Work Text:
Yeonwoo
Hey! I haven’t seen you in forever, marshmallow~~~ let’s catch up at the regular spot after curfew? :)
Yeonwoo scribbled down on her enchanted messenger book as she was taking the last bite off of the roast chicken leg in her left hand. She glanced over at her recipient’s table, awaiting the latter’s reaction as she put the bare chicken bone back on her plate.
Nancy Jewel McDonie…how would Yeonwoo describe her? The younger girl was essentially Yeonwoo’s younger counterpart. The girl maintained a strong following from her own House and had even gained some followers from the other Houses. She had shown extreme promise as a leader, and was appointed as a prefect during the start of the school year. She held a strong academic record that anyone else would have incessantly boasted about. To top it all off, her aesthetic appearance was already remarkably exquisite, even at the tender age of fifteen.
The only notable differences people normally pointed out would probably be that a) Nancy didn’t play Quidditch – it wasn’t her lack of athletic ability, far from it. The young girl showed proficient skill and aim in her flying class during her first year, and was scouted for her House’s Quidditch team to play as a Chaser immediately, but she politely declined, saying she was more of a Quadpot girl at heart…something about growing up in the United States or the like. Yeonwoo would still scoff and roll her eyes whenever she remembered that fact…‘What was that silly girl thinking? Quidditch is the best broom sport, period.’ she huffed at the thought – and b) Nancy seemed colder and more stand-offish than the older Gryffindor.
She knew for a fact that the second difference couldn’t be farther from the truth though. Yeonwoo had come to find that the younger girl was just extremely shy, and was always cautious about publicly expressing her feelings…and this has resulted in her maintaining a neutral expression which most people misunderstood as her being distant. It didn’t really help that about 90% of the time people saw her, she was either studying alone or in the company of her childhood friend, the exceptionally handsome and equally icy-looking Hansol Vernon Chwe. Because of the American duo’s ethereal beauty, cold appearances and glaring bright skin, some students liked to poke fun at them in hushed whispers, joking the two were probably vampires. Despite the mundane talk that surrounded the couple, everyone still held them in the highest regard. So everyone had called the pair the Princess and her Prince – titles only befitting of Slytherin Royalty.
Everyone had just assumed that the younger Slytherins were their House’s answer to her power coupling with Gryffindor’s Head Boy and celebrity Keeper Yoonoh ‘Jaehyun – the Wall’ Jung. And in any other universe, Yeonwoo would’ve seriously considered them as proper rivals who were a definite threat to Gryffindor winning the House Cup during her last year at Hogwarts…but life always had a funny way of changing things.
**********
– Start of the School Year –
Yeonwoo rushed past the Quidditch Pitch into the Hospital Wing, clutching her nose in her hands. A Bludger smacked her down in the middle of her face during practice, because Hyebin got distracted debating with JooE on which was better between Cauldron Cakes or Pumpkin Pasties – in the middle of bloody practice!
‘Great, second week back in school, and I probably have a broken nose already. Stupid Hyebin.’ Yeonwoo internally cursed, slowing down as she neared the infirmary.
“Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey?” she called out to the open space
She saw the shadow of a person behind one of the hospital curtains. Yeonwoo squinted eyes to focus on the mysterious figure ‘It doesn’t look like Madam Pomfrey to me’
The figure drew the curtains to the side, revealing a striking young woman. Yeonwoo had seen the girl last week sitting on the Pitch Stands, as a show of silent support towards Slytherin’s new Seeker. She knew who this girl was. How could she not? There’s always been endless chatter about the girl’s visual magnificence.
‘Why is that brat Vernon’s girl here?’ Yeonwoo scowled as the younger girl walked towards her.
“Madam Pomfrey is out at the moment. She’s replenishing the Hospital Wing’s supplies and potions stock at Hogsmeade Village. I’m sorry.” The Slytherin girl explained, then continued “My name is Nancy, and I’m the volunteer assigned here for the meantime. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Uhm, I think a Bludger broke my nose during Quidditch practice.” She muttered through her hands “I’m not sure if you in particular can help me. I’ll just wait for Madam Pomfrey to come back” Yeonwoo said as she seated herself on the hospital bed closest to her
“No, it’s okay. I can handle it” Nancy coolly responded
“Are you sure?” the Seeker narrowed her eyes at the Slytherin girl in distrust
“Yes” the younger girl said, surprisingly in the middle of giggles. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen that girl smile before
“My dad is a Healer, and he’s taught me a thing or two over the years. Why do you think they allowed me to help around here?”
