𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 38

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
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-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH SHE TELLS
HIM

. . .

She was warm, even as she cried. It seemed morbid that he even let the events at the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts, but he was allowing the thoughts to plague him, equally as in need of this hug as Jane was. 

It almost pained him that she was so upset over something. Even she had labelled it as 'stupid' it clearly wasn't for her. It could never be stupid if she was crying over it. 

And from the way her hands seemed to grasp onto the material of his shirt, clinging to him for dear life, it didn't seem to only be Harry that was reaping the benefits of a hug. Neither of them seemed to have experienced a hug that they actually really needed in a long time. 

It was so plainly comfortable. There wasn't necessarily anything special about the hug, the pair just seemed to fit so well. And what a sight would it be to someone observing; long ginger hair spilling over his shoulder in what could have been perfect curls, the pretty material of her dress covering her legs and crinkled between them. His shirt was gathered in two places where her hands were, forehead resting on her shoulder whilst she cried into the curve of his neck. 

Slowly, the tears came to a conclusion, the halted breath shuddering through her frame as she struggled to catch it. Harry didn't say anything, unable to stop the small smile on his face when she didn't instantly move away. 

Although the gesture was so foreign to him after the years of mistreatement from the hands of the Dursleys, the Potter boy found himself able to give her the comfort she seeked. The comfort he had needed after the Portkey brought him back to the stretch of grass in front of the stands of people. He could give it to someone else, and somehow that healed him, just a little bit.

Eventually, the fists gripping the back of his shirt loosened and hung by Jane's side, her damp eyelashes just about noticeable as they fluttered against the skin of his neck, replaced by the soft feeling of her hair as she moved her head downwards, eyes resting on a point across rolling fields from them. 

"I'm.. sorry." She breathed out, but her head remained resting on his shoulder, and even if Harry did need an apology, he wasn't too sure that she was actually all that regretful of her actions. 

"'s fine." He reassured her, the hand that had been on her back remaining there, still holding her close. "Was it.." Harry paused as she sniffled. He didn't even know if he should have asked it, but a question was bubbling in her chest. "Was it something to do with that letter that Mr Winter gave you?

Jane finally sat up, and Harry had a gut-renching feeling that he had said something wrong. But she didn't go far, reaching for the champagne and tugging the cork out. She took a sip of it, bottle gigantic in her hands and the rings on her fingers colliding with the glass, offering it to Harry as she took her place beside him, back pressed against his chest and head resting on his shoulder. 

He took it, thanking his lucky stars that he did have a little strength in his arms from all that Quidditch practise as he took a sip, letting the bottle rest in the small gap between their legs. 

Silence fell, and all that could be heard was the night. Crickets chirping, a quite buzz of a bug coming from somewhere, the odd owl hooting and in the darkness, the two of them watched as a small herd of deer emerge hesitantly from the forest, scattering when another animal appeared.

"Flora.. wants to adopt me." Jane finally told him the reason. Harry, given any other scenario, would have celebrated. But he had a feeling that it wouldn't be an appropriate reaction. 

"Really?" Harry asked, the words echoing in his ears. 

"Yeah, the papers were in the envelope that Mr Winter gave me." Jane nodded, head bumping against his shoulder. "But I don't want to ruin the summer, so I just.. I don't know." She was panicking, and seemed like she wanted rush off. 

Harry's hand on her waist held her a little tighter.

"Don't worry about ruining the summer it's been so.. lovely." Harry admitted, his smile quite literally glowing in the light of the stolen garden lamp. "For the first time I'm not desperate to go back to school.. the summer's been perfect - you've been perfect and-"

Jane sighed, sitting up. Harry cut himself off, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Flora said I was perfect as well.. and I just don't feel it." Jane pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "But it seems that all I do is lie to everyone that I'm happy all the time, going off on walks with you like there's nothing wrong in the world. I feel this incessant need to prove that I'm a good person, thats what you see, thats what Flora sees and it's almost all a lie."

That hurt to hear. 

Harry swallowed back any ill feelings of his own, shifting forward to sit beside her, copying her position and looking towards her. "Where's this coming from, Jane?" He asked her gently, fingers fiddling with a blade of grass. 

Jane took a glance over to him, eyes glassy before turning around and laying back down. Harry shook his head, copying her once again and laying beside her. She kept her head looking away, sniffing once again. 

"I don't know.. something to do with fostering. The word 'adoption' has never come near me." She admitted. "I guess.. after the other times I was taken from the home.. I don't feel.. worthy of it."

Had they been anywhere else, Harry wouldn't have been able to hear her, words barely audible. But quite luckily he did, and whilst he didn't reply, Jane got his opinion on it pretty clearly.

For the second time in his life, Harry initiated another hug.

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a/n
sorry if everyone was expecting something else or a lot more or maybe you dont think that it was as big of a deal that jane made it out to be but you gotta understand that although i have switched sometimes, this part of the story is told from what harry is seeing. he clearly cant see inside her brain and although shes denied it there is obviously going to be some upsetting stuff that comes with knowing you were put there in the first place and taken back twice yk?

also they're literally kids so hormones are going be like high 

and what do ppl think jane's zodiac is?