« How is that even possible? »

Wheein straightens up, no longer feeling like cuddling in Yongsun’s embrace. The frown between her eyebrows are a clear sign of how seriously she is taking the news.

« Try again. »

Byulyi executes herself; she holds out her hand in front of her and waits but nothing happens. Wheein tells her to try again a couple of times, but every time it is the same result.

Yongsun tries to get Wheein’s attention, telling her they will find a solution, but the girl seems completely deaf to her words. Instead, she stands up and starts to pace around the room.

Hyejin comes down from her spot near the windows and gently closes the three of them like Byulyi asked her when she entered the room. She tries to busy herself until there is nothing else she can do and she starts to feel useless.

« When was the last time you had your wand in hand? »

Yongsun’s calm voice breaks the silence. Hyejin and Wheein look expectantly at Byulyi. The Slytherin thinks for a moment, tracking each moment of her day in her head. She is sure she had her wand with her to each of her classes since she needed it for the last class. Then she went to the Great Hall to study and complete her paper for tomorrow’s class. Once she was done, she got back to her room to grab today’s Quidditch training before going to the pitch. There she left her wand in the changing rooms, in her work robe’s pocket, as always.

« I think it was when I changed for Quidditch. »

« Then she must be here. »

« This isn’t the problem. »

Yongsun raises an eyebrow at Wheein’s words. The Ravenclaw is still frowning, clearly proving something isn’t right.

« Byulyi’s wand should respond to her call. I put a spell on it, and there is no way for it to break. »

« I think we should find Byulyi’s wand first, then we will see why it is not responding to Byulyi’s call. It is okay, Wheein, I am sure there is an explanation. »

Hyejin walks to the distressed Wheein standing in the middle of the room and rubs a comforting hand on her back. Yongsun watches from her seat on the couch and a displeased frown quickly passes on her face.

« Hyejin is right. I will go look in the changing rooms. »

« I am coming with you. »

Wheein follows Byulyi outside the classroom, her frown still presents on her face as she can’t find an answer to Byulyi’s wand’s case.

Inside, Hyejin and Yongsun find themselves with each other. Hyejin would have preferred to go with Byulyi and Wheein, but she felt like it wasn’t appropriate to leave Yongsun all alone. The Gryffindor seems deep in thoughts as she keeps torturing her bottom lip with her teeth.

« I have things to do. See you around, Hyejinnie. »

Hyejin watches the girl waving her hand with a sincere smile before disappearing in the corridor.

« It isn’t here either. I don’t even know where it could be at this point. »

« I don’t understand why is my spell not working anymore… Someone must have taken it. I don’t see any other options. »

« Yeah? Then who would that be? »

Wheein raises her shoulder – she doesn’t have a clue. Byulyi furiously runs a hand through her blonde locks, she is frustrated by the situation, but she isn’t the type to let it out in a flashy manner.

It is soon to be dinner time, and the day will end before she can find her wand. She doesn’t see it in a good light, as she knows her mind will keep on thinking about it and she will surely not find sleep. Yet, she tells Wheein to stop for now and to go to the Great Hall for dinner. Her friend gives her a sorry-look before leading the way.

They separate at the entrance; Byulyi taking the direction of the Slytherin’s table and Wheein the Ravenclaw’s one. Between Dana and Remy, Wheein doesn’t have any appetite. Her mind can’t stop searching for a reason without managing to come to any conclusion.

« Is everything okay, Wheein? »

« Hum… Yeah, thank you. »

Dana and Remy exchange a look above Wheein’s head. The small Ravenclaw is always one of their daily worries. It isn’t uncommon for Wheein to eat nothing during a meal, but her two friends find her particularly down.

« Remy? Do you remember the spell I put on your wand? »

Remy puts down his fork and cleans his mouth before answering.

« Yes. What about it? »

« Does it work well? »

« Perfectly, I have no complains. I almost wish it would be possible for all my stuff to be controlled this way. »

A small smile illuminates Wheein’s face.

« Does it work? Like, today, did you use it? »

Remy opens his hand, thinking about his wand, and it appears from the inside of his work robe in his hand. Wheein asks to inspect the wand which Remy kindly oblige.

Dana and Remy exchange another look, this time confused about the questions of their friend but not letting it show to Wheein.

