A Young Wizard's Journey - Prisoner of Azkaban

Tensions rising

'And they apparently decided that was a perfectly reasonable thing to not tell him?'

'Y/N, you know they were just trying to protect him!'

'And what? Now we need to deal with a Harry who wants to charge down every door looking for Black because he's found out what he did?'

Y/N and Hermione were stood in the Hogwarts grounds. They had just returned from Hogsmeade. Harry had slipped back into the Honeydukes cellar and Ron had almost sprinted ahead to get away from the duo. Y/N was pacing back and forth. He wasn't angry at Hermione. Far from it, he just needed to vent.

'The most we can do now is be there for him,' she said reassuringly, placing a hand on his shoulder so Y/N's pacing slowed.

'Sorry...' said Y/N with a sigh, turning his eyes towards the Forbidden Forest. 'Just always seems like things happen to us because our 'elders' decide it's not an important enough detail until the wrong moment. Hagrid's involvement with the Chamber, Quirrell almost getting the stone, and now this. I get they don't owe us anything, but the lack of forthcoming information keeps almost getting us killed.'

'Believe me, I know,' Hermione's voice was so soft, so shaky, that Y/N turned to look at her. The frustration he felt at the teachers fading away. 'I've almost lost you two years in a row now. And we've only been here for two years. First to Quirrell and then the Basilisk. If Dumbledore and Fawkes hadn't-'

Hermione paused. Took a deep breath and then pushed on.

'-I know how you feel. Because I feel it too. But getting frustrated at the teachers won't help us. We need to just get on with things and stay out of it. Black is leagues above us and should be left to the teachers.'

'So were Riddle and Quirrell and that was still left to us...' muttered Y/N.

'And this time. I'm asking you. Help me stop them from rushing into things. I don't want us to end another year in some stupid battle with something we don't need to fight.'

'Something tells me that's not going to be our choice. But I promise I'll do my best, 'Mione.'

Hermione stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Y/N and he returned the gesture, his chin resting on top of her head. It was wonderful to see how far they'd come. This time last year, he'd been wondering whether she even liked him, despite how obvious she'd made everything. And now here he was. Here they were.

Silently, Hermione detached herself from him and held out her hand. Y/N took it and together, the two of them made their way inside.

Y/N spent dinner that night just trying to engage Harry in conversation with anything he could think of, occasionally eliciting a couple of minutes worth of back and forth before he fell silent once again. It didn't help that Ron and Hermione were both being completely silent, both merely throwing Harry furtive glances. Eventually, they all made their way back up the common room where they found that the twins had set off fireworks in a fit of Christmas celebrations. Harry used this small distraction to slip away and Ron moved over to a table by the window alone.

Y/N and Hermione instead slid over to the other side of the common room and dropped in alongside Ginny, who happily closed her book as the two arrived. Y/N dropped the bag of sweets down in front of her and Ginny's eyes narrowed at once.

'Get used to it,' he said as he sank into the seat across from her, Hermione sitting down on his left, 'Because I'm not going to stop.'

Ginny unwrapped the bag and took out one of the sweets before pushing it central so they all shared. She didn't look impressed, but didn't argue.

'So how was the trip?' she asked, looking at their faces. 'Something tells me it didn't go well.'

'It's...' Y/N froze. He wasn't sure how much he should tell Ginny. This was Harry's business, but technically he shouldn't have heard it either.