After The War : ** Shadows and Light ** :harrypotterxreader:

**Chapter 2: Patrol Partners**

Through trials faced, together strong,

In whispered spells, where you belong.

With every spell and laughter shared,

A bond of trust, a love declared.

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*"Together we stand, stronger than before; in every challenge, we find our core."*

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The first night of patrol duty arrived more quickly than Harry had expected. Being named a prefect in his final year had come as a surprise, though he supposed it made sense. With so many students gone, either graduated or not returning after the war, they needed someone like Harry to step in and help restore order. But truthfully, Harry wasn't sure he wanted the responsibility. The weight of the past year still hung heavy on his shoulders, and some days he barely felt like he could keep himself together, let alone be responsible for younger students.

As he stood in the empty corridor, waiting for you to arrive, Harry found his thoughts wandering again. He tried to shake them off, telling himself that tonight would be about work, about making sure the castle was safe. But deep down, he knew there was another reason he felt so on edge about this patrol.

It wasn't just the responsibility. It was you.

"Hey, Potter."

Your voice pulled Harry out of his thoughts. He looked up to see you walking toward him, a small, easy smile on your face. The flickering torchlight cast soft shadows over your features, making you look both familiar and new in a way that caught Harry off guard. He quickly swallowed the strange, fluttering sensation in his chest and forced himself to nod.

"Ready for our first night of patrol?" you asked, coming to a stop beside him.

"Yeah," Harry said, though he wasn't entirely sure he was. "Should be easy. Most students are still settling back in."

"Fingers crossed," you replied, glancing down the darkened corridor. "But knowing Hogwarts, I wouldn't count on an uneventful night."

Harry chuckled, though there was a nervous edge to it. "Yeah, nothing's ever uneventful around here."

As you started walking together, Harry couldn't help but notice how comfortable it felt, having you by his side. There was an ease to your presence that soothed the tension he'd been carrying since the train ride. It surprised him how quickly the awkwardness from earlier in the day melted away as you talked, falling into an easy rhythm as you strolled through the empty halls.

You didn't talk about the war. Neither of you seemed ready for that. Instead, you kept the conversation light, asking about Harry's summer, how he was adjusting to being back at Hogwarts after everything. Harry found himself opening up more than he expected, telling you about how strange it felt returning to a place that had once been his refuge but now carried so many heavy memories. And you listened—really listened—nodding thoughtfully as he spoke.

"I get that," you said after a pause. "It's like... everything's the same, but we're different. Sometimes I walk down these halls and expect everything to just go back to the way it was. But it won't, will it?"

Harry glanced at you, surprised by the depth of your words. "No," he said quietly. "It won't."

For a moment, silence fell between you, the weight of your shared experiences lingering in the air. But it wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that comes when two people understand each other without needing to say much. And for the first time in a long while, Harry felt like someone understood him—really understood what he was going through.

As you turned a corner, the conversation shifted to lighter topics. You talked about Quidditch, about the upcoming matches and how excited you were to get back on your broom. Harry found himself laughing at your enthusiasm, his mood lifting with each step. The castle, with its looming shadows and endless corridors, felt a little less overwhelming with you beside him.

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After a while, the two of you reached the Astronomy Tower, one of the last stops on your patrol route. The view from up there was breathtaking—Hogwarts spread out below like a map, the moon casting a silver glow over the grounds. You leaned against the stone railing, gazing out at the scene, and Harry found himself watching you instead of the view.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" you said softly, your eyes reflecting the moonlight.

Harry nodded, though he wasn't sure if he was talking about the view or you. There was something about this moment—the quiet, the stillness of the night, the way you looked so at peace—that made Harry's heart race in a way that had nothing to do with the cold wind blowing through the tower.

He quickly looked away, embarrassed by the sudden rush of feelings. What was wrong with him? You were his friend—his patrol partner, for Merlin's sake. He couldn't go around having... thoughts like that. Especially not now, when everything in his life was still so uncertain.

But then your hand brushed against his, just a light touch, so brief it might have been an accident. Harry's breath caught in his throat. He glanced at you, but you were still gazing out at the grounds, seemingly unaware of the effect you were having on him. For a moment, he wondered if he'd imagined it. Maybe he was just reading too much into things.

But then you looked at him, your expression soft, and for a brief, heart-stopping moment, Harry thought you might be feeling the same thing he was.

"You okay, Potter?" you asked, your voice teasing, but with a hint of something deeper.

Harry cleared his throat, desperately trying to push down the feelings swirling inside him. "Yeah. Fine."

But he wasn't fine. He hadn't been fine since the moment he realized how much he cared about you.

The walk back to the common room was quieter, the conversation softer, but the tension between you had shifted. There was something there now, something Harry couldn't quite name, but it was growing stronger with every passing minute. As you said goodnight and headed up to your dormitory, Harry stood in the empty common room for a moment, staring at the place where you had just been.

He was in trouble.

Big trouble.

Because it wasn't just a crush. It was more than that. And he wasn't sure how much longer he could pretend otherwise.

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