Memories of the Heart || Harry Potter x Reader

Y7 ~ The Malfoy Manor

The riverbank stretched before them, bathed in the last frail glimmers of dusk, where the sky blazed a fading orange before surrendering to deep blue shadows. The cold ground was littered with damp, dead leaves and patches of stubborn frost that clung to the earth. With a loud crack, Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione tumbled out of thin air, crashing hard onto the muddy riverbank, the force of their desperate Apparition from Lovegood's house leaving them breathless and disoriented.

The forest around them loomed, black and watchful, the trees like skeletal sentinels against the dying light. A chill wind stirred the branches overhead, making them creak and shudder as if the very woods were holding their breath.

Ron hit the ground hard, coughing and spitting out a mouthful of dirt. He staggered upright, his hair wild and his clothes torn from the rough travel. His face twisted in rage, and without a word, he stormed toward the river, his boots sinking into the mud with every furious step.

The river, once a raging current, now only whispered across smooth stones, a feeble trickle beneath the gnarled roots of the bank. Ron paced its edge like a trapped animal, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, his breath coming in harsh, angry bursts.

"That treacherous old bleeder!" Ron roared, his voice raw. He kicked a rock into the sluggish stream, sending up a small, pitiful splash. "Is there no one we can trust anymore?"

Y/N stumbled after him, her heart still hammering from the flight. Her fingers, trembling slightly, reached for his arm, her touch feather-light yet grounding. Ron flinched at first, but didn't pull away.

"Ron," she said softly, her voice frayed with exhaustion and sorrow. She glanced up at him, her eyes shimmering in the faint light, wide with a sadness that weighed heavy in her chest. "He didn't want to betray us... they have Luna. He was desperate... and he knew it would destroy her if she ever found out."

Her words cracked on the last syllable, a reflection of the guilt gnawing at her insides.

Ron's jaw worked furiously as he fought to swallow his anger, his eyes glittering with betrayal. For a moment, the only sound between them was the sluggish murmuring of the river.

Without answering, he spat bitterly into the dirt, his shoulders rigid with frustration. He pulled out his wand in a jerky motion, the wood trembling slightly in his grasp.

"I'll do the enchantments," he muttered, voice hoarse and distant, before stalking away from the group, the tip of his wand sparking dimly in the growing gloom.

Y/N lingered where he left her, hugging her arms to her chest. The cold gnawed at her through her torn sleeves, but she hardly noticed, her mind thick with fear and helplessness. Slowly, she wandered a few steps toward the tree line, scuffing her boots in the damp earth, her gaze distant and unfocused. Y/N wandered from the group, absently dusting off her clothes as she walked, her feet shuffling aimlessly over the damp, leaf-strewn ground. Her thoughts were scattered, weighed down by guilt and exhaustion.

Hermione, sensing something off, glanced around uneasily. Her fingers reached for Harry's arm, gripping it tightly before he could continue walking in Y/N's direction. "Harry..." she whispered, her voice filled with quiet alarm. She pointed into the trees, where shadows seemed to ripple unnaturally. "Look."

They weren't alone.

Harry and Ron followed her gaze. High above, hidden within the branches, figures clung to the trees like grotesque extensions of the forest itself. Snatchers.

Before any of them could react, a voice, low and taunting, slithered through the air.

"Hello, beautiful."