Book 7: Harry Potter male reader insert

Chapter 5: The Ghoul in the Attic

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, following Ron and (Y/n) out of the room onto the tiny landing.

"Descendo," muttered Ron, pointing his wand at the low ceiling. A hatch opened right over their heads and a ladder slid down to their feet.

The three of the ascended the ladder, (Y/n) grabbing Ron's shirt to pull him into the attic, giving him a pat on the back.

A horrible, half-sucking, halfmoaning sound came out of the square hole, along with an unpleasant smell like open drains.

"That's your ghoul, isn't it?" asked Harry, who had never actually met the creature that sometimes disrupted the nightly silence.

"Yeah, it is," said Ron, climbing the ladder. "Come and have a look at him."

Harry followed Ron up the few short steps into the tiny attic space. His head and shoulders were in the room before he caught sight of the creature curled up a few feet from him, fast asleep in the gloom with its large mouth wide open.

"But it . . . it looks . . . do ghouls normally wear pajamas?"

"No," said Ron. "Nor have they usually got red hair or that number of pustules."

"He's me, see?" said Ron.

"No," said Harry. "I don't."

"Yeah he's clearly a lot better looking than you Ron" (Y/n) said sarcastically.

"I'll explain it back in my room, the smell's getting to me," said Ron, glaring at (Y/n).

They climbed back down the ladder, which Ron returned to the ceiling, and rejoined Hermione, who was still sorting books.

"Once we've left, the ghoul's going to come and live down here in my room," said Ron. "I think he's really looking forward to it – well, it's hard to tell, because all he can do is moan and drool – but he nods a lot when you mention it. Anyway, he's going to be me with spattergroit. Good, eh?"

Harry merely looked his confusion.
"It is!" said Ron, clearly frustrated that Harry had not grasped the brilliance of the plan.

"It really is a good idea Ron" (Y/n) told him encouragingly.

"Look, when we three don't turn up at Hogwarts again, everyone's going to think Hermione and I must be with you, right? Which means the Death Eaters will go straight for our families to see if they've got information on where you are."

"But hopefully it'll look like I've gone away with Mum and Dad; a lot of Muggleborns are talking about going into hiding at the moment," said Hermione.

"And I don't have a family anymore so the death eater don't have anyone to blackmail me with. 'Cept you guys" (Y/n) added in.

"We can't hide my whole family, it'll look too fishy and they can't all leave their jobs," said Ron. "So we're going to put out the story that I'm seriously ill with spattergroit, which is why I can't go back to school. If anyone comes calling to investigate, Mum or Dad can show them the ghoul in my bed, covered in pustules. Spattergroit's really contagious, so they're not going to want to go near him. It won't matter that he can't say anything, either, because apparently you can't once the fungus has spread to your uvula."

"And your mum and dad are in on this plan?" asked Harry.

"Dad is. He helped Fred and George transform the ghoul. Mum . . . well, you've seen what she's like. She won't accept we're going till we're gone."

"Understandably" (Y/n) said, only able to imagine what it must be like for Ron's family to have to constantly worry about whether or not they were alive.