Don't Blame Me • Hermione x Reader

Enchanted

My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again. These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon. I was enchanted to meet you.

The next morning, Harry had met up with Hermione and Ron, along with the rest of the Weasleys, in the parlor of the leaky cauldron. Ron and Hermione were fighting over something as per usual, and Harry smiled when he heard their arguing from the top of the stairs. He rushed down to meet them, and each of them were holding their animal defensively. Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, had been chasing Ron's rat, and the two were both angry about the other's pet caretaking. As they sat around a table, getting ready to leave for the Hogwarts Express, Mrs. Weasley was checking to make sure everyone was ready. "You have your books?" She asked Harry, as if she were his mother, sending him off to school. Harry nodded, smiling at Mrs. Weasley, "Yes, they're upstairs." He said. "All of them? And your clothes? You have all of those, too?" She asked, Fred and George coming into the room now. Harry nodded again to her, and she praised 'good boy' before she was off to question the others. Mr. Weasley pulled Harry aside after that, and asked him what he knew about Sirius Black. Mr. Weasley explained that Sirius is very dangerous to Harry, because he was a faithful servant of you-know-who. Harry listened and hung on to every single word. "Promise me you won't go looking for Sirius Black," Mr. Weasley warned. Harry nodded and said, "Mr. Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?" And for Mr. Weasley that seemed to be enough.

••••••

As the children began to board the Hogwarts Express, Mrs. Weasley's voice could be heard shouting after Ron. He had forgotten Scabbers, and Molly was running through the crowd to return the rat to the boy. As Harry led the way through the train compartments, he told Ron and Hermione about his excursions at the Dursley's. Ron was in awe, but Hermione was clearly not impressed. "Harry's lucky not to be expelled." She said, scolding both of the boys.
"Actually, I think I'm lucky not to be arrested." Harry replied, and Hermione nodded. They passed the train compartment that Fred and George were sat in, surrounded by a few friends telling stories. Y/N was sat between Fred and a girl Harry didn't know. She was tall and slender, with short, honey colored hair framing her face. Her face was long, and she had a prominent chin, but she was attractive. Y/N had her hand lazily resting on the girl's knee, and she seemed to be explaining her own runaway story as the trio passed by their compartment. Y/N's eyes followed them as they settled on a compartment a few down from her own, and she finished her story as quickly as she could.

She made her way down the train cart as she approached their compartment, hearing the girl explain the identity of the sleeping man sitting with them. Y/N tapped her knuckles lightly against the glass to alert the three of her presence. They all turned to look at her, and Hermione's eyes immediately connected with her own. Harry smiled as he saw her, motioning for her to follow. Y/N didn't follow, though. She stood in the doorway as the three took their seats, and she managed to break eye contact with the chocolate brown eyes she'd been staring into. "I told you I'd see you on the train," she said, looking over to Harry. Ron looked between the two of them, his mouth hanging open slightly. Harry nodded and thought about the fact that she was friends with Fred and George. How come he hasn't noticed before? "Hey, I didn't know you were friends with Fred and George. They're Ron's older brothers," he said, patting Ron's shoulder to gesture to him.
"Oh, yeah they used to mess with me when I was a first year. I always thought it was funny and they liked that about me, I guess," she said, nonchalantly. "Anyway," she said and paused for a moment. "I've got to be going, they're probably waiting on me. Bye, Harry, little Weasley," she paused again, and turned towards Hermione. Y/N looked at her for a moment, before speaking again. "Brown eyes," she said and turned on her heels. She pulled the door closed as she descended back to her compartment.
Hermione sat silently, looking at the boys with a blank face. Ron closed his mouth finally, but just before he placed his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us you knew one of the hottest girls in our school?" He said, shaking Harry with each word that came out of his mouth.
"How do you even know her?" Harry asked, placing his hands on Ron's arm and gripping them firmly so he wouldn't shake him again. Ron soon let go of Harry's shoulders though, and Harry crossed his arms lazily over his chest.
"She's been friends with brothers for almost 3 years now. So many people have got a crush on her. How do neither of you recognize her?" Ron explained, looking between the two. "I'd kill for her to look my way," he muttered, still baffled that neither of his friends knew her. Hermione seemed to be slightly more interested now.
"Wasn't there a girl hanging all over her when we walked by?" She asked, clarifying that Ron would have no chance with her. Ron nodded at her question.
"Yeah but Fred says she's kind of a player. That's why neither of them ever went after her." Ron explained matter-of-factly. Hermione turned her nose up at this comment now. She didn't know it bothered her to picture Y/N with other people, but it did. She pushed it down and left the conversation at that. Harry shrugged, seeming unbothered by Ron's statement.
"Well, she's nice. I'm not interested in her that way, anyway. Never mind that, let me tell you what Mr. Weasley said." Harry finished, and Ron and Hermione looked at him, their interest in his situation returning immediately. Harry began to explain what Mr. Weasley had told him before they left for Hogwarts. As Harry told the pair of his being of interest to the missing fugitive, Hermione's eyes grew more frightened with each word that left Harry's mouth. This wasn't a new occurrence for the trio. Hermione was always concerned about the trouble the boys got themselves into, but this time was different. Hermione was usually worried that the boys would do something to get themselves expelled, but she was now worried about Harry's safety. Suddenly, the Hogwarts Express came screeching to a halt.
"Why are we stopping? We can't be there yet," Hermione said, the concern and confusion lacing her voice. Harry stood up and stuck his out of the now open compartment door. His eyes scanned the cart walkway, meeting Y/N's eye line. She had been doing the same thing, along with everyone else in the cart, but she began rushing towards Harry. As she reached their compartment, the train shook, throwing her and Harry into the seat and shutting the door behind them.
"What's going on?" Ron asked nervously. Everyone except the sleeping man next to them wearing a look of panic.
"I don't know," Harry said, looking over at Y/N. She too was clearly uneasy, but her cool composure remained in her voice.
"Maybe we've broken down?" she guessed. Ron nodded, and before Hermione could question why Y/N had come back to their compartment, the lights flickered. The train cart went dark, and Ron immediately moved to look out the window. "There's something moving out there," he said as smoke began to circulate around the unmoving train. Now they knew Ron was really frightened, they could hear the tremble in each word he spoke. "I think someone's coming aboard," he whispered, his voice still snaking as he spoke. The train shook again, and the four looked at each other in the dark compartment, the mood growing more worrisome with each passing second. Ron's hand rested against the compartment window, and they watched as it froze over almost immediately. The air went cold too, and Harry breathed out, a cloud heat left his lips. The cart shook again, and a black figure stood in the aisle outside their compartment. Y/N and Harry watched as a long black hand motioned towards the door, and the door slid open easily. As the tall, hooded figure came into full view, Y/N's composure had completely left her body. Fright only existed in their compartment now. The figure made a dull, moaning sound, and Harry seemed to go limp. Harry was completely still, as he watched the figure take in every piece of him. Suddenly, the sleeping man's eyes opened, and he stood, taking out his wand. He pointed it at the figure, and a muted shrieking was heard as the figure disappeared. As Harry's eyes began to shut, he could swear he heard a familiar woman's voice shouting his name.