#loona chaewon

The librarian came out of nowhere with an unpleasant look —the usual— and hissed to the whole library before storming out: “Pray that I won’t find out who damaged our copy of Important modern magic discoveries.”

You looked at Seungmin at the other side of the table and laughed quietly while he shook his head. You knew who it was, but you wouldn’t snitch on a fellow Ravenclaw. Especially not when he cost too much house points already.

Seungmin didn’t like studying in the Great Hall because it was too loud compared to the library, where the librarian never accepted any sound (whispers were worse than speaking out loud for her). The common room was okay, sometimes, but it was mostly a place to chill and read.

Moreover, he knew every inch of the library like the back of his hand, so he often helped restock and find books for other students if they looked lost. You found that admirable, knowing the librarian’s temperament. He didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, she seemed to respect your friend, value even.

“I can’t believe Jisung’s scared of acromantulas,” you blurted out of the blue, the last class of defense against the dark arts still fresh on your mind.

“Me neither. He does have one fear, after all,” he shrugged. As desperate as he was, never would he use this fear to ‘tame’ his friend.

You nodded, refocusing on your task at hand, when a tired-looking Chaewon sat next to you with a light thud. She sighed, pinching her nose bridge in annoyance.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, your voice laced with worry.

“I just tutored Heejin for transfiguration but she’s not making any effort.”

“She asked the professor herself, though?”

“Exactly! Ugh, why did it have to be me?”

“Ask the professor to change tutor,” proposed Seungmin.

“Already did, but she said I was the second best choice, the first being Hyunjin, and he’s already tutoring a Gryffindor.”

“Wait. You don’t have to actually meet up, right?” You were not going to let your friend have a hard time for basically nothing.

“I guess not…”

“Then just don’t. I’m sure she doesn’t even need the help.”

“You’re right, she looked jealous over the person that genuinely needed it,” recalled Seungmin.

“I guess she likes Hyunjin or something,” Chaewon shrugged.

“Poor girl. He’s never going to see her that way,” you shook your head.

“Shhh!” hissed the librarian behind you, making you all flinch. No one saw her coming back and it put an end to your conversation.

A few days later, in history of magic class shared between Ravenclaws and Slytherins, the professor monotonously recited his 14th century’s witch hunt lesson while some classmates were playing exploding snap at the back. Seungmin was, as usual, immersed in the lecture while you were trying your best not to fall asleep. Chaewon was diligently writing down notes two rows back, next to Hyunjin who gave up on staying awake a long time ago. You’ve never spent time with the Slytherin girl, but she was close to Chaewon. You could hear mini explosions and laughter from behind you, and if you weren’t so drowsy right now, you would’ve gone to see how the game was going.

After the class, you went to the courtyard during recess with Seungmin.

“I just don’t get why flying carpets are illegal, you know? They look so much steadier than brooms,” you sighed, sitting on the low wall surrounding the courtyard, your friend following you.

“I’d tell you the reason, but you know it already.”

“Yes, they have been defined as a ‘muggle artifact’ by the registry of proscribed charmable objects, so now they’re banned. But so are brooms! I guess the ministry had to choose, and made a huge mistake.”

“Why don’t you send them an owl to make a change?” Seungmin proposed, amused by your beliefs.

“Are you out of your mind? My dad works at the ministry, I don’t fancy receiving a howler during breakfast for my ‘disrespect of the wizarding law’, thank you very much.”

You visibly shivered at the thought.

“Would be fun to—” Seungmin started, but your attention drifted off to a guy standing on the edge of the fountain.

“Anyone want to do my history homework? I can pay,” proposed a fourth year Gryffindor, Eric if you weren’t mistaken.

Seeing you were about to get up to walk in the direction of the guy, Seungmin stopped you by tugging on your robe. “You’re not seriously considering it?”

“Why not? If he pays well, I can buy some books at Fleury and Bott this weekend,” you shrugged.

“I’ll buy you every book you want but please. Don’t do it, you already have a lot on your plate.”

“Aww. Do I detect worry? You’re so cute. Every book I want, huh? You can’t back down now!”

Seungmin grimaced a bit as he watched you excitedly walking to your next class. He sighed tiredly before joining you, considering Eric’s offer for a brief moment to buy those books. That would’ve been hypocritical of him to do that, so he kept walking.

He never regretted it because he could spend more quality time with you. His wallet though, it was another story.

Out of the books you acquired, there was the ‘Quintessence: A Quest’ charm book destined for the sixth year students.

Back to Ravenclaw’s common room that Sunday, you browsed through it while Seungmin was, no big surprise, working on assignments. Chaewon was with you two for a few hours, then decided to go outside, quoting her: ‘to enjoy the first warm day of the year.’

As you were turning the pages, a spell caught your eye. It was the bubble-head charm.

“I can’t believe that spell is too advanced for me,” you whispered to yourself.

Seungmin took a quick look at your interest and shrugged, saying, “it never stopped me.”

“Me neither. I’m just saying that it’s a cool spell that we should’ve learned already! How cool would it be to swim in the black lake for hours, meet the merpeople and the giant squid?”

“Y/N, let me stop you right there,” he said seriously, bringing a hand up. “The black lake is forbidden, please don’t do anything stupid. Jisung is already a pain for losing house points daily,” he requested, his eyes pleading.

“Contrary to what you may think, I didn’t get sorted into Ravenclaw simply because I like the color blue. I know how to stay out of trouble.” Seungmin gave you an unimpressed look. “Okay. Okay, I won’t enter the black lake. Promise.”

“Thank you,” he let out a relieved sigh.

“I’m still learning that spell, though.”

“Y/N!”

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“The library is like a second Ravenclaw common room at this point,” Chaewon pointed out, sitting next to you at a table attached to one of many narrow rows. “I’ve seen a majority of blue robes since I entered.”

“Can’t deny it,” you shrugged, amused, finishing a transfiguration assignment.

Your friend chuckled lightly, stopped abruptly when she heard a ‘shh’ from the end of the row —the librarian, no doubt— and sighed quietly. “I have five minutes to cry over my potions essay.”

