The Shower Ofyearning (1/2)

The Shower of yearning (1/2)

Harry Potter x female reader

Summary: Harry Potter likes y/n, although he won't admit it. y/n likes Harry Potter, although she won't admit it. Hogwarts Castle is sick and tired of it - and decides the two need some help, forcing them to shower together again and again.

warnings:Hand Jobs,Shower Sex and Accidental Voyeurism

The first time it happened, it was mortifying.

Harry was standing in the shower, under the hot spray. y/n had been right - it was a privilege to be able to use the Prefects Bathroom as Gryffindor’s new Qudditch captain. And while he didn’t have time to have a bath every night he now favored nightly showers in the grand shower room for the boys. It was much better than sharing a bathroom with Seamus. He was coming to the end of his wash - soaping up his armpits, when all of a sudden there was a loud pop.

Standing in front of him was y/n. More important, standing in front of him was a very wet, very naked, and very soapy, y/n Since she had been in the middle of washing her hair - her eyes were closed and she did not immediately recognize their predicament. Instead Harry was treated to five glorious seconds of his friend’s nude body. His eyes devoured her. Running from her feet, up her legs toned by years of climbing staircases, to the tidy patch of hair that covered her sex, and then he looked up to her breasts. Her naked breasts. He watched a soap suds trickle down the curve of one, ending perched on a nipple.

y/n eyes opened and they stared at each other in mounting horror.

“Harry!?”

“y/n?”

Before Harry could even think to do anything chivalrous - or even cover up his rapidly hardening cock - y/n had squeaked like a mouse, threw one hand over her breasts and another in front of her sex, and ran from the shower. So stunned by it all, Harry didn't even think to turn and look at her ass as it scurried away.

He regretted it for the rest of the night.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

The second time it happened, it was awkward.

Harry and y/n - both pink in the face throughout all of the next breakfast - had snuck away from Ron and Hermione to have a quiet conversation before class. They worked out that they had both been using the showers at the same time, y/n in the girls’ and Harry in the boys’, and they decided it must have just been some strange jinx. Another mystery of Hogwarts. They promised that it wouldn’t ruin their friendship or make things uncomfortable.

And for four nights they were right. Harry showered in peace and solitude - and while a part of him wished he could see y/n naked again he was glad not to endure that embarrassment again. Anyway, his dreams took care of his desires. He had woken up most nights now with a raging erection and a faint memory of a nude y/n. He tried to ignore it. She was his friend. Nothing more.

Still, his heart thundered in excitement when he heard that loud pop again. He knew what happened last time he heard that sound - and sure enough y/n was suddenly in the shower with him again. Except this time, she wasn’t washing her hair. She was washing her legs - bent at the waist as she soaped up her calves. Standing behind her, Harry was presented with the greatest view of his life. His eyes followed up her legs, over her thighs, to her plump, round bottom presented to him like a five course meal. He devoured the view - each soapy, wet asscheek there to be squeezed and kneaded.

“Oh Merlin” he babbled.

y/n stopped washing her legs. She went very still and then realizing her position she quickly stood up. She did not turn around however - instead standing facing the wall, letting Harry bathe in the view of her delectable rump. “Harry?” she whispered with uncertainty.

“Yeah. It's me” Harry said. He begged every power in the universe that y/n didn’t turn around. Partly because he wanted to continue to stare at her ass. Partly because his cock was so hard now it could cut stone.

They stood together in silence for a while - only the sound of the shower covering their breathing. Harry’s cock twitched as he watched a droplet of water run down the curve of her back and dipped between her cheeks, vanishing out of sight. Then y/n finally said, “could you leave this time? I still haven’t finished washing. If that’s ok?”

Harry gulped. “Sure” he said, backing out of the shower, not letting his eyes leave her ass until they had to.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

The third time it happened, it was explosive.

Harry and y/n had again managed to find an excuse to leave Ron and  Hermione at breakfast the following day and had a hurried conversation in an abandoned classroom. They worked out that it only seemed to happen when they were showering at the same time - and so the obvious answer to their problem was to make sure their schedules never aligned. Harry felt a stab of disappointment as they agreed, but he supposed it was for the best.

For a week then - Harry enjoyed his showers in peace and quiet. Enjoy being the right word because whenever Harry was alone under the water, his hand always dropped to his cock, stroking himself, jerking his shaft until he spilled his cum against the wall. He only ever thought about one thing. Her breast,.Her bottom. Her legs. Her back. Her wet hair and face. The visions came to him as he pumped himself, always concluding with a grunt of relief.

On Monday night then he had quickly washed - ready to engage in his new past-time - when the loud pop filled the shower again. He stumbled back, caught by surprise. There was y/n in front of him again. She was naked again. Her body glistened with the water again. Her face was already pink and her breasts were already heaving as she breathed heavily - as if she was trying to control herself after a long run. “Oh sorry!” she squeaked. “I thought you were finished!”

Harry had no reply at first. He found it hard to think of anything but the word “tits” that was currently doing laps around his brain. He wanted to squeeze them. He wanted to kiss them. It was only when he realized with mounting horror that he was now hard - fully erect, aching for relief - in front of one of his best friend did he finally return to earth. “Ok” he said. Trying to remember how English worked. “I wasn’t done.”

“What did you have left to do?”

