shadows (h.g x fem oc) book 3

Chapter #6

It's been around an hour since the Advance Guard returned with Harry. But what Alexia thought was going to be a wholesome reunion between friends turned into Harry letting all his frustration out.

Harry's frustration bubbled up from deep within him, his chest tightening with every word that escaped his lips. He paced back and forth in the room, his movements restless and agitated, his mind replaying the events of the past weeks over and over again.

"Why didn't any of you tell me what's been going on?" he demanded again, his voice rising with each syllable, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Hermione's expression softened as she watched Harry's turmoil, her heart aching for him. "Harry, please, try to understand," she pleaded, her voice gentle but firm. "Dumbledore made us promise not to tell you anything until the time was right."

Ron nodded in agreement, his own frustration evident in the furrow of his brow. "Yeah, mate, we wanted to tell you, but Dumbledore said it was for your own safety," he added, his tone tinged with regret.

But Harry couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal that gnawed at him, the sense that his friends had kept him in the dark while he languished in the isolation of Privet Drive. "I thought we were supposed to trust each other," he muttered, his voice heavy with disappointment.

Alexia stood there, her confusion mounting as she struggled to make sense of Harry's accusations. "But I've been writing to you all summer," she interjected, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Didn't you get any of my letters?"

Harry's eyes widened in realization as Alexia's words sank in, a surge of guilt washing over him. "No, I didn't," he admitted, his frustration giving way to a sense of helplessness. "I guess the Dursleys must have been intercepting them."

Alexia frowns, not sure about that. Hermione stepped forward, her expression softening as she reached out to place a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "We'll explain everything, Harry," she promised, her voice filled with sincerity. "But right now, we need to focus on what's ahead."

Harry's frustration still simmered beneath the surface, his emotions raw and unsteady. "But what about everything that's happened?" he pressed, his tone tinged with accusation as he turned to face Ron and Hermione. "Why couldn't you have at least given me a hint?"

Ron shifted uncomfortably under Harry's gaze, his eyes avoiding his friend's intense stare. "We wanted to, Harry, really," he stammered, his voice laced with guilt. "But Dumbledore was adamant about keeping you in the dark."

Hermione stepped in, her voice gentle but firm as she tried to diffuse the tension. "We were just following orders, Harry," she explained, her eyes pleading for understanding. "We didn't want to put you in any more danger than you already were."

But Harry couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal that lingered in the air, the sense that his closest friends had kept him at arm's length while he faced the unknown alone. "I don't care about the danger," he insisted, his voice rising with each word. "I just want to know what's going on."

Alexia stood quietly beside Harry, her heart heavy with guilt as she watched her friend's frustration unfold. She wished she could offer some words of comfort, some reassurance that everything would be alright, but she knew that wouldn't be enough to ease Harry's troubled mind.

Harry, Hermione and Ron are scolding each other, but then Alexia glitches, making the three friends fall silent.

As Alexia's glitching subsided, she found herself enveloped in Hermione's warm embrace, her girlfriend's concern evident in her eyes. The glitching sensation had been disorienting, like being momentarily caught in a whirlwind of fragmented reality, but now, with Hermione's arms around her, she felt grounded once more.