Heartwarming

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igorous shiver vibrated down your spine, making all of your limbs shudder from the bitter cold of the library that you were currently trying to study in. The castle had always been much chillier at night. The lack of students hustling through the halls and the sun being replaced by the moon sucked away any heat in Hogwarts for you to be warmed by. It wasn't very often that you decided to sneak into the library to study late into the night, which was the reason why you failed to bring an extra layer with you. You were sure kicking yourself for it now, since you seemed to be growing colder by the minute.
Despite the fact that your body temperature was dropping well below what you were comfortable with, you still had a good hour or two of studying ahead of you. This Herbology test had snuck up on you, so now you were cramming weeks of material in one night. It wasn't your preferred method of learning (if you could even call it that), but it would have to do.
The library was completely dark, other than the dim light being emitted from the oil lamp that you had brought with you. The library was eerie when there was no one else in it. Even though it was technically closed, you were surprised that you were the only other person who was there after sneaking in after hours. You were not the first (and definitely not the last) student to desperately weasel into the massive study room because you forgot about a test.
It was almost too quiet in the large room. The silence was so deafening in your ears that your head was ringing. The only sounds were the occasional turns of the pages in your Herbology book and your more than often sighs of frustration.
It wasn't that you didn't like Herbology. You actually quite liked it and had found yourself being more interested in plants than you ever thought you would. The only problem with it was that sometimes you just didn't quite connect with it. Herbology was one of those classes that you had a love-hate relationship with. You loved Professor Sprout and you liked learning about plants. The issue was that you often had a hard time remembering which plants were which.
You were capable of understanding that they all have different functions and that they technically look different. It was just that sometimes you found yourself confused and lost within the topic of Herbology. It just didn't come as easily to you. Neville Longbottom had been nothing but helpful to you.
Neville was actually a very stellar tutor, and had given you lots of ways to help you understand Herbology. But at the end of the day, you still struggled. Now you knew why Neville had been bugging you about a tutoring session for the last three days. Neville would never forget about a test like you. If this had been a Potions or a Transfiguration test, you were confident that you could've decided to wing the test and ace it.
With Herbology? Not so much.
Another heavy sigh escaped your chest while your back hunched more over the table you were sitting at. Your fingers trembled from the chill of the room as they trailed along the words written in black in your textbook. You had just begun to read a new paragraph on Venomous Tentacula when you felt a presence approach behind you and something being draped over your shoulders.
A sudden warmth flushed over your body, drowning out the cold and bringing an overwhelming sense of relief. You turned to see a pair of icy eyes staring back at you, with a soft smile on his face.
"You look cold. I could see you shaking from the door." Harry spoke gently, his hands rubbing up and down your arms.
"Thanks," You greeted with a grin, your voice just barely above a whisper. You glanced at the dense fabric wrapped around you, identifying it to be one of his blankets, "You're a lifesaver."
Harry's soft smile spread into a bigger one, a light chuckle bubbling out of his throat. A satisfied exhale whistled out of your nose as he kissed the crown of your head, peering over to look at what you were studying. Harry let out a sigh of dejection, feeling a twinge of worry that you were pushing yourself so hard.
"[Y/N], angel, you need to get some sleep," He remarked, "You need to be rested for this test tomorrow. Not staying up all night trying to learn it all at once."
"But I know absolutely nothing about this chapter, Harry. If I fail this test then I'm totally screwed." You huffed, pulling the blanket tighter around you.
"It's one test. It won't make or break you." He argued back.
You shook your head and turned back to your book, knowing that Harry wouldn't understand. Being The Chosen One and all, things came easy to him. He didn't have to stay up all night reading about plants that you'd probably never need to know about. Your eyes went back to scanning the words on the page, earning a gruffly groan from Harry.
"Fine. If you're not coming back with me, then I'm staying here with you." He announced, taking the empty chair next to you.
Your irises flickered to him, gazing over him now that you could see him in a better light. It was clear that he had woken up after you had snuck out of his dorm and came to find you, based on how his hair was sticking up every which way and he didn't bother to change into his usual clothes.
"You don't have to do that. I won't be much longer, I-"
"Nope. I've made up my mind. I'm not leaving until you do," He stated again indefinitely, "I'm not leaving you alone."
Harry could be stubborn, and you really didn't feel like arguing. Especially when you still had a good bit of studying left to do. You went back to work again, but this time with Harry fidgeting in the seat next to you. Harry could never sit still to save his life. He fiddled with his fingers, tapped his feet, and poked at things with his wand. Harry could be rather hyperactive, and while you usually found it adorable; it was downright annoying right about now.
Your eyes tore away from your textbook once more to see Harry with his head tossed back, and him trying to balance a quill on the bridge of his nose. Harry was always doing goofy stuff like this, and sometimes he didn't even see it as odd.
