Puppet Strings (Hogwarts x Reader)

Chapter 1

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea—sit down—"

There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice. Y/n felt her pass, heard the door slide open again, and then a thud and two loud squeals of pain.

"Who's that?"

"Who's that?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron—"

"Come in and sit down—"

"Not here!" said Harry hurriedly. "I'm here!"

"Ouch!" said Neville.

"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly.

Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last. Y/n could hear movements in the corner. None of them spoke.

There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary.

"Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him. But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it.

Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Y/n's eyes darted downward, and what she saw made her stomach contract.

There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water...

But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed her gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak.

And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. An intense cold swept over them all. Y/n felt her own breath catch in her chest. The cold went deeper than her skin. It was inside her chest, it was inside her very heart...

She gasped as she felt Harry beside her slide onto the floor. "Harry?" Had he passed out? Y/n moved to help—
But Lupin blocked her way as he stood and moved toward the creature, pulling out his wand. "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go."

The creature still didn't move. Lupin muttered something under his breath and a silvery white light shot from his wand. The creature shuddered, then retreated down the corridor. With it left the cold.

A moment later, the lights came back on and the train began to move.

Y/n knelt beside Harry, who was now twitching. "Harry! Harry, are you alright?"

She gently slapped the side of his face. That seemed to work, because after a moment, he stirred. His brow creased. "W-what?"

He blinked awake, and Ron and I helped him back onto the seat. I could see sweat on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" I asked nervously, trying to ignore the recent memory of the icy chill invading my chest.

"Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door. "What happened? Where's that—that thing? Who screamed?"