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If you ask a Hogwarts student who Jennie Kim is, the first response you get is a frown, then a shake of the head, before they answer in a half-whispered voice about what they know about the dark-haired girl.
No one knows the identity and how Jennie Kim came and became a student at Hogwarts. In September 2007, a pale-skinned little girl with long hair walked on the 9 3/4 platform alone. With her right hand carrying a small suitcase and her left swaying with her footsteps, she entered the Hogwarts dining room, following the Sorting Hat's selection of dormitories.
"Jennie Kim. Slytherin"
After that various rumors flowed about her. About her being a "parselmouth", about her being said to be a descendant of a death Eater who fled abroad, and many more. Time passed and the rumors didn't go away. Time passed and the pale little girl grew with no one really stay by her side.
If you ask the people at Hogwarts who Jisoo Kim is, the first response you get is sparkling eyes, a wide smile then a cheerful voice that tells you how adorable that dark-haired girl is.
People know that Jisoo Kim is a muggle. Her father is a musician and her mother is a writer. On his 11th birthday, she received an invitation letter from Hogwarts.
Everyone knows that adorable story. Little Jisoo hugged her parents in front of platform 9 3/4, asking them not to be sad. She promised to always send letters even though she herself didn't know how to send letters from Hogwarts to her house. With a big smile after saying goodbye, she ran through platform 9 3/4 to go to school. So in September 2007, little Jisoo,- who was wearing a yellow shirt, with her hair in a ponytail, carrying a stuffed bunny in her left hand while pulling her suitcase with her right hand, walked to the dining hall to follow the division of dormitories by selection hat.
“Jisoo Kim, Ravenclaw”
After that various stories flowed about her. About her hardworking self, about her friendly self, and of course about how adorable little Jisoo is when telling stories. People say, when Jisoo Kim opens her mouth, the people around her will smile. The girl was very expressive when telling stories. Whatever she tells feels so alive that it's hard not to listen. Not only her face, but her whole body also told the story. Every now and then her hands moved to follow sentence after sentence that came out of her mouth.
The battle at Hogwarts in 1998 marked the downfall and end of the adventures of " He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named " and his followers. After Voldemort lost his duel against Harry Potter, his followers were then hunted down. Many of those arrested are held in Azkaban prison, others have fled abroad. There were many of them who were hunted and killed by the people of the Ministry of Magic or the people who wanted to take revenge for their actions.
Two decades have passed since the Incident, but the horrors of living in terror are still felt today. People may laugh, muggles and purebloods alike can mingle, but there's no denying that the ministry of Magic and living witnesses who experienced life during The Dark Lord era, never felt safe.
Jennie may have ignored the incident, after all, she didn't do anything wrong. But her back is often feeling the goosebumps. after living at Hogwarts for so many years had not made her accustomed to people's stares at her. some people look at her with pity. There are people who were trying to forget the incident. To them, Jennie is also a victim, but they just stare and do not do anything. Rumors make them afraid even to say hello.
The second type of gaze she received most often was a look of hatred. Those who looked at her with hatred were generally descendants of those who had fallen victim to the events of the battle at Hogwarts.
Jennie's unclear identity, her ability to master parseltongue, and her being placed in Slytherin make her a target for hatred.
So far they've only looked at her with hatred, she only hopes that they won't hurt her just because of the hatred that won't go away.
As a muggle, Jisoo is not very familiar with the wizarding world and its history. When the invitation to go to Hogwarts came, the first thing that crossed her mind was how much fun it would be to live with magic. Imagine life with magic so you can do anything. Messy kitchen? Did schoolwork pile up? Want a vacation to the other continent? swing your wand, while chanting a spell and your kitchen will be clean again. Your tasks will be done and you will be able to travel without the hassle of spending money.
So after entering Hogwarts, did her imagination come true? It didn't. A first-year student like her studied seven basic subjects. transfiguration, spells, potions, history of magic, defense against black magic, astronomy, herbology, and flying lessons with a broom.
Magic can indeed make your life easier. But to get the "convenience" is not easy. In her freshman year, countless nights went by without sleep due to difficulty reciting spells. Recitation in a spell is the most important thing. Wrong pronunciation means a failed spell.
The only lesson that is fun for Jisoo is the history of magic. boring? It could be, but this lesson is the only one that feels familiar. Studying the history of magic was not much different from the history lessons she had received since elementary school.
One of the discussions that she remembers the most is the loss of The Dark Lord with his followers. For a muggle like her, this event was interesting but didn't have an impact on her life. But it's different with her friends who were born into wizarding families. This is an event that still made people alert as if they were about to rise again.
