In The Wake Of Crows And Snakes

Chapter 1: The Quidditch World Cup

A cold chill crept across her skin as the wind whistled, tugging at her dark hair. As she reached to tuck loose strands behind her ear, she exhaled and watched a cloud of her breath drift into the air. Goosebumps prickled her skin as she shivered. Enveloped in darkness, her heartbeat quickened, and her breaths came in ragged bursts. A voice seemed to whisper vile things on the wind, and panic surged within her. She tried to run but felt rooted in place, the sinister surroundings closing in on her. She tensed, shaking and whimpering softly, the horrid surroundings felt like they were about to swallow her when suddenly a crow appeared. It flew toward her, its wings glowing with a comforting light, and landed near her feet, illuminating a small space in the darkness. She steadied her breath, calming instantly in the presence of the black, radiant bird. Kneeling, she reached out to touch her winged friend. The crow met her gaze with eyes full of softness and humanity. As she reached for her winged friend, the bird let out a loud "Caw!" before her fingers could brush its feathers and just like that, the dream shattered.

Her eyes flew open to find Hermione sitting upright on their shared mattress on the floor, gently shaking her hand. "Y/n, you had a nightmare, I think." Hermione's hair was still messy from the night's sleep. "I swear, between you and Harry..." she continued, eyes widening in realisation. A smile spread across her face. "It's today! Quick, we must get dressed and wake the boys! I'd bet my wand they're still sleeping." She chuckled and let go of Y/n's hand.

Y/n rose from the bed and walked to her bag on the other side of Hermione's immaculately tidy room, except for the mattress and blankets on the floor. She opened her bag and grabbed her wand, waving it at the bed. Instantly, everything folded and magically put itself away.

"Thanks," Hermione said, finishing up getting dressed and pulling her hair back to tie it.

"Of course," Y/n replied, now dressing herself. "Thanks for letting me stay the night. It's much easier to get to the Burrow with Floo powder than the Knight Bus," she said, pulling on blue denim jeans and buttoning them up.

Hermione smiled warmly. "I had a great time last night. It's nice to have someone who shares my muggle interests and wants to sleepover. Harry and Ron don't see the appeal and the whole male-female friendship thing... I don't want it to be weird, you know?" She beamed. "I'm glad to have you as a friend, Y/n. It's just...nice having someone who's a bit Muggle too."

Y/n appreciated Hermione's sentiment, knowing how being purely Muggle-born sometimes weighed on her friend. As a half-blood, Y/n didn't care about blood status at all, in fact, she found the whole thing ridiculous. She thought that Hermione was one of the best witches she knew regardless. She was grateful for her Muggle-born mother, seeing the benefits of understanding both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds.

"I like hanging out with you too, Hermione. Mum loves you! She thinks you make the best coffee," Y/n chuckled.

Hermione laughed. "That's because other than you, her, and me, none of our friends know what coffee is!" she said sarcastically, with a giggle and a playful squint.

"Still!" Y/n retorted, pulling on her boots and tying up the top half of her dark, thick hair. Hermione approached to finish tying Y/n's hair and helped her pull on her jacket.

"There, perfect," Hermione said, beaming as she double-checked Y/n's hair. "Now, grab your things, and we'll head downstairs. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are waiting! This is so exciting!" She squealed, bounding out of her room and into the living room, Y/n following and both smiling.