CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

One month of rigorous training amid the beginnings of a full-blown war was enough for Jisoo to learn about how to be an Auror. Or at least, it had to be enough since she didn't have much of a choice between learning fast or getting killed. The Death Eaters were growing restless with each passing day. Multiple attacks were being reported from all over the city alone and even more were occurring across the country. The Ministry was lost on how to handle all of them at once with their basically non-existent man power.

Jisoo was watching the latest attack on the news. Four muggles dead and dozens more injured as a building had collapsed right on top of them. They were still searching for the other missing persons, crushed beneath the rubble. The muggle media was covering it up as a terrorist attack but really, they are not far off from the truth. Although, "terrorist" is too much of an understatement to describe the Death Eaters. It was a bloody scene even from the grainy television screen that Bona had cramped into the girls' shared apartment. 

The city was no longer safe, and every capable Auror was dispatched and put on patrol. That included Jisoo and her batch who were still fresh off the oven. Still unqualified wizards with zero experience in fighting actual dark magic-wielding wizards. 

But that was going to change soon. Jisoo hears she'll be assigned a partner and she just hopes it would be Bona, or at least someone with more field experience than her so she won't screw anything up and end up killing herself and whoever her partner would be. 

The past month had been a blur of spell casting, broom flying, and diving in the rain and mud. It was intense and she got busy for a while. All that time spent in intensive training at the Ministry almost made her forget about what happened prior to when she stumbled into Bona's apartment with tear-stained cheeks.

Keyword: almost. 

Sometimes, Jisoo's walls come crashing down and the memories flood her head, one by one. Visions of his face, his smile, his touch lingering in the back of her mind like a ghost standing at the corner of the room, ready to pounce at any given moment. Triggers are scattered everywhere in this damned city; the smell wafting from the doors of the bakery they frequented to when they were in town, a coat worn by a stranger that was the same like the one he had, the image of his face plastered on every newspaper in the wizarding world.

While Jisoo was training, fighting tooth and nail for her survival in this war, Taehyung was building his own reputation under his new group. 

Nobody was as shocked as Jisoo, who knew him longer and better than anyone in the Ministry, or even in entire world for that matter. But apparently, she didn't know him enough.

She read about his crimes on the paper as if they were a plot device in a fictional story. At the back of her head, she's constantly doubting the truth of what the reports say. Taehyung couldn't of had slaughtered innocent muggles and muggle-born wizards like that, he can't have done what they're saying, that's impossible! There's no way he would do all of those things. 

Jisoo's denial is as clear as day, but nobody dares to tell her anything different. Not straight up to her face, anyway. But she can feel the concerned glances Bona throws at her every time Taehyung's name is on television or in the paper. She can sense the undercurrent of disgust in their trainer's voice when they talk about the Death Eaters during their sessions, and how he must know bout Jisoo's affiliation with the worst of them. 

It just hasn't sunk into her yet that he's no longer the one beside her, but the one opposite to her, glaring from the other side with eyes that feel like they belong to a psychotic stranger rather than the man she once loved. 

"She's a menace," Seulgi barged in Jinyoung's office with a burning fire flickering behind her nearly manic-looking gaze that makes Jinyoung a little scared to ask about what she was talking about. But Seulgi is smiling. At least, he thinks so. She has a grin on but its not happiness that's plastered on her face. It's something else, something close to excitement or pure psychotic ecstasy. 

"Pardon?" Jinyoung placed his paperworks down and looked at Seulgi with a raised eyebrow. He was in the middle of reviewing the request for extra workforce from other countries to help them in this war when Seulgi had so ungraciously slammed open his office door. "Who are you talking about?"

Seulgi threw a hand over her shoulder, as if motioning for someone to be standing behind her when nobody was actually there. That's when Jinyoung began to feel concerned and thought the war was finally getting to her.

Before he spoke, Seulgi continued, "Kim Jisoo! She's amazing, she single-handedly took down six Death Eaters by herself just a few hours ago in Diagon Alley." The blazing fire continues to burn behind her pupils, which made Jinyoung realize that she came to his office with good news to tell. 

This was a first. For the past weeks, he was meet with solemn faces that brought bad news, one after the other. He tried to hide his disappointment, how discouraged he and everyone felt with the recent events, but it was hard sometimes. 

So, hearing such praise from Seulgi about one of their Aurors was enough to unload a small portion of the weight Jinyoung was carrying on his shoulders ever since he was appointed the new Head for the Aurors just several weeks ago. 

"She's one of Bona's recruits, yes?" Jinyoung asked as he leaned forward over his desk, the cogs in his mind turning and working its way to an idea. "Is she still on the rookie team? Which unit?" 

