Love in the Time of Magic | bbangsaz

Year 4: Night Changes

Hanni and Haerin sit side by side in the Hogwarts Express train compartment, both dressed in their robes and clutching their trunks. Haerin notices that Hanni has been quiet, staring out the window with a thoughtful expression.

"Hey, you okay?" Haerin asks, looking at her friend with concern.

Hanni turns her head to look at Haerin, her expression still thoughtful. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replies, though her voice lacks convincing.

Haerin raises an eyebrow skeptically. "Are you sure? You seem a little... off."

Hanni lets out a sigh and shifts in her seat, looking down at her lap. "I don't know, I guess I'm just a little nervous about this year," she admits.

Haerin nods in understanding. "I get that. But you don't have to worry, we'll get through it together," she assures Hanni, nudging her shoulder against the older's.

Hanni looks up and gives Haerin a small smile, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks, Haerin. It's just... things have been a little weird with Minji lately," she confides.

Haerin leans in closer, "Really? What happened?"

Hanni recounts the events that happened between them during their third year, and how their relationship had slowly started to change.

She takes a deep breath and looks at Haerin, her eyes reflecting her worry. "I don't know," she began hesitantly. "It's just that Minji has been acting so differently towards me lately. She's suddenly so nice to me and I don't know how to handle it. It's making me kind of nervous, to be honest."

Haerin raises an eyebrow, amused. "Why? Do you have a crush on her or something?" she teases, knowing that Hanni and Minji have never been the best of friends.

Hanni's eyes widened in shock, and she blushed furiously. "No way!" she exclaims. "That's not it at all. It's just that she's never been this nice to me before, and I don't know what to make of it."

Haerin hummed, "Well... from the way I see it, she realized her faults and decided to make up for it."

Hanni nods slowly, "Yeah, I know... I guess I'm just not used to it yet."

Haerin smiles at her reassuringly. "Don't worry about it too much. Just enjoy the kindness while it lasts," she says with a chuckle.

Hanni and Haerin's conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the compartment door sliding open. In walked Danielle and Eunchae, who were bickering loudly.

"I'm telling you, Dani, you packed too many books! There's no way you're going to read all of them on the train ride!" Eunchae exclaimed.

"I need options, okay? What if I finish one and want to start another? You wouldn't understand, Eunchae," Danielle retorted.

Eunchae sneered at her, "Since when could you finish at least one book?" Danielle rolled her eyes, "You don't have to be such a snob about it. Just because I don't read as much as you doesn't mean I'm not smart."

Eunchae scoffed, "When did I say anything about intelligence?"

Hanni and Haerin exchanged looks, amused by the girls' bickering. Danielle and Eunchae were good friends, but they often argued about meaningless things.

"Hey," Haerin greeted them. "Ready for the new school year?"

Eunchae sighed, "Not really. I'm just dreading all the homework we're going to get."

"I'm excited to see all of our friends, but I'm not looking forward to all the stress either," Danielle adds.

Hanni nodded in agreement, but her mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Minji.