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Y/N's P.O.V. 

After returning to her dorm from being frozen, as a statue, and basically waterboarded for the second task, Y/N took a long, hot shower in the bathroom connected to the girl's dormitory. Hermione insisted that Y/N go first, since she was down in the depths of the lake for considerably longer. 

Subsequent to said shower, Y/N mumbled to Hermione that she was going to take a nap. It was only around noon, since the task had started at nine-thirty. She curled up in her blankets, left alone with her own thoughts and boredom. 

The beginning of her nap was full of Y/N trying to discern faces and other drawings in the drapes of her curtains. She found a funny looking guy with carrot-like nose. 

For her shower, she had taken off all of her jewelry, and placed it on her nightstand beside her mirror. Before getting into bed, she clasped her Herms and Trouble book necklace around her neck, but left Cedric and Elijah's bracelets on her bedside. 

As she slowly drifted off to sleep, Y/N was pondering her whole situation. 

She should've just let Harry apologize. 

Why was she running away from what she wanted? Why was she running away from an apology that she so desperately desired and needed? It was stupid, really. 

It felt odd, not being close to Harry. 

Maybe she should push her pride aside and listen to him, and hear him out. Maybe Remus was right, and sometimes the people you know and love aren't what they seem, but maybe Harry didn't mean any of it. 

She didn't need him to reciprocate her love...that wasn't under either of their control. She just needed him to apologize for basically calling her a whore, and for pushing aside how she felt. 

But for that, she needed to let him apologize. 

Y/N's last thought before she fell asleep was how much she missed Harry, and how she would give him a chance. 

Through her slumber, her dreams were strange. Some made sense, like drowning, since she had just been in a lake...and some didn't make any sense at all.

A loud clang woke Y/N up abruptly, and she checked the clock in the dorm. It was around four in the afternoon...she'd been out for a good amount of time. 

Turning around in bed, she found the source of the clang to be Spellie. The dragon had deposited something on Y/N's nightstand - Harry's bracelet.

She hadn't seen it since after the Yule Ball, when she'd taken it off and then immediately started sobbing. It sat, now, on her nightstand. The Flos Lunaris flowers shone brightly, illuminating the silver of the bracelet. 

Spellie made a expression that suggested she was proud of herself. Then, she took the bracelet in her mouth and aggressively flung it in Y/N's face. It hit her with a thwack! and she yelled, "Spellie!" 

The small black dragon gave Y/N a innocent, wide-eyed look, then pounced on her and took a seat on the girl's head. 

Y/N rolled her eyes with vigor, but smiled anyway at Spellie's antics. 

The bracelet had fallen onto Y/N's bed. The girl sat up, criss-crossed her legs, and gently picked it up. She remembered the day he'd given it to her - her birthday, August twenty-sixth. It was sweet, the way he'd kept it a secret, then they snuck out of the Burrow and into the clearing surrounded by trees. 

It was the day Harry had bestowed her nickname upon her: Silv. It was short for Silvie, which were pixie-like creatures, and he'd explained that the Silvies make their homes in Flos Lunaris flowers. Oftentimes, they'd become exceedingly protective of their homes, too stubborn to leave, and will defend their home and family with their lives. Harry had told her it reminded him of her...

So, if she was stubborn and protective, shouldn't she have kept trying that night, during the Yule Ball? Why had she let her emotions get the best of her? 

Y/N slipped Harry's bracelet onto her wrist and stared at it for a moment. The flowery texture mixed with metal against her wrist just felt so right... Y/N missed this - she missed Harry even more-

Spellie coughed a small plume of flame, sending herself backwards into the headboard. When Y/N didn't react to this, the dragon squeaked very loudly - if she could speak, Spellie would be complaining, "That's the part where you give me attention, human!" 

Chuckling, the girl picked up Spellie in her palms, watching saucer-like eyes crinkle around the edges, as though the dragon could smile. Spellie nuzzled into Harry's bracelet - evidently, she liked it. 

Y/N placed Spellie in her lap and grabbed Elijah and Cedric's bracelets and put them on. A lick of flame was shot at Elijah's...Y/N pushed Spellie away by the nose and laughed again. 

Since she was still tired, Y/N laid back into bed, one arm around Spellie, and one hand fiddling with her Herms and Trouble necklace. 

Safe to say, she fell asleep imagining how Harry's apology would go. 

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As March approached and February subsided, the weather got drier...a little bit. Upon stepping outside, cruel winds would redden your skin and whip your hair. The Great Hall's ceiling reflected this weather, and Y/N jumped when a very ruffled, brown owl landed in front of her, letter in it's beak.

It was the first day they were having Breakfast together since the second task, since the weekend had followed immediately after. 

Harry avoided Y/N's eye, and reached for the letter. She handed it to him, and her breath almost stopped when their hands touched. 

Opening the letter, Harry whispered it to the group, with a lead-in, "It's from...you know..." 

They all nodded. 

"Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can." 

"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" said Ron incredulously. 

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Hermione. 

"I can't believe him," said Harry tensely, "if he's caught..." 

"Made it so far, though, hasn't he?" said Ron. "And it's not like the place is swarming with dementors anymore..." 

Y/N said nothing, but watched as Harry folded the letter, lips pursed. He looked back up, and their eyes met for a brief moment - when Y/N noticed how upset he looked, she softened her gaze and offered a small upturn of her lips...as though trying to rectify her cold behavior. 

Even though, she knew it wasn't entirely her fault, seeing someone she loved - Harry - like that broke her heart. 

