"And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?"
❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺
Harry hurried out of Snape's office, racing up the stone steps, straining his ears to hear a sound from the pitch, but all was quiet... it was over, then...
He hesitated outside the crowded Great Hall, then ran up the marble staircase; whether Gryffindor had won or lost, the team usually celebrated or commiserated in their own common room.
'Quid agis?' he said tentatively to the Fat Lady, wondering what he would find inside.
Her expression was unreadable as she replied, 'You'll see.'
And she swung forwards.
A roar of celebration erupted from the hole behind her. Harry gaped as people began to scream at the sight of him; several hands pulled him into the room.
'We won!' yelled Ron, bounding into sight and brandishing the silver Cup at Harry. 'We won! Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and forty! We won!'
'Harry!'
Harry's heart leapt at the voice and he looked around. Y/N was running towards him, still clutching the Snitch in his hand and beaming from ear to ear.
He threw his arms around Harry's neck and Harry caught him around the waist, spinning him slightly on the spot.
And without thinking, without even worrying about the fact that about fifty people were watching, Y/N crashed his lips onto Harry's.
Fireworks set off in Harry's stomach, his whole being cheering loudly as Y/N kissed him for the first time since that wondrous night in the common room. And Harry kissed him back, pouring out all his emotions as he did.
After several long moments - or it might have been several sunlit days - they broke apart.
The room had gone very quiet.
Then several people wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of nervous giggling.
Harry looked over the top of Y/N's head to see Ginny smirking and Luna, standing beside her, smiling widely. Hermione was beaming and Ron looked slightly stunned.
Romilda Vane, on the other side of the room, looked enraged and as though she might throw something.
Harry looked back at Y/N, pressed a kiss to his forehead and wordlessly, mutually, they left the room through the portrait hole.
They walked down the marble staircase, past the still-crowded Great Hall, and out onto the sun-kissed grounds. The sky was clear but for a few interestingly-shaped clouds. There weren't many people outside, except for a few who decided to have their lunch under the shade of a tree or study by the lake.
Without realising it, Harry and Y/N found their feet carrying them to their usual haunt by the lake, unaware of where they were going and only having eyes for each other.
'... Adrien launched a Bludger at me because he thought I'd seen the Snitch, but I was feinting,' said Y/N, recounting the match. 'And then I turned right around and caught the Snitch by the Gryffindor goalposts.'
'You are amazing,' said Harry, smiling widely.
Y/N grinned up at Harry and took his hand, entwining their fingers as they reached the bank. Harry swung their linked hands gently back and forth, looking out at the surface of the Black Lake.
'We always seem to find our way back here, don't we?' said Y/N, admiring the sparkling body of water.
'We sure do,' said Harry.
Y/N released the Golden Snitch that he'd caught almost an hour ago during the match. Instead of flying away, it merely orbited Harry's and Y/N's heads, making them look like an interesting two-star system.
'I've always wanted to swim here,' said Y/N quietly, staring at the ripples in the water.
'Probably not a good idea with the Giant Squid around,' said Harry.
'Probably not...'
They started walking around the lake, the Snitch following them and performing twirls around them. Harry was telling Y/N what Snape made him do during his detention.
'Filch had about a dozen files on my dad and Sirius. Some of them included Remus and Pettigrew-'
'Ew, the rat,' said Y/N, grimacing.
'Most of the stuff he did was really stupid,' said Harry. 'Like trying to dump an inkpot on a ghost but... well, they're ghosts. It goes right through them.'
Y/N snorted as he imagined the ink splattering everywhere, Filch yelling himself hoarse and Wormtail getting a detention for such an idiotic thing.
'Not surprising, is it, when you see how he turned out,' said Y/N, letting Harry's hand go and walking backwards while facing him.
'True enough,' said Harry, grinning. 'It was really boring, though. My hand still hurts...'
He twisted his wrist in circles to ease the pain. Y/N stopped, grabbed Harry's hand and placed a kiss on it. Harry blushed.
'Better?' asked Y/N, smiling up at Harry.
'Loads,' said Harry, and he reached to pull Y/N closer.
But Y/N slipped right out of his grip and continued walking back. Harry frowned at him and pouted slightly.
'Not fair.'
'Why not?'
''Cause I wanna kiss you,' said Harry in an obvious tone.
Y/N hummed in thought, staring at Harry. 'Well, if you want to do that you'll have to catch me first.'
'Wha-? Hey!'
Without a further word, Y/N spun on his heel and dashed away, laughing as Harry began to chase him.
They ran around the perimeter of the Black Lake, Y/N laughing loudly and Harry swearing up and down that he would catch him if it was the last thing he did.
'Y/N, qu'est-ce que tu fais?' called Adrien's voice from a boulder as Y/N zoomed past him at top speed.
'ON COURT, ADRI, ON COURT!'
