TW : SUBTLE MENTIONS OF ED
"Did you hear? Harry broke his arm during his match today." Aurora shared some news with Y/N inside the cozy Ravenclaw Common Room. Y/N was surprised to hear about Harry's broken arm.
"He what?" Y/N responded in astonishment.
Aurora looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You didn't watch his match?" she inquired.
Y/N sighed softly. "I was practicing my abilities," she admitted. "I couldn't find the time," she added.
Aurora seemed concerned. "Don't you ever get tired of practicing?" she asked. "By the way, I heard rumors that someone tampered with his broom, but no one knows who," she informed.
Y/N raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Someone tampered with his broom? I was going to say Malfoy, but he was in the match too, so it must've been someone else," she mused, looking thoughtful as she set her book aside.
"I guess so," Y/N muttered absentmindedly, her gaze drifting up to the ceiling as she whistled softly.
Aurora's attention was on her phone. "Oh, my sister sent me a text message. She's in Agil and Axel's year," she exclaimed while scrolling through her phone. Y/N's jaw clenched at the mention of the twins. She didn't exactly 'hate' them, but the mere mention of their names brought back memories of Caspian.
"Uh-huh," Y/N replied in a detached manner.
Aurora continued, seemingly unaware of Y/N's discomfort. "Hey, I've heard Agil's a nice girl. I've talked to her, and my sister speaks fondly of her. I never realized yours was so—" Aurora began.
"Not my sister," Y/N interrupted, her voice firm.
Aurora chuckled lightly. "Come on, Y/N, everyone knows you two are related. Just talk to her. It's not like it's her fault that your father— you know," she added, her smile fading as she turned to Y/N, who didn't find the joke amusing in the slightest..
"Am I... doing the right thing?" Y/N suddenly asked, catching Aurora off guard.
"What?" Aurora responded, her confusion evident.
"Agil," Y/N muttered, struggling to find the right words. Her mouth hung open for a moment as she grappled with her thoughts. "It's— she's been driving me crazy, both her and Axel."
"Everyone assumes I should accept her as my sister just because I'm related to her by blood. They all refer to her that way, too. Sometimes I wonder if I'm being overly dramatic, if it's not that big a deal, and I should just talk to her and suck it up," Y/N confessed, her words flowing in a rush. Aurora looked surprised by this revelation.
"You don't have to consider her your sister if you don't want to," Aurora reassured Y/N. "I was just kidding,"
Y/N sighed softly. "Everyone makes me feel like I should," she admitted.
Aurora offered her perspective. "Honestly, I think you should give her a chance. She's a nice girl, Y/N. Just give it a shot, maybe—" she suggested.
Y/N let out another sigh, her shoulders slumping. "That's... not what I wanted to hear," she murmured as she rose from the couch and left the Ravenclaw Common Room.
✴✴✴✴✴
"It looks ghastly," said Y/N as she sat next to Harry's bed in the nurses' office with her arms crossed, an amused expression dancing across her face. Harry rolled his eyes in response as he sank his head into his pillow.
"It's unfair, really. Why'd you get a cool scar on your shoulder, and I get my bones taken away?" Harry groaned in annoyance.
"Hey, you got a cool scar on your forehead, at least," Y/N shrugged. "Plus, you can't even see mine unless I'm wearing a t-shirt," she added. Harry grunted in response.
It was midnight, a few minutes before Y/N would go back to her dorm. The only light source was the lamp next to Harry's bed, its soft glow danced on their features like a gentle waltz, casting an orange hue on Y/N's red eyes.
"Heard you spit onto Hermione," Y/N teased, Harry's cheeks flushed red.
"It's not my fault, she was standing in front of me, and the drink Madam Pomfrey gave... well— it was revolting," Harry replied.
Suddenly, goosebumps appeared on the back of Y/N's head, causing her to straighten her posture and instinctively reach for her neck. She looked around, a sense of unease creeping over her.
"Kill," a voice said, and Y/N's jaw clenched. The voice had been bothering her for a while now.
"Y/N," Harry murmured. "Do you hear it too?" Catching Y/N off guard.
"Hear what?" Y/N replied.
"I think I'm going mad, there's this like... weird whisper, it's been haunting me for days," Harry replied. Y/N's mouth parted in response before reluctantly nodding.
"I— Merlin's beard!" Y/N exclaimed. Her eyes diverted to the side to see a wrinkly little house elf, too close for comfort, staring deeply at her. Y/N jumped at the sight of it.
"Hello," the elf said.
"Dobby," Harry whispered, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Harry Potter should have listened to Dobby," Dobby tsked. "Harry Potter should have gone back home when he missed the train," Doby added.
"Who the fuck is Dobby?" Y/N spoke up, Dobby meeting her gaze.
"Ah!" Dobby exclaimed in surprise, almost frightened at the sight of Y/N. The girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his reaction.
"My apologies, Miss Crimson," Dobby stammered, his eyes glistening as he began to weep, tears turning into full-blown sobs. Y/N's brows furrowed as she observed the distressed house-elf.
"What in the world," Y/N murmured, turning to glance at Harry, who wore an unamused expression on his face, almost as if he expected it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for not introducing myself to you, Miss Crimson," Dobby sobbed, his voice quivering. "Your abi— abilities are legendary... your... y-your Blessing is legendary, your family is legend, ah!" Dobby's self-reproach was evident in his words, and he continued to cry softly.
"Wait—how did you know I missed the train?" Harry spoke up, his tone filled with curiosity. But then realization dawned on him. "It was you," he whispered, accusing Dobby of the barrier incident at the train station.
"Indeed, yes, sir," Dobby muttered weakly, confirming Harry's suspicion.
"You nearly got me and Ron expelled," Harry whispered, annoyance creeping into his voice as he remembered the close call.