Her expression seemed to surprise the boy, for he abruptly moved his arm and knocked his goblet of water over, spilling it across the table cloth. When Y/N gave a slight smile, he turned bright red. 

The sight alone got Y/N through all of her classes, and she walked to her last class, Potions, with a pep in her step, laughing with Hermione, trailing behind Ron and Harry (whom she still hadn't spoken to...) 

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at something Y/N couldn't see and sniggering heartily. 

Pansy's pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached. "There they are, there they are!" she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. 

Y/N saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands - Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand. 

"You might find something to interest you in there, Sterling, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Y/N, who caught it, startled. 

At that moment - before Y/N could chuck it back at the girl's face - the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside. 

Y/N, Harry, Ron and Hermione took their normal table at the back of the dungeon. Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of today's potion on the blackboard, Hermione took the magazine and hastily rifled through it under the desk. 

Atlast, in the center pages, Hermione found what they were looking for. Y/N, Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A color photograph of Harry headed a short piece entitled:

HARRY POTTER'S SECRET HEARTACHE 

 A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Y/N Sterling. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss. Miss Sterling, a smart, but otherwise traitress girl, seems to have a taste in wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy.

Miss Sterling had gone to the Yule Ball with none other than Pureblood Slytherin Elijah Collins, yet, was Mister Potter's possession for the second task. Evidently, he missed her. Before the Yule Ball, the two were seen everywhere together, and some may think that Miss Sterling is playing two fiddles at once. 

Y/N scoffed aloud - "playing two fiddles at once," she muttered, discontent. It just reminded her of what Harry had said at the Yule Ball. 

Potter approached Miss Sterling at the Yule Ball, when Mister Collins had left for a moment. There seemed to have been a quarrel which resulted in Sterling leaving the ball in a hurry. 

Both Y/N and Harry froze - how had Skeeter known about that? How...what...

Yet, maybe Potter is the one meddling around. He has two close female friends - Miss Sterling, of course...and Miss Granger. After the heartbreak with Sterling, Mister Potter seemed to find solace in Hermione Granger...

But...

Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the lastWorld Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl." 

However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest. "She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it." 

Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate. 

"What utter rubbish!" Y/N said, crumpling the page of the paper in her grip. "This is so-" 

"I told you!" Ron hissed at Y/N and Hermione as they stared down at the article. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you two out to be... er...a pair of scarlet women!" 

Y/N turned her sharp gaze on Ron, not wanting to hear those words ever again.

Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. "Scarlet women?" she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron. 

"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red. 

"Yeah, well," Y/N said glumly, "It would be nice if I wasn't reminded of the words that were thrown about in the argument this article briefly outlined!" she finished, a hard edge to her voice. 

Harry turned red around the ears and shifted in his seat uncomfortably, worried eyes scanning her face.

Ron frowned deeply.

"If that's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch," said Hermione, still giggling, as she threw Witch Weekly onto the empty chair beside her. "What a pile of old rubbish."

She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching the group closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Y/N, Harry, and Ron started unpacking the ingredients they would need for their Wit-Sharpening Potion.

"There's something funny, though," said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. "How could Rita Skeeter have known...?"

"That's what I'm saying..." Y/N agreed, eyes narrowed.

If this ensuing conversation mentioned the argument between Y/N and Harry, the girl would get up and leave. That was a discussion to be had between her and Harry. Not the whole friendgroup in the middle of Potions class. 

Just her and Harry.

Privately.

It's a good thing the topic was ignored, for Ron seemed exceedingly distressed.

"Known what?" said Ron quickly. "You haven't been mixing up Love Potions, have you?" 

"Don't be stupid," Hermione snapped, starting to pound up her beetles again. "No, it's just... how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?" Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this and determinedly avoided Ron's eyes. 

Y/N gave a wide smirk and nudged Hermione in the side, who gave her a don't even look.

"What?" said Ron, dropping his pestle with a loud clunk. Y/N almost burst out laughing.

"He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake," Hermione muttered. "After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to -" 

"And what did you say?" said Ron, who had picked up his pestle and was grinding it on the desk, a good six inches from his bowl, because he was looking at Hermione. 

Y/N gave him a comforting pat on the back and whispered, "Ronnie...you're gonna be okay, please stop. You're going to put a hole in the desk."

Ron glared at her.

"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else," Hermione went on, going so red now that Y/N could almost feel the heat coming from her, "but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there...or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak; maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task..."

 "And what did you say?" Ron repeated, pounding his pestle down so hard that it dented the desk. 

"Well, I was too busy seeing whether Y/N and Harry were okay to -"

"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger," said an icy voice right behind them, and all three of them jumped, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor." 

Snape had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them; Malfoy took the opportunity to flash a POTTER STINKS badge across the dungeon, making eye contact with Y/N, then glancing at Harry. 

"Ah...reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. "A further ten points from Gryffindor...oh but of course..." Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. "Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings..."

The dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth. To Harry's fury, he began to read the article aloud." 'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache... dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now? 'A boy like no other, perhaps . . .' "

Harry, who hadn't spoken since reading the article, turned red. Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. The article sounded ten times worse when read by Snape. Even Y/N and Hermione were blushing scarlet now. 

" '...Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' How very touching," sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. 

"Well, I think I had better separate the four of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives..." Snape's eyes glanced between Y/N and Hermione, "And which girl will get the famous Harry Potter." 

"Are you done yet?" Y/N asked angrily, shooting a glare up at the Professor. 

