“Stay,” Irene chokes out. “Can you stay with me for a little bit longer?”

When the words had escaped , she only had one thing in mind. She didn’t think about how desperate she would sound. She didn’t think about how vulnerable she has allowed herself to become. And she didn’t think, no, she didn’t care about the few other students in the infirmary who could possibly be hearing everything they’re saying.

Granted, there isn’t anything to hear at the moment as a dense silence fills the room–one that goes on for what feels like an eternity for Irene. And as each second passes, the lack of any sort of reaction from Wendy eats away at her and the possibility of hearing something that will hurt becomes more and more likely.

“I’m sorry about what happened after the game,” Irene decides to break the eerie quietness. “What he said was uncalled for.”

Wendy’s eyes fall to the ground as she nods, already knowing what Irene is referring to without her having to delve further. Their eyes meet, “It’s fine, it’s not like we ever told the school how we ended our relationship.”

The fact that Wendy chose to respond gave Irene little hope.

“It’s not though,” Irene defends. “You don’t deserve that kind of name-calling, especially from him. I mean, I practically told him that it was all on me, but I guess he’d rather believe the opposite. Actually, I think my whole house thinks that way considering how some of them played the other day.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, some of my housemates haven’t exactly been calling you the nicest things either so maybe our guilt evens out. I try to get them to stop, but the fact that I won’t say anything encourages them.”

Irene’s eyebrows knit together, “Why not just tell them the truth? If anything, I deserve the heat more than you.”

“Honestly, it’s none of their business. Maybe it was in the beginning, but not now. Not anymore.”

And just like that, another wave of self-disappointment flashes through Irene. Even though Wendy had every reason to tell Ravenclaw house how Irene had left her lost and confused, she never badmouthed her to anyone all the while Irene tried to make her feel even worse and regretful.

“Well-”

“Irene,” Wendy suddenly cuts in with a tone Irene has never heard from her, making the Slytherin turn stiff. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Irene asks, puzzled with the girl's switched tone.

"You know exactly what I mean," Wendy doesn't waste any time.

"I- I don't know."

"You don't know what I'm talking about or you don't know why you're messing with me?" The Ravenclaw's voice comes out exhausted.

"Messing with you?! I'm not messing with you."

"Really? Then why are you trying to keep me here?"

Irene's hands ball up against the bed sheets, now turning anxious under the girl's eyes. Her mind races with the thought of throwing out her plan of the 'long game' and just telling Wendy that she flat out wants to rekindle what they had.

"Because I screwed up," Irene finally decides to say, her gaze into Wendy now unwavering.

Wendy takes in the Slytherin's admittance with silence, but makes no sign of leaving.

"I shouldn't have let you walk out of the Room of Requirement that day. I should've called out your name. I should've chased after you," Irene's regret and desperation seeps through her words. Irene doesn't have many regrets in her life, but some of the things she did then are definitely at the top of her list. “I just want you back.”

There’s a pause.

"Do you remember what I last said to you that day?" Wendy's response comes out calm, but Irene is not naïve.

Irene feels a lump in at the memory, "Well… you said that we weren't good for each other, but-"

"Rene…," Wendy stops her again, sounding exhausted. "I also said that we've hurt each other enough and yet, I'm still hurting. This, what's happening right now, hurts. It hurt seeing you with other people. It hurt that I felt the need to run after you when you saw Sejeong kissing my cheek. It hurt when I had a sudden urge to finish the quidditch match when you got hit. And maybe I shouldn't be, but I still care for you, Irene. I think I always will. But right now, caring hurts."

Wendy continues as if she's been wanting to say this for ages, "Everything has just been so- so confusing. You have been making everything so confusing. It's like one second, you hate my guts and then another second, you're trying to act like what happened in the past didn't happen and all is well. As if what we did to each other wasn't a big deal and instead just some obstacle that you will easily get over."

"I don’t see it that way at all," The Slytherin finds her chance to speak as a new revelation begins to dawn on her. So, she goes on, “I’ll admit that the way I have been handling this whole thing has been far from perfect. And believe me, I haven’t forgotten the past because the past is the reason why I have been acting this way. The way I felt and the way I continue to feel is why I’ve been doing all of this.”

