« Oh. »

Hyejin is surprised to find someone in the Potion’s classroom at this time of the day.

« I thought no one would be around. »

Hyejin almost decides not to enter the room, but she knows she has to do it now, or else she won’t have the time, and will end up with a bigger punishment.

« Are you here to help me? »

Hyejin shakes her head. Yongsun chuckles amused, only having asked Hyejin about it to start the conversation. Her curious eyes are no longer interested in the Potion book she has been reading for the past twenty minutes. Now, she wants to know about this girl that she has seen around the school more often than usual since the beginning of the year. She intrigues her.

« I have to restock the shelves and rewrite the labels. Mr. Poe’s punishment. »

« Oh! What could a pretty girl like you have done to earn herself a punishment form Mr. Poe? »

Yongsun has risen from her chair, ditching away her Potion’s book. Hyejin watches her carefully as she forces herself to walk toward the large cabinets of ingredients she has to take care of. She feels uneasy with Yongsun around, because she feels impressed by her, and she is scared to do something ridiculous in front of her.

« I was seen in the corridor past curfew. »

Hyejin prefers to stick to this side of the story as she would rather die than explain to Kim Yongsun that Peeves, the poltergeist, scared her while she was in the bathrooms and she had bumped into one of the armors decorating the hallways which ended up in the collapse of not one but ten other armors before getting caught by Mrs. Vera who was already so upset about another incident that she immediately took ten points from Slytherin and called Mr. Poe.

Mr. Poe, the Head of Slytherin, had heard that Mr. Greysom, the Potion teacher, was in need of some help in his busy schedule and thought Hyejin would benefit from the punishment as she had always excelled in Potions. Hyejin would have rather preferred for Mr. Poe to let her go without any punishment, but Mrs. Vera’s anger forced him to take actions before she could.

« You are a bad little Slytherin. »

Yongsun chuckles as she says it to which Hyejin responds with a shy smile.

Hyejin opens the large cabinets of ingredients. She almost cries when she realizes the huge task ahead of her, but with Yongsun in the room she doesn’t feel like saying anything so she starts to empty the cabinets.

Yongsun is sitting on one of the tables, watching her going back and forth between the cabinets and the working table with jars of all sizes in her arms. Her stare starts too feel heavy on Hyejin’s shoulders and she takes it on herself to break the silence.

« So, why are you here? »

« Well, that is a really good question. You see, I have an assignment on a very difficult potion and I am trying to prepare for it. »

Yongsun has now started her sixth year at Hogwarts, making her enter a crucial moment in her schooling, as she has to choose her subject for her N.E.W.T.s. Potion is one of the subjects she chose despite not being the best in this particular subject as she against all odds managed an “Exceed Expectation” on her O.W.L.s. Obviously, Potion is even harder than before, but she refuses to give up. Hence why she has been working on it.

« Your name is Hyejin, right? »

Hyejin nods shyly, impressed that Yongsun remembered her name when they got presented to each other in the middle of a party where Yongsun was already drunk. She would have bet the opposite.

Hyejin continue to brings the jars to the working table, once she is done she starts to order them by categories, putting the empty jars on the side to refill them later. There are all kind of ingredients, plants, herbs, teeth, scales, hair, liquids, and more. Yongsun is still watching her from one from one of the tables which really doesn’t help.

« Do you want some help? »

« Oh. Well… You said you were preparing for your Potion’s assignment. »

Hyejin doesn’t meet eyes with Yongsun as she continues to order the jars. She doesn’t know how to say no to the girl clearly, because she is scared to say something wrong and appears as a rude person.

« Yeah, right. I know someone who can help me with that, later. »

Yongsun jumps from the table and walks closer to Hyejin. It isn’t what Hyejin wanted at all. She tries to stay away from Yongsun’s personal space, but the girl seems to like to keep herself close to her. As she refill the empty jars, she continuously bumps into her to the point that she feels like the girl is making it on purpose.

« You can clean the shelves to help me. That would really help me. »

Yongsun smiles at Hyejin, before starting to clean the shelves like she has been asked. It is silent for a moment and Hyejin almost enjoys it, if it weren’t for Yongsun winking at her from time to time.

