The next few days were stressful to say the least, even for a guy like Y/N. Colin Creevey and Ronnie Langford were busy chasing him and Harry all around Hogwarts.

Y/N even considering hiding from them at one point but shrugged it off as being over dramatic, oh boy how he was wrong. Same deal with Lockhart except Y/N was trying his hardest not to snarl and make witty remarks to the older man when ever possible.

The two boys, Y/N and Harry, were going to the Quidditch field for some much needed practise.

It seemed Colin and Ronnie managed to memorise Harry and Y/N's schedule too. Nothing seemed to give them a bigger thrill than to say, "All right, Harry?" or "Hiya Y/N" six or seven times a day and hear, "Hello, Colin," and "Hi Ronnie" to which confused the two, and however exasperated Y/N and Harry sounded when they said it.

Among other things, Ron's wand was still malfunctioning, surpassing itself on Friday morning by shooting out of Ron's hand in Charms and hitting tiny old Professor Flitwick squarely between the eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck. So with one thing and another, Y/N was quite glad to reach the weekend. He, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were planning to visit Hagrid on Saturday morning. Y/N, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than they would have liked by Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Somebody better be dying." Y/N said groggily as he rubbed his eyes of sleep.

"Quidditch practice!" said Wood. "Come on!"

Y/N squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink and gold sky. Now that he was awake, he couldn't understand how he could have slept through the racket the birds were making.

"Oliver, don't take this personally but, what the hell!" Y/N hissed at his captain, not liking the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn.

"You're not the only one up, Harry's here too." he said as he gestured to the boy just a few meters behind him, who looked half asleep.

Wood was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, grab your broom, and let's go," said Wood heartily.

"None of the other teams have started training yet."

'Geez, I wonder why? Oh that's right! Because they're not that fucking dense.'

Oliver continued. "We're going to be first off the mark this year."

It's also fair to point out that, over the summer Y/N had decided to buy himself a Nimbus 2000 since he might as well, plus there was only much he could do with an old school one and if he needed practise it would help out a lot, having his own broom.

Y/N got out of his bed, shivering from sudden temperature drop as he left the warmth and safety his room, changing into his Quidditch robes and grabbing his own broom.

The two boys managed to get to the Quidditch field mostly intact, well besides Colin Creevey who was brandishing a photo from the days before, of Harry, Y/N and Lockhart, his arms draped around their shoulders and looking horribly uncomfortable.

On another note, Ronnie had been organising a music club for the first years which the headmaster found acceptable along as it didn't distract them from their lessons, much to
Y/N's strong disagreement. The boy was practically stalking him in the corridors as much as Colin. Playing around with little banjo guitar in his hands and pestering Y/N about the different keys, solos etc. Usually Y/N was compassionate and considerate but today he wasn't having any of it.

"Can you show me your guitar?"

"Is it made of Phoenix feathers?"

"How's it being a Chaser?-"

Y/N couldn't even hear his own thoughts, it was that exhausting. He sighed heavily and turned to face Ronnie who was wearing a bright smile. "Look, Ronnie. I'm no one special, I'm just a boy who happens to be good at music and managed to make the Quidditch team. So if you don't mind, can you maybe tone it down a bit. Please?" Y/N desperately tried to stop the younger boy, he ended up quieting down, but not five minutes later he started again to which Y/N groaned in annoyance as did Harry.

The two arrived at the changing rooms, the first year boys travelling close behind. "Right well this where you leave us. We have Quidditch practise." Y/N explained to the two who looked ready to burst with more questions.

"Well just one more question-" Ronnie pipped up but Y/N quickly shut him down.

He sighed heavily in annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Ronnie, you know when you get that really annoying kid in class that just keeps bothering you everywhere you go and all you want is for them to leave you alone?" He asked the younger boy to which he nodded.

"Oh yeah, you get them all the time, I had one when I was in primary school, so annoying" he rambled on, Y/N merely blinked, the kid obviously not getting what he meant.

"Ronnie, I'm gonna say this in the nicest way possible... Piss off." to which the younger boy mouth gaped opened and reluctantly nodded, leaving them behind.

"Cya Harry" Colin pipped up, nervousness in his voice as he left with the other boy.

"Bit harsh don't you think?" Harry questioned his friend.

"They're annoying, and its giving me a headache" Y/N complained as he rubbed his forehead. They entered into the changing room to see the others already there.

Wood was the only person who looked truly awake. Fred and George Weasley were sitting, puffy eyed and tousle haired, next to fourth year, Y/N seemed to be nodding off again as he walked in. His fellow Chasers, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, were yawning side by side opposite them.

"There you are both, what kept you?" said Wood briskly. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference..."

Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different coloured inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics.

The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one.

"So," said Wood, at long last "Is that clear? Any questions?"

