Hyejin nervously her favorite lollipop. It is cherry flavored and only available in Muggle’s stores which is a bummer because she is almost at the end of her stock. Still, it isn’t why she is anxiously staring at the tapestries decorating the common room – even if the terrible scene of the Middle Ages representing Salazar Slytherin triumphing over his enemies is rather captivating. Hyejin’s problem is rather related to a certain Gryffindor.

Kim Yongsun, who once again, causes trouble inside Hyejin’s heart and head. If Hyejin would describe the situation she would say that it is like being slowly dismembered as she can already predict the terrible outcome of the situation she has put herself in and she can’t do much about it. It might be a little dramatic but Hyejin only has sisters who watched a lot of K-Drama.

In a way, Hyejin wouldn’t be able to answer negatively if someone asks her if she is attracted to Yongsun. It turns out, the girl is everything people says she is, and it surprised Hyejin because she liked to believe that Yongsun was not as sincere and passionate than she looked. She thought Yongsun was playing a game and as she got to know Yongsun better she would realize the girl was just a very well wrapped lie and so she would have no reason to be interested in her.

It isn’t what happened. Yongsun is sincere in everything she does, Hyejin sees it in her eyes every single time, she means everything she says. Yongsun is passionate, not just about Quidditch, but about almost everything, she will try to learn as much as she can on the subject right away. Yongsun is kind, Hyejin witnessed it with Layon, she might have been scared but she was never mean to Hyejin or Layon about it, she tried very hard to talk Hyejin into showing her Layon again, but Hyejin preferred not to and then started to avoid Yongsun all together.

Hyejin runs her hand in her long hair to try and diffuse her nerves but without success. She has been feeling at the top of the rollercoaster just before the drop for two days now and she just can’t take it anymore. So it is tonight or never that she tells Byulyi about everything. Byulyi, her best friend, who has had a crush on Yongsun for more than a year now.

Yongsun’s revealing her feelings gave knots to Hyejin’s brain as she thought about elaborate plans to tell Byulyi about her situation without really telling her so she wouldn’t be too hurt or worse cry. Hyejin wouldn’t be able to bear the weight of making her best friend cry. But in the end, there is only one solution. Telling it to Byulyi with her own voice.

All of Hyejin’s resolves run away when she sees Byulyi entering the common room as she just finished her Quidditch practice with the team. She is just fresh out of the Prefect’s Bathroom, completely relaxed from the way she lets herself fall into the armchair next to Hyejin and it makes Hyejin feel even worse about herself. Still, she owes it to her friendship with Byulyi.

« Byulyi… There is something that I need to tell you. »

Hyejin takes a deep breath but the words aren’t coming so she is forced to stutter her way into her next sentence.

« You… No. I… I don’t know how… to say it… but…. Well, someone asked me out. »

That is something at least and it is the truth.

« Really? Is that why you are so nervous? »

Byulyi smiles kindly at Hyejin to let her know that she is happy for her and that she is listening. Hyejin believes it couldn’t possibly be worse.

« You are pretty, even if you might have not realize it yet – which is fine. So, it is normal that someone asked you out. Is that why you were so jumpy lately? You didn’t know how to tell me? »

Hyejin nods shyly. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath because she knows when she will open her eyes again, Byulyi’s smile will be gone and she isn’t sure she will see it ever again. But she refuses for Byulyi to discover it accidentally, that would be even worse.

« Yongsun asked me out. »

Byulyi doesn’t say anything and when Hyejin opens her eyes she is scared her friend actually left. But she is still here sitting in the armchair in front of Hyejin, except she is no longer smiling. A deep frown crosses her face and Hyejin sees her gritting her teeth.

« Please say something. »

Hyejin needs the reassurance that everything will be okay eventually between them. It doesn’t come. Byulyi isn’t even looking at her right now and Hyejin is too scared to dare touch her friend. Her own heart breaks in her chest, it turns out Byulyi not saying anything is worse than Byulyi crying.

« Please. »

« I don’t know what you want me to say. »

It is shame that Hyejin feels when Byulyi finally looks at her. So much shame that she wants to crawl into a hole and never come back ever again. But those aren’t options and she has to sit there and suffer under her friend’s stare filled with pain and other emotions Hyejin doesn’t want to look at.

« Anything. Just say something. Please. »

« I need to be alone for a moment. »

It is a very polite way to say that she doesn’t want to see Hyejin’s face right now and it is because she loves Hyejin like family that she doesn’t lash out into all of the emotions she is going through at once. Still, it hurts and seeing Hyejin’s face in front of her, imagining her with Yongsun doing whatever they were doing for Yongsun to ask Hyejin out, it makes her mad.

« I will go to bed. »

Hyejin stands up. Byulyi doesn’t look at her and frankly she is glad she doesn’t because she can’t bear having Byulyi looking at her this way. It makes her want to vomit.

