Mina and Tzuyu left the dormitory together. 

“Still no Sana?” Nayeon asked. 

They shook their heads. 

She smiled slightly. “Sleepover then?” 

“We shouldn’t tell anyone about that,” Tzuyu said quietly, “they already say she sleeps less in our common room than anywhere else.”

The smile faded. “As if all the years in the past haven’t been doing that. Even when rules were stricter,” she smirked, “they probably did even more:” 

“We only care about this year, remember?” Mina rolled her eyes. “Maybe last year.” 

“I don’t,” she shuddered, “mistakes were made then.” 

“I know,” Tzuyu replied, “should we list them?” At Nayeon’s scowl, a small smile appeared. “Kidding. There’s too many for me to remember.”

“Just wait for this year Chou,” the older girl said, “you’ll be making your own list pretty soon.” When she caught Mina smiling, she added, “you too!”

Mina chuckled before drawing her wand. “Repulso.” The passage opened slowly. 

Tzuyu nudged her. “Lazy.”

“Pragmatic.” She smiled. 

They stepped out into the dungeons, a terrible name for their section, but that was how it was. An unlikely sight greeted them in said dungeons: a Hufflepuff and a very angry looking Ravenclaw. 

“Where the hell is she?” the blue-clad girl hissed. 

“Where’s who?” Mina and Nayeon asked. 

“Your best friend,” she looked between them all, her gaze venomous, “who nearly got mine killed.”
“Woah,” Nayeon held up her hands, “Sana’s not here, but she definitely didn’t try to kill anyone.” Her brown eyes were hard. The prefect Nayeon had appeared. 

“We’re not saying she tried to do something,” Jihyo said. Her eyes were red. What had happened? Someone had nearly gotten killed. The key word was nearly, but how close had it been? “But since she was the last one to see her—”

“Who?” Tzuyu cut in. Was this the person who Sana had been with yesterday? What could have happened? A quidditch date gone wrong?

Chaeyoung looked at her as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “Dahyun.” 

“Dahyun and Sana?” Nayeon’s brow furrowed. “Didn’t see that coming?”

The two newcomers looked angrier. 

“No,” Jihyo said slowly, “Dahyun was found on the stairs this morning. Her blood had come all the way to the dungeons. So it must have happened yesterday evening.”

Mina felt cold. Found on the stairs? Blood? 

“You think Sana pushed her?” she asked. Speaking felt heavy. Not only was someone hurt, but people were thinking Sana did it. 

“They had patrol together,” Chaeyoung snapped. “How do you think this looks?” 

She agreed that it looked off, but the girl clearly wasn’t thinking straight. 

“Let’s go to the Great Hall,” Tzuyu said. “Even though she’s not here, she will be going there.” 

The two girls looked at the Slytherins. They stared back. Then Nayeon started walking. Mina followed with Tzuyu. She heard the quick steps of Jihyo and Chaeyoung. 

“I hope you’re not spreading it around that you think it was Sana,” Nayeon threw over her shoulder, “that’s a huge accusation, especially if you don’t have any proof.” 

“We haven’t accused anyone,” Jihyo said. “But she’s unconscious, and Sana’s one of the only people who would have been with her at the time.”

“Maybe she ran when it happened,” Chaeyoung muttered. “Even if she didn’t push her.”

“She wouldn’t,” Mina snapped. Sana hurt people, that wasn’t something she could deny, but it was emotionally. She had never, and would never, put someone in harm’s way like that. Especially not someone like Dahyun. 

She looked over her shoulder. Chaeyoung was staring at the ground, fresh tears in her eyes. Despite her anger, she felt terrible to see it. She could barely look Jihyo, who was also on the verge of tears. When had they found out?

_____

Sana could never have imagined the morning she’d have. It started pretty normal, except for the fact that she was in Ravenclaw tower. She went downstairs with Junghwa, who she suspected wanted to hold hands, but didn’t seem to have the courage. Sana wouldn’t have wanted to anyway. 

When she got into the Great Hall, people were looking at her. That made her frown. This wasn’t a big deal, nothing they hadn’t seen before. She was about to head to the table for breakfast when someone grabbed her by the back of her robes and dragged her out. She tore the hand away, drawing out her wand, ready to throw a curse at whoever had touched her. 

The big doors closed with a snap and she looked at the people who had attacked her. One Ravenclaw, Chaeyoung, a Hufflepuff, Jihyo, and three Slytherins. To her surprise, they were Mina, Nayeon, and Tzuyu.

She glared at the one who’d grabbed her. “What is your problem?” she hissed at Chaeyoung. She had a surprisingly strong grip for someone so small. 

“What is my problem?” she repeated. Sana saw tears in her eyes. “My problem is that you’re here, and she’s not.” She came at her again, no wand in hand, but her fists were clenched. 

Sana stepped back, but put her wand away. 

“Who is upstairs?” She looked at her friends. Why were they here? Why weren’t they stopping this?

“They came to the common room,” Mina said quietly. 

“I thought they wanted to kill you,” Nayeon added. 

Sana was pretty sure they still did. 

“Where were you yesterday?” Jihyo asked, her voice shaking. “And if you lie to me, I swear to—“

“I was at Ravenclaw’s,” Sana snapped. “You can ask Junghwa all about it.” She thought better than to smirk at the small Ravenclaw. She might have been a far better duelist, but the girl knew the weirdest jinxes and charms. Sana didn’t feel like having blue skin and no hair for a week. 

The Hufflepuff looked disgusted, but didn’t draw out her wand or anything like that. “So you weren’t even on patrol?”

Sana felt her chest tighten. 

