Chapter Text
chapter one: friday, october 30th
“I told you, I’m not going.” Ryujin rolled herself into her blanket on the couch, watching Yeji roll her eyes and cross her arms.
“You bought a costume and you’re not going to go?” Yeji asked, adjusting the zipper on her debatably sexy kangaroo onesie. “Come on, it’s Halloweekend.”
The first thing that Ryujin knew for sure that ever since she began attending Atlas Academy, her and Yeji were inseparable. Whether it was at lacrosse practice, outside of class, or even in their dorm, they did everything together. Yeji was the Class President- outgoing, cheerful, and determined. But Ryujin was tough as nails- even though she had a soft side that she wouldn’t dare let anyone know about. It was harder for her to make friends. But it was even harder with her to open up to others.
“That’s a dumb name,” Ryujin chuckled, sorting through her DVD collection under their coffee table. “I’ll just re-watch Goblet of Fire. They really know how to throw a party at Hogwarts.”
The second thing that Ryujin knew for sure was that she loved the Harry Potter series. The books, the movies, the theme park, the stage play- her room was decorated in minimalist movie posters and replica props. But, she didn’t want to be seen as dorky to her teammates, so she hid her secret passion within the walls of her and Yeji’s dorm. Ryujin was okay with keeping her love of the Wizarding world to herself. Maybe if she was lucky, she’d get Yeji to watch a movie with her or even take a sorting hat quiz.
“Ryujin, you’re coming with me whether you like it or not,” Yeji sat down next to her, prying the other girl out of her blanket cocoon. “You spent a ton of money on those Gryffindor robes, and you’re not going to wear them out? It’s your favorite holiday!”
“I’m just not in the mood.” Ryujin sighed. Earlier today, she got the courage to finally ask out her crush, Mina Myoui. But Mina likes the team captain, Son Chaeyoung. Ryujin was crushed. Girls don’t want nerdy athletes, they want Son Chaeyoung and her stupid Halloweekend parties at her off-campus house.
“Chaeyoung likes you, and she’s not going to be a happy camper if you don’t come out tonight.” Yeji comforted her best friend. “Besides, you and I know damn well that Chaeyoung can’t stay on one girl for long.”
Ryujin laughed with Yeji, putting the remote down. Maybe she could go for a little bit? Chaeyoung was her teammate, after all.
“Maybe we can go just for an hour or two?” Ryujin offered, earning a bear hug from Yeji.
“Ryujin, you will not regret this!” Yeji squealed, rummaging through a plastic shopping bag. “Also, I got you this.”
Yeji revealed a maroon and yellow headband- the Gryffindor colors. Ryujin smiled shyly, as her roommate adjusted the accessory onto her head.
“You’re gonna be the belle of the Yule Ball.” Yeji joked, mentally giving herself a high five for convincing her roommate.
⌁☍
It was Lia’s third day at Atlas Academy and she had already lost her bus card. She meant to load her passes on her ID card, but after flushing it down the toilet she decided she should just ask her counselor for a new one. But, her roommates had another idea- they were going to walk down the hill to a party downtown, being thrown by the Lacrosse team. Unfortunately, their costumes didn’t make the trek enjoyable in the cold, fall weather.
“Faster!” Yuna called out, running in her female cop costume. Her heels clicked along the sidewalk as she maintained her balance. “It’s going to get crowded really quick, so we have to get there early.”
“Calm down! It’s not like they’ll run out of drinks.” Chaeryeong laughed, adjusting her top hat with rabbit ears. She decided to go as the Mad Hatter, wearing a cute Victorian British dress she managed to cut short at her knees.
“I hope someone recognizes my costume.” Lia admits, adjusting her Slytherin necktie. “I got these robes from when I went to Universal this summer.”
“You look so cute!” Yuna smiled. “Are you excited for your first Atlas party?”
“Honestly, I’m a little nervous guys,” Lia took a deep breath. “The kids here seem really mature.”
“But this is the coolest school ever! I promise,” Chaeryeong smiled. “So, are you going to try out for the dance team next week? We could use someone like you!”
“Yeah, right!” Yuna interjected. “She’s joining Choir with me. I bet she sings beautifully- if she would sing for us, you know…”
Lia had always been a quiet girl- and she didn’t mind it at all. She preferred to escape in the movies she watched and the books she read. Sometimes, she felt like a wallflower in her own life- just blending in with her surroundings. But, this was a new school. She had the chance to completely reinvent herself with her new, outgoing roommates. She had the chance to forget about her old life in Canada, and make new memories. At least, that’s what she hoped for on the car ride down to Atlas.
“I’ll decide soon, but I just want to get out and see the town this weekend!” Lia remarked, hiding her wand in her knee-high socks. “This city seems so cool.”
“We’ll be your spirit guides!” Yuna agreed, pretending to be a ghost and getting her roommates to laugh.
Lia fake smiled, praying that her anxiety would leave her system when they got to the house party.
⌁☍
“Well, look at this! Number seven decided to show up after all!” Chaeyoung announced, running down the stairs to give her teammates a hug. She was dressed as Jared Leto’s Joker, tattoos and all. “Come in, we’re just setting up the punch now.”
Ryujin followed Yeji upstairs to reveal a massive punch bowl with stacks of solo cups. Their other teammate, Dahyun, was in the back of the room setting up her laptop and turntable.
“HWANG! SHIN!” Dahyun shouted, covered in blue face paint and a fake black goatee. “What’s up? I heard there’s some cheerleaders coming tonight if you guys are interested. Mina’s bringing the girls. And guys. No judgement here.”
“I think we’re good, Dahyun.” Yeji chuckled. “Nice Genie costume!”
“THANKS!” Dahyun was known to be really loud- on and off the field. “Ryujin, what about you? I know a few cheerleaders who’d love that schoolgirl costume.”