“But have you ever once considered my feelings?” Wendy doesn’t waste a second to ask. 

Irene finds herself speechless as the question hits her like a ton of bricks. 

Wendy pushes on, “Did you ever think about how everything that you’ve done has affected me ever since you left? Did you expect me to just fall back into your arms just because you’re trying to win me back?”

“N-No, of course not-”

“You claim that you want me back, but how can I be sure that you're even telling the truth? How do I know this isn’t just another revenge plot?” Wendy pauses. “And even if everything you’re saying is true, how can I be sure that you won't shut me out again if we have another misunderstanding?”

Irene winces, but she knows the verbal lashes were self-inflicted. The only person she can blame for Wendy’s insecurities is herself. She places herself on that low pedestal.

And so, the Ravenclaw made points that Irene submits to. The initial question was by no means uncalled for as it ignited a much needed reflection on herself and her way of thinking. Ever since that fateful night, Irene allowed the wrong person to overtake her thoughts. Had she not been so focused on the Sejeong part of the situation, she probably would have realized the pain in Wendy’s voice when they had talked in the Room of Requirement. And now, had she not been so focused on her own desires to win Wendy back, she could have realized that Wendy may not have wanted to be won over in the first place. 

All this time, she had been so worried about how much power Wendy had over her emotions that not once did she ever truly consider how much power she had over Wendy’s.

She’s been selfish.

And she should have seen it coming.

Deep down, she knows she has always been selfish whether she means to be or not. It’s the reason why she loves the attention, the parting students in the hallways, the whispers and the stares. All her life she has always put herself first unless for her family and friends. And it is without a doubt that Wendy should have been one of those exceptions, but she wasn’t. Because Wendy was a homeland that was under the guise of foreign territory.

“You’re right,” Irene lets out a shaky breath. “I want to answer your questions. I want to say that I’ll never hurt you again. But I can’t see the future and I know you deserve so much more than how I’ve treated you. I’ve been too focused on how things have been affecting me when they have been affecting you just as much or even more.”

The somberness of the environment seeps in as Irene continues, “So I don’t blame you for questioning every word and action I’ve said and done so far. I’ve lost your trust and it’s been really unfair for me to try and… force you to let me start gaining it back when I thought it was right. Hell, I probably lost that chance to gain it back a long time ago now, right?”

Only a few seconds pass without a word from the other girl, but it raises a sense of urgency. In case this was truly their last parting words from one another, Irene had to make sure that she would say what she should have said from the start, “I’m sorry, Wendy. For everything.”

The two seem to share one last look at each other and Irene doesn’t expect to hear much after her apology. As long as Wendy knows the sincerity behind it, Irene will still be content if Wendy says nothing in response.

And so, there is no disappointment within Irene when the Ravenclaw opts to start walking away from her. Almost as if to distract herself from the lingering gloom, Irene then shifts her attention to the remaining potions Madam Pomfrey wants her to take.

“You never lost it, by the way,” Irene’s head whips back around, startled at the voice that stuck around. Wendy is only a few steps away now with her body partly facing away from her. Wendy is looking back at her as she clarifies, “The chance to gain my trust back.”

Irene sits still, stunned as she processes the words.

“And I’m not saying this because I expect us to get back together or to lead you on, but because I know we will both grow from this. Everything between us happened so fast and now, we just need time. Time to grow and to heal from it all… on our own. For how long? That I don’t know. But what I do know is that,“ Wendy’s gaze unexpectedly softens with a small, yet melancholic smile, “If we ever cross paths in the future, I’d like the first thing that I think of to be all of the good times… because they really were great.”

With that, Wendy returns to her bedside to lean in and place a gentle kiss on her forehead, “Goodbye, Irene.”

Before she knew it, Wendy was gone and she was left alone. The pressure from the Ravenclaw’s lips has turned phantom, although there isn’t as much pain attached as she expected. Some form of pain was inevitable, she knew that. But Wendy’s parting words were also reassuring.

