Seolhyun stood up as soon as she spotted the Hufflepuff Prefect the next morning at the Great Hall. Yuna had just walked through the doors, entering early relative to the rest of the students. Seolhyun had sat in the hall as soon as it had opened, waiting for the girl to enter. It was the first thing she needed to do; apologise to Yuna. Hyejeong, who had kindly accompanied her, gave Seolhyun an encouraging nudge. Nodding, Seolhyun smiled a silent thanks to the girl and walked towards Yuna. 

One foot in front of the other, Seolhyun kept a steady pace as she breathed in and out. She couldn’t back out now, no way. She approached Yuna, who looked up from the conversation she had been having with one of her friends, Seolhyun presumes. Surprised, Yuna wore her guard up but politely smiled at Seolhyun who returned the gesture. 

“Morning. If you have the time, may I speak to you? I’ll be waiting outside corridor A.” 

Yuna responded with a curt nod that Seolhyun barely caught as she turned around as soon as the last word left . However, as she was about to walk out, she was interrupted. 

“Ms Seo, Ms Kim.” 

As soon as Seolhyun saw the familiar hospital elf, Yuna left her mind completely. 

“Hello, Wisney. Has Chanmi woken?” 

“Yes, Ms Kim. She had been dismissed and I thought to notify you personally.” 

With those words and a discreet click of the fingers, Wisney disappeared. 

Without a second thought, Seolhyun changed her route, entering out of the nearest corridor as vague flashes of Chanmi’s whereabouts flew into her head. 

Had she looked back, she would have spotted Yuna standing frozen on the spot, unable to move. 

___

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

As soon as she had burst out of the Great Hall, the unmistakable burn on her right wrist had disappeared. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way of finding Chanmi’s whereabouts if she wasn’t in human form. Seolhyun used to about how powerful animagus were but all Chanmi was just a cute cat. However, she wished she had just swallowed her words because it was not the only circumstance where Chanmi and her little kitty self had bypassed spells and charms just for having 4 paws and a tail. 

Seolhyun gritted her teeth, standing still in the middle of the corridor. Students walked past her, some gave her a polite smile while some of the younger students nervously cowered away, but most did not even spare her a second glance. 

Realistically, she had two options: go on a wild cat chase before her classes started or continue on with her day. She was sick of simultaneously avoiding and seeking the girl, and Seolhyun wanted nothing more than to finally talk with Chanmi but at the same time there was little to no chance of finding her. Seolhyun knew that Chanmi wouldn’t have turned into a cat unless she was hiding from her and Chanmi still knew of Seolhyun’s whereabouts. What Seolhyun had figured was that there was really no way to track Chanmi down at this stage. 

With nothing else to do, Seolhyun turned around and started walking toward the Great Hall. She may as well apologise to Yuna as she said she would and get along with her day. She fixed her eyes on the middle of the large door to the hall, focussing all her attention on anything that wasn’t the bubbling frustration within her. As annoyed as Seolhyun was, she knew that there was no use forcing each other when they weren’t ready. However, it was one thing to know, but another to really feel that way. 

Pushing down on the handle, the door opened as she quickly scanned the room out of habit. The hall was starting to fill up with more students but it certainly wasn’t at its busiest time of the morning yet. Despite the cozy comfort and quiet bustle of the hall as the students ate and chattered, Seolhyun couldn’t bring herself to relax amongst the rest. She hadn’t even eaten, but it wasn’t enough to bring out her appetite when all the room in her stomach was packed with shaking, unrelenting unease. Biting the inside of , Seolhyun willed herself to push her thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on her task at hand which was to talk to Yuna. 

It was still odd to her, to actually use and think Yuna’s name because all this time, she had avoided even acknowledging her. Previously, when Yuna had been nothing more than just Jimin’s friend, Seolhyun hadn’t cared at all. In reality, she had a positive impression of her as she was one of Jimin’s favourite people but it had been overwhelmed by the jealousy that left her feeling threatened. As much as she had tried to assert her own dominance over her, that she was more to Chanmi than Yuna was, Seolhyun had been terrified that she was just lying to herself and avoided acknowledging the girl, acknowledging that Yuna was indeed an issue to her. Though she had come to understand the issue laid with her and not Yuna, courtesy of mostly Jimin, Seolhyun couldn’t deny how foreign it was to see Yuna as who she was: another person in her friend’s lives. 

She almost scoffed when the realisation dawned on her that Yuna was heavily involved with her three closest friends at Hogwarts. It wouldn’t have been long before one of them spoke up to her about it and Seolhyun finds herself in a pool of guilt and remorse again. She had always refused to believe that Yuna was a sincere person, even when Yuna herself had been talking to her in the hospital bed when all Seolhyun had for her was pent-up anger and malice. Her own skewed perception of the girl could have possibly ruined her relationships with not only Chanmi but Jimin and Hyejeong too. All she did was harbour cruel and unjustifiable spite for her when Yuna was simply trying to live her life. 

