Forever Yours ☞︎ Harry Potter X Reader

Third year ➪ Christmas

It was nearly lunchtime when Harry walked down from the boys' dormitories. He looked really bad, his hair was messier than usual, his eyes were red and tired, and his face was paler than they had ever seen him.

"Harry, you--you look terrible." Hermione was the first one brave enough to talk.

"Where is everyone?" said Harry.

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching Harry closely. "It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute."

Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug.

"Are you alright Harry?" Y/N asked, gazing at his face with concern.

"I'm fine."

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione pointed out, peering anxiously into his face.

"I'm fine," he repeated.

Y/N looked anxiously at Hermione and Ron -- who motioned for her to get on with it -- and started talking.

"Harry," she said, "I know that what we heard last night upset you. But--Harry you can't do anything stupid."

"Like what?" said Harry.

"Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply.

Harry stayed silent.

"You won't, will you, Harry?" said Hermione.

"Because Black's not worth dying for," said Ron.

"He really isn't," Y/N added.

Harry looked at them. They didn't seem to understand at all.

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?"

Y/N, Ron, and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive.

"I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her--"

"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken, earning herself a glare from Y/N due to her inconsiderate behaviour.

"The Dementors will catch black and he'll go back to Azkaban and--and serve him right!" Said Hermione, not noticing Y/N's glare

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others," said Harry, angry that they don't understand him.

"So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to--to kill Black or something?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?"

Again, Harry didn't answer. He didn't know what he wanted to do. All he knew was that the idea of doing nothing, while Black was at liberty, was almost more than he could stand.

"Malfoy knows," he said abruptly. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'' hunt him down myself... I'd want revenge.'"

"Harry Malfoy's just trying to mess with your head," Y/N reasoned

"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?"

"Listen... you know why Fudge was talking about how that Grace woman's family was lucky?" said Ron furiously. "Apparently, all that Pettigrew's mother got was the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. Dad told me. That was the biggest bit of him they could find after he finished with him. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous--"