𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

Prologue

   Tall, sallow-faced, with long black hair curtained around his thin, pale face. He was wearing what he probably thought to be a friendly smile, but it looked more like an annoyed grimace than anything.

   'U-uhm... Hello!' Y/N greeted nervously.

   'You received a letter approximately seven minutes ago by owl, did you not?' The man uttered.

   'Er- yes... I- I have it here, actually,' she pulled the letter from her pocket and then looked back at the man. 'Er, did you... send it by mistake? I haven't opened it yet, you can have it ba-'

   'No,' he cut her off. 'Let's cut to the chase, shall we? You're a witch. That letter comes from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school of magic. If you open it you'll find a list of the school supplies you need and when the term begins. Good day to you,' he said rather hurriedly and turned his back on them to leave.

   A silence ensued. Y/N snorted in disbelief. Her parents looked incredulous and the young girl swore she heard her father mutter to her mother about the man being mentally unwell.

   'Sorry, er, mister. You must've gotten the wrong house...' her mother remarked, slightly amused.

   The man stopped and turned around, glaring at Y/N's mother. He turned his gaze to Y/N instead. 'Read your letter. It explains everything you need to know.'

   Curiosity getting the better of her, Y/N ripped open the letter and read it carefully.

   The school supplies list was full of weird items: Dragon-hide gloves, a pewter cauldron, a set of potion phials, a wand...

   'I don't believe it.' Y/N announced. 'And I'm not saying it like I'm surprised or happy or whatever, I genuinely think this is some sort of joke.'

    The cloaked man raised an eyebrow at her, then pulled out a long wooden stick and brandished it in the air. Out of nowhere, a flock of white birds appeared, flew around the room for a moment, then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

    Y/N's mouth was hanging open. No way, no way... She pinched herself several times, finally deciding that what she was seeing was real, and gaped at the wizard.

   'How- How did you- what-?'

   The young girl's parents looked astounded.

   'A simple conjuring charm... Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than try to convince an ignorant little child-'

   'WAIT, how do I get my stuff? How do I get to this school? When? Where? Can we drive there?' Y/N cut him off, saying all this very fast.

    The man stared at her for a few moments, then decided that there would be no harm in telling the young witch how to get there.

    'You can get your school supplies from Diagon Alley, it's in London-'

    'Never heard of it, do you have a map or something? Or you could just take us there,' Y/N cut him off again. She could see a vein pulsing in his forehead and bit back a sly smirk.

    'Hold on,' her mother interjected. 'We never said you could go.'

    'What? Why? I want to go!' The young girl said sadly.

    'Well, how are we supposed to know that you actually are a witch?' Her father remarked.

    That's true... Y/N felt her smile falter and her red hair lose colour. How could it be that she was a witch? She would know...

    The tall man sighed, exasperated. 'Have you ever done something that defied the laws of physics when you were feeling a particularly strong emotion?'