Of course, Irene heard and understood not to take her words as a sure sign of rekindling their relationship in the future. So, it is not that she felt reassurance in the sense of getting back together, but rather from the fact that there can still be some good that comes out of all of this.  That despite the fallout, they should one day be able to look back and smile at the memories.

All it needs is time.

----- April -----

“Time must be on my side!” Joy declares proudly with her hands on her hips and a wide smile as the trio of best friends enter the newly decorated courtyard.

“Over-exaggerate much?” Jennie teasingly covers her ears.

“This is by no means an exaggeration,” Joy defends with no signs of her happy mood disappearing. “My timing usually isn't that great, but this!? Do you not realize how lucky we are that our seventh year lands on this commemorative year and that it's going to be here? I’ve waited since our second year for this feast. That is five very long years to wait and now I only have to wait until next Saturday!”

Irene nudges the excited Slytherin in the ribs, “I get that, but maybe try not to look so happy about it? You do remember why we have this commemoration, right?” 

Every five years, it is known that three schools of witchcraft and wizardry come together at one place. Long ago, such an act was for a competition famously known as the Triwizard Tournament. However, after the unfortunate death of a Hogwarts student, the schools now come together for a week to commemorate and honor his life. Now, some traditions of the tournament remained such as only letting the seventh years participate, but that exclusiveness was only for the real highlight of the visitation held on the last day of the week: the extravagant Remembrance Feast.

“Well, I don’t think the guy wants us to have our tears soaking in the food. He’d want us to celebrate him and that’s exactly what the feast is for,” the tallest of the trio continues.

“You’re insane,” Jennie quips.

“I’m not insane. I’m hungry,” Joy corrects.

“Anyways,” Irene cuts in and stops walking to take in the courtyard’s new look. “You did great with the decorating, Jennie. I still can’t believe you even volunteered to do this with Seulgi’s group.”

“Why thank you, Rene. You know, if the thought of me helping out was surprising, imagine my reaction when Jisoo said she’d do it too,” Jennie wiggles her eyebrows.

Both Irene’s and Joy's jaws drop in sync.

“Crap, that’s probably why Seulgi was giving me the cold shoulder yesterday. You got Jisoo of all people to do it and then there’s me, the girlfriend of the president of that club, who didn’t help… imagine how bad I must have looked!” And just like that, Joy's happy mood turns into slight fear. 

Jennie pats her on the back, “You win some, you lose some, Park. If it’s any consolation, she did end up ripping a decoration.”

“Really?” Joy turns hopeful.

“Yeah,” Jennie chuckles at the memory. “A few of us were having a stupid competition over who could hang them faster and her and Wendy- oh sorry.”

“Guys, c’mon. You can say her name, you know?” Irene lets out a deep sigh as her friends look at her like she’s a fragile piece of glass that could shatter at any moment. “And stop looking at me like I’m a kicked puppy whenever you mention her or when we happen to be in the same room as her. I’m fine. Seriously.”

“Okay-”

“I mean, it’s been just over a month since we last spoke- since we last did anything and I’m feeling good. Maybe not great, but good which is something and that something is me growing and moving on.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Irene huffs. “Now, as you were saying, Jennie?”

Jennie clears , “Yeah, so um- Jisoo and Wendy were on the same team and the two had gotten so competitive. At first, that spirit was against the other team, but then they ended up getting competitive with each other. Next thing you know there’s one big streamer left and the two literally fought over it saying that they each had a better and faster strategy to put it up. And after a bit of tugging, it ripped, hence the gap right… there!”

Jennie points at the spot where the last streamer was supposed to go and all three of them burst out laughing. And just like that the three best friends go on about their school day like any other day.

Kind of.

This was actually the first time either of her friends had said Wendy’s name. Before, they would only give cautious glances at her when Wendy walked into the same room as them or vice versa as though they were asking her if they should leave. And each time, Irene would stick it out.

It was weird, really. One would think seeing your ex would bear more weight rather than hearing their name. And yet in Irene’s mind, she could at least imagine Wendy’s physical body as just another student, especially when the Ravenclaw’s back was facing her. But hearing her name coming from her friends makes her real. There was no other Wendy with memories attached with her and her friends. Honestly, there was no other Wendy she could think of except for her.

