#aceevnt

Growing up,  Choi Ji Eun knew that she was meant for more than just a normal life. Born into an independently wealthy family, she was taught from the very first day she could remember, to keep her head held high, because she was better than more than half of the population of Great Britain. She was a witch, and she’d found out early on that her family was what they called pure, there hadn’t been a non-magical person in their family in more than a hundred years, and they’d told her that they weren’t going to change that now. She’d been brought up knowing this, knowing she had to be magical to continue being respectable, and so she did all she could to learn about her magical heritage. She went to her families dinner parties, sat across from faces that started out as strangers and grew to be friendly, and even more. She knew that these people and their children with them, would be her lifeblood for her future. They were respectable pureblood families, with respectable pureblood children. These were the children she played with as she grew up, but none really was able to catch her attention, save one. He was a stubborn, even petulant boy, even from the first time she met him, her parents pushing her forward to introduce herself, her mother whispering into her ear to not mess this up, that Jaehwa mattered.

At the time, JiEun didn’t understand, but the more her parents invited Jaehwa and his parents over to their home, the more she realized that they expected something of her when it came to Jaehwa, and so she never faltered in her respect and kindness, nor her private studies. She was the perfect little hostess, paying mind to his needs and whims, but somehow, still wondering exactly what it was her parents wanted with this boy who consistently bothered her for no reason more than to put a smile on his own face. There were days, weeks when she wanted nothing more than to find a way to wipe the smirk off of his face. These were the weeks when she learned the most, her mind spinning at the possibilities that magic afforded her.

When she grew older, her mother confided a secret, that she hoped that JiEun and Jaehwa would one day be wed, to combine their families, and bring together two of the most powerful pureblood families, making them both more powerful in the process. JiEun understood this, but part of her was confused. Why did her mother not simply want JiEun to be happy and successful? What if JiEun grew to hate Jaehwa? After all, they were still very young… and what if she never gained her gifts? She couldn’t help but remember the discussion she’d watched her parents have with another set of parents, discussing two people who hadn’t gained their gifts… squibs, as her mother mentioned once. The two of them, though not part of their families anymore, were still kept up on, and apparently they’d had a child, a son. He’d only be a few years older than JiEun, she’d thought. Her parents already telling her that regardless of his heritage, he wasn’t worth anything, because his parents were squibs. It was very likely he wouldn’t have any gift at all. She’d hated thinking about the possibility that she may never have a gift, that she might be sent away from her family, never to talk to them again. She didn’t have to worry about that for long though, as JiEun soon began having dreams, and when she awoke, those dreams weren’t only dreams. She’d woken up one morning to find her entire bedroom set stuck to the ceiling, her own body upside down over her floor. It had only taken her a moment to shout before her mother had come running, wand extended, catching the bed only moments from crashing down upon her daughter. Her mother had been so proud, they’d had an impromptu party. She’d been so happy, but the party came with difficult news as well. Jaehwa had come, and though he was happy for her, he came with the news that he’d be leaving for school the following September. He was headed to Hogwarts, leaving her behind to move on to bigger and better things. She felt broken somehow, and the few days that followed his announcement were rough. It seemed that she’d lost some of the control she’d tried so hard to gain, and so there were sharp and sudden magical consequences for her as she went through each day, trying ungodly hard to stop herself from doing anything stupid.

Time passed though, and she regained that control she’d lost from before. Each part of her working to figure her shit out before she saw him again. She’d grown to enjoy his company, even the teasing that seemed endless when he was around. She’d not thought about the fact that he was eleven and would most likely go away to school.

Working hard, studying, fulfilling an endless, insatiable need for more knowledge created a bit of a learning void when JiEun’s own Hogwarts Letter appeared. She’d been invited to begin her classes with the first years, and then be evaluated at second year level when she finished the school year. She had no doubt of her own abilities, and she figured, based on the letter, that she was probably able to join the third years when she started, but in order to make things not strange for her when she joined, she’d be placed with her fellow first years, to get actual in class knowledge of what magic was for a witch. Entering the school for the first time was like finally getting to go somewhere you’d always dreamed. She felt light as a feather as she’d walked into the great hall. Most of the other students were gasping in excitement staring at everything, while JiEun simply kept her eyes to the front, knowing what would come next, knowing where she needed to be. When her name was called, she advanced, the hat settling onto her head, the voice thoughtful and, if she thought so herself, mildly calculating. When it mentioned Ravenclaw, she scoffed audibly. There is no way. It simply wouldn’t do. No matter how smart she was, each thing she’d done was carefully planned, her own wit getting her to the point where she was, focused only on her goals. She wanted to be more than even her parents expected her to be. She was going to be more than anyone ever expected. The chuckle the hat shared with her before announcing her place in the house of the serpent seemed unsurprised, but pleased with the result, she joined her fellow Slytherins, eyes darting down the line of seated students until her eyes met a set of familiar eyes, a smile slipping over her lips as she nodded to Jaehwa, and sat.

