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minachuuu · 1 year

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Follow The Light [P3]

❣Follow The Light❣ Part 3/3

After months and a lot of waiting, the long awaited end to this story is finally here. My longest work yet, I wasn’t going to shorten it honestly. You deserve every word for all the time I made you wait. Thanks for the support, I hope you like this.🧡

❤ Pairing: Hufflepuff!Jihan x Ravenclaw!Reader

❤ Genre: Fluff & a bit Angst.

❤ Word Count: 10.7k

⚠ Content Warning: Spider!

❤ Song Suggestions: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by Sleeping at Last & Memories of Summer Rain by Weeekly.

June 20th

Your leg bounced at the rhythm of the muffled band drum outside the tent. Not dissuaded at all by the downpour going on. You could hear the cheers raging, screams coming from one school just being drowned down by another one in an endless roar battle that only seemed to drill further into your skull the more you spent hurdled in there.

If only they knew their own champions aren’t as fixed on the rivalry as they were.

The wind flowing in through the few slits made you shiver, bringing you a perfect excuse for the endless shaking that your terrified mind inflicted in your body.

A hand reached for yours, warm but careful on its very touch, making you finally snap up your gaze from the floor.

“It’s going to be alright,” Jihan’s whisper contrasted against the noisy exterior. “You’re a great wizard and whatever happens in there, I know-”

“Jihan…” You stopped her with a mutter. “I don’t wanna go.”

She nodded, understanding. You were expecting some kind of encouragement, some way of lifting as anybody could have given you. But you just received her silent nod with one corner of her lips slowly rising up.

The sky thundered, as it had for the entire evening heading to this dreadful moment. But each time it was louder, closer. Jihan stood up, slowly walking to the back of the tent and opened it to reveal a somber sky.

“I used to be so scared of storms.” She murmured. “The darkness they brought, the loud sounds and the rumbling of the ground below my feet each time lightning hit. Seven years ago, you remember?”

Only then she turned around to you, your eyes meeting in a silent request to move closer. So you did, hoping that your silence allowed her to continue.

“All the lanterns went out as I headed towards my dorm and the castle still seemed so big to little me.” Another lighting hit on the hills far away from the school, not facing any of you. “You walked me all the way, even if your dorm was the farthest from mine. And I remember you saying ‘You’re going to be alright, whatever happens just… follow the light.’”

“Champions! Prepare” A voice announced over every noise, cheer and thunder.

But your body tensed in place, only made more apparent when Jihan’s hand grabbed onto your wrist.

“Jihan-”

“Yes, I know that my fear sounds stupid now, but that day you were the bravest person in the world.” With a little pull of her hand, she turned you towards her, grabbing your other, sweaty hand in hers. “And I know I said otherwise just to tease you before but… To my eyes you are the bravest. I haven’t thought otherwise since then.”

“Time to go Y/n!” Monday’s voice pierced through the tent, hers and Zoa’s shadows already walking past and heading to the Quidditch pitch.

“Just one last thing from someone who would like to return a favor.” Her eyes rested over yours, as her thumbs caressed the back of your palms in an effort to ground you. Which so far, only with her, had been effective. “You’re gonna be alright, whatever happens just follow the light.”

You nodded, still unable to let out any word. But time stopped, or at least it seemed to. The air pushed you to do something, something that was missing, but you did not know exactly what. You just knew it drew you closer to Jihan. Too close.

In a last effort to save the awkward silence that had been created by your longing stare, you launched your arms around Jihan, squeezing tightly almost as if you were trying to get rid of all the emotional turmoil going on in your brain. She returned the sentiment, both staying in that familiar, comfortable position for longer than it should have been necessary.

“Y/n!” Monday’s voice sounded farther, but more urgent.

“You should go, if they come looking for you they’ll know I was here. Besides, the others might wonder where I’ve been.” Jihan chuckled, breaking her hold and stepping back. She covered her head with her cape, opening the tent enough to pass through. “I’m rooting for you Y/n. Good… good luck.”

With those words, she sprinted out to the stands, where she would probably make up an excuse for her tardiness. It’s against the rules for someone to be in the champion’s tents just before the competition. But she managed to stay there for a while, without being discovered for a while. One could wonder how she managed it.

You made your way out of the tent, onto the corridor that connected the three champions tents. Monday and Zoa stood there almost at the end, just behind the curtain.

“There you are!” Monday sighed. “What took you so long?”

You glanced at her over the shoulder. Straight posture, beaming smile… Not a sign of any nervousness in her at all.

“Just… meditating.” You stammered, shaking your head.

“Sure…” Zoa chuckled. “I didn’t know meditation could make someone have a full conversation with themselves in two completely different voices.”

Your head snapped towards her, your eyes probably shooting bullets against her because she stepped back, quickly composing herself.

“Relax. I heard nothing.” She tidied her uniform, as if the exchange had made it wrinkle or stain in any way. But no, she was just a Beauxbatons student. “The tents may allow some sound to travel, but not all.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” You buffed. “You know it was against the rules. One less contestant and the cup would have been for any of you.”

“Oh, we considered it. But… we will keep it a secret if you tell us what happened there.” Monday buffed, examining her nails. It impressed you how unpreoccupied she seemed with the whole situation.

“There must be something juicy if you were so scared at the possibility of me listening to it!” Zoa sneered, only getting herself a light push from Monday as they both laughed at my confused face. “Like, some gossip going around school, who are the bets favoring, if she got a secret boyfriend-”

“A what?!” You coughed, something dropping at the bottom of your stomach.

“Just an example!” She raised her hands as if she was guilty, shrugging her shoulders. “Really, nothing?”

But was it really just an example? It had elicited such a guttural response from you that it didn’t feel like any sort of innocent example. And that, added to the nervousness, seemed to irritate you further.

There you were. On the other side of that curtain was a maze with withhold obstacles, enchantments and magic that could even potentially end your life, and these two you where about to go into it with, that you agreed to put your life into their hands in some degree… were just making jokes as if this was just another friday night for them.

“Nothing.” You murmured flat.

Their laughter died slowly as they realized you were not having the same fun as they did. But before anyone could say anything to dissipate the tense air that now surrounded you, the Hogwarts march boomed in all glory and louder than any of the other songs.

“Remember. We find each other first.” Monday whispered just as the curtains opened by themselves and revealed you three to the roaring crowds awaiting.

Monday and Zoa stepped forward like celebrities on a red carpet. Used to it, unbreakable with gleaming ear-to-ear smiles. You followed just a few steps behind, barely able to conceal your shakiness and just able to get a faint smirk at the corner of your lips.

The competition had really been starting far before any of you made an apparition, and the stands were the proof. While you were going to be those in the maze, the people that surrounded you and screamed your name seemed already sweaty, delirious in some way. You managed to perceive your name being chanted amongst all the rage and screams.

You put a hand to your ear to make the crowd go even wilder. The already deafening clash of cheers roared even louder, drowning even the surrounding thunderstorm that seemed to only have turned into a light breeze in comparison.

You looked up, just now wondering how you weren't already soaking wet. But to your surprise, the droplets of water seemed to crash against an invisible crystal raised above your heads. Of course it wasn’t crystal, but some kind of enchantment that also surrounded the quidditch stands, as most spectators, except for the sweaty ones, seemed to be completely dry.

It took a while searching but you spotted Jihan, Jaehee, Soeun, Jiyoon and Soojin there in the stands, all sitting together calmly waving banners and flags from each school. They contrasted the furor surrounding them, almost as if they knew that damaging their vocal chords wouldn’t affect the competition whatsoever.

A sturdy hand poised itself over your shoulder, revealing Dumbledore standing right behind you when you turned to him, offering you an assuring smile. It was part of the ceremony, as Monday and Zoa both were accompanied by their own headmasters too as the crowd kept their roars coming and the march was finally coming to an end.

It wasn’t long until Dumbledore stepped forward to address them and Mr. Flitwick, took his place on your side. With his wand pointed towards his neck, Dumbledore raised the other as for the stands to calm down. He waited until there was enough silence, total being impossible just thanks to the downpour happening above, to start speaking.

“Earlier today, the Triwizard Cup was placed deep within the maze. None of the competitors know its exact location.” Dumbledore explained. “They will be going inside in ranking order so first going in, from Beauxbatons, Zoa!”

The crowd exploded in what could only be described as a polite cheer. It wasn’t savage but coordinated, almost rehearsed. Zoa bowed courtfully in response, received by the stands with only, but vigorous applause.

“Second, from Hogwarts, Y/n!”

The roar was way different, the people not sure if calling for you or just screaming like a wild banshee in excitement. The volume was significantly different too, with Hogwarts being the host of the games, it was almost guaranteed that the entire school was here, cheering for you.

“And last but not least, from Durmstrang, Monday!”

That was one savage cheer. Somehow their celebration rivaled Hogwarts in volume while still being overpowered in the matters of people. There was such pride and hope that you wouldn’t know Monday was in last place out of all of us, and Monday seemed to play perfectly into it, like if she was showering in their ovation.

“It is worthy to mention, that even though the ranks stand currently like this, the differences are so minuscule, that this task can change everything. First to touch the cup, will be the winner. Not only from this task but from The Triwizard Tournament.”

The uproar exploded at Dumbledore’s words, not only the tension had been building until this moment, but it was only now revealed that anyone could be the winner. Not in past years where there were obvious losers and there wasn’t any real competition, but really, this time, it could be anyone’s game.

You couldn’t focus on anything but your friends sitting in the stands right above you, and if your vision wasn’t fooling you, Jihan wasn’t looking at anything happening around but you. And only to confirm it, she flashed a quick shy smile to you that you couldn’t help but return. You noticed how her arm raised just a bit above the people in front of her, holding her thumb up to you to which you softly nodded in response, visibly sighing.

“Our school staff patrols the perimeter, if any of the contestants wish to withdraw from the competition, they must cast Vermillious to the sky. If you happen to see red sparks, notify the nearest school staff immediately.”

As what could be so dangerous that one would want out of there and even ask for anyone to notify of the emergency signal with urgency, you wouldn’t know. But that high implications and warnings weren’t easing your nerves at all.

Dumbledore signed you three to come closer, no longer addressing the crowd. Glancing at each other, Monday, Zoa and you walked towards him, as he encircled you with his arms, creating a somewhat private bubble for the four of you.

“Inside you won’t find dragons or creatures from the depths.” His tone wasn’t addressing an overly excited full arena anymore, but scared people, people in danger. “Instead you will face something way more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Find the cup if you can, but beware that you might just lose yourselves along the way. What you will find in there will try to break you, try to change your values. Don’t let it. That’s the real task.”

You all nodded and just for a moment there was a faint glimpse of insecurity in Monday’s and Zoa’s eyes that only disappeared when they exchanged glances. A full conversation going on between them in just that glance and nod.

Somehow that irritated you even more than the joking from before. You were supposed to be an alliance. However it felt like you were not really included in it, or worse, planning something without you.

“Champions!” Dumbledore called you, but clearly more as a spectacle for the audience as he was no longer looking at any of you and the cheers went back to loud. “Prepare yourselves!”

Three entrances to the maze behind your back, to which each of you posed, ready for your name to be called.

“On the sign of a canon, each champion may go in.”

And suddenly everything turned silent. Not because everyone had gone silent, but because your mind couldn’t bear it all. Like someone had put earmuffs on you, everything sounded muffled and distant but your own heartbeat.

Too engrossed in your own internal battle, you didn’t notice the first boom. Zoa’s canon. You didn’t even turn to see her get lost in between the tall hedges of the maze. All worrying about your strategy.

Did you even have a strategy? It’s not something you and your allies ever talked about. The only plan was ‘Find each other’. And now that you had time to actually think about it, it sounded even harder than just finding the cup.

