"𝙷𝚘𝚠'𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎?"

𝕄𝕣. ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕖 - 𝕋𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕠𝕣 𝕊𝕨𝕚𝕗𝕥

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ───

The start of the new term meant people were back to the chaotic mindset of schoolwork and teachers were back to assigning loads of homework.

Students had dwelled happily on the events of the Yule Ball, but now that it was behind them, racing to classes, and getting ready for the next task was on everyone's mind. 

Well, most. 

Y/N had spent most of the rest of Christmas break in her dorm. 

Not crying over a boy as most people would expect, but thinking. Replaying all her times with Harry over and over in her head wondering when she had mixed up their platonic relationship for a romantic one. 

'It was nothing'

To her, it wasn't. How did she confuse a dance on the astronomy tower for something more?

Because of that night, she looked at everything differently.

Because of that night, she let hope in.

She's never closed that door so quick.

'No one said it meant I liked you!'

But that wasn't true.

Everyone told her it meant something. They put it in her head that the great epic love story she had read about was in front of her.

Obviously, everyone was just as oblivious as her.

The worst part was, she still didn't hate him.

He ruined her night. He ruined everything.

But she obviously still cared for him.

Maybe she had asked for too much.

They were perfectly fine as just friends.

Weren't they?

Harry had tried to talk to her after the ball, but she couldn't even find comfort in his presence anymore.

She had found a way around having any contact with him, and Harry tried to come up to her but she always just walked away. The anger, the embarrassment, was all she could feel when she looked at him. 

Soon enough, he gave up trying. 

But after Christmas break, life returned to normal. At least for everyone else. 

Their worlds didn't stop just because Y/N Sinclair and Harry Potter weren't speaking. 

Y/N liked having a tough exterior. That's why when Hermione, Ron, and Harry had seen her cry over the summer it was such a surprise. She was the one who made sure anyone else who was crying felt their feelings. She took a different approach with herself. 

So, after what had been said at the Yule Ball, and after Christmas break, she pushed everything away. 

 She moved on from the raven-haired boy.

Or at least pretended to.

She pretended that her heart didn't skip a beat every time she saw him.

She pretended that every time she saw his emerald green eyes it didn't send her stomach into an eruption of butterflies.

She pretended that she had grown numb to people disappointing her in her life, but the truth was all her feelings were still there. 

Just masked, disguised to give the illusion that everything was right in the world. 

One of the other reasons she disguised that she was okay, was out of embarrassment. 

She had said her truth for once, and Harry pushed her away. 

Hermione assumed the reason Harry and Y/N weren't talking was because of the fight she had witnessed with Ron. So, she was sure that Harry and Y/N could patch things up given she and Ron had an unspoken agreement to not talk about their own argument.

Y/N didn't exactly put in any effort to correct her that that wasn't the case.

She didn't tell Tracey or Daphne about the huge fight either and she didn't know if Ron knew or not.

Every time the ginger looked at her, his face was just filled with guilt.

Harry, however, looked perfectly fine after a while. 

His messy hair always remained the same, but he seemed to be doing fine without Y/N Sinclair in his life. 

She didn't know if that was the truth, but she couldn't let herself dwell on it. 

From her perspective, the remorse Harry had seemed to feel at the ball was gone. 

Like now.

He was standing against a tree in Care of Magical Creatures next to Ron looking perfectly fine.

Mr. Perfectly Fine.

How amusing.

Standing over there with his messy hair, talking to Ron casually like he didn't just break someones hear—

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago!" A witch barked at Y/N and Daphne as they were three paces from the Hagrid's hut.

The witch had a prominent chin and cropped gray hair.

"Who're you?" Y/N asked. "Where's Hagrid?"

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated catching Y/N's eye for a split second before she moved her gaze to walk over to Hermione.

"He is indisposed," Professor Grubbly-Plank said coldly.

Draco gleefully laughed as he arrived late to class with his group behind him.

"This way, please," Professor Grubbly-Plank directed as she began to lead the class around a paddock.

"You think Hagrid's ill?" Y/N asked Hermione as she and Daphne began following after the Professor, however, she didn't even hear Hermione's answer as she got distracted by Harry leaving Ron and jogging up to Professor Grubbly-Plank in front of them.

"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Y/N overheard Harry ask the Professor.

"Never you mind," Professor Grubbly-Plank grumbled.

"I do mind though," Harry pressed. "What's up with him?"

Professor Grubbly-Plank picked up the pace and acted as if she couldn't hear Harry as she moved ahead.

Harry stopped in his tracks looking at the back of the Professor. He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair as he turned around looking to see where Ron had gone.

As he scanned the crowd he saw Y/N crack a smile at something Daphne said but her smile didn't seem as bright.

She directly brushed past him and kept her head turned to Daphne when she walked near him. She didn't even give him a glance even though his eyes were glued on her as she passed.

"When are you two going to make up?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes at Y/N and Harry's incident.

"He was an ass Hermione," Y/N sighed very much hating this topic being brought back up.

"So is Ron and we made up the day after. Your blowout wasn't even that bad," Hermione insisted.

