“Still awake?” she asked when she got in. 

Nayeon and Tzuyu were sitting on the leather sofas, papers scattered all around them. Nayeon didn’t really like the library, and Tzuyu rarely worked alone. Mina would either be sleeping or in the library. 

“Yep. All of this !” Nayeon grinned. 

“She’s struggling with the ethics of transfiguring objects into animals,” Tzuyu said. 

“We’re struggling,” she replied. “You can’t tell me anything else other than it’s not great for the animal.” Her essay was lifted into the air and spun around twice. “I’ve got a load of bull on the animal’s confusion. It’ll get a D for sure.”

“Who knows,” Sana sat beside Tzuyu, leaning her head on the girl’s shoulder, “he does like it when we theorise.” 

“This is supposed to be the precise magic.” She glowered at the paper.

Sana thought of Dahyun then. She’d probably had the time of her life writing that essay. 

“I wrote about emotions too. The stress and memory factor come into play.”

“I end with a question on memory.” Nayeon shrugged. “Maybe we’ll get him to speculate for the whole class.” Then she straightened. “Anyway, I saved chicken and potatoes. Plus a new type of cake.” She waved her wand and the plates came over to her. 

“It’s banana bread,” Sana said. 

“How did you know that?” Tzuyu asked. “I did, but still.” 

She felt a blush grow on her face. “Dahyun gave it to me during a patrol.”

“Before the accident?” 

She nodded. “By a few days.” 

“Ah ha,” Nayeon said, a raised brow, “so you finally broke the ice?” 

“Nope.” Sana started eating. “Keep working, girls.” 

She pouted. “You’re no fun.” 

“We’ll talk about it later,” she went to give her a tight hug, “thank you for the food, Nayeonnie.” 

“Someone has to feed you,” she grumbled. 

Sana smiled as she sat back down. She was looking forward to the banana bread. It was an unusual cake for wizards and the house elves too, who each preferred flashy and extremely sweet cakes. Maybe it was the plain brown crust and that made it seem mundane. She wondered why it had suddenly appeared on the dinner table. Had there been requests? 

Mina arrived some time after. She went straight to Sana’s side and curled up there. 

“I hate potions,” she mumbled. “I don’t care about the laughing potion.” 

Sana gave her a hug. “Did you finish?”

“Yes.” 

“Then you’re fine.” She held up her plate. “Banana bread?”

“So that’s what that’s called.” Mina grinned. “It was incredible.” 

Sana fed her the first bite. Then she took one for herself. She wondered what it would taste like warm. 

“She really likes it, a certain someone introduced her to it once.” Nayeon glanced up from her essay, winking at her. 

Mina looked up at her. “Really?” 

Sana’s face warmed again. “Yes.”

“Did you two ever talk about last year?” Tzuyu asked. 

“Straight to the point,” she took another bite of the cake, “but no.” 

“Why not?”

“Don’t you have an essay to write?” Mina raised an eyebrow. 

Sana gave her another piece of cake. 

“Answer the question and I’ll write the conclusion.” 

“Write the conclusion and I’ll answer.” 

She rolled her eyes, but started writing. 

Why hadn’t Sana brought it up? For one thing, the girl had recently fallen down the stairs. This wasn’t the right time. Why else? She was embarrassed every time she thought about it. 

“Okay, spill.” 

“It’s not easy to bring up. Like, ‘Hey Dahyun, do you still—’” she sighed. “I’m not even gonna try and ask that here.” 

“Do you ever think about last year?” Nayeon suggested, a broad grin on her face. “Because I do.” 

Sana threw one of the cushions at her. 

“Watch the essay!” Her cackle filled the room. Then, probably realising it was night-time, she put a hand to . 

“She is telling the truth,” Tzuyu said. “You’re still not over that.” 

This girl. Sometimes she knew exactly what to say. Exactly when you didn’t want to hear it. It had been a kiss, several at that, but it wasn't just the kiss that got her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about it again. It sent her mind spiralling each time. 

_____

“I’m pleased to say your body is accepting the healing magic.” Madame Selen smiled. 

Dahyun returned it. “How much longer?” She hoped she wouldn’t ask her why it had taken so long. Even so, the fact that she didn’t made Dahyun think she already had her own theories. Did she think Dahyun hadn’t just fallen down the stairs?

“A few days.” She gave her a look. “I know you’re more than old enough, but please don’t sneak out again before you leave. It’ll be better for you.”

