The Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter Male Reader Insert

21: The Yule Ball

High above the trees of the Forbidden Forest, and with the grace of royalty, a strong, powerful leopard leapt across the trees, free from the restrictions of human limitation.

Y/N had a lot on his mind. The Christmas holidays had not been as enjoyable as one would like to believe. Harry was still in a coma, Ron still had not been forgiven, and Hermione and Y/N were acting very slightly awkward around each other.

Their conversation in the common room that day hadn't hindered their friendship at all, and Hermione had of course profusely apologised for laying her words with such spite, and just like that, things between Y/N and Hermione were back to normal again.

All in all, it had been a pretty uneventful holiday, and even his fifteenth birthday was nothing special. He had received presents from his siblings, Ron and Hermione, but other than that, nothing changed.

Due to all the uneventful and boring afternoons he would spend alone in the common room, he would find the sleeping big cat inside of him craving to stretch its limbs on multiple occasions. And finally, unable to find anything else to satiate his boredom, he took a risk, and began to explore the Forbidden Forest in the form of a leopard.

This quickly turned into a habit, and Y/N soon came to find great joy in climbing the vast tree trucks and high branches of the forest. He felt right at home there, in the habitat of his Animagus.

The monsters, centaurs, unicorns, and others were no longer a threat to him while he was in animal form. Most of them accepted him as a fellow beast of the forest, not a human of the great castle that lay beyond.

Y/N had received a response from Sirius during the holidays, and the letter included a rather vast selection of creative curse words. However, the dog animagus had begrudgingly accepted Y/N's request to stay out of sight, which was a relief, as Y/N half expected Sirius to barge through the castle doors and demand to see his godson.

It was currently Christmas morning, and most of the students were still asleep. The leopard in the forest was lying lazily atop a thick branch, basking in the faint morning sunlight, his thick fur coat protecting him from the chilly wind that would otherwise do more than slightly irritate a human.

It was peaceful in the forest. While here, the leopard did not need to trouble himself with the difficulties of his human life. He could simply sit here among his other animal brothers and sisters, as they lived the simple, uncomplicated lives of - well, animals.

He knew he'd have to return soon, however. It would only be a matter of time before his dorm mates would arise from their slumber, eager for the gifts of Christmas. But honestly, he really didn't want to leave his tree.

Lifting his large body and propping himself onto his paws, the leopard lept down from the thick branch, landing in the snow, and stretched his hind legs backwards, yawning, a deep growl rumbled from the depths of his throat as he did so.

Still quite begrudgingly, he plodded along the grass, and emerged from the secret opening into the field just beyond the trees. As soon as the guise of the forest was no longer masking him, he transformed, and Y/N L/N stood, gasping as the sudden slap of the cold morning air hit his vulnerable, unprotected skin.

Wrapping his full-sleeved top a little tighter around himself, he made his way back to the castle - vanishing his footprints with his wand - through the wide oak doors and past the Great Hall.

As he approached the staircase, he doubled back, deciding to quickly visit Harry before the others woke up.

Harry, as Y/N saw a few moments later as he entered the hospital wing, was still the same as ever. Lying on his hospital bed, in the same position as the last time Y/N had paid him a visit. The only difference was that he now had a small pile of Christmas presents at the foot of his bed.