Ancient Echoes - Harry Potter Male Reader Insert

Chapter 19 - The Reckoning

The study hall was filled with the hum of quiet chatter and the rustling of pages. The time there would have been more peaceful if people had not been stupid. During this period, people were wary of Harry as if he was the plague and Y/n was getting annoyed by the second.

Y/n noticed that whenever Harry glanced over his shoulder, the students who had been staring quickly looked away. Y/n's gaze landed on Ginny, who was absorbed in a black book, her face partially hidden behind its cover however he gave it a brief glance and paid no mind to it.

After a bit, Harry stood up, seemingly bubbling under pressure due to the atmosphere.

"See you back in the common room," Harry said, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling in his stomach.

The moment Harry left the study hall, the atmosphere shifted. Ernie Macmillan leaned closer to his friend, Hannah Abbott, and began to speak in hushed tones.

"So anyway, I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory," Ernie said, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "If Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best he keeps a low profile for a while."

"But why would he want to attack Justin?" Hannah asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Ernie shrugged, a look of grim seriousness on his face. "Well, Justin let it slip to Potter that he's Muggle-born."

Hannah's eyes widened. "And you definitely think Potter's the Heir of Slytherin?"

Ernie nodded firmly. "Hannah, he's a Parselmouth. That's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."

"But Harry always seemed so nice," Hannah protested. "And he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear."

Ernie's expression darkened. "That's probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him."

Harry, having heard enough of the baseless accusations and fearful whispers, slipped away from the doorway. His mind churned with frustration and confusion as he walked down the corridor. Just as he was about to turn a corner, he caught the sound of a familiar voice cutting through the murmur of students.

"You guys have to be the dumbest bunch I've ever bothered listening to," Y/n said out loud, his annoyance reaching new levels.

Harry paused, a glimmer of relief washing over him. Y/n's voice, though filled with irritation, was a welcome change from the paranoid chatter he had just overheard. He turned back, peeking around the corner to watch Y/n confront the group.

Ernie and Hannah turned to face him, their expressions a mix of surprise and indignation. "What do you mean?" Ernie challenged.

"What do I mean?" Y/n crossed his arms, glaring at Ernie.

"I mean you're jumping to ridiculous conclusions based on ignorance and fear. Harry's a Parselmouth, so what? Do you think that automatically makes him the Heir of Slytherin? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Y/n scoffed

"But Parseltongue is the mark of a Dark wizard," Ernie insisted, his voice wavering slightly.

"Oh, give me a break," Y/n snapped. "You honestly believe that only Dark wizards can speak to snakes? Do you even know how many languages and dialects exist in the wizarding world? Parseltongue isn't confined to this school, or even this country. There are plenty of wizards around the world who can speak it, and they're not all evil. Such narrow minds"

Hannah tried to interject, "But Slytherin—"

"Enough with the Slytherin nonsense," Y/n cut her off, his voice rising. "Just when I thought you were starting to defend Harry, you come back to this foolishness." He sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.