Dahyun wanted to deny it, but it probably wasn’t worth it. 

Her expression softened. “You’ll be out sooner if you let yourself rest.” 

“What do you think will heal first? The hand, arms, or my legs?”

“Leg first, tomorrow. Your ribs are in good condition too. With your concussion, you still have to avoid overdoing it. Even if it’s not physical activity.” A sigh. “The hand will take at least two days. The finer motor skills will be sloppy at first. I’ll get the professors to accept the self-writing quill for the next two weeks."
Two weeks. She was lucky it wasn’t a delay of months. It would have been at least that if she’d suffered a fall like this at home. 

“Will I be allowed to participate in Potions and Herbology?”

“Herbology yes, but not potions.” 

Dahyun’s heart plummeted. “Why?” She felt like a child who had been told she couldn’t have her favourite toy. 

“You’re not to be anywhere near the classroom. Except for the healing potions, you can’t drink or eat anything even sprinkled with a potion.” 

This was not good. How was she supposed to stay awake now? She had so much to do. So much to catch up on and so much to figure out. 

“I’ve seen that draught of yours, Dahyun.” 

Of course she had. In her bag, she always had three, each marked with the date they’d been made. They usually lasted a month. 

“We don’t ban that sort of thing, otherwise coffee wouldn’t ever be allowed, nor the Draught of Peace,” she fixed her with another stern gaze, “but you cannot mix anything magical with the draughts in your system now.” 

“What happens if you do?”

“I don’t know for certain, because most listen to what I say,” her eyes twinkled, “but you could get really sick. Maybe even damage your natural healing or sleep processes. There might be things even magic can’t heal.” 

Dahyun didn’t know how to respond. As much as she wanted to find a way to avoid this ban, to make changes to her recipe, she knew it was better to listen to her. After all, she did want to live a somewhat healthy life. 

“I understand,” she said. 

Then the doors flew open. Dahyun couldn’t see who it was. Someone groaned. 

Madame Selen rushed to see. “Goodness! What happened?” 

“Someone cursed her,” it was Nayeon, “she tripped.” 

“Alright. Over there.” There were hurried footsteps. Three people came to the bed beside hers. She recognised a green headband first. The one in the middle couldn’t stand. 

Then she collapsed onto her bed, her hands covering her eyes. Tears streamed down her face. It was Sana. 

“Don’t touch them,” Madame Selen took away her hands, “I’ll be right back.”

Dahyun conjured a cloth. Then she whispered, “aguamenti.” The water was, thankfully, warm. “Put this on them.” She wrung the excess water out on her lap. Then she held it out. 

Nayeon did a double take, but grabbed the cloth. “Thanks.” She placed it over Sana’s eyes. 

Dahyun only nodded. The conjunctivitis curse was a terrible one. They’d also given her the jinx that took the control of your legs away. She wanted to ask where this had happened, as well as who had done it, but she refrained. This was not the time for that. 

Madame Selen returned. She gently peeled Sana’s hands and the cloth away. Her eyes were swollen and bright red. The sight made her stomach churn. 

“Don’t move.” She raised a flask and drew several drops out at once. They went into one eye, then the other. Sana winced both times, but visibly relaxed after a few seconds. “Nasty curse. Might take a few hours until you’re fully recovered.” Her eyes hardened. “Who did this?”

“We don’t know,” Mina said. Her face was unreadable. From what Dahyun knew of the girl, she was furious. “And we didn’t see anyone acting like they knew. So I guess we can’t trace it back.” 

“It’s not the first time students have cursed one another.” Madame Selen pursed her lips. “But I'm not allowed to do anything.” She looked back at Sana. “What else hurts, dear?”

Sana’s voice was shaky. “My ankle. I think I twisted it, but,” she let out a weak laugh, “can’t tell right now.” 

The doors opened again. Momo charged in. There was a bang as they hit the walls. 

“I looked everywhere, grabbing the people I saw, but none had cast the curse.” She wasn’t hiding her anger. “Sorry.”

Madame Selen just smiled. “Not a problem.”

Momo started to smile at Dahyun, but even that faded. 

She realised it was because she hadn’t hidden her bruises. Both Chaeyoung and Jihyo couldn’t come today, because of the sheer amount of tests today, and deadlines coming up. She’d thought she wouldn’t need to hide anything today. Most of them were yellowing, but the cuts were still scabbed over. She didn’t want to think about how her eyes looked. 