Balling her fists, Seolhyun reminded her to stay grounded. Focussing on every single step she took forward, Seolhyun pushed away the thoughts and feelings that would only engulf and drown her. She drew one big breath and held it. It was good that she felt shame and remorse. It meant she was learning and growing. She let it go. It was reasonable that she felt this way, and she needed to understand where she had gone wrong but she needed to remember that the best thing she could do was to let them be and make changes to the present. She needed to remember that she couldn’t change the past, but she can change the present. 

---

To be sure, Yuna had waited by corridor A in case Seolhyun were to return. After pacing around the increasingly crowded hallway, Yuna stood still and opted for tapping her foot against the ground restlessly. She had to urge herself to stay in the same spot despite the tense, bubbling discomfort that had started to settle so deep in her, that Yuna could no longer detach herself from the nerves. She wanted to close her eyes, leave without a second glance back and grab her satchel for the classes that would commence in the day so that she didn’t need to tackle both Seolhyun and Chanmi so soon so that she could pretend she was just like any other student.

With one hand up tugging at her earlobes, Yuna’s eyes darted towards any movement from the door, both hoping and dreading it was Seolhyun who would be leaving the hall to talk to her. Up until then, as countless unfamiliar faces surfaced from the door, waves of both relief and disappointment washed over Yuna. 

There was no reason for her to be as on edge as she was. Seolhyun was well, just Seolhyun and she has handled her before. She had even been particularly polite to her, much more than usual that Yuna felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up from surprise. She had been fine then, even eager to hear what the girl had to say, but now the day’s tasks seemed to loom over her like an unending list. When did just letting time pass become such a suffocating task? 

Footsteps heavy, she ignored the budding tension that ate away at her. Just a day ago, Yuna had lamented over her lack of courage to reach out to Chanmi and after hearing the news that she was up, Yuna found herself stuck in the same cycle. 

“Yuna?” 

Snapping her head much faster than she would have liked, Yuna looked up to who had called her name. 

“Oh,” she had let out before regaining her composure. “Hello, Hoseok.”

“Hey,” he said, giving her a wide welcoming smile. “What are you doing here?” 

Yuna swallowed, unsure of how to respond. It was against her nature to lie, and she really had no reason to. Besides, Hoseok had been nothing but nice to her, and they were to be the ones who would lead Hufflepuff next year but all Yuna had on her mind now was the pressure to be normal, to be perfect, to be what everyone else expects her to be like. 

“I’m just meeting up with someone,” her reply came. “How is your morning?” 

She desperately pleaded that Hoseok wouldn’t push on, hoping that her question would be the end of their conversation on that topic. 

“I’m alright, but same as you I have someone to find before class starts.” 

Yuna smiled politely at him as he started to leave. She felt her shoulders loosen lightly, but as Hoseok had just passed her, he turned back around. Wearing an innocently conflicted expression on his face, it seemed as if he was unsure of whether or not to speak his thoughts before opening his mouth. While those seconds had been nothing but brief, almost unnoticeable, Yuna found herself unable to escape time’s torture of accentuating every small moment. 

“You seem tense. Are you alright?” 

As slow as time had become, nothing could form in Yuna’s mind to save herself, to fix the scenario, and have it run the way it was meant to. 

“Just a long night. I’m expecting a test result today as well,” she lied without another second of hesitation. 

Whatever it takes to have control again. 

“Oh, that makes sense. What subject?” 

“Ah, it wasn’t for school, I took a piano exam recently. It’s a family thing.” 

“I didn’t know that about you. I’m sure you did well like you always do, Yuna. Don’t worry about it then!” 

“Thanks, Hoseok,” she managed to push out. “Have a good day.” 

“You too, see you in herbology later.” 

Yuna nodded curtly to herself as Hoseok had already disappeared. Gradually, as she stood still in the same unmoving position, the tension from her encounter left her. She wasn’t sure how long it had been when she snapped out of her trance, but if every little task was going to be like that, full of nerves and unease, Yuna wasn’t sure if she could go on. 

What was wrong with her? Even the most mundane of tasks looked overwhelming and Yuna couldn’t bear to continue like so for much longer. The urge to leave appeared beside her again, pleading for her to let everything go and forget the world, but her two heavy feet stood still without moving an inch. It would only worsen the future if she were to run away, even if it bought her the most blissful temporary relief. Who was present Yuna to hinder future Yuna especially when she was bound to be older, wiser, kinder and better than who she was now? 

So she stood, waiting for Seolhyun to come. She was certain that when she bolted off earlier, she wouldn’t stop until she found Chanmi. The two of them really had the Slytherin determination in them. If she didn’t show up soon, she’d have no choice really but to prepare for the day. They all still had classes, even though the end was approaching, and if Seolhyun wanted to find her again, she could do so through Jimin. 

If Yuna was running away from one thing already, she didn’t want to make it two.

___

“Chanmi?” 

Hearing her name, Chanmi turned to face the voice before she could compute who the owner was. By the time she had, her eyes were already locked with Seolhyun who stood by the doorward to Chanmi’s bedroom, to their bedroom. 