The cup wouldn’t move, but Monday and Zoa would. And what if one found the cup before even founding each other? Was it fair to just grab it? Would you have to ignore it and go find the other ones? Did they know what to do but forgot to tell you? Because it seemed like it. It seemed like they were going in already knowing everything about this. And you, you were going in as good as blind.

The second canon shook the floor and raised you off your feet. It took a second to render that that was your entrance into the maze. Still, you looked around for some kind of confirmation and Monday just nodded back at you.

You didn’t sprint in, more like cautiously stepped inside the walls, the cheers growing farther and farther away until there was nothing. Nothing but actual silence. The maze had closed off behind you leaving you at what could now be a dead end with only one path forward.

Only now you noticed the cold and the heaviness wearing on your clothes. Of course, the enchantment that covered you from the rain wasn’t over the maze, so the longer you stayed in there the more possibilities of ending soaking wet. You wouldn’t help but wonder if the rain was brought in purposefully as another obstacle or just something that didn’t help your case at all but definitely brought an edge to the task.

“Lumos.” You shook your wand, going forward one step at a time and making sure you didn’t miss anything.

And for a while what you saw was all there was. Towering hedges that obscure the entire path with heavy rain forbidding you from seeing farther than a few feet away from your nose.

So far, after what for you felt like excruciating hours of turning and walking, and walking and turning, the only thing threatening enough was the impending boredom that was creeping over you. You wondered about those outside. Was there a spell that allowed them to see what was going on inside? Or they just stared at the same hedge for hours on end, waiting for anything awesome to occur?

The only thing keeping you from sleeping was the impending doom that the maze’s reputation had. That somehow, after not encountering anything or anyone for that matter, the moment you dropped your guard everything would come crashing down.

Speaking of anyone… What a bummer of a strategy. ‘Find each other’. Saying it was easy, but each had their own separate entrance. And surely the maze was constructed in itself to make encountering each other relatively hard.

You were about to give up, when a sudden ruffle in the foliage straight across from you caught your attention.

“Monday? Zoa?” You approached, wary. Pointing your lit wand over at it.

Another ruffle. Too quick to be a human, unless it was running for its life.

You jumped away, but too slow to see one hairy leg creep out from the fog. Then another, and another, and another. And you wouldn’t stay to watch how many more it had. More than four was already more than you could bear.

Your feet acted without even having to ask for your permission, sprinting away from the concerningly close rainfall of steps following you. It was sure to be an acromantula. But you wouldn’t even dare to turn around to see it.

But then a flash of light and sweep of wind ended in something crashing against the hedges, behind you. No more rain of steps following you. So you dared turning around.

“Zoa!” The first glimpse was your first word as you reached for her but a second too late.

A spider the size of a car bounced over her and it took everything in you not to run away from one of your biggest fears, realized in front of you.

Zoa tried her best, it was little what a human could do against such a beast.

“Flipendo!” You launched at the spider, but it barely moved it an inch.

It did manage to anger it a lot more though. One second you could move and at the other you were swept off your feet, completely attached to the hedges by a thick, gooey, string-like material that surrounded you like a cocoon. You watched, completely paralyzed as Zoa tried wrestling her way out of its grasp to no avail. But if there was something you both knew is that, one doesn’t get out of an acromantula’s attack alive.

You could see that Zoa was trying to cast anything, but the acromantula was making it impossible to do so. Swiping her arm, attacking her so hard that her winces didn’t even let her finish the spell.

One managed to hit, sending the beast flying far enough to let her take a breath and glance your way.

“Relashio!” She launched your way and you fell down to the ground. Free of the constraints.

Zoa had only bought enough time for one spell only and she used it to free you, but that meant the beast was once again over her. And a painful, sharp scream coming out of her mouth as her wand flew out of her hold, and a totally not healthy-looking arm was enough to know she wasn’t getting away.

“Go!” You heard her cry.

But you couldn’t. You couldn’t just sprint away and leave her like this. So you did the only thing that you could.

“Vermillious!” You pointed your wand at the sky, red sparks flying to the sky and exploding like a firework.

Immediately, the branches forming the hedges started moving on their own, surrounding both Zoa and the acromantula and leaving you behind.

Zoa mouthing ‘Go!’ to you as tears cascaded down her face was the last thing you saw before the hedges obscured everything happening on the other side.

Too much, too much to bear. Why had she done that? She knew that if she got away the acromantula would’ve jumped straight for you next. If you both did nothing it would’ve finished her first and then gone straight to you. She had time to save one… It just was too big of a question to know why she had chosen you instead of herself.

You were running away, not even noticing where you had been turning and going after a while. And you had no intention to stop. Maybe you ended up getting to the cup by mere accident.

A blow took all the air out of your lungs and sent you flying backwards. You quickly readied your wand to attack back but you were only met with the really confused face of Monday.

“Y/n! There you are!” She quickly stood up, offering you a helping hand.

“Zoa…” You managed to mumble against your shock.

“You found her? Is she with you?” She looked around to no avail as you tried composing yourself.

“No she…” You stuttered, a knot forming on the back of your throat. “She’s gone.”

“She’s dead?!” She gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

“No! Well… I don’t know. I hope not!” You scrubbed your face with your hands, as if trying to erase the images off your mind. “I was getting chased by an acromantula and she saved me but I- I couldn’t save her! I just casted Vermillious and hoped for the best. I couldn’t… I’m so sorry!”

You launched yourself to Monday’s arms, who received you in them with a certain degree of shock but still allowed it.

“I’m sure she’s okay. You did what you could and I know it was more than enough.” But you could tell she only said it to try and calm you down. “C’mon, let’s get moving.”

You nodded. Thankful for at least not being alone the rest of the way.

And the rest of the way was a long one. Another uneventful trek that seemed to last hours on end. It almost felt like you were both walking in circles around the same paths.

“Over here!”

Turning a sharp corner, you were sure finally somewhere unexplored. But only because of the huge sphinx standing right in front of you. Human face and lion like body, even its eyes glowing in yellow as it moved its head down to acknowledge your meek existence.

“Only those who answer a riddle correctly shall pass.” The sphinx’s resounding deep voice enveloped you. “Those who fail await a tragic destiny.”

“I don’t think we should risk it.” You tugged at Monday’s sleeve, already turning around.

“No, we have to.” Monday pulled you back. “Think about it, why would they put something like this here? This must be the way!”

“There has to be another way!” You pleaded, shaking at the obvious impatience of the sphinx that overlooked you both. “There are hundreds of other paths we haven’t checked, this can’t be the only way to the cup!”

But Monday can’t be bent or convinced. She stands her ground and you know there’s no use otherwise. So you anchor yourself in the ground, wand ready in your hand, ready for anything that may try and hit you.

“Give us your riddle.” Monday defies the sphinx, who proudly smiles as it tilts its chin up.

“I hurt the most when lost, yet also when not had at all. I’m sometimes the hardest to express, but the easiest to ignore. I can be given to many, or just one. What am I?”

Monday and you stand in silence, seemingly waiting for the other to answer first.

I hurt the most when lost…

A tooth? No, too trivial. Probably a limb. Would be logical except for the fact that riddles are never logical. Maybe something outside of our body, even not tangible. Money? No. Knowledge? No.

Suddenly your mind finds itself flooded. Almost literally as it takes you back under the water to the second task. And quickly your mind is full of memories of Jihan.

Jihan. It did hurt. When you lost her. But did you lose her? To lose something you must first have it. And that's where the riddle’s second part clicked in.

…yet also when not had at all.

You knew there were so many unspoken things in between you every time you were together. But not even you knew what those were. It was so common that for you at least it had started to become easy to ignore those impulses.

I’m sometimes the hardest to express, but the easiest to ignore.

It was all too perfectly fitting to be a coincidence. But could it be? Jihan couldn’t be the answer to the riddle. Not her name at least.

Then it dawned. All the unspoken things, the impulses, why it hurt not being able to call her yours. The answer wasn’t Jihan, it was what she had meant for you all this time.

“Love.” You mumbled.

“Correct.”

It was barely audible, but the sphinx eyes glowed on an emerald green as it smiled, moving aside to let you through. You didn’t move, stuck to the ground by the weight of your heart and the one realization that it had just come to.

“Awesome!” Monday celebrated, janking you off your place as she made a sprint towards the newly opened path.

But a quick blow sent you flying back, the sphinx paw blocking you from moving forward.

“Not fair!” She grunted, “Let us through, we answered the riddle!”

“Each has to answer a riddle if you both want to go through.” The sphinx head snaps towards Monday as fast as stone can move, glaring through her. “You have not answered one yet.”

“Fine!” She rolled her eyes, shaking her arms as if she was getting ready for any kind of physical combat. “Shoot.”

“I can break, I can be clogged, I can be attacked, I can be given, I can be kept, I can be crushed, yet I can be whole at the same time. What am I?”

You haven’t even started to think about a possible answer when Monday has already blurted out hers. You shake your head trying to make up the sound you heard come out of her mouth but nothing comes to mind. That’s when you see crimson red glowing in sphinx’s eyes, and you know your ally is in trouble.

“Incorrect.”

The wind starts to circle both of you as the giant statue stands up, growling towards you. Not you, you answered the riddle correctly. Monday. But having sworn an alliance you might as well be included.

You watch her hold on her wand weaken as she mentally scrambles for anything she can do. The wind has turned into a full blown windmill that only encircles her but leaves you on the very side of the strong currents.

“Monday!” You shout her name, her eyes searching for you in fear.

“Vermi-” She’s about to cast the red sparks to the sky when a paw blows her away and crashes her against the hedges.

Loudly crashing against the ground, you can see how the hit has blown all the air out of her lungs. The sphinx is already raising its other paw when you sprint forward, putting yourself between them.

“Bombarda!” You cast and a loud explosion makes the sphinx back enough so you can get to Monday. “Are you alright?!”

She can’t answer but allows herself enough strength to point at the direction in which the sphinx is already charging full speed towards you.

“Expulso!” That one is enough to send the beast against the hedges, tangling it enough to keep it there but probably not for long.

You help Monday rise to her feet and the groan coming from her mouth instantly tells you that there’s something very wrong. She collapses on your arms, holding on around your neck for stability.

“My foot…” She manages to mutter under her breath.

“C’mon, it can’t be that far.” You try to encourage her, to pull her in the open path ahead of you but her whimpers are getting worse each movement.

The sphinx has freed one of its paws from the hedges and its roaring and fighting for more freedom.

“Y/n, I can’t- I won't make it.” She shakes her head, looking for your eyes. You can tell that she’s fighting back tears of pain as she talks to you.

“You can’t leave me!” You keep trying to drag her with you, but each step just makes her heavier and harder to carry. “We said we would do this together.”

“And we are, we got you here.” She clears her throat, weakly punching you on your arm. “Now you just have to finish it.”

You give up and both fall to the floor. You weren’t the strongest person in the world, if Monday can’t handle her own weight there is no way you would be able to do it all by yourself. Who knew how long until you finally found the cup, and if her foot got any worse…

“I never wanted this!” Gritting teeth, fists so tensely closed you can feel your own nails digging into your palm. You tried to contain all the rage, all the fear building up inside. “I don’t know if I can do this alone.”

“You have to.” But Monday keeps her calm, one would believe that the one with a broken foot isn’t her. “Promise that you will.”

The sphinx roared again, the branches keeping it away slowly snapping one by one. It wouldn’t be long until it was free again, now unleashing its fury in worse ways.

“If you’re not going to do it for yourself or for us…” Monday swallowed, shaking her head. “Do it for her.”

“What?” Your face dropped.