As he ran, Y/N almost tripped over a particularly large pebble, which caused him to slow down and Harry caught up with him. He took the opportunity to lunge forwards and wrap his arms around Y/N's waist, lifting him off his feet as the latter let out a shout of surprise.
'Gotcha!' Harry exclaimed triumphantly.
'Nooo!'
Y/N tried to free himself but Harry tightened his hold, laughing hoarsely against the back of his neck, causing goosebumps to run down Y/N's back.
Harry twirled Y/N around slightly and was about to put him back down when he, too, tripped over the large pebble and lost his balance. He tried to righten himself but only stepped back several paces, his feet submerging into the water.
Almost as though in slow motion, the two of them fell backwards together and, with a splash, landed in the lake behind them.
Y/N wriggled out of Harry's grip and stood up, drenched in water and spluttering. He looked around and saw Harry a few inches away, blinking water out of his eyes.
'Harry, you idiot!' gasped Y/N, wiping his hair out of his face. 'You're going to break a record with the amount of times I call you that.'
'Well, I guess that's because I'm stupid for you,' said Harry smugly. Y/N rolled his eyes.
'You are unbelievable,' he said, pushing a laughing Harry lightly. 'I'm all soaked now!'
This only made Harry laugh more and Y/N groaned in frustration. Harry splashed him with water again and Y/N spluttered.
'Oh, you've done it now...'
A water-splashing battle ensued, and the grounds were soon echoing with Y/N's and Harry's laughs and screams, and the splattering and swashing of the Black Lake.
Y/N suddenly pulled out his wand and he waved it energetically in the air. A large sphere of water emerged from the lake. Harry's eyes widened and Y/N smirked.
He thrust his wand forward and the giant blob of water zoomed towards Harry, who tried to run away from it uselessly before it came into contact with his face and pushed him back into the water.
'Take that!' shouted Y/N, laughing.
He waited for Harry's head to surface from the water, still grinning triumphantly. But, after thirty seconds, Harry had still not shown face. Y/N's smile faltered and was replaced with a worried expression.
'Harold?' he said tentatively.
Y/N waded his way through the water to where Harry was supposed to be. A few bubbles surfaced-
Harry's head suddenly shot up from the depths of the lake and Y/N screamed in surprise for the second time.
Before he could even do anything, Harry had yanked Y/N towards him by the collar of his Quidditch robes and smashed his lips onto Y/N's.
Y/N's eyes widened in shock for a second, then he submitted to the kiss, throwing his arms around Harry's neck and pulling him closer.
Shivers ran along Y/N's spine that had nothing to do with his drenched and cold Quidditch robes. His hand found its usual way up to Harry's hair, tugging it gently and earning a soft groan from Harry.
Before their kiss could grow any more heated, Harry pulled away, his face flushed and lips quirked into a cocky smirk. Y/N sighed softly as his lips disconnected from Harry's.
'Godric, you're so...'
Y/N didn't finish his sentence.
'So...?' whispered Harry, tilting his head to the side.
A strong sense of déjà-vu struck Y/N and his insides did a leap of joy. Harry leaned in again and kissed Y/N softly this time, as though attempting to convey his deepest, purest feelings for him. His hands fell down to Y/N's waist, grasping it tightly.
'I love you,' said Harry, pulling back once more.
'I think I love you more,' said Y/N, brushing Harry's wet hair out of his face.
'No, I do,' said Harry defiantly.
'No, I love you more,' insisted Y/N.
'I love you more.'
'No, me.'
'No, me-'
'Me-'
'Me-'
'ME!' shouted Y/N, and Harry snickered.
'All right, I'll let you have it this time,' said Harry, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of Y/N's lips. 'But next time - and there will be one - I will prove you wrong.'
'We'll see,' said Y/N. 'But be warned, I can repeat it over and over all night and I won't get tired. You will lose.'
'Oh, there won't be any need to say anything aloud,' said Harry in a low voice, his lips a millimetre away from Y/N's. 'I'll just show you how much I really love you. And trust me, Y/N, by the end of that night, you'll know.'
There was a short silence. Y/N could feel his face going hot as Harry gazed at him almost innocently. He drummed his fingers along Y/N's waist, only causing Y/N to become even more flustered.
'We'll see,' whispered Y/N, recovering slightly.
❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺
Half an hour and a drying charm later, Y/N and Harry made their way back up to the castle, hand in hand.
'I'm hungry,' said Y/N, patting his stomach.
'Hmm, me too,' said Harry. 'I reckon lunch hour in the Great Hall is over, though...'
Y/N groaned in defeat and leaned against Harry as they walked closer to the stairs leading up to the castle. But Harry made a detour and went around the castle. Y/N frowned.
'Er- Harry, the castle is that way-'
'I know,' he said simply. 'I have something else in mind.'
