Timeless: Hours of Anguish [ATEEZ Hogwarts AU]

Tuesday, November 29th

His gaze drifted over the sea of students and darted toward the faculty table. There she sat, Headmistress Park, having breakfast and chatting with Professor Robinson as if nothing was wrong. It took him every last bit of impulse control not to run up there and strangle her. Now that he knew for certain that she was involved in Wooyoung's disappearance, his hatred for her burned even deeper.

Why was she doing this? What was her goal? Was she working with that New Lord person Dave had mentioned? Or perhaps for him? If that was the case, then...

"If the headmistress has something to do with Wooyoung's disappearance," he spoke up eventually, "do you reckon she's keeping some kind of documentation about this?"

Mingi perked up. "Oh, definitely! She's bound to have some kind of evidence lying around somewhere. If we could get our hands on that..."

"Are you..." Yeosang glanced around, eyes wide. "Are you suggesting we break into her office?!"

San nodded firmly. "Or the archive."

"That's insane!" exclaimed Yeosang. When a group of Slytherins a few seats away from them gave him irritated looks, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Think about it. We don't know what they're capable of. If she played an active part in Woo's disappearance, who says that she can't make us disappear as well?!"

San crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not scared of her."

"I kind of am," Jongho admitted.

Yeosang shut him up with a glare. "Besides, if we get expelled, who's going to help Woo?"

Mingi raised his brows at him. "Oh, so you have a better plan?"

"W-Well..." Yeosang trailed off and fell silent.

Jongho tapped his chin in thought. "What if we stunned one of the professors and mixed a few drops of Veritaserum into their pumpkin juice. They tell us all we need to know, we wipe their memory, and boom," he snapped his fingers, "We got what we came for."

Yeosang shot him an exasperated look. "That's gonna get us expelled even faster!"

"Not if we don't get caught."

"Jongho !"

San considered. The possibilities were there, each of them riskier than the next. Of course, San was willing to take any risk for Wooyoung, no matter the consequences. But Yeosang had a point. If they were caught, nobody was going to help Wooyoung. Then again, without the information they needed, their hands were tied.

San clawed his hand in his already messy hair. Think. Think.

He had no idea who Dave was or what he had meant by the New Lord. He didn't know how to figure out the answers to those questions either.

All he knew was that Wooyoung was part of some bigger picture. Presumably something dangerous.

Had Wooyoung... been lying to him?

San shook the thought out of his head as soon as it appeared.

No. He trusted Wooyoung. There was no way he would voluntarily take part in some evil scheme. That much, San was sure of. But the alternative was even worse.

He dragged his hands across his face and released a frustrated groan.

"Here," said Mingi and loaded scrambled eggs, some bacon, and a slice of toast onto San's plate. "Eat a little bit, at least. You can't think properly if you're starving."

San managed a small smile. "Thanks..."

Inspired by Mingi's actions, Jongho did the same for Yeosang. He held a piece of bacon to Yeosang's lips and smiled when he bit off a piece of it.