Her? What did she mean by her? Who did she mean by her? She didn’t have to say it, her eyes were tattooing it on your skull.

A huge crack made both your heads snap. The beast was finally free. You launched yourself in between them but Monday pointed her wand at you and waved it before you could even respond back.

“Flipendo!” Monday sent you flying away from her.

You were just about to answer to the treacherous spell, but then you realized she only moved you away from the path of the sphinx. The hedges were moving, creeping between to obscure your sight and enclose you alone.

“Do it for her!”

The last thing your eyes caught was the red sparks launching to the air as the sphinx launched itself over Monday.

Nothing. Everything was black. You weren’t even sure if you had your eyes opened. You didn’t want to. There was enough going inside you to be bothered with whatever was happening outside.

Do it for her.

Monday’s words bounced around your brain out of control. Does she mean the same ‘her’ that your mind was being flooded with? You didn’t want to say it. Not her name. Somehow it made it official.

She was the answer to the sphinx’s riddle. Not her. What she reminded you of. What you felt for her.

Love.

It was inescapable. Obvious even when you joined the last puzzle pieces together.

You loved Jihan.

Of course you did. Of course you had to find yourself in the most inconvenient situation to find out how deep of a crush, no not even a crush anymore, how in love you were with your best friend. And of course everyone knew about it before you. Even Monday and Zoa that you had only known for the last months.

The Yule Ball, the Second Task, all the failed ‘tours’ that Soeun and Jaehee planned… It was right in front of you.

A scream crept all the way from your guts, passing through your heart and out your mouth, where the wind seemed to be your only witness.

With both Zoa and Monday out of the competition it was only a matter of time to see if you found the cup and became the winner or deflected and by default with the other ranks, give Zoa the title.

Everyone could be eagerly waiting for any sign of either of them too. Anyone including Jihan.

Jihan who you could just now picture, holding on to her own knees and burying her head between them as she softly rocked back and forth. Because she did everytime she was nervous and was trying to keep it in.

You always put your arms around her, swang at her own rhythm until she decided to come out of her shell and usually rest her head over your shoulder. Oh the times that simple gesture made your heart speed up and you only ignored it.

But you couldn’t do it right now. You weren’t there. In fact the same very reason that she was nervous was because of you. Because you were stuck here in the middle of a stupid maze.

Was she even thinking about you? Of course she was, at least by title you were still best friends. But, was she thinking about you in that way? In a way that could allow you to come back and embrace her and maybe finally even kiss her.

A kiss. You had never actually let that thought really bloom in your mind until now. As soon as it even sparked you shut it down. Like last week at the greenhouse. You were leaning in for a kiss. Of course you were. That’s why the mistletoe made you wary. But Jihan?

What if she wasn’t thinking about you? You had been so engrossed in your own feelings that you hadn’t considered for a second if they weren’t reciprocated. But it wasn’t the time to think about it. Or was it? You would have to come face to face with her once you got out, if you got out. And in regards to a quiet place to think, this was as good a place as it could be.

For someone on the outside you must have looked like a little child throwing a tantrum. Jihan, the maze, your feelings, the cup. Jihan, the maze, your feelings, the cup. The thoughts circled in your mind as you stomped around in complete darkness.

You were lost, in more than one way.

You were about to light up your wand, when a tiny flicker of light caught your attention in the corner of your eye. Like watching a bright star against the night sky, it was little but enough to show a long path forward.

Follow the light.

Someone whispered in your ear. Not someone, Jihan. You jumped, eager to find her around but you were completely alone. You shook your head, scanning around for any other signs that wanted to appear to you.

You’re gonna be alright, whatever happens just follow the light.

Trust, That’s what your entire body lit up with. After all, it had never failed you before. That tip at least. And while it wasn’t your logical mind, or borderline instincts that told you to head towards it, it was your heart leading the way. Freed, listened to instead of being suppressed for the first time.

Sprinting towards the light, it became bigger and brighter the closer you got. Your eyes had to adjust to the intensity as the gleam took off more and more of the view, finally allowing itself to have a shape.

The cup.

Your feet held on to strength you weren’t even aware you still had in you, upping the speed to which you headed to the final goal, the way out.

There it was, shining in blue clouds of misty light that seemed to call your name louder and louder. Only, a few steps away from you.

You launched yourself over it as soon as it was reachable, but it only sent you flying even farther, twisting and turning as you held on for life from the cup's handle.

A loud thump marked your arrival… somewhere. Your eyes struggled to open but once they did the world kept moving all around you. The way your insides felt like they were all in the wrong place could only be the sign of one thing. Portkey.

Once your sight decided to stabilize itself, you realized you were somewhere completely foreign to you.

It wasn’t raining at all but the sky above you was pink, with tones of yellow and red as it stretched over the horizon. And there was something in between the sky and you, even if you couldn’t see it clearly. Glass. In fact the whole room was made of glass.

You slowly pulled yourself up from the ground, only managing to get to a sitting position before your head started turning again. Every corner of the room was covered by foliage and flowers. Flowers of every color and size and smell. A little taste of paradise on a greenhouse.

But this wasn’t Hogwart’s greenhouse. Instead, to your mind arrived tales of the time Zoa described you Beauxbatons. A school so mesmerized by beauty. One could clearly see how she fitted in. But you completely contrasted it all. Soaking wet, your uniform torn by a few branches and a sweat-dirt concoction covering all skin spots available. But you wouldn’t be all the way out in France. Would you?

In the middle of the room a bird bath stood out from the foliage, its water’s waves reflecting light that made the bushes dance with sparkles. Only it wouldn’t be a bird bath, since the place was completely closed to birds. It was even a bit deeper and shining in a light that a simple bird bath wouldn’t be.

You had only seen one of these once. In Dumbledore's office far back the only time you had gone there. You asked about it, he responded but you never got to try it or seen anyone else try it. A pensieve.

Carefully prompting yourself up, you notice a note and a tiny bottle up against it. Closing in, you realize the note reads:

‘Hey champion. Take a look, thank us later.’ Signed Zoa and Monday.

So it was all a plan. That’s what all the secrecy and glances between them were, the one thing you thought you had been left out of was actually a plan to let you win. For this. But why?

You grabbed the bottle, tiny enough to get rolled between two of your fingers. It only contained barely any liquid in it, barely anything more than five drops. But for a pensieve that would be more than enough.

One drop, two drops, three even for measure. The pensieve shines in a silver, cloud like mist that moves ceaselessly.

A deep breath, and your head goes in. Instantly being sucked back into Hogwarts, a younger Hogwarts, where you walk along a group of little kids. First graders, unsorted, whispering between them as they eagerly move towards the Great Hall for the first time.

There you are at the very back of the group, age eleven. How you felt like such a grown up, away from home and on your own in this new adventure. And now that you see it from outside, it’s just looking at a lost, little kid, not even aware of the wonders and trials that await them.

You walk along yourself, your younger self obviously not even aware of your omnipotent presence. They are so awed and charmed by the new school that they don’t notice the group is already far ahead from them.

That’s when you see her. A little girl with flowing black hair running all the way from the group to you.

“Don’t be late!” She shouts, making your younger self jump. “You don’t want to miss the sorting ceremony!”

You just stand there looking back at her, clearly smitten at first sight. But you quickly brush it up just in time to see her offer her hand to you.

“What’s your name?” She smiles, leaving you stuttering back.

“I’m- Y/n.” You manage to spit out. “Y-you?”

“Jihan! It’s my pleasure.” You take her hand, offering her a weak handshake. “C’mon, there will be plenty of time to look at the castle later.”

You nod, finally able to smile back at her. She pulls you with her and with that you know you’re a goner. Well, you from the present at least. You from the past still has seven years ahead of denying it and shoving it down deep.

As soon as that pair enters the doors, still hand in hand, everything around you changes in a whirlwind. Leaving you now strolling around the library.

Even knowing that you won’t disturb the scene, the sole sight of Madame Pince makes you static, holding your breath. You’re not the only one thinking the same because a very familiar voice sighs right beside you as she walks away.

“Alright, she’s gone.” A young Soeun mutters and grabs Jihan by her shoulders. She pushes her to the most remote free compartment available with Jaehee just behind them.

You don’t recall this memory at all. Of course, you’re not even around to begin with. The only common link between this and the last memory is Jihan. Could this be her memories?

Your friend’s age must be around thirteen or fourteen. Third or fourth year perhaps. You followed them to a space where Soeun and Jaehee cornered Jihan, who only shielded herself behind a pair of books against her chest.

“What’s wrong Jihan?” Soeun whispered with such urgency that made the Hufflepuff girl widen her eyes.

“Wrong? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her laugh comes out forced, as she shrinks her shoulder. “Everything is fine, really.”

“Oh we’ve known you enough to know this isn’t fine.” Soeun scoffed, only to be shushed by Jaehee beside her. “You keep avoiding us completely.”

“No I haven’t.” Jihan defends herself, but is unable to keep eye contact with them.

“Jihan.” The Slytherin girl turns even firmer, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I haven’t been avoiding you.” Jihan assures. A sigh escapes from her mouth and her volume drops to where you have to step even closer to hear her. “I’ve been… needing some space from Y/n.”

You did remember that time. Back in third year. She was just always behind the same reason for not being able to hang out with you. Exams.

“Did you two fight?” Jaehee takes over Soeun, who seems a little stunned to keep her stone cold facade.

“No… I-” You can tell Jihan’s struggling with the words inside of her, even slightly bouncing in her place before barely muttering behind the books. “Ilikethem.”

A loud gasp escapes your lips and you cover your mouth immediately. You let it go once you remember you’re only an invisible spectator but your mouth still hangs open in awe.

She likes you. She does. Or at least she did.

You can tell your other two friends are equally as stunned because they stutter before even being able to form one single coherent word.

“What?” Soeun furrows her eyes back at Jihan.

“I like them. I like Y/n. Fancy them.” Jihan spits it all out louder, still behind her books and by the time she peeks up you can see her face painted entirely in red. “Please don’t say anything!”

“No we… we won’t.” And they didn’t. They never did. Gotta give them credits for that. The other two girls slowly dawn on the realization as they relax their defensive stands. “Why don’t you just tell them?”

“No!” Jihan was quick and loud to react, gaining some sushes from all around the library. She gulped and continued in a whisper. “Look, I wouldn't like to ruin our friendship. We’re alright like this. It’s just a quick crush. It will pass. But please… not a word.”

As the place disintegrates and changes again all around you, you can’t help but wonder if she really did get past it. If your chance has come and gone and you weren’t even aware of it. The ball drops on your stomach, making you dizzy and heavy at the same time.

Now you find yourself surrounded by the great hall. The floating candles were much dimmer and there was no light coming from the windows. Only signaling the very late afternoon. It wouldn’t be long until everyone was called to bed. It was almost empty, with no more than five people sitting at its tables. One of them being Jihan.

It could have been yesterday, at least not far away from the present. The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons banners clearly indicate it as the present year. She looked radiant by the candlelight but something wasn’t right. You could hear her sniffs, her hand raising up to her eyes to clean a falling tear. You sat beside her, wishing this was more than just a memory to be able to hug her and clean her tears for her.

“I’m here.” Jaehee’s voice made you both jump, but it was clear she could only see Jihan. “Alone, just as you told me.”

“I need you to do me a big favor for me Jaehee. And Soeun can’t know anything about it or she’ll be mad at both of us.” Jihan composed herself for the sake of your friend, who couldn’t help but glance her way with a certain degree of pity.

When Jaehee nodded back, Jihan pulled out of her coat a closed plastic bag with a paper attached to it, a paper that was made from the same materials of some of your books. The Gillyweed you used for the second task.