« See you tomorrow. »

Byulyi doesn’t respond which doesn’t surprise Hyejin but still affects her as she climbs the stairs to the dorms.

« Haven’t you read it? Someone heard her asking someone out but they didn’t see who it was. Do you think it is someone form Gryffindor? »

Wheein walks past the group of students gossiping in front of her as she continues her way down the path to Hogsmeade. It is one of those weekend where the students are allowed to visit the village. She has plans to meet with Byulyi at the Three Broomsticks Inn, after not seeing the girl over the last few days, she found a not around Ggomo’s paw telling her to meet there. And truly she is amazed that Byulyi managed to come this close to Ggomo when the evil cat just does as he pleases.

Wheein quickly closes the door behind her to keep the snow out of the Inn since it has been snowing strongly since this morning. She shakes off the cold while looking for a friend who it seems has already found a table.

As she sits down, she notices the shot glass and the bottle of strong liquor on the table rather than the Butter Beers Byulyi usually orders for them. She is ready to give Byulyi a piece of her mind about drinking hard liquor in the morning, and in public where anyone could see her, especially teachers, but what she sees in Byulyi’s eyes stops her before she could say anything.

Instead, Wheein hides the bottle of hard liquor on the seat next to her and orders Butter Beers for the two of them.

« What is going on, Byulyi? »

« I need a friend. »

Wheein wasn’t prepared for that and she believes she is the wrong person to ask as she doesn’t know what to do. Byulyi seems to be trying to hold back her tears as she drinks most of her Butter Beer in one long sip.

« It is Yongsun. »

Wheein smiles awkwardly as she doesn’t know what Yongsun has to do in the conversation right now. It is even more difficult since Byulyi doesn’t make an effort to explain herself and she is left with nothing but her own thoughts to work with.

« You need Yongsun to be here for you as a friend? You should have told me, then. »

« No. No, no, no. Wheein. »

Wheein is lost but it is obvious that her friend isn’t doing well so she patiently wait.

« I… I like Yongsun. A lot. »

Wheein wants to point out that she didn’t know Yongsun and her were close like that but the way Byulyi looks at her make it clicks.

« Oh… I didn’t know? »

« Yongsun likes someone else. »

« She told you that? »

Wheein is lost. Yongsun would have told her about it, she is sure. But Byulyi’s feelings are real.

« She asked someone out. She likes them. »

Wheein can only agree as everyone knows Yongsun isn’t the type to date. At all. If Wheein got a Knut for every person Yongsun had rejected, she could buy herself a good stock of Jelly Slugs. So it is a chocking news to hear that Yongsun has changed her mind about the matter.

« … And the person she likes isn’t you, I guess. »

Wheein feels her heart breaking a little as she sees the despair in her friend’s eyes. She changes seat to be next to Byulyi and lets her friend hug her. She feels her shoulder becoming wetter by the minutes as Byulyi breaks down in her eyes. It feels weird in a bad way to see Byulyi likes this because Byulyi is one of Wheein’s important friends.

They started as rival but always had each other back and Wheein isn’t sure she would have like it so much at Hogwarts if it wasn’t for Byulyi’s eternal cheerfulness. She is someone reliable and fun to be around, someone Wheein never saw cry, and it does a number on her to see her this hurt.

« Hyejin! »

Hyejin turns around at the familiar voice calling her name. Yongsun walks toward her with a huge smile on her face, her two dimples out. They enter the empty classroom they agreed to meet at together and Yongsun kindly invites Hyejin to sit on one of the tables.

« How are you? I am happy to see you. »

« I am good. And you? »

« Pretty good. »

Yongsun’s smile illuminates the room which keeps on distracting Hyejin. She feels her heart beating faster in her chest and her hands becoming sweaty as Yongsun is standing right in front of her and it is only the two of them in the classroom.

« I wanted to see you… because you asked me a question and… I have the answer. »

The sentence took everything in Hyejin. It feels insane that she is really doing it, what she will say will change so many things for her, and it is scary.

« I… It was difficult for me to wrap my head around this. »

Yongsun smiles more as Hyejin moves her hand in the air to illustrate the best she can what she is trying to convey.

« I know you must have heard things about me. But, I have always been sincere with you. »

Hyejin chuckles at the adorable way Yongsun tells her last words.

« Well… It is true that I heard a lot of things about you all these years. It doesn’t really play in your favor to be honest. »

Hyejin is stalling because she doesn’t know how to say her response without looking stupid.

« Then, what played in my favor? »

Yongsun’s assured tone takes Hyejin by surprise. Hyejin scoffs before raising her chin and looking more firmly at Yongsun. She gets closer to Yongsun, maintaining eye contact as much as she can, she hesitates for a moment before putting one hand on Yongsun’s shoulder. It makes the girl grin hard. Hyejin breathes in and swallows as she pushes some of Yongsun’s locks off her face before cupping her cheek. It is more intimate than Hyejin realize as Yongsun almost melts under her touch.