It wasn’t the question Harry expected y/n to ask. Did she think that they should simply both finish their showers and pretend this was normal? More to the point, it wasn’t a question Harry wanted to answer - since there was no polite way to say “all I have left to do is jerk myself off to the memory of your naked ass.” Still he found himself looking down at his cock - still hard, still pointing directly at y/n. She followed his gaze and let out a little squeak. “Oh. Ok. Here, I have some soap.”

It was at this point Harry was certain this was a dream. It had to be a dream. It couldn’t not be a dream. Because y/n had just reached forward with a soapy hand and wrapped her fingers around his penis. He grunted. It didn’t make any sense. He had touched his own cock a million times before and somehow it never came anywhere near as good as y/n soft, dainty fingers pressed against his flesh. For a moment she simply held him, cock in hand, her eyes looking up at him. And then she started to move. As if this was normal. As if it was perfectly innocent for her to wash his shaft clean. Her arm gently pumped - her breasts bouncing with the movement - as she started to stroke his cock, lathering him up. Harry lasted for all of about ten delirious, delicious and delectable strokes until with a shuddering groan, he came. His seed splattered against her naked thigh.

“Finished?” Asked y/n breathlessly.

Harry nodded and took that as his sign to leave.

i just got introduced to the world of dramione fanfiction… call me weird i dont care

the dark romance??? the enemies to lovers??? the smut????? the slow burn?????? the trauma????? i will NEVER get over it

i read manacled and secrets&masks, i CANT they were sooooosososossoosos fucking good genuinely

im abt to read the auction

does anyone have any other good dramione recs that are similar to these????

A part of Mutual Help series!

pairing: mh!jungkook x reader

warnings: explicit language, Kiko is mentioned (this deserves it's own warning)

genre: fluff

word count: 1.8k+

a/n: Merry Christmas! ♡

Mutual Help Series

.

.

“Oooh, what could be in here?” Taehyung muses, pursing his reddened lips that has gotten its own intense color thanks to the cold weather outside. 

What was he doing outside when you've been at this place for around an hour? Flirting, of course. 

“Knowing you, probably tons of condoms.” you answer, causing Taehyung to stop shaking the present he's just gotten from Jimin. It stops rattling under his grip as he shoots you a glare across the table. 

Unfazed, you reach with your chopsticks for a piece of meat before you put it in your mouth. Next to you, Jungkook cackles under his breath and Jimin looks proud by your little comment. 

“Well, miss I-don't-need-anyone, we all like to have our fun. Maybe you should try it.” Taehyung bites back. Though his tone sounds serious and deep with his thick accent, there's a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. 

You know how far you can take it to joke with each of your friends. Taehyung's got a thick skin and there's only so little you could actually say to offend him. Not that you would ever want to. Taehyung loves jokes and fun, he loves teasing and most of the time he's the one who takes it too far but never to actually cause a damage to your friendship. Whatever he says, you know should not be taken to heart literally. Therefore, no matter what he says about your single life – you don't take it as an insult. 

“Hooking up with a bunch of strangers? No thanks.”

He grins, “Maybe you should try it.”

“You offering?” you shoot right back, Jungkook choking on his soda as Jimin laughs out loud.

“You know what? Once you grow up a little, text me.”

You snort, “Stop acting as if I was a child.”

Taehyung shrugs, “No, but you're the baby of our group.”

Groaning, you frown. “Don't call me that.”

“Deny it all you want, Y/L/N but we all know the truth.”

“You guys scare almost every guy that looks at me. It beats the point of having fun.”

“Don't say shit like that, now! I'm all for you exploring and having fun.”

“Our point of fun is slightly different than hers, Tae.” Jimin comments, putting more meat to your plate as you thank him with a grateful smile. For the meat, of course. Although, he's not that off about the entire fun topic. 

“We all know what kind of fun we're talking about.”

“Alright, let's move on, yeah?” Jungkook calls, shaking his head at Taehyung.

“Here we go, protective Jungkook.”

“Why do you always somehow bring up sex in every conversation?” Jungkook scolds him.

Taehyung gasps, feigning offense as he points his finger at you. “First of all, she started talking about condoms!”

Jimin laughs out loud while you shoot him a glare for being too loud. God, you hope the owners won't kick you out. Talking so publicly about sex is often frowned upon. No one who wants to enjoy their meal wants to hear someone talking about sex from the other table. Unless those people are… open like Taehyung. He's always been a bit shameless. 

 Jungkook glances at you upon Taehyung's finger that's directed toward you. You shrug innocently. “So what? You automatically got into it.”

“You know it doesn't take too much for me.”

“That's true.” Jimin nods along with Taehyung's response. 

You laugh, “Just open the goddamn present, Tae.” 

He cracks a grin and starts laughing before he rips the package open. Surprisingly, it's not condoms – you would seriously laugh your ass out if it were – but it's a box of popular male fragrances in smaller versions. You recognize all of them, silently praising Jimin for this year's present. 

You all exchange presents for each other. There was an idea coming from Jimin, you think, last year to pick up a secret Santa for each year. But there's something special and thoughtful about buying everyone a gift. And it makes a slight burden to all your wallets, but nobody said the presents have to be expensive. Yet, they're always meaningful and nobody gives shitty presents here. 