Chaeyoung’s fists lowered, but her words were laced with venom. 

“Dahyun is in the Hospital Wing. She hasn’t woken up yet and you,” she pointed a finger at her chest, “were busy sleeping your way around school.” With that, she barged into the Great Hall, all eyes on her. Then they fell on Sana. 

The doors closed again and Sana felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“She needed someone to blame,” Nayeon said. “It’s not your fault.” 

Sana shook her head. She shrugged off the hand and ran to the stairs, dodging and knocking past students on their way to breakfast. It was only to the first floor, but she stumbled, banged her knee, and nearly toppled a fourth year Gryffindor. She apologised hastily, hoping they’d believe it was genuine.

She ran down the hall and pushed the doors open. One hit the wall with a bang. It made her wince. 

“Ms. Minatozaki, I will have none of that noise in here!” Madame Selen snapped. To Sana’s relief, she didn’t demand that she leave. She still apologised several times, knowing that she was bowing and it wasn’t necessary. “It’s alright, girl. I assume you’re here to see Ms. Kim?” Her expression was tired and sad. “The poor girl. Last to leave patrol.” She looked to the bed on the farthest end. The curtain was drawn. “So one saw it happen in time to break her fall.” 

The words cut deep. “W-w,” her voice shook and she couldn’t be bothered to stead it, “how long—“ The words wouldn’t come. Her stomach writhed with guilt and her cheeks were flushed. It hadn’t helped that she’d spited here. Her chest heaved. Her eyes were starting to burn. 

“Sit down, girl.” A chair was summoned. Sana didn’t sit. “Sit,” she said sternly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

Sana sat. 

“I won’t list the injuries she had,” she shook her head, “but the entire process isn’t kicking its yet.” Sana felt like throwing up. “Like her body is resisting.” A deep frown appeared. Sana must have looked horrified, because Madame Selen said, “Nothing for which she has to go to St. Mungo’s, dear. Had this happened in the muggle world, things would have been very different, even with the technologies sometimes described to me.” A pause. “She’ll certainly have an extended adjustment period, but I’ve given her the potions and cast the charms that have gotten the worst quidditch head injuries through exams just fine.”

“Can she have visitors?”

“I’d told the others no, but that didn’t stop Ms. Park and Ms. Son from sneaking past me. Considering your rush, you may very well do the same, but tell no one I let you. The students have been so eager to get a look.” She sighed. “Few want to know if she’ll be okay, just know what happened. I tell them nothing.” 

Sana followed her through the Hospital Wing. Not many were here. The few who where raised eyebrows at her for the rude awakening. “Why let me through?” 

“I will turn away those just trying to catch a glimpse.” She shook her head. “Not those who are genuinely concerned. But if you are squeamish, do not look.” 

“I’m not.” She couldn’t really stand the sight of blood, but she’d be damned if she couldn’t face this. 

The curtain was drawn back a fraction. Sana slipped past. fell open and her heart plummeted. 

A long gash went down the side of her head, bandages had covered it, but the red showed through. She was paler than usual. Bone white. Dark shadows were under her eyes. Bruises covered her face, arms, and legs. Her arm was bound in a cast, so was her right knee, and her left ankle. There was something around her jaw too, and a pink ointment on her neck, cheek, forehead, and everywhere on her arms and legs. Bandages and other coloured things wrapped around her chest. She didn’t look like she was breathing. 

Sana came closer, torn between running away and staying where she was. The smell was one of many different potions being smashed together. They made her feel dizzy. She listened for a breath. It was so quiet, but she heard it. Each breath was slow and strained. A wheeze. As though her body was trying everything it could just to draw one gasp of air in.  

She couldn’t look at Dahyun’s face, at the hair that was still caked with blood. She looked at her hands, only to see they were heavily swollen, several fingers almost black with bruises. Three fingernails had been broken. 

“She will be alright,” Madame Selen said softly. “The bruising makes it look far worse than it actually is.” 

“When will she wake up?” In how much pain would she be?

“Perhaps tomorrow, if her body starts taking what I gave her. It’ll probably take until the weekend, because it’s not.” 

Three days. Sana’s chest ached. This was all her fault. 

“Will she be able to play Quidditch?” That was Sana’s outlet. From what she’d seen when Dahyun was on the pitch, it was probably one of hers too. “She’s a keeper.”

“All depends on recovery. I think so, but the team should have a back-up for the match just in case.” 

She thought so. Just in case. The uncertainty gnawed at her. All this because she had been eager for a distraction from the mountain of work, from the gossip around her, and from the confusing patrols. She wanted to scream at herself. Time turners hadn’t been rebuilt since the stock had been destroyed. Had one existed, she would have used it in a heartbeat. 

“Class starts in five minutes, dear. You won’t be able to do anything for her here.”

“I know,” she muttered. “Thank you for letting me in.” Chaeyoung and Jihyo would say she didn’t deserve it. They were right. But she’d needed to see this. 

She left the Hospital Wing, noting how people looked at her, unspoken questions in their eyes. They probably thought she had pushed her down the stairs. By not being there, she basically had. 

______

Author's Note

Shorter chapter, because the next section still needs a little more work. I think it'll be ready by the end of the week! 

So now everyone's faced with the accident and its aftermath. The school is starting to catch on that Sana wasn't there when Dahyun was on patrol. Would it be better if they knew the real reason or far worse? Are Chaeyoung and Jihyo justified in blaming Sana?

I really love delving into the world of Hogwarts, especially the dynamics between the houses, so this story feels great to write! Let me know your thoughts below and I'll see you in the next chapter!