“I know you share a room with Y/n. I need you to go and give this to them. They… they can’t know where it comes from.” Jihan put the bag on the table and pushed towards Jaehee. “Or who sent it. Can you do that? Please?”

You can see the hesitation in Jaehee’s eyes as she scans the bag, but one glance above to the Hufflepuff’s broken eyes and she doesn’t even doubt it. She grabs the bag and conceals it inside her own robes, nodding back.

“Anything else?” Jaehee is careful to address Jihan, like handling a very fragile porcelain doll in itself.

Jihan can only shake her head and mouths a thanks back when Jaehee takes off the table, leaving Jihan alone once again. Except she isn’t. You are there and you would do anything to show her that. To tell her that she can go give that bag personally to you and say everything she ever wanted to say. But you can’t. And she won’t. Because it’s only her memory. And it’s equally as painful as yours were from around the same time.

“Even after everything that happened.” Soeun’s voice makes both of you jump in surprise. She emerges from the shadows, with her arms crossed against her chest.

“Soeun, please don’t be mad. I…” Jihan can barely find her words, stammering as Soeun closes in. “I know you said it would be best to let them go but… I can’t. I can’t let them go. I want them to be okay.”

Jihan breaks down in tears and against her own fears, Soeun catches her in her arms, surrounding her and letting her sob freely against her shoulder.

“You’re not mad?” Jihan manages to mumble.

“I wish I could. I… miss Y/n too.” Soeun sighs, tightening their hold on the whimpering girl. “Sometimes I even feel guilty that I threw them into this mess. Nothing would’ve happened if we didn’t make that stupid bet.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Jihan slowly surrounds Soeun with her own arms trying to comfort her back, but it’s still obvious who’s the most hurt. “We didn’t know they were going to be picked. I just wish things would’ve been… different.”

The slytherin girl strokes her hair in an effective effort to calm her down. Until nothing but soft sobs escape Jihan’s lips.

“I know we do…” Soeun leans back to help wipe Jihan tears as a light scoff escapes her lips. “If I didn’t know any better, I would bet you still love them.”

Jihan glances up to her, sniffing out the last of her tears. But Soeun finds an answer in that short stare that makes her pull Jihan back into a hug.

“You do, don’t you?” She sighs. The hufflepuff girl softly nods as she buries her head once again on her shoulder, clearly trying to keep tears from flowing back to her eyes. “How do you bear it?”

Jihan turns her head to face outwards, as if she could just see you sitting there, doing nothing but witnessing the scene, unable to do anything. Just watching her suffer because of your decisions.

“I guess repressing it or pretending that I’m unable to feel anything hurts worse than just letting it be.” She mumbles. “Every time I’ve tried I just end up more miserable. Having Y/n as a friend is just better than not having them at all…”

“And that’s why this is so hard for you.” Soeun whispers, letting down her entire guard just to let her friend be vulnerable with her.

“I’ve spent years trying not to lose them, Soeun.” Tears are running freely on Jihan’s face again, but she doesn’t hide them again. “And I still did. I still did.”

The whole place gets swept up by a whirlwind before you can even say or do anything about it. Pulled to your feet, you bolt out of the pensieve for air as if you had been submerged in its water all that time. Maybe you were, physically.

But once again you find yourself back at the greenhouse. Panting for a breath and with your heart beating so hard it might as well jump out of your chest.

Heartbroken Jihan wasn’t something you ever wanted to see. But because of you? It made it unbearable.

Of course that’s not where things are right at the moment. You saved her in the second task and talked again. Made up for the lost time and even for some days she even made you forget the whole ‘tournament’ thing.

You wiped your face dry with whatever you could and not even completely succeeded, when you noticed the note had changed its contents. No longer the short message it was before.

“Do what you like with this information. We do think that you would make a cute couple though. Please don’t be mad at us. And don’t tell anyone about the portkey or we’ll all be in serious trouble. Get your cup champion, you deserve it. See you back in Hogwarts.” Signed Monday, Jiyoon, Zoa, Soojin, Soeun and Jaehee.

All of them were rallying behind this. One would think this would be an even bigger show of union between the schools than the tournament ever was. How many wingmen are needed for one couple, who has been deeply in love with each other for years, to finally get together? Apparently, an entire army.

You looked around for the cup and found it resting over a rose bush, eagerly waiting to be touched again.

A deep sigh, closed eyes and a second of mental preparation for the turmoil that was traveling in a portkey and you grabbed on to the cup for dear life.

Your body was yanked out of its place, One drop, two drops, three drops of water and suddenly the whole world was waving around you. You opened your eyes to find yourself lying with your back on the grass of the Quidditch pitch, not a storm anymore but a light drizzle of water falling over you. Surrounded by towering tall hedges that were moving all around you, they were forming a straight path from where you were to somewhere.

Not somewhere, the faint sound of applause and cheers appearing within your earshot told you exactly where it was leading you to. Ignoring the little dizziness still left in your body, you jumped up to your feet and started racing the maze.

Gaining every single drop of might and strength left in you, the hedges looked like they were rushing to open up in time just for you. The closer you got the louder the crowd was, and the Hogwarts march was booming with even more excitement than before.

Just a few steps left and that’s when the light hit your eyes. Just barely sunset on the other side of those hedges. No more rain. Just the golder hour hitting you straight, like an all natural spotlight announcing your victory.

“-May I have the honor to announce…” The light wasn’t the only announcer. The pride on Dumbledore’s voice being even more present. “The winner of the Triwizard Tournament…”

The brightness hit you all at once, blinding you. But it wasn’t long until your eyes started making the stands facade and the jumping, ecstatic crowds that called your name.

“Y/n!”

Fireworks, music, crowds, the feeling of a warm towel immediately being put over your dripping wet body by Madam Pomfrey.

But it was all distracting, at least from the one thing you really wanted. You scanned the crowd, once, twice, more than the times necessary and even to make sure that’s exactly where you had seen your friends sitting before the task started, but they weren’t there.

“Congratulations.” Dumbledore’s voice made you jump back, barely noticeable in between the roars of the people chanting your name. “I see you’ve changed. Against my suggestion.”

“Thanks… Professor. I- I did?” You bow, slightly embarrassed at his remark.

“A brighter smile, a certain glance. The look of a champion.” He smirks lightly, raising his eyebrow at you. “You won something else in there, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” You couldn’t help the smile that came with the thought of your friends, of Jihan, as you raised the cup in your hands.

“Some prizes are even better than the cup that’s in your hands right now.” He pointed to the entrance to the pitch. Soeun, Jaehee and Jihan, all waiting for a sign to run and hug you. Barely able to contain their excitement in the little hops they had. “Go on.”

You were about to sprint toward them when he clears his throat, making you turn.

“By the way, I hope you enjoyed your little trip to France.” And with a final wink he turns around to talk to other people.

So that really was Beauxbatons. And how did he even know? Was he in on the plan? Or was he just being… Dumbledore?

You shook him off your head and ran towards your friends with wide and open arms, which they took as an open invitation to do the same your way.

It wasn’t long until you all crashed together in a huge, well-known to your heart, hug. Of course Jihan outran the other two, jumping and clingling her legs around your waist and the only thing keeping you from falling down was Soeun and Jaehee closing in the embrace.

And just like this, you finally felt that you had won. Not the march or the thousand people chanting your name, or the fireworks. Just three people and their arms surrounding you. But you still had to claim the bigger prize.

“You did it!” Soeun broke the embrace first. “You freaking did it! We knew you could do it!”

“Look at that thing!” Jaehee was like a crow to shiny things, pointing at the cup as she marveled in its entire glory. “Does it have your name? Tell me you will engrave it. Or will it engrave itself?”

“On that thought…” You chuckled at her simplicity. “Could you grab onto it for a bit. I have to do something.”

Jaehee was more than willing to grab it, along with Soeun too immersed in the cup to notice you taking Jihan by the hand and a few steps away from them.

“So you won!” Jihan was happy, excited, but clearly keeping something to herself. Her eyes couldn’t find yours and her hands not daring to even touch you but shaking all over the place “I had this whole speech about how proud and all of that but I guess I forgot it. It’s finally over, right? I can’t believe that you-

“Jihan…” You grabbed her hands in one of yours, enough to cut whatever words she was blurting out.

“Yeah?...” She stammered, her eyes finally encountering yours in what can only be described as wishful longing.

You wanted to say something, anything about all that you saw, all that happened inside that damned maze. But no words came to mind, no word was enough. So there was only one thing that could say everything going on in your mind.

And with greater might than the one needed to fight a dragon, the depths of the darkest waters or a deathly maze, you cupped her face with your hands and pulled her closer, crashing your lips against hers.

A gasp, the sound of metal clanking, a roar in the crowd and then nothing. Nothing but your heart and hers in complete unison as your lips tasted all the hoarded time, desire and shoved feeling of years. And their taste was sweet. Sweeter than any love potion, than any honeydukes sweet meshed together.

You backed up without even opening your eyes, but aware of the beaming smile plaster all over your face. Slowly coming back to earth, the girl in front of you was nothing if completely entranced, not even sure of what just had happened.

That when her eyes, glittering from all the stars and fireworks in the sky, found yours.

“I love you.” She muttered. Only immediately to shock herself, covering her mouth to shut herself up. Wide eyes and a stammering mouth, she could only shake her head at you. “I mean, yes! No, wait. I like you too. Love you? That’s too soon, isn’t it? Or is it? I can’t-”

“I love you too.” You mumbled.

“What?” She stopped herself from thinking anything. Letting her entire weight almost collapse on itself.

“Jihan…” You laughed. Part not believing the reaction of the girl in front of you, part relieved that a weight that you had been carrying all this time was finally out there. “I love you too.”

She didn’t even wait around to hear it a third time, launching her arms around your shoulders and finally allowing her lips to take yours. You secured her close to you as the momentum of her jump sent you flying in circles.

Long overdue, that’s the only thing your bodies were finding in common. And it’s not like it wasn’t familiar. Her hugs, her scent, the way her soft skin felt against your hands. Just more magical. With that bugging sensation that something was missing finally out of the way.

That was the price for the tournament. Home. And if you had to fight dragons, dive into the depths of the darkest waters, or face a deathly maze all over again just to be received by her arms and soft, caring lips against yours… You would do it all over again.

“Mission accomplished team!” The voice sounded hoarse but you could still hear Monday coming in closer.

And you turned to look at her but instead found Jaehee and Soeun picking up the cup from the floor and dusting it, Soojin grabbing a full arm cast-wearing Zoa and what you wouldn’t anticipate, Monday being rolled in closer in a wheelchair by Jiyoon.

“Oh my-” You quickly turned their way, careful not to let go of Jihan’s hand, who was equally as shocked as you. “Are you okay?!”

The other two champions only chuckled, looking at each other with another glance that could only mean they knew it could happen, and shrugged.

“We will be.” Zoa assured, offering both of you a tender and honest smile as her eyes trailed down to yours and Jihan’s hands intertwined. “At least it was worth it.”

The comment made both of you blush intensely, only retrieving back to each other's embrace again. Not willing to let go ever again.

“But I don’t get it.” You started, shaking your head. “You all knew this? All of this? For us? You let me win just for us?”

“It would have been easier…” Soeun nodded, handing back the cup to you. “If you had made it easier.”

“We knew about Jihan’s feelings, but you…” Monday scoffed as her eyes pierced right through you. “You are a tough stone to crack.”

“It would’ve been a fair competition if you had gotten any of the clues before.” Zoa patted on Monday’s shoulder with her abled arm. “But in the end we decided that Monday and I only had money and a pretty cup to win. You had a lot more in the game.”

“And we would get the money anyway so… Yeah.” Monday added. “And we wanted to make up for what happened at the Yule Ball.”