« Your kindness. »

Hyejin feels Yongsun’s front against hers as she stepped closer. Yongsun looks at her so intensely she stops breathing, and it takes everything in her not to freak out when she sees Yongsun’s eyes going from her eyes to her lips. Hyejin’s eyes do the same thing without her consent.

Yongsun leans in and kisses her.

Hyejin closes her eyes at the action, her hand drops back on Yongsun’s shoulder, as she feels the girl moving her lips against her. It isn’t just a press of the lips, it is much more, Yongsun’s tongue grazes her lips a few times before she pulls back. Hyejin doesn’t open her eyes right away and she is thankful for Yongsun’s arm around her waist as she believes she would have fallen back without it.

When she opens her eyes, Hyejin sees Yongsun looking back at her with a huge smile, her dimples showing, and her eyes shinning of excitement. She is beautiful.

« I can’t help but ask to be sure. Does it mean you want to go out with me? »

Hyejin nods shyly as she answers even more quietly.

« Yes. »

« Ggomo! Ggomo! Not now! Ggomo! Come back here! »

Wheein runs down the stairs of the dorms and into the common room, trying to catch her devilish cat, but to not avail as the animal manages to find a good hiding spot that Wheein cannot reach. Wheein glares hard at him as he once again stole her wand from her, but the cat doesn’t even look at her. It drives Wheein even more crazy but it makes the other student presents in the common room laugh.

« I have a Quidditch training, right now. But I swear that I will come back for my wand! »

Wheein walks out of the common room while cursing her cat under her breath. She goes down the two flight of stairs and then down the corridor leading to the Quidditch changing rooms. She is late to practice, everyone is already taking the way to the Pitch while she hasn’t put on her uniform yet, and Remy, the Captain of the Quidditch team, glares at her when she enters the changing rooms. He tells her to be fast and to meet the team on the Pitch.

Wheein quickly gets ride of her clothes and puts on her new training outfit as fast as she possibly can. It takes her an eternity to lace her shoes and even more time to put on her gloves as for some reasons she keeps messing up the right finger hole. She grabs her broom while still struggling with her protective gear and she makes her way to the Pitch while trying to fix up her clothes.

Remy doesn’t make more comment about her tardiness as he knows Wheein didn’t do it on purpose and he might also have a soft spot for her. He just adores Wheein with all of his heart, he was even the one who asked for her to join the team as Wheein was still a first year – a rare case. Their friendship blossomed through the years to the point that Wheein often comes to him when she needs advice or someone to talk to.

Remy is older than Wheein by two years, making him a seventh year student this year. He has occupied the Keeper position ever since he got into the team during his second year as he has always been on the told side with a muscular physic which clashes with his kind and warm smile. Surprisingly, some of the biggest traits of character are his determination and resourcefulness making a lot of people wonder if he isn’t more a Slytherin than a Ravenclaw.

« Do you need some help with your pants? »

« What? Why? Oh! »

Wheein quickly buttons her pants properly before checking her lace one last time. Remy sighs more amused than annoyed at his friend.

« Okay. The match against Slytherin is coming very soon and I had a word with their Captain the other day. She told me that they have been training hard ever since their defeat against Gryffindor, so I want you focused. Okay? »

« Really? Byulyi told you that? When did you see her? She didn’t- »

« Wheein. Please. I want you focus on the training. Okay? »

« Yes. »

Wheein can’t help but wonder when did Byulyi and Remy meet as she hasn’t seen her friend for a while now that she thinks about it. Not since their meeting at the Inn. She has been worried about it, but she also has been drowning under assignments so she didn’t have the time to search for Byulyi around the castle.

Remy continues to give her the warm-ups plan while Wheein’s mind is now on Yongsun who she hasn’t seen for a while as well and who hasn’t tell her anything about dating someone. It seems that either she has been too busy to hang out with anyone else than her Ravenclaw’s friends or Byulyi and Yongsun have been avoiding which would be really mean of them. Maybe she should talk to Hyejin about Byulyi?

« Wheein! »

« Yes? »

« Go! »

« Ah, yes. »

Wheein takes off on her broom and flys toward the Chasers of the team. Like Remy told her, she will train with them for the day as they will do a speed training. Which means that it will be intense but a lot of fun.

« Speedy Jung! »

Wheein rolls her eyes at the dumb nick name Lucas made for her when he started commenting the match and which stuck ever since.

Dana, a fifth year Ravenclaw, flys next to Wheein with a teasing smile on her lips. Wheein responds by poking her tongue at her friend. Remy asked her to focus and she refuses to let Dana lead her into one of her shenanigans.