Y/N furrowed his eyebrows but didn't say anything else, simply following Harry to wherever he was taking them.
Soon they were making their way through a clump of tall, swaying trees. Birds tweeted and Bowtruckles stuck their thin faces out of the hollows of their trees, watching Y/N and Harry curiously.
It wasn't until ten minutes later that Y/N realised where Harry was leading him. And, sure enough, they emerged into the secluded, secret garden Y/N had discovered in his fifth year while escaping Filch one late escapade in the library.
The ground was covered with wildflowers and bees buzzed busily around, collecting nectar. A couple of squirrels squeaked as they noticed Harry and Y/N and ran back up to their trees. The golden glow of the sun made the entire place seem right out of a fairytale.
'Remember this place?' said Harry, watching Y/N.
'Of course, I do,' said Y/N happily, inhaling the aroma of the flowers and blooming fruit trees.
Quite forgetting his hunger, Y/N let go of Harry's hand and twirled around in the garden, letting himself fall backwards onto the lush grass, which cushioned his fall slightly. Harry chuckled and lay next to Y/N, staring up at the sky.
Y/N metamorphosed into a cat and started rolling around on the grass. Harry laughed to watch the cat rub its head against a particular plant, which Harry quickly realised was Nepeta cataria, more commonly known as catnip.
Midway through the cat's attempt at eating the plant, Harry picked him up and tutted disapprovingly.
'No illicit substances for you, Nix,' he said, as the cat hissed angrily at him.
Y/N tried to paw at his face, but Harry kept him at arm's reach, snickering in amusement. Y/N's tail wagged this way and that in frustration, then, quite suddenly, stopped and went limp.
Harry frowned slightly, then gasped in surprise as the cat turned back into a fully grown human in his arms.
The two of them crashed back down onto the ground, Y/N lying on top of Harry, who took the full blow and got the air knocked out of his lungs.
'That's what you get for interrupting my leisurely pastime,' said Y/N, smirking.
'You're heavy,' Harry huffed breathlessly.
'How dare you-'
'I didn't mean it like that!' said Harry, quickly, his eyes widening.
Laughing, Y/N promptly shifted into a female, lifting some weight off of Harry, who sighed in relief.
'You're so dramatic, you know that?' Y/N said.
Harry rolled his eyes, then smiled softly as Y/N laced her fingers in his jet-black hair.
'Did I ever tell you how I found this place?' Y/N asked.
'No, you didn't,' said Harry.
'I was in my Animagus form,' Y/N recounted, and she told Harry the whole story of how she had snuck into the library to look for information on her intrinsic fire magic and was discovered by Mrs Norris...
'Quite an adventure,' said Harry, grinning.
'It really was,' Y/N agreed, rolling off Harry and lying on her back.
Clouds above them floated serenely in the sky, pushed by gusts of wind that ruffled the trees around them. Y/N pointed up at a particularly interesting cloud.
'That looks like Dobby,' she said.
'Really?' said Harry, staring at the cloud. 'I thought it looked more like the Snitch...'
'No, no, it has a nose, see?' said Y/N, indicating a pencil-like shape in the cloud. 'It's definitely Dobby.'
Harry grinned and pointed at another cloud. 'That one looks like you a bit.'
Y/N squinted at the cloud, tilting her head this way and that to try and make out her own face. She turned to look at Harry.
'I was actually going to say that it looks like you.'
Harry raised his eyebrows and faced Y/N too. 'Really?'
'Yep.'
They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Then, pulling them out of their headspace, Y/N's stomach gave a loud rumble, and the two of them broke into a fit of giggles.
'You really are hungry,' said Harry, still grinning.
'I really am,' Y/N affirmed.
Harry sat up and hummed in thought for a moment. Then, he called, 'Kreacher!'
There was a CRACK and Y/N sat up quickly. Kreacher the house-elf had appeared in the garden, but he wasn't alone.
Dobby was hanging off his arm and, as he saw Harry and Y/N, he dashed forwards and beamed at them.
'Harry Potter and his Fire!' he squeaked in his tiny voice.
'Hi, Dobby,' said Harry, grinning.
'Dobby heard Kreacher muttering about Harry Potter summoning him and Dobby thought he would come along to see Harry Potter, for Dobby had not seen sir in a while!' said Dobby happily. 'And Dobby is even happier that Miss Fire is with Harry Potter!'
'It's good to see you too, Dobby,' said Y/N brightly.
Dobby grinned toothily. Behind him, Kreacher was muttering obscenities to himself, glaring at Harry and Y/N as though he wished them nothing but ill.
'Master is with the Mud-'
'Kreacher, you can go back to the kitchens now,' Harry interjected loudly.
With a snap of his fingers, Kreacher had gone.
'Dobby,' said Harry, turning to the free elf, 'I was wondering if you could bring Y/N and me some food.'
