𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 - Harry Potter x Fem!Reader¹

15.. PRONGS, MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, AND SILVERWING

Y/N's mind had gone blank with shock. The four of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling.

"Hagrid," Harry muttered. He made to turn back, but both Hermione and Ron seized his sleeves.

"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white. "He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him..."

Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven.

"How — could — they?" she choked. "How could they?"

Y/N's heart pounded in her chest, the blood rushing in her ears, and she felt the sudden, suffocating weight of the cloak on her shoulders. The eerie silence around them, broken only by Scabbers' frantic squeals and the distant echo of the axe, felt unbearable. Her vision blurred at the edges, and she could feel the ground beneath her feet beginning to tilt slightly, as though she was no longer entirely in control of where she stood.

"Y/N?" Harry's voice was quiet, but it felt far away.

She nodded, though it didn't feel like she was really in control of her own body anymore. The sound of the axe, the heavy weight of Hagrid's grief — she wished she could breathe deeper. Her body felt like it was swaying back and forth, but she wasn't sure if it was obvious.

"Hm?" she murmured, but the words felt hollow even to her own ears.

The tight grip of the Invisibility Cloak felt heavier now, suffocating even. But she didn't want to stand out.

In a desperate attempt to hold onto something, anything, she reached out. Her hand landed on Harry's wrist, the sudden pressure grounding her, almost holding her in place. It wasn't a grasp, more like a tentative plea, but it still felt like an anchor.

Her fingers curled around his wrist without thinking, the warmth of his skin offering a fleeting bit of comfort amidst the chaos swirling in her head. She knew she didn't want to draw attention to herself, and didn't want to seem like she was falling apart. But she needed something solid, something to stop the world from slipping away from her.

Y/N wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or not, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry's eyes flickering down at her hand on his wrist, then up to her face. He didn't say anything, just gave a small nod.

"Come on," whispered Ron, pulling on Y/N's arm, but she could barely find the strength to lift it in response.

They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute —"

"He won't — stay — put —"

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.

"What's the matter with him?"

But Y/N had just seen — slinking toward them, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness —

"Uh — guys?"

Crookshanks. Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, Y/N couldn't tell.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"