"Yeah, why are you two still so upset?" Daphne asked. "You take his scar cream or something?"

"Daphne..." Y/N playfully rolled her eyes.

"What?" Daphne said. "It's a valid question."

"Yeah okay," Y/N said looking around. She went into a jog and joined Lavender as they reached the edge of the forest hoping to avoid any more questions about Harry.

Thankfully, Lavender was in awe of what was majestically standing, tethered to a tree.

A beautiful, large Unicorn.

"Oh, it's so beautiful!" Lavender whispered to Y/N. "How do you think she got it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"

Y/N too was taking in the unicorn's beauty. The unicorn made the snow look gray against its pure white hair. 

"Boys keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plank said placing an arm out in front of her making her hit Ron and Harry hard in the chest. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it.."

She and the girls began to approach the majestic creature while the boys stayed in the paddock.

Most of the boys looked rather bored and had begun conversations as soon as the Professor was out of earshot but Harry watched the unicorn closely.

He watched a soft smile creep across Y/N's face as she stroked the unicorn with the rest of the girls.

He stomped on the butterflies that had appeared when she smiled at Lavender as they touched the creature.

He forced himself to break his gaze and turn back to Ron who looked at his best friend extremely annoyed.

"This is stupid," Ron said.

"Drop it, Ron," Harry said turning around.

"No," Ron said fed up. "Just tell her the truth."

"You know I can't do that," Harry said.

"And why not?" Ron said. "Just say that Adrain stole—"

"Ron. Leave it," Harry said angrily turning to Ron.

Ron just shook his head in disbelief.

"So what, you're never going to talk to her again?" Ron asked. "You said a stupid thing, take it back."

"It's not that easy and you know that," Harry said stiffly.

"But—"

"What d'you reckon's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry cut in changing the subject. "You don't think a skrewt—"

"Oh he hasn't been attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking," Draco spoke softly. "No, he's just too ashamed to show his big, ugly face."

"What d'you mean?" Harry said sharply.

Draco pulled out a folded newsprint from his robes and smirked as Harry snatched it from his hands.

"There you go," Draco said. "Hate to break it to you, Potter..."

Ron, Dean, Neville, and Seamus all looked over his shoulder as he read.

The top of the article had a suspicious-looking picture of Hagrid and the title of the article read, '𝐃𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐆𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄'.

Albus Dumbledore, eccentric headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent.

The entire article was blown out of proportion incidents that happened during Care of Magical Creatures last year. And Dumbledore was getting blamed for the whole thing.

There were even quotes from Hogwarts students.

An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening." "I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."

However, the thing that really pulled everyone's attention was that the article stated the Hagrid was part-giant.

Harry and Ron had overheard a conversation about him being a part giant on his mother's side with Madam Maxime when hiding in the bushes from Professor Snape when they were on their way back to their dorms the night of the Yule ball.

As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not as he has always pretended. A pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature. In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power – thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend – but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants.

"What d'you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Harry spat at Draco. "What's this rubbish about him"—he pointed at Crabbe— "getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!"

Crabbe sniggered quite amused with himself.

"Well, I think this should put an end to the oaf's teaching career, don't you think?" Draco said. "Half-giant...and there was me thinking he'd just swallowed a bottle of Skele-Gro when he was young...None of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all...They'll be worried he'll eat their kids," he laughed.

"You—"

"Are you paying attention over there?" Professor Grubbly-Plank shouted.

Y/N turned around to look at the group of boys with a raised eyebrow.

Harry was clutching the newspaper article in his fist so tight that his knuckles were turning white and his angered expression only increased when he saw Y/N.

Y/N bit her tongue and went back to lovingly stroking the unicorn.

She ignored her natural urge to check on him. She was too busy pretending he didn't exist.

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ─── 

"That was a really good lesson," Hermione said to Y/N and Daphne as they walked into the castle for lunch. "I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni—"

"Hermione I need to talk to you," Harry suddenly said urgently stopping the three outside the Great Hall.

Y/N immediately crossed her arms and looked down at the floor refusing to feel anything when he was near.

She had moved on.

It was a childish crush, that's it.

Yeah.

Let's go with that.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked growing serious.

"It's about Hagrid," Harry said.

Y/N's head immediately lifted. "What's going on with Hagrid?" she asked.

Harry just kind of stared at her. It was the first time she had openly spoken to him since the Yule Ball. She looked at him with a concerned expression. However, the concern wasn't for him.

It was purely for Hagrid. And she didn't know it, but that hurt Harry more than she knew.

"Can you collect some brain cells and answer me please?" Y/N asked.

Harry scowled at her, "This doesn't have to do with you so everything's fine."

"Hagrid's not just your friend, Harry if somethings going on with him—"

"I told you everything's fine," Harry said shortly.

"Whatever," Y/N said rolling her eyes and moving into the Great Hall with Daphne following after her.

Harry rolled his eyes too and turned back to Hermione who was looking at Harry with so much confusion.

"Look at this," he said pushing the article Draco had given him into her hands.