“I don’t know how I will ever thank you enough…”

“How we will ever thank you for everything.” Jihan rested her head over your shoulder, unable to keep the giddiness away.

“It’s alright, just… invite us to the wedding, would you?” Monday only received a slap in the head from Jiyoon. “Hey! What?! Too soon?”

The commotion was easing around the stands, with some students already leaving to join the celebrations back at the castle. And you took a moment just to let it all in. The winner of the Tournament, and most importantly the winner to Jihan’s heart.

You leaned forward at the girl peeking at you from your shoulder, joining your lips once again in a tender, not hunger-ridden kiss that only made your entire group swoon all over again.

“Excuse me-” An unknown voice made you turn to find the photographer clearly embarrassed from having to break the sweet moment. “Can I take your picture for the Daily Prophet?”

“Of course!” Everyone was already side stepping to let you shine in your own spotlight, but something didn’t feel right. After all, you were the carrier of the cup but the merit wasn’t all yours. The photographer was only finishing when you stopped him. “Before you go I… Can I ask for something?”

The little man nodded as you approached him, whispering something in his ear. With a smile brightening his face, he accepted your proposal and readied himself again.

But this time you reached for Jihan’s hand, kissing the back of her palm. She only looked at you confused at your gesture but clearly smitten.

“I need a picture with the real price, don't I?” You whispered to her before calling everyone else to you. “C’mon team! I want one of all of us together.”

And just like that, Jihan cuddled up to you, Jaehee and Soeun surrounded you both with their arms. Jiyoon placed Monday beside you as she leaned forward to her and Zoa dragged Soojin besides Jihan.

“Alright, I will need you to look at the camera and smile wide!” The photographer ordered. “Perfect, on the count of three okay? One…”

Maybe you started the year with the left foot. Maybe everything wasn’t exactly as you planned it. But well, nothing ever was. A lot of bumps along the way, two people that lost their way completely and now, were just hand in hand together with no intention of ever letting go.

“Two…”

You looked around. The real prize surrounding you completely. Friends that you knew since the first year and those you only knew from a few months back. And somehow you knew they were going to be there… for the rest of your life.

And Jihan. The biggest and best prize of them all. Not only her but the freedom to open your heart and have it embraced by hers. By all of them.

You squeezed Jihan’s hand tighter, smiling forward and preparing yourself for the flash light. Funnily enough this is how it all ended. With a light. The one you were following all this time. You found it.

“Three!”

#girl group scenarios #girl group imagines #weeekly scenarios #weeekly imagines #jihan scenarios #jihan imagine

47 notes · View notes

minachuuu · 2 years

Text

Follow The Light [P2]

❣Follow The Light❣ Part 2/3

Sorry for the wait! I still hope it’s worth it though, enjoy everyone!🧡

❤ Pairing: Hufflepuff!Jihan x Ravenclaw!Reader

❤ Genre: Fluff & a bit Angst.

❤ Word Count: 9.4k

❤ Song Suggestions: Magic by TXT and Where Is My Love? by Weeekly

The splash was deafening to your ears, the more you sank the more muffled and distant the cheers above the surface sounded. Your body strangled for air by pure habit, only for that to turn secondary to a strong sting coming from below your jaw.

Mistaking it for choking, you reached up, your hands grasping to relieve you from the pain. But when your fingers passed through, they realized something strange was growing out of your skin, or along it. Gills. Breathing wasn’t as hard anymore, it just felt natural.

With your vision clearing up from bubbles, met with nothing but hazed and dark waters and the deep rumble of the lake surrounding you, you looked down to your hands, webbing growing from between your fingers as if they were fins.

The water was cold, but tolerable, definitely far warmer from what you expected of the newly thawed, late february waters.

Something bolted right in front of you in a trail of bubbles, pushing you back and spinning you around. Struggling to find and get a grip of your wand you barely could get it out before the bolt of energy revealed itself to be Monday, testing her new aquatic form.

Fast as a looming shark, she extended her hands, eyes wide in excitement. Just before slamming against you in a tight hug and spinning you around. Definitely, not something you would’ve expected from her.

Just then, Zoa also closed in swimming, looking like a fantasy mermaid herself. With all three finally reunited you looked for any sign of where to start searching. And with the silence of the bottom of the lake, a melody could faintly be perceived. One only problem was that the water made it sound like it was coming from… everywhere.

It was only a swift flash, but you were sure you had seen something looking your way far into the seaweed forest, only to scrabble away when you made eye contact.

“Let’s go.” You signed them to follow you. You had absolutely no idea of what it was, but one lead was better than no lead.

All seemed fine until you reached the edge of the kelp forest. Their tall, slowly waving stems loomed over you, tall enough to drown almost all the light coming from the surface, as if it wasn’t scarce enough. But the melody that traveled through the lake was getting louder to your ears, meaning that this dark and gloomy passage could be the only way through.

Monday was quick to get her wand out, casting Lumos. The light didn’t seem as bright as it was on the surface, but it was enough so at least you could see ahead of you. Soon, you and Zoa followed her in an attempt to have the most available light possible. And with a shared glance, full of worry and even some fear, you agreed to go on.

You lead the way, trying to catch another glimpse, another clue of something that could tell this was the right way. Instead there was nothing. Nothing but seaweed to your right, your left, behind and in front of you.

Swimming and hoping for the best, it was normal to feel watched around Hogwarts and its premises, so you brushed off the awry sensation building up in your gut. What you didn’t realize was that a mob of little creatures kept their eyes all over you and the other two champions, building up in numbers as the time went by.

One launched up against Zoa, pushing her away and into the dense seaweed. You and Monday snapped around, searching for her, when something hit you in the face and sent you back.

It felt like a little but painful bite, but when you turned to whatever had attacked you, you only found yourself completely alone.

Panic filled every single one of your veins, the light in your wand flickering alongside your trembling hand.

The seaweed to your right started shuffling and only then is when you caught a glimpse of the creature, or better said, creatures attacking you.

Grindylows.

You had read about them when you decided to educate yourself a bit more on the task but had never seen one with your own eyes. Well, most students hadn’t either because it’s not like it was extremely common to dive into the Great Lake and they were not the kind of creature one would like to see in Care of Magical Creatures.

And now you finally understand why.

It wasn’t long until another pushed you back, and then another. But far into the deep seaweed forest you managed to catch a glimpse of flickering light being shoved around.

And you weren’t sure about it for a second, to go towards or against it. But the time was running out as the more you stood still the more Grindylows that surrounded you and blocked your view.

Follow it.

Someone whispered to your ear. In a voice way too familiar for you but not exactly one you could make out with the dozens of water demons pulling you around.

Follow the light.

You pushed your thought from those pesky creatures trying to reach it, them trying hard and pulling you from your clothes as you fought them with great strength, but it wasn’t enough against all of them.

Follow me.

“Flipendo!” You casted, a spark launching back the Grindylows.

With them stunned enough, you bolted out of there as quickly as you could. Losing yourself even further in the seaweed forest as you followed the shimmer, the little demons kept scratching you as you swerved through them.

One of them crashed against your face, making you pull away and lose all sense of direction. But once you finally managed to free yourself from it, the light was completely gone.

You scanned around now in almost complete darkness. Your wand had turned off, leaving you stranded alone in the deep murky water, algae tangling up around you while the critters caught up with you.

Something reached up, clawing your ankle and pulling you from below. You fought it but it was holding onto you terribly strong. Way too strong to be another Grindylow.

You looked down and amongst all the swirling creatures nagging you realized it was a human hand holding on for dear life. And even further down, you recognized Zoa amongst maybe hundreds of Grindylows sinking her further.

But the instant you reached down for her, the little demons engulfed you as well. Their high screeching pierced your ears right as they passed beside and the pain of their bites and scratches proved to be way too much for your own strength.

With barely a hold of your wand, you flicked it before it was too late for any of you.

“Expulso!” A blue wave of light launched away all the pesky creatures, knocking them unconscious.

The power of the explosion left both you and Zoa startled at its might, but it also yanked your wand out of your hand, slowly sinking below you as you tried to reach it in vain.

Zoa bolted away, pulling you with her with whatever strength left and following wherever you saw a bit more illuminated. It wasn’t long until finally you could see the end of the seaweed forest.

You both pushed your way past the last stretch of the way as she lit the way with her wand and you pushed away the few Grindylows that dared attack you, if they didn’t scatter away still afraid of the last explosion.

But almost as you reached the end of the forest and into clearer, if still goomy water, something crashed against Zoa and you at full speed sending you all flying into different directions.

You shook your head, trying to stabilize yourself and recognize the south from the north when Monday appeared right in front of you, shaking your shoulders and rushing to check up on you.

“There you are!” Her voice sounded wobbly, muffled by the water but still understandable. “What was that?!”

“Grindylows.” You panted, bubbles coming out of your mouth as you rubbed your head in pain. “Lots of them.”

“I was trying to find you and I saw a huge explosion-!” She spat out, checking up on Zoa. “I thought you were goners.”

“That was Y/n, they saved us.” Zoa nodded, glancing at me. “I wouldn’t have come out of there on my own.”

It was a minute while you caught your breath… or whatever was possible to do under water until your heart decreased its frantic rhythm.

“We need to carry on.” You sighed, glancing at the other two girls. “How much time do we have left?”

“Not much.” Just as those words came out of Monday’s mouth, a loud bell shook the waters around you, one that so far had sounded twice or maybe more times. “We need to go, now!”

You all agreed to stay far away from the kelp mass for the rest of the reminding time, circling around it in hopes of finding any trace of where you needed to be. Even by swimming higher up, the water was so dim and gloomy that you could barely see farther than what you could already down below. And not having your wand with you was even worse, as you had to stay really close to any of the other girls to be able to see anything at all.

The bell rang two or three more times while you searched with no real lead, only the incessant melody that you had listened to from the golden egg surrounding you from everywhere. It felt like you were only swimming in circles, each lap making you all the more anxious as time ticked away from your hands.

Another bell made you all jump startled, but you weren’t the only thing startled in there. Far below, something sneaked through the rocks and away. It had a humanoid form of their own, but a fin instead of legs. A mermaid.

All three of you had the same idea as soon as you glanced at each other, following them closely behind. But not that close that they could sense you pursuing them and try to run away.

It wasn’t long until there was a faint greenish-golden glow in the distance, opening up to a full village of merpeople side-eyeing you as you swam across their streets. And while the whole sight of an entire civilization right below the surface of the Great Lake was something that your mind was barely processing, it wasn’t until Monday and Zoa broke their speed suddenly, freezing at the sight in front of them.

“They could’ve just told us they were going to have front row seats for the task...” Monday gasped.

Three bloated and sleeping bodies floated as if they were kites or balloons tied from a rope from the bottom of the lake’s floor. One for each champion. For Zoa, her sister Soojin. For Monday, her best friend Jiyoon, and for you…

“Jihan!” You bolted straight to them without hesitation.

“I feel like we’ve seen her before.” Monday leaned to Zoa, both still too shocked to move. “Who’s her?”

“It’s the girl from the Yule Ball.” Zoa answered. “Y/n’s date.”

“Ah crap-” Realization fell on to Monday’s shoulders as soon as the points clicked in her mind. “That means…”

Only then their minds cleared enough to catch up with you and beside the bodies of their loved ones.

Jihan seemed to be in a deep sleep, with bubbles sometimes blowing out of her faintly parted lips indicating she was still breathing.

Zoa was quick to undo the knot tying Soojin down from her feet, nodding to both of you as she swam towards the surface. She was bound to be first place unless one of you managed to untie their person and race her towards the surface.

But it’s not like the place was the thing that mattered much to you, both of you completely focused on how to liberate your person before the time ran out.