'Of course, sir!' said Dobby. 'Dobby shall prepare the most majestic, exquisite, scrumptious feast for Harry Potter and his Fire!'
'It doesn't have to be a royal's feast, Dobby,' said Harry quickly as Y/N laughed. 'Just lunch for two.'
'Dobby will be back in no time, sir!' squeaked Dobby, and he Disapparated as well.
Within five minutes, Dobby was back with a picnic basket along with a red and white checkered blanket. Two bottles of Butterbeer were sticking out of the basket.
'Here you go, Harry Potter and Y/N L/N!' said Dobby happily. 'Dobby made sure Kreacher did not poison the food, sir!'
'Thanks a million, Dobby,' said Harry. 'Here-'
Harry rummaged within his pocket and pulled out two Galleons. He tossed the gold coins to Dobby, who caught them in his hands and looked stunned.
'Dobby cannot accept this, sir!' he said. 'Dobby is already paid for working in the kitchens, sir!'
'Keep them, Dobby,' said Harry earnestly. 'Gift from me and Y/N.'
The elf looked conflicted for a moment, then he lunged forwards and shook Harry's hand energetically, and did the same with Y/N's.
'Harry Potter and Y/N L/N are most generous!' he cried. 'Dobby does not know how to express his gratitude-'
'It's OK, Dobby, you already expressed it by bringing us lunch,' said Y/N, patting Dobby's hand. 'Now you go and rest, if you want.'
'Of course, miss!' squeaked the elf. 'Bone apple teeth!'
With another CRACK, Dobby was gone. Harry got up, spread out the large picnic blanket, and started laying out the plates, glasses and cutlery.
'Dobby is such an angel,' said Y/N, getting up to help Harry. 'I mean, look at all this!'
They pulled out the various foods Dobby had prepared: sandwiches, two mini quiches, Caesar salad, sausage rolls, fruit salad and treacle tarts.
'He went above and beyond,' said Harry.
'Wish I had my camera,' sighed Y/N.
'Are you a witch, or what?' asked Harry, chuckling.
He pulled out his wand and said 'Accio!'. In seconds, Y/N's Polaroid camera came zooming towards them. Harry extended a hand and caught it. When he turned around to give it to Y/N, he caught her staring.
'What?'
'You're so hot,' said Y/N.
Harry flushed and averted his wide eyes, though the smile that grew on his face was not to be hidden. Y/N snickered and took the camera from him.
'You're so easily flustered,' she teased, snapping a picture of the picnic layout.
Though he was still quite pink in the face, Harry mumbled, 'As if...'
Meanwhile, Y/N was tinkering with her camera, playing around with the limited settings. Then, she pulled out her wand and muttered a few Charms Harry did not recognise.
'What're you doing?' he asked, watching as the device suddenly glowed a light pink and floated out of Y/N's grip.
The Polaroid started swimming around in the air, taking pictures on its own accord of their surroundings: the squirrels, the picnic setup, the trees, Harry and Y/N...
'Charmed it to take pictures of anything interesting,' said Y/N casually.
'And how-?'
'Colin taught me,' said Y/N simply, sitting on the checkered blanket.
'Incredible...' muttered Harry, joining Y/N.
For a while they ate and talked, topics ranging from Quidditch to their classes, from abusing Snape to wondering when Hermione and Ron would finally confess to each other.
'You'd think they would've taken a leaf out of our book, but nope,' said Harry, biting into a treacle tart.
'They're stubborn,' said Y/N, shaking her head and popping a grape into her mouth. 'Ah, well, we'll see what happens over the summer...'
'You're staying at the Burrow, then?' asked Harry casually.
'Yeah,' said Y/N. 'I mean, I've nowhere else to go, have I?'
'I suppose not...'
'But you'll be there too, right?' said Y/N.
'Of course,' said Harry. 'But I've got to back to the Dursley's one last time before then. What d'you reckon we'll do over the summer?'
'Well, there's obviously Fleur and Bill's wedding,' said Y/N, smiling at the thought. 'We can't miss that. Then maybe Moony and Tonks will get married, too...'
'I forgot all about Tonks and Remus,' said Harry, fiddling with a few flowers.
'I've been invested since the summer before fifth year,' said Y/N, grinning. 'You know, at first I thought Remus and Sirius had a bit of a thing for each other...'
'Really?' said Harry, frowning.
'Yeah, turns out they dated briefly during their school years but then with the first war and everything, they drifted apart,' said Y/N, fidgeting with Iola's bracelet around her wrist.
'I never realised there was anything,' muttered Harry thoughtfully.
'You're not very observant,' said Y/N teasingly.
'Oh, shut up,' said Harry, rolling his eyes. 'I'm plenty observant.'
'Mhm, sure,' said Y/N, grinning cheekily. 'Wonder why it took you almost two years to realise I liked you...'