Hermione's mouth fell open as she read. The exact same reaction Ron had.

"How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out? You don't think Hagrid told her?" Hermione said.

"No," Harry said leading her towards the Gryffindor table. "He never even told us, did he? I reckon she was so mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, she went ferreting around to get him back."

"Well she's not supposed to be coming to school anymore," Ron said already seated in the Great Hall. "Dumbledore's banned her."

"Maybe she's got an Invisibility Cloak," Harry said stabbing his fork into his casserole taking all his frustration and anger out on the food, which looked like it heavily hurt Ron. "Sort of thing she'd do, isn't it, hide in bushes listening to people."

"As you and Ron did, you mean," Hermione pointed out.

"We weren't trying to hear him!" Ron said defensively. "We didn't have any choice! The stupid prat, talking about his giantess mother where anyone could have heard him!"

"We've got to go and see him," Harry insisted. "This evening, after dinner. Tell him we want him back...what's wrong?" he shot annoyed at Hermione.

"I know you're not gonna want to hear this," Hermione said. "But you got to tell Y/N about it, she has to come with us to visit Hagrid."

"Hermione this doesn't have anything to do with her," Harry said.

Hermione sighed and turned around to look at Y/N sitting at the Slytherin table.

"She's going to find out anyways Harry," Hermione pointed out.

"Just say that you want Hagrid back," Harry pushed.

"I—well, I'm not going to pretend it didn't make a nice change, having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once—but I do want Hagrid back, of course, I do!" Hermione reasoned under Harry's furious gaze, "But Y/N should know what's going on."

Harry completely ignored the last part of her sentence and went back to his food while Hermione and Ron looked at each other like they were scared to breathe wrong around him. 

Sadly the end of break also meant the return to potions class. So after lunch, Y/N made her way to the dungeons alone for the first time, walking a distance behind Draco and Pansy.

She pushed out the thought that she missed Harry by her side. Potions was the only class she didn't really have anyone else but Harry, Ron, and Hermione to walk with and she and Harry being on the outs was messing with her, as much as she didn't want to admit it.

"Where's your scar headed boyfriend Sinclair?" Draco asked once they had reached the doors and were waiting outside for class to start.

"Where's your ability to not be a total bitch Malfoy?" She shot back.

"Geez someone's in a mood," Draco smirked making Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy laugh behind him.

"Do I need to punch you a second time?" Y/N asked clenching her fists.

"Or maybe your mood has something to do about that oaf of a teacher," Draco laughed.

"What do you mean?" Y/N asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, surely Potter told you about your little friend Hagrid," Draco said tauntingly.

Y/N scowled to herself. What's going on with Hagrid that everyone seemed to know about but her?

"I don't mean to be a bitch," Pansy started.

"Yes you do," Y/N interrupted.

Pansy ignored her and continued with her sentence. "But we haven't seen much of you and Potter," she said with a smirk. "What's going on with that?"

"None of your business Parkinson," Y/N hissed.

"You know you'll always have comfort here," Draco said stepping closer to her looking into her eyes deeply.

Y/N didn't even notice Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking up to potions behind her.

Harry didn't take his eyes off Y/N and Draco as he watched from afar. He didn't even bother hiding his scowl at the fact that Y/N and Draco were only inches apart.

Y/N held eye contact trying to keep a straight face. She tried to hold back her laughter but failed terribly.

"I'm sorry," she said in between laughs, "Is the amount of bleach you use on your hair seeping into your brain? What about you is comforting? Your inexplicable resemblance to a ferret or your obsession with making sure everyone around you is as miserable as you are?"

A mix of Gryffindor and Slytherin students started snickering as Draco bit the inside of the cheek and turned around to face the door trying to hide his rejection.

"I'm pretty sure you just made him cry," Harry said walking up behind her.

"That's my life's goal," Y/N said turning around to smile at him.

Her smile immediately dropped as soon as she was met with his eyes. For five short seconds, it was like nothing had changed.

But everything had. Y/N had said too much, and Harry had said too little.

Saving the both of them from another tense interaction, the sound of the dungeon door opening rang out and Snape appeared in the hallway motioning for the students to come in.

Harry and Y/N immediately parted to opposite sides of the classroom, Hermione seated next to Y/N and Ron seated next to Harry.

Y/N kept her eyes glued to Snape, which wasn't the most pleasant sight. She refused to let her eyes wander over to the boy with the lightning scar and she kept her gaze only on the lesson.

"Today, you and your partner will be brewing A Calming Draught," Snape announced. "A partner of my choosing," Snape said glaring at Dean and Seamus who had immediately started smiling at each other.

"Let's see..." Snape said, "Parkinson and Thomas. Malfoy and Finnigan—"

"Are you kidding me?" Draco shouted upset. "Sir, he's going to ruin everything."

"Hey!" Seamus defended. "I haven't blown up a single thing in a week!"

"You get what you get Malfoy," Snape said sternly.

As Snape continued partnering people up Y/N lazily kept her chin in her hand as she waited for Snape to read off her name. 

