“Minkyeung!” 

 

Hearing her name, she turns around to greet the sight of a blur of yellow and black robes dashing through the halls. Her first reaction is to warn them from running inside the halls, but as the figure gets closer and closer, a smile appears on her face instead. 

 

“Kyungwon, can you stop running? I’m gonna get sacked because of you one day, you know?” Minkyeungs says as she nudges the girl, but her smile gives it away that she’s just teasing. 

 

The Hufflepuff catches her breath, leaning her arm on Minkyeung’s shoulders.

 

“Yeah, yeah as if Slytherin would dare dethrone their princess,” she says at last, with an extra dramatic flair. 

 

Kyungwon laughs as Minkyeung visibly cringes at the title, and does so, even more, when the girl doesn’t even try to refute it.

 

“You’ve got to stop saying things like that.” 

 

“I see you for less than a minute and all you do is tell me to stop doing things. Who are you, my mum?” 

 

Minkyeung slaps Kyungwon on the shoulder which only makes her laugh harder as the two continue their conversation down to the Great hall. 

 

“So, are you headed to Hogsmeade today?” 

 

“I do have plans for after I complete my herbology assignment but it shouldn’t take long.” 

 

“Nice, that one was easy.” 

 

“That’s just because you’re a Hufflepuff and you made Nayoung sit with you the entire time.” 

 

“Whatever, as you said, you’ll get it done quickly. Wanna go to Gladrags Wizardwear with me? I need a new pair of socks.”

 

“No, you don’t. You have plenty.” 

 

“Okay, I WANT another pair of socks. You game?” 

 

“Sure,” Minkyeung says as the two enter the hall for breakfast. 

 

Though the morning’s frost was yet to disappear and the chilly breeze of winter lingers in the air, the hall was quite busy, filled with students amok early in the day. Minkyeung and Kyungwon grab a couple of items to eat and sit down at the end of the tables, doing their best to ignore each other’s occasional shivering. 

 

“There are more people than normal,” Kyungwon remarks in between bites of her sandwich.

 

“The 5th years have just completed their O.W.Ls, right? They’re probably all getting ready to celebrate by heading to Hogsmeade too.”

 

Minkyeung hears a hum in agreement, and she takes a sip of tea. She gazes at her reflection in the green liquid and a thought wanders inside her mind.

 

“What do the tea leaves say to you today?” Kyungwon picks up.

 

“There are no tea leaves in here, idiot.” 

 

“Who knows, you do have a way with divination after all.” 

 

“Too bad we stopped teaching it, it would have been an easy O for me if it wasn’t.” 

 

“You say that as if you didn’t ace your O.W.L.S anyway.  I got threats to stop talking to you after those from your house.” 

 

“Sorry. They all got detention for that.”

 

“Yeah, witnessing that sight made it all worth it.” 

 

The two continue their idle chatter, enjoying one of the few moments they share. Kyungwon usually spends most of her breaks wandering around the school, trying to find really anything that interests her as she has taken up photography recently. On the other hand, Minkyeung spends most of her time in her room studying so long as there are no Prefect tasks on her roster. However, Kyungwon tends to bring her out, making her tag along with her friends or making her model for her pictures. 

 

“How do you think they went for their exams?” Minkyeung asks after a bit, thinking about the juniors Kyunwon befriended during one of her expeditions, who then by association Minkyeung too knows.

 

“I haven’t bumped into them yet. I’ll probably find Eunwoo and Kyulkyung later today, and you still have your trips to Honeydukes with Yaebin?” 

 

Minkyeung nods. “Yeah, later on in the day, so I’m going to have to leave you some time after we buy your socks.” 

 

Kyungwon smiles and sets her sandwich down. “What do you guys even do for the whole time? Surely you don’t just stay there for that long?” 

 

Minkyeung brings her cup up to her face and sips her tea slowly as she thinks about how to respond. “We go to other stores after too sometimes, but we always go to Honeydukes first. You know how Yaebin is, her and her massive sweet tooth.” 

 

“Yeah, and that’s why she likes you so much because you’re just the sweetest person ever.” 

 

“I’m gonna burn all your socks.” 

 

Just before Kyungwon could start screaming, someone standing beside them cleared their throat. The two turn their heads to greet whoever had disturbed them.

 

“Ah, sorry to interrupt but I’m Joshua,” said the boy. “I was wondering if you were going to Hogsmeade today?” 

 

He looks at Minkyeung, who stares back at him. “Sorry, I don’t mean for this to come the wrong way, but do I know?” 

 

In the corner of her eye, she spots Kyungwon trying to stifle her laughter, but she does her best to continue staring at the boy blankly. His eyes dart around the room as he frantically tries to come up with a response he had not prepared. 

 

“Not really? I mean, I know and hear about you, you are the prefect of my house after all, but I just wanted to know if you’d like to go with me today?” 

 

Minkyeung smiles back at him, but not wide enough for it to be anything but polite. “I’m sorry Joshua, but I’ve already made plans for the day.” 

 

“Oh okay. That’s fine. Do you think maybe on your next trip, you’d like to go with me?” 

 

Minkyeung glances at Kyungwon, who only gives her an indifferent look. 

 

“Sorry, I’m not really interested in that sort of relationship with you, but thank you.” 

 

“Ah, okay then,” he says, looking bashful. “Sorry for bothering you.” 

 

He gives a faint bow of the head and sees himself out of their presence. 