Who would have thought, an event reminded her of her first year's history lesson. She found a reality, that for many people, this event is not only holds stories but also sorrow and hatred.
That night should be a boring night for Jisoo. After dinner, she chose a detour to walk to the dormitory. She ate so much that her stomach needed time to digest the meal before going to bed. She was walking when she caught the sound from the end of the hall.
She immediately grabbed her wand and swung it forward while chanting a spell.
“Lumos”
With the light coming from the tip of her wand, Jisoo stepped closer to the source of the sound.
Her eyes caught someone in a black robe with green accents leaning against the wall. The closer she walked, she realized that the figure was Jennie Kim.
"Hey, can you keep that light away from me?"
Jisoo pointed her wand to the other side of the hall so they still got the light but didn't hit Jennie.
"Are you okay? Want me to help you to the infirmary?”
“Yes, please. I'm having trouble standing up."
After turning off the light on her wand, Jisoo immediately helped Jennie up and led her to the infirmary.
Jennie thought, she will never meet Jisoo, after they arrived at the infirmary. Unfortunately, she was wrong. The next day, Jennie woke up with the three standing to the left of her bed. There was Rosé, the blonde-haired girl from Gryffindor dormitory. The girl with bangs from Hufflepuff, Lisa and Kim Jisoo, who helped her last night.
She should have realized that meeting Jisoo, meant meeting two girls from two different dormitories as well. The story of the friendship of the three is well known. As a girl of Asian descent, they fit right in on their first day at Hogwarts. Since then the three of them are often seen together.
Jennie wanted to open her mouth to ask them to leave but Lisa spoke first.
"Hello Jennie, I'm Lisa, and this is Rosé. We're the same year and class by the way. But this is the first time we're talking face-to-face. When Jisoo told me she found you curled up in the hallway, we couldn't believe it so we came here right away. How are you? Feels better?"
Jennie felt dizzy, besides talking a lot, Lisa's wide smile made Jennie feels bad for asking them to leave.
"Thanks for coming, I'm fine. Do you have a morning class? Better leave now before you guys are punished for being late.”
Lisa still wanted to talk but Jisoo immediately cut her off.
"I'm sorry we came to disturb your rest. It's good that you're better. Then we'll go first."
Jisoo immediately pulled the arms of two of her friends away. Lisa who was dragged out still had time to speak.
"We will come again this afternoon, I hope you are not bored alone in this room, okay?"
Jennie massaged her forehead. She was only interacted for about 10 minutes with Lisa but it felt like she spent all her energy there. she hopes, they wouldn't come this afternoon.
Remind Jennie to stop expecting anything. Since their meeting in the infirmary, there is no day that has passed, without Jennie meet with the trio of "sunshine". They attract her to eat together, study together and even spend free time together.
For the first time since she attended Hogwarts, Jennie had a guest in her room. Who else had the idea of hanging out at the Slytherin house besides Lisa. she said, she wanted to visit Jennie's room. Jennie could have refused, but Lisa with her "puppy eyes" was very hard to resist. she had tried it once and ended up feeling guilty all day. Rosé said that Jennie only looks fierce from the outside but she is actually very gentle and soft.
“Wow, you didn't change anything in your room did you? Very Jennie." This was the first sentence that Rosé said when she's in Jennie's room. Yes, Rose is the only one who dares to openly make fun of Jennie in front of her eyes. Usually, Jennie just looked away or pretended not to hear.
They spent the night in Jennie's room, talking about many things. More precisely, listening to Lisa's story, which Rosé and Jisoo sometimes chime in. Jennie is mostly silent and nods occasionally when needed.
"Is this what it's like to have friends? Noisy indeed but it doesn't seem bad either”
"You can see the Thestral?"
Jisoo turned around. Didn't think she would hear questions from Jennie Kim. The pale-skinned girl had never spoken to anyone before. Not that she never spoke. She would occasionally reply to Rose or Lisa's stories when asked. She was never the first to ask, or so at least Jisoo remembered.
"Yes, and you?"
Instead of answering, Jennie just returned the question.
"Whose death did you witness?"
"You know, you have to answer a question instead of asking another question"
Jennie chose to sit next to Jisoo who was feeding a Thesral in front of them. Jisoo don't know why she was nervous. This was indeed the first time they had sat this close. Usually, there's Lisa and Rosé to lighten the mood. Jisoo couldn't lie to herself that she really wanted to get to know Jennie more closely. But somehow every time they were close, Jisoo's throat felt dry. She who is known as an expressive storyteller is intimidated by Jennie's aura which Rosé says is bullshit.
So with all the courage she had, Jisoo opened her mouth and started the story.
