. She couldn't imagine what Sana was feeling. 

“I can’t believe it,” Sana murmured. “We’re actually flying over Hogwarts.” 

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” Dahyun tightened her grip on the broom, slowing their ascent. The sight before them was beautiful, but Dahyun could hardly enjoy it. She could barely look in front of her let alone below her. It was also freezing. 

“A few times,” Sana replied. “Is it your first?” 

“Yep.” 

The ground came a bit closer as they flew closer to the castle. Their bags swayed from the tip of the broom. Dahyun was gripping the straps, so they probably wouldn’t fall. And both were charmed to be weightless. The bags would be fine. But what about them?

“Didn’t we talk about this once?” Sana asked. 

Once. First year. Dahyun was surprised Sana still remembered—that she still remembered. 

“You were asking at the wrong time,” Dahyun said. “I was still pretty terrified of heights.” And she might have still been now. 

They passed over the Clocktower Courtyard. It wouldn’t be too long until they got to the one by the Great Hall. She hoped she could nail the descent. 

Her heart was beating madly. She felt dizzy. Was it the fear or was this the reason why Selen didn’t want her on a broom? Flying actually required a good sense of balance and core strength. The physical strain was really catching up to her. At least she wasn't cold anymore. 

The moon was half full, bright enough to tell the broad structures apart. Thank Merlin. They passed a tower. Was it Gryffindor or Ravenclaw? It wasn’t the Astronomy one. Dahyun knew that much.

Then they were over the right courtyard. Dahyun started the descent, tensing as she did. The arms around her wrist tightened. 

“You have to pull up earlier than you think,” Sana said. “Don’t ask why.” She leaned her head on Dahyun’s back. Was she terrified of the landing? Dahyun was. 

She stopped before their feet touched the ground. She wasn’t sure if Sana’s good leg could support that. 

So Dahyun got off first, while Sana kept the broom and herself in the air. Her body felt oddly light. She tried to keep herself from swaying. That probably wouldn't be a reassuring sight. 

Getting Sana to the ground proved a bit of an issue. It involved Sana nearly falling down as she hopped down on one leg. Dahyun had caught her, but barely managed to keep the two of them upright. 

Now they just had to make it up some stairs. Dahyun didn’t trust any form of flying within the castle itself. She’d wanted to once. Then common sense kicked in. Still, she was tempted to now. 

Opening the door to the Entrance hall, the warmth was an absolute relief. 

She could tell that Sana was trying her best to keep her weight off of her, but they couldn’t move well otherwise. Dahyun held Sana tightly as they went up the first half flight of stairs. Sana swayed every other step. 

“They wanted me to ask you something,” Sana took a shaky breath, “about the Ministry.” 

She’d gotten hurt because of her. Again. Dahyun tried not to look unsettled. She knew Sana would catch that. 

“They didn’t do anything else, right?” What they’d already done was bad enough, but it could have been worse. 

“Gave me a reality check,” Sana chuckled, “I thought I was a better duelist than that.” 

“We just have to learn a couple counter spells for invisibility,” Dahyun replied. “Then we’re good.” She adjusted her grip on the Slytherin again. She cast the cooling spell. Again. 

“You don’t already know those spells?” Her face was still pinched, but she raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Nope,” Dahyun said. “I’m better at hiding than revealing.” 

The Slytherin muttered something. Dahyun could’ve sworn it was, ‘got that right’. 

Sana’s energy was falling. Dahyun could feel it. She adjusted her hold on her. Her arms ached. 

Finally, they reached the first floor. Dahyun half helped, half dragged Sana down the hall. The dizziness was getting worse and she wanted to take a break, but they were so close. They could make it. 

They reached the Hospital Wing. Dahyun got Sana to a bed. Her entire body felt relieved. 

A door opened and Madame Selen appeared, already in a nightdress. There was a charm that alerted her whenever someone came in. Dahyun had heard it a few times when she was in Selen’s office. 

“What happened?” 

“Someone attacked her after Quidditch practice,” Dahyun whispered. Some of the other beds were occupied. “They were invisible.”

Selen left before coming out with potions. 

“We have to tell someone,” Dahyun said. Then she straightened. “I'll go to McGonagall.” It was late, she knew that, but the headmistress had to know that the danger was reaching other students too. A danger that was here because of her. 

“Certainly not,” Selen said. “I will tell her. You must go rest.” 

“I have patrol.” Maybe she could find them. Maybe they'd try to find her. 

“We’ll handle that too,” the healer said. “You have more than over-exerted yourself and,” her eyes flickered to the broom on the floor, “taken one of the more riskier passages here.” She smiled. “And the third floor will be secure. The most dangerous thing there was a three-headed dog named Fluffy.” 

Dahyun shook her head, but two hands guided her over to the nearest bed. 

"You're pale as a sheet and more than a tad dizzy, Dahyun," Selen made her sit down, "we will handle this." 

Her mind was full of questions, but those thoughts were slowing down. There was a deep-rooted fatigue settling in. Her body ached, but maybe she could stay up long enough to sneak out. She needed to do something. 

But the bed didn't let her get up. Her body wouldn't let her even turn. It just felt heavy. What happened next was already decided. 

Dahyun kicked off her shoes, took off her glasses, and fell back onto the bed.

She’d ask questions later. She’d start handling things tomorrow. It was her fault. She'd solve it. 