After a few minutes of close inspection, Wheein gives the wand back to Remy. The girl finally decides to eat something and starts to fill her plate with some meat and rice.

« Did you talk with Yongsun recently? »

Wheein blinks a few times, trying to figure out why is her friend suddenly mentioning the girl.

« Yes. Why? Did something happen? »

« Not really. Her and I had a different and I just wanted to know if everything was okay with her. »

« I was with her before dinner and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. What was your different about? »

Remy finishes his glass of water. He scratches his head for a second before finally deciding how he will answer Wheein. He doesn’t wish to involve the girl and to make it seem like the problem is bigger than it truly is. He believes it should stay between him and Yongsun.

« Nothing that important. I will talk with her after dinner. Don’t worry about it. »

Dana doesn’t comment on the discussion between Wheein and Remy, but she does wonder what kind of different the Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor had.

« Can you please stop pacing around? I can’t sleep. »

« I am sorry, Hyejin. I can’t sleep. »

Hyejin sits up in her bed and gives a look at the other two roommates in their share room. The two girls are asleep, clearly unbothered by Byulyi walking around the room like a crazy woman. Hyejin decides to get out of bed – at this point there is nothing else she can do.

« Come with me downstairs. It is better to talk in the common room. »

Byulyi doesn’t bother to grab a sweat, but Hyejin does. To their surprise they see Wheein entering the common room by the main entrance at the same time. The Ravenclaw gives them a sheepish smile before joining them in one of the green couches present in the room.

« You can’t sleep either I presume. »

« I had an idea it would also be your case, unnie. »

« I think I will go back to sleep then. »

« Why? »

Hyejin toward Wheein and looks at her like she is crazy.

« Because it is two in the morning and I am tired. On this note, good night. »

Wheein watches Hyejin go up the stairs of the dungeon without looking back.

Byulyi moves in the couch, making Wheein focus back on her. The Ravenclaw explains she asked Remy about his wand, and it apparently was working perfectly for him. It only confirmed Wheein’s hypothesis that someone at taken Byulyi’s wand and found a way to stop Wheein’s spell from working.

Now, the only thing to find was who. Who would do that, but most importantly, who was skillful enough to counter Wheein’s spell. That was a real mystery for the two friends, making them even more frustrated over the situation.

« We should get some sleep, there is nothing we can do at night. »

« Hum… »

« Byulyi. We will find your wand. »

« What are you guys doing? »

Byulyi and Wheein turn around to discover Hyejin looking at them with a weird out expression on her face. The girl enters the classroom – which serves as a meeting spot for the four of them at this point - nonetheless and sits down on one of the couches.

« We may have found a solution for Byulyi’s wand. »

« What kind of solution requires you two to be in this position? »

Byulyi is laying on the ground with Wheein sitting near her head while holding her hands in hers. The two friends look at themselves before feeling a blush creep on their cheeks. Wheein lets go of Byulyi’s hand and puts some distance between them, while Byulyi sits up and cleans up her clothes.

« We were trying to find Byulyi’s wand through the link that unites her to her wand. »

« And why are you two holding hands? »

« The castle is too big for Byulyi to cover on her own, so she was borrowing some of my strength. »

« If you two say so. »

Wheein and Byulyi decide to take a sit in one of the couches, except Wheein feels like the room is suddenly too hot so she gets up to open a window. She misses on the exchange between Byulyi and Hyejin, the two Slytherin friends don’t need words to make their message understood.

What the says Hyejin’s eyes. Nothing, answers Byulyi’s stare.

« If it is power you two are lacking to cover all of Hogwarts… Why not use a booster? »

« A booster? »

« Yeah! Mr. Greysom told me about a potion which boost your magical capacities. I don’t remember the name but I am sure it exists. »

« This does ring a bell. »

Wheein scratches her cheek, trying to remember the name of the potion Hyejin is talking about. She is sure she came across the said booster in one of her readings.

« We should go to the library. »

« The library is closed, right now. »

Hyejin and Wheein speak at the same time, as they are both regular users of the place. Byulyi smiles awkwardly, realizing that she should maybe spend a bit more time there. Even when she writes papers on a subject, she rarely goes to the library, preferring to rely on her own lectures.

« Well, how can we do then? »

« It is not because it is closed that we can’t go, tho. »

Hyejin realizes a second too late the sparkle that now animates Byulyi and Wheein. She knows it very well, this sparkle is more often than not the beginning of troublesome adventures. There is no hope in telling them off their idea.

« Hyejin, we will need your help. »

« I don’t like the sound of that. »

« Can you see us? »

« Nope. I can’t see any of you. »

« Great. We will be back in a few. Stay here, we will need you for the potion making part. »

Byulyi and Wheein walk away, not that Hyejin can see them. The two friends used a Disillusionment Charm making them look like their surrounding – and so invisible. They are now making their way toward the library, trying to be as quiet and as fast as possible – they don’t know when the charm will wear off.

« The section is further inside. »

« Thank you, I worked here for most of the year. »

« Didn’t know you were a librarian. »

« Really funny, Wheein. It is here, take this part, I take the other. »

Wheein start to inspect the row of books, her eyes look quickly over each book, before finding an encyclopedia of the potions. She opens it and scan the summary with an expert eye before flipping through the pages. She easily finds the name of the potion, with the effect and the side effects but nothing on how to make it.

Wheein closes the book and change section, looking for a more specialized book.

« Ouch! Watch where you are going. »

« I can’t see you! Remember, we are under a charm. Plus, I can’t see anything, I forgot to take a lamp with me. And I don’t have my wand… »

« … Byulyi… »

« Yes? What is it? You found something? »

« I think I can see in the dark. I just read a book. »

« What do you mean? »

« I didn’t even use my wand, I just read the book like this! »

Byulyi stays silent for a moment, her brain trying to make sens of what Wheein is telling her. She doesn’t have the chance to put two and two together, a noise is heard from outside the library, reminding them to hurry up.

« Okay, we will talk about it later. Find the book we need, I will go look to see if someone is coming our way. »

« Don’t. We can’t see each other, we should stay together. »

« Okay, but hurry up. »

Wheein scans another row without luck, she attacks the next one with Byulyi behind her. Eventually, she finds the book she is looking for. She quickly looks around the summary, and goes to the page indicated. It is with a relieve that she sees a clear instruction on how to make the Booster Potion.

« Got it. Let’s get out of here before the charm wears off. »

Wheein and Byulyi decides to hold hand so they know where is the other while they make their way back to the classroom where Hyejin is waiting for them. It scares Hyejin to suddenly hear their voices without seeing them.

« How do we get rid of the charm? »

« I don’t know. Wheein? »

« I don’t know! I… I will try something. »

Wheein takes her wand in her hand, her brain suddenly empty of any solution. The genius wizard is suffering from the consequences of the Forbidden Forest, making her doubt herself more often than she wished. Eventually, she blurs out the words “Please, make it stop.” and the charm’s effect stops.

« Nice. Here is the book. Hyejin we need to access Mr. Greysom’s classroom to make the potion. »

Hyejin looks between Byulyi and Wheein, the determination in their gaze is enough to convince her in following their insane plan. The three friends make their way to the Dungeons where the Potion classroom is situated. Hyejin keeps telling them to be discreet about it. Mr. Greysom trusts her enough to give her a key to his classroom, she doesn’t want the man to change is opinion on her.

Once they are inside, Hyejin takes the direction, getting all the ingredients so Wheein wan make the potion. Byulyi is full of trust in Wheein and Hyejin’s skills, letting them do the job as she is only average in this subject. The two girls work in perfect harmony, not messing a beat on the other action.

« I think it is done. We should just let it cool down for a moment before you take it. »

Hyejin is busy cleaning the worktable when Byulyi walks next to her.

« Thank you, Hyejin. »

« I am only doing it because I love you very much. »

Byulyi chuckles at the glare Hyejin throws her way. Wheein finishes cleaning up the cauldron and puts it back in place. Like nothing happened in the classroom.

« Well I think it should be okay. »

« Okay. I will try it. »

Byulyi takes one of the flasks full of Booster potion and drinks it like a shot. Hyejin rolls her eyes. Wheein watches with attention to spot any change in the Slytherin.

« Did it work? Did it do something? »

Byulyi closes her eyes, she focuses on the link between her wand and herself. At first, it is the same feeling as before, a faint connection she can’t really pinpoint in space. Suddenly, as her body finishes to fully digest the Booster, she feels how strong the connection with her wand now is. She focuses more, using her magic to identify the flux of the link.