“If you say so…” Yeonwoo tried not to roll her eyes in front of the volunteer
Nancy took a seat at the end of the bed the Gryffindor was on and requested “Okay, could you please remove your hands from your face?”
The older girl complied, revealing her bloody and bulbous nose to the brunette. She tried not to stare at the young beauty, but the girl’s nose was just too…compelling. Yeonwoo suddenly felt like a potato since her nose wasn’t exactly in the best shape at that moment.
Nancy took her wand out and waved it towards Yeonwoo’s face “Episkey”
The Seeker suddenly felt a hot sensation in her nose, which was immediately followed by an immense cold rush. She cautiously moved to touch her nose, and everything seemed to be back to normal, aside from the dried blood that was soiling her face and hands.
“Here” the younger girl returned, offering her a clean piece of cloth and a metal basin filled with warm water “so you can clean up” the girl finished with a small smile.
“Thanks…” Yeonwoo murmured before she started wiping herself clean. The Slytherin was not only competent, but surprisingly tender and accommodating too – a far cry from the rumors that circulated around Hogwarts. And if the Gryffindor could be so bold, she was sure the younger girl’s smile could make the world stop to stare at its splendor.
“No worries” Nancy replied timidly
The younger girl handed her a Chocolate Frog and said “You can go back to Quidditch practice now if you’d like. And try not to get hit by any more Bludgers. Just let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with, Ms. Lee”
“Call me Yeonwoo” the Gryffindor answered with a cheeky grin as she received the sweet treat
“It seems so rude, calling you by your nickname so suddenly. We just met, and it all seems so…informal” the Slytherin shyly looked away, covering her mouth with a loose fist.
Yeonwoo scratched the back of her head. She was never really too big on proper decorum, and she was just so used to everyone calling her by her nickname. Then an idea popped into her head “Hey, your mom’s Korean, right?”
“Yes she is, but I don’t understand why you’d bring that up all of a sudden” the younger girl retorted
“Call me ‘Unnie’, then” the raven-haired girl broke into a wide grin
This caused another small chuckle to escape Nancy, as she agreed a little unsurely “Okay then…Unnie”
Yeonwoo slowly made her way out the door, but looked back at the younger girl “Oh yeah, uhm…before I go, would you mind if I added you over my enchanted messenger book?”
“Why’s that?” the younger girl tilted her head to the side
“Uhm. You know, because you said I should let you know if I need anything else…” the older girl held the back of her neck, a little embarrassed at her line of reasoning. She didn’t really know why she suddenly yearned to communicate more with the young Slytherin, but the young girl seemed very interesting to her.
“Alright” Nancy nodded, as she walked towards her bag to retrieve her messenger book. Yeonwoo took hers out of her Quidditch Robes’ pocket when the younger girl walked back towards her. The pair then tapped their respective wands over the other’s book to complete the process.
“Alright, I just want to send a test message” the Gryffindor said, as she walked towards Madam Pomfrey’s table to borrow a quill. She wrote down a short message on her book, and then slowly made her way to the exit.
The Slytherin looked down on her book to check on the message
Nancy is pretty~ ▽ ・ᴥ ・ ▽
The young girl couldn’t help but turn a little red as she read the message, with the little puppy at the end. “Unnie!!!” She was flabbergasted as she looked up to see Yeonwoo. The older girl just responded with a mischievous laugh “I’ll see you around, Nancy!”
*********
Yeonwoo smiled as she brought the memory of their first meeting to mind. She felt that everything in her life had become lighter and brighter after befriending the young Slytherin, and she really couldn’t imagine how she would’ve managed the high pressures of her seventh year in school without Nancy. In fact, she couldn’t even recall how she managed so well in the past, considering she wasted four years not bothering to form a bond with the younger girl. Still, the Gryffindor beauty was grateful to have formed this wonderful friendship at all, even if it was only during her last year at Hogwarts.