Snape's lips thinned and his stare turned cold, but did not scold her otherwise. "Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson...Sterling...you can go over to Malfoy. Potter - that table in front of my desk. Move. Now." 

Furious, Y/N threw her potions ingredients into her bag, careful to mind Spellie (she had brought the dragon along so she could light her cauldron fire easily) and stormed off to Malfoy's table. 

He gave her a once-over and turned his nose up. Y/N caught Harry's eye from across the classroom - he looked angry, but it made him all the more attractive. The rest of the lesson was spent with shared glances, and butterflies at the thought of reconciliation. 

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They left the castle at noon on Saturday to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they arrived in Hogsmeade, all four of them had taken off their cloaks and thrown them over their shoulders. 

The food Sirius had told them to bring was in  Harry's bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table. 

After that, Y/N had snuck down to the kitchens and nicked some sweet treats, like muffins and cookies.

The group didn't really...speak. Or walk in a group...they sort of floated around, switching people to talk to. Harry and Y/N never walked side by side, and didn't exchange a word.

At half past one, they made their way up the High Street, past Dervish and Banges, and out toward the edge of the village, towards the mountain of which's shadow lay Hogsmeade. 

Then they turned a corner and saw a stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looking very familiar...

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry when they had reached him. The black dog sniffed Harry's bag eagerly, wagged its tail once, then padded softly over to Y/N, who scratched the dog behind the ears.  

Then, Sirius-the-dog trotted towards the stile, jumped over, and kept walking.

Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile and followed. Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. 

They followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself. For nearly half an hour they climbed a steep path, following Sirius.

Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock. They squeezed into it and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. 

Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the hippogriff. Half gray horse, half giant eagle, Buckbeak's fierce orange eye flashed at the sight of them. All three of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees and allowed Y/N to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck. 

When Y/N turned, she saw that Harry was looking at the black dog, which had just turned into his godfather. 

Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been since Y/N last saw. He looked very thin.

"Chicken!" he said hoarsely after removing the old Daily Prophets from his mouth and throwing them down onto the cave floor. 

Harry pulled open his bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread. "Thanks," said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with his teeth. "I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself." 

"What're you doing here, Sirius?" Y/N questioned.

 "Fulfilling my duty as godfather and checking up you, mini Moony," said Sirius, gnawing on the chicken bone in a very doglike way. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray." 

He grinned, but after studying the anxiety on their faces...he turned to Harry and said more seriously, "I want to be on the spot. Your last letter...well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried." 

He nodded at the yellowing Daily Prophets on the cave floor, and Ron picked them up and unfolded them. Harry, however, continued to stare at Sirius. "What if they catch you? What if you're seen?" 

"You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus," said Sirius, shrugging, and continuing to devour the chicken leg.

Ron nudged Harry and passed him the Daily Prophets. 

Y/N caught a glimpse - there were two: The first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing - Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved. Y/N scanned the story about Crouch. 

Phrases jumped out at her: hasn't been seen in public since November...house appears deserted ...St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline comment... Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness.... 

"They're making it sound like he's dying," said Harry slowly. "But he can't be that ill if he managed to get up here."

"My brother's Crouch's personal assistant," Ron informed Sirius. "He says Crouch is suffering from overwork." 

"But then wouldn't he take a break?" said Y/N curiously. 

Ron snorted a laugh, "No! He's even more of workaholic than Percy - a break? Absolutely not."

"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?" said Hermione, an edge to her voice. She was stroking Buckbeak, who was crunching up Sirius's chicken bones. "I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now - bet he feels the difference now she's not there to look after him." 

"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs," Ron muttered to Sirius, casting Hermione a dark look. 

Sirius, however, looked interested. "Crouch sacked his house-elf?" 

"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup," said Harry, and he launched into the story of the Dark Mark's appearance, and Winky being found with Harry's wand clutched in her hand, and Mr. Crouch's fury. When Harry had finished, Sirius was on his feet again and had started pacing up and down the cave. 

Harry did not mention the bit where Y/N practically attacked Malfoy, and how her eyes were glowing. In fact, he did not refer to Y/N at all. He would use Ron and Hermione's names, but never mentioned Y/N individually.

"Let me get this straight," Sirius said after a while, brandishing a fresh chicken leg. "You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?" 

"Right," said Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione together. 

"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?"  

"No," said Harry. "I think he said he'd been too busy." 

Sirius paced all around the cave in silence. Then he said, "Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?"  

Harry shook his head. "I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars."

Sirius pondered this. 

The ensuing conversation covered the potential suspects involved in conjuring the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup. The group speculated about several people.

"Could've been the Malfoys," Y/N suggested, "they were right up in the Top Box with us." 

"All I know," Hermione began stubbornly, "that it wasn't Winky! And did you see how horribly Mister Crouch treated her? It's like she isn't human!" 

"Er...I mean, she isn't..." Ron said quietly. 

Hermione turned her sharp gaze on him, "Ronald - just because she isn't actually a human doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings!" 

"Yeah Ronald," Y/N mocked, nudging the boy in the side. 

Harry said nothing, but she could feel his gaze on her. When she turned, his eyes were affectionate but almost...hesitant.

 "Anyone else in the Top Box?" said Sirius. 

"No one," said Harry. 

"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman," Hermione reminded him. 

"I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps," said Sirius, still pacing. 

"What's he like?" 

"He's okay," said Y/N. "A little overwhelming, but he's funny."

