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Kazuha stands there, feet planted firmly on the soft-soil ground of the Forbidden Forest, wand at the ready. Tonight is slightly breezy, and the drifting smell of warm gingerbread and mapley butterbeer makes her crave a snack and an afterparty. Quidditch season was just about to begin, and Kazuha planned for her house to have an undefeated reign of terror this year. She’d been training brutally all summer, in between trying to bulk up, catching up on drama shows, and spending time with friends. She’d drank more protein shakes than ever in her life, and felt the biggest, most giddy satisfaction when her compression shirts started to fit too tight. Ask anyone, and they’d tell you how jacked she’d gotten. Even her back muscles were noticeable, her shoulders much wider now and her robes or button-up shirt creasing against her back whenever she moved and the muscles flexed naturally. All of this, too, while her waistline had slimmed out.
Thin waist and broad shoulders. Lord…
She was giving this hunky, jock-ish, super smiley sweetheart, with her wire-frame glasses and Hufflepuff tie. And it was safe to assume she probably had half the class sporting a massive crush on her.
Just don’t let Yunjin find out.
The two are best friends, and they aren’t exactly together or anything, but like… they are? Everyone knows that Kazuha is off-limits. That’s for sure.
Basically, it went without saying that having a crush on Kazuha was a total lost cause. She was painfully into Yunjin, and Yunjin was just as smitten, but also territorial. She was a Slytherin after all, and although she is sunshine incarnate and one of the kindest, most thoughtful people at Hogwarts, she has no problem becoming protective if she needed to be. That was her Zuzu. And she didn’t like to share her Zuzu with girls or guys who thought she was cute.
Of course, what Yunjin doesn’t realize is that it goes both ways. And she is so busy being a pouty jealous hot girl that she totally forgets or misses all the students who have a crush on her.
Don’t get her wrong, she’s aware; in fact, she’s even had to reject more than a few of them who didn’t know any better. But what she fails to understand is just how many of them there are. Kazuha is on the brink of crashing out every time they get to go to Hogsmeade on the weekends and Yunjin wears her own clothes, because there’s lace, and there’s tights, and there’s dark lipliner, and people are staring, and Kazuha is turning into a huffy, temperamental, whining mess.
Yunjin-unnie, go change, Eunchae would tell her, jabbing her thumb towards Kazuha. Alpha-unnie over here is gonna have a heart attack from stress.
Kazuha would usually whack her after this, scowling and blushing while Chaewon and Sakura laughed. And Yunjin would laugh, too, but also get closer to Kazuha and loop their arms together to walk, and then Kazuha would blush some more but also feel fuzzy and warm, and all was better.
It was silly. And quite adorable, too. Kazuha was the most teddy-bear-esque, gentle girl as could be; but just like the Hufflepuff mascot, a badger, she was fiercely headstrong and could become aggressive if provoked. It was extremely rare the times where she was genuinely angry, but when she was, it was bad. Really bad. The only things that could calm her down were fresh croissants and soft neck or ear scratches from Yunjin. Any of her best friends could calm her down, really; it was just that Yunjin did it best. Eunchae, Chaewon, and Sakura could all calm Kazuha down, but in the aftermath she was still bratty, mumbling moody little quips and huffing while she scribbled away at her assignments.
In contrast, when it was Yunjin doing the calming, Kazuha would instead veer into sulky. No longer snappy or petulant, but rather acting like an upset puppy. She’d lay with her head on Yunjin’s lap, cheek squished into the older girl’s thigh while Kazuha’s arm dangled from the couch and she traced stupid patterns into the rug, grumbling in a whiny voice about whatever had disgruntled her. Yunjin would listen attentively, still giving Kazuha gentle scratches and murmuring soft words of encouragement.