"Yeah when do we actually get to the practise part?" Y/N said to which the Weasley twins snickered.

"I've got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"

Y/N gave the older student a high-five. "Finally, some important questions for a change."

Wood wasn't pleased.

"Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Quidditch cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately—owing to circumstances beyond our control—"

Y/N watched Harry shift guiltily in his seat. Harry had had been unconscious in the hospital wing for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Gryffindor had been one players short and had suffered their worst defeat in three hundred years.

Wood took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him.

"So this year, we train harder than ever before... Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff legged and still yawning, his team followed.

They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Y/N walked onto the field, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting in the stands.

"Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously.

"Haven't even started," Y/N said, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade Ron and Hermione had brought out of the Great Hall. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."

Harry and Y/N mounted their broomsticks and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. After ten minutes of practising they called a break. So Y/N took off and flew up to the stands where his two friends remained. While Harry stayed back to discuss strategy with Wood.

Y/N stood next to Hermione as she was currently devouring a slice of jam and toast in front of her, to which Y/N was staring at hungrily. He looked over at Ron, who had surprisingly not touched his toast as he watching the game.

"Hey Ron?" Y/N called out to him.

"Yeah?" He replied taking his eyes off the game and toward Y/N.

"I'll do all your homework for a week if you give me that slice of toast." he persuaded Ron as his stomach growled.

Ron immediately agreed and handed him over the toast and jam which Y/N ate almost instantly, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and giggle.

Suddenly they heard a clicking noise coming from their right, it was Colin Creevey taking pictures of Harry and a couple at Y/N who had a half slice of toast in his mouth, which he "persuaded" from Hermione. Ronnie was also  there across the stands trying to get Y/N's attention, calling him over as he played his own guitar, which wasn't good but not bad either.

"Who's that?" Ron asked to which Y/N ducked his head.

"You don't wanna know." Y/N groaned as he tried hide himself.

"It's Y/N's admirer." Hermione teased, causing the boy to glare at her.

"He's not"

"He is"

It went on for a couple of minutes until Y/N was called out to continue their game. He flew to his starting point and began practising with the other team. The game went on for a while until they noticed something, or rather someone.

Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Y/N, Fred, and George followed, Harry closely behind them.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

Angelina, and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors, leering to a man.

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape."

It read:

I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"

And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy.

Immediately Y/N bursted out into uncontrollable laughter as held his stomach, his eyes almost filled with tears with how much he was laughing. After a couple of minutes he calmed down as the Slytherin's were watching with disgust while Gryffindor's like Fred and George smirked.

"You— a- seeker" Y/N managed to choke out between laughs.

"Shut it L/N."Malfoy roared as he strode up passed Flint.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."

All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps"—he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives—"sweeps the board with them."

None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits.

"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion." Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Y/N. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. Causing Y/N to snicker.

"Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team." Malfoy said as he glared at Y/N who was barely holding it in, the fact that Malfoy managed to become a seeker was funny to him, alas he didn't get in with talent, he knew this. It was likely that his father bought him in.

Ron gaped, open mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."

This made Y/N grin, and laughed once more but what came next drooped every single emotion of happiness and laughter from his face, and replaced it with pure anger.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," Malfoy spat.

What came next was off for sure, everyone expected Y/N to go berserk, to roar as loud as a lion of Gryffindor itself but he didn't. His face vanished of laughter and turned to what could only be described as neutral or just plain emotionless. The words that soon left his lips were cold, sharp and filled with such anger but it was calm, which is what made it so much more terrifying.

"What did you call her?" Y/N asked, his tongue as sharp and cold as steel itself, it sent shivers down the many students around him, especially Malfoy who looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Y- you heard m- me" Malfoy barely muttered back his him.

"I. Said. What. Did. You. Call. Her?" Y/N said slowly, his voice oddly calm but louder this time, the boy advanced towards Malfoy 'til he was inches away from him.

"I - I said Mudbl-" and that was all it took, Y/N lunged forward and tackled Malfoy to the ground. Knocking over flint in the progress. He raised his right fist and hit him in the face, drawing shrieks from nearby people.

"Y/N no!" Hermione cried as the others tried to get him off of Malfoy.

Y/N punched him again and hard this time, Flint got up off the ground and charged at Y/N ready to knock him off but he did something unexpected, he dodged out of the way, leaving Malfoy alone and so he struck Flint too, who had tried getting him off Malfoy in face place.

There was something in Y/N's eyes, there were different but hardly anyone noticed, they were too busy trying to control Y/N. His eyes had turned to a deep dark amber colour just like before on the train.

It took Harry, Ron, Wood and the Weasley twins to keep him at bay while Slytherin's got Malfoy back up. Only for him to say something drastically. "S- sticking up f- for a Mudblood, pathetic." he snarled as he whimpered slightly, clutching his cheek where he had been stuck several times.

