The Prisoner of Azkaban (Hermione Granger x Male Reader)

Mulling Things Over

Y/N, Ron and Hermione watched Harry nervously all through dinner, not daring to talk about what they'd overheard, because Percy was sitting close by them. When they went upstairs to the crowded common room, it was to find Fred and George had set off half a dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term high spirits. Y/N noticed Harry slink off up the stairs to their dormitory, set on giving him some time for himself, Y/N joined the madness that was the common room for a bit.

After some time had passed, Y/N made his way up to the dormitory, where Harry was laying, Y/N noticed Harry shift when the door opened, so he walked to his bed.

"Harry?" said Y/N, walking to the side of the bed Harry was facing. 

"I won't bother you, well, not more than I usually do, and I'll tell Ron and Hermione to give you space if that's what you truly want." 

Harry just shook his head. 

"All right," said Y/N, patting his shoulder.

~~~

Y/N had walked down from the dormitory early the next morning with Ron, both of them excited to dig in to all the candies they had purchased from Honeydukes.

It took the boys around twenty different candies, Hermione joining them with her homework, and countless games of wizard's chess and exploding snap before Harry got out of bed and walked out into the common room.

"Harry, you — you look terrible."

"Where is everyone?" said Harry.

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching Harry closely. "It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute."

Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug. 

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face.

"I'm fine," said Harry.

"Harry, listen," said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, "you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid."

"Like what?" said Harry.

"Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply.

"You won't, will you, Harry?" said Hermione.

"Because Black's not worth dying for," said Ron.

Harry looked between Ron and Hermione. 

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?" Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. "I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her —"

"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and — and serve him right!"

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others."

"So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to — to kill Black or something?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?"

"Malfoy knows," he said abruptly. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself... I'd want revenge."