These small moments are what make them up. Yunjin comforting Kazuha, and Kazuha sneaking into the Kitchens to get an extra slice of treacle tart for Yunjin, because it’s her favorite. Yunjin helping Chaewon be more sensitive, because she’s Gryffindor Quidditch captain and needs to be less abrasive with her team. Eunchae digging into Sakura’s usually-stoic nature and having a special soft-spot place in Sakura’s heart now. Sakura helping Kazuha with her Herbology paper. Chaewon letting Eunchae steal one of her fever-inducing chocolates so she can get out of her History of Magic class for the day. Kazuha and Chaewon crammed together in the Great Hall, looking excitedly through the morning issue of the Daily Prophet, because there’s a new Quidditch player profile on page nine.
All of these things and so much more.
“So much more” — like the place they were in now.
The Forbidden Forest, upon Eunchae’s brilliant suggestion, because she wanted to “go exploring” and “practice their Patronus charms.”
(She just wanted to show off. She’d apparently had the strongest Patronus of her class; an extremely difficult feat that made her score 150 points for Gryffindor, as well as a ginormous ego boost.)
Kazuha had been more than a little nervous when Eunchae had pitched this idea. The last time she’d tried to cast a Patronus charm, she’d gotten distracted mid-casting and blundered it to instead become a failed spark that shot out from the tip of her wand and made her drop it in front of everyone. And it didn’t help that their class that day was with the Slytherins, where a few of them had openly laughed at her.
(Granted, they’d shut right the fuck up when Yunjin had glared at them, but still. The point stood that Kazuha had still been left mortified.)
(Even after she’d mumbled Sorry, Professor and tried again. This time, her eyes caught Yunjin’s just before, and Kazuha’s heart made such a swift leap that her Patronus charm came out stronger than ever before, giving her a flawless execution that impressed everyone.)
But again. She was still embarrassed.
Chaewon had been on board with the idea right away. She always indulged Eunchae’s mischief and was just as much of a troublemaker. Sakura said yes because Chaewon did first, and they all liked to pretend those two weren't massively whipped for each other. Yunjin looked at Kazuha, and Kazuha said okay because she thought Yunjin wanted to go, and she wanted to be brave for her.
So now here they were. Kazuha about to cast her charm, being the very last one to have their turn after they’d wandered about for approximately 30 minutes and then met up.
Eunchae had gone first, her Patronus being a Snake. It’d come as a bit of a surprise, but also not really. Snake Patronuses usually symbolized those with deep emotional complexity and a fierce independence.
Chaewon had gone second, her Cheetah Patronus shooting out like lightning and bounding across the forest. Extremely fitting for her, given that the Cheetah stood for intense ambition. Her Patronus had done a lap around the trees and then trotted back, slowing down to bow its head to Chaewon for a gentle pet, before dissolving away.
Sakura was next, and hers was a Cat. Perceptive, self-reliant, and loyal only to those she chose. Her Patronus had looked around carefully, its air full of mystery, before it’d suddenly leapt into action and disappeared just a few moments later.
Yunjin was fourth, and perhaps one of the cutest of all. Her Patronus was a Golden Retriever, and was so spot-on that the rest of the girls couldn’t help but smile every time they saw it. It was full of energy and affection, immediately running around and doing circles around each of the five of them, saving Yunjin for last. It rubbed against her and tried to lick her face, which was futile since it was made of energy rather than actual matter, but still. It was adorable. Golden Retriever Patronuses always belonged to owners who possessed fierce loyalty and unconditional love. Yunjin’s Patronus gives her one last lick before it fades away.
Which now leads to Kazuha, who’s about to take her turn. Last time she cast it, her Patronus had been a swan, representing elegance, deep loyalty, and intense protectiveness.
But… that had been maybe about a month ago, or more. And since then, her feelings for Yunjin had become… stronger, you could say. Kazuha’s friend and fellow Hufflepuff teammate, Soobin, had told her that some Gryffindor named Yeonjun was crushing hardcore on Yunjin and was planning to ask her out after Charms class.
