The new room was lonely, but at least it was lonely in such a way that Junghwa felt somewhat safe, and her eyes filled with tears.

Her sniffles and sobs hit the high ceiling and echoed. She jumped as something brushed against her ankles. Through watery eyes, she could only see a darkish blur. It hopped onto her lap and pushed its head against her chest, purring loudly.

“You, again.” Junghwa wiped the heel of her palm across her eyes and ran her fingers through its fur.

“Re'em?” The door opened slowly, and a girl poked her head inside.

Junghwa sat very still in the armchair—she didn't want anyone to see her like this, curled up on a filthy chair and crying like a child—but the cat had other ideas and leaned over the arm, meowing loudly.

“There you are! Oh. Hello.” The girl smiled at Junghwa, and it had none of the condescension the first-year feared. The smile slipped a little when she noticed Junghwa's wet cheeks. “Are you okay?” She wore the black and yellow Junghwa recognised as Hufflepuff, and her hair hung loose over her shoulders.

She could just lie. “I got lost.” Or not. She waited for the snort of laughter or an exasperated sigh like when she'd mess up a potion with her brothers. Neither came. She was more than pleasantly surprised when she was wrapped in a tight hug.

“You must've been so scared ...” The girl gave another squeeze and crouched beside Junghwa's knee, tickling the cat beneath its chin. She gave nice hugs. “This is a really big place. I still get lost, and I've been here three years, already! I'm Zhang Yixiao, third-year Hufflepuff. This,” she tapped the cat's nose, “is Re'em.”