 

“I can’t believe it's barely just the morning and someone has already asked you out. Except that I can.” 

 

Minkyeung shrugs and takes her final bites of the toast before wiping with a napkin. “He handled it pretty well.” 

 

“Even though you did him pretty rough with the ‘do I know you?’ and “I’m not into you.”

 

“I did not say that!” 

 

“Same difference,” Kyungwon waves off as Minkyeung stands up. 

 

“I’ll see you later then? Gladrag’s at 3?” 

 

“Make it 2,” Kyungwon shoots back.

 

“Sure.” 

 

Minkyeung leaves, leaving Kyungwon to finish her meal. She needed to grab a couple of scrolls and books from her room first, and she wanted to catch their head girl in regards to changing a patrol shift. She prepares herself for the next couple of hours in the library, thankful that there are no classes for her today. Throwing a scarf on, wrapping it snugly around her neck, she hopes that it would quell her shivering. 

______________

Hogsmeade days are always a bit of a hassle for Minkyeung. For starters, she suspects she never has had to talk to more people or have more interruptions in her day. However, she doesn’t particularly mind, now that she has mastered an array of responses and she suspects most people just like the chase, that they are really only after her because they want to achieve the feat that they say is impossible: to get her to agree to go on a date to Hogsmeade.

 

Minkyueng was wrapping up the final lines in her winding paper on the uses of the flutterby bush when a sudden horde of students entered the library. She watched as the door was pushed open and the murmurs of the younger students carried their voices despite their attempts to muffle their conversations. 

 

Minkyeung tore her eyes away from the entering students up to the clock that hung above them, confirming her thought that it must’ve been past noon with the juniors' classes ending. She reads through her paper once more, correcting a couple of mistakes here and there before leaving the library. 

 

Despite the day now well begun, the chill of the morning hadn’t left Hogwarts’ grounds and Minkyeung finds herself wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck. Quickly she leaves her assignment carefully back in her dorm at her desk and grabs her wallet. Minkyeung makes her way through the hall, hoping to find her 5th-year friends during their break before they all run off to prepare for their Hogsmeade visit.

 

As she makes a turn out to the courtyard, hoping to cross the small bridge over the pond to reach a mulberry tree, a frequent meet-up spot for whenever they have time in their breaks. Dashing through the corridor, she narrowly misses a couple of students as she turns around the bend, bowing her head in apology. Yet despite her clearly busy appearance, she hears one of the students call for her. 

 

“Wait, is this Minkyeung?” 

 

She collects herself and turns to face them. “Yes. Is something the matter?” 

 

She watches as one of their eyes opens wide and frantically whispers to their friend, who pushes the girl who had spoken forward. 

 

“No, of course not, but do you have some time maybe?” 

 

The girl, who Minkyeung suspects is a fifth-year, adorned in her green robes, stands with confidence and sureness despite the initial tremble from the push she had received from her friends who were spectating from behind. What catches Minkyeung’s attention is, however, the short blonde hair she suspects she is now able to put a face to the name of someone from Yaebin’s stories, seeing as her stance seemed to match the impression she had received from them too. 

 

“What’s it about?” Minkyeung asks. 

 

“I had been meaning to meet you. I want to get to know you, chat a bit and all since it is the break after all. I’m Soyeon, Jeon Soyeon,” she says, which confirms Minkyeung’s idea. 

 

While she admired her straightforwardness, Minkyeung plasters on a smile and it seemed that Soyeon already got the message she was about to say. 

 

“I’m sorry, Soyeon, but I’m a bit busy right now.” 

 

“That's alright, I understand. Would you be going to Hogsmeade today?” 

 

Minkyeung looks past Soyeon to see her friends eagerly awaiting Minkyeung’s next moves. 

 

“I am, but I have made some plans already.” 

 

“Would you be interested in going to visit Honeydukes with me? It can be quick.” 

 

Minkyeung figured that Soyeon was quite insistent, and it was different to the usual bashful and overly polite invitations, which Minkyeung was intrigued by, but she was running late and was hoping that she hadn’t missed the girl by the mulberry tree. 

 

“I already go to Honeydukes with Yaebin,” she begins, not missing the slight change in expression that appears briefly on Soyeon’s face. “Maybe another time, but I’m not interested in anything but chatting.” 

 

“O-of course. This Yaebin, she wouldn’t happen to be the one from 5th year, would she?” She stutters, and Minkyeung stifles a grin upon succeeding in luring a bait for the girl to change the topic.

 

“The Gryffindor’s seeker? She’s great on the field. It’s no wonder Gryffindor hasn’t lost the House Cup since she joined the team. I must leave if I want to catch her on time, I don’t want to keep her waiting. Thank you for the offer though, Soyeon.” 

 

Minkyeung doesn’t wait for a response and walks steadily across the courtyard with her head held up high, feeling the eyes of the junior on her but she needed to get going, and luckily for Minkyeung she had already heard about the slightly bad blood that the two 5th years share and used it to her advantage.  She hears snickers and snippets of their teasing and she almost feels bad for Soyeon but if their brief interaction said anything about her, Minkyeung knew it wasn’t anything that would have the younger Slytherin in a slump. 

 

Crossing the bridge, she gazes past the mulberry tree which stood atop a small hill past the Black Lake. Squinting, she searches for the silhouette of a girl, perhaps kicking at the dirt despite numerous reminders not to, or maybe constantly switching back from standing on the very tips of her toes to flat on the gr