You meet every year before Christmas since all of you spend it with your families. You've decided to make your own and celebrate it together, even if it's beforehand. This year it has to be because you're flying back home sooner than usual. 

They were kind enough to meet no matter what, said it wouldn't be the same if you weren't here. 

After that is done, Jungkook is the one to take you home since Taehyung came to pick you up. There's fog everywhere with snow sitting down and not melting anytime soon. You love when there's snow around Christmas time.

On your way home, it's not that late by the time you arrive. Jungkook helps you with your presents upstairs and accepts a cup of tea you offer him with a stern look. You're quick to shed the layers of clothes and make yourself more comfortable. You bring Jungkook his tea and make a hot chocolate for yourself.

“What you got in there?” you ask, plopping next to him as the warmth and scent of home hugs you. 

“A little something,” he says with a cheeky grin. 

Spotting the same Christmas wrapping paper he has used for all his presents, you give him a knowing look. You're about to protest and scold the shit out of him when he shakes his head with another grin. 

“Stop.”

“No, you stop!” you whine, “You already gave me your present.”

And it was great. Jungkook has given you two tickets to a water park that's located on Jeju Island. That alone tells you it wasn't quite cheap.

“It's not much, I swear.” 

“But why? We all decided on one present.” 

Grateful that he's so thoughtful, you're slightly annoyed that he broke the rule that perhaps never was so serious but it makes you feel bad. 

“Just because.”

“That's not a valid reason.”

“Sounds very valid to me,” he sings out, teasing you a little further as you both giggle. “You'll understand it once you open it.” he finishes it with that, urging you to open it.

Hiding the heat in your cheeks, you playfully roll your eyes and start unboxing the little box he has managed to sneak in his jacket. Curiosity and excitement takes over you because Jungkook's presents are always something else. You rip the package and gasp as soon as you recognize the familiar box.

“Kook!”

“You told me you ran out the other day.”

“Did you–”

“Bought it when Jimin bought Taehyung's present? Yeah.” He answers, already knows what you were about to ask. But you're too stunned to scold him for interrupting you.

You open the box and pull out your favorite perfume. A few weeks ago, you don't even know how that conversation came up but you mentioned to him that your perfume is running out indeed. It wasn't anything intentional of course, more of a whine when you were about to spray a tiny amount as you were about to go out. You thought he was barely listening to you, urging you to rush out your ass outside. His exact words. 

But he's always listening. 

“I think I'm gonna be more careful what I'm about to say in front of you. You're gonna buy me everything I mentioned.” you chuckle, taking a good inhale of your favorite flowery and powdery scent. You mostly use it during warm seasons but it's a good one even in the winter.

It's your staple scent. Everyone knows it. It's special. You were using it back at home and it not only smells incredible, it also holds a certain emotional attachment you have with it. 

“Don't worry about that, you're out of my budget.” 

You kick the side of his thigh as you cross your legs under your butt, carefully placing the bottle on the table next to the ripped wrapping paper. “I wanted to buy it after Christmas.” 

“You don't have to anymore.”

You give him a look, questioning his answer for everything as he simply justifies his thoughtfulness in the most basic manner. He always brushes it like it's nothing. But it's very special to you. He is. 

In seconds, you wrap your arms around him and hug him tightly. He lets out a surprised gasp, a low chuckle escaping his lips as he hugs you back. He's warm, smells like a mixture of his wooden cologne and winter air. 

“Thank you.” you mumble into his shoulder before you slowly pull away. “But seriously, you should stop spending so much money on me. Don't you have a girlfriend to spend money on?”

As far as you know, she's fine with it but who knows. Jungkook isn't the type to let anyone get into your or guys' friendships. But he's also in love and people in love tend to be slightly blind, if you must say so. Not that you speak from your own experiences but well, it's quite known. And Jungkook is definitely in love. 

“Don't worry about Kiko,” he assures you, “She'll get a good amount of presents too.”

“Well, I hope she loves you for you and not for your bank account.”

He scowls, causing you to give him a childish toothy grin that acts innocent. “She's not like that.”

“But I'm serious, you should stop spending so much money on people. Especially on me.”

“I spend my money however I want and you know what?” he asks with a grin, leaning closer to you as you watch him with wide eyes. “It's none of your business.” he flicks your nose with his thumb causing you to cuss him out as you push his forehead to get him away from your proximity. 

“So really, just accept it.”

“You're stubborn.”

“You're telling me?” he laughs out loud as if you just told him the biggest joke.

Rolling your eyes again, you purse your lips. “I wanted to be nice, you moron.”

“Be nice by just accepting it. And the simple thanks is just enough, not needed though. The hug was very nice.”

You slap his arm in a teasing manner which causes him to laugh even more. “I'll hug you for the rest of my life.”

“Promise?” he smirks. 

“I promise.” you giggle, nodding.

“Well, then Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Kook.” you smile, the warmth spreading all over your heart. Even though this year hasn't been all rainbow and sunshine, it's alright as long as you have these people right beside you. 

Who cares about presents? They're nice and show the thoughtfulness behind them by each of your friends. What you need the most is just them. And the special relationship you have with each of them will hopefully last your lifetime. Because if it doesn't, nothing will ever be the same. 

Without them you would feel lost. At the moment, you're anything but lost. You have your second family, hoping this tradition between you never dies and will continue years and years.