 "He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament," Harry added.

The conversation switched back to Crouch and Winky, and how it was possible that he had summoned the Mark. Ludo Bagman could have done it as well, since he was in the Forest...

"When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?" Sirius asked. 

"Went to look in the bushes," said Harry. 

Y/N finished the thought for him - it was second nature...even though they weren't talking. "There was nobody there...well, except Winky, of course."

"Of course," Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, "of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf...and then he sacked her?" 

"Yes," said Hermione in a heated voice, "he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -"

 "Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" said Ron. 

Sirius shook his head and said, "She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." He ran a hand over his unshaven face, evidently thinking hard. 

"All these absences of Barty Crouch's . . . he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works  very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too... It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak." 

"D'you know Crouch, then?" asked Y/N. 

Sirius's face darkened. He suddenly looked as menacing as he had the night when Harry first met him, the night when Harry still believed Sirius to be a murderer. "Oh I know Crouch all right," he said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban- without a trial." 

"What?" Y/N said incredulously. "And people fought that, right? Remus would've - Dumbledore did...right...?" 

Shaking his head, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks, Sirius said, "Remus didn't. I'm not mad - he thought I had betrayed Lily and James. Dumbledore...didn't..." he said the last words bitterly. 

 "He was in line to be the next Minister of Magic, Barty Crouch was," he continued. "Powerful, power hungry-" he paused at the looks on their faces, "- oh, no - never a Death Eater. Furthest thing from one. He was always against the Dark Side...but then again, a lot of people were...well, you wouldn't understand, you're too young..." 

"That's what my dad says," Ron said, with a trace of irritation in his voice. "Try us, why don't you?" 

A grin flashed across Sirius's thin face. "All right, I'll try you..." He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working  for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing...the Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere...panic. Confusion. that's how it used to be. 

Y/N frowned - those were Remus' times. The times he recounted with such sadness in his voice...the times before her mother and father were incapacitated. The times before that Killing Curse had rebounded upon Voldemort, courtesy of Harry. 

"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning  I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill rather than capture, for instance." 

"What if there were innocent people?" Ron asked. 

Hermione added, "I think I read somewhere that the Death Eaters used the Imperius Curse...and you just said it...so what if people were just influenced?" 

Sirius shrugged and sat down on the dirty, stone, cave floor. He beckoned them to join, and they all shook their heads. Y/N would rather give up her whole wardrobe than sit on...that.

"I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors. Crouch fought violence with violence, authorizing the use of Unforgivable Curses against suspects, and became as ruthless as many on the Dark Side. He had many supporters and was poised to become Minister of Magic when something rather unfortunate happened..." Sirius smiled grimly. 

The quartet was hanging on to every word of his story, anticipating what was next. 

 "Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."  

"Crouch's son was caught?" gasped Hermione. 

"Yep," said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, grabbing a loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. "Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while...gotten to know his own son." 

"Was his son a Death Eater?" said Harry. 

"No idea," said Sirius, still stuffing down bread. "I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters - but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf." 

"Did Crouch try and...you know..." Y/N whispered, though she didn't know why, "try and get his son off? Like defend him?"

Sirius let out a laugh that was more of a bark. "Crouch? Letting his son off? No! That would tarnish his reputation...and anything that did that...had to go, even Bartemius Crouch Junior. Sent his only son straight to Azkaban."

 "He gave his own son to the dementors?" asked Harry quietly, looking down.

"That's right," said Sirius, and he didn't look remotely amused now. "I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though... they all went quiet in the end...except when they shrieked in their sleep..." 

For a moment, the deadened look in Sirius's eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shutters had closed behind them. Y/N frowned - he was so...different than the jovial boy Remus described in his stories about his Hogwarts life.

"So he's still in Azkaban?" Ron said. 

"No," said Sirius dully. "No, he's not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in." 

"He died?" Hermione and Y/N asked, horrified.

"He wasn't the only one," said Sirius bitterly. "Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it." 

The rest of the conversation was just more about Crouch and the old times, Death Eaters and warnings. There was a mention of Snape, who's office, according to Harry, had been searched by Barty Crouch the night he snuck out to the Prefects Bathroom. Crouch was obsessed with catching Dark wizards, but Sirius shut this down. 

After a long, serious talk about these topics, Sirius finally allowed himself to smile. 

"So, how's Remus?" Sirius asked Y/N softly. "You two went to see your parents, right?" 

"Yeah," Y/N smiled. "It was nice - they remembered me. Remus is fine, he told me more about...yeah..." 

Sirius nodded, "Don't worry - I know. Whenever he came to my hiding spots we'd discuss it. He was really stressed about it, you know? He cares for you a lot." 

Harry and Ron perked their eyebrows...she hadn't told them about meeting her parents. Oops. Now she'd get interrogated later, but...oh well.

"He cares for you too," Y/N offered, "he always looked giddy over the summer when he told me that he'd be sending a letter to you." 

At this, Sirius perked up. "What else did he say about me...?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know, Padfoot."

Sirius groaned and rolled his eyes, taking a swig from one of the goblets of pumpkin juice the quartet had brought up. 

There was comfortable conversation as Sirius moved on to a muffin - Y/N felt bad...he had been eating off of the streets and nicking papers out of bins to find out news. 

"Sirius," Harry said suddenly, after Ron had finished recounting the story of how he and Harry apologized after the first task, as Hermione laughed.

Maybe Y/N and Harry could do that? 

"Yes, Harry?" said Sirius, turning his gaunt gaze to the boy. 