“Drink this,” Madame Selen raised a cup to Sana’s lips, “it’s a mixture of things. They’ll taste terrible, but it all helps against the pain.” A pause. “How bad was the fall?”

“Half the staircase,” Nayeon said. “Wasn’t as bad as it could have been.” She grimaced as she glanced Dahyun’s way. "Sorry."

Madame Selen scowled. “With everything that’s happened, you would think they’d be more sensitive.” 

The three girls exchanged looks. Dahyun couldn’t read them, but they made her feel uneasy. Two spells that would cause Sana to fall down the stairs. Either it was related to the cause of her fall or the consequences of that fall. Either it was the same person who was responsible, or someone who blamed Sana. She felt a surge of shame. 

“I’ll leave you.” She came over to Dahyun, passing her the second cup. “Nothing for sleep.” A small smile. 

Dahyun drank it, recoiling at the sheer amount of bitterness. It was for the healing, so she would still be tired, but she’d be able to fight that. She was pretty sure she could still have coffee. 

The four girls to her left spoke in hushed tones. Dahyun took it as her cue to tune them out. It had taken years to succeed, but some incredible muggleborns and halfbloods had managed to get technology to work here. No internet yet, though there was a yearly attempt to introduce it. Still, she was able to listen to music now, which filled the silence well. The blues helped her concentrate as she finished the new DADA assignment. It was on sleep and different means to defend against potions and spells. Was everything supposed to address her problem? Either directly or indirectly. 

As she began to bob her head, she felt the potions start to kick in. The pain lessened. She leant her head back, enjoying the flow of the music and the softness of the cushions. Sleep tugged at her. 

Then she lifted her head, opened her eyes, and pulled out the earplugs. She saw Momo peering at the sweets. 

“Only took toffees,” she raised her hands, “I swear.”

Dahyun laughed. “I told you to take as much as you want. Same goes for the rest of you.” Mina and Nayeon were sitting on either side of Sana. 

“Thank you,” Nayeon smiled slightly, “again.”

Dahyun smiled back. Then she looked back at the assignment. She’d almost finished the body. Now she just needed to conclude the point about sleeping draughts. Unfortunately, there were enough instances in the muggle world of this happening. She’d led with the thought, trying to make it clear that the wizarding world shouldn’t be independent of the knowledge in the muggle world. By being ignorant of their technologies, sciences, and even politics, they were putting themselves at a massive disservice. If she was thought to be an advocate for anything, respect for the muggle world would be at the top of that list. 

“How are you feeling?” It was Mina asking. 

Dahyun looked up, letting the ink dry. “A lot better. I’ll be good to leave pretty soon.” It would take some pleading and several promises to be careful, but she’d be leaving as soon as her legs could support her. “How are the eyes?”

Sana snorted. “Still hurt like hell.” 

The cloth came quicker than one can blink. “It has to be warm, dear, but it will soothe.” 

"Thanks,” Sana pressed it to her eyes, “again.” 

“First time was Dahyun,” Mina said softly. 

“Thank you,” she said again. 

“How did you know about warm water?” Nayeon asked. 

“My dad’s a doctor.” 

She felt better to leave it at that. It was her default answer in school. As much as the world had changed since the War, muggles were still viewed as lesser, even if muggleborns were seen in a better light. 

Then she rolled up her essay. The ink for the self-writing quill smudged really easily. “And you heard no one mutter a spell?” It was a question for all of them. 

Momo shook her head. “I didn’t.”

The rest said the same. 

“Either wordless, or they were too far away to hear anything,” Sana muttered. “Could have been two people. Both spells came pretty quickly.”

The guilt twisted her stomach. 

“I’m the last person who should say this, but avoid being in the halls alone.”

She laughed. It was humourless. “I wasn’t alone on those stairs.”

Yet again, the doors opened. She saw Nayeon’s eyebrows raise. 

“Who are you?” Madame Selen asked. 

“Have a delivery for Dahyun Kim, ma’am.”

Her chest tightened. Now a delivery service? 

A pause. 

“A-alright. This way.”

As she straightened to see who was coming, Mina caught her eye. She still couldn’t read this girl’s face. It was strange when that side of her rose up. 

A young man appeared, a box in his hands. It was neither large nor small. It was just a grey cardboard box. “Afternoon, miss.” He smiled sheepishly. “Package for you.” He set it down on the one free bedside table. That was for food and magical drugs. 