And once again Y/N tried to lunge at him but he couldn't, Wood had to join in and hold him back and then another. So Ron had let go and stared at Malfoy with a glare, he decided to teach him a lesson.

Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

Suddenly whatever anger Y/N had in him suddenly hid at the sound and sight of his friend being sent back. He calmed down immediately ran to his friend, as the other members let him go of course, along with Harry and Hermione.

"Ron! Ron, are you all right?" Y/N said frantically, his voice filled with worry and panic.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.

The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Well they were until Y/N rage of fire returned and gave them all the death glare to which they shut up.

The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Y/N, who nodded bravely, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms, Hermione following closely by.

"What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Colin and Ronnie had run down from their seat and was now dancing alongside them as they left the field. Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs dribbled down his front.

"Oooh," said Colin, fascinated and raising his camera. "Can you hold him still, Y/N?"

"Get out of the way, Colin!" Y/N roared angrily, he didn't have time to deal with them, he was more worried about saving Ron.

"Nearly there, Ron," Y/N said as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view.

"You'll be all right in a minute—almost there—" Hermione comforted Ron.

They kept walking and Hermione peered at
Y/N a few times and he noticed, he sighed and asked her. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't have to do that you know, Y/N." she argued.

"Yeah I did." Y/N shrugged, and he would do it again. Screw Malfoy.

They were within twenty feet of Hagrid's house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out.

"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. Y/N helped him straight away and Hermione followed, somewhat reluctantly.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one—I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good bye!" And he strode away toward the castle.

This caused Y/N to make fake gagging noises to what Lockhart said which actually made Ron throw up more slugs.

They waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. They knocked urgently.

Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.

"Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me—come in, come in—thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again—"

Y/N and Harry supported Ron over the threshold into the oneroomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair.

"Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. "Get 'em all up, Ron."

"I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand—"

Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Harry.

"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, scratching Fang's ears.

"Givin' me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well," growled Hagrid, moving a half plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don' know. An' bangin' on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

It was most unlike Hagrid to criticize a Hogwarts' teacher, and Y/N looked at him in surprise, a new found respect for the hairy giant. Hermione, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job—"

"Oh come off it, Hermione. I'm telling you the guy got no lick of sense, he's a liar, plain and simple." Y/N rolled his eyes at how naive she was being, it honestly infuriated him at how blinded she was, he wasn't mad at her but at Lockhart.

"He was the on'y man for the job," said Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle fudge, while Ron coughed squelchily into his basin.

"An' I mean the on'y one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," said Hagrid, jerking his head at Ron. "Who was he tryin' ter curse?"

"Malfoy called Hermione something—it must've been really bad, because Y/N went mental."

"He called her a Mudblood." Y/N clarified for them as he sat down in a chair next to Hermione, he felt sick to the core just by saying it.

Hagrid mouth gaped opened and gasped.
"He did not'?!?" he growled, just as disgusted as Y/N.

"What's a Mudblood?" Harry asked, puzzled as to what it meant.

Hermione got out of her seat and paced around the room. "It means dirty blood. Mudblood's are a really foul name for someone who is muggle-born, someone with none magic parents, someone like me." she explained sadly, tears threading to fall as Y/N rushed to her side, feeling his heart ache for the girl. He lightly rubbed in circles on her back, comforting her.

"It's not a term one usually hears in civilised conversation." she spoke sadly as Y/N decided to hug her, which she accepted and stiffed into his shoulder.

"See thing is Harry, there's some wizards like the Malfoy family who think they're better than anyon' else because they're what people call pure blood." Hagrid explained the the boy.

"That's horrible" Harry exclaimed with a gasp.

"No kidding." Y/N spat through his gritted teeth. Only for Ron to throw up another slug into the basin.

"And it's codswallop the 'lot, dirty blood. Why there isn't a wizard alive today that's not half-blood or less." He sighed and continued. "More to the point they've yet to think of a spell that our Hermione can't do" Hagrid said with a sad smile.

"Come 'ere" Hagrid said gently to Hermione and hugged her, Y/N sent a smile a way and she smiled back.

He let go of her and Hagrid turned to Ron
"Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."

"Yeah well the same can't be said for Y/N" Hermione said as she wiped away a few lose tears.

"Why what 'happened" Hagrid asked as he eyed the younger boy.

"I sorta went crazy, punched him a few times, punched Flint too." Y/N explained to the gameskeeper as the man just gasped and nodded but somehow the man had a look about him, like he had expected such to happen.

"Well yeh better make sure Lucius Malfoy doesn't go playin' 'ell then." Hagrid sighed as he filled his kettle up with another round of tea.

Y/N nodded, there sure would be complications.

Then Hagrid turned to Harry and Y/N.
"Gotta bone ter pick with yeh two. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"

Furious, Harry wrenched his teeth apart. And Y/N merely facepalmed in annoyance.