She opens her eyes, and like a miracle, a shiny golden thread is present in front of her, guiding her to her wand.

« It worked! I know where it is. »

« Where? »

« Well… I can see where I need to go but I don’t know where it is exactly. »

« Let’s go then. »

Byulyi nods, she walks to the door and opens it for Wheein and Hyejin to exit the Potion classroom. Before leaving, she grabs the other flasks of Booster her two friends made and puts them in her work robe.

« Yongsun! Yong! »

Yongsun stops and turns around, giving Remy enough time to catch up with her.

Unlike what the Ravenclaw was expected, the girl isn’t angry nor annoyed to see him, she just seems to be looking for something or someone. Still, she patiently waits for Remy to tell her whatever is the matter.

« I was searching for you since the other day. »

« The other day? »

« When we met at the library and we talked about Sam. »

« Oh. »

Yongsun crosses her arm over her chest in a protective manner. Remy pinches his lips. The conversation won’t be that easy, but he doesn’t give up.

« I am quite busy right now. »

« It won’t take long. I wanted to apologize. It wasn’t very nice of me to corner you like this. »

« Hum… »

« I don’t want this to impact our friendship in a bad way. You are a really good friend and rival. »

Remy smiles, showing his long dimple on his cheek. Yongsun looks longly at him, before finally dropping her arms. The Gryffindor can’t stay mad at Remy for long, not when the boy is proving her their friendship is this important for him.

« I know what I did with Sam was wrong. There is nothing I can do to fix it. »

« You could start by apologizing to Sam. »

« I… I will talk to Sam. I don’t say I am going to apologize but I will make it clear it can’t happen again. »

Remy nods, for him it is enough that Yongsun acknowledge what she did was wrong. He has nothing with the girl having multiple adventures, but messing with someone already in a relationship doesn’t sit right with him.

« Are you doing better? I heard you had a difficult time after the Forbidden Forest… I assumed your reckless behavior had to do with that too. »

Yongsun takes a moment to respond. As the years passe, it has become harder to answer the simple question. She wants to say “yes” but it wouldn’t be the entire truth, yet “no” would not be the entire truth either.

« I am getting there. Thank you. »

Yongsun runs a hand through her hairs, messing even more with her hairstyle. Remy looks at her with his usual kindness, it feels good to be looked at in such a warm way.

« I was wondering if maybe you would know where Wheein is? »

« I have no idea. I was only searching for you. »

« If Yongsun was here, she would have entered the office already. »

« Speaking of her. Where is Yongsun? »

« I don’t know. But how long are we going to stay in front of it? »

« Let’s just be done with it. »

Hyejin opens the door of Pearley’s office and walks in, followed by a distress Byulyi and an anxious Wheein. When the two realizes no one is inside, they immediately regain their composure and starts to search for Byulyi’s wand.

The three friends won’t admit it, but the time they got summoned in this office they were quite anxious. The way the meeting went did not help making them feel less anxious to be back.

Byulyi follows the shiny golden thread of her connection to her wand until she finds herself in front of Pearley’s desk. There, a glass box is standing with her wand trapped inside. Byulyi opens her hand, she sees how her wand tries to escape the box to go to her wand to no avail.

« I found it. »

Wheein joins her, but Hyejin is too distracted by one of the artifacts present in one of Pearley’s shelve. The room is has big as a common room, separated in two by five stairs leading to Pearley’s desk. The part of the room situated between the door and the desk is full of shelve and tables which are drowning under a mass of books, papers and artifacts.

« Look. Your spell is still working. It is just the box which prevent my wand from coming to me. »

Wheein observes how the wand can’t seem to find a way out of the box. She opens it and the wand immediately finds its way in Byulyi’s hand. The Slytherin sighs of relieve when she feels the familiar connection with her wand.

Wheein is busy inspecting the box, turning it around to understand what kind of material is the box made of. The color, the smell and the aspect are all unfamiliar to her.

« I don’t know what this box is made off, but this is no ordinary glass. »

« You think it has a charm on? »

Wheein shrugs – she doesn’t know.