“I saw my grandmother died. When I was little, I was her favorite. It was a summer day in June, we slept together. my grandmother sang a lullaby. But before the song finished, my grandmother's voice could no longer be heard. At first, I thought she was sleeping. but seeing his chest that didn't move up and down, I immediately called my parents who were in the next room. It's the first time I've seen people die in person."
Jisoo didn't expect Jennie to respond to her story, but curiosity made her turn her head to the left to see Jennie's expression. She saw the pale-skinned girl opened her mouth.
"Will Jennie tell me her story as well?"
Her hopes were dashed when Lisa's shrill voice came from behind them.
"What are you doing here? Let's go, the next class will start in a bit."
For the first time, Jisoo felt like hitting someone really hard.
“Stop staring at her. she just went to return the book. You can make a hole in her back if you keep staring at her like that.”
Jennie was surprised, but chose not to make a sound and shifted her focus back to the book in front of her. Beside her, a blonde-haired girl and a girl with the neatest bangs in Hogwarts had a high five for successfully teasing Jennie.
It's a daily job for Lisa and Rosé to tease Jisoo and Jennie who--if people pay attention, like each other. The two of them have spent a lot of time together in the last few months. Sometimes they would sneak into the Astronomy Tower for a night. Take a leisurely stroll around the dorms or spend time watching Lisa or Rose, in the Quidditch match.
"If you like Jisoo so much why don't you just tell her?" Lisa has now moved to a sitting position in front of Jennie. While propping her chin, she looked at the girl in front of her. With her pale skin, the blush on Jennie's cheeks was clearly visible.
When returning to their table, Jisoo looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong with Jennie? Why is she covering her face like that?”
"She's embarrassed because she was caught staring at your back without blinking"
Now it was Jisoo's turn to blush.
"Stop teasing me and Jennie, focus on your tasks"
Rosé and Lisa laughed before trying to focus on the book they had left open without reading it.
“The Triwizard Tournament will be finished soon, which means the Yule Ball will also be held soon. What do you plan to wear next?"
Today there were only Rosé and Jennie spending time in the library. Jisoo and Lisa chose to take a nap.
"I don't have any plans, I don't like parties"
Rosé hit the back of Jennie's hand. It's not hard, but enough to make her feels the pain.
"What's wrong with you? You should take advantage of this moment to take Jisoo there. You like Jisoo right? You want to see her dance with someone else?”
"I don't like Jisoo. If she wants to dance with someone else, that's her choice, it has nothing to do with me."
"Really? You can't even take your eyes off her, don't try to lie to me, Jennie. You're a bad liar, even though You're a Slytherin. Make a move. you know Jisoo is popular. Your rivals are including the students from other schools"
“Stop interfering in my business. Who are you going to invite yourself?”
"Of course Lisa, who else. I'm trying to get her to see me as someone who likes her, not just a friend."
As Rosé said, invitations to the plus one at the Yule Ball are started. Jennie was munching on her lunch when a student from Durmstrang came and asked her to be a partner for the Yule Ball. she clearly refused. Apart from being lazy to join the party, she also remembered what Rosé said the other day.
“Sorry but I don't like parties. Please invite someone else."
Jennie can't remember how she got to be in her current position. The student from Durmstrang who asked her to be his partner to the Yule Ball the other day was now pointing a wand at her.
“Do you think I really want to take you to the Yule Ball? Don't be too big of a head, you daughter of a murderer. Do you think being friends with Jisoo, Lalisa and Rosé got you accepted at Hogwarts? Of course not. Those three just feel sorry for you. The daughter of a murderer who lives alone. Has no friends and is ostracized at school. Do you think you deserve to go to this school after what your parents did? You're a traitor. Your parents killed a lot of people. They are a part of The Death Eater and killed so many people including Lisa's and Rosé's families. You get along with them so casually when murderous blood runs through you. You should go with your parents, there's no place for someone like you in this school."
Jennie knew she should grab her wand immediately, pointing it at the boy, two steps ahead of her while muttering “Expelliarmus”. But her hands couldn't move. Her head throbbed in pain. Her brain brought memories that she didn't want to remember anymore.
Two-year-old Jennie, saw two adults fall before her eyes. Most likely the two adults were her parents. But she never remembered their look. What kept running through her head was how the two figures froze and collapsed in front of her.
are those two killers? Was that the one who allowed her to see the Thestral and passed on her parselmouth ability? Are they the ones who make her always get hateful stares from the people around her?
Jennie didn't want to remember anything, so she closed her eyes. Reaching for her knees for a tight hug. she shivered. Maybe it's true, she should have died instead of having to bear the hereditary sins. Maybe she shouldn't have appeared at Hogwarts. How could she appear to Lisa and Rosé whose family died because of her parents? How could she like Jisoo who her parents wanted to get rid of twenty years ago?