“Already?”

Lunch time was about to end. Passing your own potions essay to your friend under her thanks, you packed up your things and waited for her to rectify a few facts on her parchment.

“I’m forever grateful,” the Ravenclaw girl said on your way to the dungeons, where you joined Seungmin and the Hufflepuffs.

“Come on Chae, we’re friends. I would lend you my essays anytime.”

“You’re the best Y/N!” Chaewon exclaimed, a pretty eye smile adorning her soft features, as she put her arms around one of yours.

Seungmin stood there, smiling to himself at the exchange, his eyes lingering on your face, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jisung. As you all entered the classroom, he nudged his friend.

“Is this a one-sided enemies to lovers au?”

He friendly slapped his shoulder and told him to shut up. Everyone around you both knew your past. It was quite the show.

“It’s so frustrating! He’s always ahead of me, no matter how hard I try to be the best,” you told your cousin.

It was about April of your second year. You had a cousin who was in his 7th year at that time. A Slytherin, too.

“You’re being too hard on yourself, Y/N,” he smiled as he put a hand on your shoulder.

Shinwon was always supportive and cheerful, despite your family motto (‘be the best in everything’). At seventeen, he already chose his path, his parents accepting it or not. Indeed, he wanted to become a healer at St Mungo’s and save lives. It was admirable, and you wished you were more like him.

“I know your parents are putting a lot of pressure on you, but you’re only twelve. Enjoy your school years, forge your own path, make friends and, more importantly, be happy.”

Those words actually helped you get through the end of your second year. Your cousin was now a healer at St Mungo’s as he dreamed of, and to honor his kind words, you were enjoying your school days as much as you could.

After potions, you got to herbology.

You’ve spent the two last classes learning the herbivicus charm, and Seungmin particularly loved it. All week, he practiced on the few plants in the common room, or the ones outside.

Herbology was one of your friend’s favorite subjects, he loved to take care of the plants, even outside of class. The professor let him water every plant in the greenhouses on weekends— to his request.

At lunch, you were eating with Seungmin, Chaewon, Jisung, his partner in crime and Chani. The latter looked around the table, stopped for a few seconds, then offered his hand over the table for Chaewon to shake. She confusedly did.

“Looks like we’re likely to end up together, this feels like a triple date.” Chaewon removed her hand from his under the protests and indignation of the five persons concerned. Chani put his hands up in fake surrender, “That was a joke, jeez.”

“Not very funny,” muttered Jisung before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

“Don’t scare me like that again,” Chaewon glared at Chani, gently rubbing the hand that touched his own under the table.

He sent her an apologetic smile, and you were so immersed in their conversation that —you caught Chani’s red ears and how your friend’s features didn’t match her actions— you weren’t aware of Seungmin gazing at you, his brain going blank.

No thoughts, just your pretty eyes, cute smile and soft skin.

He snapped out of it when Jisung flicked his fingers in front of him. “You okay there, mate? Looks like you were daydreaming.”

Seungmin kicked him under the table —making him dramatically yelp in pain— and resumed eating his lunch in silence, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

Actually, he had harbored feelings for you for quite some time, a few months before you talked out your rivalry. He never said anything, of course, by fear you would reject him or worse, end your friendship with him. He always did his best to hide his secret from everyone; that was until Jisung caught up.

During defense against the dark arts this afternoon, as Ravenclaws and Slytherins were practicing the twitchy-ears hex —and, therefore, the shield charm—, Jisung and his partner in crime were half-heartedly training, preferring taking their time to chat, glancing at Seungmin and you from time to time from the other side of the room. You were diligently practicing with Chaewon while Chani was with Seungmin.

The latter wasn’t fully concentrated though, often having the overwhelming feeling of eyes boring into him. He didn’t like that. It even made him mess up his shield charm, resulting in him feeling his ear twitch. He groaned, congratulated Chani and pointed his wand at his ear, whispering: “Finite.” Then, he hexed Jisung across the room when he wasn’t looking, his partner being confused because they wasn’t the one to hex him.

Meanwhile, Chaewon and you were pretty good at this so everytime one of you casted a spell, there was no difference. Both your shield charms were perfect.

“Almost would’ve liked to know how the hex feels,” Chaewon laughed during recess.

You were at the library, working on the herbology essay you got that morning, with Seungmin and Chaewon. Without a word, you put your wand out of your robe pocket, pointing it at your friend. She raised her hands to her ears, an unpleasant look on her face.

“I said almost! It’s quite irksome, actually.” You released her from the hex and she relaxed, quickly rubbing her ears, “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

Seungmin was lost in thought, thinking about how smart and talented you were. He had a stupid smile on his face until he shook his head and realized Chaewon was staring at him suspiciously. He coughed and got back to his assignment, not being able to fully focus.

He was losing control of his emotions.

That night in the common room, as you three were still working —uh, boringgg— on your assignments before dinner, Chaewon decided she had enough and preferred reading a romance book on her bed. She packed her stuff and went to her dorm, leaving Seungmin and you in a comfortable silence. Until Jisung entered the room, sneakily walking behind your backs at a safe distance.

He pointed his wand at your sleeves —they were a few inches apart— and whispered: “Epoximise.” He then fled out of the room like he was never here, excitedly thinking how his plan was working perfectly.

You didn’t notice for like twenty seconds, but when you moved your hand to write on your parchment, Seungmin’s left arm followed. You looked at each other in disbelief, raising your arms to see what could’ve happened.

Seungmin’s robe sleeve somehow merged with yours.

The sudden proximity —your pinky fingers touched a few times— embarrassed you for some reason, while Seungmin was a blushing mess.

“We should probably do something about that,” you finally say, gesturing to your hands.

“Right.”

“You should do it.”

“Yeah,” he murmured as he took his wand, “finite.”

“I wonder who did this.”

“I have an idea.” Seungmin looked upset, but you didn’t pry. “I’ll be back,” he said, getting up and leaving the common room in a hurry.

You took this time alone —well, almost, there were other Ravenclaws around— to think about why your cheeks burned as much as they did when your hands were touching.