LEE JOOHEON

happy birthday joohoney !! see the earlier WIP version here, or see some of my other portraits: exo kyungsoo / stray kids chan + seungmin / nct haechan 💕

Young

⊹ genre: Fluff mostly, minimal angst

⊹ pairing: Fred Weasley x Slytherin female reader

⊹ themes: Friends to lovers

⊹ summary: Fred rejected your advances, claiming you’re too young. You set out to seduce him, which backfires. Unwarranted comments were made in your presence, and George attempted to comfort you, finally explaining his fears and feelings in the process.

⊹ warnings: Swearing, third-party slut-shaming of the reader, mentions of an emotionally toxic relationship, very brief mention of drugs.

⊹ word count: 1.7k

⊹ a/n:  I don’t know why I’ve chosen to base this whole fic off of rejection yet again, but It’s completely different to the last, trust. A cute Fred one today because I’ve had a recent fixation on the twins and can’t seem to write for anyone else atm. 

Confidence has come naturally to you since the first day you walked through the castle doors. Many would wager that’s why you ended up in Slytherin over Hufflepuff. You’d never had issues letting people know how you felt about them; rejection had never been a concern or a fear simply because your self-assurance wasn’t so easily deteriorated. 

This wasn’t ever in question until two weeks ago. You hadn’t thought twice about approaching Fred after months of mutual teasing, or so you thought it was. You went to his spot on Gryffindor’s table in the morning, greeting him with a single pumpkin pasty. You waited till he took a bite out of it before making some quip that you couldn’t seem to, or rather didn’t want to remember, about owing you a kiss and maybe something more in return for it, to which he painfully, tragically mustered a chuckle past his lips, probably the most awkward position I’ve seen him in, before finally finding the words to let you down easily.

“You know I love you endlessly, but we’re friends” He could’ve just as easily stopped there, but he continued. 

“You’re just a little too young for me.”

Young

He briefly dated Amelia Farrow last spring, and she’s four months younger than you, so obviously, it wasn’t an age issue. He saw you as immature, a kid. He couldn’t even begin to picture you as attractive in any form. Actually, feeling affected as a result of rejection was unfamiliar; it was scary. How had you allowed yourself to feel enough for a man that your own stability suffered? As a result, you didn’t just feel hurt, you felt inferior, and that was harrowing enough in itself. 

You were just beginning to fall into another rant directing every expressional detail from the twitch of his bottom lip to the scrunch in his left brow when you were interrupted by a loud sigh.

“Babe, I couldn’t live a day without you, but swooning over a blood-traitor Weasley is way more than I can handle for the 7th time this morning”, Pansy quipped after a supportive kiss on my cheek.

“Give me a solution then”, you pleaded, faux pouting while hugging her thighs desperately.

“Seduce him, love; you’ve got the best ass on anyone in this entire school. Malfoy tells me he’s got a preference for it, says he lets a lot slip when they’re off smoking muggle grass.”

“Teach me how. You’re probably the only girl in our year every Slytherin male wants to shag a second time.”

-

It was the first quidditch match of the year, so naturally, you put on your uniform from 3rd year to cheer the team on. Malfoy found your overreaction to rejection amusing, like a fish out of water, to use his words, so he didn’t mind playing the role of the pawn in your game. You spent all game cheering Draco on, making sure you were just enthusiastic enough to attract Fred’s attention. 

The game finally came to an end. Gryffindor just barely scraped by, with Harry catching the snitch. I could already see Oliver Wood pushing Fred about, demanding a valid reason for his poor performance during the game. He pushed Wood off of him and stormed off with an exasperated look on his face.

I caught up to him a few feet away, deciding to skip past the jokes, figuring he wasn’t quite in the mood.

“Hey, you okay?” I timidly asked, reaching out to stroke his hand

“You sure move on quick, don’t you?” He spoke harshly, ignoring my question completely

“Are you serious? You reject me, then get mad at my attempts to move past that?” I shoved his shoulder, feigning annoyance. I knew exactly what I was doing, trying to prompt a reaction out of him.

“And what the hell are you wearing? Damn near sent Adrian Pucey spiralling into the benches with your ass out like that.”

“So I had both team’s beaters distracted, huh?”

“I wasn’t distracted so much as horrified.” He immediately followed

You shoved him playfully. “Shut up, weasel. You’re literally still staring at my tits.”

“You’re telling me you didn’t put that outfit on for me to stare at?” He whispered as we came to a halt just outside the quidditch changing rooms 

To my dismay, I couldn’t think of anything to do or say but scoff at him, to which his grin grew even bigger.

He turned to leave, my brain regaining activity without the pressure of his eyes in contact with mine.

“I put it on so you’d have a clearer image to jack off to tonight.”

I headed back to my dorm before he could get another word in.

-

I approached the great hall hand in hand with Daphne Greengrass, completely satisfied with the way I left things with Fred yesterday, convinced I’d won. The smile on my face immediately dropped as I heard the conversation taking place at the Gryffindor table.

“- he’s even got a Slytherin girl in his pocket, dressing up like a little slut just for him.”

“Tell me, Weasley, does she like it rough?”

“Seems like the kind of girl that’d take it in the back.”

Your heart dropped as you heard comments from miscellaneous men in the house, jeering over each other, collectively patting an angry-looking Fred on his back and shoulders in a congratulatory manner.  