Needless to say, Kazuha was not happy about this. And she was a bit worried. Not because she thought Yunjin would say yes or anything, but because Yeonjun felt confident enough to think he actually stood a chance. Which meant that either A) Kazuha was not being bold enough, or B) He just didn’t see her as a real threat.
And boy, did that get Kazuha irked. She’d spent the entire rest of the day thinking of what to do.
In the end, it didn’t really matter. All she had to do was show up an extra minute early to “pick up” Yunjin from her Charms class, and Yeonjun had just barely uttered the words Hey, Yunj—? out the door when Yunjin’s face had lit up upon seeing Kazuha, and she’d squealed Zuzu! while running up to her and tackling her with a hug and a handhold.
Hi, unnie, Kazuha had giggled. And she’d looked at Yeonjun and said Sorry, we gotta go, a smirk plastered on her face while Yunjin dragged her away and didn’t even look at the boy.
All this to say—Kazuha’s feelings have gotten much more intense since the last time she cast this Patronus spell. She doesn’t know if it’s weird hormones, or Yunjin looking so extra pretty lately because she’s trying a new lipgloss, or Yunjin’s perfume being extra tangible when she’s pressed close to Kazuha in the library, and she’s got that sleepy voice reading from the textbook, or how she uses Kazuha’s bicep as her own personal Squishy toy, or how she never misses an opportunity to praise Kazuha for her muscles. But the truth of the matter is that, every single time, she drives Kazuha up the wall. And Kazuha is scared to cast her Patronus charm in the wake of all this, because what if—
“Oh my godddd,” Eunchae groans. “Hurry up, Zuha-unnie!”
“Huh?” Kazuha blinks, startling from her wandering thoughts.
“—Yunjin. Your girlfriend, she’s right there.” Chaewon jokes.
Kazuha blushes, grateful that they’re in the dark forest and the shadows cover it up.
“Shush. Let her focus!” Yunjin defends.
“I would, if she didn’t take like ten hours!” Eunchae bickers.
“You try to cast this thing after humiliating yourself in front of the whole class!” Kazuha justifies, glowering at Eunchae.
“I just realized Yunjin-ah didn’t deny being Zuha-ya’s girlfriend.” Chaewon blurts.
“Good. This is progress.” Sakura chimes in.
“SHUSH! All of you!” Yunjin huffs.
She steps up to Kazuha, standing behind her.
“Focus on me, Zuha-ya.” She instructs.
Kazuha swallows, feeling her heart race a little at the sudden proximity.
“What if I mess it up, unnie? Like last time.” She bites her lip in worry.
“You won’t.” Yunjin reassures her. “Besides, you got it perfect right after that.”
She pauses, gently hugging Kazuha from behind to help her relax. She presses a soft kiss to Kazuha’s cheek, whispering in her ear.
“I believe in you, Zuzu. Just concentrate. You got this.”
Kazuha’s face is on fire, her heart matching tempo and bungee jumping down into her knees.
She feels a wave of courage and affection, and casts the Patronus charm without even thinking, using her sudden surge of joy as fuel, since it is, quite literally, what the charm thrives off of.
Suddenly, the brightest Patronus Kazuha has ever conjured erupts from her hand, a brilliant glow of light filling up the forest’s clearing where they’re standing.
But the most striking thing of all isn’t the mere intensity of it.
It’s the form of it.
The girls gasp, mouths hanging open in awe while Kazuha stands with her eyes extra wide and sparkly.
There, in all its glory, is her new Patronus: a fluffy Samoyed.
No longer a swan. A dog.
A dog, just like—
SLASH!
Out of nowhere, a green jet of light cuts across the clearing and lands on a tree, leaving it with a big gash across its trunk.
“What the fuck was that?!” Chaewon exclaims.
“That looked like the Diffindo Charm,” Sakura says, looking wary with her hand now-poised defensively on her wand.
“There’s someone else out here?!” Eunchae whisper-yells.
BOOM!
A rock explodes just beside them, closest to Yunjin and Kazuha, and the blonde girl yelps while latching onto Kazuha’s arm and clinging to her.