« So, Hyejin. What are you doing this weekend? »

« Just like everyone else, I guess. »

« So you are going to the match! Great, I hope you will cheer for me loudly. »

« Oh… I am a Slytherin. »

Hyejin points at the coat of arms on the pocket of her blazer.

« I know. But you would be surprised by the number of Slytherins secretly supporting me. »

Yongsun winks at Hyejin, making the girl look away almost instantly.

Hyejin would have never imagined herself to be stuck in a room with Yongsun of all people. It is the most awkward situation she has ever found herself in and she doesn’t know what to say – not that it is different from usual.

Hyejin chooses to focus on her punishment. She starts to write down new labels for the jars, worrying on the spelling of the names rather than Yongsun who is now sitting next to her and watching above her shoulder what she is doing.

« You have a beautiful handwriting. »

Hyejin mumbles a thank you. Yongsun’s proximity and her compliment are almost too much for Hyejin too handle, not used of having that kind of attention on her.

« Mr. Greysom will be happy to have a well-organized cabinet. He so often has his head in the clouds that he will lose himself one day. Still, he is a great teacher. »

Yongsun starts to label the different jars in silence. For a moment, it is almost nice to sit there quietly. Yongsun even starts to put the jars back to their shelves, making Hyejin’s punishment even easier – not that she asked for it. Hyejin thanks her sincerely for her help to the point that she ends up agreeing to following Yongsun for a walk near the Great Lake despite herself.

« So, sweet Slytherin, will you support me this weekend? »

Hyejin feels her heart getting excited into her chest as Yongsun looks at her expectantly a smirk on her lips. Hyejin has never been a huge fan of Quidditch, yet she has never missed a single game as Byulyi has always forced her to come to them. The only problem is that the upcoming game opposes Gryffindor to Slytherin. It is crazy that Yongsun is asking her such a thing.

Yet, she doesn’t know how to say what she thinks, too scared to hurt others.

« Okay. »

« See! I was right. »

Yongsun gives Hyejin a teasing smile.

« Hyejin! Here you are! »

Wheein grabs Hyejin by the arm to walk her toward the best possible spot in the bleachers. She hands Hyejin a pair of binoculars for her to see the match more closely. Hyejin wraps her Slytherin’s scarf around her neck more securely as the wind blows more strongly up in the bleachers. Wheein, on the other end, has a Gryffindor’s scarf around her neck. Even Byulyi was surprised when Hyejin told her she would be watching the game with Wheein.

Hyejin eyes the Gryffindor’s scarf around Wheein’s neck as her mind keeps on going back to her encounter with Yongsun a few days ago. It was an awkward yet interesting moment. Her train of thought is interrupted by a duo of students asking her if she wants to bet on today’s score, but she refuses as her parents always told her to keep away from money games.

The crowd doesn’t have to wait long before the familiar melody ringing the beginning of the season is heard around the Quidditch Pitch. Hyejin feels her heart accelerating in her chest as the Slytherin team enters the field in their new green and silver uniforms. They walk proudly to the center of the field with their Captain Moon Byulyi at the front. She is the untamed Seeker of Slytherin, well know for her crazy acrobatics on her broom.

The Slytherin team is acclaimed around the entire arena with loud cheers and banging instruments.

The melody is heard again, announcing the second team which is no one else than Gryffindor, the big favorite for this year Inter-House Cup. Hyejin can’t help but too cheer with everyone else as the exaltation around her is contagious. Unlike Slytherin, they now have a brand new Seeker who is a least ten centimeters taller than Byulyi.

The first game of the season is as important as the last one, as it lets everyone know the level at which the season will be played. Last year, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw showed an exceptional show of strategies and crazy actions, and everyone is expecting just as much from them for this new year.

But right now, the most important thing isn’t knowing who will win this first game. It is knowing who will be Gryffindor new Captain. Yongsun seems to be a big favorite, but Ian who is older and wiser than her also has his chances.

