𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝐴𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 (𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑃.)

♔︎Chapter 18: Dog's out of the bag♔︎

"Y/n?" I turn my head to see Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs, coming from his dorm.

"Hello Harry," I say, looking back down at my book that I've nearly finished. "Why are you up at this time?" Harry sits down beside me.

I shrug, "Couldn't sleep, not that I tried too, that is."

Harry looks at a piece of parchment that lies on the table in front of us and reaches his hand out to grab it.

I glance up from the pages of my book to see what he's doing. "Is that from the interview with Skeeter?" I ask, closing my book, and he nods in response.

He reads out loud, "Harry Potter, age twelve. Suspect entrant in the Triwizard Tournament; his eyes swimming with the ghosts of his past. Fucking hell, I called bullshit on that!" Harry crumbles up the paper and throws it into the lit fireplace in front of us.

Harry breathes heavily, putting his elbows on his knees and covering his face with his hands. "All of this is complete bullshit." I hate this for him, I wish I could take away all of his pain. Go back in time and save him from all this heartache and stress. 

I can't stand the boy beside me to be in this much pain. 

I sigh, wrapping an arm around him, Papa sent me a second letter this morning. Told me not to warn Harry unless I thought it necessary. He had said we are not safe, that Igor Karkaroff used to be a Death Eater and that Barty Crouch sent his own son to Azkaban. 

He did not want the possibility of stressing him more, he said that I knew him best so I should be the one to tell him. 

"Harry, Papa sent me a second letter this morning, he told me to tell you seeing as I know you best. He said, the devils are inside the walls." At my words Harry looks up at me with his eyebrows furrowed. 

"Wha- what is that supposed to mean?" Harry questions, looking at me with worrisome. "Igor Karkaroff used to be one of them, a death eater. and Barty Crouch-" I stop speaking at the sound of a door opening from the top of the stairs. 

"What of him?" Everyone adores him, correct?" Harry whispers, "Yes, that's because he sent his own son to Azkaban, for being in lines with Voldemort." I whisper quietly as footsteps descend down the stairs.

"What are you two doing down here at this late, practicing for your next interview? Dragging Y/n into your nonsense." Ron scowls at the two of us and I simply look away from him, not wishing to spark an argument. 

"Y/n was here before I was, I dragged her into nothing, there's nothing to drag her into anyway!" Harry looks at him, defending me. I grab my book as I stand up and walk over to Ron.

"Yeah, that's likely. Come along N/n, I'll walk with you to your dorm." Ron smiles gently at me, thinking he's helping me, I glare at him and shove past him and up the stairs into my dorm. 

That afternoon Neville asked Harry to help him find a few plants he needed for class. He figured he wouldn't be much help alone, so he asked me to tag along. 

 "This is amazing, thank you so much for helping me Y/n. You too Harry," Neville smiles at us, placing some kelp in a glass jar. 

The bracelet on my wrist that Harry had gifted me for my birthday over the summer glimmered against the water of the Black Lake, as I dig in the mud for more kelp. 

I smile up at him, "No problem, Neville." Harry nods in agreement, reading the book Neville handed him prior to us getting in the water. 

"Amazing!" Neville smiles down at the different things in his hands, "Look! I found some gillyweed," I exclaim and Neville rushes over, "This'll definitely come in handy!"