“I’m going to kill her!”

“Here we go again,” Yves mutters when Heejin enters their dorm.

“I heard that!” Heejin points with irritation as she plops onto her bed.

“What did she do this time?” Gowon asks from her desk.

“That she-devil-”

“She-devil? That’s new,” Yves snorts.

“Well, that’s what she is!” Heejin sits up. “Recruiters for the Quidditch League came today and every time I managed to pull one off to the side, Hyunjin would always make her way over to us. Then of course, she turns on her stupid charms and suddenly it’s like I’m not even there! And it’s not like I can leave the conversation or else it would look disrespectful, so all I really did during that part of the session was hear Hyunjin brag on and on about herself. She’s so lucky that I had to compose myself or else I would’ve.. I would’ve… UGH!”

Heejin falls back onto her bed with a grunt. While she isn’t entirely focused on making Hyunjin jealous as much as before, that didn’t mean beating the girl in everything wasn’t a source of happiness. She knows she’s better than Hyunjin and wants the Slytherin to know it. And yet, nothing seemed to be going in Heejin’s favor.

**

During their second week of the semester, Heejin was sitting in her Transfiguration lesson waiting for it to begin. She was reading the assigned chapter for the week when from the corner of her eye she noticed someone sit down next to her.

“Hey Gyuri, did you understand what-” Heejin had looked to the right at her seatmate to ask for help only to stop abruptly. The person she was looking at wasn’t Gyuri.

“What’s wrong, Jeon?” Hyunjin grins. “Cat got your tongue?”

Heejin leans back into her seat, arms falling onto her lap as her eyes sharpen, “What in the world are you doing here?”

“Had a bit of a schedule change that the Headmaster graciously allowed,” Hyunjin says as she places her books on the desk.

“Well even then, stop placing your stuff on the table. You’re in Gyuri’s seat.”

“Yeeaah, it doesn’t seem like Gyuri minds though,” Heejin follows Hyunjin’s line of sight and sees that Gyuri had already settled herself in another seat, happily talking to one of her fellow housemates. “So, it looks like we’re going to be seatmates for the rest of the year,” the Slytherin says teasingly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Heejin mumbles through gritted teeth as she looks around the classroom and realizes that there were no empty seats remaining.

For the rest of the class, Heejin struggled to stay focused for the first time. The two of them would keep knocking elbows as they took notes and Hyunjin would often tap her quill against the glass ink bottle. All the while, Heejin couldn’t tell if Hyunjin was doing all of this on purpose or if it was just accidents and habits. Either way, Heejin was annoyed.

She had never felt so relieved when the lesson had finished. Just as she was packing up, she hears Hyunjin speak up.

“Hey, Jeon. Could you stop hitting my elbow next time?”

“What?! You were the one who kept hitting me!” Heejin says in shock.

“We’re both right-handed! I barely moved my left arm so how could I have hit your elbow?!” Hyunjin counters.

“Well then stop tapping your quill on your ink bottle, it’s too distracting!”

“Then you stop fiddling with the tips of your book pages!”

“Ms. Kim. Ms. Jeon. If you’re going to keep bickering, please do so outside of my classroom and perhaps on your way to class if you don't want to be late," the students’ faces instantly turn red after hearing their professor. 

Once outside, the two share a daggering look at each other before parting in opposite directions.

–

After that cruel start to her day, Heejin looked forward to her favorite lesson: Potions.

She loves making potions and it was the course which she excelled at the best. Despite how stressful schooling can be, she tended to find the class relaxing knowing that everything had set steps. While she adored spells and charms, they are dependent on form, pronunciation and often on your thoughts and feelings. Whereas with potions, it is all pre-calculated and only dependent on how well you can follow instructions.

It was one of the simple things in Heejin’s chaotic life.

“Yooo Kim! What’s up?” Heejin hears one of her classmates say loudly. If she had to guess, it was probably that Slytherin Eric greeting his friend Sunwoo.