____

Sana dreamt of flying. She was out of the quidditch stadium and over Hogwarts. It was an angle from which she’d rarely seen the school, though she’d flown over it a few times before, sometimes while on a date.

And then she was falling. There was no broom to save her. The same grounds that she knew and loved so well were coming closer and closer. Above her was the moon, full and bright. Cool air rushed through her hair. 

Just before she hit the ground, her body lurched forward. 

Her nose was blocked, hurt, and her leg ached with the movement, but she wasn’t blinded by morning. Was it even morning? 

The blood was pounding in her ears. She hated those types of dreams. They always ruined the freedom of being in the air. A freedom to fall was nothing she wanted to have. 

“It’s alright,” a kindly voice said. “Try not to do any more sudden movements.” Madame Selen came from one bed to hers. “I’ve given you potions, but it’ll still be a few hours until you’re good to leave. Even then it’ll still be a day or so until everything's painless.” 

But even that was fast. As she’d learned. 

Sana looked around the room. She saw someone familiar beside her. Their hair was no longer purple, but brown.

felt dry. “Did she also,” she trailed off. 

“No,” Selen shook her head, “she was just tired.” 

She felt a lump rise in . 

Dahyun was tired from flying Sana across the school and dragging her up the stairs. 

“Here,” a cup was held in front of her, “should've given it to you yesterday." 

She drank it. It was Pepperup potion. It burned.

Steam began to come out of . Sana coughed, watching as Selen went between the beds. The sky was still dark.

Someone had swollen eyes. Cursed by a familiar spell. Sana wondered who’d done it. 

Another's ears were also smoking. Also a cold. 

Then she saw Dahyun stir. She'd seen the illusions fall yesterday. Now she saw them again. The scars were almost less alarming than the deep shadows surrounding her eyes.

Dahyun rubbed those eyes. She peered at Sana, her gaze foggy. 

“Hey,” Dahyun murmured. Then she sniffed. A blocked nose. 

Trying not to dwell on that, Sana smiled. “Hi.” 

“Feeling okay?” 

“Yep,” she replied. “Already being healed.”

A gentle smile broke out on the Hufflepuff‘s face. The scars tugged at it, but the effect was the same. “Good.” 

She straightened and groaned. Her hand went to her neck. She stretched and stood up. Her robes and hair were a mess, but Sana was struck by how endearing she looked. 

“I,” Dahyun said, “will be right back.” She gave her another smile, but that one was more put on. Or was Sana just imagining it. 

Dahyun left then. 

Sana looked at the bed she’d been in. Her yellow-trimmed robe was still there. So were her shoes. Where was she going? The library? Without her shoes and without the illusions.

She dug a hand in her pocket then. She’d stuffed the note there after Dahyun had unfrozen her. 

Next time, ask what she did in the Ministry. 

Sana tried to go through what had happened after Dahyun had come. Dahyun had looked as scared as she’d felt. Then the fear had been pushed down by something else. Some kind of certainty Sana had barely been able to understand. She’d acted quickly and without any further panic. The only time the mask had broken was when they were in the air. Dahyun was still afraid of heights. Somehow. 

Ministries and mysteries. 

Why was what she did there so important? Being able to go there in the summer was uncommon, but it wasn’t impossible. Was this all because Dahyun was muggleborn? Did they not think she deserved to be there? 

As much as the thought made Sana’s stomach turn, it didn’t seem like enough to warrant all of this. If it did, she wasn’t sure if that was supposed to make it worse or better. They wanted information. It seemed like they already knew more than Sana did. So what else did they want?

The door opened then. In walked Dahyun carrying a tray. She set it down on a small table with wheels before rolling it over to Sana. 

On the tray were three plates, one of them with a lot more food than the other. There were eggs, sausages, and bread. On the third plate were scones and clotted cream. There were also two cups of coffee. 

“Not your typical breakfast in bed,” Dahyun said. “But I hope it counts for something.” She smiled then. It was a genuine one. 

Sana stared at the tray. “You,” she trailed off. What could she say? Thank you seemed like an understatement. “You didn’t have to do this.” 

“Actually,” Dahyun sat down at the foot of the bed, “I did.” She handed Sana the plate with the most food. “You missed dinner.”  

_____

Author’s Note

Sorry that this chapter is a bit late. My writing schedule might be changing a bit, but the updates will still be coming. They might just be every other week, though I'll try to update earlier if I can.

If you’ve ever played the Wii video games for Harry Potter, specifically Order of the Phoenix (maybe Half-Blood prince too?), this is basically the layout I’m using for the story (meaning I played that game way to often and know the layout of that Hogwarts a bit too well). There are likely to have been some inconsistencies before, but when I do an edit of this story, I’ll be sure to correct those! 

Anyway, things are getting a bit more serious again. Sana was attacked, but not in the way Dahyun was. The person responsible ‘showed themselves’. 

To balance that off (because recently I’ve had a bout of seriousness in my writing that doesn’t seem to go away), there were lighter scenes spread throughout both the beginning and end. A lot of the time, that’s what Harry Potter had been for me while reading (watching and playing too), because there were some incredibly dark moments set against a more lighthearted magical school-life setting. That’s not to say this story is on that level, but I want to capture a bit of that atmosphere in this story. 

Would love to know your thoughts about the characters and/or events in the story. See you next chapter!