For you and Monday, the story was completely different. The knot at Jiyoon and Jihan’s feet was way too strong and complicated to even try and undo it, and trying your luck with the one tied to a giant rock at the bottom wasn’t any more efficient.

Monday remembered that she was a wizard in that precise moment, taking out her wand and breaking the rope that held Jiyoon down. You were the only one left but with no wand and a rope impossible to break with just your hands.

“It’s stuck!” You cried out loud, hoping to catch the other girl's attention.

“Let me!” Monday pointed her wand towards Jihan’s rope. “Flip-”

“Only one!” A mermaid pushed her back with a trident, with more surrounding her just to make sure she didn’t try anything else.

“Back off! I’m just trying to-!” Monday tried to fight them off but instead she only managed to anger them more, as they pushed her to the surface and away from you. “AH!”

It’s like you can’t breathe well anymore, but you’re not sure if it’s the anxiety or it’s that…

Your hand bolts up to your neck, the gills peeking out of it less prominent than before. And the skin uniting your fingers as long fins is slowly sinking back into normal fingers, the hair all over your body standing up to the increasing cold of the water around.

Your time below the water is being counted on by mere seconds now, and that’s how much time you have to break Jihan out of there and pull you both back to the safety of the surface.

Holding on to probably your last underwater breath, you dive deeper and try to turn around the rock that is keeping the rope down, but the sheer strength needed to turn it is way more of the one that you have in you this very moment.

It’s like everything around you is getting darker and murkier, your lungs stinging as your hands confirm that the gills on your neck have completely disappeared already.

Jihan didn’t want any of this, and after what you did to her… It’s the least you could do for her. So you convince yourself she’s getting out, even if you’re not.

With the one last bit of might left in you, you push the rock enough so it turns on your shoulder, completely liberating the rope. But the gasp that came with it made your mouth and nose fill up with water. The one last image that your eyes could make out was Jihan’s body floating up and away from you and you sank further.

And then nothing but the glaring silence of the deep lake and water being moved all around you. If you only had survived this one task, you think she would’ve forgiven you eventually? Guess you wouldn’t know now…

There was a light far away, one everyone told you that you see when you’re leaving this plane of existence. But there was someone falling down from it. Not falling, but floating with their hand reaching out for you.

“Hold on!” Monday’s voice boomed in your ear as you felt her surrounding your waist, “Ascendio!”

A freezing and violent rush of water surrounded you, snapping you up only to realize Monday had you and Jihan with a tight hold, bolting up to the surface to an incredible speed.

The bell rang stronger than it ever had before, with bolts of loud cheering erupting in the air as the impulse dragged you up and slammed you against the metal surface of the towers.

Breathable air punched your face as soon as you were out, making you cough your lungs out and every drip of water that dared still be inside you. And beside you, your fellow champion was trying to catch her breath too. Only offering you a soft smile and a nod, pointing behind you.

Jihan snapped her head around completely disorientated, as if she didn’t even know why she was all wet and how she ended up in the middle of the Black Lake.

“There they are!” Soeun’s distant scream made you turn around.

The towers were overwhelmed with students from all schools endlessly cheering as you approached and rejoicing as Jihan, Monday and you were helped up, welcomed as celebrated heroes.

“Jihan-” You tried to reach for her, and your eyes met for a single second before they rushed her away and into a boat in which Soojin and Jiyoon were already waiting, surrounded by people offering them towels and checking up their temperature.

“The second task has officially concluded!” Dumbledore’s voice boomed all around as you tried to find your way around. “In first place, awarding extra point for helping out not only one, but two treasures out of the water-”

“Hey!” The simple call being drowned amongst the exploding cheers of the champion’s school, but a hand reached for your shoulder to turn you around. You encountered Monday face to face, as she breathed heavily. “Hey Y/n! Why… Why didn’t you tell us?”

“In second place, for helping even her fellow champion-” Dumbledore’s voice faded into the background of your conversation

“Tell you what?” You shook your head, making yourself lightheaded.

“About that girl-” The crowd exploded once again, cutting Monday off as people chanted her name in waves. She only waved to the public in a performative smile until they calmed down before turning to you once again. “She was your date at the Yule Ball, wasn’t she? We thought you didn’t care about her and-”

“And in third place, but not in vain-” The headmaster kept their speech going.

“It’s fine Monday, I-” More loud cheering interrupted you now, but this time cheering your name above anyone else’s. You offered a weak wave to the people around, lowering your sight quickly. “I used to… She was my best friend before all that. I’m not sure she would let me call her that anymore.”

You didn’t even wait a second for Monday to talk back to you, but you did hear her call your name as you lost yourself between the crowds of people in which you walked into.

There was nothing you wanted more than to get away from this, away from anyone that had to do with any of this as soon as possible. And holding on to your towel as you moved away, you glanced back over your shoulder only to catch a glimpse of Monday being congratulated by her schoolmates and raised above their shoulders, Zoa being politely praised by her Headmaster but surrounded by other people who clearly admired her, liked her.

And you watched from far away, with a whole school also chanting your name but no one really that you cared about.

“Excuse me?” The sudden deep voice made you jump in surprise, only to find Dumbledore himself standing right beside you. “I believe you might have lost this.”

And out of his tunic, Dumbledore pulled out your one and only wand. The one you thought had left in the bottom of that damned frigid lake.

“Thank you so much sir.” You muttered, swallowing up every question as to how he got it back or how did he even know you had lost it. But it was Dumbledore you were talking about, sometimes you just accepted without questioning.

“You see Y/n…” He crossed his hands, looking back at the crowds now upon you, barely noticing both your presence there. “True friendship is a gift rarer than some of the most precious and magical artifacts you could imagine. It’s strong enough that a few wrong words won’t bulge it down, but wasted time may.”

In the distance, Soeun and Jaehee chatted in between themselves, stealing glances your way once in a while. They didn’t seem to match the celebratory atmosphere that surrounded them, making them stand out to you.

“Let this be a gentle reminder…” Dumbledore sighed, gently putting his hand over your shoulder. “Time will only drown us if we spend it away from what our heart most desires.”

Later

“...Besides, it was us that talked to her like that!” Monday shrugged, wrinkling her nose. “Now that I think about it, maybe we should go and apologize to her too.”

“But I was the one that allowed you to do that.” You groaned, leaning against the bed frame with your arms crossed over your chest. “And I didn’t do anything to prevent it.”

“You’re being way too pessimistic Y/n!” She shrugged, shaking your shoulders. “Like fine, you- we made her feel horrible at the Yule Ball but on the other side, you did save her from drowning in the Black Lake. I don’t see why she would still be mad at you!”

“Yeah well,” You freed yourself from her wrasp, sighing. “She wouldn’t have ended in the Black Lake if it wasn’t for me to start with.”

“They took treasures away from us.” Zoa interrupted. “You can’t overlook that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only reason she ended in the Black Lake is because you consider her a treasure.” She explained, her serious eyes piercing through mine. “Even after everything that happened and all the time that has passed, she still holds that place in your heart.”

“And we get it, you may be confused.” Monday doubled down, her hand now sofly holding on to your arm. “But I bet that being taken away and then suddenly waking up soaked in the middle of the Black Lake right in front of someone you don’t even talk to anymore has to be almost equally as confusing.”

They had a point, but in your mind you were positively sure that no matter what you did there was no way she would forgive you from what happened on the Yule Ball. Even less now. Her words kept repeating in your mind over and over.

“You wanted to give them a show, I just don’t want to be a part of it. Not like this.”

And even in her efforts to keep herself away from everything, you still found a way to drag her into this disaster. In a way that could’ve almost killed her. It’s like it became a curse for her how much you still cared for her.

And maybe she had no idea before, but now… basically all of Hogwarts knew how much you did. All of Hogwarts, except her.

“Children, thank you for your patience,” Madam Pomfrey’s voice approached you all from behind one of the Hospital Wing’s curtains. “They’ve all woken up and are completely stable and in good health. They’ll stay here tonight to keep them in observation but if no issue arises, they’ll be free to leave tomorrow morning.”

“That’s great news!” Monday cheered, strongly patting both your and Zoa’s back.

“Indeed. Congratulations champions.” A faint smile appeared on Madam Pomfrey’s face. “As you are free of any major injury, before you leave you're free to pay them a visit but I want them to have a good rest tonight so don’t take long.”

You all bowed in understanding. Your deep sigh being interrupted by both Zoa and Monday pushing you up against your own body’s will. The place was colder than you remember with very little sun coming through the windows, you shivered walking alongside the other two champions.

Behind the first curtain divider Soojin extended her arms at the sight of Zoa, who didn’t hesitate one second to slam against them.

“Oh my!” Zoa gasped, a tint of relief distinguishable in her words. “You’re so cold!”

“It will pass.” Soojin grabbed onto a blanket that slightly slid off her shoulder with the hug and fixed it. “But I overheard that you were first place?”

“Yes!” Zoa bounced from happiness as she snuggled beside her sister. “Only by a minute but we got first place!”

“That’s my little Bambi” The older woman tightened her embrace, earning a chuckle out of the younger.

A sudden shriek made you turn around to the other side of the room, where Monday was already checking up on Jiyoon.

“But you’re freezing!” The taller woman gulped.

“Yeah, I can’t begin to wonder why!” Jiyoon, even if down on a hospital bed, wouldn't lose her witty humor. “I didn’t sign for this!”

“Ah, I should’ve left you down there if I knew you were going to be so insufferable.” The other rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow as she cleaned her nails.

“AH!” Jiyoon gasped, playfully offended. “You wouldn’t!”

“Of course not.” Monday nudged her arm, immediately launching herself on to a tight hug.

And between those two conversations, you were left standing in the middle of the aisle alone. A deep sigh and your fidgeting hands guided you as you kept walking forward, only carefully peeking behind the curtains until you found…

Jihan.

She seemed too absorbed in the newspaper she was holding to notice your head just stealing a glance from her before gasping and taking a step back.

You tried calming down but your racing heart and sweaty palms were having absolutely none of it. But after some deep breaths you got your heartbeat as calm as it possibly could and stepped into the cubicle with confidence.

As soon as you did, Jihan looked up from the newspaper, erasing any possible words that you had been preparing to say. Only leaving you with a silent stare battle between the two.

“Hey…” You muttered, stepping forward. “How- How are you doing?”

“Good!” She whispered, warily putting down the newspaper. “I’m doing good. It’s a bit cold but I guess I shouldn’t be very surprised. Madam Pomfrey said it will pass.”

You nodded, trying to suppress the smile growing on your lips. Reaching for a nearby blanket, you took special care on putting it over her shoulders without realizing that her eyes stared at your every movement with a mix of confusion, nostalgia, relief and fondness long kept inside.

“There.” You sighed, sitting beside her. “That should help.”

“You have something on your face…” She mumbled, her hands stopping by themselves from reaching to your bruises.

“Grindylows… Damned pesky creatures.” You chuckled, lightly brushing your fingers over the healing wounds. “It’s but a scratch, Madame Pomfrey said it was nothing to worry about, it should fade in a day or two.”

And with a deep breath and throat cleared out, silence overtook again as you both tried to order your thoughts and process whatever was going on here.

It dawned on you that waiting for her to say the first word didn’t seem fair at all. After everything that happened it relied over your shoulders to step forward with the only sentence reasonable enough to say.

“Hey Jihan… I’m sorry.” You nodded, letting your head fall in shame. “I’m sorry about everything that happened at the Yule Ball. I never- I never really meant to…”

“It’s alright.” She mumbled, catching you by surprise. “Maybe I was being to clingy after all, and of course you’re more busy than before-”

“No! Of course not.” You interrupted her, mildly annoyed at how every word that she heard on that day could still be ingrained in her head. “I would never get tired of you!”