As she’d expected, her classes were simple, she was able to sail through them without much trouble, and the time that she would have spent studying was spent studying new material her professors provided her with outside of class. She loved her courses in transfiguration and charms, and earned top marks in her other classes, both in her first year studies, as well as with the new material they provided. She successfully brewed a draught of the living dead in her second week, and within a month, she was learning OWL and NEWT level techniques in her courses. She had finally found a place to thrive.

The first year of courses was basic, and after that, she couldn’t get enough, Professor Binns offered her a pass for the restricted section, where she devoured book after book of knowledge as she learned more and more about the world she’d joined at such a young age. She’d known a lot about the world coming into school, but she’d found, the more she learned, that her parents view of the wizarding world was biased. She understood why they viewed it the way they did, they were a part of the purist generation. They believed that everything that could be claimed by birthright should be, and although she knew that the chances of having a squib child were smaller when witches and wizards came from a pureblood family, that it was still possible, though, she was surprised to find the opposite to be true as well. Four months in, she’d been invited to join in a fourth year charms course, and was seated beside one Choi Kiyeol for the duration of the course, and she was mildly horrified to find him whipping his wand around with no sense of decorum or point. It only took a moment for her hand to reach out and grasp his wrist shaking her head.

“Please… stop. I like having my body parts still attached.” She’d taken a deep breath and carefully turned to him, explaining the reasoning behind certain wand motions, showing him examples as she went. It wasn’t what she’d expected to be doing, but somehow, it worked. He went from foolish wand waving to successfully performing the charm each time, within only an hour’s learning. He seemed, lost, she felt as she smiled at him. Like he was behind or more alone than most, and at first he’d been annoyed by her presence beside him, although that slowly vanished as she watched him succeed. Biting her bottom lip, she offered to meet up with him outside of class, and he balked at first, but then, when she’d shrugged, he’d agreed.

They met up with the plan to go over simply charms work, but when they’d spent only an hour on the charms, they moved on, as she watched him succeed. It seemed, that true to his Ravenclaw spirit, he was eager to learn. Kiyeol had lost a little control with his emotions this year, when he’d lost his boyfriend to graduation, and JiEun was blown away when she heard who his boyfriend was. A grin spread over her face as she nodded. She knew Kim Ji Hun. Kimchi, the cabbage man, was a Slytherin pureblood family wetdream turned nightmare. He’d fought against his own extended family in the Battle of Hogwarts, and had graduated top of his class from Hogwarts only a year prior. Kiyeol’s past year had been an epic mess, and had been required to retake the year’s courses this year. He seemed to finally be working towards a success however, and the longer JiEun spent with him, the more annoyed she got. He was still so focused on what he read in the books, it made JiEun want to scream. Finally, nearing the end of her second year, she lost it. She knew that it was only a few more years, Kiyeol had to buckle down. She’d gotten so sick of watching him flounder around because he felt lost in the lines of text. She watched him die as she scolded him each time, and then renew with more spirit than even before. It was her biggest pet peeve to see people with potential squander it, and Kiyeol was the worst, however, she watched him, as he began working even harder, practicing, gaining ground in his studies. She was proud. Part of her knew he was capable, and she was glad that she’d believed that part of her, regardless of the fact that he was son of two squibs, he was a powerful wizard, and each success showed her more of that.

She’d grown so focused on her own education, and the teaching of others that it seemed to her, that Jaehwa had faded into the background of the school, until suddenly he was there once again, by her side. He seemed curious about what she was doing, spending time with Kiyeol, and it only took her a moment of cautious explanation to realize that he had also changed since the last time they’d had an opportunity for frank discussion. She was glad to find that he didn’t disapprove of what she was doing, not that it would have stopped her. She was confident in herself in a way she hadn’t been when she’d known him before. Her knowledge made her comfortable in her own skin, and she used it to her advantage, helping those who needed it, each case a separate but equal need for a different explanation than those they’d get in a classroom setting. She’d help first years in the Slytherin common room, and when she wasn’t paying attention to the people around her, she’d feel his eyes on her, and turning, she’d see his head tip back towards the book he read, or the game he played. She wondered, if perhaps, in putting him to the side as she had, she’d managed to pique his interest. The thought made her blush, and she tried to ignore her mind’s wish to search him out in any room she entered. He’d somehow managed to take over her mind once again, but this time, it was more than just her mother’s wish for her to spend time with him. She actually enjoyed their frank conversation, honest opinions and sarcasm flowed evenly and comfortable between them, and the teasing, thought it certainly hadn’t lessened between them, now it was an easygoing, mutual thing. She scored herself a point each time she saw a blush cling to his cheeks. The occasions were few and far between, but she enjoyed watching him flounder when they did arise.