Puppet Strings (Hogwarts x Reader)

Chapter 3

Y/n was helping herself to some bacon and toast when Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall the next day. As they passed, Draco did a mocking swooning impression. Y/n rolled her eyes. All morning he'd been telling the Slytherins about how Harry had fainted on the train.

"Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooo!"

"Shut up, Pansy," Y/n said, feeling her anger simmer. She doubted either Pansy or Draco had fared much better with the dementors.

Pansy continued to make fun.

Y/n pulled her wand out. "I'm warning you—"

She felt a hand slap her wand down. It clattered to the floor beneath her table.

"What the hell—?"

"Shut up," Malfoy muttered. Where had he come from? "Do you want to get expelled on your first day of classes?" At that moment Professor Snape walked by.

Y/n stared at Malfoy, incredulous.

"What?" he said defensively once Snape was out of earshot.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Help me."

"Because unlike your brother, you actually have potential."

Y/n rolled her eyes. "Is it impossible to have a conversation without you insulting Harry?" Before he could reply, Y/n stood and angrily stormed off.

She found herself heading towards the Gryffindor table. The reaction to her approach was mixed. Some of the Gryffindors looked scandalized, some cold, others curious.

"Harry?"

Harry turned. "Oh. Um, hi, Y/n."

"Can we talk?"

"Er—"

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absentmindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on the way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five gettin' everythin' ready... Hope it's okay... Me, a teacher... hones'ly..."

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.

Y/n turned back to Harry. "So—"

"We'd better go," Ron said, not hiding his eagerness to get away from the situation. "Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there."

Harry looked apologetic....sort of. "Sorry, Y/n. Talk later?"

"Sure," she muttered, annoyed.

Ron and Harry took off. Hermione hung back a moment.

"Listen," she said. "For what it's worth, I think those two are being idiots. It doesn't matter if you're in Slytherin. Well I mean, to them maybe it does, but it shouldn't. You're a wonderful witch and I know you're a great sister from everything Harry's told us."

Y/n smiled. "Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione nodded. "I've got to go. I've got Divination with those two and then Muggle Studies."

Y/n frowned. "But aren't those classes at the same time—?"

But Hermione was already walking away, following after Ron and Harry.