She wished they could’ve been normal friends, and interacted as such…but Gryffindor-Slytherin tensions had been especially high this school year amid Gryffindor’s allegations of unfair point deductions made against them in the last year, where Slytherin won the House Cup – breaking her House’s 5 year winning streak. It also didn’t help when Vernon finally decided to join the Slytherin Quidditch team as their Seeker earlier in the year (and as much as Yeonwoo hated to admit it, it was always neck to neck between her and the American boy). However, after she developed a friendship with Nancy…winning the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup didn’t seem as important anymore. As long as she still got to spend time with the younger girl, Yeonwoo was already really happy. Even if she had to confine that happiness in hidden places.
It’s been over two weeks though, and she still hadn’t hung out with or at the very least heard back from the Quadpot-loving Slytherin. She knew the younger girl’s O.W.L. Examinations were coming up, but it was really uncharacteristic of her to be completely unresponsive over their messenger books. Yeonwoo decided to start scribbling again
I completely understand you’ve been busy preparing for your O.W.L.s though! Still, I’m sure you’ll kick arse. Keep on fighting! We can just rain check to whenever you’re free again. Just let me know~ :D
Gryffindor’s star Seeker saw from the corner of her eye that the younger girl had begun writing on a book, so Yeonwoo hurriedly glanced down her messenger book, eagerly awaiting Nancy’s response.
…
‘And…nothing’ the older girl sighed.
She looked back up at Nancy and saw that the head of elegant brown waves had already packed all her things and was on her way to exit the Great Hall. She glanced over at the untouched honey-glazed chicken wings on her second platter, but she knew she probably wouldn’t be able to catch the younger girl alone again in a while. It was quite rare to see her out without her Prince at all, so Yeonwoo wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste. “Hey, Hyebin, JooE?” she called out to her Quidditch teammates.
The Gryffindor Beaters stopped their little food fight to face their star Seeker. “What’s up, lazy bones?” JooE asked as she pulled out a pea from one of her twin pigtails – where Hyebin had catapulted it to earlier with a spoon.
“I think I’m having a tad of stomach trouble, I’ll go give Madam Pomfrey a visit. You two go on ahead to the common room. I wouldn’t want to hold either of you up.” Yeonwoo clutched her stomach as she reasoned with her friends
“Was it the chicken?” Hyebin asked her, clearly aghast at the thought of the Gryffindor Sweetheart potentially feeling unwell from the food served by the Hogwarts Kitchens
“I don’t think so, I might’ve just overeaten for today” Yeonwoo scratched the back of her head as she gave her older friend a sheepish smile
“You sure you don’t want some company going to the Hospital Wing? Do you want us to call Jaehyun?” JooE gave her a worried look
“No! No, it’s really not that big of a deal.” The seeker gently gestured towards the younger Beater as she held both her hands up
“I wouldn’t want to spoil your study schedules. You still have your O.W.L. Exams coming up, and I’m sure Hyebin & Jaehyun still have a lot of cramming to do for the N.E.W.T.s”
“Well, if you’re sure…just let us know if you need anything else, okay?” JooE offered
“Of course” Yeonwoo gave a soft smile. Despite her goofy personality and crazy antics, JooE was a great person and a reliable comrade. She could normally trust her friend with anything, but there were just certain things the Seeker needed to keep to herself, and this situation was one of them.
Yeonwoo asked her friends to bring her things to their common room for her (just in case she needed to break into a run, she wasn’t taking any chances), to which they obliged with no hesitation. As the Gryffindor Sweetheart was halfway towards the exit, Hyebin gave her a shout “Hey, lazy! Can I have the rest of your chicken?”
Yeonwoo could only chuckle as she shook her head in disbelief. Leave it to Hyebin to ask for more food. The Seeker shouted back as she passed the exit “Do whatever you want, Hyebjjang!”