You didn’t like him like that, right?

He was just a good friend you disliked before, who’s been nothing but sweet and understanding. A truly smart guy who, despite his gigantic love for academics and books, could always make time to help others whenever they needed. You loved that in him— wait.

No, no, no.

While you tried to convince yourself it wasn’t ‘love’ you were feeling, Seungmin was out for Jisung’s head. He found him on the spiral staircase leading to their common room, walking up in his direction.

“Jisung,” he shouted from a few stairs above him, startling not only the concerned, but a few paintings too.

“Oh, Seung, hey, how’re you doing?” he asked as he stopped in his tracks.

“What were you THINKING?”

Slowly walking backwards, Jisung started sweating, his friend’s anger intimidating him a little. “It wasn’t—”

“I know it was you, don’t deny it. I’ve felt you staring at me for hours today, I knew you were planning something.”

“I was going to say that it wasn’t meant to hurt you in any way, more like bring you two closer with a little push. I’m sorry.”

“I should hex you right now,” Seungmin huffed.

“Didn’t you already do in dada?” he raised a brow, crossing his arms.

“True. I guess we’re even, then.”

Jisung let out a relieved breath, “how did it go?”

“It was awkward,” he explained as they came back to the common room together, “and I won’t discuss this matter further with you. You’ve done your part,” he stopped to give the eagle knocker an answer to his riddle, “please don’t do anything else.”

Jisung nodded as he saw you were alone at the table, your hands in your hair like you were having a crisis. He excused himself before going to his dorm, while Seungmin sat next to you. “You okay?”

You shot your head up, using your hands to fix your hair. “Of course. Yeah. Totally.”

It looked like you were freaking out, which worried Seungmin, but he kept his mouth shut, gazing at your face. You finally looked at him and it was weird, your heart was still beating fast but you felt at ease. You managed to smile, losing yourself in his soft brown eyes.

“You’re really beautiful,” he whispered to himself but you heard it.

You blushed, your smile growing wider. “You’re beautiful, too.”

His eyes widened, his ears got red as he hid his face behind his hands.

Giggling, you gently took his hands in yours and brought them down, leaning towards him. You looked in each other’s eyes with adoration.

He slowly closed the gap between you in a chaste kiss. It didn’t last long, but it was sweet and made you all fuzzy inside. The euphoria ended immediately after a couple Ravenclaws cheered for you, though, but it was a nice feeling.

At dinner, Seungmin, Chaewon, Jisung, his partner in crime, Chani and you were all eating together, and you two lovebirds were holding hands under the table.

Jisung raised his glass out of nowhere, “I’d like to make a toast.”

“We’re fourteen,” Chani interrupted.

“Shut up and raise your damn pumpkin juice,” he cursed in a whisper, before smiling at his friends raising their own glasses —reluctantly or not. “To the new couple I helped”—Seungmin scoffed—“make happen today,” he announced as he glanced at you two, “next is your turn, buddies,” he added to the attention of Chaewon and Chani, who blushed hard.

“Cheers,” his partner in crime jovially said, before drinking.

“And when’s your turn?” Seungmin asked Jisung, murmuring over the table so he’d be the only one hearing.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” he murmured back.

After dinner, Seungmin and you were walking around the courtyard, holding hands and making heart eyes at each other.

“Remember when I decided to learn the bubble-head charm?”

“I don’t think I like what you’re implying…” he softly answered, already feeling anxious about your next words.

“It’s not that bad, I promise,” you giggled, “I learned how to make blue sparks too.”

You put your wand out and pointed to the night sky. Making the right hand movement, jets of blue sparks came out of the tip of your wand, illuminating the sky. “Vermillious,” you enunciated, adding jets of red sparks into the mini fireworks, creating purple sparks in the process.

Seungmin was amazed, it was such a mesmerizing view. His eyes fell on your face, and, at that exact moment, intently watching as your eyes shone and your smile held pure gratification, he knew why he loved you.

You were full of life, always by his side, a good friend and so, so beautiful under the multicolored lights.

The librarian came out of nowhere with an unpleasant look —the usual— and hissed to the whole library before storming out: “Pray that I won’t find out who damaged our copy of Important modern magic discoveries.”

You looked at Seungmin at the other side of the table and laughed quietly while he shook his head. You knew who it was, but you wouldn’t snitch on a fellow Ravenclaw. Especially not when he cost too much house points already.

Seungmin didn’t like studying in the Great Hall because it was too loud compared to the library, where the librarian never accepted any sound (whispers were worse than speaking out loud for her). The common room was okay, sometimes, but it was mostly a place to chill and read.

Moreover, he knew every inch of the library like the back of his hand, so he often helped restock and find books for other students if they looked lost. You found that admirable, knowing the librarian’s temperament. He didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, she seemed to respect your friend, value even.

“I can’t believe Jisung’s scared of acromantulas,” you blurted out of the blue, the last class of defense against the dark arts still fresh on your mind.

“Me neither. He does have one fear, after all.”

You nodded, refocusing on your task at hand, when a tired-looking Chaewon sat next to you with a light thud. She sighed, pinching her nose bridge in annoyance.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, your voice laced with worry.

“I just tutored Heejin for transfiguration but she’s not making any effort.”

“She asked the professor herself, though?”

“Exactly! Ugh, why did it have to be me?”

“Ask the professor to change the tutor,” proposed Seungmin.

“Already did, but she said I was the second best choice, the first being Hyunjin, and he’s already tutoring a Gryffindor.”

“Wait. You don’t have to actually meet up, right?” You were not going to let your friend have a hard time for basically nothing.

“I guess not…”

“Then just don’t. I’m sure she doesn’t even need the help.”

“You’re right, she looked jealous over the person that genuinely needed the help,” recalled Seungmin.

“I guess she likes Hyunjin or something,” Chaewon shrugged.

“Poor girl. He’s never going to see her that way,” you shook your head.

“Shhh!” hissed the librarian behind you, making you all flinch. No one saw her coming back and it put an end to your conversation.