« Bet. Touch the ground and circle the hoops. »

Wheein ignores Dana words and continues the warm-up by following the other Chasers around the pitch. But Dana isn’t one to give up so easily and she continues to fly next to Wheein while teasing her. Wheein finishes the warm-up without letting herself get distracted by Dana’s words.

« Let’s gather, guys! »

All the Chasers and Wheein fly toward Remy to listen to his instruction for today’s training. Wheein lets herself glance at Dana who is already smirking at her. Dana raises an eyebrow at Wheein and to her surprise Wheein nods ever so slightly as a response. And when Remy finishes his explanations, the two friends fly simultaneously toward the ground.

Dana is as fast as Wheein but Wheein is better at controlling her broom at high speed and she doesn’t need to slow down as earlier as Dana to touch the ground and fly back up toward the hoops. Dana, who is stronger and taller than Wheein, pushes harder on the ground to fly back up, almost catching up to Wheein. They go through the first hoop one behind the other and Dana catches up before Wheein can get to the second one. She pushes her friend out of the way and takes the lead.

Wheein grits her teeth and tries to push Dana out of the way as she is going for the third and last hoop. They bump into each other and try to push the other away while somehow managing to pass through the third hoop at the same time.

« I won! »

« You didn’t! I won! »

« You were right behind me, that I can agree with. »

« Wanna die? »

« Please! Dana! Wheein! »

The two girls turn around. Remy is looking at them with an obvious irritated expression on his face. The two friends exchange an amused look before bowing their head to Remy in sign of apology.

« Focus! Please! »

Dana and Wheein joins back the two other Chasers, placing themselves on each side of Evan who is their youngest player – a fourth year. He only rolls his eyes at the antics of his two teammates, used of their behaviors, and continues the training as Remy gives them more instructions.

The session finishes without problem and Dana and Wheein decide to stay a bit longer to do more laps. It is always a very freeing feeling to be flying, something that Wheein feels intimate enough with Dana to share. Once the cold menaces to bite off their fingers for good, they fly back to the ground and rush to the changing rooms. Everyone is already gone so they have the showers to themselves.

« I hate playing during winter. »

« The weather will get better by the end of February. Spring is right around the corner, you just love to complain. »

Dana finishes her sentence by splashing water on Wheein’s face, which immediately initiates a response from Wheein who turns the tap on cold resulting in Dana screaming as she feels the change of temperature on her skin. She pushes Wheein from her own shower and sighs as the hot water hits her skin. Wheein mocks her friend and ends up with foam in .

« You are a terrible person. Argh! It could have killed me! »

Wheein continues to cough it out while Dana watches her safely from under the warm water.

« If only it was this easy. You are tougher than you look. »

Wheein flips off Dana before coughing more but she finds herself laughing when she sees bubbles coming out of her nose.

« Miss Kim. Always a pleasure to see you in my office. »

Yongsun chuckles at Mrs. Vera’s words as she walks closer to her desk. They are both well aware of the amount of time Yongsun has been standing there and rarely for the good reasons, but this time Yongsun is here for a special request.

« Can I invite you for some tea, Mrs. Vera? »

« Certainly. »

Yongsun smiles happily and starts to make the tea for the both of them. Mrs. Vera finishes with the papers she has been dealing with since the beginning of the afternoon before joining Yongsun in the tea area of her office, which is less formal with a couch and two armchairs to relax on. Yongsun brings the tea to the coffee table and sits down on the opposite side of the couch.

Mrs. Vera is both curious and very amused to what kind of request Yongsun has for her, because there is no other possible explanation for her to act this way. And if she is being honest with herself, she would admit that she really likes the girl despite her difficult character at times.

« I believe that there is something troubling you. So I am listening. »

« Well, it is more of a request, actually. »

Mrs. Vera tales a sip of tea.

« As you may know, my birthday is coming up. I will be turning seventeen this year and I would like to celebrate the millstone. »

« I am not sure that I like the sound of that. »

« I am only asking for one night. One night to celebrate this important moment of my life. »

« I am wondering what you mean by “celebrating”. Knowing you, Miss Kim, it could be a dangerous word. »

Yongsun can’t help but to let a small escape her. She takes a deep breath and looks at Mrs. Vera right in the eyes which doesn’t look like a good thing in Mrs. Vera’s head but she still listens to Yongsun.

« I promise there won’t be any causalities to this celebration. It is very important to me, as most of my friends are graduating this year and I know I won’t be able to see all of them together in the future. Hogwarts is my favorite place in the world right now where I made great memories and learned so much. I am only asking you for this one night, we will make some noice, and have a lot of fun, but we won’t do anything against the rules. I promise you, Mrs. Vera. »

Mrs. Vera finishes her cup of tea.