Harry hesitated, his eyes quickly trailing over to Y/N, then returning to Sirius. He took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you...about something." When everyone looked at him, expecting him to continue, Harry added, "privately." 

Ron snorted, "Mate, we're in a cave. It won't be private." 

Hermione glared at the boy, slapping his wrist very lightly. "No, it's alright, Harry. Trouble, Ron and I can wait outside." 

See, Y/N barely had the chance to agree before Hermione grabbed the two by the arms and dragged them outside, leaving Harry and Sirius in the cave. 

"This isn't weird at all," Y/N muttered, "three teenagers standing on a mountain, a half-an-hour hike from the village." 

"Perfectly normal," Ron agreed. 

"Oh, shut up, you two. Especially you, Ron. Let Harry and Sirius talk, godfather-godson bonding," Hermione said. 

The three of them sat on...well, cleaner rocks. Ron and Y/N started up a thumb-war, while Y/N and Hermione chatted about their upcoming Potions assignment. Ron didn't want to partake in his conversation, because, in his words, he "didn't want to think about it. Snape is a git and I hope his classroom explodes." 

A good ten...possibly fifteen, minutes later, the head of a black dog poked out from the entrance and barked at them. Y/N, Hermione and Ron took this as their cue to return, and so they did. 

Upon entering, Y/N's eyes immediately found Harry's - he looked red...like really red, but he also looked determined. It was a cute look on him - and then she realized that she'd been staring for too long, and looked away. 

Harry took a breath, as though he was going to say something. Then, he stopped, evidently deciding it would be better if he didn't.

Sirius filled in the awkward air, "what's the time?"

"It's half past three," said Hermione. 

"You'd better get back to school," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "Now listen..." He looked particularly hard at Harry. "I want you to go about things carefully. I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you." 

"No one's tried to attack me so far, except a dragon and a couple of grindylows," Harry said, but Sirius scowled at him. 

"I don't care...I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?" 

When they all nodded, Sirius then turned to Y/N, "If anything else...happens...letter Remus. Me too."

"Yes sir!" Y/N said with a light laugh and an exaggerated salute.

 "I'll walk to the edge of the village with you," said Sirius, "see if I can scrounge another paper." 

He transformed into the great black dog before they left the cave, and they walked back down the mountainside with him, across the boulder-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village. 

Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back into Hogsmeade and up toward Hogwarts. 

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron said as they walked up the drive to the castle. "But maybe he doesn't care...it'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son." 

"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors," said Hermione severely. 

"I don't know," said Ron. "If he thought we were standing in the way of his career...Percy's really ambitious, you know..."

 They walked up the stone steps into the entrance hall, where the delicious smells of dinner wafted toward them from the Great Hall. 

"Poor old Snuffles," said Ron, breathing deeply. "He must really like you two - Harry and Y/N ...Imagine having to live off rats." 

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

It was now the next Saturday. The past week, the winds had been harsh and unforgiving. Yet, today, the sky was clear, the sun was out and casting it's warm embrace over Hogwarts' grounds.

Earlier, Y/N had heard Harry say to Hermione and Ron that he was going out for a fly on his Firebolt - he said he needed to clear his head, and now he finally had time, since the second task was done.

Despite the lovely (and exceedingly rare) weather conditions, Y/N was shut up in her dorm, disappointedly doing homework. Harry hadn't spoken to her since they went to Sirius, if you could count that speaking to her. 

It left her wondering if...maybe, she ran away so much...that he just stopped caring. She was so stupid - so stupid. She should've just let him apologize when he wanted to, she shouldn't have let her feelings get in the way of a continuing friendship. 

The dormitory door creaked open and Hermione popped in, dressed in weekend-clothes, since it was Saturday and they didn't need to wear their uniforms. She was in simple jeans and a light pink zip-up sweater on top of a black tee. 

"Trouble," Hermione said, coming over to sit on Y/N's bed where the girl was hunched over a potions assignment. 

"Herms!" 

"Stop your homework," Hermione scoffed, "It's Saturday, just do it tomorrow." 

Y/N looked up from her parchment and gasped very loudly, "Hermione Granger is telling me to skive off homework? Who are you?" 

"I'm bored," Hermione said simply. 

"Go bother the others," Y/N huffed out, dotting her i. 

Hermione flopped backwards and groaned, "No, they're boring." 

At this, Y/N raised her eyebrows, "Even your Ronnie-boo-bear?" After Hermione sent her a mortified look, eyes as wide as saucers and an extremely exaggerated gag, Y/N burst out laughing. "Yeah - I'm never saying that again...the phrase is reserved for you, Herms-"

A pillow made harsh contact with Y/N's face, and she recoiled slightly with an, "ouch?" 

"Come on," Hermione scoffed, "that didn't hurt. I'm bored, let's go." 

"Go where?" 

"Uh...I hadn't exactly...thought that out...yet..." 

Y/N rolled her eyes and smiled, returning to her assignment that was due on Wednesday, as Hermione sat and pondered an activity for them to partake in. If Hermione said anything relating to the Library, Y/N would kill herself on the spot. She'd had enough of that place for the rest of her life. 

"You up for a walk?" asked Hermione finally, getting up, "maybe down near that one path near the forest?" 

"The Forbidden Forest?" Y/N said confusedly - they'd gone before, but Hermione suggesting it? Unheard of. 