--
As Yeonwoo was walking through the Entrance Hall, she accidentally made eye contact with Slytherin’s Head Girl. She was never really sure how to approach Jane Sung. Although she had a deep respect for Jane’s relentless drive and superb work ethic, they somehow were just never able to be friends. Even if they were in rival houses, the two girls were in the same year which meant they had spent almost seven years sharing some classes in the same school. They worked together on collaborative projects multiple times when their professors had asked them to as prefects (and eventually as the heads) of their respective houses. Yet despite that, their connection had always remained rather…clinical. So she just gave the girl an awkward smile and wave, to which she received a curt nod in response.
She gave the Main Hallway a scan upon entering, and saw two of her friends in the lower year – one Gryffindor and one Hufflepuff – playing Wizard’s Chess. “Hey, Taeha. Hey, Michelle.” Yeonwoo waved at the younger girls as she passed them “Hey, Yeonwoo!” the duo cordially greeted back before returning to their game, but not before Taeha snuck in a wink. The older girl couldn’t help but smirk back.
After her casual encounters, Yeonwoo finally found who she was looking for. She saw the brunette speaking to a Ravenclaw with rather prominent ears, and a bespectacled Hufflepuff whose hair looked like – Yeonwoo squinted her eyes – ‘…fried shrimp?’ the Gryffindor shook her head, she was starting to think like Hyebin. She wasn’t sure if it was hunger getting to her, but maybe she should’ve taken a couple of chicken wings when she had the chance.
‘Those must’ve been the friends she mentioned making in her Muggle Studies class…’ Yeonwoo mused as she saw Nancy give the books she was holding to the other girls.
“Thanks again for letting us borrow your notes on Potions and D.A.D.A., Nancy! You’re the best!” the Ravenclaw exclaimed “I know right? Ugh, girl, you’re such a life saver!!!” the Hufflepuff chimed in.
“No worries, guys. Just try not to get sick anymore! The O.W.L. examinations are next week!" Nancy responded
“We won’t! We promise!” they chorused
“Good.” She gave them a dazzling smile “I’ll see you two in class tomorrow! Bye, Daisy! Bye, Cindy!”
“Bye, Baby Nancy!!!” the two girls sandwiched the marshmallow into big group hug before heading off. Yeonwoo felt a twinge in her chest. She wasn’t the jealous type. Many girls fawned over Jaehyun, and they always gave him many gifts and letters of admiration (not that she didn’t receive her fair share of those either – from both genders nonetheless), yet it never really bothered her at all. But with her secret friend, it was somehow…different. And even if in all honesty, she was happy the younger girl was starting to warm up to and befriend more people, it made Yeonwoo feel a little less…special.
‘You’re such an idiot, stop being so selfish. She deserves other friends too! And friendships that she doesn’t have to hide, I might add!’ The Gryffindor groaned as she mentally reprimanded herself.
As the three fifth years went their separate ways, Yeonwoo carefully followed her target – who appeared to be headed towards the Slytherin Common Room. She kept some distance, and seemed to go unnoticed by the younger girl.
As the two girls entered an empty hallway, Yeonwoo did a double take to ensure that the coast was clear. When she was convinced nobody would disturb them, she called out “Nancy?”
The Slytherin Princess’ pace didn’t stagger as she continued towards the Dungeons. Yeonwoo furrowed her brows; it was really unlike the younger girl to not hear her on her first attempt…she knew for a fact that the girl had excellent hearing. “Hey, Nancy! Wait up!” The Gryffindor tried again, noticeably louder this time.
The brunette’s shoulders tensed as the older girl’s yell stopped her in her tracks, but she never turned around to face her caller. Yeonwoo became certain that something was definitely up now.
“Are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?” the dark haired girl tried to rack her brains out thinking of what she did to upset her best friend. Yet her question was left hanging in the air, as the younger girl had chosen to remain quiet.
“Come on. Talk to me...” the silence was deafening. She felt her heart wrench, and so she begged “Please...”
Nancy
Nancy let out a heavy sigh, and started picking up her steps where she had left them off. She knew was being unfair to the Gryffindor, suddenly giving her a cold shoulder without any explanation, but the younger girl understood that it was for the best. The truth was just too complicated to lay bare.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt a firm grip holding down her left hand, keeping her in place. She felt the older girl’s forehead tenderly pressed against the back of her head…a warm breath tickling her neck as they stood still in the cold corridor.
