QUIET ,, fred w.

xi.

hermione and harry must've been rooted into the ground, she thought, because when the wolfish-being lunged, they stood still. fortunately for them, the wolf jumped above them. it was almost as if it was aiming for ron.

y/n stumbled back. shit, it was aiming for ron. it bucked its head at ron. the boy fell back weakly and the wolf used the opening to go for his leg. it dragged the boy. ron grasped helplessly at the ground with his free hand, crying out. "harry!" he squealed as if he were scabbers, the grass burning beneath his skin.

the girl took after him, hermione and ron trailing after her. "we're coming ron!"

"harry!" he cried again, the dirt building beneath his fingernails.

"ron!" harry shouted, catching up to y/n.

the ginger cried out again, traces of snot against his upper lip. "harry, help!" he whimpered. harry lunged forward, falling against the ground in an attempt to save his friend. the wolf disappeared beneath the roots of the tree, and ron was gone soon after, falling into a small hole.

y/n shook her head. "I'm going." that was all she left hermione and harry with as she threw herself into the hole after ron.

"wait, y/n," harry panted, scrambling to his feet to follow after her. the whomping willow did not allow them to move forward, its branch swinging around to gut the both of them. the branch sent them flying back.

y/n topped over herself, skidding against the concrete floor. or whatever it was. it was cold and looked more like a cave inside. she stood, using the cavern walls as a stable balancer. she could hear hermione and harry screaming outside. she hoped they were alright. somewhere down the hall, ron screamed too. she hoped he was okay. y/n fiddled with the pockets of her pants. her fingers brushed against the wooden surface and she grasped at it, pulling out her wand.

"lumos," she whispered. the hallway alit with a wash of white. she squinted, adjusting to the level of light now filling the room. multiple steps stretched out in front of her, going on for a time before turning a corner. y/n took a deep breath and traversed forth.

after reaching the corner, the light sheds itself onto a short wooden ladder, stretching up into another room. y/n does not hesitate to climb up, biting down on her wand to use both hands to hoist herself up.

the room is dark too. from as far as the light reaches, y/n can make out another staircase and a few chairs. the room is adorned with speckles of dust. maybe not adorned. more littered. she took the wand from her mouth, clutching it in her palm as she helped herself to her feet. there's more to the room. dust has been scattered aside by paw prints and what must have been ron's legs. her footprints imprint the dust as well. good, then. hermione and harry can follow after her.

there's a bit of shouting, but by the time y/n made it up the stairs, it was gone. the only open room is where she found ron, slumped over his rat on another dusty chair. "nox," she sighed, falling to his side. the boy whimpered incoherently as y/n wrapped her arms around him. "I'm here, you're okay."

the girl repeated the phrase until harry and hermione stepped into the room as well, frantically calling ron's name.

"ron,y/n, you're okay!" hermione gushed. harry ambled up to ron.

"the dog- where is it?" he questioned. his eyes flickered over y/n's, and she swore there was a glint of anger in them. again, pointed at her.

ron shook his head, eyes wide, and pointed behind them. "it's a trap, harry! he's the dog!" he protested, "he's the animagus!"

harry and hermione frowned, turning to look at where ron was pointing. y/n peered past harry. she had not looked yet either.

there, in shabby old clothing, was sirius black. y/n's heart shuddered, tremoring and skipping over itself. she grabbed at the sheets as terror seeped into her. her fingers trembled, reflecting the shake her body made as she tried to grasp at what was going on. there he was. he was that wolf—the dog—and the very thing she was so afraid of. she could feel the panic overwhelming her, but she had been drowning for too long. it was too late to yell for help.