Hermione gave a sly smile, "What other forest is there? Up you get, Trouble." Hermione snatched the potions assignment and placed it on Y/N's nightstand, then heaved the girl up and pushed her towards her trunk. "Wear something niceish - it's hot outside." 

When Y/N tried to pull out a tank top, Hermione suggested, "What about that Silverspell shirt you wore on your birthday?" 

Before Y/N could argue that Silverspell's album, Spellbound, was hitting a little too close to home recently, Hermione rummaged through Y/N's trunk and pulled out the shirt.

It was a black band-tee, with the band name lettered in light blue, little stars all around it. The band logo was a silvery star with eight points. Y/N took it begrudgingly, grabbed some denim shorts, and went to the bathroom to change. 

Her jewelry was always the same - Harry and Elijah's bracelets on her right wrist, Cedric's on her left, and her Herms and Trouble scrapbook around her neck. 

She emerged from the bathroom and ushered out of the dorm by Hermione. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Ron was waiting. "Finally, you took forever." 

"You never told me Ron was coming?" Y/N asked, confused. "Also you said he was boring?" 

"Excuse me?" Ron scoffed as they walked through the hallways, towards the Entrance Hall. "Hermione, you said what now?" 

Hermione just sent him a sideways smile, which was more of a smirk, and kept walking. 

"Tough luck, Ronnie. Your 'Mione-Boo-Bear-" 

"Shut the bloody hell up, Y/N, or I swear to Merlin I will package you in a parcel and ship you to Siberia." 

"That was harsh," Y/N said innocently, almost tripping over a rock. 

They were outside now, following the dirt path towards the Forbidden Forest. Yeah, it was forbidden, but there were some really nice areas. Some even had paths, like the one they were on now. 

Y/N took this time to fill Ron in on her curse, and her time with her parents at St. Mungos. She assumed he already knew about her and Harry's argument, and she didn't want to bring up Harry, so the topic lay unaddressed. 

Well, unaddressed by Y/N. 

"You gonna tell Harry all of that?" Ron asked, pushing the low-hanging branch of a tree away; they were practically in the forest now. 

Y/N fell silent. "He's out on a fly right now." 

"You know what I mean."

Honest-to-god, Y/N didn't know. Maybe if they were ever okay again...and then she realized she was being dramatic. They were fourteen - of course they'd be okay again. She'd get over her stupid crush...even though it wasn't a crush, but same thing.

They kept walking, and it was nice out. Birds were chirping, and the greenery was lush. Soon enough, there was a slight opening in the trees, and the splashing of water against rocks and dirt. Y/N peered through the leaves, spotting a beautiful waterfall, with crystal-clear water that cascaded onto the rocks near the riverbank. 

"Herms, Ronnie, look-!" 

Y/N turned around, and abruptly stopped when she didn't catch sight of Ron and Hermione. Maybe they had kept walking while Y/N admired the clearing. 

She stepped into the open, grassy space surrounded by trees and complimented by the waterfall. There seemed to be a mound of...something...in the middle, and Y/N just couldn't discern what it was. 

"Roooonnnnn?" Y/N called. "Herms-?" 

"They went back to the castle," said a nervous voice, "I hope you don't mind..."

That was Harry's voice. 

"I - I'm sorry," Harry said awkwardly. "I...er...I just didn't know how else to get you alone..." 

So Ron and Hermione were in on it. She should've known something was up the moment Hermione convinced her to leave homework. 

Y/N didn't say anything, but turned around to face him. She wasn't even sure when the boy came from - wasn't Harry supposed to be out on a fly right now? Her first sight of Harry was like a breath of fresh air...but...it was also kind of sad. 

His hair was a mess, his face was set in extreme anxiety and his eyes were rimmed in that red again. They were slightly watery. Hands in the pockets of his grey sweatpants, Harry was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet nervously, eyeing Y/N apprehensively, as though she would explode, like a bomb, at any second. 

"Er...you can leave...if you're uncomfortable..." Harry offered quietly, fiddling with the hem of his fitted black tee shirt.

Y/N raised a brow.

"I...uh...completely understand if you don't want to be around me - I wouldn't want to be around me either...especially after...y'know, what I've said...er...and stuff." 

Y/N studied him - his stance was almost afraid - his bottom lip trembled as he made hesitant eye contact.

This was what she'd been waiting for. 

"No, I think...I think I can stay...if, you know," Y/N said, red in the face, "if this is what I think is..." 

"Yeah..." Harry said softly. "It is...er...do you wanna...maybe sit down in the clearing?" 

"I think I'd like that," Y/N agreed. 

Tentatively, slowly, Harry reached for her hand. Y/N stared at for a moment, then shook her head slightly. Hand-holding was off the table right now. Harry understood and respected this, but turned a light shade of pink.

Beckoning her, Harry lead Y/N further into the clearing, towards the waterfall and the small bundle Y/N had spotted earlier. He reached for the bundle, which Y/N discovered to be a wicker basket, and pulled out a picnic blanket.

Harry spread it across the grass, near the roots of a large tree. "Sit...I mean, like, only if you want to, I mean-" 

"I'll sit," Y/N said sweetly, trying not to laugh at the boy's awkwardness, "it's fine." 

She sat herself on the mat, and he followed suit. They sat with their backs against the trunk of the tree, legs in front of them, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a couple of minutes -  all that could be heard was the crashing of the waterfall. 

Y/N was holding her breath. It was the moment she'd wanted...since the Yule Ball. She wasn't quite sure why she had kept on running from it...when it was this easy. Now she just needed Harry to take the first move to start the conversation and say- 

"I'm sorry." 