"Harry." You said to get his attention.
His eyes brightened at the sound of your voice, his head falling and the quill falling into his lap.
"Yes ma'am?" He answered with a smile, knowing that he was being frivolous and getting on your nerves.
"What are you doing?" You acquired, beginning to think that letting him stay was a bad idea.
"Keeping you company." He replied cheekily.
"Well, could you be a little less distracting?" You grumbled, glaring at him in a way that he could tell wasn't that seriously.
He shrugged, his cheeks tinting a light pink as he chewed on one of the strings of his sweatshirt.
"Sorry," He apologized, "Can I play with your rings?"
The soft giggle that flowed from your chest couldn't be stopped at his question. Harry had a thing for playing with the rings on your fingers when he was bored or anxious. The cool metal always calmed him down or the shiny gems always occupied him enough to keep him busy. You always made sure to keep at least one ring on just for him.
"Sure." You allowed, offering your right hand to him.
He took it giddily, but before you could even attempt to resume studying, he hissed.
"Baby." He said in a way that sounded appalled.
"Yes? What's wrong?" You asked, thinking something was wrong with one of your rings based on how he was gawking at your hand.
"Your hands are like ice!" He shrilled, his voice echoing in the large, empty room.
"Well, yeah. It's cold in here." You snorted, resting your chin in your free hand.
He sandwiched your other hand between his, rubbing to create friction and warmth to relieve your hand.
"Please, come back to bed. I hate it when you're cold," He maintained, "It makes me feel bad."
"I'm not going to die, Harry. Just another hour and I'll be done," You told him, "If you'll let me finish studying."
Harry turned and reached onto the floor, picking up something that you didn't even notice that he had brought in.
"Well, at least put on my sweater. I brought it just in case." He begged, pushing the red and gold sweater into your hands.
A gentle smile spread on your features at the familiar feel of the material. It was Harry's Quidditch sweater, and always your go to when it came to borrowing his clothes. It was warm, soft, and reminded you of him.
You pushed the blanket off of your shoulders, slipping his sweater over your light t-shirt. A better sense of warmth flooded over you immediately, filling you happily and contently.
To most people, it might seem a bit weird that Harry was so adamant about making sure you were always comfortable. He was one of those boyfriends that went out of his way to make sure you were taken care of. He always made sure that you were warm in the cold months and cool in the hot ones. He asked every day if you had eaten something and would encourage you gently to eat if you hadn't. If you hadn't slept, he'd skip one of his classes to take a nap with you. Harry often put others before himself. Your happiness and well being was beyond important to him.
You knew it was because he wasn't well taken care of as a kid. He lived in a tiny closet for the first decade of his life, and practically nothing that he owned was really his up until he had money of his own. If he needed or wanted something, then he'd have to go out and get it himself. No one really cared about him enough to make sure he was okay.
You remembered the first gift you had ever gotten him. You had admitted that money had been tight for you when you gave it to him. It was a pair of brand new, fresh socks that were guaranteed to last him a few winters. You were shy and a little embarrassed that it had been all you could afford to buy him, but it was most unexpected when he began to cry.
It was the first pair of brand new socks that he had ever owned. There wasn't a hole or tear in them, and they were heavenly warm on his feet. It provided him with a comfort that he had never felt before. That was when you realized just how much of the world he still had yet to see. He had never felt protected. He had never felt the love and care of someone else.
He never wanted the person he loved most to feel that way too.
The way he treated you always made you feel spoiled. It warmed your heart the way he cared for you.
You could always tell when he was worrying himself. His eyes would widen and his brows would knit together when he looked at you. One of the things he was always afraid of was you being unhappy when he could've done something to help. You just wished he wouldn't stress himself so much about it. He already had enough on his plate.
"Hey, Harry?" You called to break him out of his daze.
He looked to you, his posture straightening as if he were ready to bounce in case he needed to do something for you.
"Thanks. I'm okay." You assured him, feeling your heart sink at the way he visibly flushed with relief.
"Alright, love. Just wanted to be sure was all." He nodded.
He went quiet after that, settling down and giving you a chance to actually study. You went back to it, but now you were distracting yourself. Harry sat patiently, not at all bothered or antsy to leave. As long as you were there, he was content.
"You know what? Let's go to bed." You piped up, closing your book and beginning to pack up.
"Are you sure? I don't mind staying here." He said genuinely.
You gave him a bright smile, his favorite smile in the entire world.
"At this point, I either know it or I don't," You explained, "And a bed sounds quite nice right about now."
Harry stood up with you, taking the blanket and your bag to carry.
"Okay then. Back to my dorm then?" He asked once you were out of the library and scanning for Filch or another professor.
"As long as you promise that I can keep your sweater." You whispered.
Harry grinned, eyes shining and heart beating with purpose when he looked back at you.
"Promise."

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