“Am I really so bad?” she heard her best friend whisper against her hair. Nancy clenched her eyes shut. It really hurt to hear Yeonwoo think of herself so lowly, but she had to maintain her resolve ‘Keep it together, McDonie. You know you shouldn’t be making things more complicated than they already are.’
“Do you hate me?” the Gryffindor’s voice cracked and Nancy felt a slight dampness against her scalp.
‘Is Unnie…on the verge of tears?’ the thought broke her heart. She knew that what she was doing might have been callous, but she thought Yeonwoo would just be mad at her sudden aloofness, brush it off and then carry on with life. The older girl tended to be very easygoing and happy-go-lucky; it sometimes made Nancy forget how sensitive the Gryffindor actually was – the Seeker always did wear her heart on her sleeve.
The young Slytherin had already rationalized that she was doing what was best for everyone in the long-term. She was convinced that the older girl would quickly get over it…she strongly believed was nothing more than a speck in the older girl’s perfect world. But it was clear to her now that what she was doing just caused Yeonwoo an overwhelming amount of pain instead. And she could never live with the knowledge that she was hurting the Gryffindor this much.
‘So much for keeping it together…’ she let out a muffled huff, disappointed at how she wavered so quickly ‘but it’s too cruel to keep on distressing her like this…’ she tried reasoning with herself. As if she could ever deny Yeonwoo anything to begin with.
“No, Unnie” she started, tears brimming in her own eyes
“You're not the one who's bad. I am.” She felt hot tears stream down her cheeks as she turned to face her senior
“I know Jaehyun is warm and makes you really happy.” She remembers the older boy’s vibrant smiles, his compassionate gentleness and his effervescent energy. He had such a passion for life and clearly had a bright future ahead of him. Jaehyun consistently proved to be nothing short of the ideal partner. He always made Yeonwoo laugh, and would listen enthusiastically to everything she said. And unlike most guys his age, he had consistently paid extra attention to Yeonwoo just to ensure he was meeting all of the girl’s wants and needs. He was definitely the perfect match for the Gryffindor Seeker. Together, he and Yeonwoo shone so bright, that they were more radiant than the sun.
“And Vernon is very kind and has always been by my side...” her dependable comrade of almost a decade. When she had turned seven, he promised her the world and vowed to do everything within his power to make her happy. Everyone knew the boy loved her a great deal, and would go as far as to pick the stars from the night sky just to see her smile. She had never hesitated to return Vernon’s affections because of his great ambitions and his steadfast commitment to her. She knew they were lovely together – the picture perfect couple that everyone was proud of. So she was keen on seeing their relationship through, even if there were times when she felt that something was missing.
But when she was with Yeonwoo…Nancy just suddenly knew of what she was never sure of. With the older girl, everything felt like it was in place, and for the first time in her life she finally felt whole. As childish as it sounded, she knew she could never ever feel this way for anyone else in her life.
However, she didn’t want to end up causing anyone any trouble, and wanted to save everyone from feeling any pain – preferring to carry the burden herself. She knew there great things that were expected of the four of them. And she knew if she pushed for what she genuinely felt, she would ruin all of their respective prospects, so she tried to shove it in the deepest and darkest recesses of her being. She was willing to see it through even if it meant that she would never feel that her heart was full anymore – prepared to keep living with hollow spaces in its stead.
“...but, it still isn't enough.” There it was – the truth. She couldn’t turn back now.
Nancy looked down and stared at the corridor floor intently, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world, and started with a whisper
“I know it's selfish, but even if you always make time for me...” she trailed. She scrunched up her face and buried her nose in her shoulder. She wished she didn’t have to be this honest about her feelings, she really hated mushy stuff. But she knew Yeonwoo deserved to know the truth, so she continued
“I still want to spend more time with you.” She quietly said against the sleeve of her uniform. Nancy locked her eyes onto the floor again, realizing she was muffling her speech against her shoulder. And she carried on, despite the fresh set of tears that had started dripping over her shoes “I want us to be able to share everything with each other, both good and bad.”
