𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐆𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒' 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 (𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙨 𝘼𝙐)

𝐇𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐅𝐅'𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄

Woojin felt bad for lying – but should he?

It was not his fault if Chan had forgotten to take his medicine, he knew; how could the friend always remember about everything? In his view, it was absolutely licit: but he was not sure the Headmistress would care. They had been told to observe carefully and try keep the situation calm, certainly not to create chaos themselves.

But even then, he could not betray the friend so openly, and declare that it had been him to forget about it. So that was why he had needed to tell that lie, and now had to face a more inquiring interrogation with Minerva McGonagall.

When, on friday, the Headmistress had come to the Hospital Wing, Chan had been asleep: that had given the opportunity for Woojin to talk freely with the Headmistress, and tell her whatever he may have thought more appropriate.

"It's complicated" he'd answered to the question she'd asked him, regarding why the boy had risked his security and that of the students around him, by forgetting such an important precaution.

Minerva McGonagall had shifted her head left, only slightly, to look at Chan. "Poor thing", she'd said softly, and Woojin had been sure he hadn't understood well what she'd just said.

"Pardon?"

"He looks distraught, that's for sure. And you look so tired too! It's okay boy, don't worry. But you shall need to tell me what's happened a little bit more in detail, okay? Later, that's for sure. Perhaps on monday? I'm pretty sure I could carve a few minutes for you in my schedule. Wait a second, let me just check..." at that, she'd taken out her wand, and with a swift movement had made a little leather-covered agenda appear. "I have a free space at six on monday – I know it's dinner time for you, but do you think it would be possible?..."

"Yeah! Sure" had quickly replied Woojin, still confused on what was going on.

"Perfect then. I shall see you on monday then. Goodbye Kim, and make sure to tell Bang about it as well!" and she had vanished out of the door.

Woojin had shaken his head, trying to understand why the Headmistress has been satisfied with only a simple "it's complicated" as the reason behind Chan's forgetfulness: it could've not been the fact that she was not interested, nor the fact that she trusted them completely – had it been for those, she would've not insisted on meeting them on monday.

Then, suddenly, the look of pity the Headmistress had given him before walking out of the room  had come back to Woojin's mind: she'd looked almost sorry... could it be that she was simply afraid of stressing them too much, or that maybe she believed that reason so serious, that she grieved for what they had (supposedly) gone through?

Whatever the reason, Woojin had still not found out; but he had thought about how to behave during that meeting nevertheless.

He was already convinced he would not bring the blame on Chan; but to do so, he also needed Chan not to attend – there was no way the Gryffindor would shut up about his faults if present.

So there had come his first lie: to not tell the friend about the meeting.

But that first lie necessarily needed a second to survive: "Why could he not come?" was something Mrs. McGonagall was sure to ask him when he'd show up alone, and if his excuse would not be strong enough, she would certainly reach Chan to find it out herself.

Woojin took a sip out of his tea cup, while still trying to figure out what he was going to say to the Headmistress.

Stressed, he kept rolling his wand in his hands, and tapping his feet on the floor of the Hufflepuff's common room: the atmosphere was as cosy as ever, and all his housemates seemed to be rather enjoying themselves, playing random games in front of the fireplace and cheerfully telling jokes to each other. Normally, he would've joined them – even if just to make sure that they weren't going to set the whole room on fire – but that sunday night he was so focused he almost couldn't hear them.