Flames Of Destiny : Conflicting Emotions // HJP [2]

Chapter Two : H-Hi?

Hermione paced the room, biting her fingernails anxiously. Ron, on the other hand, sat at (Y/n)'s desk, his head resting on his arms. (Y/n) lay sprawled on her worn-out carpet, staring up at the ceiling. The hands of the old clock ticked slowly, marking the heavy silence between them. All three were lost in thought, unsure of how to help since learning about Harry's attack by Dementors.

Of course, Harry had defended himself. He was known for his bravery, casting a Patronus and emerging unscathed. But he had performed magic in front of his cousin, a Muggle. Worse, he was underage, and performing magic in front of a Muggle-especially as an underage wizard-was a serious offence. They'd heard from Tonks and Mr Weasley that Harry was facing expulsion from Hogwarts, and Dumbledore had been furious, angrier than (Y/n) had ever seen him, especially with Mundungus for abandoning his secret guard duty. Dumbledore had managed to get Harry a hearing at the Ministry, but still, things weren't looking good. Harry had been painted as some delusional, attention-seeking brat-this wasn't going to end well.

"I just don't understand. Why would Dementors be in Little Whinging?" Hermione finally broke the silence, her pacing halting for a moment.

Ron lifted his head slowly.

"Maybe..." He hesitated, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Maybe he sent them after Harry."

Hermione whirled around, glaring at him. "He wants Harry dead, Ron. Why would he send Dementors to do it? He'd want to finish the job himself, not leave it to chance!"

"Maybe he's changed tactics," Ron muttered, barely audible. "Thinks Harry doesn't deserve a proper duel anymore-"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Hermione looked more anxious than ever. "Harry's going to be livid with us! First, he's been kept in the dark, no letters with useful information, and now he's attacked by Dementors and has to face a Ministry hearing! I bet he's sitting there, fuming, wondering why we didn't even send him a word, especially after what happened!"

(Y/n), still lying on the carpet, glanced at Hermione. "You know we're not allowed to send him anything right now. Even if Hedwig were here, we couldn't risk her flying back with a letter. You remember what Dumbledore said."

Hermione's face remained etched with worry, barely acknowledging (Y/n)'s words. "There must be some clause, something about underage wizards using magic in life-threatening situations. There has to be a loophole in the system somewhere..."

Her eyes suddenly lit up with a spark of hope.

"I'll check the library, see if I can find anything!"

Without waiting for a response, Hermione hurried out of the room, her mind clearly already on her new mission.

Ron let out a frustrated sigh, ruffling his hair. "Harry's got a birthmark on his bum, I swear. Attracts trouble like he's cursed."

(Y/n) couldn't help but think he had it all wrong. It wasn't bad luck. It was just the reality of being the protagonist-trouble would always find Harry, whether he liked it or not.

The next day, (Y/n) decided she needed a distraction from all the worries about Harry. Sure, bad things always happened to him-but he was the protagonist, and no matter how grim things got, he'd pull through in the end. With that thought, she continued knitting the strapless crop top for Ginny in her room. It was peaceful there, a welcome contrast to the likely chaos downstairs, where the adults were probably having one of their secret meetings about Harry and the latest disaster. Snape was there too, and when he'd seen her, Hermione, and Ron earlier, his disdain was palpable.

Ron had been fuming ever since, constantly pestering (Y/n) about Snape's presence. Whenever Hermione wasn't around, he vented his frustration, making snide remarks about Snape in front of (Y/n), who was barely paying attention. It was probably why he'd been hanging out in her room so much-Hermione was still scouring Sirius' library, looking for loopholes in the justice system. Not that (Y/n) thought there'd be anything useful in this old house. The Blacks didn't seem like a family who cared much about wizarding rights.