A few days later, in history of magic class, the professor monotonously recited his 14th century’s witch hunt lesson while some classmates were playing exploding snap at the back. Seungmin was, as usual, immersed in the lecture while you were trying your best not to fall asleep. Chaewon was diligently writing down notes two rows back, next to Hyunjin who gave up on staying awake a long time ago. You’ve never spent time with the Slytherin girl, but she was close to Chaewon. You could hear mini explosions and laughter from behind you, and if you weren't so drowsy right now, you would've gone to see how the game was going.

After the class, you went to the courtyard during recess with Seungmin.

“I just don’t get why flying carpets are illegal, you know? They look so much steadier than brooms,” you sighed, sitting on the low wall surrounding the courtyard, your friend following you.

“I’d tell you the reason, but you know it already.”

“Yes, they have been defined as a ‘muggle artifact’ by the registry of proscribed charmable objects, so now they're banned. But so are brooms! I guess the ministry had to choose, and made a huge mistake.”

“Why don’t you send them an owl to make a change?” Seungmin proposed, amused by your beliefs.

“Are you out of your mind? My dad works at the ministry, I don't fancy receiving a howler during breakfast for my 'disrespect of the wizarding law’, thank you very much.”

You visibly shivered at the thought.

“Would be fun to–” Seungmin started, but your attention drifted off to a guy standing on the edge of the fountain.

“Anyone want to do my history homework? I can pay,” proposed a fourth year Gryffindor, Eric if you weren’t mistaken.

Seeing you were about to get up to walk in the direction of the guy, Seungmin stopped you by tugging on your robe. “You’re not seriously considering it?”

“Why not? If he pays well, I can buy some books at Fleury and Bott this weekend,” you shrugged.

“I’ll buy you every book you want but please. Don’t do it, you already have a lot on your plate.”

“Aww. Is that worry? You’re so cute. Every book I want, huh? You can’t back down now!”

Seungmin grimaced a bit as he watched you excitedly walking to your next class. He sighed tiredly before joining you, considering Eric’s offer to buy those books for a brief moment. That would've been hypocritical of him to do that, so he kept walking.

He never regretted it because he could spend more quality time with you. His wallet though, it was another story.

Out of the books you acquired, there was the ‘Quintessence: A Quest’ charm book destined for the sixth year students.

Back to Ravenclaw’s common room that Sunday, you browsed through it while Seungmin was, no big surprise, working on assignments. Chaewon was with you two for a few hours, then decided to go outside, quoting her: ‘to enjoy the first warm day of the year.’

As you were turning the pages, a spell caught your eye. It was the bubble-head charm.

“I can’t believe that spell is too advanced for me,” you whispered to yourself.

Seungmin took a quick look at your interest and shrugged, saying, “it never stopped me.”

“Me neither. I’m just saying that it’s a cool spell that we should've learned already! How cool would it be to swim in the black lake for hours, meet the merpeople and the giant squid?”

“Y/N, let me stop you right there,” he said seriously, bringing a hand up. “The black lake is forbidden, please don’t do anything stupid. Jisung is already a pain for losing house points daily,” he requested, his eyes pleading.

“Contrary to what you may think, I didn’t get sorted into Ravenclaw simply because I like the color blue. I know how to stay out of trouble.” Seungmin gave you an unimpressed look. “Okay. Okay, I won’t enter the black lake. Promise.”

“Thank you,” he let out a relieved sigh.

“I’m still learning that spell, though.”

“Y/N!”

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿ฺ

“The library is like a second Ravenclaw common room at this point,” Chaewon pointed out, sitting next to you at a table attached to one of many narrow rows. “I’ve seen a majority of blue robes since I entered.”

“Can’t deny it,” you shrugged, amused, finishing a transfiguration assignment.

Your friend chuckled lightly, stopped abruptly when she heard a ‘shh’ from the end of the row –the librarian, no doubt– and sighed quietly. “I have five minutes to cry over my potions essay.”

“Already?”

Lunch time was about to end. Passing your own potions essay to your friend under her thanks, you packed up your things and waited for her to rectify a few facts on her parchment.

“I’m forever grateful,” the Ravenclaw girl said on your way to the dungeons, where you joined Seungmin and the Hufflepuffs.

“Come on Chae, we're friends. I would lend you my essays anytime.”

“You’re the best Y/N!” Chaewon exclaimed, a pretty eye smile adorning her soft features, as she put her arms around one of yours.

Seungmin stood there, smiling to himself at the exchange, his eyes lingering on your face, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jisung. As you all entered the classroom, he nudged his friend.

“Is this a one-sided enemy to lovers au?”

He friendly slapped his shoulder and told him to shut up. Everyone around Seungmin and you knew your past. It was quite the show.

“It’s so frustrating! He’s always ahead of me, no matter how hard I try to be the best,” you told your cousin.

It was about April of your second year. You had a cousin who was in his 7th year at that time. A Slytherin, too.

“You’re being too hard on yourself, Y/N,” he smiled as he put a hand on your shoulder.

Shinwon was always supportive and cheerful, despite your family motto (‘be the best in everything’). At seventeen, he already chose his path, his parents accepting it or not. Indeed, he wanted to become a healer at St Mungo’s and save lives. It was admirable, and you wished you were more like him.

“I know your parents are putting a lot of pressure on you, but you’re only twelve. Enjoy your school years, forge your own path, make friends and, more importantly, be happy.”

Those words actually helped you get through the end of your second year. Your cousin was now a healer at St Mungo’s as he dreamed of, and to honor his kind words, you were enjoying your school days as much as you could.

After potions, you got to herbology.

You’ve spent the two last classes learning the herbivicus charm, and Seungmin particularly loved it. All week, he practiced on the few plants in the common room, or the ones outside.

Herbology was one of your friend’s favorite subjects, he loved to take care of the plants, even outside of class. The professor let him water every plant in the greenhouses on weekends— to his request.

At lunch, you were eating with your friends, Jisung, his partner in crime and Chani. The latter looked around the table, stopped for a few seconds, then offered his hand over the table for Chaewon to shake. She confusedly did.