“Bombarda.” Sakura takes her wand out. “Shit. Someone’s casting these spells.”
All at once, more strings of fast-moving, electric light shoot through the clearing, in all sorts of colors. Offensive charms fly left and right, creating cuts and burns on trees and leaves and soil.
The girls panic, dodging the spells this way and that while trying not to scream and make too much noise that will reveal where they are. It seemed as if whoever was casting these spells was aiming blindly, simply trying to strike whoever was around, and giving away their hiding spot would put them in more danger.
Kazuha ducks out of the way of another Diffindo Charm, just in time, and her wand slips out of her hand as she topples to the ground. She clambers forward, struggling a bit to see the ground through the dark, damp forest. She feels around for her weapon and is finally able to grab it.
“Incendio!” She hears, just outside the clearing, and a gasp leaves her mouth as she sees the Charm be cast.
It’s like time moves in slow-motion. A stream of bright orange light explodes into the clearing, its path on a clear-cut track towards Yunjin.
Kazuuha’s eyes widen, a fierce rush of panic overtaking her.
“NO!” She screams.
She pushes herself up and forward, jumping in front of the blast and tackling Yunjin to shield her.
Yunjin groans as her back hits the ground, and she feels hazy for a moment before realizing Kazuha has rolled off of her and is lying beside her.
Lying beside her, unconscious.
“ZUHA!” Yunjin shoots up, eyes wide. “ZUHA!”
She rattles Kazuha by the shoulders, a terrible sense of dread quickly consuming her while she tries to wake up her best friend. Her heart drops when she notices the burn mark that has seared through Kazuha’s shirt, the wound slightly bloody with smoke curling up from it.
“No no no no no. Fuck.” Yunjin moves Kazuha’s head to her lap and cradles it, fighting the tears that are blurring her vision. “C’mon, Zuzu. Wake up. Please Zuzu, don’t do this to me.” She digs desperately through her pockets, hoping to find a spare vial of healing potion.
“YUNJIN-AH! Are you okay?” Chaewon rushes over.
“Dude. Did we get them?!” Sakura and Eunchae hear two male voices, and they’re just about to attack when the culprits push their way into the clearing.
Dohoon and Hanjin, a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, looking disheveled and panic-stricken.
“What the fuck?” Chaewon seethes, storming over to the two boys. “Why the fuck were you two casting all those spells?”
She grabs Hanjin by the collar, just about to fight him when Sakura gets in between them and stops the altercation.
“We thought there were Dementors out here!” Dohoon explains. “We snuck out tonight and were just exploring, when we started seeing a bunch of Patronus charms. We freaked out and thought there might be Dementors, and then we heard people talking, so we thought it could be Dark Wizards, which is why we started firing off every Charm we could think of!”
“We’re sorry, okay?!” Hanjin implores.
“Well, ‘sorry’ isn’t gonna fix that one of your spells hit Zuha!” Yunjin fumes at them, eyes rimmed slightly red with leftover tears, though not as severe now that she’d fed Kazuha some healing potion and could see some color bleeding back into her face.
“Help me get her to the Hospital Wing!” She commands.
“Yes, sunbaenim.” The two boys accept without question, terrified of the older girl as they scramble forward and obey.
***
“Yunjin-ah.”
Yunjin jumps, jolting awake at Chaewon’s soft voice.
“Sorry.” The Gryffindor girl smiles apologetically at her best friend. “I got you some food.”
She pushes the plate towards Yunjin, rubbing her back gently while Yunjin sits up and groans, having fallen asleep at the Slytherin dining table in the Great Hall.
It was the morning after their little adventure in the Forbidden Forest, and Kazuha was in the Hospital Wing getting her vitals checked and being administered some healing potion by the nurse.
“C’mon. Eat up.” Chaewon encourages. “You need some energy before you go back to see Zuha.”
“Thanks, Chaechae.” Yunjin smiles at her, rubbing her tired eyes while biting into a slice of buttered toast.