We made eye contact. Before the men at his table sensed my presence, too, I broke away from Daphne and sprinted out of the Hall. I sank by a tree in front of the lake as I took shallow breaths.

What hurts is that every assumption they made about my character felt deserving. When did I become the girl so desperate for one man’s attention that I so pathetically made myself more sexually desirable in his eyes? So that his lust would cloud his judgement and throw me lay at the very least? I hadn’t even realised how delirious I was acting and how painfully obvious it was to everyone but me just how much more I clung to the idea of him. It was like a montage of clarity was playing in my brain, of the way I continued running up to the Gryffindor common room every morning, taking every opportunity to make what I thought was subtle physical contact with him. God.

I let out a little yelp when I finally opened my eyes. Fred sat right next to me, leaning his head against the tree the same way I was.

“God, you scared me half to death! fucking cunt” I muttered the last part, allowing my anger to peak through 

“I had Malfoy help me make sure those guys’ mouths stay shut. I’m sorry you had to hear that, and I’m sorry they were able to say more than two words without me hexing them and their mothers, to begin with. None of what any of them said is worth your care. They heard us talking outside the changing rooms yesterday. They’re all jealous little virgins that have-

“They were things I needed to hear” I cut him off before he fell into a rant that honestly wouldn’t have made a difference to the way I felt.

He looked at me incredulously, struggling to find the words to respond. 

“I was seeking your attention so incredibly desperately. It embarrasses me to think about it. You said no; I should’ve respected that and left it as it was. I took your reasoning personally, and for the way I’ve acted since that day, I apologise, truly,” I continued.

He sighed. “I only said what I said out of fear. I’m sure you remember I briefly dated a Hufflepuff girl in your year, Amelia. I made a mistake getting involved with her. She didn’t know how to separate love from attachment, and it got to a point her dependence on me started affecting her mental well-being, along with mine. Nobody saw much of me during the time we were dating because I was just so caught up with making sure she was okay since she relied on me completely. I didn’t realise  I was even allowed to have boundaries at all in a relationship. She constantly made me feel selfish and uncaring for wanting space or even just time with my family. When you told me how you felt about me, I had recovered from the relationship, but I hadn’t yet allowed myself to consider a future relationship with another person. I said what I thought I needed to say to avoid our relationship turning into the one I had with Amelia. But ever since you told me how you felt about me, it made me realise nothing about us has ever been platonic to me. I have never thought of you that way, and even when I tried to, I didn’t know how to look at you in any other way than lovingly. I feel so much for you. I could see myself loving you so easily. I’m just really afraid. I don’t know if I’m ready to navigate that all over again.”

It took me a while to respond, taking in everything he said in a state of such vulnerability. I noticed a stray tear on my skirt; it was his. I immediately reached out to hold his hands in comfort. I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off yet again.

“I will never allow anyone to say a word against you ever again, love.” He added

“I care a lot about you, Fred. I reacted the way I did, with such force and conviction, because it’s unfamiliar to me too, feeling so deeply for someone. Whatever you want to come from this, we can do. I want to learn to keep my independence through my feelings for you. I don’t think declaring something more than friendship will change things between us overnight, and I think all we need to do is keep being us.” 

“Okay”, he responded timidly but surely.

He could’ve just stopped there, but I’d come to learn that’s never something to expect from him.

“I absolutely did jack off to you last night, though.”

I kicked him in the shin as we walked back to the castle, hand in hand. 

End

✩ I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE ANY OF MY WRITING POSTED ON ANY EXTERNAL WEBSITES ✩

When I see you again (Fred Weasley x Reader)

PART 1.

female!reader, Gryffindor!reader

Summary: It takes place during the Second Wizarding War, months after Bill and Fleur's wedding. Reader is on the run after her family has been caught by the Snatchers. Loosely following cannon.

Pairing: Fred Weasley x reader (mentioned)

Characters: Dean Thomas, Fred Weasley (mentioned),George Weasley (mentioned), Ted Tonks (mentioned)

Warnings: war, mentions of death, angst, english is not my first language so there might be grammatical mistakes, capital letters, etc.

—

It was the break of dawn. You did not dare to travel during the day in case any Snatchers might be creeping around. However, travelling at night seemed even more terrifying considering that’s when dementors, inferi and other dark creatures were most active. You were on your own for months, travelling from place to place, never staying anywhere more than just a few days. You did not think it was wise to come back to the Godric’s Hollow, and all the safe houses provided by the Order seemed to be heavily protected by charms and spells, so you could not find any of them. You spent most of your time travelling through the countryside. Camping in the woods or hiding in abandoned muggle houses. The latter was a lot riskier since the streets were often infested with dementors. Muggles didn’t know what was going on since they couldn’t see them, but the terror they felt by their presence was enough to chase most of them away from their homes.

You were intentionally avoiding all magical places you could think of. You knew there was no place you could go to be completely safe, but there was no way you would not run into a Death Eater in the middle of the Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. You didn’t even dare to try to go back to the Burrow. To be honest, you feared what you might find there if you did.