“Looks like we're likely to end up together, this feels like a triple date.” Chaewon removed her hand from his under the protests and indignation of the five persons concerned. Chani put his hands up in fake surrender, “That was a joke, jeez.”

“Not very funny,” muttered Jisung before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

“Don't scare me like that again,” Chaewon glared at Chani, gently rubbing the hand that touched his own under the table.

He sent her an apologetic smile, and you were so immersed in their conversation that —you caught Chani’s red ears and how your friend’s features didn't match her actions— you weren't aware of Seungmin gazing at you, his brain going blank.

No thoughts, just your pretty eyes, cute smile and soft skin.

He snapped out of it when Jisung flicked his fingers in front of him. “You okay there, mate? Looks like you were daydreaming.”

Seungmin kicked him under the table —making him dramatically yelp in pain— and resumed eating his lunch in silence, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

Actually, he has harbored feelings for you for quite some time, a few months before you talked out your rivalry. He never said anything, of course, by fear you would reject him or worse, end your friendship with him. He always did his best to hide his secret from everyone; that was until Jisung caught up.

During defense against the dark arts this afternoon, as Ravenclaws and Slytherins were practicing the twitchy-ears hex —and, therefore, the shield charm—, Jisung and his partner in crime were half-heartedly training, preferring taking their time to chat, glancing at Seungmin and you from time to time from the other side of the room. You were diligently practicing with Chaewon while Chani was with Seungmin.

The latter wasn’t fully concentrated though, often having the overwhelming feeling of eyes boring into him. He didn’t like that. It even made him mess up his shield charm, resulting in him feeling his ear twitch. He groaned, congratulated Chani and pointed his wand at his ear, whispering: “Finite.” Then, he hexed Jisung across the room when he wasn’t looking, his partner being confused because she wasn’t the one to hex him.

Meanwhile, Chaewon and you were pretty good at this so everytime one of you casted a spell, there was no difference. Both your shield charms were perfect.

“Almost would’ve like to know how the hex feels,” Chaewon laughed during recess.

You were at the library, working on the herbology essay you got that morning, with Seungmin and Chaewon. Without a word, you put your wand out of your robe pocket, pointing it at your friend. She raised her hands to her ears, an unpleasant look on her face.

“I said almost! It’s quite irksome, actually.” You released her from the hex and she relaxed, quickly rubbing her ears, “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

Seungmin was lost in thought, thinking about how smart and talented you were. He had a stupid smile on his face until he shook his head and realized Chaewon was staring at him suspiciously. He coughed and got back to his assignment, not being able to fully focus.

He was losing control of his emotions.

That night in the common room, as you three were still working —uh, boringgg— on your assignments before dinner, Chaewon decided she had enough and preferred reading a romance book on her bed. She packed her stuff and went to her dorm, leaving Seungmin and you in a comfortable silence. Until Jisung entered the room, sneakily walking behind your backs at a safe distance.

He pointed his wand at your sleeves —they were a few inches apart— and whispered: “Epoximise.” He then fled out of the room like he was never here, excitedly thinking how his plan was working perfectly.

You didn’t notice for like twenty seconds, but when you moved your hand to write on your parchment, Seungmin’s left arm followed. You looked at each other in disbelief, raising your arms to see what could’ve happened.

Seungmin’s robe sleeve somehow merged with yours.

The sudden proximity —your pinky fingers touched a few times— embarrassed you for some reason, while Seungmin was a blushing mess.

“We should probably do something about that,” you finally say, gesturing to your hands.

“Right.”

“You should do it.”

“Yeah,” he murmured as he took his wand, “finite.”

“I wonder who did this.”

“I have an idea.” Seungmin looked upset, but you didn’t pry. “I’ll be back,” he said, getting up and leaving the common room in a hurry.

You took this time alone —well, almost, there were other Ravenclaws around— to think about why your cheeks burned as much as they did when your hands were touching.

You didn’t like him like that, right?

He was just a good friend you disliked before, who’s been nothing but sweet and understanding. A truly smart guy who, despite his gigantic love for academics and books, could always make time to help others whenever they needed. You loved that in him— wait.

No, no, no.

While you tried to convince yourself it wasn’t ‘love’ you were feeling, Seungmin was out for Jisung’s head. He found him on the spiral staircase leading to their common room, walking up in his direction.

“Jisung,” he shouted from a few stairs above him, startling not only the concerned, but a few paintings too.

“Oh, Seung, hey, how’re you doing?” he asked as he stopped in his tracks.

“What were you THINKING?”

Slowly walking backwards, Jisung started sweating, his friend’s anger intimidating him a little. “It wasn’t—”

“I know it was you, don’t deny it. I’ve felt you staring at me for hours today, I knew you were planning something.”

“I was going to say that it wasn’t meant to hurt you in any way, more like bring you two closer with a little push. I’m sorry.”

“I should hex you right now,” Seungmin huffed.

“Didn’t you already do in dada?” he raised a brow, crossing his arms.

“True. I guess we’re even, then.”

Jisung let out a relieved breath, “how did it go?”

“It was awkward,” he explained as they came back to the common room together, “and I won’t discuss this matter further with you. You’ve done your part,” he stopped to give the eagle knocker an answer to his riddle, “please don’t do anything else.”

Jisung nodded as he saw you were alone at the table, your hands in your hair like you were having a crisis. He excused himself before going to his dorm, while Seungmin sat next to you. “You okay?”

You shot your head up, using your hands to fix your hair. “Of course. Yeah. Totally.”

It looked like you were freaking out, which worried Seungmin, but he kept his mouth shut, gazing at your face. You finally looked at him and it was weird, your heart was still beating fast but you felt at ease. You managed to smile, losing yourself in his soft brown eyes.

“You’re really beautiful,” he whispered but you heard it.

You blushed, your smile growing wider. “You’re beautiful, too.”

His eyes widened, his ears got red as he hid his face behind his hands.

Giggling, you gently took his hands in yours and brought them down, leaning towards him. You looked in each other’s eyes with adoration.