« The real question is why Pearley was holding your wand hostage? »

« It doesn’t make any sense. »

Wheein and Byulyi exchange a heavy look. They don’t have the time to articulate their thoughts, they hear someone climbing the stairs toward Pearley’s office.

« We need to find a way out. »

« Why don’t we use the Disillusionment Charm? »

« We don’t have time, quick! Hyejin! »

Byulyi, still under the effect of the Booster, feels a different flux coming from one of the walls of the office. She takes Wheein’s hand in hers while screaming to Hyejin to follow her, she pushes against one of the stones and a corridors opens.

Except Hyejin doesn’t have the time to make it, and she finds herself trapped in Pearley’s office when the door opens.

« Can I talk to you after dinner? »

Sam, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, gives Yongsun a quick nod. The Gryffindor continues her way toward her table wile scanning both the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables without managing to see the girls she has been looking for all afternoon long.

Yongsun sits at Gryffindor’s table, and fills up her plate without really engaging in any conversation. She eats the food, head full of thoughts, and when dinner is over, she patiently waits for Sam outside the Great Hall.

The girl is among the last students to exit. She smiles knowingly at Yongsun. They walk around the castle until they find a free spot in the viaduct courtyard. They sit next to each other, and Yongsun immediately starts talking.

This kind of situation happens so often to Yongsun that she doesn’t feel any nervousness anymore. It is rather a boredom at the repetitiveness.

« Something happened between us, the other day. It was nice, but it can’t continue. You have a boyfriend, I usually avoid putting myself in the middle of a couple. So- »

« It isn’t a problem. I told you it wasn’t a problem. »

Yongsun grimaces.

« Okay. Well, it is a problem for me. Plus, I don’t do relationship. Anyway, I had fun, you had fun, and now we go our separate way. »

« Who had fun? »

Yongsun and Sam turn around and find themselves facing Sam’s boyfriend, Oscar. Well, Yongsun doesn’t know who he really is, but from the upset expression on his face and the anxious one on Sam’s face, she believes he can only be her boyfriend.

« Miss Ahn. What a surprise to find you in my office. »

Pearley smiles to the student, and continues to walk toward her desk. Hyejin tries to put as much distance as possible between the Headmaster and herself, but the office doesn’t have any good hiding spot for Hyejin to get behind.

« Last time you were there, you didn’t say much. »

Pearley sits down behind her desk, and Hyejin feels crushed under her stare.

« I will go- »

« No, no. We should use this opportunity to have a little talk. Come sit here. »

Hyejin takes a deep breath before starting to walk toward Pearley, with uncertain movements she sits down in front of the Headmaster. The Slytherin tries to hold Pearley’s stare but it isn’t even harder than with Yongsun’s. Instead, she decides to look behind the woman.

« Miss Ahn Hyejin, you have been attending Hogwarts for the past five years. What are you thought on your schooling so far? »

« It has been going well. »

Hyejin is a woman of a few words. Byulyi always laughs when people qualify Hyejin with these terms. They surely never experienced an excited Hyejin, or a drunk Hyejin, or a happy Hyejin, or a sleepy Hyejin. They surely have never seen the true Hyejin, and this is why they believe such lies about the girl.

« It was hard to find your place in your house. »

It is a statement more than a question. Hyejin decides not to respond, waiting for what is next to come.

« Especially seeing your family’s situation. Two muggles sisters, that must have been difficult. »

Hyejin grits her teeth, the subtle smile of Pearley doesn’t sit right with her. The woman surely has a reason to say this to her face.

« Yet, you are now well integrated in the school. You chose your friends and relationship well. »

Pearley chuckles to herself, as if what she just said was funny.

« Tell me Hyejin, how important is your life at Hogwarts? »

« I think like everyone here, it takes a huge part of my life. »

« It makes you feel like you belong somewhere? »

Hyejin nods very slowly. Pearley smiles more.

« It is important for me that everyone feel welcomed at Hogwarts. I know those seven years are important for everyone for different reasons, and so it is my job as a Headmaster to make it count. I am here to help you get the tools so once you are outside the school, you don’t feel lost. »

Pearley continues to smile, her eyes almost forming croissants as she does. Hyejin thinks it makes her smile insincere.