'I suspected you had a thing for me,' said Harry. 'I just... wasn't sure if I was imagining it and projecting my own feelings.'
'Oh? When did you start liking me, then?' asked Y/N.
'I think I had a silly crush on you since the end of first year,' said Harry. 'But it wasn't anything serious, or at least I didn't think it was. Until third year, when I started slowly realising that the crush I had on you wasn't going away and I started panicking a bit-'
Y/N snorted. 'Sounds like you.'
Harry smiled and shook his head.
'Anyway, then that "friendly kiss on a whim" happened,' said Harry, blushing at the memory. 'Well, it was really not on a whim, I'd wanted to kiss you for ages. So I just said that it was-'
'-A friendly gesture,' said Y/N, laughing. 'A bit too friendly, Hazza, but I'm not complaining...'
'And then... oh, Godric, fourth year,' muttered Harry, rubbing his forehead in embarrassment. 'What a mess.'
'Truly,' said Y/N, nodding. 'When you had your little crush on Cho.'
'I was sort of trying to distract myself from you,' said Harry. 'I convinced myself you didn't like me that way, I thought you and Cedric...'
'Honestly, Harry, Cedric only had eyes for Cho,' said Y/N, rolling her eyes. 'And I-'
'-only had eyes for me,' finished Harry, smirking.
'Yes,' said Y/N. 'And I told you so. Then stupid Barty Crouch Jr had to interfere... If the Dementors didn't get him, I would have.'
Harry chuckled.
'Then last year,' said Y/N reminiscently, 'we still managed to be idiots and not date each other until halfway through the year even though we had both confessed.'
'And I had kissed you on platform nine and three-quarters.'
'Very bold, Potter,' said Y/N.
Harry grinned and looked down, picking at the grass.
'I never stopped loving you, you know,' he said quietly. 'Even if I tried to convince myself that what I felt for you was temporary, or when I tried to redirect those feelings towards someone else... It was just impossible. I always found myself coming back to you.'
Y/N listened to Harry talk, her heart fluttering with joy and love for the boy next to her. Harry was still determinedly looking at the ground, but Y/N could tell his face had flushed slightly.
'And I know I've messed up a few times, even if I never meant to hurt you, and it killed me to see you be hurt,' continued Harry. 'But I just... I was stupid, wasn't I?'
'Yeah,' said Y/N. 'And so was I, to be fair...'
Harry smiled and went on. 'Looking back on it now, I just wish I'd asked you out sooner and not made the mistakes I did.'
'Harry, it's OK,' said Y/N, stroking Harry's hair back. 'It's life, isn't it? It can't always be perfect. You made mistakes, I made mistakes... But we still found our way back to each other.'
Harry looked up at Y/N, his eyes twinkling with adoration.
'I love you, Y/N L/N,' said Harry. 'I reckon life would be really dull without you.'
'And I love you, Harry James Potter,' Y/N replied, smiling widely. 'And I also think life would be incredibly boring without you.'
She kissed him on the cheek (there was the sound of a snap nearby), then slumped over and laid her head on Harry's lap, closing her eyes.
'Going to sleep already?' said Harry.
'Mhm, goodnight...'
The light breeze brushed Y/N's face lightly. The only sounds around her were of the chirping birds, the scuffling of squirrels, the rustling of leaves, and Harry's soft breathing...
She had almost fallen asleep when Harry spoke.
'Nix, look.'
Y/N opened her eyes and looked up at Harry. He was holding a beautiful crown made of the wildflowers around them. Y/N's mouth fell open and she sat up.
'For you,' said Harry softly.
Y/N smiled uncontrollably as Harry deposited the crown on Y/N's head, adjusting it so it fit perfectly.
Snap!
The fragrant smell of the flowers was still wafting in the air around them. Harry beamed.
'You are so-'
He was cut off by a kiss from Y/N, to which he responded by pulling Y/N onto his lap and kissing her back yearningly, his heart practically beating out of his chest.
Snap! Snap!
After what seemed like hours of bliss, Y/N pulled away. Expectedly, their geometric heart-shaped gems had connected again.
'Merlin, Y/N,' Harry breathed, his cheeks flushed. 'You put my head in such a flurry...'
'But what makes me so special?' asked Y/N, playing with Harry's hair.
'Oh, what makes you so special?' said Harry. 'I could list a hundred things and yet I could never find the perfect words to describe how you make me feel, Nix. Just... elevated. Surreal. Ethereal. You are absolutely wonderful.'
Y/N was biting her lip to avoid smiling too hard, ignoring all the clicking the camera was doing.
'I think what would describe the feeling most purely is just - love,' said Harry warmly, leaning his forehead against Y/N's. 'You are love, Y/N L/N. And I love loving you.'
For a moment, Y/N thought her voice had disappeared, her heart beating so loudly she wouldn't be surprised if Harry could hear it - or feel it through his ruby jewel.