He slowly closed the gap between you in a chaste kiss. It didn’t last long, but it was sweet and made you all fuzzy inside. The euphoria ended immediately after a couple Ravenclaws cheered for you, though, but it was a nice feeling.

At dinner, Seungmin, Chaewon, Jisung, his partner in crime, Chani and you were all eating together, and you two lovebirds were holding hands under the table.

Jisung raised his glass out of nowhere, “I’d like to make a toast.”

“We’re fourteen,” Chani interrupted.

“Shut up and raise your damn pumpkin juice,” he cursed in a whisper, before smiling at his friends raising their own glasses —reluctantly or not. “To the new couple I helped”—Seungmin scoffed—“make happen today,” he announced as he glanced at you two, “next is your turn, buddies,” he added to the attention of Chaewon and Chani, who blushed hard.

“Cheers,” his partner in crime jovially said, before drinking.

“And when’s your turn?” Seungmin asked Jisung, murmuring over the table so he’d be the only one hearing.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” he murmured back.

After dinner, Seungmin and you were walking around the courtyard, holding hands and making heart eyes at each other.

“Remember when I decided to learn the bubble-head charm?”

“I don’t think I like what you’re implying…” he softly answered, already feeling anxious about your next words.

“It’s not that bad, I promise,” you giggled, “I learned how to make blue sparks too.”

You put your wand out and pointed to the night sky. Making the right hand movement, jets of blue sparks came out of the tip of your wand, illuminating the sky. “Vermillious,” you enunciated, adding jets of red sparks into the mini fireworks, creating purple sparks in the process.

Seungmin was amazed, it was such a mesmerizing view. His eyes fell on your face, and, at that exact moment, intently watching as your eyes shone and your smile held pure gratification, he knew why he loved you.

Chaewon was a wonderful woman. She was beautiful, funny, caring, and the best friend that you could ever have. So, with all the care and acts of kindness, it wasn’t a surprise for you to develop feelings for your best friend. You were already on the edge of luck by having her as a best friend. You were afraid of pushing it when you hoped that she would feel the same for you. 

Yet no matter how many times you’ve pushed past the feelings, all they do is come back stronger. 

"Oh, you’re already here? Sorry, Hyeju kept stopping at every food stall." You snapped out of your reverie, blinking your eyes and registering the sudden lump on the bed, followed by another voice from the girl who tried to defend herself. "In my defense, you didn’t stop me." 

You laughed at their banter, shaking your head and pushing past the troubles in your head. Once again, burying them in hopes that they won’t resurface. 

But when did you ever get what you wanted?

—

"What’s in that head of yours?" Hyunjin eyed your form, watching as you desperately tried to hide the fact that you were internally having a war inside your head. "Nothing much," you replied casually as you sprawled out on the couch.

Hyunjin buys your excuse. However, she keeps a close eye on you. She sees how you drift into space again, shaking her head at your antics before she walks to the kitchen to find something to eat. She prepares bread and jam, quietly making her food while she glances in your direction. She keeps to herself for a few minutes, but eventually, she clears her throat to address you. 

"When do you plan on talking to Gowon?" Her voice pulls you out again, forcing you to look at her confusedly. "Talk about what?" You ask, sitting up while she casually walks towards you, munching on her meal. 

"You know…" she leads on, making you tilt your head in wonder before she rolls her eyes. "Don’t you like her?" She says straightforwardly, making you almost choke on nothing while she takes a seat beside you. 

"I—I don’t—" 

Hyunjin shakes her head at you, nudging your shoulder. "Don’t even try to hide it from me. I’m your second best friend after Gowon. I know you Y/n, you can’t hide." She points out that you have to swallow the lump in your throat when you feel your face heating up. 

"Was I that obvious?" You whisper, looking around to see if the other girl is nearby. Hyunjin shakes her head, a certain flash of emotion in her eyes, one that you don’t notice before she speaks. "To me it is," she answers simply, making you sigh in defeat, confirming your best friend's thoughts. 

"I don’t know what I should do. I've been meaning to tell her for a long time. But I can’t figure out how. Not to mention the consequences that come with me admitting to her." You let out a visibly deflated sigh on the couch as Hyunjin finished her snack. "You need to take a little risk once in a while, Y/n. Nothing in this world doesn’t have consequences." She says, and you have to groan because she does have a point. 

Hyunjin has become another close friend of yours. Of course, being friends with one means that you will become friends with all of her members. It started when Chaewon brought you to their dorms, introducing you as a friend and being the nosy people they were, you were suddenly sat down and interrogated. 

At first, they assumed that you were her girlfriend, but you quickly told them that you were only friends, earning a few skeptical looks, but they bought it anyway. After that, they all apologized, and that was the moment you were initiated into their little chaotic family. Chaewon was glad that you didn’t run away, although she found it funny how her members acted so casually after the fact. However, in the end, everyone was happy. 

"This isn’t some movie, Hyunjin. Gowon is my best friend. There's too much to lose if I suddenly confess to her." You argue, yet your friend shakes her head. "Bottling up your feelings is only going to put you in a tight situation. You won't be able to distinguish the difference between friendship and a relationship, so you’re going to drift farther away until you eventually admit it. Either way, someone’s going to get hurt." 

You had to pause, glancing at the girl who spoke so seriously that she made you give her a once-over, checking to see if you were talking to Hyunjin. Truthfully, you expect her to make fun of you, teasing you the moment she finds out about your little crush. However, seeing and hearing this much seriousness come from your friend made you uncomfortable. 

Because she was able to bring out the thoughts you’ve been having in your head. The conflicting sides keep you staring into oblivion. Even as you watch her walk away, you fiddle with your palm, your nails itching your skin as you are left alone with your thoughts. Every single word that came from her was true, and you don’t know how to deal with it. 

—

"Hey, do you mind if I tell you something?" You took a deep breath, interlacing your hands behind your back as you stared at the girl in front of you, causing a fluttering sensation to form in your stomach. It was a Sunday afternoon. You and Chaewon were spending the day off at the park. The sunlight shone perfectly above her, framing her pretty face as the wind brushed her hair. She was so breathtaking. 

