𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

YR 4 ☆•°~'* 08

A/N - "Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought..."

❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺

December announced its arrival with the first snowfall of the school year. It was getting very cold, and Y/N had started wearing her Charmed F/C jumper that Harry gifted her the previous Christmas, which kept her warm and cosy in the icy weather.

She, Ron and Harry were walking back to the common room one evening. They were wondering where Hermione had got to since they hadn't seen her since lunchtime (they had Double Divination while Hermione had Arithmancy).

'Balderdash,' said Y/N, stopping in front of the portrait entrance. The Fat Lady had barely begun to swing open, when the sounds of footsteps announced Hermione's arrival.

'Harry!' she panted. 'Harry, you've got to come, the most amazing thing's happened-'

'What's the matter?' Harry said, as Hermione seized his arm and started dragging him down the hallway.

'I'll show you when we get there, come on!'

Harry looked around at Ron and Y/N, who looked back at Harry, intrigued by whatever Hermione was so eager to show them.

They followed her down six floors and went down the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall.

'Hermione, what is this about?' Y/N asked, jogging to keep up.

'You'll see, you'll see in a minute!' said Hermione excitedly. 

She led them through a door that usually lead to the Hufflepuff common room, down a flight of stone steps and into a brightly lit corridor decorated with paintings of food.

'Oh, hang on...' said Harry slowly, halfway down the corridor. 'Wait a minute, Hermione...'

'What?' She turned to look at him, anticipation all over her face.

'I know what this is about,' said Harry.

He nudged Ron and pointed to the painting just behind Hermione. It showed a gigantic silver fruit bowl, and Y/N understood at once.

'The kitchens!' she said excitedly.

'Hermione!' said Ron sternly. 'You're trying to rope us into that spew stuff again!'

'No, no, I'm not!' she said hastily. 'This isn't about S.P.E.W.! Oh, come on, Harry! I want to show you who I found-'

'Unlimited food source,' Y/N grinned and Hermione scowled at her. She tickled the pear in the fruit bowl, and it began to chuckle, then immediately turned into a door handle. Hermione pulled the door open and pushed Harry into the room. 

Y/N entered the room as well, which seemed to be parallel to the Great Hall right above them. Then something small collided with Harry, squealing, 'Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!'

'D-Dobby?' Harry gasped, as Dobby the house-elf hugged him so tight he could break his ribs.

'It is Dobby, sir, it is!' squealed the elf excitedly. 'Dobby has been hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him!'

Dobby finally pulled away, beaming up at Harry with tears in his eyes. Y/N noticed that Dobby did not look like any other house-elf she'd seen in one of the many library books, or like Winky, who wore a single garment on their body. Dobby was wearing multiple assortments of clothes. He was wearing a tea-cosy for a hat, on which he pinned a number of bright badges; a tie patterned with horseshoes, a pair of children's football shorts, and multiple pairs of odd socks.