“You’re here.” 

Chanmi transformed back to human form and nodded, hands gripped at the edge of her robes. She watched as Seolhyun entered, not moving from her crouching position from when she had explored the messy room before. With clothes and textbooks strewn across the floor, Chanmi instinctively felt the urge to neaten the room. She wasn’t expecting Seolhyun to find her, but that must mean something. Feeling brave, she stopped herself from thinking too hard over her next words

“I heard you visited me.” 

Heart pounding as she waited for Seolhyun’s response, Chanmi couldn’t bear to look at her. Instead, she picked up an old potions paper and pretended to study her writings when at the moment she couldn’t even read. 

“I did.” 

She could hear Seolhyun approaching. 

“And I’m glad you’re okay.” 

Chanmi let down her tense shoulders and placed the paper on top of her shelf, still avoiding looking at Seolhyun. 

“Thank you.” 

“No.” 

From across the room, sitting in her bed where she never used to lie in as she found Chanmi’s bed more comfortable, Seolhyun stared right into her eyes. 

“I mean it, Chanmi. I am so glad you are okay.” 

Chanmi stood frozen, drying up. It had been weeks since she had seen Seolhyun and even now, after hours of rehearsed lines, her hands were shaking and the words had left her mind. 

“And I am sorry,” Seolhyun continued. 

Straight to the point, as Chanmi had expected. While Seolhyun had not hesitated, Chanmi felt as if she had lost the ability to speak. With her arms by her side, she hid away her hands clenched into tight fists under the long sleeves of her robes. 

“Chanmi? Are you feeling right?” 

“‘I’m okay, just tired.” 

Her response must have been unbelievable as Seolhyun stood up and attempted to usher her to the bed. In a fit, she pulled her hand away and waved them in front of her. 

“Really, it’s nothing.” 

“Sit down, you just got dismissed.” 

Again, Seolhyun tried to grab her hand and Chanmi’s rising panic only grew. 

“Don’t touch me.” 

Her voice was nowhere nearly as loud or assertive as Seolhyun's, but its message had both of them silent. 

“That’s not what I meant, I’m, no, sorry.” 

Seolhyun let her hand fall back to her side. “No, I am. I am sorry for acting as I did. You didn’t deserve that, I should have been honest and I should have spoken to you. But please, sit down.

Chanmi did as she had been told after hearing the desperation in Seolhyun’s words and closed her eyes. She had been cleared from the ward but the nauseating sensation did not subside. 

“Colloportus.” 

A click echoed through the silent room. 

“Why’d you lock the door?” Chanmi asks, eyes darting around feeling slightly nervous about being confined.  

“I didn’t want anyone interrupting,” Seolhyun replied. “I want it to be just us two.” 

Slowly, Seolhyun sat down beside Chanmi on her bed, the mattress dipping under both their weight. Chanmi saw the way Seolhyun’s fingers gripped at the edge of the duvet. The girl was as tense as she was about the situation. Chanmi lay down, wanting the spinning feeling to end.  Hasn’t she paid her penance already? 

Chanmi had been mad at Seolhyun, there was no denying it, but that's all that it was. Anger, a temporary, fleeting irritation that inevitably will be experienced again. Anger, which was nothing compared to the loneliness and ache that emptied her heart the past two weeks. What was she to do during the times they’d take their evening stroll? Who was gonna pull her shirt down as it rides up in the middle of the night again after tossing and turning? Who else would do all the Seolhyun things if it wasn’t Seolhyun?

Chanmi could feel her gaze on her. Some said it was an unerring ability of hers, but Chanmi argues that Seolhyun’s stare is more intense, more passionate than other people’s. Not everyone can say they maintain full eye contact with her in a conversation. 

“Why are you looking at me?” 

“Because I’m sorry.” 

Some would find it annoying, how Seolhyun was repeating herself over and over again, and Chanmi normally did too if she was being honest, but the knowledge that it was her way of showing how repentant she was, outweighed most of the frustration. And, really, Chanmi had missed all the Seolhyun things that Seolhyun did.

Even with her eyes closed, Chanmi sensed the inching of Seolhyun’s hand closer and closer to her as the covers rustled beneath her movements. Instead of snatching her hands away, Chanmi grabbed Seolhyun’s before the girl could react, giving them a faint squeeze. 

Seolhyun tensed in her grasp and the corner of Chanmi’s mouth lifted. 

“Sorry for lashing out just then. I was just caught a bit off guard.” 

Even though she heard no response, Chanmi knew that Seolhyun was hanging onto every word that left . 

“I just needed a few seconds.”

Chanmi felt calmer as she took a step back to recollect her thoughts. She had thought about this moment many times, but the confrontational nature of reality had hit her harder than she had anticipated. But it was alright. Everything would be alright because Seolhyun was here by her side talking and listening. 

“You acted irrational and what you said hurt, you know. I was angry at you for yelling at me and accusing me of everything. It hurts to hear it from y