“I’m a GRYFFINDOR!” Ryujin groaned.
“Bless you.” Dahyun laughed. “Well, let me know if you need anything. We have snacks for the team so nobody throws up on the carpet again.”
People began to file in after a few minutes, and Dahyun began to blast her Spotify playlist. Yeji got some punch, but Ryujin opted for a solo cup of water. Part of her wanted to go and find Mina, and apologize to her. She began to look around, until she finally found Mina dressed as quite the sexy mummy and her cheerleading friends- only Mina was dancing, no, grinding, with Chaeyoung. Yeji noticed the fake smile fall off of Ryujin’s face.
“Dude-“ Yeji comforted, but Ryujin was already down the hall, walking to the bathroom and lying against the adjacent wall. She wanted to go home. She wished she could be like her captain, but Ryujin felt too many things. She contemplated grabbing a cup or two of alcohol, just to forget what she felt for a while. But first, she remembered that she needed to find a quiet space and just breathe.
And that’s when she walked in.
She was a little on the shorter side, with long dark brown hair. She had a cute nose, and- the best part in Ryujin’s opinion- she was wearing a Slytherin robe, complete with the tie, robe, skirt, sweater vest, and even a green and silver headband. Ryujin’s eyes couldn’t tear away from the girl. She saw as her friends began to wave to someone, and watched as Yeji approached them slowly. Ryujin decided that now was a better time than ever to take that deep breath, and suck it up.
She fixed her tie, and flipped her hair as she sniffled and began to confidently walk over to her roommate.
“And here she is!” Yeji introduced. “The best goalie that Atlas Lax has ever seen grace its field, Shin Ryujin!”
“Oh, stop,” Ryujin nervously laughed. “Just call me Ryujin.”
“I’m Shin Yuna! And this is Lee Chaeryeong.” Yuna excitedly smiled, turning to a the girl in the Slytherin robe. She was staring at Ryujin, but Chaeryeong’s hand on her shoulder shook her out of her trance. “And this is our new roommate, Choi Jisu.”
“Yeah, but uh, most people call me Lia.” The girl smiled, nodding her head to her roommates. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Ryujin nodded, glancing up and down at Lia’s costume one more time. Shit. She just checked her out. Ryujin met Lia’s gaze, and saw her cheeks begin to turn pink under the multicolored strobe lights.
“Ladies, let’s go get some drinks.” Yeji offered, as Lia’s two roommates excitedly ran away. Ryujin made a mental note to thank her roommate later.
“Follow me,” Ryujin beckoned to Lia, as the two made their way to Chaeyoung’s balcony. Although it was pretty small, the lacrosse player sat down to give the other girl space to move to the other side. Lia sat down, laughing just a bit. Ryujin smiled back, propping her arm up on her upright knee.
“Favorite book?” Ryujin asked.
“Prisoner of Azkaban.” Lia answered, earning a fist pump from the Gryffindor. “What about you?”
“Philosopher’s Stone.” Ryujin watched as the girl nodded. “Favorite movie?”
“Goblet of Fire.” Lia told her.
“No way! Me too!” Ryujin exclaimed. “I really like your robes. Where did you get them?”
“I went to the theme park over the summer. I spent my entire paycheck on it.” Lia grabbed the ends of her robe and wrapped herself in them. “Did you make yours?”
“No, but this might sound really weird.” Ryujin closed up.
“Oh, come on! There’s nothing more weird than meeting someone who’s also wearing Hogwarts robes at a house party!” Lia encouraged. “New girls don’t get to judge, trust me.”
“I used my birthday money to get a lady online to make a custom one for me. It even has a wand pocket inside!” Ryujin revealed the sewn pocket, which held her wand down the edge of her robe. “I wanted a wand holster, you see, but that wasn’t super accurate with the lore itself.”
“You seem really passionate about this. It’s cute.” Lia said, making Ryujin blush.
“Well, I don’t really have anybody else to talk to about this kind of stuff.” Ryujin bluntly admitted, putting her robe back on.
“What about your roommate?” Lia questioned.
“Well, Yeji’s only seen the movies.” Ryujin’s reveal made Lia gasp. “I know, right? And she can get really busy sometimes being Miss Student Body President. She’s my best friend, but I don’t want to be clingy.”
“But, why hide all the best parts of you?” Lia was confused. “Is it because you’re a jock or something?”
“No, it’s because no one really asks.” Ryujin looked into Lia’s eyes. They were brown; and they looked as if something was tinkering behind them- as if Lia was still trying to figure her out. “You ever just feel like footprints on the Marauder’s Map? People see you, and yet they don’t. They see you, but they choose to not acknowledge you. Because they think you’re doing fine.”
“If there was a spell to make everyone happy, then we wouldn’t have such a great story like Harry Potter.” Lia thought out loud.
Ryujin was taken aback at how perceptive the girl was. This was the most pleasant conversation she’s had in a while, and she can’t believe that it’s with a girl this pretty who happens to be wearing Slytherin robes. Ryujin knew that she’d already been shot down one time today, but she figured that there wasn’t a reason to not try.
“Could I maybe take you out to eat tomorrow?” Ryujin asked, crossing her fingers underneath her robe. She would do anything to know this girl.
“I would like that,” Lia smiled. Ryujin felt her heart beat fast. Like, Hungarian Horntail loose at the Triwizard Tournament fast. She stood up, grabbing the Slytherin’s hand and pulling her up. The two girls were inches from each other’s face as the song from inside switched. Ryujin watched Lia’s eyes light up as she recognized the melody. It was a Post Malone song.
“Wanna dance?” The Gryffindor smirked, opening the glass door. Lia nodded, and followed her inside.