« It is a pleasure to be back behind the match for another incredible season of Quidditch at Hogwarts! Let me hear some noise! »

The familiar voice of Lucas is heard through the speakers. He has been in charge of making the comments of the Quidditch game for the past three years, but often finds himself censured by Mrs. Vera for his borderline comments when he gets too much in the game. Hyejin finds him way funnier than the previous one in charge as he has the ability to make everything sound very exciting.

Wheein and Hyejin shoot their joy into the air with all the other students as a response.

« That’s it! That is the sound that I like to hear! Well, before we kick off the new season with our first game, we have an announcement to make. I know a lot of you have their own prognostic on the big question. Will it be our super star or our man of the shadows? They are both great candidates, right? »

Another enthusiastic shoot from the audience.

« It is now the moment of truth! Mrs. Vera, if you may! »

« Thank you, Mister Evans. Now, I will wait for the silence before continuing. »

Mrs. Vera has never obtained silence so fast in her entire career as a teacher.

« The new Captain of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team is Miss Kim Yongsun! »

The crowd of student collectively erupts in a loud celebration with banging, clapping, shooting, jumping and screaming. On the Pitch, the entire Gryffindor team is congratulating their new Captain who barely believes it. Byulyi also comes to check her hand in respect which helps Yongsun reconnecting with the reality and finally celebrating herself by throwing herself in the arms of her teammates.

« Nothing like our favorite Keeper to lead the untamed Gryffindor for this new season! With her at the command, Ravenclaw better be prepared! We all remember the incident in the- »

Yes. They all remember how furious Yongsun was to have lost to Ravenclaw. She hurled her broom to the ground as she realized her defeat but it bounced back in her face, and in frustration she tried to destroy her broom entirely with a spell but ended up destroying one of the towers forming the bleachers.

No one got hurt, but Yongsun almost got kicked out of the team. She spent the rest of the day in the Headmaster office, but no one knows what happened there. Only that Gryffindor lost a hundred points because of the accident, and Yongsun made an apology to the student who were in the tower she destroyed.

« Well, now that I have the speaker back! Let’s kick off this new season! Mr. Zelombric if you may! »

Everyone is looking down where the twelve players are listening to the instruction of Mr. Zelombric who is the referee of this match. All the players shake hands with each other, as the policy on sportsmanship has been reinforced those past years to prevent unnecessary hateful relationship between the different House – especially during Quidditch events.

Hyejin uses her binoculars to check on Byulyi, but also gives a quick look at Yongsun.

Mr. Zelombric blows his whistle as he throws the Quaffle in the air and all the players kick off the ground. The game begins with the two Bludgers flying out of their box at the same time. The Keeper of each team are in front of their hoops whereas the Chasers and Beaters are already flying around and fighting for the Quaffle while avoiding the Bludgers.

Wheein cheers loudly every time a Gryffindor manages to score. Lucas’ biased comment for the Gryffindor’s team are so funny that she doesn’t drop her smile a single time, even when Slytherin scores. Hyejin is mesmerized by Yongsun’s ability to instantly change the direction of her broom in order to catch the Quaffle before it goes through her hoops. Slytherin only manages to score one time out of five attempt while Gryffindor scores one time out of three.

Hyejin searches for Byulyi as she realizes that she hasn’t seen her friend in a while. Through her binoculars she manages to spot her above the arena, looking for the Golden Snitch. It doesn’t seem that Gryffindor new Seeker is with her, which is rather weird as the Seekers usually stay close to each other.

Wheein knows that Byulyi has spotted the Golden Snitch when she hears Hyejin’s gasp next to her. She looks in the same direction as Hyejin and sees Byulyi flying at all speed in the direction of the Slytherin’s hoops. The Gryffindor Seeker is nowhere to be found, making Hyejin believes that Byulyi has all of her chance to catch the Golden Snitch first and making Slytherin win the game even if Gryffindor is currently leading the score.

« It seems that Byulyi spotted the Golden Snitch! Is it already the end of the game? We all know how it goes with Miss Moon, once she has locked her target she won’t stop until she scores. Oh! Oh! Oh! GRYFFINDOR JOKER CARD! Their new recruit, Mister Christian Danvers, also seems to have lock target on the Golden Snitch! This is fantastic! Gryffindor coming from above and Slytherin from under! »

Hyejin grips her binoculars harder as she watches Byulyi racing the Golden Snitch.