« I know about your situation Miss Ahn, and I want you to know that Hogwarts is here. I am here, and so are the Head of House. »

« Thank you. I will get going now. »

Hyejin stands up from her chair, and tries to walk in the most relaxed way possible toward the door. As she is on the verge of opening it, Pearley speaks.

« You can tell your friends Miss Moon that I am sorry I forgot to give her back her wand. She should be more careful with it in the future. »

Hyejin nods to the Headmaster and disappears behind the door.

« You must be Oscar. I am Yongsun, I- »

« Yongsun! »

Yongsun turns to Sam who grabbed her forearm, trying to get her away from her boyfriend. Obviously, the girl doesn’t want him to know about what happened between Yongsun and her.

« What is going on here? »

« Nothing! »

Yongsun looks at Sam and then at Oscar. The problem is that Yongsun can’t lie. Obviously she can, but it is against all of her principles. Yongsun is always honest, with everyone about everything.

« Something happened between Sam and I. I know it was wrong, and I am sorry. »

« What! »

« Yongsun! »

Okay, maybe she could have formulated it in a different way, but she doesn’t have the time. She only thought it would take a few minutes of her time, so she can go back to searching for Wheein.

« It won’t happen again. I have things to do, so I will leave you. »

Yongsun frees her arm from Sam’s hold and walks back inside the school. She decides to check in the classroom again, just in case someone dropped by. It doesn’t make sense why she hasn’t been able to find any of the three girls for the whole afternoon.

« I am so sorry Hyejin. I thought you were following us! »

Hyejin swallows her saliva, before putting a smile on her face. She doesn’t want Byulyi to feel guilty over what happened. She tells her two friends everything is fine and Pearley wasn’t even mad at her and let her out of her office without any trouble.

« Guys! I have been searching for you everywhere! »

Wheein, Byulyi and Hyejin turn around to see Yongsun walking toward them clearly upset. Wheein immediately comes to her to explain they have been searching for Byulyi’s wand and found it. Byulyi proudly shows it to the Gryffindor who replies with a bright smile.

But when Yongsun asks where the wand had been, Byulyi and Hyejin are surprised to hear Wheein lying to her. She tells her it was stuck somewhere on the roof of the castle and that surely someone had pranked Byulyi.

Yongsun doesn’t ask more questions.

« I assume you did talk to Sam. »

« Her boyfriend caught us, and I told him the truth. Needless to say he isn’t a big fan of me. »

Remy laughs when he sees the look Oscar gives Yongsun as she passes by him on her way to the Gryffindor Tower. They separate on the corridor as the Ravenclaw Tower is the other way around.

« Why did you lie to Yongsun? »

« Why did you lie to Byulyi and I? »

« What? »

« You heard me correctly. Something happened in Pearley’s office, I know it. »

Hyejin continues to walk around the Great Lake, she bites nervously on her lips and almost brings a finger to . Wheein stops her and gives her a cherry lollipop instead.

« So what happened? »

« Pearley asked me a few questions… It didn’t really feel like questions. You remember how you accused her of having bad intentions last time and then she explained why she did what she did? It was a bit like that, except I didn’t accuse her of anything. I felt like she was trying to convince me of something. »

« Did she say something in particular? »

« She said she forgot to give Byulyi her wand back. And that she should be more careful in the future. It felt like… »

« … She was the one who did it. »

« Exactly. »

Hyejin looks at Wheein, her pupils shaking with fear. Wheein turns to look at the Headmaster Tower. Something is definitely going on.

It has been a long time, hasn't it? The answer is Y E S.

It has been so long I had to re-read this story from the beginning to the end to know what happened and what was happening so ti would make sense and I wouldn't be forgetting things. One thing I can say, writing something else for a completely different fandom REALLY helped. I feel like it is so much easier to write this story now.

Second, yes I have been lazy about writing the following chapters. Also, I was busy. Like super busy with uni and then the summer break and now uni again. I think it is safe to say to not expect a regular update... Even if I will update anytime I can, I can't do it regularly as I did at the very beginning even if I wish I could.

And thirdly... I know I started writing this story without any plot in mind. But now I do have a plot, a red threat if you prefer. It greatly helps, NGL. And so, yeah the romance aspect will play a huge part? a big part? the romance aspect is still very much here, but as you saw the dynamics changed between the characters so... it is in the long run that we will see how everything happens.

YEP. On this note, I am heading out! :):