However, Harry was more focused on how the list of kids who weren't partnered kept getting smaller and smaller and neither he nor Y/N had been paired up.

"Granger and Weasley," Snape called out, making Ron smile brightly and Hermione sigh knowing she would do all the work.

"And lastly," Snape looked around to see who was left but then he immediately began shaking his head. "No. Sinclair and Potter."

They both looked up at their teacher, at each other, and then around the classroom. Neither had pleasant expressions on.

Snape's eyebrow rose at this and then broke out into a satisfied smile. "Potter. Sinclair. Did I stutter? Get working on your potion. We'll be testing yours first."

Y/N rolled her eyes as Hermione moved over to make room for the boys. 

"Try to be civil please," she said. "Maybe you two could finally bury the hatchet?"

Y/N gave her a convincing smile but she knew that was not possible.

Harry slugged his bag over his shoulder and walked over to Y/N and Hermione. He stood to Y/N's right and Ron stood next to Hermione. They both raised an eyebrow at each other before opening their books.

The tense silence was insufferable for the four of them. Hermione and Ron kept talking with their eyes, obviously about them, and Harry and Y/N pretended not to notice as they took their spots.

"Potter. Sinclair," Snape said with a slight smirk. "I believe I told you to get started. One of you get the ingredients please."

Before Harry could turn and ask Y/N who wanted to get the ingredients, she moved from her spot over to the ingredients cupboard not looking him in the eye.

She really hoped she could channel her inner potions maker because she sure as hell needed a Calming Drought if she was going to get through working with Harry.

Every time she saw his stupid face, her body would go against her desire to forget about him. She forced herself to remember the stupid idiotic things he did.

He left. Something he promised to never do.

But that didn't discount the way he still made her feel. As much as she wanted to forget, that was impossible. 

"Took you long enough," Harry muttered under his breath as Y/N returned to the table with Lavender, Peppermint, and Crocodile Hearts.

Y/N took a deep breath and pretended to ignore him as she began reading out information on the potion.

"It says it needs to be a blue color," she read. "What are you doing?" she shot at Harry who had his arm over the cauldron already trying to add in peppermint.

"What else?" Harry sassed. "Working on the potion."

He began to start to add more before Y/N put her hand over his stopping him from dropping any more. "You can't just add it in like that!"

She made eye contact with him and then quickly pulled her hand back and looking back down at her book.

Why is his face so red? She immediately stopped herself from looking too much into it. He doesn't like you. Said so himself. Just finish the potion so this can all be finished.

"If you read the instructions you would know that we're supposed to add that in last," Y/N said. "and maybe if you listened, you would know that too much peppermint will cause uncontrollable sobbing, watery eyes, and a burning mouth to the drinker. Merlin, where's your book?"

"I—erm—left it in transfiguration," Harry said cursing himself for why he was so flustered.

"Well next time say something won't you?" Y/N said moving her book to the middle of them, forcing them both to inch closer to each other just to read the pages.

"Sorry," Harry muttered.

Y/N just scoffed under her breath, "Just pass me the lavender will you?"

Harry decided to keep his mouth shut as he passed Y/N the small bottle. Her eyes were glued to her potions book as one finger was tracing the lines of the book. She tried her best to show little emotion as electricity sparked between them when their fingertips touched as the lavender was passed from Harry's hand to her's.

Harry watched her as she swiftly added in the lavender, stirring the potion clockwise, looking back at her book, and then turning it counterclockwise.

"Stop staring," Hermione mouthed to him.

"I'm not," he said defensively.

"Not what?" Y/N asked not looking up from her pages.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly.

Y/N looked at him with her eyebrows raised before returning to her book.

"Tell her," Ron mouthed.

Harry shook his head furiously.

"Do it," Ron mouthed giving Harry an angry dad look.

"No," Harry mouthed back.

They both didn't notice Y/N starting to look at them do weird faces at each other. Ron awkwardly smiled at her and waved once he noticed her watching them but she just rolled her eyes and turned back to her book.

"Are you going to do anything useful?" Y/N asked.

"What?" Harry said sharply.

"You've been sitting there having a 'who can be the biggest idiot?' competition with Ron, do you think you can slice the crocodile hearts?" Y/N asked.

"Oh—Oh yeah," Harry said, beginning to take his knife and slice the crocodile heart horrifically.

"Oh my god let me do it," Y/N said putting her hands over his to show him how to properly cut it. She was directing his hands but it seemed to him like she was doing all the work because he was just watching her as she focused on actually making the potion.

She was so close to him he could smell the scent of her shampoo, a smell he didn't forget but dearly missed.

Hermione and Ron just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"You got it now?" Y/N asked, her voice for once not being laced with annoyance. It seemed oddly neutral.

"Erm—yeah," Harry said, who was trying to push the thought out of his head that he wished she kept them on a little longer.

As Y/N stirred the potion, he watched Hermione and tried his best to copy her to make it seem like he actually listened.

Y/N made an impressed expression at Harry's crocodile heart before adding it to the potion.