So when Wendy walks into their second shared class of the day, she notices her this time. She notices her the minute she walks through the door as if her presence demands attention. Wendy isn't looking at her though, instead she's in the midst of a conversation that apparently must be funny because she's smiling so wide her eyes crinkle as she talks.

Irene's eyes trail her path and observes how her hair seems to flow like she's in some shampoo commercial before it all comes to a stop when all that's left to look at is the signature Ravenclaw blue that is lined inside the hood of her robe.

Now back to her senses, a new fact settles into her mind. 

Wendy looked happy. No- Wendy is happy… without her.

There’s a couple of ways Irene could react to this newfound knowledge. One of the more probable ones given her history would be to feel offended. And yet, she ultimately ends up feeling more neutral. Neither mad nor sad. She is simply okay with it.

If anything, she's grateful that Wendy is doing good and can only hope that the pain she has caused her lessens everyday.

Soon enough, their class is over and Irene’s gaze just so happens to gravitate back to the Ravenclaw almost naturally. As she watches Wendy pack up her things, there’s a sudden temptation to do something. She doesn’t know what she would do exactly, but there’s an itch she knows she shouldn’t attempt to scratch just yet. Thankfully, Irene is approached by a classmate to distract her from Wendy overtaking all of her thoughts again.

Turns out her classmate was the Head Boy, Joshua Hong, “Hey Irene, sorry for the late notice, but we talked to some of the visiting students a while back and we just got the 'OK' from the Headmasters to hold a mixed Quidditch match. Amongst the three schools, only us and Beauxbatons have seventh year Seekers so we were wondering if you would like to represent Hogwarts for one of the teams?”

“What about Wendy?” Irene blurts out before thinking. She couldn't help it when the Ravenclaw was obviously the only other seventh year Seeker at Hogwarts.

Joshua appears thrown off at receiving a question for a response before awkwardly answering, “Well, the Student Council has been going back and forth between you two, but considering that she’s a transfer the choice was pretty straightforward based off of that alone.”

While Irene is flattered, the competitive side of her makes her ask, "And if it was based on skill alone?"

Joshua hesitates and that gives her the answer to which she's both disappointed, but not necessarily surprised. The poor boy looks like he's about to crap his pants so Irene pats him on the shoulder, "Don't sweat it. We both know Wendy has a slight, very slight, edge on me."

Irene recalls the day she had first heard about Wendy coming to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year. It feels so long ago when she was taken aback by the excited whispers about the girl who was so talented at Quidditch that Durmstrang just had to make an exception for her. And how her transfer announcement had spread like wildfire across the student body so soon as it was a big deal to have a top prospect come here.

Irene goes on, "Ask her first and if not, then count me in. I just want to make sure these other schools see Hogwarts’ best." She gives her award-winning smile and Joshua looks relieved as he nods before heading off to find the other girl who had already left the room.

It was a weird feeling to admit out loud that she might not be the first choice for something she excels at. Admitting that she was second best.

And maybe she's only okay with it because it was rightfully Wendy at the top.

She lets out a deep exhale and then grabs the rest of her things as she now whisks Wendy out of her mind before she could think of her any further than needed. When she steps out of the classroom, she looks to the left and right, observing the students walking by who are going about their day like it was any other. And Irene does her best to go back and do the same.

----- The Day of Arrivals -----

After being at Hogwarts for seven years with the same roommates, Irene is no stranger to being woken up by either one or both of them. However, this morning’s version of a wake-up call was a first.

Her entire body is startled, scared with the jarring movement of her mattress, “WHAT THE FU-”

“Irene! We gotta go now if we want good spots!” Joy tells Irene eagerly as she jumps up and down on her bed.

Irene is ready to literally kick the girl off, but Joy senses it and jumps off before waving her wand around. Next thing Irene knows, her clothes are hurling towards her and her eyesight is obstructed for a few seconds by her white button-up and Slytherin tie until they fall down from her face to her lap.

The first thing she sees is Joy's face writing in horror at the realization of what she’s done.

