𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳 || 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘰 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘺 𝘹 𝘺/𝘯'•°

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑦

°~𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕~°

I didn't know how to explain it to him; I had no words at all. There are also some other students who are eyeing us for being this close and talking in a low tone, causing suspicion.

"Well, Luminhood, you didn't think I didn't hear you?" The music in the room fades, and I spin to see a Dementor in front of Harry. He starts to raise his wand, then... freezes, transfixed. The Dementor looms closer and closer, when Lupin steps between and snaps his wand.

CRACK! -- the Dementor vanishes, and a roiling mist appears, which becomes clouds. Something glows within the clouds, white, silvery, and round...

"Riddikulus!" Professor Lupin raises his wand at him. POP! The orb deflates like a punctured balloon, whizzes crazily about the room, then darts back into the wardrobe. The door slams, and the class cheers. "What on earth are they cheering for? He could've gotten hurt," I talk to myself.

"Well done, everyone. I think that's enough excitement for today," the professor dismisses the class. As the students exit, chattering loudly, only Harry, subdued, remains behind. At the doorway, Lupin glances back, exchanges a private glance with him. As he exits, the wardrobe gives one last rattle.

"And you," I point a finger towards him and gaze in a threatening manner. "You shall not bother me again, and whatever happened yesterday is in the past," he gives me a good sneer look that never suits his expression at all. "Not until you stop being so rude and start respecting boundaries," I push him in anger, stomp my way out to Hermione. I take a deep breath and relax my mad face and approach her.

"Herm!"

"Y/N? Where were you? You were beside me, then you weren't the second I turned to see you."

"I got pushed away to the back. Sorry. Let's go to the library and search for answers, shall we?"

"Without Harry and Ron? Besides, it'll be time-consuming for just the two of us. They'll think we're avoiding them," she says. I sigh, feeling guilty that we're hiding things from them. "Alright, but don't mention anything related to the infirmary."

'°~✩☽︎~°'

The sun began to set after hours or researching, Hermione and I sat in the library with her head buried in a stack of books. She had been searching for hours, ever since Professor Lupin's class that morning, trying to find any information about her family's shapeshifting abilities.

But no matter how many books we flipped through or how many spells and curses we researched, I couldn't find anything that could help me understand my abilities.I put a book back aggressively on the other stack of books next to me. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"Why does my family heritage have to be so hard to find?" I muttered to myself, running a frustrated hand through my hair and playing with my necklace, the locket hanging from it, hoping I could find anything.

"So you're saying y/n's ability has been going nuts?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Why hasn't any of you said so?"

I folded my arms and leaned back behind the bookshelves, sitting across from her.

"There was too much going on, I couldn't speak about it, and Hermione noticed something was up, so she insisted that I speak up."

Ron Weasley let out a sigh. 'I don't know, but I'm starving. Can we take a break and eat?'

Hermione barely looked up from her books. 'No, we said we're gonna figure this out for y/n, and I haven't found a single clue."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You've been saying that for hours. I think a break would do you some good. Besides, you won't be able to focus if you're starving."

"I know you are trying to help me, and I'm more eager to find anything about my family history, but this won't do any good. You're a really brilliant person, but sometimes you need to step back."

Hermione stayed silent for a minute, tapping her finger on the edge of the book as she thought. 'Fine,' she finally conceded. "But just for a few minutes. Then I'll get back to it."

"I'll be the one to decide that. It's not the end of the world. Besides, maybe the answer isn't lying here in this library."

"Let's go take some rest and join the boys. We've been here for quite a long time now."

"I know we skipped something. Maybe we should look again," she insisted.

"Hermione, I am more eager than you are right now, but we won't focus like this unless we fully recharge ourselves. You're really a brilliant person, Hermione. Just remember to step back a little," she sighed deeply.

"I need a break from all this research," Hermione replied, closing her book and stretching her arms.

Harry nodded in understanding. 'Yeah, it's been a long day. Maybe we could all take a break and go for a walk outside?'

I really wish we could've found something, but like I said, maybe the answer doesn't lie in any of the books here in the library at all. It's twice the frustration I feel right now.

Harry placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Y/N, you've been at this for hours. You need to rest and recharge. We can't do anything if we're exhausted."

I sighed deeply, knowing that Harry and Ron were right. I couldn't keep pushing myself like this. "Let's go take some fresh air."

"And then you broke your bed?" Ron exclaimed.

"Sadly, yes. Luckily, Hermione fixed it with her wand," I gave her a surprise hug from behind. "What would I do without her?" she chuckled.

As I walked outside, surrounded by the vibrant colors of fall, my mind kept going back to my family. It was one that held the truth of what's going on with my Shapeshifting side. Yet, I couldn't seem to find an answer that felt right. In that moment, I realized that sometimes there are no right or wrong answers, just different paths to take.

As much as I craved a definite answer, I also knew that I couldn't keep searching for it forever. I had to make a decision and live with the consequences. Harry seems alright after boggart turning into Dementor but I still feel that it gave him a good scare. I step back slowly to pace with Harry and hold his hand.

"You okay Harry? I was quite worried for you back there."

"It's alright, it was a boggart, wasn't a real one."

"Real one or not, you're my best friend and I care about every little thing you go through. Just know that whatever it is, anything at all, I am here to face things with you." I squeeze his hand tight to give him a sense of comfort and safety. Harry was the first friend I ever made.

I put a hand to my chest to sense my parents' presence through the locket, and I froze in my place. I tried to search for my necklace over my shirt, and I think I lost it.

"What's wrong?" Harry noticed I had stopped walking.

"My necklace...the locket I have my parents in, it's gone." The last time I saw it in my hand was in the library.

"WE'LL MEET YOU IN THE COURTYARD," Harry yells to me. But I already left the others standing and headed to the library as soon as possible.

° ☾︎☆ °

°~||𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐸𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒 || ~°