Hexed Hearts - Kang Taehyun || Hogwarts AU

Chapter 28: The Truth

13th May, 2023

It the weekend of the second week of May. Taehyun stands infront of me, watching the ground, guiltily.

That day, because of the fuss, I was dragged away by the teachers and I couldn't get a hold of him for the whole day as we had to be engaged in the lessons. The next morning Taehyun owled me to meet him at The Clock Tower in the morning of the weekend.

Though I was enraged, I went with this proposal.

"Speak up." I ordered him.

"Look, Y/n, first of all, I'm really sorry." He started, finally looking at me in the eyes, lifting his head. His gorgeous face. What I've realised over these past few days was that I hate myself. I loathe myself for the fact that I couldn't hate him (though I was pretending to) no matter what he did to me.

I gestured with my hand for him to stop.

"I don't need an apology, Taehyun. I need an explanation. I need my time-turner back." I tried to be as courteous as I could. Though, I had no idea why I was trying that.

"I needed it. For Delphini." He stated. D-delphini? "What an imbecile I was! Ofcourse, your other girlfriend-"I said, sarcastically. "I told you she's not my girlfriend!" He defended himself.

"Then why for her?" I snapped.

"Cedric. I needed it to save Cedric." He confessed. "What do you mean 'save Cedric'. Wake up, He's dead." I replied, baffled.

"I know. Okay, Y/n. Please don't interrupt me now. I'm going to tell you everything from the initiation." He muttered.

"Whatever." I responded.

"Like I had mentioned earlier, Delphini is Cedric Diggory's cousin and I met her and her uncle at the ministry where she explained me the entire thing. Cedric's father was confident that the ministry had a time-turner, though it is believed that all the time-turners have already been destroyed for good. Harry Potter persuaded him that the ministry didn't posses any time turner and nor there was any time-turner existing anywhere in the wizarding world."

I can see where this is going.

"But still, whether using a time-turner or not, I was eager to help out Cedric's father. There was no reason. I just wanted to. I scanned through the library to find any help. But I hadn't succeeded. On the other hand, Delphini would pay occassional visits to ensure any progress. Though I suggested that owling would've been a better option. However, it was for nothing. There was no progress."

I'm having a really bad intuition.

"But then one day, you saw me with her and I actually helped you out so you won't spill the beans on me and Delphini. Delphini didn't know about this. I didn't consider this to be crucial enough to tell her. Until, you mentioned about the time-turner one day. I was appalled. The thing I've been exploring for was right beside me."

My gut feeling tells me I'm gonna be hurt very badly now.

"I discussed this with Delphini and she... She... Listen, I am sorry okay..." Taehyun apologized. "Continue." My voice shook a little.

"She suggested that...I try to get close to you... To try to befriend you. To try to make you believe I fancy you and at last to try to..." He couldn't complete his sentence. "At last try to start going out with me. Make me trust you fully so that one day you can break it altogether?" I ended the sentence for him.

"That's that's...you cannot say it that way..." Taehyun mumbled.

"Why bother putting betrayal fancily?" I snapped. "Y/n... Please don't say it like that. I didn't-" I interrupted Taehyun with a loud sarcastic scoff. "You didn't what? Betray? Oh save your breath."

"You don't know the truth yet..." He whispered.

"Oh, there's more to your story? How amusing?" I said, sardonically.

"I like you Y/n."

Those empty words again? "I ain't falling for that, Taehyun." I stated, indifferently. Again. I added inside my mind.

"No, y-you don't understand! It's not all! Yes, it's true that I hadn't fancied you for years but I surely have started thinking about you all the time ever since we've gotten close... I think... I think I've started to like you for real." Taehyun confessed.

His face displays emotion but my mind is telling me that it's all just meaningless words.

"You think I'm that much of a fool o believe you after all this has happened?" I tried to keep my voice steady. "I know you don't believe me." He accepted. "However... I'm not willing to give up. I'll try my best. I'll do anything to verify that my feelings are genuine now."

"If that's so, you could've lied, you could've just avoided making distance from me and could've just continued without telling me the truth." Though I meant it ironically, still somewhere inside my heart, I wish he would've just did that.

Sometimes the truth hurts more than a lie.

"I couldn't get myself to lie to you." Taehyun replied. "I don't trust you. You know that." I tried not to get swayed.

"I know and I'll try to win back your trust." He said, phlegmatic. "Okay then, give me back my time-turner." I reached out my hand. Taehyun seemed to hesitate for a bit.

"I cannot.." He murmured.

"I thought you wanted to win back my trust? Besides, I'm demanding my own belonging that you stole." I hissed. "Don't put it that way! I just borrowed it. I would've returned it after the job is done!" Taehyun protested.

Y/n. Don't melt.

"That's exactly what one labels as stealing." I replied, icily. "Give it to me, Kang Taehyun or I'll force it out of you and you won't like it."

"I can only hand it over after the task is completed. I said I'll return it then." Taehyun said. "Also, even if you force it out of me. What's the use if the ministry somehow gets a hint for it?"

This bitch-

"You're threatening me! I thought you wanted to win my trust back?" I raised a brow. "Listen, Y/n, I really don't want to do this." He pleaded. "Sure thing." I rolled my eyes.

"What if I erase your memory, nerd?" I smirked.

Taehyun sighed. "They know." "Who knows?" I questioned, addled. "My friends. They know about the time-turner. They know about all this. They're in this scheme as well. The reason you don't see them when I meet Delphini is because we meet her on different days so that it won't seem suspicious." Taehyun exclaimed.

He told his friends?! About the time-turner?!

This means that they knew why Taehyun started this relationship.... Blimey!

"I'll kill all of you." I gritted my teeth as anger rose within me. "We'll execute the plan this evening and then turn in your precious belonging tomorrow morning...or tonight right after we return, if you want us to." Taehyun explained.

The game of love was useless if this is what was supposed to be all along.

"I'll go with you." I firmly said.

"W-what?" Taehyun was astonished. "I said, I'm going with you. You're just going back in time, ain't you? I'll join you. I don't trust you enough to lend you my belonging so carelessly." What if they back away later?

"But it's dangerous!" Taehyun objected. Pfft. "Dangerous?" I sniggered. "Kang Taehyun, may I remind you that I'm a Slytherin." I stared back at Taehyun's tensed face.

"I am a danger." I ended.