“You’re dead meat, Park!” Irene rushes out of her bed and is about to chase the tall girl around the room, but is basically bear-hugged by Jennie to stop her.

“Apologize Joy so we can get out of here faster!” Jennie demands and lets go after the tall girl mutters her remorse.

With that, Irene takes note of the time and groans, “Guys?! It’s six freaking AM! Durmstrang isn’t arriving until eight. Getting up this early to see Beauxbatons? Sure. But for Durmstrang?”

“They come up from the sea, Rene. IN A SHIP!” Joy stresses. “We live in a wizarding world, but it’s not everyday that we get to see something like that. And the whole school knows it, hence the fact that yes, we are getting up right now to secure our clear view!”

“Fine,” Irene concedes and begrudgingly gets ready to go.

By the time they reach the courtyard, Irene is actually surprised that there were some students who were already there. And to both Joy and Jennie’s delight, there was still plenty of room along the edge of the courtyard in which the arrival of both schools would be visible. 

Now with the Spring weather, the morning chill was evident and Irene has been continuously rubbing her arms as they wait against the stone ledge. She has been debating on going back to the dorm to grab a sweater, but considering how quickly the crowd has been growing as the time went on, she knew she would have a hard time trying to get back to Joy and Jennie if she were to leave. And so, she holds out with much determination.

“I see the crow’s nest!” Irene hears one student shout and she’s immediately relieved knowing that she will be able to leave soon. There’s supposed to be some time in between before Beauxbatons arrive so surely other students will leave and come back later too.

Then, the body of students began to roar loudly and despite Irene’s lack of interest when she was woken up, she now finds her eyes glued to the not-so-random crow’s nest that was sticking out of the sea. There’s a wave of ‘Woah’s from all around the courtyard as that small part of the ship’s structure begins to rise. And just like that, a ship bigger than Irene has ever seen emerges out of the water in seconds and each friend looks in awe.

When the ship finally docks, the crowd starts to shift as they move around to create a path for the Durmstrang guests while others are now trying to change their spots to get a view of when they pass through the courtyard.

Unsurprisingly, Irene, Joy and Jennie attempt to do the same. It is then when Irene is reminded of her status at this school because when the students grasp that it is them trying to get through, no one hesitates to give them room.

Guess I really could have left earlier to get my sweater.

Eventually, the trio were now at the front to watch the Durmstrang students and their Headmaster make their way towards the entrance where the Hogwarts Headmaster was waiting.

It only takes a couple of minutes before the seventh year students from the academic institute intended only for boys enter the courtyard. Considering that it wasn’t the Reunion Dinner yet, their more elaborate, eye-catching entrance wasn’t showcased and instead they walked with unexpected wide smiles while waving to everyone.

As the visitors pass, another cold gust of wind passes by and Irene is irked that apparently all of these students huddled together doesn’t create any sort of barrier against it. And so, Irene’s body shivers, making her hands shoot up to generate some friction on her arms again.

Irene can only think of how her attempt at warming up is barely working when she suddenly feels her entire body engulfed in a type of warmth she has never experienced. The back of her fingers wiggle against what feels like fur.

“I apologize if I startled you, Miss. It’s just that you looked quite cold,” a deep voice tells her while she registers that the cloak draped upon her was red–a red that was not the distinctive Gryffindor shade. 

Then, it clicks.

Irene looks at the owner of the voice and is the least bit surprised when it belonged to a Durmstrang student. What did surprise her, however, was how tall he was. He looked skinny, but by no means weak. He had styled black hair to Durmstrang’s standards and it was hard to miss the crescent shaped eyes that paired with his friendly smile.

To put it simply, he was cute.

“Thank you, really. It’s a kind gesture,” Irene smiles back graciously, yet makes a move to take off the cloak. “But I don’t-”

She stops herself short when she realizes that the boy had actually started walking away from her already. She stands frozen momentarily at the situation before yelling out, “Hey! I don’t need this!”

The kind Durmstrang boy looks back at her and shows off what clearly must be his signature grin, “Just hold on to it for me then, will ya? It looks better on you anyways.”

And before Irene could ask anything, he adds, “And in case I can’t find you later, just tell one of these doofuses you’re looking for Sehun.”