She stirred a couple more times before turning to Harry. "Okay, now you can add the peppermint," she said losing a bit of her annoyance.

Harry broke into a slight smile as he unscrewed the bottle and put a few drops of peppermint in. Y/N passed him the ladle and let him stir the rest.

It actually seemed like a civil moment. There were no snide remarks, no trying to correct each other. Even Ron and Hermione seemed to relax once the two had decided to get along for five minutes.

Once most people had finished up their potions, Snape quieted down the class.

"Sinclair and Potter have volunteered to let us check their potion first," Snape said smiling devilishly at the two of them.

Y/N and Harry both shook their heads knowing that was one hundred percent untrue.

Snape walked up their station expecting to see a disastrous potion, but the truth was, despite it all Y/N and Harry still worked.

"Ten points off," Snape said bitterly.

"What? We did it perfectly!" Y/N protested.

"The potion is supposed to be sky blue your potion is clearly arctic blue," Snape said. "Too much peppermint, I suppose."

Harry immediately looked down as his face went pink but Y/N just rolled her eyes, "I don't think the one shade difference affected the potion very much—"

"Miss Sinclair I have given you and Mr. Potter a fair grade it would be intelligent of you to hold your tongue," Snape said sharply.

He moved on to the next person as Y/N scowled after him.

"We did that potion perfectly," Y/N said scoffing to herself while Harry eyed her nervously.

She didn't make eye contact with him at all but it was nice for him to know that for once she wasn't mad at him for a change.

They cleaned up together in silence as Snape checked everyone else's potions.

Once the bell rang and everyone frantically got up for the end of the day Snape ordered the class to stay in their seats resulting in many groans.

"A one-foot essay is due between you and your partner on this potion," he announced. "Maybe some of you will do better with writing than potion-making," he said narrowing his eyes at Seamus who had wildly messed up his potion given the fact that it had exploded in both his and Draco's face.

The class groaned at the extra work while Ron smiled happily knowing Hermione would do most of it.

Y/N gathered up her books and slung her bag over her shoulder getting ready to leave, "Wait," Harry said grabbing her wrist before she left the table.

She ignored every feeling that she felt at his touch. She stomped on the butterflies, ignored the burning touch, and the electric shock they both got from their hands.

"We have to do this essay," He said trying to sound as annoyed as she looked, "Do you want to meet at my dorm or—"

"The library's fine," Y/N said shortly as she started to move away

"We've studied in my dorm before, I don't get why we just can't—"

"The library's fine. Harry," Y/N said tensely.

She pulled her hand from his and readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"Just be there after dinner," Y/N muttered. "What?" she asked looking at his slightly nervous face.

"Nothing," he said quickly, "It's just—can we meet at seven-thirty?"

"Why?" Y/N asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's going on after dinner? If this has anything to do with Hagrid—"

"Nothings going on with Hagrid!" Harry defended.

Y/N just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever Harry," she said mumbled.

She left him at the table and met up with Hermione at the door entrance before proceeding out of the classroom.

"That was torture," Ron said coming up from behind Harry.

"For you?" Harry said. "At least Hermione talked to you."

"It was torture to watch you two," Ron said tirelessly. "I didn't know that much sexual tension could come from two people."

"Ron shut it," Harry said walking in front of him. 

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ───

During dinner, Y/N had been watching the trio carefully. She couldn't lie and say that she wasn't intrigued by what Harry apparently needed to do after dinner.

"Do you know how much of an arse Filch is?" Tracey said angrily as she walked into dinner late and took a seat in front of Y/N. "He stopped me in the hallway and spent twenty-five minutes looking through my bags because I thought I had those joke candies."

"Well did you?" Daphne asked.

"Well yes," Tracey said quickly. "But it didn't mean he had to make me late for dinner."

Y/N and Daphne just looked and each other and rolled their eyes.

Y/N turned her direction back to the Gryffindor table as she watched Harry whisper something urgently to Hermione and Ron and them all nodding in agreement.

"Do you know what's happening with Hagrid?" Y/N asked Tracey. 

"Oh yeah, didn't you read the article?" Tracey said more focused on her food than the conversation.

"What article?" Y/N asked warningly.

Tracey took one of the newspaper prints that was lying on the table and handed it over to Y/N.

"Frontpage," Tracey said after swallowing a bite of her spaghetti.

Y/N flipped up the half-folded magazine and as soon as she had got through the first paragraph she was livid.

She looked above her newspaper at Harry and felt nothing but piercing anger. It was probably overreacting, and misplaced anger but she was upset nonetheless.

Once dinner had ended the three Gryffindors got up from their seats and gathered outside the entrance hall.

"Okay, let's go down now," Harry said to Hermione and Ron.

"Yes let's," Y/N said sarcastically coming up from behind him.

"Nothing's wrong with Hagrid my ass," she said not looking him in the eye and slapping the newspaper article into his chest as she joined Hermione and began walking out of the grounds.

"I told you," Hermione mouthed before turning around.

Harry just rolled his eyes as Ron smirked and the boys followed the girls down to Hagrid's hut.