Your hiding tactic was going quite well, in fact, you had gotten quite skilled at protective spells and charms and were even getting better at transfiguring objects into something edible. However, being cut off from the rest of the wizarding world had its downgrades. There was no way for you to hear any news of your friends and family. You occasionally turned on this muggle invention called television, but since muggles weren’t really aware of what was actually going on, they weren’t broadcasting much useful information. A part of you was glad, at least you heard no familiar names amongst the ones of missing muggles. But sitting there, completely cut off from everything and everyone, was getting more and more exhausting, and quite frankly, you believed it would be a lot less terrifying to actually get caught by a Snatcher.  

After careful consideration, you decided to go back to your family’s vacation home. The last time you were there, the village was crawling with trolls and acromantulas, but that was months ago! Surely, it must have been cleared out by now! And if not… well you would cross that bridge when you get to it.

So, at the break of dawn, you gathered all of your most valuable things, your wand, a cloak and a couple of tin cans you found in one of the houses you were hiding in, and disapparated.

Two seconds later you felt yourself landing face down onto something sharp and cold. A painful groan escaped your lips as you felt your nose had just been hit by something that felt like a brick. You then realised you didn’t land face down, but instead, bumped right into a tall stone wall you assumed used to be a part of someone’s home. You lifted your wand and quietly whispered:

“Episkey!”

The pain stopped almost instantly only to be replaced by a shocking realisation the moment you turned around to see where you were.

You were exactly in the place you wanted to be, only the place looked nothing like it was supposed to. You were thankful for the absence of trolls and acromantulas, but the reason for their absence was that there was absolutely nothing around that they could possibly prey upon. There were no people, no roads, houses or plants… it was a wasteland. As you turned around trying to find any shape of something that used to be your old vacation home, a terrifying thought had crossed your mind. A thought you were trying so hard to push away for months.

Where… are they?

Tears began to fill your eyes and before you could stop you let out a desperate, heart aching sob. It felt like a punch to the gut. Your legs were no longer listening to you, and you collapsed to the ground.

“Please… please…! Where are they? Someone… anyone…?” you sobbed.

A part of you hoped that someone or something would show up and help you. A Patronus, a house elf, a bird…  at this point you would even greet a troll with open arms

But no one was coming to save you. There you were, all by yourself, in the middle of the rubble that used to be your family’s backyard. During the months of running and hiding you had not once felt as alone and hopeless as you did in that moment. You crumbled completely, thinking of all the people that meant anything to you. You parents, younger cousins still being forced to attend Hogwarts, friends you last saw during Bill and Fleur Weasley’s wedding. Oh, what you would give for just one familiar face showing up, picking you up the ground and embracing you, telling you everything was going to be okay. Telling you all of them were alive and well. That your parents escaped the Snatchers’ grip and were somewhere in a safe location. That your cousins were able to escape this now dreadful place that used to bring you so much joy during your school years. That your friends were somewhere out there, searching for you and wishing you were with them. But no one was coming, and by the looks of it, no one was going to.

You considered just staying there, in the middle of a wasteland. Crying yourself to sleep and hoping to die before you must wake to this dreadful reality.

However, after the tears have dried out, you managed to pluck up all the remaining strength and bravery that was left in your malnourished, sleep deprived body, and somehow, stand back up on your trembling feet. You took a deep breath and forced yourself to take a step forward. Then another one. By the third one you were on the verge of collapsing yet again, but then, something unexplainable happened. You blinked in confusion.

You realised you no longer knew where you were. You knew you were travelling somewhere, that there was a reason for you to be standing here, in the middle of nowhere, but you couldn’t for the life of you remember what it was. You looked around, hoping to gain some clarity, but it was useless. It was as if someone had just gone inside your head and altered your memories. A surge of panic went through your body. You turned back around and returned to the place you were standing two seconds ago. And then you remembered. You remembered everything you knew a moment ago. This was your vacation home. You came here to find someone. Anyone. How could you possibly forget that?

You took two steps forward again, and your mind went blank. Once again, you blinked in confusion and frustration.

What is happening?

You took two steps back again and remembered.

Two steps forward, forgot.

Two steps backward, remembered.  

Through the cloud of bewildering uncertainty caused by this development, another thought hit you like a train wreck. A thought that caused you to feel a spark of something you hadn’t felt in a really long time. A spark of something you never thought you’d feel again. Hope.

A shocked giggle escaped your lips.

It was a spell!

A cloaking spell! Someone was hiding right there in front of you, in your own house! That’s why you couldn’t remember anything when you walked forward. Someone was there, perhaps watching you at this very moment. Someone who didn’t want to be found. Which could only mean…

“Mum?”, you called out.

“Dad?”

No one answered.

“Please, if anyone’s there, it’s me, Y/N! Your cloaking spell is very strong, I can’t see anything!”

You waited patiently for someone to answer, but no one did. You thought to yourself that perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea to be standing here screaming. What if it wasn’t one of your own? What if it was a trap? But you pushed those thoughts away. You were way too tired and desperate to be questioning this miracle that has presented itself.

So what if it was a trap? Nothing can be worse than this uncertainty! You sat down in the rubble and stared at the seemingly blank space in front of you, your eyes scanning every detail of it in hopes of seeing someone appear.

“Maybe they didn’t hear me?”, you thought to yourself.

But before you could do or say anything else, a muffled, but somehow familiar voice yells out something in your direction. You tried to stand up, but before you could do that, the same voice exclaimed,

“Petrificus Totalus!”

