𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

YR 4 ☆•°~'* 10

❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺

Y/N woke up late on Boxing Day, yawning and stretching tiredly. She was halfway through putting on her jumper when she heard Hermione jump out of her bed.

'Y/N! Where were you last night?' she asked worriedly. Her hair was bushy again - the effects of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion only lasted a few hours. 

'I just- fancied a walk,' said Y/N truthfully, remembering the previous night's events.

'Are you alright?' Hermione asked.

'I'm fine,' lied Y/N, putting on her shoes. She wasn't going to tell Hermione about her confession to Harry... It was still far too embarrassing to even think about.

They both went down to the common room to find Harry and Ron already sitting around the fireplace. 

Y/N and Harry seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement to not talk about their conversation at the Yule Ball. They were back to being oddly formal, and Y/N noticed even Ron and Hermione were being quite friendly to each other, despite their huge argument the previous night. 

It seemed like they all had unresolved feelings towards one another. 

Harry and Ron wasted no time in telling Y/N and Hermione about Hagrid being half-giant. Y/N already knew this, of course, but she had been in her Animagus form when she overheard Hagrid, and so she pretended to be quite surprised. Hermione, however, did not seem shocked at all.

'Well, I thought he must be,' she said, shrugging. 'I knew he couldn't be pure giant, because they're about twenty feet tall. But honestly, all this hysteria about giants. They can't all be horrible... it's the same sort of prejudice that people have towards werewolves, it's just bigotry, isn't it?'

Ron opened his mouth, looking like wanted to reply scathingly, but perhaps he didn't want another row, because he contented himself with shaking his head when Hermione wasn't looking.

'I agree with Hermione,' said Y/N. 'Well, not necessarily about all giants being good... But there's nothing wrong with Hagrid, is there?'

'No, there isn't,' said Harry, nodding. 

During the last week of the holiday, they busied themselves with homework they had neglected the first week. 

On the first day of the new term, Y/N, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down to Hagrid's cabin for Care of Magical Creatures. When they arrived there, however, they found an elderly witch standing before his front door.

'Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago,' she barked at them, as they struggled towards her through the snow.

'Who're you?' said Ron, staring at her. 

'My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank,' she said briskly, 'I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher.'

'Where's Hagrid?' Y/N asked loudly.

'He is indisposed,' said Professor Grubly-Plank shortly.

Unpleasant laughter reached Y/N's ears. He turned and saw Draco Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins looking gleeful as they joined the class. None of them looked at all surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank.

'This way, please,' said the professor, and she lead them towards the edge of the Forest. 

'What's wrong with Hagrid?' Y/N heard Harry ask Professor Grubbly-Plank. 

'Never you mind,' she said, as though she thought he was being nosy.

'I do mind, though,' said Harry hotly. 'What's up with him?'