They trudged through the snow and Hermione knocked on the door.

The only response was Fangs barking from the other side of the door.

"Hagrid?" Y/N called.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry shouted pounding on the door. "Open up!"

There was no answer. All they heard was Fang whining and scratching from behind the dorm. They tried for ten more minutes. Ron even went and banged on the windows but still, the door didn't open.

"He's avoiding us," Harry sighed.

"Really? That was my last guess," Y/N said sarcastically.

Ron snickered, while Hermione immediately looked away at the tension between them. Harry just rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Y/N said nodding towards Harry and walking towards the castle.

Harry didn't budge, "What?"

"Do we not have a potions essay to do?" Y/N said. "Go get your school stuff meet me in the library," Y/N told more than asked.

"Oh right, yeah okay," Harry said clearly not failing to let Y/N boss him around. 

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ───

Y/N sighed as she dropped her messenger bag off her shoulder and placed it next to her chair in the library. She purposely sat on the opposite side of Harry, avoiding as little contact with him.

Her hair was tied back and she was wearing a black hoodie with the poster of her favorite movie on it. 

Harry was already sitting in the library when she arrived and was still in his uniform shirt but had left his tie and robe in his dorm. 

"Hi," Harry said awkwardly. 

"Okay," Y/N started opening her book and skipping all pleasantries, "It only needs to be a foot. We need to make sure we include how we brewed it, any mistakes we could have made, and background on the potion. It shouldn't be too hard."

Harry didn't say anything but look at what was glittering on her neck. He saw a gold chain but couldn't see what was dangling at the end of it. 

Y/N rolled her eyes noticing Harry wasn't even paying attention and began pulling out her quill and ink to begin writing the essay for herself. 

Is that what I think it is? Is she still wearing the locket? Harry began thinking watching the chain move with Y/N's movements. Whatever it was, it was tucked into the neck of her hoodie. 

No. Harry thought. Why would she still wear it after everything I did?

Y/N's hands then went to her neck as she pulled her necklace out of her hoodie and began playing with it as she wrote. 

Harry tried his best to ignore the swarming thoughts of why Y/N would be wearing the locket he gave her. 

After about fifteen minutes, Y/N had a little bit less than half the essay written. She wrote her handwriting a bit bigger than usual to take up more space and made sure she was using the longest version of words she could think of. 

"Here," Y/N started, taking the essay in her hand to hand to him, "Maybe you can actually be useful and help with the rest."

Before she could slide the essay across the table Harry stood up and walked behind her placing a hand on her chair to read over her shoulder. 

Y/N neck began to feel heated and she ignored how flustered she felt at the feeling of Harry's breath from behind her. 

Y/N could barely hear the ideas he was giving her to add as he pulled out the chair next to her and took a seat next to her both of them turned in to where their knees were touching each other. 

"Yeah just add, that we added in too much peppermint," Harry said. 

"We?" Y/N asked playfully continuing to write. 

"I," Harry said playfully rolling his eyes. 

As Y/N finished dotted the end of the last sentence she let out a sigh happy that she had successfully gotten through the essay writing session without feeling one single thing for Harry. 

That's not true—

She was happily over her crush on Harry so as the two packed up she had a smile on her face. 

As she turned to exit the library her bag accidentally knocked over Harry's potions book off the table they were working at. 

"Sorry," she said as they both reached down to pick it up. 

Their hands both touched as they went to pick it up, but both of them immediately pulled away. Y/N softly sighed and picked up the book herself and handed it to him without looking him in the eye. 

She began to turn around before Harry broke the silence. The two might have civil moments here and there but they never talked about the Yule Ball.

"Y/N—"

"I have to get back to my dorm," she muttered. 

"Y/N, can I talk to you?" Harry asked. 

"No, I think you did enough talking at the Yule Ball," Y/N said trying to leave. 

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—" 

"You didn't mean it?" Y/N asked turning around to look at him and shaking her head. 

Harry just stood there looking at her. Her face was illuminated by the moonlight and It was the first time he had seen her openly upset about the Yule Ball since that night. He saw her crack for just a second before she turned around. 

"You said it," she said quietly. "Either own up to it, or there's no reason for you to talk to me."

She walked right out of the library leaving Harry by himself in the still quiet. 

He ran a hand through his hair and angrily grabbed his bag and walked up to the Gryffindor tower. 

"How'd it go?" Ron asked from his spot on the back. 

"Shitty," Harry said dropping his messenger bag by his nightstand. "Just like I thought. She talks to me but only about school."

"I still don't understand why you won't tell her the truth?" Ron said. "None of this is your fault."

"Maybe not the asking her to the Yule Ball part," Harry said, "But I ruined her night. No matter how upset I was she was happy."

Harry sighed and laid down on his bed facing the ceiling of his four-poster. "I saw her crack today."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. 

"She told me that I should just own what I said or stop talking to her," Harry said. "Maybe she's right."

"No way!" Ron said, "Don't own what you said if you didn't mean it."

"Like how you own the fact that you don't like Hermione?" Harry said turning his head to look at him. 