Seulgi nodded. "She is, she's in Unit Two. She's their tracker because apparently, her tracking spells are top notch. I heard her protective charms are also quite powerful." 

Jinyoung nodded. "I see, give her a partner. Reckon she's good enough for that, isn't she? See if she can be paired with Bona." 

"Now that is a great idea. Jisoo's skills will surely be maximized in a duo. The others can do well on their own as teams, but we need someone like Jisoo to be on more stealth-centered missions that require speed and accuracy. The ones where duo teams would perform best. She's a fast flyer too, did I mention that?" Seulgi added.

Jinyoung actually let out a genuine chuckle. He hadn't felt this positive for quite a while, it was good. Even if it would only last for a few moments, he was grateful to take a break from the misery of the war and the burden of his position. "Goodness, it sounds like you're half in love with the girl, Seulgi."

"Maybe I am," she jested. Even Seulgi was in a good mood. "I'll break the news to Jisoo right away. Thank you, Jinyoung." 

With one mock curtsy, followed by Jinyoung rolling his eyes at her, Seulgi took her exit from the Head Aurors' office and moved to tell Jisoo about her promotion. 

Jisoo wants to barf. 

"Ew, don't do that." Bona hissed as she covered her face with the tip of her fedora. Somehow, Jisoo could still see the glare from behind the hat she was wearing. "But if you must, please direct it the other way. Don't puke on me." 

Did she say that out loud? Jisoo shook her head in an effort to ease some of the tension that was making her feel queasy but her nerves were getting the best of her. Sure, she had done missions twice already, but they were with big teams of six people. Tonight's assigned task was different compared to that, both in scale and intensity. Bona was technically her senior and had a whole year of training ahead of her. Jisoo had only trained for a little over a month and barely did two reconnaissance missions with the other rookies, both of which had nearly failed. She has no clue why Seulgi chose her of all the other trainees to advance into the upper ranks and join more experienced Aurors like Bona. 

"Jisoo," Bona whisper-yelled her name in the dim alleyway. She inched closer so that half of her face would be illuminated by the faint glow of the streetlight. It was nearing midnight and Trafalgar Square was slowly receding into the awning of the late evening as the hustle and bustle of the busy neighborhood quieted down in favor of rest. 

Little did the muggles in the area know that magic and wizards lurked in the shadows, though not all of them were friendly like Jisoo and Bona. 

Jisoo turned towards her friend and now partner. "What?" Her heartbeat steadily increased with each passing second, but she tried her best to calm herself down. She couldn't afford to screw up a mission so big and important for the Aurors. If they did it right, if they could catch the Death Eaters that were traveling through the Square tonight towards Buckingham Palace, then it might just change the trajectory of the war forever. Whether that change would be favorable or not for the Aurors and the rest of wizardkind depends on Jisoo and Bona's actions. 

"It's going to be okay." Bona's soothing words penetrated through the chilly air and managed to warm Jisoo's insides, smothering her nerves with a sense of comfort she didn't know she had longed for. "We're going to be okay, and you're going to perform beautifully. Just like you always have. You got this." Bona smiles at her from the shadows, warm and sincere. 

"Thanks, Bona." Jisoo wants to reach out to her friend and squeeze her hand, but decides against it to avoid giving away her position in the dark. "It's you and me, right?" 

Bona's head bobs up and down as a silhouette. "It's you and me, kid." A loud crack resonates throughout the square and both girls are on high alert. Bona smirks, an expression even Jisoo can decipher in the darkness of the night. "Let's do this." 

Jisoo lifts up her wand and charges towards the enemy. 

"Fourteen Death Eaters dead in two days! And plenty more injured, what a feat!" 

Normally, Jisoo detests the idea of death staining her hands, but this was obviously a different case. Though, she does not exactly feel good over her "feat" as what Jinyoung had dubbed it, but she did feel rather proud that she was able to call the attention of the Head of the Aurors and that Jinyoung was looking at her the way he used to when they were still in Hogwarts: a smart girl who knew what she was doing. 

Jisoo needed validation so bad, she needed to be recognized. It was the only way to bury the painful memories that threatened to spill over and take control of her head. And she was doing so well at forcing them down these past few weeks... she just has to try harder, which meant she needed to work harder in her missions and trained more frequently with Bona and Seulgi. 

"Um, thank you." She replied hesitantly, but still managed to plaster on a smile just to appease Jinyoung. "Is this why you called me in tonight?"

Jinyoung's huge grin turned into a small smile when he spoke again, "Well, yes and no. You see, I have been gathering great reports from your activities with Bona recently. And though she's on another assigned task right now with Seulgi's team, I'm thinking of assigning you to another one outside of your pairing for the time being. You are free for the night, are you?"

Jisoo bit her bottom lip as she was reluctant to answer. "Well, for the night, I am."