Yet, there was still quite a commotion at the front of the room making Heejin curious as to why there was now a group of people who had gotten louder. When she looks up, she sees a huddle of green quidditch rugby sweaters. She shrugs off the sight and just as she’s about to look down, a crack forms amongst the group giving Heejin a glimpse at one of the students.

No ing way, Heejin thinks.

Thankfully, Hyunjin was swept away by her teammates to a different table meaning Heejin wouldn’t have to sit next to her for another class.

**

So to make matters worse, Heejin is forced to see Hyunjin on a near-regular basis and therefore the two bicker almost constantly. To be honest, it’s gotten to the point where she’s surprised that their Transfiguration professor hasn’t made either of them change seats.

She does try to see their shared lessons as a positive though since it’s a chance to prove that she’s better than Hyunjin from an academic standpoint. Yet since then, doing so has been no easy feat. So far, they often went back and forth as to who was able to successfully do a transfiguration spell or make an acceptable potion first.

Outside of the classroom, there was also no denying that Hyunjin had taken the Hogwarts’ student body by storm. Everything that once was only Heejin’s had now become something she had to unwillfully share with the Slytherin. The parting in the hall, a surrounding crowd, attention. 

She almost lost it one day when a student was talking to her but got distracted when Hyunjin had walked past them. Not to mention that Hyunjin even looked back at her with a mischievous smirk.

“Well, who cares about talking to the recruiters right?” Yves tries, pulling Heejin from her thoughts. “Back me up, Gowon.”

“Yeah! What really matters is what you do out on the field. So focus on that and the recruiters will come flooding.”

Heejin is silent for a moment before her shoulders deflate, “Thanks guys… she’s just so annoying.”

“Well hey, I’ve got something to tell you that might cheer you up,” Heejin perks up at Gowon’s words. “I do believe it’s my turn to set you up with someone after Yves’ tragic suggestion of Jisung.”

Yves gasps.

“How was I supposed to know he’d be that bad?! I based it off of looks! You guys said you were gonna drop it,” Yves says defensively as the other two just laugh in response.

“I know, I know, it’s just fun to tease ya every time and Heej needed a laugh. That was the last time, I promise,” Gowon responds before looking back at Heejin. “Anyways, I’ve known them for a few years and honestly they’re really sweet.”

“Are they cute?”

“Would I be suggesting them if they weren’t?” Gowon chuckles.

“OOHH, I’m telling Olivia that you found another person cute!” Yves points at her.

“Go ahead, Olivia was the one who helped me pick them out,” Gowon grins, causing Yves to groan.

“So when will I meet them?” Heejin brings their focus back.

“Just let me know when you’re free and I’ll send them your way!”

----- 

A few days have passed and Heejin was feeling a bit better. She was looking forward to meeting whomever Gowon had in mind and Hyunjin had been surprisingly less irritating due to the fact that they both had tests coming up and had to really focus in their shared classes because of it.

Still, that doesn’t keep Heejin from spouting a few comments here and there.

“My gosh,” Heejin pinches her nose when Hyunjin sits next to her in Transfiguration class. “Would it kill you to lay off that perfume? It’s giving me a headache.”

“Really now? Last time I checked, you really enjoyed it,” Heejin doesn’t bother to look at Hyunjin, but she already knows the Slytherin is smiling like an idiot.

“As if. I only tolerated it because I-,” Heejin stops, but doesn’t wait a beat to continue to make sure Hyunjin doesn’t get suspicious. She meets Hyunjin’s eyes, “Just know I hated the smell.” 

That was partially true. She actually disliked the smell until Hyunjin came along. Or maybe she just liked what was attached to the scent.

Heejin couldn’t tell if she imagined it, but for a brief moment she thought she saw a small pout form on the Slytherin’s lips. Either way, it was gone now. That interaction weighs on Heejin’s mind throughout the lesson, wondering if maybe she went too far. 

Or if it was what Hyunjin deserved. That small amount of pain that Hyunjin may have just felt is only an ounce of what she did to Heejin.

As they gathered their things at the end of class, the two remained silent. Heejin walks a few feet before hearing Hyunjin behind her.