"This is not about me!" Ron said. 

"I know," Harry sighed. "I know. Well, what am I supposed to do?"

"I—I don't know," Ron said. 

(Flashback to Professor Snape's class in the library...)

"You two need to grow a pair and just ask someone," Y/N said angrily. "Not casually, not as a last resort. If you like someone, tell them instead of having them wait around. You two being Gryffindors is bullshit."

She got up and moved her stuff over to where Blaise and Theo were sitting, quickly finished her work, and followed after Hermione once her work was done.

"Bloody Hell," Ron whispered.

"I'm an idiot," Harry said putting his forehead in his hands. 

"Very much so," Ron said as the two finished their work and handed their notebooks to Professor Snape. 

"You think she'd still go to the ball with me if I ask again?" Harry asked. 

"If you figure out a way to top what you just did in the Great Hall," Ron said. "I'd say you got a good chance."

The two exited the Great Hall and walked out into the corridors. 

"I don't think that'll be too hard," Harry said. "I'm also not taking any more advice from you," Harry said speeding up. 

"Hey wait!" Ron said jogging to his side. "Let me at least help you ask her."

"Fine," Harry said leaning against one of the walls in the corridor. "Let's see how you do give me ideas."

"Flowers?"

"I know Y/N, she doesn't seem like that kind of person," Harry said thoughtfully. 

"Well you can't go wrong with food," Ron said smiling and pulling a chocolate frog out of his pocket. 

"Now I remember why you two get along," Harry said rolling his eyes at Ron. 

"What? Chocolate helps me think," Ron defended, while Harry just shook his head. 

"Whatever, I'll ask her after dinner and—"

"Harrison!" Harry suddenly heard a voice say suddenly. 

Adrian suddenly appeared right near them and oddly Harry didn't see from where he had come from. 

"Hey," Harry said not hiding one bit of his annoyance in his voice. "What do you want?"

"I was just going to ask you if you had a date for the Yule Ball?" Adrian asked. 

"Why? Do you want to go with me?" Harry sassed. 

"I was actually just seeing if you were going with your friend Y/N," Adrian smiled perfectly friendly. 

Harry just rolled his eyes knowing he purposely used 'friend' to get under his skin. 

"Look we're kind of in the middle of something," Ron started. 

"I guess you are," Adrian said slightly smirking like he knew exactly what that 'something' was. "I'll see you around Harrison."

Harry rolled his eyes as they watched Adrain leave or wherever he went.

"Do you think he's going to ask Y/N?" Ron asked. 

"Probably," Harry sighed. 

"We'll just have to ask her first," Ron said matter of factly and pulling Harry up to their dorm. 

By the time dinner rolled around the two Gryffindor boys had a complete plan. The two kept it secret and decided to not tell Hermione given they weren't completely sure If she would tell Y/N or not. 

When Y/N entered her face seemed a bit frazzled. She looked confused but at the same time nervous.

"Did you tell Y/N about the plan?" Harry frantically whispered to Ron. 

"Of course not," Ron hissed. 

"What plan are you two talking about?" Hermione asked eyeing them suspiciously. 

"Nothing," they both said quickly. 

Harry tried his best to keep his face completely neutral during dinner to not give away what he had planned, however that was difficult when he saw Adrian making eyes towards Y/N. 

After dinner was over he and Ron stayed in their seats going over how they were going to ask her but that was until they saw Y/N already leave the hall. 

They frantically got up following her out but they ran right into Adrian asking Y/N to the ball. 

"I was um...I was wondering if you wanted to go to the ball with me?"

"You don't have to answer right now," Adrian said. "Just....think about it."

Harry was livid, He watched the scene in front of him play out with his fists clenched. 

"He heard us," Ron said looking at Adrian hand Y/N the bouquet he got. 

Harry didn't say anything but feel his stomach drop. 'Obviously he didn't hear what they said about the flowers or he wouldn't be giving them to her' he thought spitefully. 

He watched as Y/N walked right past him and Ron without a glance talking with Tracey and Daphne. 

"Okay, okay," Ron said staying calm. "She didn't say yes, there's still time—"

"Give it up Ron," Harry said. "I just failed how many times asking the girl I like to a stupid ball?"

"You didn't fail!" Ron protested. "And she didn't say yes if you ask her I bet you she'll go with you—"

Harry didn't say anything but return to his dorm in silence with Ron. 

The next morning, he decided to skip breakfast and skip rocks at the black lake. 

He was sitting against a tree when he heard a rustle come from behind him. Every bone in his body wished it was Y/N but when he turned around it was Romilda Vane a Gryffindor from Ginny's year. 

"Hey Harry," she said her voice oddly normal. 

"Uh—hey?" Harry greeted trying his best to be nice. He then turned his gaze back towards the lake not finding taking part in a conversation with Romilda inviting. 

She wasn't exactly the nicest person at Hogwarts, especially the number of times Harry had seen her hex, say something rude, or snicker at Y/N. 