“Really?” Her words came out as a plea.

“Of course!” You sneered, finally daring to turn and face her. Her eyes were already laying on you, trying to hide the water already building up in them. Just that sight was enough to build up a knot in your throat. “I should have never let them talk to you like that but I was just so lost. The truth is that Jihan you’re- you’re special to me. You’re my friend and… a treasure.”

“A treasure?” The way she slightly tilted her head resembled a curious puppy.

“Yeah. They took a treasure from each of the champions for us to find in the bottom of the lake.” You tried to hide the blush building up in your cheeks, but the faucet of your tongue completely opened after a deep sigh. Knowing that if everything was going to come out, it was now or never. “And at first I didn’t understand what they were talking about. We all thought about jewelry, money. That last conversation kept repeating over and over in my head and how much I wished to just jump back. I wanted to change everything and not act like a complete idiot that has to pretend like I didn’t hurt one of the most important people in my life. I missed you. So much so that even after all of that, after I was about to convince myself that I had lost you forever, I realized that the treasure wasn’t something, it was someone. You.”

The silence that followed crushed against your shoulders, but it was only after you turned around to face Jihan that you realized that one tear had already escaped from her eye as she kept staring fixedly at her hands, fidgeting over her lap.

“Hey, I’m so sorry if that made you feel uncomforta-”

Her chest slammed against yours as her arms embraced you with all her strength. A shaky sigh being relieved over your shoulder and against your neck. You hesitated for a second before putting your own arms around her.

“I was so scared.” She muttered in your ear, her hands holding on to your clothing. “I was watching my own best friend turn into something I couldn’t recognize in front of my eyes. I got so scared that I just walked away without realizing that you were just as equally scared.”

You stayed there, getting back all the missed hugs and time that you could. You even realized how much you missed her heartbeat against your chest, slowly speeding up alongside yours.

“Are we interrupting something?” Zoa’s soft mutter made you jump, turning around to face her but without letting go of one of Jihan’s hands.

“No!...” You cleared your throat, with your eyes switching back and forth from your fellow champions to the girl slowly letting go of your hand with a visible wariness towards them in her glance. But you held on to her hand, reassuring her this time everything was different before turning to the other girls. “Is anything wrong?”

“Actually yes,” Monday stammered, her sight leaving you and addressing Jihan instead. “We wanted to apologize. Deeply.”

“We know that nothing can ever excuse our horrendous behavior on the Yule Ball, but it was all a big misunderstanding.” Zoa continued.

And this time none of them had the honeyed, fake-nice accent they had when talking to Jihan last time. You knew their tones were real this time.

“If we only knew how important you really are to Y/n… We didn’t even listen to them. And so much for us to be calling ourselves friends but we didn’t notice how much Y/n needed you back.” Monday added, but the amount of stammering coming out of the usually confident girl surprised you. On the other hand, the words made your cheeks slightly warm up. “We brought you this little treat from Honeydukes that Y/n helped us pick because they know your favorite too… They also told me the basket was actually your idea so I would like to thank you for that a lot. Y/n is really lucky to have someone like you…”

Her words died off as she stared back at you and your now incredibly red face and straight mouth. But with the corner of your eyes, you saw Jihan’s cheeks tinted in a pale pink, as she let your hand go to take the candy from Monday and held it close to her heart.

The whole sight made your heart flutter and you took advantage of your freed hands to turn around and hide your flushed face from the rest.

“Once again, we’re really sorry for everything that happened.” Zoa saved the awkward silence that was forming around. “If there’s anything we can do for you, we’ll gladly do.”

“Thanks… Uh-” Jihan sighed, and even though you were turning your back on her you felt her glance over you for a second. “Trying to step into your shoes I understood that this whole thing must be really hard for you too. It was just a bad night for all of us, it’s better to look at what lies ahead now.”

“Wow,” Monday gulped, her insecure self quickly dissolving into the air. “It’s real that Hufflepuffs are like… really good people huh. I thought this was gonna be harder.”

“By the way, thank you for saving us.” Jihan smiled towards the champions.

“Ah, you’re cute.” The Durmstrang champion muttered to herself. “Now I get why Y/n fell for you.”

“What?!” You spat.

“Huh?” Jihan whispered.

“What? I mean, nobody heard that.” Monday choked, trying to swallow back the spat out words. “No hard feelings sweetheart?”

She extended her hand towards Jihan, who hesitated a bit. She looked over at you with a certain tenderness that made your heart calm down, before giggling and shaking Monday’s hand.

“No hard feelings.” She answered.

“Hope you’re able to join us soon.” Zoa overtook the hand shake in a less aggressive way than the last girl. “It would be a pleasure to have you with us if you wish to.”

“Y/n we’re leaving, maybe grabbing a snack at the great hall.” Both champions stepped back, facing the way out of the hospital wing. “Are you coming with us?”

“Eh, no thanks. But I’ll see you tomorrow.” You dismissed them, glancing back to Jihan for a second as she placed her hand over yours. “I’m staying here for a bit more.”

They only nodded back at you before waving goodbye and exit the Hospital Wing in complete silence and with one question looming inside their minds. Only after they were out of the room and completely sure the door behind them was completely closed that they snapped around to each other, with Monday spitting out her words first.

“Are you sure Y/n said she’s not their girlfriend?” Monday uttered.

“Like, ninety percent sure now.” Zoa answered in a calmer but still incredibly confused manner. “Maybe a bit lower.”

“There’s no way that there’s nothing in between them.” Monday declared, her hands aggressively painting the air in distressed explanations. “I mean, look at them! Look at how they look at each other!”

“I was indeed looking.” Zoa just stood still in contrast with the other girl, one arm crossed across her chest while her hand held up her chin. “But they seemed not to.”

“They can’t really be that blind?” The frantic girl walked in circles around the other. “Like, that was a confession! Right? You know, the whole ‘treasure speech’?”

“It would seem like it.”

“I swear those two could smell amortentia and say the reason they smell each other’s perfume is because they’re great friends.”

“Oh, it has definitely happened before.” A strange voice came from behind them, making them jump. They recognized the two girls walking up to them as your friends, those at Jihan’s side at the Yule Ball. “Hi, the name is Single and I’m very Soeun… wait-”

“Believe me, you’re not the only ones seeing all that.” The other girl approached and shrugged. “We have, all of Hogwarts has. For five years. By the way, I’m Jaehee. Pleased.”

“And they’ve just… done nothing about it?!” Monday gasped, her voice raising in volume just like her hands in desperation. “They’re about to graduate, and they’ve done nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Both Soeun and Jihan answered at the same time.

“Sounds like someone needs a bit of a push.” Zoa hummed, joining the other three.

“We’ve pushed since year three. Metaphorically and literally in case they landed in each other’s arms. It didn’t quite go as planned and this scar right here proves it!” Soeun pointed to her ankle way too excited, as she almost lost balance but Jaehee returned her back as if it was an incredibly common occurrence. “But believe me, we’ve pushed before.”

“Then maybe it’s time…” Monday whispered as a smirk grew over lips. Her arms surrounded both Zoa and Soeun and pulled them closer, the last one letting out a squeak at the gesture as she pulled Jaehee with her. “...to shove.”

June 15th

“So a week from now you will be finally facing the hardest task yet in the Triwizard Tournament and it will test the lengths of your physical, magical and psychological strength.” Madam Hooch trailed through the Quidditch stands as Monday and Zoa watched attentively. “Don’t forget everything that we reviewed today and hopefully you’ll get out of that maze alive and well. Any questions?”

But that was the only thing you had registered in your brain so far, so the questions were far too many for you to brief them. But how were you supposed to focus when right behind Madam Hooch’s back lied the Quidditch pitch filled to the brim with hedges twisting and turning and making paths one could easily lose themselves in, all submerged in a thick fog that didn’t even allow you to see to the other side or the bottom of the pitch.

And a week from now you were expected to traverse it entirely on your own for the one glory of the Triwizard Tournament’s Cup. No pressure at all.

“I’ll take your silence as everything being clear and understood.” Her words made you shake your head, finally looking at her instead of the doomed pit behind her. “Well students, with the scores as close as they are, the outcome of this will determine the winner of the entire tournament. You must rest and prepare fervently as this is your last chance to snap the glory, and whatever you think will await you down there is nothing compared to what will be lurking in the maze. Do not underestimate that maze. You’re dismissed.”

You all took a second to react and pick up your things, startled at Madam Hooch’s last words. You all three bowed politely as you left in complete and heavy silence, stealing glances at the looming maze right beside you.

“Sometimes I wonder how this Tournament is approved.” Monday broke the tension as you walked down the stairs. “‘Hopefully you’ll get out of that maze alive and well?’ As if there was a possibility we couldn’t?”

“At least it feels nice to have a warning now, instead of realizing as dragons chase you around or water demons try to drown you.” You sneered, rolling your eyes.

“Exactly!” She answered. “It’s like everytime we say ‘Well, it can’t get any worse than this!’ they do everything in their power to prove us wrong.”

“To be fair, at the beginning they were very clear that this was going to be dangerous.” Zoa shrugged, fidgeting her hands. “It’s not like we get to complain about it now that we’ve come so far.”

“Well maybe I do feel like complaining about it right now!” Monday raised her voice in a honeyed tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Y/n!” You heard someone calling your name as soon as you exited the stands.

“Jihan!” You rushed to hug her, an instant smile growing over your lips. “What are you doing here? I thought I would catch you up at the Great Hall.”

“There you are!” Jiyoon’s voice closed in as her, Soeun, Soojin and Jaehee all approached behind.

“Hey everyone!” Monday soon caught up as all the group reunited. “What brings you all to mysteriously reunite together over here?”

“You told us to-”

“Ah you see,” Soeun cut Jiyoon up before she could continue. “It’s your last couple of weeks here at Hogwarts and we thought of giving you one last guided tour throughout the school!”

“If it's any like the hundreds of tours you’ve already tried to give them…” You chuckled, shrugging. “It’s just gonna be a disaster.”

“Ah, name one time!” Soeun defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well…” You stepped forward, with hands on your hips and a raised eyebrow. “The time you never arrived at the astronomy tower and you left Jihan and I waiting for you like idiots…”

“In our defense we got trapped in the moving stairs and Soeun and Jaehee went to get us.” Monday answered for that one, raising her finger as she explained.

“Or when you thought it was a good idea to sneak into the potions classroom to look at Snape’s private collection and he almost caught you while you insisted we smelled the amortentia?” Jihan then stepped beside you with her arms crossed, taking your side.

“With a bit of hindsight, I admit that one was a bit risky, yeah…” Jaehee rubbed the back of her neck, shrinking in her place.

“Or that last time you wanted to take them to Hogsmeade and Jihan and I lost everyone in the crowd…” You continued.

“It was really crowded, we are not really used to that.” Zoa hid her hands behind her, slightly giggling in embarrassment. “Our sincere apologies about that day.”

“And when we thought we would find you in Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop it turned out you had only made a reservation for two?” You finished.

“May have miscalculated a bit there.” Soeun rubbed her temples, sighing in defeat. “But you two had fun didn’t you?!”

“Yeah…” Jihan sighed, a slight smirk making an appearance on her face.

“Well yes but,” Just looking at the girl beside you made a pink tint appear on your cheeks, before shaking your head and clearing your throat to continue talking. “They’ve been here for almost a year… Don’t you think they’ve seen most of Hogwarts already?”

“Most! But I’m pretty sure there are lots of places they still don’t know about though! And perhaps…” Jaehee jumped forward, before scanning all three champions from head to toe. “A little calm stroll will serve you alright. You look terrible.”

“Thanks?” You scoffed.