"We have not been giving out signed photos," he said hotly. "If Lockhart's still spreading that around—" But then he saw that Hagrid was laughing.

"I'm only jokin'," he said, patting Harry and
Y/N genially on the back and sending him face first into the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more both more famous than him without tryin'."

"Bet he didn't like that," Y/N said, sitting up and rubbing his chin.

"Don' think he did," said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle fudge, Ron?" he added as Ron reappeared.

"No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it."

Y/N then noticed something off in the corner in the room, it looked like a music set, and a very old record player.

"Hagrid what's that?" Y/N, pointing at record player.

"Ah that's me record 'player" he said grinningly. Y/N moved over and looked at the different records and strangely enough, there was one of his, the song he had done in Diagon Alley just months before.

"You listen to my music?" Y/N gaped opened, shocked.

"Aye, fella in Diagon Alley was selling 'em for free, thought why not, you know they're really bugging to meet you." Hagrid told him rather ecstatically. The others were shocked too by the sudden revelation.

Y/N nodded, he wasn't so sure about the whole thing he didn't want to go into music business at such a young age but still was interesting for him, he shrugged it off and decided he'd meet who ever was selling his music, even they were free, he couldn't have it going on without his permission.

After they were done Hagrid urged them outside. "Come an' see what I've bin growin'," said Hagrid as Harry and Hermione finished the last of their tea.

In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins they had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder.

"Gettin' on well, aren't they?" said Hagrid happily. "Fer the Halloween feast... should be big enough by then."

"What've you been feeding them?" said Harry.

Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone.

"Well, I've bin givin' them—you know—a bit o' help—"

Y/N noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella leaning against the back wall of the cabin. Harry had had reason to believe before now that this umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, he had the strong impression that Hagrid's old school wand was concealed inside it. Hagrid wasn't supposed to use magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, but Harry had never found out why—any mention of the matter and Hagrid would clear his throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed.

"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" Y/N said in amusement. "Well, you've done a good job on them."

"That's what yer little sister said," said Hagrid, nodding at Ron. "Met her jus' yesterday." Hagrid looked sideways at Harry, his beard twitching. "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." He winked at Harry. "If yeh ask me, she wouldn' say no ter a signed—"

"Oh, shut up," said Harry. Y/N laughed and Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs.

"Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins.

Soon after the the four left Hagrid's hit with a quick farewell, it wasn't until two minutes later that Y/N felt a stinging sensation in his right hand. He gasped in pain and stood frozen, stopping the three next to him.

"Y/N are you alright?" Hermione asked in concern.

He lifted his right hand up to see that it was badly bruised and had started to bleed slightly from his attack it did on Malfoy face, he hadn't even noticed. It was starting to swell too.

Hermione saw his hand straight away and rushed forward, cupping it in her own smaller hands, gently. "Y/N! Why didn't you say something. Oh look at your hand!"

Ron and Harry were looking anxious as well. "It's fine 'Mione, doesn't even hurt" it wasn't a lie, it actually didn't hurt as much as it should which was odd for Y/N. Still Hermione wasn't having it.

She marched him up to the medical wing while others went to the great hall after Y/N insisted that he'd be fine.

"Why do we always end up here?" Y/N wondered out loud.

"You keep hitting Malfoy" Hermione told him as he was currently getting his inspected by Madam Pomfrey who surprisingly didn't have Hermione kicked out already.

"No, I mean why do you keep fussing over me? Keep bringing me to medical wing, you don't owe me anything you know?" Y/N was curious as to why it was always her fussing over him, being one most protective over him. It was a strange feeling, one he had never felt before.

Hermione told him gently, a blush slowly creeping over her neck and up to her cheeks, as she eyed him closely.

"Because I care about you"

Those words stuck to Y/N like glue, his face heated up at the sudden confession.
'She cares about me?' He thought, 'why would she care about me?'

He stared at her with wide eyes, so many things were going through his mind. His breath hitched, he felt as if he should say it back to her too but the words were caught in his throat, never have one ever cared about him so much to this point, not even his own father.

He could only mutter two, single, words...

"Thank you."

Her gaze from his hand landed on his eyes and she took a deep breath, the way he looked at her made her stomach churn, gulped the bile that filled her throat and spoke to her friend that she cared for deeply.

"You're welcome." She beamed, her smile radiating across the room which brought such a happy feeling to him, he wasn't sure what he was feeling as his stomach filled with butterflies but he knew he wanted more.

The same thing was true for Hermione as well, she didn't like seeing him getting hurt or putting himself in danger for her. But at the same time she couldn't help but feel grateful for someone having her back. 

Emotions were running high, confusion was amiss but one thing was sure...

They cared deeply for each other but neither one knew how much.