Obviously not taking the hint that he wanted to be left alone, Romilda took a spot against the tree closest to him. Harry tried his best to ignore her presence and continued trying to think while he hurtled the rocks into the lake, continuing to watch them sink. 

"So," Romilda started, "Do you have a date for the Yule Ball?"

"Not yet no," Harry said still not looking up. 

"Yeah neither do I," she said, a small smile creeping on her lips. 

"I thought it was Year fours and up," Harry said. 

"Yeah," Romilda said quickly. "I was just hoping someone older would ask me."

Harry awkwardly let out a laugh, "I'm sorry Romilda," he started, "but I kind of have someone in mind I want to go to the Yule Ball with."

"Your talking about the Sinclair girl?" Romilda said in disgust. 

"What's wrong with Y/N Sinclair?" Harry said getting defensive. 

"For starters, her family were death eaters," Romilda pointed out. 

"They're not," Harry said angrily, "And even if they were, she's not!"

"Well...she's also already going to the Yule Ball with someone," Romilda pointed out. 

"No she's not," Harry said in disbelief. "Someone asked her, she never said yes."

"Not what I saw today," Romilda said turning her gaze to the lake nonchalantly. 

"What are you talking about?" Harry said going against his better judgment and getting intrigued by what Romilda said. 

"It's probably nothing, but she seemed pretty close with Adrain Agapov from Duramstrang," Romilda said pretending the information she was telling him, hurt her to tell him. "And I saw her leaving the castle with Blaise Zabini, I—I'm sorry Harry."

"That's barbaric," Harry started laughing, not believing a word that came out of Romilda's mouth. 

Unlike Harry, Romilda noticed Y/N and Blaise nearing the lake on their walk. She caught eye of Y/N and started laughing along with Harry and she smirked happily once she saw Y/N turn back to the castle. 

"You really should stop spreading lies like that," Harry said standing up and heading back to the castle. 

He noticed Y/N going back to the castle with Blaise and his heart skipped a beat. 

He realized what he really needed to do was just ask her. No crazy plan, just take a chance before she said yes to Adrain. 

He started jogging after them but he still lagged heavily behind.

He reached the entrance hall but his heart dropped as he noticed Y/N talking to Adrian in the hall. 

He just kept hoping and hoping that Y/N wouldn't say yes. That she would see him and feel something that she would never feel for anyone else. 

"Have you thought any more about my invitation?" Adrian asked.

"See they're together," Romilda whispered into his ear as she came from behind Harry. 

Harry snickered, "That's not true."

However once that laugh escaped his lips, and Y/N saw it, all the things that Harry was convinced weren't true came crashing down. 

"You know what?" Y/N said. "Yes, I will go the ball with you."

Adrian broke out into a huge smile and nodded his head at Y/N.

"I'll see you then Y/N," Adrian said.

As Adrain came towards Harry to walk out of the castle with Viktor he sent Harry a wink and left the castle with a smirk on his face. 

"See I told you," Romilda said. 

Even though Harry didn't want to believe what Romilda had said, he had seen it right in front of him. Y/N was going to the ball with Adrian all because Adrain listened in on his and Ron's conversation. He purely did it to get on Harry's nerves and he sure as hell succeeded. 

"Yeah," Harry said faintly. "Yeah, I'll go the ball with you."

"Perfect," Romilda smiled. "My dress will be blue, make sure you match."

"What's going on?" Ron asked as Romilda walked away.

"He got to her first," Harry said his voice seeming so far away. "She said yes."

"And her?" Ron asked nodding towards Romilda who was giddily walking up the stairs back to the Gryffindor common room.

"I don't know," Harry said not making eye contact with Ron. He really didn't have to go with Romilda. Maybe he wanted to make Y/N jealous. Guess, what he thought happened on the astronomy tower didn't.

His gaze didn't move from the stone door Y/N and Blaise had disappeared behind.

"Well there goes that plan," Harry said trying to pretend he was fine.

"Sorry mate," Ron said putting a hand on his shoulder. "It would have worked–We were just too late."

(End of Flashback)

"You both like each other, now you know," Ron said in their dorm. "Why can't you work it out."

"Because she now thinks I don't like her at all, that everything that happened between us didn't mean anything," Harry rambled. "Because I have an idiotic mouth who couldn't just let her enjoy her night. I should have kept my mouth shut," Harry sighed. 

Ron stayed silent on his bed. 

"She still wears the locket I gave her," Harry said thoughtfully.

"That's hope isn't it?" Ron said.

"She couldn't possibly like me back after everything," Harry said. 

"I'm sorry Harry," Ron said. 

"Yeah, me too," Harry said. 

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ───

𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟒: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟗

A/N: I HATE THIS CHAPTER BUT I NEED TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOMETHING! I'll probably rewrite it sometime in the future but for now, I want to move on in the story. 

I'm so sorry this chapter took forever but I'll be trying to update more frequently now that school is going to be over in two weeks! 

Also got to give chapter credits to @CeriseWildflower for helping me with this chapter since I could not think of anything to write! If you haven't read her book '𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚' YOU NEED TOO!<3

OKAY LOVE YOU GUYS!! <3