𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 ! || harry potter x reader

35. Hermione Looked Rather Impressed at Something Ron Said, For Once

"Nevermind that," Y/N said breathlessly, standing and pulling away from Harry. "What's wrong?"

She could tell that she'd surprised him. He obviously didn't realize that she could read him like a book.

Well, at least she knew that he didn't know about her feelings for him.

"It's . . ." Harry started, but at that moment, Katie Bell called Y/N over.

"Come here, Y/N, Ron, and see if these old robes fit you," she'd said. "We can take their names off and put yours on instead . . ."

Giving Harry a pointed look, Y/N brushed past him to get to Katie Bell.

【 ✧ ☾⋆☼⋆☽ ✧ 】

"Morning," Harry said brightly to Y/N, Ron, and Hermione, joining them at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"What are you looking so pleased about?" said Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise. Y/N frowned; he had that same pleased look that he always had when he'd just talked to Cho.

"Erm . . . Quidditch later," said Harry happily, pulling a large platter of bacon and eggs toward him.

Yeah. Quidditch.

"Oh . . . yeah . . ." said Ron. He put down the bit of toast he was eating and took a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he said, "Listen . . . you don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to—er—give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit . . ."

"Yeah, okay," said Harry.

"Y/N?" Ron turned to Y/N expectantly. Harry also glanced her way, looking slightly hopeful. Y/N shook her head.

"Can't, I'm behind on homework," she said blandly. "I've still got to finish my herbology essay and . . ."

But she broke off; the morning post was arriving and, as usual, the Daily Prophet was soaring toward her in the beak of a screech owl, which landed perilously close to the sugar bowl and held out a leg; Hermione pushed a Knut into its leather pouch, took the newspaper, and scanned the front page critically as the owl took off again.

"Anything interesting?" said Ron.

"No," she sighed, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married . . ."

She opened the paper and disappeared behind it. Gloria fluttered on the table before Y/N with a letter from her parents, telling her the usual; her dad wrote about how much the creatures already missed her and how Keke and her kittens were doing, and her mum was trying out a new recipe, which was going well and had sold out already.

"Wait a moment," said Hermione suddenly. "Oh no . . . Sirius!"

"What's happened?" said Harry, and he snatched at the paper so violently that it ripped down the middle so that he and Hermione were holding half each.

"'The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer . . . blah blah blah . . . is currently hiding in London!'" Hermione read from her half in an anguished whisper.

"Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything," said Harry in a low, furious voice. "He did recognize Sirius on the platform . . ."

"What?" said Ron, looking alarmed. "You didn't say—"

"Shh!" said Hermione and Harry, and Y/N read the article Harry's shoulder.

". . . 'Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous . . . killed thirteen people . . . broke out of Azkaban . . .' the usual rubbish," Hermione concluded, laying down her half of the paper and looking fearfully at Y/N, Harry, and Ron. "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," she whispered. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."