'I love loving you too, Harry James Potter,' said Y/N, her nose brushing against Harry's. 'So much.'
They kissed again and talked for a while longer, reminiscing their years at Hogwarts and wondering what lay ahead for them... Then kissed some more...
The sun was beginning to set when they finally got up, though reluctantly, packed the mat and put everything back into the picnic basket. Y/N stretched her arms over her head, careful to not knock the flower crown off her head.
Harry turned around to face Y/N and he held out his hand. Y/N raised an eyebrow.
'For old time's sake, darling?' said Harry softly.
Y/N's heart skipped a beat at the term of endearment and she nodded, taking Harry's hand.
He led her into a waltz as the sun slowly set, casting a beautiful golden-orange glow on them as they spun around the garden elegantly, avoiding the many Polaroid pictures littering the ground. Well, perhaps not that elegantly, as Harry almost tripped a few times and Y/N laughed at him.
However, it was, in their eyes, the most charming day they had had in a long while.
❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺
As they moved into June, their pile of schoolwork increased but nothing could abate Harry's cheerful mood, not even his weekly detentions with Snape which lasted hours every Saturday. Harry would always look forward to seeing Y/N, waiting for him outside the gloomy dungeon office.
One evening, Harry, Y/N, Ron and Hermione were in the common room, sitting beside the window and supposedly doing their Herbology homework.
Y/N and Harry, however, were not at all interested in Herbology and were sitting face to face on the carpet with Y/N's Pygmy Puff between them.
'Come to mummy, Marzi,' Y/N cooed.
Marzipan looked at Y/N and was about to make her way to Y/N when Harry spoke from the other side.
'No, Pan, come here buddy, come to daddy!'
Marzipan paused and turned around to Harry, clearly struggling to decide.
'No, Marzi, c'mere, I have treats,' said Y/N, shaking a small bag of puffskein food.
The Pygmy Puff squeaked and began rolling toward Y/N.
'Pan, I've got that nice fluffy blanket you like,' called Harry, holding up a blanket.
'Marzi, come to mama-'
'Come to papa, Pan-'
'Mum-'
'Dad-'
'MUM!'
'DAD!'
Marzipan squealed in frustration and, instead of going to either Y/N or Harry, rolled away, hopped onto Hermione's chair and settled herself in the girl's lap.
Y/N gasped in betrayal.
'How could you, Marzi?'
'After everything we've done for you,' said Harry, equally stung and clutching at his heart dramatically.
Marzipan squeaked happily as Hermione petted her. Hermione frowned at Y/N and Harry.
'Your work isn't going to finish itself, you know,' she said disapprovingly.
'We have all weekend for that,' said Y/N airily.
Jimmy Peakes suddenly appeared at Harry's side, holding out a scroll of parchment.
'Thanks, Jimmy... hey, it's from Dumbledore!' said Harry excitedly, unrolling the parchment and scanning it. 'He wants me to go to his office as quick as I can!'
They stared at each other.
'Blimey,' whispered Ron. 'You don't reckon... he hasn't found...?'
'Better go and see, hadn't I?' said Harry, jumping to his feet.
He hurried out of the common room. Y/N, Ron and Hermione shared anxious looks.
They waited for a while, and only half an hour later did Harry rush back into the room.
'What does Dumbledore want?' Hermione said at once.
'Harry, are you OK?' said Y/N, for Harry was breathing heavily.
'I'm fine,' said Harry shortly, racing past them.
He dashed up the stairs to his dormitory and was back within seconds, skidding to a halt where Y/N, Hermione and Ron sat. He had the Marauder's Map and a pair of balled-up socks.
'I haven't got much time,' Harry panted, 'Dumbledore thinks I'm getting my Invisibility Cloak. Listen...'
Quickly he told them where he was going, and why. He did not pause either for Hermione's gasps of horror or for Ron's hasty questions. Y/N was completely silent and listening to Harry intently.
'... so you see what this means?' Harry finished at a gallop. 'Dumbledore won't be here tonight, so Malfoy's going to have another clear shot at whatever he's up to. No, listen to me!' he hissed angrily, as both Ron and Hermione showed every sign of interrupting. 'I know it was Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement. Here-'
He shoved the Marauder's Map into Y/N's hand.
'You've got to watch him and you've got to watch Snape, too. Use anyone else who you can rustle up from the DA. Hermione, those contact Galleons will still work, right? Dumbledore says he's put extra protection in the school, but if Snape's involved, he'll know what Dumbledore's protection is, and how to avoid it - but he won't be expecting you lot to be on the watch, will he?'
'Harry-' began Hermione, her eyes huge with fear.
'I haven't got time to argue,' said Harry curtly. 'Take this as well-' He thrust the socks into Ron's hands.
'Thanks,' said Ron. 'Er - why do I need socks?'
