“I thought you did fine,” Joohyun remarked distractedly.

“No, it was terrible. We haven’t played this poorly in ages. Youngjae was completely distracted and I- I fumbled my pass. I never fumble my passes!”

“It was just one pass.”

“Every pass counts. That’s very important for a Chaser, being consistent.”

“Seulgi.” Joohyun got up to put a stop to her friend’s restless pacing. “Don’t you think you might be overreacting a bit?”

“It’s my last year, I can’t afford a bad season.”

“It isn’t a bad season. You’ve won every game. You won this one as well.”

“Through luck,” Seulgi grumbled, but allowed herself to be led to her bed, sitting unhappily.

“Definitely not through luck,” Joohyun insisted, smiling at the way Seulgi avoided her eyes, just like she’d used to do as a child. “You’re a great player, you all are. It was one pass.”

Seulgi blinked, pressing her lips together as she took a deep breath. “Fine. Maybe it was just one pass. But Youngjae was still distracted. And-“

“And you were still terrible?” Joohyun finished for her, biting back a smirk.

“Not… completely. But somewhat.”

“Well, can I just say, I wish I was that terrible at everything I do,” Joohyun joked, bringing out an unimpressed scowl, just as it had when they were younger.

“I’m not the only one who thinks so. Sunmi told us we’d be having extra practice after dinner for the next two weeks.”

“Sunmi is just as much of a perfectionist as you are, and team captain to top it off. Of course she thinks you need extra practice.”

“A team could always use more practice,” Seulgi insisted, already looking distracted from her previous worries. It was impressive how quickly she could bounce back from her temporary crises.

“Well, just don’t miss Astronomy, alright?”

“No, no, don’t worry, practice will end before class. Which is a good thing, because I doubt Sunmi would give me a single… day off.” Seulgi paused, suddenly struck by a thought, and grimaced. “Oh no, I forgot!”

Before Joohyun could ask anything, Seungwan walked into the dorm, waving as she found the two girls sitting inside. She made her way over to her bed, bag already slung off her shoulder.

“Forgot what?” she asked in Joohyun’s place, prompting another grimace.

“You,” Seulgi replied cryptically.

“Oh, me? But I’m right here.” She laughed a little as she rearranged her books.

“No, it’s… Sunmi just scheduled two weeks of evening practice. Until curfew.”

Seungwan’s face fell almost at once. “Oh.”

“Wait, what does that have to do with Seungwan?”

Both girls turned to Joohyun, as if they’d forgotten her presence for a moment. Seulgi was the first to answer her question, with a confusing exclamation of, “Her Unicorn!”

Joohyun gazed at her blankly, but she seemed convinced that she’d provided more than enough information, so Seungwan finally stepped in.

“We have a year-long assignment for Care of Magical Creatures. You choose one creature and spend time with it over the course of the year, through a pre-approved plan, then write a report on it. The professor evaluates you on the quality of your study and treatment, weighed by the difficulty of the creature you chose.”

“I chose a Puffskein. I visit it once a week at the creatures pen and play around with it a bit. I don’t really need the grade,” Seulgi provided with a small self-conscious shrug at the easy pick. “Seungwan chose a Unicorn.”

“You have those at the pen?”

“Well, no. I go to the Forbidden Forest once every two weeks to visit it. I got a special permission slip from the Headmistress.”

“Of course you did,” Joohyun sighed out, beginning to understand the situation.

“It has to be after classes, so Wan usually goes after dinner, and I keep her company so she isn’t alone out there,” Seulgi provided, just as Joohyun had more or less expected. “But I can’t this time, Wan, I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, no, that’s fine, I’ll just… go on my own. Just this once, I’m sure it’ll-“

“Wait, no, you can’t go on your own, that’s dangerous! What about… Sunyoung? Maybe you can ask her?”

Seungwan shook her head. “She’s at the greenhouse every evening. Big Herbology extra credit thing.”

Joohyun watched the exchange silently, head bobbing between one Hufflepuff and the other as they went over their options. She felt a stupid idea begin to form.

“Heeyeon then?”