“Did I really give you headaches before with my perfume?” The tone in Hyunjin’s voice was hard to read. 

Heejin should’ve kept walking. Or at least, she should’ve lied to make the Slytherin feel even worse.

“Just a few times,” she decides to say honestly.

“You should have told me. I would have-”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop acting as if you care?” Heejin interrupts as she turns around in her spot to face her.

“Oh my god, you’re still on that!?” Hyunjin exasperates. “Why the hell would I-”

“Ladies,” the professor clears . “Must I remind you every time?”

The two quickly apologize and head out of the class. Heejin was glad to have escaped another sore of an argument before feeling a hand on her wrist. When she realizes it was Hyunjin, she tries to writhe her hand out but the Slytherin’s grip was strong. It wasn’t until the two were in a secluded hall when Hyunjin finally let go.

“What the , Kim. I’m going to be late to class!”

“We need to talk about this, Heejin. It’s driving me crazy! YOU are driving me crazy!”

“I’M driving YOU crazy?!” Heejin says in disbelief. 

“YES! After we broke up,-”

Heejin rolls her eyes.

“-that whole week following I was wondering what I did wrong. Then, I finally get to talk to you during the feast and you tell me that I had a ‘secret plan.’ Back then, I let it slide, but it still kept gnawing at the back of my brain. And now! You’re saying that I’ve been ‘acting’ about the fact that I care for you!?”

“Congratulations, you can hear! Glad to know my words didn’t go in one ear and out the other!” Heejin mocks in a sarcastic tone. ”And stop making it sound like a sob story as if you’ve been acting like such a ing saint to me since then!”

“Well you deserved it!”

“And so do you!” Heejin lets out as she jabs a finger into Slytherin's chest. "You ing broke me, Hyunjin!”

The air becomes still as it’s filled with heavy breathing from both girls. Their stares are intense and the silence eats at the two of them, both caught off guard at Heejin’s last words. They soon hear the bell ring, signaling that classes have started, but neither seem to care now.

“You ruined me,” Heejin’s voice comes out small. “My life was so perfect until you came along. You made me love stupid traditions. You made me like playing guitar despite it leaving my fingertips in calluses. You made me used to pecks in the morning. You made me feel things I never knew I could feel. You made me happy that my parents got to meet you.”

Hyunjin remained hushed as Heejin shut her eyes tightly.

“You… you made me think that I deserved to be loved. But to you, it was all just meaningless.”

Hyunjin takes a step forward. Heejin steps back.

“That’s not true,” the Slytherin says firmly. “I don’t know how many times l need to say it until you believe it, but goddamn it Heejin, I really, genuinely, ing liked you. So much. You say that I ruined you? Well then, you ruined me too. When we started this whole mess, we each had our reasons. And yeah, you’re right, mine was to get my dad’s approval but as time went on, I started to give less of a about it because of you. You made me like you when we agreed that we wouldn’t go that far. You made it hard for me to go back to the lake because now you are a part of that place too. You made me think that my last heartbreak would be from Lia,” Hyunjin takes a shaky deep breath. “You made me wish that my first love was you.”

Heejin’s breath hitches and her mind begins to race.

She hates how sincere Hyunjin sounds. She hates the way Hyunjin was currently looking at her with so much heart. She hates that she’s begun questioning if the way she went about their break-up was a good idea. 

She hates that she’s starting to think that she was in the wrong.

So her emotions are swirling, overwhelming her as each second passes.

“So just tell me. What did I do wrong?” Hyunjin’s voice weakens, almost laced with desperation.

Before Heejin could get a handle on her mixed emotions, she just blurts, "Ask Choerry."

"What?" Hyunjin knits her eyebrows together, now even more confused than ever. "What does she have to do with this?!"

“She has everything to do with this!”

That just spurs Hyunjin even more, throwing her hands in the air out of frustration, “For ’s sake, Heejin can you stop being so cryptic and tell me!”

Hyunjin demands, but Heejin keeps her lips tight.