Her head hurt and Jennie lost consciousness.
Jennie wakes up in complete darkness in the infirmary. The difference this time there is no annoying noise. she woke up alone and somehow she was grateful for it. Feeling better, she got up and walked to her dorm. she didn't want to sleep in the infirmary tonight. she missed her dorm bed. For the first time since living at Hogwarts, Jennie Kim burst into tears.
It has been three days, Jennie chose not to leave her room. How's the student who threatened her? Does the school know about her case? Did they punish him? Or even praise him for daring to act? Various bad thoughts entered Jennie's head and made her nauseous. Her memories with the trio of “sunshine” replayed in her head.
Do they remember her? Was it true that they were friends with her out of pity? Are they now worried about her or are they relieved that they're no longer have to pretend?
Too busy with her own thoughts, Jennie didn't realize that she's not alone in her room.
"Jennie, are you okay?"
That voice, Jisoo's voice which she hadn't heard for three days actually provoked anger that she didn't know where it comes from.
"Go away, I don't need your pity. You don't have to pretend to be friends with a murderous kid like me."
"What do you mean? Who's pretending? We don't know what that bastard told you but he wasn't right." Lisa almost screamed.
“He was right, my parents were murderers. They killed Lisa and Rosé's family, they even killed a lot of muggles like Jisoo at that time. There's nothing wrong with what he said."
"Why are you so stupid? How do you know that? You don't even know who your parents are, how can you claim they were murderers, even if they were so what? It's them, not you. Why do you have to bear a sin that you didn't commit?"
Rose retorted. she can't understand what Jennie said. She didn't make sense.
" Just go. I don't want to hear anything from you."
"Okay we will go, but you have to remember, we love you. I love you. So stop your stupid thoughts of pity and come see me during the Yule Ball."
Jisoo finished her sentence, grabbed the arms of her two best friends, leaving Jennie who’s crying silently.
The Yule Ball was lively. Students from three schools celebrate the end of the Triwizard Tournament. Jisoo chose to sit on the stairs in front of the room where the event took place. she had not seen Jennie for almost a week. The pale-skinned girl had a flat expression face, but when she smiled her eyes disappeared. she missed Jennie and all her silence. she missed Jennie who was cold but had warm palms. she missed her so much that she felt like she was going crazy.
Ever since the Yule Ball started, Rosé and Lisa repeatedly asked her to stop staring at the empty hallway and dance with them. But somehow, she still wanted to wait for Jennie. There was a corner in her heart that asked her to stay sitting in front there, waiting for Jennie to come.
It's been two hours since she sat there but Jennie still hasn't come. Jisoo sat with her thighs tightly against her chest while her head was on her knees. she was desperate, it seemed that Jennie didn't have the same feelings as her, even worse, she didn't want to be friends with her anymore.
Jisoo took a deep breath, as someone tapped her head with one finger. Without bothering to raise her head she asked them to leave.
"Go Lisa, I'll still be here, who knows Jennie will come"
"I'm here, sorry for making you wait so long"
Jisoo immediately looked up, her movement was too fast so she felt a little dizzy. In front of her was the figure of Jennie who stretched out her hand as if asking her to stand up. Jisoo didn't reach for the hand in front of her. she was busy studying a face she hadn't seen in the past week.
"Am I hallucinating?"
"You're not hallucinating, I did come, let's stand up"
Jennie didn't wait for Jisoo's response. she grabbed the arm of the girl who was sitting and pulled her up. Jisoo who wasn't ready lost her balance. Lucky Jennie quickly hugged Jisoo so they didn't have to fall together.
Jisoo didn't realize that tears were running down her cheeks.
"You're so mean Jennie Kim. You made me wait so long. Doubting my feelings. misunderstand our feelings with pity, even kicked us out of your room”
Jennie chuckled. It's funny how Jisoo,-people's favorite girl because of her joy, actually cries in her arms.
"You evil. I cried and you laughed. You owe me an apology and your story"
Jennie let go of her hug, creating distance between herself and Jisoo. she brought her palm to Jisoo's face to wipe the tears that flowed from her cheeks.
"I am sorry. There's a lot I want to tell you, well with Lisa and of course Rosé. But later. Now I want to ask you to dance. Do you want to dance with me?"
Jisoo didn't answer, she laughed as she grabbed Jennie's hand and pulled her into the room where the Yule Ball was being held.
“Prepare yourself for a scolding from Rosé and Lisa”
Jennie laughed too. After tonight, she seemed to have to get used to being surrounded by noisy people indefinitely.