𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

YR 3 ☆•°~'* 05

AN - Do leave comments and votes, they are highly appreciated! Enjoy reading!

❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺

Over the next few weeks at Hogwarts, Y/N had taken to avoiding everyone and distancing herself from her friends.

Potions class had become unbearable. Professor Snape, who had not only heard about being dressed in Neville's grandmother's clothes on their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, which didn't uplift his spirits, he had started marking Y/N's work so poorly that she had simply stopped handing anything in. This, of course, earned her three detentions so far.

The only class she was enjoying these days was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin always had an interesting subject to present, and Y/N greatly enjoyed his style of teaching.

At the start of October, Harry's Quidditch practices had begun. She was seeing him much less after classes. Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain, was holding training sessions almost every evening. Ron, too, wasn't to be seen hanging around in the common room much, he preferred watching Harry train than sitting around in silence with Y/N and Hermione, who was taking so many classes and had so much homework she looked like she would break any day now.

All in all, Y/N was not enjoying this start of the year. Apart from her birthday and Hermione's, it was not a good start of term. Whispers still followed her around the castle, with younger students running off in the opposite direction whenever they spotted her walking down a corridor, as though terrified she might lash out and set them on fire. She was getting so sick of this that she had started taking refuge in Professor Lupin's classroom whenever she could, pretending to need help with homework, but really only enjoying his calm and comforting nature, as well as the occasional Chocolate Frog he offered her. 

One evening, Y/N returned to the Gryffindor common room to loud chatter and excitement. She approached the notice board and read the large notice stamped on it.

'First Hogsmeade weekend,' said a familiar voice behind Y/N. She looked around and it was Ron speaking to Harry, who was sweaty and muddy from Quidditch practice.

'Halloween,' read Harry, his voice unenthusiastic.

'Excellent,' said Fred, who had followed Harry through the portrait hole. 'I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets.'

Y/N walked over to her favourite spot near the fireplace, avoiding Harry's gaze, and sat down on a squashy armchair. As soon as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down nearby, pulling out their Astronomy charts, Y/N got up to leave, pretending she had forgotten something.

'When are you going to stop avoiding us, Y/N?' called Harry suddenly, putting down his chart.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face them.

'I- am not avoiding anyone,' she replied, careful to not make eye contact with any of them.

'Really? Because you've barely spoken two sentences to us since the first DADA lesson,' observed Ron, who was still completing his Astronomy charts.

'It's you lot who won't speak to me,' retorted Y/N, now admiring the painting above the fireplace.

'Oh, come on, Y/N,' said Hermione, looking up from her Astronomy chart. 'We miss you.'

'Yeah, we do,' agreed Harry.

Y/N's stomach churned and she looked at him. They stared at each other for a moment, then Y/N made her way back to the armchair she was sitting on and flung herself on it.