'You need what's wrapped in them, it's the Felix Felicis,' said Harry. 'Share it between yourselves. I'd better go, Dumbledore's waiting-'
'No!' said Hermione, as Ron unwrapped the tiny little bottle of golden potion, looking awestruck. 'We don't want it, you take it, who knows what you're going to be facing?'
'I'll be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore,' said Harry. 'I want to know you lot are OK... don't look like that, Hermione...'
He turned to Y/N and he felt his heart clench on itself. If something happened to him tonight, or to her, it would be the last time they'd see each other...
Without preamble, Harry cupped Y/N's face and pulled her close, kissing her softly on the lips, deeply but hastily, his breath still irregular.
When he pulled back from the kiss, he still had his hands around Y/N's face. They looked at each other in the eyes in silence for a moment.
'I love you,' whispered Harry, pulling away completely. 'I'll see you later...'
'Be safe,' said Y/N.
He couldn't help it - Harry stole one last kiss from Y/N, one last look - and he was off.
Y/N watched him go, and it felt as though a string that was connecting their hearts tugged dangerously. She took a deep breath and rounded on her two best friends.
'Right, you heard Harry,' said Y/N, trying to keep her voice even. 'We've got to watch Malfoy and Snape. Malfoy's up to something in the Room of Requirement and if he was so happy as Harry said, it can't be anything good. And if Snape's in on it-'
'But, Y/N, Snape's in the Order,' said Hermione.
'I don't care if he's in the Order, Hermione,' said Y/N heatedly. 'He overheard Harry and I's prophecy and told Voldemort-'
'But Dumbledore trusts him,' Hermione argued.
'That doesn't matter, he can be mistaken!' said Y/N. 'No, listen,' she added, for Hermione opened her mouth to argue again, 'we cannot be sure of anything. Snape is a good Occlumens, he could hide whatever he wants from Dumbledore and Dumbledore would never know. We can't trust him fully, all right?'
'Y/N's right,' said Ron fiercely. 'I've always thought Dumbledore was barmy for trusting the old bat.'
'Exactly,' said Y/N. 'Anyway - the Felix Felicis, Ron, we need to share it equally between us.'
Ron unstoppered the tiny phial of golden lucky potion and took a small, measured gulp. Then he passed it to Hermione, who drank from it too, and, lastly, to Y/N, who drained the last of it in one go.
The three of them stared in silence at each other for a moment. Then, slowly but surely, an exhilarating feeling of infinite opportunity overcame them. Everything was not only possible for them but also positively easy...
'Excellent,' said Y/N, grinning at her friends. 'Right, Hermione, contact the DA members; Ron and I will be waiting outside the common room.'
Hermione nodded and tore off to the girls' dormitory to get the fake Galleons they had used. Y/N and Ron crossed the room and left through the portrait hole.
'I think someone should tell Adrien, too,' said Y/N.
She didn't know what made her want to get Adrien's help, but the Felix Felicis seemed to push her to that conclusion. Ron frowned.
'Where would he be?'
Y/N checked the Map and, at that moment, Hermione stepped out through the portrait hole and joined them in the deserted corridor. It was nearly curfew.
'You used the contact Galleon?' asked Y/N at once, looking up from the Map.
'Yes, but I don't know how many people would still be carrying them around,' said Hermione.
'It's fine,' said Y/N. 'Something tells me we'll have a few people joining us. Ron, can you go alert Ginny? She's in the library, Luna should be with her-'
Ron nodded and strode away down the corridor before rounding a corner and disappearing from sight.
Y/N and Hermione waited for a while, pacing down the corridor. Y/N kept checking the Map; Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was still in the Room of Requirement, and the dot labelled Severus Snape was still in his office.
Five minutes later, Neville left the common room and almost bumped into them.
'Hi, Nev,' said Y/N.
'I got your message from the Galleon,' he said briskly. 'What's going on?'
'We have a mission tonight,' Hermione began, but there were rushing footsteps towards them.
Right around the corner at the end of the corridor, four people appeared, coming to a halt right outside the Gryffindor common room. Ron was in the lead, with Ginny, Luna and Adrien behind him.
'We got your message,' said Ginny.
'Is there another DA meeting?' Luna asked hopefully.
'No, it's not that,' said Y/N, looking at Adrien. 'How did you-?'
'I overheard Ron talking to Ginny and Luna about something you had to do tonight,' said Adrien, rolling his sleeves and pulling out his wand. 'It seemed important so I thought I'd come along.'
'Perfect,' said Y/N. 'Right, here's what we're going to do...'
Y/N explained to the others what was going on, about Malfoy and Snape and the fact Dumbledore wasn't in the school.
'We should divide into two groups,' said Y/N. 'One should keep watch outside Snape's office and the other outside the Room of Requirement. Hermione, Luna, Neville - you should be outside Snape's office. Ron, Adrien, Ginny and I will be watching the Room of Requirement.'