“Sounds good to me!” Monday shrugged, surrounding both Jihan and you with her arms. “It will do us good. Don’t you agree Y/n?”

“Yeah, sure.” You hesitated, your words dragging out of your mouth. “If you want to-”

“Then let’s go!” Monday pushed you both forward, taking Jiyoon under her arm.

“Everybody pick a partner, grab them by the hand and form a line! No one is getting lost this time!” Soeun insisted. It was an instinct. You offered your hand to Jihan, who gracefully took it with a chuckle and an eye roll before intertwining your fingers. “This Hogwarts VIP tour is departing soon!”

“VIP tour?” You sneered, looking in disbelief at your friend.

“I’ll take all your questions at the end of the tour please.” She put a finger up and right in front of your face before turning around. “Off we go! On your right you will find…”

You couldn’t help but giggle at your friend and their endless enthusiasm. Coupled with Jaehee casting Lumos and raising her wand to seem like an actual tour guide herself, the entire situation relieved your soul from the burden of the third task briefing.

Strolling and enjoying the fresh winds of the summer breeze by the hand of your favorite person in the world was something you would never get tired of. Even if that was accompanied by a background narration of Soeun and Jaehee spilling unknown facts and possibly even made up ones about the simple most insignificant things around the school.

The sight of the school and the mountains surrounding it was a precious one as Soeun and Jaehee rushed you to watch the sunset together at a higher point, passing through the Training Grounds, the Womping Willow and towards the Greenhouses.

According to them it was only meant to be a quick stop, so you could catch the sunset by the viaduct, but as you were exiting one of them, the door slammed shut before you and Jihan could cross it.

"Wait! What happened?!" Jihan tried to push and pull the doors but to no avail.

"I… I don't know!" Soeun's voice hesitated for a bit, shaking the locks from the other side. "It's locked!"

"Step back everyone!" You ushered Jihan back as you got your wand out, pointing it at the lock. "Alohomora!"

But the lock didn't bulge or glowed, it stood there completely still. Someone kept shaking the door from the other side but it didn't serve any purpose.

"It didn't work! Someone must've enchanted the lock!" Jaehee's voice came from the little crevice between the doors.

"Dammit!" You spit out, rubbing the back of your neck. "What should we do?!"

"Hold there!" You could hear how they muttered stuff between them on the other side but you couldn't make up any words. "We'll… we'll go find someone!"

"Soeun! Wait!" You slammed your hand against the door to hold their attention but their steps were getting farther and farther. "Don't-"

Their blurred shadows disappeared into the distance, as you rested your forehead against it, a deep breath let out of your lips.

"I knew this was going to be a disaster. I’m starting to believe they just do it on purpose." You mumbled under your breath before turning around. "Well, it's us again Ji- Jihan?"

But she wasn't beside you, instead you found her looking around some plants at the other side of the greenhouse. Slowly peeking between tiny sprouts before muttering something to herself and jumping back, just barely avoiding a Snargaluff.

The sight was kind of endearing for you, besides, it's not like you both get much alone time these days so taking advantage of the basically forced situation you approached her.

"What are you looking for?" You asked.

"Some Alihotzy." She answered, her eyes set on all the different plants surrounding you while holding out her book. "We're supposed to use some for tomorrow's potions class."

"Ah,” You nodded, pretending to understand her. A silence wrapped both of you as you pretended to look with her, before sighing and giving up. “I have no idea what Alihotzy looks like if I’m honest."

"I do but I can’t find it anywhere!" She shrugged as she closed the book, pursing her lips and turning to you.

"Can I?" You extended your hand towards the book.

She gently let the book over your hand, before walking away to search on the other side of the room. You opened it right in the middle, knowing well enough the page the plant was on had to be somewhere at the beginning.

But while turning the pages you encountered something strange. One page had been ripped out right among the ‘G’ letter seccion, only left attached to the book was its border.

It only took you a second to react, reaching towards your bag and searching frantically until your hand finally found what you looked for. The page you had found beside the Gillyweed filled bag right before the second task. Unfolding it, your heart started speeding up as you closed it in, carefully aligning its border with the one of the page you had.

A perfect fit.

It was Jihan, she had put that inside your bag that day somehow. She saved your life, the life of the other champions and consequently her life as well.

Even after everything that happened at the Yule Ball.

"Huh-" You cleared your throat, still unable to take your eyes from the book. “Jihan you…"

"Shh! Y/n!" She cut you up in a whisper, making you snap your head up. "Look!"

“Fireflies?” The little glowing creatures were flying around the entire room, lighting it up. It wasn’t often that you saw them, they were only known to fly in the forbidden forest. “How did they get here?”

“I don’t know!” Jihan giggled, prancing towards you. “But it’s just…”

“Beautiful.”

You both sighed the word at the same time, glancing at each other. The coincidence made a wide smile paint itself over your faces and your cheeks tint themselves in red.

And avoiding each other’s stares, your eyes preferred to scan the area and take the moment in. While your life was undeniably filled with all sorts of magic, it was moments like this that wowed you even more.

The flickering and floating lights through the air only brought your mind to one moment where you had seen them before. The Yule Ball.

So with a deep sigh and chills running all over your spine, you filled yourself with courage, silently walking behind Jihan and softly taping her shoulder.

“May I?” You offered her your hand, slightly bowing to her. You caught the uncertainty in her eyes. “I promise this time will be different.”

A gentle nod and a smirk was enough before she delicately put her hand on yours. You pulled her in, one arm surrounding her waist as her other hand rested over your shoulder.

Her arms were comfortable and familiar, as you glided with ease around the greenhouse. Everything faded into the background as your attention only focused on the girl in front of you.

Maybe this time there wasn’t an entire orchestra playing for you but it’s not like you needed it. Your hearts synchronized, keeping a beat to which you danced together side by side in an air filled with flying glitter and shy giggles.

After a while Jihan rested her head over your chest, just letting you sway closely and let the moment steep in. You leaned your head over hers, catching a glimpse of a rapidly growing vine that intertwined its way until it was right on top of you.

“Was… that there before?” You muttered, making Jihan look up with you.

“I don’t think it was…” She said, raising one of her eyebrows. “But it’s the middle of summer, how can they grow mistletoe here?”

“Oh, mistletoe-” You nodded, of course she knew the exact plant by just looking at it.

But the realization hit you both at the same time with a bludger, as you jumped together and away from each other.

Words tangled on their way out of your mouths with laughter, as you tried explaining to the other the reason you had jumped away. Jihan just sighed and went back to looking for the plant she needed and you just pretended to do the same on the other side, occasionally stealing glances her way.

An awkward silence filled the greenhouse as your thoughts trailed away from the moment.

“What’s wrong Y/n?” Only Jihan’s voice brought you back after a while, making you jump and shake your head to let those thoughts go away.

“It’s the last task, that’s all.” You muttered, avoiding her glance.

“I know you’re not the bravest wizard of the world but I doubt it’s only the last task that’s eating you up.” Her hand gently snaked around your arm, pulling you to pay attention to her. “C’mon, we have time until they come back.”

It was difficult to say no to her, with her bright eyes containing the stars of the night sky or the dimples around her grin. So placing your hand over hers, you stared at the floor.

“It’s out last year here Jihan.” You sighed. “I still have no idea of what I want after we’re out of here and it’s just… I’m scared.”

“Scared?” She chuckled, her head tilting in curiosity. “After battling out dragons and underwater demons… you’re scared of the future?”

“I’m not precisely scared of the future.” You shook your head as you walked away from her, letting all your weight fall as you leaned over the middle table. “I’m scared to spend my future… alone.”

You didn’t even let Jihan say something before you let out every word burdening your mind, plus some feeling that even yourself had not even really understood completely.

“After what happened at the Yule Ball… I-” You glazed over her loving eyes, the words scrambling on your brain before you could even get them out. “I just couldn’t get myself to… I ate alone, walked to classes alone, studied alone and had no one to talk to. It was just the worst time of my life and after we’re done and we all go our separate ways… It’s gonna be me alone again.”

“You either think too much or don’t think at all sometimes…” Jihan sighed as she embraced you completely with her arms, confusing you even further.

“I’m a ravenclaw, what did you expect?” You scoffed, rolling your eyes.

“Do you really think you’ll be all alone after all of this?” She let go, rushing to stand right in front of you, holding your hands in hers. “After seven years just sharing the craziest things together you think we’re just going to let you go that easily?”

“I- Um…” You stuttered, trying to avoid watching her for too long, as the whole situation and pose were already enough to tint your cheeks a pale pink.

“Of course not!” She pulled from your arms as she jumped, pulling you even closer. “Y/n you’re our friend! Even what happened after the Yule Ball couldn’t drag us apart, and you think finishing Hogwarts will? You’ll always have Soeun, Jaehee, probably keep contact with Monday and Zoa…”

“And you?” You mumbled under your breath, but loud enough to stop her ramble.

“And me.” She sighed, reaching up to tuck a hair behind your ear with delicate care. “Especially me. It’s not going to be easy to get rid of me, I’ll always find a way to come back to you.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to lose you ever again.” You whispered, matching a tone that only both of you, this close together, were able to hear.

“You won’t” Maybe it was your imagination, or the dim light around, but you could swear she was getting closer each second. “I promise.”

With the sun completely set and your only lightsource being the fireflies surrounding you, the only glow you had with you was Jihan’s, and there was something about it that just called you closer to her. Closer until you felt each other’s breath against your faces, closer you both closed your eyes…

“We got it!” A distant voice made you pull apart in a startled jump.

It wasn’t long until you heard the stampede coming to the greenhouse doors, their shadows clear and awaiting on the other side as a metal clank signaled your new freedom. You only shared a shy glance before running towards the exit, letting her go through first before being stopped by Soeun.

“You’re finally free!” She cheered, leaning towards you as if she awaited something else from you. “So…”

“So… what?” You dragged out, confused.

“Anything happened there? Anything you want to tell us?” Jaehee closed in with her, her eyebrows raising and a smug smirk plastered over her lips.

“Ah…” You mumbled, “Thanks?”

Both of them sighed, dropping their smiles and arms to their sides. A shared disappointed glance made you chuckle a bit before you closed in to whisper in Soeun's ear.

“By the way, there’s a bit of mistletoe hanging over there, if you want to just… take a quick look inside with Monday, if you know what I mean.” You shoved her playfully, ending with a mocking chuckle. “Shall we go on with the tour? I’m starving.”

You kept walking, reaching Jihan who was already a bit steps forward. But you kept your distance from each other, your hands neatly kept in your pockets as you strolled together to the castle, unaware of your friends staying behind just staring at you two.

“‘There’sabitofmistletoe’ Of course there’s mistletoe in there.” Soeun sneered, imitating you. “I put it there!”

“Any news?!” Monday and Zoa rushed excitedly to the other pair, followed by Jiyoon and Soojin closely behind.

“Nothing,” Jaehee groaned, her frustrated glance unable to leave you. “Not. A. Damn. Thing.”

“Ah dammit.” Jiyoon scoffed, loudly complaining. “Now we have to round all these fireflies for nothing.”

“We’re so doomed!... Well, they are!” Soeun let herself drop on a bench in defeat, the others following around by leaning on the greenhouse wall or kneeling on the floor. “We tried everything!”

“Maybe not everything…” Zoa muttered while rubbing her chin, snapping everyone’s attention to her.

“What’s on your mind Zoa?” Jaehee asked.

“It may take a while to do it, a week maybe.” The Beauxbatons champion shook her head as the plan took its final form in her head. “But if this doesn’t work… Nothing else will.”

“But the final task is exactly one week away.” Monday closed in.

“Exactly.”

#weeekly scenarios #weeekly imagines #girl group scenarios #girl group imagines

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