“Thank you.” Did she have to pay for this? “From who?”

“Says it in the letter.” He handed her said letter. It was exactly the kind you’d find in a typical post office. They didn’t want to attract much notice, but in the wizarding world, normal paper, not parchment, would still raise plenty of eyebrows. 

The writing was a curly scrawl. Not block text. She wondered if the post had been intercepted. On the one hand, she hoped yes, but that would be a little too far on the school’s part. Privacy was still necessary. 

Would something spray out at her? Once a letter had sent pepperup potion all over her. She’d been lucky it wasn’t a poison, but the steam pouring from her ears and the burning sensation in her lungs hadn’t been too lovely. She still had no idea who’d sent it. The only thing written on it had been: mudblood. 

She shook the letter lightly, ran her fingers across its surface. There didn’t seem to be anything on it. Still, she angled it away from herself as she opened it. Nothing sprang out at her, nor was it cursed. That she wouldn't have been able to tell. 

I’m sorry this is happening. Be careful. This wasn’t an accident. Burn this—GYGKS

The Ministry’s M was faint, but she saw it shimmering in the bottom corner. 

Dahyun opened the box. Inside were a selection of biscuits. She smiled slightly. She took one out. 

“Anyone want shortbread?” Underneath, she saw a metal box. She closed the lid. 

Momo sat down beside her. “Who’s this from?”

“A friend from summer,” she replied. How they’d find out, she didn’t know. 

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh really?” Then she took one. 

“Not like that,” she laughed. As good an excuse it might be, she didn’t quite want that to be the takeaway here. 

Kwon Yuri had been her mentor this summer. While the work had been hard, its consequences even more so, they could be considered friends now. She was certainly someone who she could trust with a lot of information, one of the only people who could know said information. She wished she was here. 

“We worked together.” Mina knew, Momo knew, so it would only be a matter of time until Nayeon and Sana realised those rumours were true. 

Momo nodded, her eyes going to the rest. 

“You must’ve been a great coworker,” Nayeon said. 

Sana drew the cloth away from her eyes. They were an angry red and she squinted. She blinked several times, but Dahyun was glad that the girl was already feeling better. 

“I know shortbread, but why does it take a huge box and a person?”

Right to the point, she thought. “Used the muggle-wizard delivery service,” she said. “The one she uses takes a couple of steps. Plus it’s Walkers, a food company.” She used her want to send the box over. “You’re missing lunch, I think. These are great for the brain.” 

“Really?” They all looked at the box, almost as though they were seeing it in a new light. 

Dahyun smiled. “No.” 

Sana huffed. “Almost believed you.” She still took a biscuit. 

The silence that followed gave her time to think. She couldn’t help but wonder if Sana had been referring to the health benefits of shortbread, or the delivery excuse. 

_______

Mina walked to the Ravenclaw table. She got some looks. Her face was burning once she reached Chaeyoung. Jeongyeon was sitting beside her, a lion among birds. It didn’t faze her. 

“Hey, do you think you’ll have time to come to the library? Any time works. I just need your help finding some books.”

She looked up. Mina felt the beginnings of embarrassment. Chaeyoung was going to say no. 

“How’s Sana” Jeongyeon asked. 

Mina felt more eyes on them at that. As much as it made her want to turn back, this would direct some of the attention away. Maybe they’d all forget the reason why she’d come in the first place. 

“Better.”

“Anyone find out who did it yet?” 

Just the thought made her want to check every single person’s wand in this room. Jeongyeon was really close with Momo, Dahyun too. Mina was pretty sure she didn’t do it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t check. The same applied to Chaeyoung. 

“No idea.” Whoever did it might have had a twisted sense of justice, or just used this to settle some grudge. Some of Sana’s relationships hadn’t ended so nicely. Maybe someone was just that petty. 

The girl nodded. “We know they have a sick sense of humour.”

Chaeyoung also nodded. Her brow was furrowed, but she was looking around. Was she glaring at the people listening in? While Mina knew not to underestimate people, especially Chaeyoung, she couldn’t help but think she looked slightly cute. Like a small lion or panther, but one that could still claw you bloody if it wanted to. 

“I’m free tomorrow after practice. It’s early this time.”

Sometimes, Mina felt like the only person who didn’t play quidditch. 

“Great.” She forced a smile. Before she turned away, she saw that the Ravenclaw wanted to say something. She left before she could. Eyes followed her to the table. She hated every second of it. 