“No problem.” Chaewon replies. “By the way, we need to talk about Zuha’s Patronus.”
Yunjin bristles, pausing her chewing.
She swallows the dry bread.
“What about it?” She says.
Chaewon gives her a look. “Don’t play dumb with me,” she responds. “You know damn well what I’m trying to say.”
“No, actually. I don’t think I do.” Yunjin persists.
Chaewon rolls her eyes. “Cut it out, Yunjin-ah! We both know Kazuha’s Patronus changed because of you.”
Yunjin puts her toast down, looking at Chaewon and gulping.
“You remember what Professor Im said. Patronuses could evolve into different ones if certain life events or things alter it. Kazuha’s changed to a Samoyed to complement your Golden Retriever.” Chaewon explains. “Her Patronus evolved because of her love for you.”
Yunjin gulps again, suddenly feeling very thirsty and needing a big drink of her water.
Chaewon sighs.
“Look, I gotta go. Kkura-unnie is helping me with my Potions essay.”
“Speaking of love…” Yunjin mutters.
Chaewon whacks her arm.
“Shut up.” She blushes. “Tell Zuha I say hi, okay? Eunchae and I got some chocolate to give to her later, but we thought she’d wanna see her girlfriend first.”
She stands up from the table.
“Please talk to her about the Patronus thing.” She begs Yunjin. “You two are so obvious, it’s gross.”
“Fuck off.” Yunjin huffs.
Chaewon blows her a kiss, walking away.
Yunjin groans, taking another bite of her toast then dropping her head on the table.
***
“Knock knock.”
Kazuha looks up, her eyes immediately lighting up when she sees Yunjin peeking through the door of the Hospital Wing.
“Unnie!” The Hufflepuff girl smiles, sitting up immediately and swearing she already feels better.
“Hi, Zuzu.” Yunjin beams at her, coming to sit at Kazuha’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”
Kazuha shrugs. “Better now that you’re here.” She grins.
Yunjin rolls her eyes, doing that little nose-scrunching thing they do to each other, and her heart melts apart when Kazuha does it right back.
Yunjin giggles. “Little flirt.” She teases, reaching out to faintly touch the bandage wrapped around Kazuha’s shoulder.
“Does it hurt?” She asks, looking at Kazuha with those worried Bambi eyes.
Kazuha is happy she’s not hooked up to a heart monitor, or she’s sure it’d blow up.
“Not too much anymore.” She replies. “It’s healing super well. The nurse said I’m like a wolf.”
“A wolf?” Yunjin grins.
“Mhm.” Kazuha nods. “I heal quick. Grr.” She makes a fierce wolf face, gritting her teeth and putting up her hands as claws.
Yunjin laughs, delighted by Kazuha’s adorable playfulness.
After a moment, the giggling tapers off, and Yunjin reaches out to touch Kazuha’s face.
Kazuha sighs softly, leaning into it.
“Zuzu?” Yunjin whispers.
Kazuha looks up at her, those innocent puppy eyes making Yunjin want to burst into tears.
“Yes, Yunnie?”
Yunjin gulps.
“Why did you do it?” She asks.
Kazuha bites her lip, her cheeks feeling warm and the room feeling small.
“B-because…” She squeaks. “I was protecting you.”
“Yeah? Well next time, if the spell doesn’t kill you, I will.” Yunjin scolds. “You had me worried sick.”
Kazuha breathes a laugh, melting into giggles.
“You won’t kill me.” She says. “You like me too much.”
“That’s true…” Yunjin relents, and she thinks she could very possibly find some sort of segway into mentioning Kazuha’s Patronus, bridging the gap and talking about that whole thing, but Kazuha is smiling and her face is all crinkly and her eyes these little crescents, and Yunjin sees the uncanny resemblance all at once.
And she decides that conversation can wait. This was the only Samoyed that mattered right now: the one sitting in the hospital bed, holding Yunjin’s hand.