"At least you would have been away from here," Dobby replied innocently, his large eyes pleading. "Harry Potter must go home," he insisted. "Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make Harry Potter see, but—"
Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your Bludger?" he echoed. "You made that Bludger chase after me?" His voice grew stern, and Dobby nodded with a tinge of guilt.
"Dobby feels most aggrieved, sir," Dobby muttered, his voice shaky. "Dobby had to iron his hands," he added, holding up his blistered and wrapped hands, eliciting a clenched jaw from Harry.
"You'd better clear off before my bones come back, or I might just choke you," Harry threatened, his tone firm, causing Dobby to whimper in response.
"Dobby is accustomed to such threats, sir," Dobby whimpered, his wide eyes filled with tears, while Y/N observed the unfolding drama from her seat.
Harry's frustration was evident. "I don't suppose you could tell me why you're trying to kill me?" he asked, his voice laced with tension.
Dobby shook his head vigorously. "Not harm you, sir. Never harm you!" Dobby exclaimed, his desperation palpable. As Harry approached, the elf cowered, wrapping himself around the bed's frame to shield himself from the boy's presence. "Dobby remembers how it was before Harry Potter triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," he began.
"We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir!" Dobby pleaded, his voice quavering with emotion. He muttered bitterly under his breath, "Of course, Dobby is still treated like vermin," and tears streamed down his wrinkled face. He buried his face into his hands, using his ragged robes to muffle his sobs and blowing his nose into them.
Harry's curiosity got the better of him as he gestured to Dobby's tattered attire. "Why do you wear those clothes, Dobby?" he asked.
Dobby sighed as he explained, "This, sir? It is a mark of the house-elf's enslavement. Dobby can only be freed if his master presents him with clothes."
Amidst this emotional exchange, Y/N suddenly interrupted, sensing an underlying urgency in Dobby's behavior. "There's someone here," she stated, her voice tinged with concern.
Harry's expression grew even more serious as he urged Dobby, "You need to leave, Dobby."
Dobby, however, resisted, his eyes filled with anxiety. "No, please. Harry Potter must not stay here, now that history is to repeat itself," he said cryptically, prompting Y/N to furrow her brow in confusion as she stood up.
"Repeat itself?" Y/N echoed, her curiosity piqued, but Dobby's expression turned solemn.
"Shouldn't have said that," Dobby exclaimed in panic, reaching for the Skele-Gro bottle and smacking his head against it, all the while berating and scolding himself for his hasty words.
"Bad Dobby! Bad!" Harry whispered, his grip tightening on the elf's collar. "Tell me, Dobby. When did this happen before? Who's doing it now?" His voice was low and threatening, and Dobby trembled in his grasp.
"Dobby cannot say, sir. Dobby only wants Harry Potter to be safe," Dobby replied, his voice filled with concern, and he softly tried to caress the boy's hand to calm him down. Harry's jaw clenched in response, torn between frustration and worry.
"No, Dobby. Tell me!" Harry retorted, his patience wearing thin.
Dobby's face scrunched up in agony, and he snapped his fingers, beginning to disappear, with a door sliding shut being heard. "Someone's here," Y/N whispered, her eyes widening in alarm.
"Quick, hide under the bed!" Harry whispered urgently as he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around himself. Y/N nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation, and swiftly joined him under the bed. The sound of multiple footsteps echoed in the room.
"Put him here," a voice said, and Y/N managed to flip herself over, catching a slight glimpse of several professors gently setting down a petrified Colin on a nearby surface, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of the situation
"I thought he had been Petrified," whispered McGonagall, which caused both Y/N and Harry's eyes to widen. "Look. Perhaps he managed to take a picture of his attacker."
A few moments of tense silence passed before an explosion was heard, filling Y/N's nostrils with acrid smoke. The camera appeared to have been completely busted. "What could this mean, Albus?" McGonagall whispered with a worried furrow in her brow.
"It meant..." Dumbledore paused, his expression grave. "...that our students were in great danger."
"What should I tell the staff...?" McGonagal whispered weakly, her wide-eyed gaze scanning Dumbledore up and down.
"The truth."
✴✴✴✴✴
Y/N entered the Great Hall with heavy bags under her eyes, a stark contrast to her usual vibrant red eyes, which now appeared dull and with dilated pupils. She looked like someone who had endured a great deal of stress and fatigue.
"You look like you've gone through hell and back, are you alright, mate?" Sophie asked as Y/N settled down next to her. Y/N could only manage a weary nod in response, emitting a small grunt of acknowledgment.
"You resemble a living zombie," Aurora commented, while Seraphina couldn't help but snicker.
"Or an 'ano,' but aren't you one already?" Sophie added, causing Y/N's mouth to part in surprise as she snapped her gaze towards the redhead.
"I'm not an 'ano,'" Y/N muttered, feeling a mix of emotions coursing through her. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, as if the comment had struck a nerve.
"What's an 'ano'?" Seraphina asked as she put her book down.
"An 'anorexic,' duh. You're a bookworm, and you don't know that?" Sophie replied casually. Seraphina's gaze flickered towards Y/N, a touch of concern in her eyes.
"That wasn't funny," Seraphina commented, a small scoff escaping her lips as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What if it was true? You two were making her uncomfortable," she added, her concern evident.
"Chill, it was just a joke," Sophie retorted defensively. "Right, Y/N? It's not like you'd starve yourself. Maybe if you were lacking attention, you would," she added with a smile, attempting to lighten the mood. However, Y/N's response was far from what Sophie had anticipated.
"I've lost my appetite," Y/N declared abruptly as she sat up from her seat and left. Sophie and Aurora exchanged stunned glances, while Seraphina shook her head and clicked her tongue, clearly disapproving of how the situation had unfolded.
TO BE CONTINUED...