His emerald eyes were locked with her own as he said it. His black hair rumpled in the wind slightly, and he looked serious, and sincere. 

It wasn't like that time in the common room, when he had thought she was asleep. Well, in some ways...it was - that time was genuine too, and Y/N was just too caught up in her own anger and problems to see it. But it was different - this time, Harry was saying it to her face. 

Before Y/N could say anything, Harry continued, "No, don't just forgive me. I'm not done." 

Her startled (but impressed) expression must have given him the confidence to carry on with his apology. 

"I should never have said that," Harry said. "I should never have implied that you were...a...a whore, or a slut, because you aren't, Y/N. And you're right, Y/N, when you said that my 'jackarse jumps to conclusions too fast,' because I saw Cedric and you and...didn't even bother to ask. And I just made nasty, backhanded comments about it and it wasn't right." 

Y/N nodded slowly, knowing that Harry just needed to ramble for a moment. 

"And...I think..." Harry said in an almost-whisper, "I think I was just jealous." 

"Jealous?" 

Harry looked away. "Jealous of Elijah Collins. He was your date...and I wasn't. And I was mad, alright? I was mad that after sharing all that affection with me, you would just say yes to Cedric Diggory - even though you didn't, that's just what I saw." He took a breath. "And then I was mad that you weren't even going with Cedric, going with Elijah, because I thought I'd just been played. I told you I was going to ask Chang because how was I supposed to say, 'oh, I want to ask you,' when you were already, in my mind, going with Cedric?" 

Y/N was dumbstruck. 

"You...wanted to be my date...?" she said quietly. 

"More than anything," Harry groaned, running a hand down his face. "Seeing you and Elijah...it felt like my whole body was seizing up." 

Y/N's heart soared - Harry wanted her. He wanted to be her date. He...maybe he reciprocated her love? She still had one question to ask. 

"Then...why did you say the rest of the things you said?" Y/N questioned. 

Harry understood what she meant. 

"I just thought...I...I didn't mean to tell you that your feelings didn't matter," Harry mumbled. "That's not an excuse - I should've" his voice wavered, "should've listened." 

"Yeah," Y/N agreed in a mellow voice. "You should've." 

It wasn't an accusation - no, it was just an agreement. 

"And when you told me that you were in love with me, I didn't know what to think," Harry admitted. "My brain still thought of you as..." 

"A slut?" Y/N supplied almost jokingly, trying to be helpful. 

Harry sent her a glare - a deep glare - and grabbed both of her hands in his. It was hard in his sitting position, so he got up slightly, coming to rest on both his knees in front of Y/N, in between her legs.

"Y/N, please, you are anything but that. I didn't mean it, I was a jealous, jealous prick, okay? I was too scared to lose you...this is going to sound stupid...but..." he took another breath, "It was easier to think that I angered you enough to cut me off. I'd rather it be that than another guy coming in between us...because if that happened, that means I wasn't good enough. The insult-route...well, at least I had control over it." 

She didn't think her joke would provoke such a response, but she leaned in to his touch anyway. 

"That...that isn't stupid at all, Harry," Y/N said gently. 

This was all she's wanted for so long. This was perfect - Harry was basically telling her that he liked her back, he didn't mean it, he was sorry. He was literally groveling in front of her. 

Tears welled up in both of their eyes, and Harry's face was cast in a soft white glow. He chuckled weakly. "Bet I look pathetic, quite literally begging for your forgiveness. I mean, I guess I said I would...at the ball. While you were leaving. Said I'd kneel and beg if you wanted me to, yeah?" 

Y/N chose not to answer this, but instead freed one of her hands from Harry's grasp, and brought it to his cheek.

"Scarhead... it's okay, I guess," Y/N said, offering a soft smile. 

Him going out of his way to plan this - getting Ron and Hermione to meet him, when he thought she otherwise wouldn't have. Maybe a week or two ago, Y/N would've run away. But she was running towards it right now, and it felt like she was winning the race. 

"But it's not okay," Harry said, squeezing her hand - the one he was still holding. "It's not okay at all. I messed up, really badly, and I'm just lucky that you're even hearing me out." 

Y/N hummed, squeezing Harry's hand as well, brushing his dark hair away from his face and readjusting his glasses. The metal felt cool on her skin, contrasting the heat outside. 

Harry placed his hand over her own on his cheek. Then, he lifted Y/N's hand away, facing palm up.

"So...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for calling you something you're not, I'm sorry for letting my jealousy get the best of me, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. For saying harsh things, and for disregarding you when you were vulnerable enough to confess...I'm sorry." 

After each, 'I'm sorry,' Harry placed a kiss to the palm of Y/N's hand, leaving butterflies in her stomach.

The Flos Lunaris on her bracelet tickled, and he kissed that too. She let out a light laugh mixed with a content sigh.

"I'm sorry too," said Y/N, watching as Harry's lips came in contact with her palm again. It sent tingles of electricity all down her body. 

"What for?" Harry mumbled against her hand.

"For running from the apology I so desperately wanted," Y/N sighed, leaning her head back against the tree. 

Harry shook his head, "It was reasonable." 

There was a silence once more, but this time, it was comfortable. They stared into each other's eyes, just thankful they had each other. Harry was holding both of her hands again. 

The boy closed his green eyes and breathed deeply

"Is it still true?" he asked, his voice watery.

"Is what still true?" 

"...Are you still in love with me?" 