« Oh! The evil golden ball has changed direction! Wow! Christian and Byulyi almost crashed into each other. Could have been the beginning of something, I mean that is how I met my ex-girlfriend and- »

« Mister Evans! »

« Sorry! Back to the match! Sophie scores once again for Gryffindor! Our lions are burning hot! And so is their Seeker who is standing up to Byulyi! Oh dear, this boy has balls! Balls! »

« Mister Evans! Enough! »

« Yes, I am sorry. Spur of the moment. It seems the Golden Snitch is taking the direction of the Gryffindor hoops! Oh dear! It is a crash for Jean! His own Captain flying into him, that must hurt! But what would one do for the Golden Snitch, right? Will it be our dear Moon Byulyi who has won our hearts during her third year or will it be Gryffindor Joker who is really REALLY REALLY- HE GOT IT! HE GOT IT! LADS AND GENTS, GRYFFINDOR JUST WON THE GAME! GRYFFINDOR! THAT WAS CHRISTIAN DANVERS FOR YOU! »

Byulyi barely manages to stop her broom as she hears Lucas’ words. She lost. She lost again. For a second, she feels tears menacing to cloud her eyes, but she quickly pushes them down. Right now, what she has to do is take care of her team. Byulyi flys back to the ground as the Gryffindor team is loudly celebrating their win. She congratulates each of her player on their performance and before walking back to the changing rooms, she shakes hand with each player of the Gryffindor team.

It tastes bitter in .

« I won, Byulyi. Put down the money. »

Byulyi groans painfully as she puts down her Sickles on the table to pay for her and Wheein’s butterbeer. It makes Wheein chuckles.

The Sunday after any Quidditch match, Wheein and Byulyi meet for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks Inn. Even if they are only allowed to Hogsmeade on the days intended by the school – which is usually once every month or sometimes every two months – they still manage to find a way to get there.

Wheein had bet that Gryffindor would win the game and it is exactly what happened.

« I told you that Yongsun unnie has been training hard all summer. Your team barely stood a chance. »

Byulyi groans more desperately, making Wheein laughs even more. It doesn’t seem like it right now, but once the match was over and that her team has left the changing rooms, Byulyi stayed behind and cried in the changing rooms. Not because she was sad, but because she was angry. Slytherin keeps on losing those past years and she really thought she would turn things around this year.

Unfortunately, Gryffindor’s new Captain seems to have found a new way to train her team as even her brand new Seeker has been able to keep up with Byulyi’s rhythm without problem. Even if he is taller than her, Byulyi knows she is one of the fastest on a broom and her ability to change direction without losing speed is something she had to work on for months. Yet, this Christian Danvers managed to do the exact same thing as her in the spam of two months of training with Yongsun.

« It is only the beginning of the season. Come on, Byulyi! In February, we will get to fight each other and it will be fun! »

Because Wheein believes the most entertaining games are against Slytherin, as no one is as good as her friend on a broom.

« I just hate losing to Gryffindor. And to a new recruit on top of it! »

« Come on, Byulyi! It isn’t like you didn’t fight for it. Plus your team played amazingly the entire game. They were at the top of their game the whole time. You are a great leader, you kept them in the game despite the difficulty. It was a good match. »

Byulyi sighs, not entirely convinced, but still appreciating Wheein’s supporting words. They stay at Hogsmeade until the middle of the afternoon as they have to be present for dinner if they don’t want teachers to notice their absence. They split ways in the first floor corridor to regain their respective common room. Wheein quickly goes to the bathrooms to freshen up before dinner.

She also makes a stop in her room to change her shirt since she spilled some butterbeer on it back at the Three Broomsticks Inn. As she does so, she spots a small bag on her bed and she immediately grabs it to check what is inside. It is full of her favorite sweets, Jelly Slugs. Wheein almost lets out a happy scream at the sight.

Turns out, it pays well to give private Potion lessons.