“We have an Arithmancy test next week and she’s really behind on the material. She’s been spending all her free time in the library.”

The stupid idea slowly grew clearer, more distinct.

“What if-“

“Seulgi, really, I’ll just go alone this one time. Nothing will-“

“No, that’s not- I’ll talk to Sunmi and get an evening off. You can’t go alone.”

“You can’t skip practice! I know how much that means to you and-“

The stupid idea became something that could be put into words, and then Joohyun said it.

“I’ll go with you.”

Just like before, both girls were almost startled by her presence, turning to her like she’d just Apparated into the room.

“You?” Seulgi questioned incredulously, the first to recover.

“Oh, I couldn’t impose,” Seungwan offered in turn, looking genuinely concerned for the possibility.

“Why not me? You need somebody and you don’t have many more options. And I’m choosing to do this, freely. No imposition,” she added with a raised palm in Seungwan’s direction, as if to prevent any further worries on that line.

“Well… I suppose that would be ideal. If you’re really fine with it.”

Seulgi still hadn’t said anything else, only gazing at Joohyun with a questioning tilt of her brow. At Joohyun’s confirmation, the tilt grew, and she maintained this confused pose as Seungwan thanked Joohyun effusively and bounded out the door to do some studying.

As always, Seungwan’s energy seemed a little brittle, a little too high-strung. It was like she was fuelled by nerves and the need to keep up appearances, a balance that grew increasingly exasperating to witness. Joohyun wanted to do something, but she didn’t know what. How could she fix it? And what was there to fix, exactly?

“Do you think I should talk to Seungwan?” Joohyun asked without turning to face Seulgi. She sat on her bed and stretched her legs distractedly. “We haven’t really talked about her… issues since the break. And I don’t think she’s getting much better.”

When she got no response, she finally glanced at her friend, finding that the confusion had been replaced by an amused, enigmatic smirk. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking,” Seulgi quickly replied, still smug. It made Joohyun want to flick her forehead. “But no, I don’t think you should talk to her. Trust me, I’ve tried and she just clams up, pretends everything’s fine. This thing you’re doing, it works better. Just studying with her and pulling her away when she gets too in her head.”

“You think?”

“I know it’s hard to tell with her, but she does look less stressed. A little.” Seulgi tilted her head in concession. Then her smirk returned. “Now can we talk about how you’re going to the Forbidden Forest?”

“I don’t see what there is to talk about.” Joohyun jumped off the bed and quickly reached for her bag, eager to escape the direction she could sense the conversation going. “Now I really should go. Very busy.”

“Sure you are.” Seulgi remained in place, at least not trying to pursue her for more teasing. “Have fun!”

“Will do.”

“And, uh, thanks. For what you’re doing.”

Joohyun paused by the door, shrugged her free shoulder. “You’d do the same.”

“Yeah, but I’m a Hufflepuff.”

“Oh, shut up.”

(…)

The night was dark, the moon barely visible through the thick and tightly interwoven foliage overhead. Despite the weak light emanating from their wands, a compromise between visibility and discretion, it was still hard to avoid the many obstacles littering the forest floor, and Joohyun found herself tripping again and again on roots and debris.

The illuminated circle around them felt smaller and smaller with each second, as the darkness at the edges of her vision seemed to grow deeper and populated with luminous eyes that vanished once she turned her attention on them. After what felt like hours, she could no longer say whether they were really there or just the product of her imagination.

The sounds of rustling vegetation reached them from every direction, the patterns too eery to be attributed to the wind. It felt as though every brushing of leaves, every cracking branch, were the signs of some stalking creature, too large or sharp for fear of detection.

Joohyun’s skin felt cold and prickly with tension, the light from her wand shifting with each step and casting distracting shadows that made the darkness come alive with apparent movement. She gripped the wand a little tighter, her only source of safety, and hurried to follow Seungwan’s path.

She really hoped the girl knew where they were going. She seemed to, stepping confidently around trees and rocks that, honestly, all looked about the same to Joohyun. But what if she was just distracted, thinking about her homework or the studying she still had to catch up on? What if she’d stop, in 10 or 20 minutes, and suddenly yawn to life and come to the quick realization that she’d made a wrong turn amid her daydreaming?