She hums in response, pausing in her steps to look at you with her bright eyes. Your breath hitched at that, captured by her stare as you swallowed harshly. "I don’t know how to say this but—"

You were interrupted when someone stopped in front of you, making you glance at the girl who was smiling from ear to ear, a bit of excitement visible on her face before she turned towards Chaewon. "Excuse me, but are you Gowon? From Loona?" She asks before you visibly deflate, the sudden courage that you had fading away whilst your friend looks conflicted, glancing between you and the fan. 

You put on your best smile and nod your head, stepping a few feet away to give them their time. 

Meanwhile, you were off to the side, letting out a sigh as you bit on your bottom lip. After talking with Hyunjin and having a sizable week to prepare, you finally found the courage to confess to Chaewon. Although it took a week longer than expected, you scrounged up enough to talk to her. 

You were already filled with nerves and dread in your chest as you thought about all the risks that come with it. However, it all managed to fly away when you were stopped in your tracks. You would’ve been fine if it was cut up at the end. Hearing her answer was one of your concerns, but to get interrupted right as you were going to do it? That was the one to shatter your confidence. 

It took a few minutes for them to finish before Chaewon was making her way toward you, smiling apologetically before she asked you to continue where you left off. Unfortunately, you only managed a small smile before waving it off, suddenly finding excuses to brush the conversation away. 

Your friend wasn’t having any of it, but you managed to steer it away somehow, partly because the growing crowd aided your intentions of bringing her mind elsewhere. 

It took a week of self-doubt until you finally gained some courage. Now you are filled with dread upon the realization that it might take longer to gather up more. And you’re not sure if your feelings could wait that long. 

—

You looked at the glowing screen, tapping your fingers impatiently while the beeping tone kept ringing. When the line connected, you felt a surge of nervousness build up in your body as a soft voice greeted you. "Hello?" You took a deep breath, shaking your nerves away before responding to your friend. 

"Hey, are you home right now?" You ask, hearing the oddly noisy background, which makes your eyebrows furrow. "Oh, you’re on schedule?" You assume, to which the girl on the other side denies, "I’m out right now. Hyeju wanted to go eat food. I tagged along." She answers a pout forming on your face since the first part of your plan has already been foiled. 

Finally, it took you a few days to recover your courage, much quicker this time, and you were hoping to ask her out today. But you didn’t even begin and you were already down in the dumps. 

"Am I disturbing anything?" You ask out of politeness, hearing shuffling behind the speaker before Chaewon tells you that you weren’t. "Do you need anything?" She asks curiously after a few minutes of silence. You bite your lip in contemplation, sighing before you shake your head, forgetting that she couldn’t see you. 

"Nothing, I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. I’ll let you have fun with Hyeju. Enjoy your time out!" You say cheerfully before hanging up without hearing her response back. You laid back with a grunt, before whining to yourself. You panicked that she may have caught on to your feelings, so you wanted to end the call as soon as possible. However, you knew that she would be concerned and you weren’t the type to just call and have nothing to say. 

So a few hours later, when your phone rings, you flinch at the sound and pause when you see her name on your lock screen. You thought about not picking it up, but that would only make her worry even more. 

"Hello?" 

"Y/n!" You could sense the distress in her voice, concern laced with just the mention of your name. "What’s wrong? Did something happen?" She asks as you close your eyes and mutter to yourself. Stupid! Stupid!

"Nothing…? What are you on about?" You tried your best to sound confused, but Chaewon was dead set on figuring out the problem. "Don’t play dumb with me. What’s wrong?" She pushes further, making you sigh before you give in. 

"I just…have a lot on my mind. I’m sorry." You admitted it, and it wasn’t a lie. You did have a lot of things on your mind, but you weren’t going to say what they were. This isn’t the right place or time to do so. Somehow, Chaewon’s voice became softer, and her next words increased the nervousness in your chest. "I know I’ve been busy these past couple of days, I haven’t been the best friend. How about we meet at the café? I’ll treat you to a drink to make it up to you." 

With the tone she’s using, you’re not too sure you can refuse, so with a shake of your head, you agree. "Great! I’ll see you tomorrow!" 

Unlike the other days when you smiled after your call, there was nothing short of nervousness on your face. Maybe this was finally going to be your chance. 

—

"I don’t think I can do this." You announce, earning an eye roll from your friend while she browses her phone, sparing you a glance before she sits up. "You’re too tense. Breathe a little. Nothing is different about today; it’s still Gowon you’re seeing, not the queen." She deadpans, but you did lose some nervousness when you realized the truth in her statement. 

Yet you turn around and cover your face with your hands, "I’m gonna throw up." 

At that, Hyunjin sat up and marched towards you, holding your shoulders and separating your hands from your face. "All these nerves are only going to make you back out. Just breathe, okay? You got this. Don’t think about it too much. Let your heart talk." She says, oddly comforting you while her tone relaxes your mind. 

She felt your shoulders relax, a smile forming on her face before she saw you glance at the reflection in the mirror. "Thanks for coming and helping me out, Hyun." You say gratefully, seeing the girl look at you with a fond smile before turning around abruptly. 

"No problem, kid, now go before you’re late, your princess is waiting." 

—

"Hey, have you been waiting long?" You shake your head in response, even if it was a lie, but you weren’t going to say that. You’ve been waiting for thirty minutes, debating in your mind if you should get up and run away, despite being told by Hyunjin to calm down. 

How could you? The moment your eyes met Chaewon's, everything paused around you. Despite how cliche it is, you felt your heart stop and your stomach drop. Even if her face was half-covered, she still looked ethereal. 

Swallowing your nervousness, you smiled at your friend, offering her the drink you ordered while she accepted it and started the conversation. 

For the first hour, both of you caught up with each other. It was rocky in the first few sentences, mainly because you had to find excuses for why you disappeared for a week, but after that, you talked like you normally did. However, you couldn’t escape the reality of your sudden hangout. 