The boy is soon playfully headlocked and dragged away by one of his classmates due to the name-calling and thus Irene still fails to get a word in as she watches him head into the castle. Her eyebrows scrunch, muttering to herself, “Sehun? Why does that sound-”

Joy whistles and plucks at the cloak still lying across Irene’s shoulder, “You know I’ve got to say, even after looking at your face for so many years, I still don't get what everyone sees.”

“Aw shut it, you wish people looked at you the way people look at me,” Irene smirks. Even now, a lot of students are looking at her after the unexpected interaction with the Durmstrang student. There is no doubt this will be the talk of the town today.

“Oh believe me, the only person I want looking at me like that is Seulgi,” Joy replies happily.

Jennie pretends to gag, “That’s it! I’m going to find Jisoo. Meet you guys here when Beauxbatons arrive?”

“I have to go grab my sweater anyways, so I’ll see you both in a bit too,” Irene reminds them and they all nod in agreement. With all the Durmstrang visitors now clear of the courtyard, the three split ways in different directions with Irene heading towards their dorms.

She can already feel all of the eyes on her no doubt with the help of the deep red garment on her body. She can’t help but purposely readjust the cloak as if the action will add more fuel to the fire. Now, is she really that excited about having the piece of clothing or just the romantic notion of having it? Not really. But she might as well take advantage of it.

When she returns to her room, she casually tosses it onto her bed without a second thought and searches for her much preferred sweater. She is digging through her trunk when she gasps.

She takes out the green garment, taking a proper look at it as the memories come flooding in. It was the matching couple sweater that her mom had made for her and Wendy.

I wonder if she still has hers. 

She remembers how that visit changed the trajectory of her life from mistletoe to confessions. And how could she forget that chaos that came from her aunt's family unexpected arrival. Which speaking of…

“Omo!” Irene’s body shoots straight. “Sana!”

How could she forget that Sana would be here this week? Her cousin is a Beauxbaton student after all. Under normal circumstances, seeing her cousin isn’t as worrying as seeing her aunt. But you see, they might not know that she and Wendy had broken up and the last thing she needs is Sana finding out about it through the Ravenclaw and not her.

Honestly, Irene shouldn’t really be freaking out about this. Even if she’s concerned about her aunt’s gossiping habits, she knows Sana isn’t like that at all. So if she asks her to not tell anyone else in their family, there’s no doubt Sana wouldn’t say a peep.

And so, Irene drops the sweater in hands back into the trunk and lets out a contented sigh when she finds the one she was looking for.

--

For the second time that day, Irene finds herself back at the courtyard, however some things are different. To start, she fails to find her friends as she waits for the Beauxbatons. She could search for them, but to be frank, she was more concerned about seeing her cousin.

Another change is that there are some Durmstrang boys littered around the yard now too, but Irene hasn’t seen the one who had given her his cloak.

And lastly, she doesn’t have to wait for someone to call out the Beauxbatons' arrival because Irene’s eyes were already on the sky. What was once a small dot is now getting bigger and bigger as the huge blue carriage comes closer and closer. When the horses that led the carriage finally land, the crowd switches positions just as they had done when the other school had touched down.

As the influx of girls come walking by, Irene eagerly keeps an out for her cousin. She does find herself getting a bit distracted by some of the Beauxbatons dressed in baby blue because yes, a lot of them were very pretty, but thankfully she didn’t have to stay on her tiptoes for too long because Sana managed to spot her first.

“Irene!” A high pitched voice comes from her left and she is soon crushed into a hug. After recognizing who it was, Irene doesn’t hesitate to hug her back.

"Long time, no see," Irene jokes as they split apart.

"Oh my gosh, this is so amazing," Sana says in awe as she takes in the Hogwarts castle. "I've seen pictures, but this… this is next level!"

"Wait until you get inside," Irene replies proudly. She's always been one to have school pride.

"Oh! Before I forget," Sana begins to look amongst the sea of Beauxbatons. "Ugh, where did she go? One of my friends said that they knew someone that goes here and I'm curious if you know which Hogwarts student it is. Ah, there she is!" Sana waves towards one direction and soon enough, a body emerges from the crowd.