Your entire body stiffened up. You couldn’t move. Your eyes widened in terror as you heard footsteps approaching. Then, a figure appeared in front of you. You could see his face clearly.

It was the last person you expected to see there, and yet, despite the fact he had just petrified you, you were never so happy to see anyone in your entire life.

It was Dean Thomas.

...

Dean was just being careful; you couldn’t blame him for that. However, lying there petrified, without the ability to speak, was getting really frustrating. You thanked your lucky stars that it was a classmate and not a Death Eater standing in front of you, because now that you’ve thought of it, that could’ve easily been the case. You should’ve been more careful.

Dean circled around you like a vulture, his wand still up and pointed at you. He examined your face, the clothes you were wearing and your wand. He took the little bag you were carrying and emptied it. When he realised there was nothing in it except two portions of canned beans, he finally sighed in relief and whispered,

“Finite Incantatem!”

Your body relaxed.

“Dean!”

Your mouth was dry and the words that came out of it sounded like a squeak, but you did not let that bother you. Not in this moment.

“Dean, it’s so good to see you…”

“Not so fast!”, he whispered and pointed his wand back at you, “First tell me who you are!”

“You don’t know who I am?”, you asked in confusion.

That was highly unlikely. Dean and you weren’t exactly the closest of friends, but you did know each other. You spent five years in the same common room, often chatting about muggle movies and music, not the mention all the times you spent helping him and Seamus Finnigan with their homework. Two years ago, you even attended the same secret club at Hogwarts called Dumbledore’s Army.

“No, I know who you are”, he said heavily, “I just want to see if you know it”.

You blinked.

He wants to be sure it’s not a trick.

“Oh… okay…”, you started, “My name is Y/N Y/LN. I was in the Gryffindor house at Hogwarts, two years above you. I… I used to watch you argue with Oliver Wood about soccer! Yes, you were saying it’s a more exciting sport than Quidditch… until he accidentally knocked over a candle and almost burnt down the entire Gryffindor tower”.

The memory of that made you chuckle. It felt like centuries ago! Even the corners of Dean’s lips flickered like he was holding back a smile.

“Yeah… do you remember what happened next?”, he asked, still not entirely convinced.  

“Yes… McGonagall rushed in and put out the fire… nobody wanted to tell her who did it and Fred and George blamed it on Peeves…”.

You cleared your throat. The mention of Fred and George Weasley felt like a stab in the heart. You rubbed your eyes before tears could come out, trying to make it seem like a nonchalant action, but Dean wasn’t fooled. However, this subtle burst of emotion at the mention of your two best friends seemed to convince him it was really you, and he finally lowered his wand.

He put his hand on your shoulder, and you threw yourself at him, pulling him into a hug. He was a bit startled by this action, but in the next moment he wrapped his arms around you and returned the embrace.

“Dean… what are you doing here?”, you asked after finally letting him go.

“I’m in hiding, of course”, he said.

“Yes… but what are you doing here?”, you pointed at the wasteland around you.

“Oh, right…”, he smiled apologetically and whispered, “The Unseen Village 32”.

For a moment you were standing there in confusion. Then, two very long seconds later, a large yellow building appeared right in front of you. Before you could stop yourself, you cried out in amazement. It was your family house, a bit rugged and damaged, but it was definitely still standing!

You were lost for words. Dean took you by the hand and led you through the front door. The inside of the house was almost completely preserved.

“It’s a Fidelius charm”, he explained, “I’m the secret keeper of this house, nobody can find it unless I tell them the location”.

“Fidelius?”, you raised your eyebrows, “Isn’t that like, really advanced magic?”

“Well, yes…”, he scratched the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed, “But I had some time to practice it. Ted Tonks taught me how to do it before he… you know”, a flicker of pain appeared in his eyes.

“Ted… Tonks? Nymphadora Tonks’ father?”.

You knew Nymphadora Tonks was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Her family home was one of the safe houses the Order was using during the night Harry Potter was moved from Little Whinging.

Your home in the Godric’s Hollow was one of the safe locations as well. In fact, it was the house in which Arthur and Fred Weasley showed up. You could see their faces as clear as day. Arthur was bewildered, shaking, and rushing through your house, trying to get to the Potrkey as soon as possible. Fred was on the verge of tears.

 “What happened? What’s wrong?”, you kept asking.

The words that followed your question still haunted you to this very day,

“Someone’s been hit. We think it’s George”.

Dean’s voice pulled you back to the current moment.

“Anyway, this was the only house that was still standing after the acromantulas have cleared up… or so it seemed. You never know, there might be others out here, using protective spells and what not…”

“Right…”, you shook your head, trying to focus on his words, “Well, it’s a very powerful spell. Thank Merlin you came out, I would’ve driven myself insane trying to figure out why my mind is suddenly going blank”.

“Sorry for petrifying you, I had to be sure it wasn’t a trick”.

You nodded,

“I would’ve been offended if you hadn’t”, you said teasingly.

Dean chuckled.

“Well, I knew you were out there, they mentioned you the other day in the PotterWatch”.

You shook your head in confusion.

“In the what?”

Dean seemed just as confused as you.

“In the… PotterWatch. You have been listening to PotterWatch, right?”

“Dean, I have no idea what you’re talking about”, you said sincerely, “You’re the first person I’ve talked to since I ran away”.