A gust of wind blew noisily through the leaves, sending a shiver down Joohyun’s spine. She cringed, almost expecting their magical lights to flicker like real flames, then let out a slow breath in an attempt to soothe her nerves.

It took only a moment longer to notice that the undergrowth continued to rustle, the noise growing louder rather than quieting to nothing. Joohyun swept her wand in a cautious arch, studying the foliage all around them, and froze as the movement at the edge of the light became too evident to simply be a trick of her eyes.

Seungwan apparently hadn’t noticed anything, as she continued to walk on, and Joohyun feverishly debated with herself whether to alert her or silently walk away from the danger.

The rustling drew closer, tall leaves around her now clearly folding and spreading to allow passage. She took a trembling step backwards, her wand shaking in her hand and making her small bubble of visibility shake even harder.

Whatever it was, the creature was moving quickly, and Joohyun knew that they could never outrun it in the dark. Still, she took another step backwards, nearly tripping over a root, and pulled her other hand to her wand. The undergrowth moved, now almost at her feet, and she took a deep breath, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

The grass split neatly apart, a creature spilling onto the path. It was smaller than she’d expected, and the shock threw her off balance. Still gripping the wand, she failed to remember a single spell, and instead squeaked helplessly at the sight.

“Are you alright?” Seungwan turned around at last and, noticing Joohyun several feet behind her, hurried to her side. “Oh, you made a little friend!”

On the ground was a small beast, very similar to a hedgehog but with a decidedly cleverer glint in its eyes. It stood still, watching the two witches in its path and sniffing the air in a calculating manner.

Joohyun could only stand in place, clutching her chest to keep her heart from bursting through and heaving in quick, shallow breaths.

A hand tentatively spread on her back, rubbing it in soothing circles.

“Hey, are you alright? It’s only a Knarl. You probably shouldn’t pet it, on account of the quills and all, but it’s no danger as long as you don’t try to be too friendly. They’re a bit suspicious,” Seungwan added quickly, noticing Joohyun’s start at the word of caution.

The Knarl sniffed a moment longer, then tilted its head neatly to the left and carried on with what sounded a bit like a displeased huff. Joohyun watched it fade into the shadows, wand still clutched in both hands.

“Joohyun, Is everything okay?” Seungwan watched her with some concern, and she slowly let her left hand drop to her side. “Are you… I mean...”

“Am I scared?” Seungwan nodded reluctantly. It was good to know she could intimidate her even when she’d just been terrified by a small garden pest. “I’m just not quite… at ease. Around fauna.”

“Oh.” The Hufflepuff’s face fell and she took a step closer, still rubbing Joohyun’s back. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I never would have asked you to come with me-”

“You didn’t ask. I offered.”

"Still, Seulgi should have told me. I never would have put you in this position-"

"I offered," Joohyun repeated a bit forcefully, effectively putting an end to Seungwan's worried apologies. "It's fine. I'm a seventh-year student taking NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts. I can survive one hour of rustling and Knarls."

Joohyun might be dreaming, but she could swear she saw the tiniest hint of a smile on Seungwan's face. She'd be offended at the thought, if she weren't so busy trying to keep herself from flinching at every sound.

Then Seungwan's hand reached for hers, tugging it slightly, and she was being pulled forward a few steps, just enough for her to follow without thinking.

"Did you wonder how I know where we're going?"

Joohyun gazed at Seungwan blankly, her confused blinking providing its own answer. The Hufflepuff raised her wand, lighting a particular tree, and nudged Joohyun closer.

"Do you see that?"

"What?"

"There. Right there." She waved her wand a bit, causing the light to shift against the bark. Joohyun focused, finally noticing the way a small groove reflected it differently, returning the white light as an iridescent rainbow.

"I see it!"

"When a unicorn's horn brushes against a tree, it leaves a small trace behind, a sort of powder. It's invisible under ordinary light, but reacts to magic. Now look down here."