______

Sana’s eyes weren’t burning anymore, but they itched. Madame Selen had also dimmed the lighting of the room for her. Dahyun had cast a soft lumos. The faint scratching of her quill had been going on for hours. It was almost calming now. The only words that had been passed between them were either Dahyun asking her how she was feeling or if she wanted snacks. It was almost comfortable in the Hospital Wing, but she had a lot of questions,

She didn’t believe a word of that ‘summer friend’ excuse. Biscuits were something you could send by owl. A broomstick could be sent that way. Her new one would arrive in the next few days. No, this was something else. Something that needed extra precautions. It was also something that had seemed to make Madame Selen intimidated. It had to be Ministry related, but what the hell would Dahyun be getting from them? In her final years of Hogwarts? It wouldn’t be a brochure. 

“Want tea?” Sana looked over. Dahyun was sitting on the edge of her bed. 

“You’re not going down to the kitchens, are you?”

The corner of her lip quirked up. “There’s a kettle in the back. It’ll be a couple of steps.” 

“You mean jumps.” 

She nodded before gently getting off the bed. As she hopped around it, she leaned on it.

“You didn’t answer. Tea?” Her hands were gripping the table. Tightly. “I’ve got mint, ginger, or a fruity one.”

Should she decline? “I guess, ginger?”

The kettle warmed quickly. The silence was filled by the sound of boiling water. 

Dahyun didn’t make two teas. Instead, she made a pot of coffee. 

“You do know it’s eleven, right?”

She didn’t respond, but waved her wand. Two cups, plus the coffee were lifted into the air. Silent casting. The cup with tea settled on her nightstand. 

Dahyun hopped back. was closed, but she could tell the girl was gritting her teeth. 

“Why not use the magic for the drinks? Too easy?”

“That, and I need to stretch.” She did. Her bones popped. “Ow.” She chuckled. Then she sat down. “How are you?” Her bruises had appeared again, as had the cuts, but it was the girl’s eyes that caught her off guard. They were still rimmed with shadow and underlined with huge bags. Hadn’t she been sleeping a lot? “Sana?”

She shook her head. “What?”

“I asked how you were,” she smiled, “but a good guess is that you’re tired.”

She wanted to stop herself from staring. “I’m better,” she said. “Still wish I knew who did it.” What she’d do with that knowledge, she didn’t know. Hex them back? She really wasn’t creative when it came to that stuff. 

Dahyun didn’t ask her that, but she looked like she was thinking something over. 

“Another wet cloth?” She nodded at the one beside Sana.

“I’m good, thanks.” Was she avoiding the subject? “Are you really gonna keep working now?” Sana hadn’t touched any parchment, but she was dead tired. 

“Have to,” she said. “My extended deadlines are here.” A long sip of coffee. 

Sana frowned at that. “You’re still here, you can get extensions.”

“I don’t want them. The next few weeks will be bad enough without adding the rest.” 

“But you should go easy on yourself. You worked all days.”

“I’ve already had this talk with Madame Selen,” she smiled slightly, “this needs to be done. Also, I’m not tired.” With a wave of her wand, the quill rose, ready to continue whatever three foot long essay she was writing. 

“You just made yourself a coffee.” 

“If I was tired, I wouldn’t have.” She slowly swung her legs onto the bed. “Your tea will get cold.” Then she grabbed her essay and started writing. The conversation was over. 

_________

Author's Note

Half a relaxed, half not really. Just to be clear, Sana and Dahyun did indeed kiss at the end of fifth year. What came out of it, I cannot say just yet. Also, Dahyun and Chaeyoung are muggleborn, while Sana, Mina, Momo, Jeongyeon and Nayeon are purebloods. Tzuyu and Jihyo are halfbloods. 

So, Sana has been cursed and made to fall down the stairs. Not only are her friends furious, but it makes things more than a tad complicated. Is there someone pulling all these strings, or is it just a truly terrible coincidence? 

This was an interesting chapter to write. I'm trying to balance the different storylines, such as Michaeng's, where there are more than a few questions regarding Dahyun. There will be some more answers regarding Dahyun's summer. They're coming soon, but I'm waiting just a little bit longer to get a little more character work in. 

Thank you all for the support on this story! It's been a busy week, but writing has been the highlight for me throughout. Let me know what you thought and I'll see you next chapter!