“What… you’ve been on your own this entire time?”

“Yes”

“Well how did you… how did you make it?”, he was baffled.

You shrugged.

“Honestly… I don’t know. I’ve been avoiding crowded spaces and scavenging for food… I’ve gotten pretty good at protective charms as well”.

Dean looked almost impressed. You blushed.

“Blimey! That’s… I wouldn’t have lasted three days on my own”, he said.

“Aren’t you on your own now?”, you asked.

He smiled sadly.

“I was with Ted until recently…  Oh!”, he jumped up, startling you, “That reminds me!”

He looked around the room and rushed towards something that was sitting at the small coffee table next to the dusty red sofa on your right. It looked like a small, dirty box. He took the box in his hands and started tapping on it with his wand while mumbling something.

“Oh, I’m sure it was… Padfoot? No… Fawkes! No, hang on…”

After a few minutes of tapping and mumbling, he yelled out in excitement,

“Ah, there it is!”

You heard a couple of muffled voices coming from the box.

It’s a radio, you realised.

The voices were getting louder and clearer, until finally, you recognised who they belonged to.

“…to introduce our new correspondent, "Rodent"!

“I'm not being Rodent! I told you, I want to be "Rapier"!”

“Fred!”, you cried out and grabbed the radio from Dean’s hand.

You couldn’t believe it. It was Fred. And George! They were alive! They were fine! Oh, it felt so good to hear their voices! You felt a warm, excited feeling spreading through you, as if your heart finally started beating properly again.

“Oh alright, "Rapier"! Could you tell our listeners the various stories you've heard about the Chief Death Eater?”

“Yes I can. As our listeners will know, unless they've taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond…”

This made you chuckle loudly, as tears were filling your eyes yet again. However, this time you didn’t try to stop them, and instead, you just let them silently slide down your cheeks.

“…You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice climate of panic! Mind you, if all alleged sightings of him are genuine, there must be nineteen You-Know-Whos running around!”

You didn’t even pay attention to the words he was saying. They weren’t important. Who cares about You-Know-Who? Who cares about Death Eaters? Nothing was as important as the fact that you could hear Fred Weasley’s cheerful voice coming from this small, dusty box. You savoured every sound it made, clenching it firmly in your grip, like you were afraid the voice would disappear if you didn’t.

After a few minutes the broadcast had ended. You raised your eyes to meet Dean’s, almost as if you were silently begging him to bring the voice back. Dean was leaning on the doorway, clearly a bit uncomfortable, but wanting to let you have your moment with the radio. You felt a bit embarrassed. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke gently,

“This was from a few weeks ago… I actually wanted to show you another one…”

He carefully took the radio from your hands and started tapping on it again, mumbling words that you realised were passwords to access the radio line.

“Ah, yes… this one”, he handed you the radio again.

You sat down at the red sofa and placed the little box near your right ear with the nervous excitement.

“Well, dear listeners, we have a very special announcement today that might lift up your spirits”, you heard George’s voice say.

“It has certainly lifted ours!”, Fred continued.

“We are very happy to inform you that a group of our favourite “Undesirables” and muggleborns has just been rescued from the Ministry and is currently transferred to a safe location”.

“The freed are alive and well and mostly unharmed”.

“Mostly unharmed? What does that mean, mostly unharmed, Rodent?”.

“Well, “Tentacula” …”

“Tentacula!?”

“It means that all off them have managed to keep all of the limbs they had before they were captured!”

“So, if someone was missing a leg before…?

“They didn’t grow it back, but they did most likely keep the other one!”

“What are the names of the freed, Rodent?”

“I told you, it’s “Rapier”!”

“Sorry, Rapier!”

“Well…”

You were clinging onto the radio for dear life while listening to the names Fred was listing. Your heart was racing. You heard lots of familiar names, some of them were your friends, your acquaintances, people you’ve only met once, people you studied with at the library at Hogwarts…

“And of course, last but not least…”

You clenched your jaw in anticipation. When Fred said the names of your parents, a quiet sob escaped your lips.

They are fine! They are fine! They are alive and they are safe! Everything is alright!

Fred’s voice suddenly deepened in uncharacteristic seriousness.

“However, even though Mrs. and Mr. Y/LN are safe and sound, their daughter Y/N is still presumed to be missing”.

“What would you say to Y/N if you knew she was listening?”, George’s voice asked.

“I’d tell her that her family is alive and well and desperate for news of her whereabouts. As are quite frankly, all of us here at the PotterWatch”.

“Well, there you have it, dear listeners! On that note we are ending this very special episode of PotterWatch!”

“Protect yourselves”.

“And each other!”

“And as always…”

“Support Harry Potter!”

You were still holding onto the radio a few minutes after the episode ended. Dean didn’t say anything, and you were grateful for that. You were still savouring the words you just heard. Fred and George’s voices. The names of your friends that were confirmed to be freed from the Ministry. The names of your family. You didn’t even realise you were shaking until Dean gently put his hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him in a surprise, as if you had completely forgotten that he was still there. He smiled at you softly as you put your hand onto his and squeezed it. There was only one thought on your mind. You looked straight into Dean’s eyes in a sudden burst of determination and said, in a quiet but clear voice,

“Dean… We have to find them”.

—