Her wand moved away, aimed at the ground ahead of them. Joohyun tried to find any more rainbows, but she was sure there weren't any.

"A unicorn's step is light. It won't bend a single blade of grass in its passage. But wherever its hooves touch, spring comes a little earlier."

And Joohyun saw them, the small pale blossoms that emerged from the ground, arranged in a pattern that, watched closely, marked a path.

"You're tracking it," she gasped out in awe.

"Oh, a unicorn can't be tracked. If it doesn't want to be found, it won't leave a single trace. But if it's friendly, then it might give you some hints to let you find it."

Seungwan started moving as before, her hand still in Joohyun's and gently pulling her along. But this time she didn't lapse into silence. With her wand, she continued to point out the traces, the blossoms and rainbows and other hidden signs, all the while mentioning facts about unicorns, or simply about the plants around them, in a low voice.

With the steady drone of Seungwan's voice to calm her, it was easier to push away the rustling and groaning of the trees. With her gaze diligently seeking the next clue, it was easier to ignore the hints of motion in the corner of her eyes.

And soon, sooner than she'd expected, they had reached a clearing, bathed in bright moonlight. And in that clearing, at the very centre, was the most majestic creature she'd ever seen.

Joohyun had always thought of a Unicorn as a horse with a horn. Of course she’d read the descriptions, known in some way that they were very different creatures, imposing and regal. But she hadn’t truly understood what that meant until she found herself facing one for the first time.

Its short fur was pure white, covering its flanks evenly, and so fine that it seemed almost a powder, or an aura, brightening the space around it. On the end of its legs were flawless, perfectly-sculpted hooves of a glistening, hypnotizing gold; and its tail, just like its mane, had hair of a silkiness that would make any human jealous, glossy and clean. Its horn was wondrous, carved in a marvellous spiral pattern and much longer and thinner than Joohyun had expected. It looked almost like a magic wand, one of ivory, filled with the potent magic of the unicorn, just like so many wizard wands were powered with a single of its hairs.

But its eyes... Its eyes were a sight of their own. Long lashes covered intelligent eyes, following the approach of the two witches. Joohyun gazed at them for only a second, and was struck by their depth, their wisdom. A feeling of awe, of pure respect, overflowed and pushed her head down, to gaze at the ground and away from the magnificent creature before Seungwan even had to issue the warning.

Their hands separated and she let Seungwan go on ahead, while she sat on a nearby log to watch the interaction, still carefully avoiding looking at the unicorn too brazenly. It was too wonderful, too filled with an ancient power that did not belong to the world of humans, too above their impure hearts.

She watched as Seungwan opened her satchel and removed treats, salves, and herbs. The Unicorn sniffed some, tasted others, taking its time with each of the offerings. There was no direct contact between them, as the specimen Seungwan had chosen to contact was fully grown and would require more time before it would allow something of the sort.

But watching such a majestic creature, Joohyun knew. Seungwan had said it so matter-of-factly, like it was the simplest, most meaningless thing, but it became clear how much it meant that the Unicorn had even allowed them to find it. For such an exceptional being to have formed such a bond, such a trust with the young witch, it was truly an achievement.

Next to the pair was a roll of parchment, unfolding itself as an enchanted quill scribbled on its surface, line after line of notes that Seungwan communicated silently. Each of the Unicorn’s gestures and choices was recorded diligently, her work thorough.

Joohyun hadn’t taken Care of Magical Creatures, so she’d never learned more about Unicorns than was common knowledge. But even she knew, sensed in its presence, that being chosen by a Unicorn was about more than just working hard and taking notes. They could see into one’s heart, find the darkness and light within, and would only bless those they deemed worthy.

The Unicorn’s horn glowed in the moonlight, its pure white growing luminescent. Seungwan smiled at the sight, awe clear in her face.

They were guided by the Unicorn on their way back, until Seungwan was sure she could find her way to the castle grounds. In the creature’s presence, all fears seemed more distant, like it could coexist with no evil. Joohyun’s steps were lighter, her breaths easier. But her hand was in Seungwan’s all the same.

Immersed in the magic of the night, Joohyun never even thought to question it.