“Fine,” Hyunjin finally backs off with disdain. “If you don’t want to tell me, maybe I will go talk to Choerry then.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

As she watched Hyunjin storm off to who knows where, Heejin can feel the tears that she had been holding in threatening to fall. She knows she can’t head to her class while she’s on the verge of a breakdown, so she goes where she can only hope Hyunjin isn’t heading to as well.

As she paces in the halls, her mind is running wild. After their talk, all Heejin can think about is how she might have actually been wrong. Wrong to have left Hyunjin without a word all those nights ago without giving the girl a chance to explain. But even so, there was always a chance that Hyunjin wouldn’t have brought it up when she returned to her room or that she would make a lame excuse for saying yes to her dad, only to break up with Heejin eventually. Or maybe, and this thought wrecked Heejin the most, Hyunjin might have just lied to her dad for their sake.

But Heejin’s stubborn and can’t let the fact go that at the end of the day, Hyunjin had said yes.

At last, the door to the Room of Requirement appears and Heejin rushes inside with tears blurring her vision. She finds a wall to lean against and slides down to the floor, knees tucked, arms wrapped around them and her head hanging low. It was then, in the eerie quiet, where she let the tears cascade freely down her cheeks. Her breathing shortens and her nose sniffles as she is finally forced to deal with her back-and-forth thoughts all by herself.

“Are you okay?” a hesitant voice comes out suddenly, making Heejin jump in fear. Her eyes are wide as she looks to the owner of the voice who was crouched down to meet her eye level.

“Omo- Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you,” the fellow student immediately becomes apologetic.

When Heejin’s heart rate is back to normal, she responds reassuringly as she wipes away her tears. “No, no don’t be! I mean, I probably scared you when I barged in here, so I should be apologizing,” she says in embarrassment.

“Don’t sweat it, no need for you to apologize either,” the other chuckles with a smile. “But, um, you are okay… right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Heejin sniffles as she relaxes her posture, although she knows she probably didn’t sound all that convincing.

“Well then, uh, I’ll just head out to give you some space,” the student gets up and heads to a nearby table. It was then when Heejin realized that they must have been studying as she saw them gather their books, parchment and quills.

“Stay,” Heejin says immediately out of guilt. “You were here first, so I’ll leave.”

Just as Heejin gets up to leave, the student stops her, “How about we both stay? It looks like we both could use some quiet time, so I’ll stay quiet if you do?”

They stick out their pinky with a child-like smile. Heejin couldn’t help but find it quite cute and so she locks their pinkes together with a small smile of her own, “Deal.”

So now, the two were sitting across from each other with Heejin drawing on parchment paper that the other provided while they studied. And for the first time in a while, Heejin felt at peace and in solace. She becomes grateful to the other student for not leaving her alone as their silent presence seemed to have brought her some ease as well. She wants to thank them, but soon realizes that she never asked for their name.

For some reason, she found herself shy to ask and it wasn’t until the other stood up announcing that they had to leave for class that Heejin finally had the courage to speak.

“Thank you,” is all she manages to say just as the student was reaching for the door handle. “Um…”

“Chaeyoung,” the girl answers with a grin. “Lee Chaeyoung.”

Lee Chaeyoung.

A/N: Oh my... what a rollercoaster hm?

At last, Heejin is now dawning on the possibility that she may have made a mistake with judging Hyunjin so quickly. And of course, the thought of being wrong is something she strongly dislikes, so she may be a bit more hard-headed for a while but just not as much.

And ah yes, Lee Chaeyoung. What could her role possibly be? Is she the one that Gowon was talking about? (P.S To clarify, this Chae is Lee Chaeyoung from Fromis_9 b/c this is the start of my Fromis agenda--check them out!)

I was also supposed to release this chapter next month, but in honor of Loona being on Queendom and the first ep airing this week, I've decided to release it now in celebration! (Y'all... I'm embarassed at how long it took me to finish watching their opening show b/c I kept rewinding >_<) 

Hope you enjoyed this lil angsty chap, lemme know your thoughts and thanks for reading! <3

- S (rv_twice5 on twitter)