Ginny seemed to hesitate slightly. She looked at Luna briefly, then turned back to Y/N, a look of determination on her face.
'All right.'
'Sounds good to me,' said Adrien.
'Is everything clear?' asked Y/N, and the others nodded. 'Good. Keep your guard up and your wands out. Let's go.'
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They were outside the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. Ron and Adrien kept watch on either corner leading out of the corridor, while Y/N and Ginny stood facing where the door leading to the Room would be.
It was well past curfew, but no teacher came striding down the corridor to tell them off; the Felix Felicis was still working wonders.
'What d'you think Luna and the others are up to, right now?' asked Ginny quietly, staring at the wall facing them.
'Still keeping watch on Snape, hopefully,' said Y/N.
Ginny bit her lip anxiously, and Y/N knew she was worrying about Luna.
'We'd know if something happened,' said Y/N reassuringly. 'We'd hear it...'
'We're eight floors above, Y/N,' said Ginny, glancing sideways at her friend.
'Yeah, I know, but still,' said Y/N. 'I don't think Snape would outright kill them, you know.'
'Hmm...'
There was a short silence, then Y/N said quietly, 'You really like her, don't you? Luna?'
A soft pink colour rose into Ginny's freckled face and she smiled slightly.
'Dunno what you mean,' she muttered.
'Oh, don't give me that,' said Y/N, smirking. 'You went as dates to Slughorn's party.'
'Yes, as friends,' Ginny clarified.
'Sure...'
There was another silence. Ginny heaved a sigh and turned to Y/N.
'All right, fine, I fancy her,' she said in a low voice. Y/N grinned widely. 'But I don't think she likes... girls.'
Y/N raised her eyebrows. 'You're kidding, right? Have you even heard the way she talks about you?'
Ginny shrugged, twirling her wand in her hand and staring back at the tiled floor.
'Still... I think it's just her way of being friendly.'
'Ginevra, she kissed you goodnight,' said Y/N. 'On the cheek, I know,' she added as Ginny opened her mouth, 'but unless she's French, I don't think she'd just do it in a friendly manner.'
Ginny hummed idly and silence fell upon them again.
'It's almost been an hour since we've started watching,' came Ron's voice at the right end of the corridor. 'Are you sure you didn't see him on the Map, Y/N?'
'I'm very sure,' said Y/N firmly. 'He was nowhere else, so unless he somehow left the castle...'
'Which is not possible with all the security around the place,' said Ginny.
Y/N nodded. 'Harry said Dumbledore's got people from the Order here, they would catch him before he could leave. You all right, Adrien?'
'Yes,' said Adrien's voice from the other corridor, and he poked his face around the corner. 'You?'
'Peachy,' said Y/N, smiling.
'So how come this Malfoy is doing something shady and Professor Dumbledore doesn't know?' asked Adrien.
'He most likely does know Malfoy's up to something,' said Y/N. 'Just not what exactly... Harry and I reckon he's one of the Death Eaters, now.'
'At his age?' said Adrien, raising his pale eyebrows.
'Not a surprise,' said Y/N grimly. 'There's a couple of people who have been made Death Eaters at his age, too...'
Y/N thought about Leonora, and she found herself almost worrying about her twin. She hadn't known Leonora her entire life, and yet still somehow held some sort of elementary care for them. Only sixteen and already in Voldemort's ranks...
Her thoughts then drifted to Harry, and what he could possibly be up to now. Had he found the Horcrux successfully? Or perhaps he and Dumbledore had not even reached it yet?
Or, even worse - Y/N's insides twisted anxiously - something happened to them, and they would not come back...
Y/N shook these thoughts from her head and redirected her mind back to their mission: keeping guard outside the Room.
Several minutes passed in silence but for the echoing footsteps of Ron and Adrien as they strode in and out of the corridor.
Then, with an ominous sound of shifting stone and creaking wood, the door to the Room came into sight gradually and opened.
The pale face of Draco Malfoy appeared at the door and he stepped out onto the corridor. He was clutching what looked like a mummified, shrivelled arm. Then he caught sight of Y/N and his eyes widened.
He shook his head frantically, almost as though he was pleading with Y/N to get out of there.
'Go,' he hissed. 'Get the hell out!'
'What's the matter, Draco?' came an execrable voice that sent shivers down Y/N's spine. Bellatrix Lestrange.
Ron and Adrien had come rushing over to where Y/N and Ginny were, their wands out and ready to strike.
Then came another voice that sent a cold chill into Y/N's stomach.
'Can we come out yet?' said Leonora's voice eagerly. 'I want to see the castle.'
Swearing under his breath, Malfoy made eye contact with Y/N then pulled out what looked like a small, glittery black rock - Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.
He threw it into the ground and almost instantly, everything went pitch black around them.
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- HJPsQuill