𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

YR 4 ☆•°~'* 10

Professor Grubbly-Plank acted as though she couldn't hear him. She stopped in front of a tree where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered. 

'Oh, it's so beautiful!' whispered Lavender. 'How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!'

The unicorn was so brightly white that the snow around it looked grey. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves, and throwing back its horned head.

'Boys, keep back!' barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Y/N hard in the chest. 'They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care.'

Y/N immediately metamorphosed into a girl and approached the unicorn slowly. The unicorn watched her approach, looking apprehensive. Y/N let the glowing creature sniff her hand before she reached out to stroke it. 

Half an hour later, the quartet was walking up to the castle for lunch. Hermione and Y/N were discussing the lesson excitedly.

'That was a really good lesson,' said Hermione, as they entered the Great Hall. 'I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni-'

'Look at this!' Harry suddenly snarled, shoving something under Hermione's nose. 

Y/N peered over her shoulder. It was a Daily Prophet article written by Rita Skeeter titled "DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE".

'What's this rubbish-?' said Y/N angrily as she read the article, growing angrier by the second. 

'How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out?' said Hermione. 'You don't think Hagrid told her?'

'No,' said Harry, leading the way over to the Gryffindor table and throwing himself into a chair, furious. 'He never even told us, did he?'

'Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball,' said Hermione quietly.

'We'd have seen her in the garden!' said Ron. 'Anyway, she's not supposed to come into school anymore, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her...'

'We've got to go and see him,' said Y/N firmly. 'Tell him we want him back... He can't let that horrid woman ruin his life!'

'I agree,' said Harry. 'We'll go this evening, after dinner.'

The three of them left the castle that evening and went down through the frozen grounds to Hagrid's cabin. They knocked, and Fang's booming barks answered.

'Hagrid, it's us!' Harry shouted, pounding on the door. 'Open up!'

But he didn't answer. They hammered on the door for ten minutes; Y/N even went and banged on one of the windows, but there was still no answer.

Over the next week, there was no sign of Hagrid at all. He didn't show up to the staff table at mealtimes, and Professor Grubbly-Plank continued to take the Care of Magical Creatures classes. 

'Missing your half-breed pal?' Malfoy would gloat at every possible opportunity. 'Missing the elephant man?'

Y/N punched him in the face the third time he said anything remotely bad about Hagrid, to Harry and Ron's extreme delight, and Hermione's disapproval.

'You can't talk, Hermy,' said Y/N, walking away from the bleeding Malfoy. 'You did the same thing last year.'

There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January. Hermione was very surprised that Harry was planning to go. 

'I just thought you'd want to take advantage of the common room being quiet,' she said. 'Really get to work on that egg.'

'Oh, I- I reckon I've got a pretty good idea what it's about now,' Harry lied.