"So what’s wrong? Don’t think I forgot about your attitude during that phone call." She brings it up, making you stiffen in your place while she squints her eyes at you, observing your actions. You bit your lip while your mind figured out the proper words to say, but a gentle hand on your own made you stop. 

"If you’re not comfortable telling me it’s okay, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to." Your heart softens at that, a breath leaving your lips before you decide to tell her. It was now or never. "I—"

"I’m sorry. I know I haven't been the greatest friend recently. I just had some things on my mind." You pause when she cuts you off, seeing the somber look on her face. "Can I tell you something?" You notice the hesitation in her eyes, recognizing the look when she usually struggles with voicing out something. 

"I—I like you a lot, Y/n. More than just a friend." 

As you watch her look at you with a gleam in her eyes, your mind short circuits, and every word is lost in your throat. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. It felt like a fever dream. Everything that you’ve been hoping to hear from her came true in just one sentence. 

All those weeks of putting it off finally weren’t in vain.

—

The flashing lights and loud music made the girl’s head spin. Furrowing her eyebrows and entering the crowded room, she had to cover her nose when the scent of alcohol and sweat rushed to her senses. She looked around and searched for the bar, seeing a few people sitting there dancing and drinking. 

She caught sight of familiar black hair, walking towards the figure and occupying the seat beside them. She looks up and recognizes her friend, taking another shot from the glass. It seemed like it wasn’t the first, and by the look she saw, it wasn’t going to be the last. 

When the bartender offers another shot, she immediately denies it, gaining your attention as you look and frown upon recognizing your friend. "What are you doing here?" Your words are slurred, further insinuating that you had more shots than perceived. Your friend scoffs, pushing away the glass before holding your wrist. "I should be the one asking that. What are you doing here?" She asks through the blaring music, scrunching her nose when the stench of alcohol comes from your breath.

"I’m celebrating my sorrows. Leave me alone." You tried to sit down, but her strength was greater than yours, forcefully pulling you out of the club and into the streets, where you closed your eyes as a headache overcame your senses. The bright lights from the passing cars and the sudden lack of screaming people were odd. Maybe you did spend more than you were supposed to at the club. 

You try to pull away from her grasp. However, the alcohol in your veins prevents you from doing so. "Let me go, Hyunjin." Your friend ignores your words, dragging you towards the nearest park and setting you down on the bench as she takes the seat beside you. 

Silence lingered while both of you sat on the bench. Hyunjin lets you sober up while you only let your thoughts wander as your body slowly gets used to the lack of alcohol.

"How did you find me?" You inquire after a few minutes, seeing your friend turn her head in the corner of your eye. She sighs and shrugs her head, crossing her arms across her chest. "I guessed you would be here, Gowon told me this was the place you recommended to her." She answers, noticing the way your shoulders flinch at the mention of your best friend. 

"Why did you lie?" She asks again, this time gaining your attention as you lock eyes with her. "You told me everything went fine when you met her. That she was going to think about it?" 

Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, struggling to find a response, mainly because of the alcohol but partly because of the confusion due to her question. "If what you said was true, then why did she and Hyeju come out as a couple?" You freeze at her announcement, sudden memories flashing in your eyes. 

"But I like someone else now." 

The instant that you felt like you were soaring through the skies, you were suddenly shot down, and your dreams shattered into a million pieces upon seeing the smile littered on Chaewon’s face. "I know this must sound weird because we’re friends, but trust me. I still like you, but just as friends." Each word that comes from her feels like a stab to the heart, your shoulders growing heavier as she continues to explain. 

"Who's the lucky person then?" You ask, masking the sadness in your eyes before another smile comes to her face. A tinge of red floats on her cheeks, which further adds to the heartbreak that you are feeling. "H-Hyeju," 

"Damn, and to think I almost swept you off your feet," you joked, eliciting a laugh from your friend as she reached over to punch you on the shoulder, exacerbating the pain you were feeling inside.

"No seriously, I did like you for a while. I was just afraid of telling you and ruining our friendship. The reason why I was so busy is that I needed some time to think. Then I realized that I liked Hyeju. She was the other person who was close to me. She was with me through everything, and that made me see everything. I know it sounds weird, but if I toughened up then maybe I would’ve admitted to you, who knows, we would’ve been a good couple." She shrugs, not noticing the look behind your eyes. "I let my cowardness take over and I lost the chance."

There wasn’t a word to describe what you were feeling. A mixture of sadness, anger, and regret. She had the same feelings as you. But you both got scared and backed out. While she moved on, you were still stuck feeling the same and maybe even more. 

But the words that stuck with you only made the pain multiply.

"I let my cowardness take over and I lost the chance."

"If I toughened up, then maybe I would’ve admitted to you, who knows, we would’ve been a good couple."

Hyunjin noticed your silence, the emotions that were flashing in your eyes before she stood up, offering to walk along the path. 

Silence lingered again, but this time your thoughts seemed to spill out since Hyunjin was also empathizing with you. There was a strange look on her face before she stopped at the end and rested her arms along the railing, listening to the river flow. She glances at you, only to lock eyes with yours when she sees that you are already looking at her. 

It might’ve been the alcohol, but you noticed her features more clearly, the moonlight helping define her face and bright eyes. Your eyes trailed down and locked onto her lips. In a split second, she felt warm lips resting on hers, a gasp slipping from her lips when you leaned forward and kissed her. 

She pushed you away and tasted a hint of alcohol, seeing the way your eyes were filled once again with sadness. "W-What are you doing?" She asks, but you only shake your head. 

"I know you like me, Hyunjin." Her eyes widened at the assumption, and her heart started to pick up the pace. "The looks you give me and the emotions in your eyes aren’t very hard to notice." Her breath hitches, and it didn’t take long for you to realize that she wasn’t denying anything. 

Hyunjin has been by your side for so long, through all the times you’ve panicked and all the times you've hesitated about your feelings. While you were too busy with your own, there were times that you noticed her own emotions. The ones she hid behind a mask and the times where she easily related to your problems with Chaewon because it does take one to know one. 

So it’s not a mystery that she would be the one looking for you when they figured out about Chaewon and Hyeju. Because only she was aware of your emotions.