No freaking way…

When the cousins are joined by the third person, Sana doesn't waste a moment to introduce them to each other. But little did she know that it wasn't really necessary.

"Rene, this is Rosie. Rosie, this is my cousin Irene! The one I was telling you about," Sana tells the other Beauxbaton happily, clearly oblivious to the change in atmosphere.

"We know each other," Irene reveals first, tone neither friendly nor unfriendly.

"Really?!" Sana exclaims. "How?"

They both answer simultaneously, "Wendy."

Sana looks back and forth between the two of them, confused, "Wen…dy?"

Silence.

"Wendy?" Sana repeats as she still processes what was going on and then it clicks. "Wendy! AS IN QUIDDITCH PLAYER WENDY SON?!" 

Sana looks at Rosie almost accusingly, "That's the person you were talking about?!? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you tell me your cousin was Irene!?" Rosie gives back the same energy.

"Because Irene is just a cousin and Wendy is THE Wendy!"

"Okay ouch," Irene mumbles.

"You know what? It's fine. It's fine," Sana calms herself down. "Saves me the effort I guess since you both already know each other and the person Rosie is looking for is Wendy who just so happens to be Irene's Wendy."

Okay. Maybe that hurts a bit more.

"Actually," Irene tucks some hair behind her ear awkwardly. "We aren't um- together anymore."

"Oh," Rosie's eyebrows raise slightly. 

Sana wears an empathetic smile, "I'm sorry, Rene."

"No, no, don't be," Irene reassures and does her best to look unbothered. "Some things just don't work out, right?"

"Right," Sana agrees. The topic seems to stall the conversation, but amidst the pause, it looked like Rosie had more to say. Before she gets the chance to though, Sana speaks up again when she realizes that most of their classmates were now inside Hogwarts. "Oh we better get going Rosie or else we'll be left behind! I'll catch up with you later then, cousin?"

Irene nods and the two basically fast walk to catch up with the rest of the Beauxbatons. She herself is about to head inside too, but stops in her tracks when someone calls out to her.

"Irene!" She's nearly tackled from behind. Irene looks over her shoulder and is ready to retaliate in some way until she realizes it was Joy.

"Geez Joy! You scared me half to death," Irene complains.

"That was Sana right? I guess Jennie and I will have to say our 'Hello's' later since our best friend decided not to look for us," Joy huffs out. "And who was that other girl?"

"She's friends with Rosie. Wendy's ex-best friend and who she used to have a massive crush Rosie," is all Irene blurts out in response.

Joy stops her fake annoyance and Jennie sighs, "Oh boy, this is going to be a long week."

--

The day has really only just begun and yet so much has already happened. Irene knew this day would bring such a commotion, but when Joy abruptly woke her up this morning, she really didn't really think that one of the headliners would be about her.

But alas, maybe it was inevitable, considering her murmured track record throughout the Hogwarts hallways–especially when it comes to her love life.

And now, there’s a level of excitement in the air that the school never seemed to have experienced in the seven years Irene has been here–no doubt being due to the students donned in different uniforms roaming among them. And here she is in those very same halls, carrying a uniform that clearly wasn’t hers with everyone knowing exactly who it belongs to.

With these two factors combined, an environment is created. One that Irene would normally thrive and fly freely in.

But when she finds herself stuck in an entangled web of people during the Reunion Dinner, she wishes she never had wings to begin with.

A/N: Yee-haw baby.

Finally got inspiration to beat my writer's block because of Red Velvet's Third Full Album!!! THE TEASERS ?!?! Had to celebrate this one with y'all so this chapter shows some much needed character development on Irene's side. She's working on herself and maybe one day it will be enough for the both of them.

But alas, a new challenge has been tasked with some first-time meetings and first-time reunions! Did you really think I was only gonna let Wendy's past simply last for a few chapters? Well an *cough* another *cough* old friend of hers won't allow it ;)

Thanks for sticking around, pals! See you next chapter, stay healthy and let us manifest a RV World Tour <3

- S (rv_twice5 on twitter)