“I'm sorry if I'm being unfair, but this is how I feel.” She sniffled. The younger girl found her courage and snapped her head up to lock eyes with Gryffindor’s darling Seeker
“Dabin Lee” Even if her vision was partially clouded by the tears that stuck on her thick lashes, she could see the look of astonishment on Yeonwoo’s beautiful face. In the nine months of their clandestine companionship, Nancy had never called the older girl by her real name before – not once. But she needed the older girl to know that she wasn’t messing around, that this wasn’t one of those flirty banter exchanges they normally had when they were feeling playful.
“I like you.”
No, that wasn’t it. ‘Like’ wasn’t enough of a word to encapsulate every single feeling the older girl made Nancy feel. It wasn’t just about the butterflies she felt in her stomach every time her upperclassman’s face was a little too close…it wasn’t just the way her heart would skip a beat when Yeonwoo would discreetly wink in her direction in the Quidditch Pitch stands after catching the Golden Snitch during practice. It wasn’t just about that.
It was also about the warmth she felt in her chest after she saw the older girl chasing to recover scared first year Hufflepuffs who got stuck in the middle of one of the stairways when the Grand Staircase decided to move before the young ones even reached their destination, all because the Gryffindor Sweetheart wanted to make sure that those lowerclassmen wouldn’t accidentally wander off into areas considered off-limits and get into trouble, or worse – hurt themselves. It was how her heart ached when Yeonwoo’s family owl flew in the Great Hall bearing news that the latter’s grandmother had passed away, and Nancy could do nothing but sit and watch from across the hall as Jaehyun took the sobbing girl into his steady, comforting arms. It was the way Yeonwoo’s bad jokes and bizarre nasally laughter (one that Nancy might add, although was quite a mismatch for the older girl’s goddess-like features, made the Gryffindor Seeker all the more endearing) always infected her. It always made her burst out into a fit of giggles that would hurt her cheeks and stomach – and because of how lost she would get in her elation, she always ended up making faces that frankly didn’t necessarily fit people’s image of her as the Slytherin Princess.
Now Nancy liked American organic chocolate milk, but it never made her feel any of that. She knew what she felt for the raven haired girl was much deeper than what could be described by ‘like’.
“I love you.”
It was funny. She thought she would literally die after confessing the secret she had buried deep in her heart for quite some time now, but instead all she felt was a heavy weight being lifted from her chest.
She doesn’t expect a response from Yeonwoo, but she had to tell the older girl how she felt. She knew that suddenly avoiding her upperclassman with no explanation was unwarranted, especially after the close friendship they had developed. But Nancy knew continuing their surreptitious relationship at this point would just end up in her having to deal with a nasty bitterness and a dark jealousy that would slowly start eating her up from the inside.
She couldn’t continue to remain so close by Yeonwoo’s side, but still carry on being best friends in the shadows. Never being able to openly support each other through each other’s greatest triumphs, and comfort the other in their worst defeats. She wanted more than just having everything being shared through their enchanted messenger book. More than the stolen moments they got to spend with each other in abandoned corridors, between the shelves of the Library’s Restricted Section or by the covert sections near the Great Lake. She was sick of being the horse that was following the carrot at the end of the stick, but would never get to eat it. She no longer wanted to keep on staying right by Yeonwoo’s side, only to be constantly reminded of what she could never have. Nancy braced herself for the worst. She knew nothing would come of her declaration, other than the inevitable end of their beloved friendship.
Before Nancy could say anything else, she felt a force from behind her head pushing her forward. She blinked.
All of a sudden, she could only feel warmth and softness.
It took a couple more blinks for her to realize that her mouth had crashed into Yeonwoo’s sweet, plump lips.
The older girl slowly pulled back and Nancy couldn’t help but stare at her incredulously. The Slytherin Princess blinked furiously, because she couldn’t process what was going on. She was so sure the end of their friendship was imminent. She was absolutely certain that her confession would guarantee the permanent cutting of their ties. But the Gryffindor gave her a gentle look through glistening eyes, and tenderly spoke with a smile “Silly girl. I feel the same way”
Yeonwoo moved both her hands to cup each side of the younger girl’s face and pressed their foreheads together. Wide smiles had started forming on both of their lips.
“I love you too”