Y/N was quiet. She was. She was madly in love with him - especially after this apology. Apparently, Harry took her silence as a bad signal, and opened his mouth to apologize. Before he could, Y/N finally plucked up the courage and admitted, 

"Yeah," she said. "I am. Have been for a while." 

"Even after everything I said?" Harry questioned, his voice tender. 

Y/N nodded slowly, eyeing him with uncertainty. "I love you, Harry. It's alright if you don't-" 

"I love you too," Harry blurted. 

The moment it escaped his mouth, he turned bright red. Harry only looked back at Y/N when she squeezed his hand in reassurance, giving her a small, hopeful smile. She returned his expression, her lips quirking upwards. Her whole world felt brighter - and now she finally knew.

Harry Potter loved her too. 

They loved each other. 

Y/N studied him - on his knees, in between her parted legs - Harry's eyes were locked with hers, filled with utter admiration and love. His black hair ruffled in the breeze, and she couldn't stop herself from bringing a hand up and brushing through it. The glasses perched on the bridge of his nose were shining in the sun. 

For a second, a brief second, Harry broke their loving stare, and his eyes darted down to Y/N's lips. 

Y/N blushed deeply and raised an eyebrow, causing Harry to turn red as well. He opened his mouth once, then closed it, like a fish would. Y/N giggled, a sweet noise that carried to Harry's ears. He laughed as well, then looked like he was gathering the confidence for something. 

Looking at Y/N with a sincere air, Harry said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Can I...kiss you?" 

It was almost embarrassing how quickly Y/N nodded - when not even half an hour ago, she was hesitant to hold his hand, which was a gesture they used to do all the time. 

Harry, though in front of her and at her mercy, looked down at Y/N with a smirk, and chuckled. "Need you to say it," Harry said slyly, and with his next question, he reworded his prompt; "Do you want me to kiss you?" 

"Yes," Y/N breathed out. 

She felt like she was floating, when Harry came closer, one hand firmly on her jaw, and connected their lips. 

It was sweet - it was loving, it was making up for all of their time apart. They moved perfectly in sync, the delicate meeting of lips, soft and caressing, like the flutter of butterfly wings against Y/N's skin. A whispered promise of love and devotion.

Y/N poured all of her love into the kiss - and this time, Harry wanted the taste of wine. By the way he was so tenderly kissing her, he was practically drunk on her love - she was wasted from his.

Harry's hand that wasn't on her jaw was pressed against the tree, near Y/N's head, holding him steady above her. The metal of his glasses pressed into her temple, grounding her, reminding Y/N that it was actually happening.

They pulled back for a moment - slightly, barely - to catch their breaths. Harry's grip on her jaw loosened slightly, and a longing look came over his features. 

When Harry leaned in again, it was with vehement haste, an urgent meeting of love. Flames seared all through Y/N's body, and she could've sworn that he nipped her bottom lip slightly. She was dizzy, dizzy, so dizzy from the intensity of it. 

He pulled back slightly - "I missed you so much," Harry muttered against Y/N's lips in a low voice, "so, so much, Silv." 

"I missed you too," Y/N said breathlessly, "so much, Scarhead." 

Harry responded to this by pulling Y/N in again, and pressing another, softer kiss to the plush of her lips. And another, and another, and another, until Y/N had to place her finger in between to cease the flow

The boy came to sit beside her against the tree, and leaned Y/N's body on his own. Harry threated his fingers through her hair gently, and pulled her in. He wrapped an arm around her, and they stayed in that comforting embrace. 

"Does this mean...er..." Harry said nervously - his awkward self was appearing again. He cleared his throat. "What does this make us?" 

Y/N considered for a moment - she didn't really want to think about it. They both had a lot on their plates - with her curse, her parents, and him risking his life in the Triwizard Tournament. Maybe it would be better to wait...maybe until after the third task. 

"We'll talk about it later," Y/N said softly - her tone loving. Obviously, she wanted him to be her boyfriend, but they could discuss in a little while. "Right now, just hold me." 

"Yes ma'am," Harry chuckled. 

She loved him, and now he knew. He loved her, and now they could express it. The labels could come later, because love comes first. 

Love comes first. 

And now, Y/N had it. 

The two stayed there, in the clearing, under the tree with the waterfall cascading in the distance. It was a soft embrace, and Y/N hummed in content. Harry hugged her, eyeing the girl with affection. 

Y/N Sterling and Harry Potter, two idiots walking into the curiosities of love together, one step at a time.

─── ☆: *.⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ .* :☆ ───

that's crazy guys 🎀

who would've thought 🧐

that those two would kiss n make up ???? that's crazy, not the whole point of the fic !! 🤯🤯

ummmm...oh there were so many hints in this chapter :) catch them if u can!! 😏😏

ok so as promised here u go its silver nights the voice recording beware, most of the voice note is me yapping 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MH2s4qptNQNXwQSZ8hbWRpPTme0kJBQx/view?usp=sharing 

i think js copy n paste it!! if it doesnt work...lmk guys :) 🫡

ok i dont rly have much to say except it is NOT a dominic fike vibe song like i said before i tried a softer tune idk it felt right 🤦🏽‍♀️

chapter is heavily unedited, point out mistakes!! vote n comment if u liked it anddd i would love to read some of y'alls questions about...anything...because i can assure u that they'll probably be answered by the end of the book 😛

everything is interconnected, remember that 😈

i hope you enjoyed the chapter 😘😘

okokokok, i love you troublemakers <3 

- dizzy