DEFENSES OF THE HEART
CHAPTER 1
"You build up all these defenses. You build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you. Then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life…"
-Rose Walker, a character from Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman"
I found this quote, liked it, and decided I could make a fanfic from it, picking 2 people with perhaps the strongest of defenses around their hearts. I have also been wondering for some time what a female "harry potter" would turn out like, how much less likely she would be to let others tell her who she was, with maybe a little more self-preservation.
I do not own anything recognizable as J.K. Rowlings in this story. There will be occasional swearing, sorry if that offends, I will warn you before any chapter that contains it. There will also be a rather large age gap, sorry, i figure they live quality lives til they are well over 100, this age gap will be acceptable (is almost socially acceptable anyway)
Here is the intro to introduce you to this slightly quirky pottervise story:
Alice Potter was strolling down the dirt road that made Hogsmeade mainstreet thinking back over her first weeks of her 6th years at Hogwarts. She had just entered her sixth year and it was her loneliest yet. She had returned to Hogwarts after a brutal summer with her relatives with no word from her friends to find whispers following her as she searched for a compartment. Hedwig had died during the summer, poisoned by Dudley and aid had not arrived in time, and she hoped to explain to her friends before they could berate her for not owling, not they had owled her either. Finding the compartment containing her friends she was surprised and hurt to see the angry glares she received from the two youngest Weasley's and Hermione before the compartment door was locked and the blind pulled down.
Moving on she soon found a compartment with Neville and Luna, and entered but not before asking for permission to enter. From Luna's angry whispers about bumblebee's hiding as Nargles stealing common sense, and Neville's nervous glances in her direction she decided on getting her answers. Apparently the Daily Prophet had been slandering her again, this hadn't surprised her in the least, what did surprise her was that the Weasley family believed it, as well as Hermione. This year apparently she was going dark, because of the connection of her scar, and her constant "disregard for her elders and school rules".
She had been the brunt of much bullying from her year mates since the beginning of term, and was glad for these moments of peace as she weaved between the other students visiting hogsmeade. She had a beanie pulled over her scar, and a hair colour changing potion changing her hair colour from Black to Auburn, no one recognized her.
As she walked into the apothecary she ran into a surprised Snape, he looked at her oddly for a a second before he recognized her and his usual expression of disdain settled onto his face.
"10 points from Gryffindor for dyeing your hair inappropriately, I expect to see it back to normal by tomorrow breakfast or it will be a detention" Snapped Professor Snape.
"Yes Professor" Alice answered softly before proceeding into the small, smelly store. She had already planned on changing her hair back, she did not want this disguise to be wasted so she did not argue the detention, and the points were expected.
As Alice turned back to head towards the castle she heard a pitiful meow from behind some empty trashcans. When she looked behind the garbage bins so saw a tiny black kitten. The kitten was soaked from head to foot and every rib could be seen, scooping the cat up she decided to take her to Hagrid, but not before casting drying and warming charms one her and carefully putting her in the front of her cloak.
This is how she came by Mildred. Mildred was a black cat with bold yellow eyes, and after a few weeks of healthy meals she would not be dissuaded from been Alice's pet, not that Alice tried very hard as she had found to like the quite company of the cat, not to mention having something to look after.
The year passed slowly for Alice, and people slowly learnt not to bully Alice as strange things happened around those that did. While Ron and Ginny were hostile towards her, Hermione sat back and watched, Alice didn't care though, it hurt just as much. Now Alice was not constantly been held back by Ron's poor study habits and Hermione's know-it-all attitude she found herself excelling in charms and potions, and receiving tutoring in Ancient Runes, for although she had taken Arithmacy (mathematics was one of her favourite subjects in primary so she would not be deterred) she had taken Divination instead of Ancient Runes.
Several teachers had noticed this change, so had other students, while she did not have any official authority within the school, such as prefect status, she found more and more students came to her for help with classmates, tutoring, or simply a shoulder to cry on. People slowly learnt not to bully the younger years as well, regardless of house.
By the end of the year a buddy system had been set up within Gryffindor. Many of the first year problems she found came from muggleborns, ignorant they were of so many things, Alice simply could not help them all. Each first year was assigned a buddy, someone for the firsties to go to if they were in need of some help and the current prefects who, were very involved in each other, could not find time to do. They had also started a book, The Muggleborn's Survival Guide. The book contained useful knowledge that other muggleborns had stumbled across at their time at Hogwarts. Each Muggleborn and Half-blood were given a copy, it was updated once a term by the older students, writing and organizing the suggestions of other students. Professor McGonagall was very impressed and awarded Gryffindor 50 points.
Soon this book found its way into the hands of students of the other houses, with the help of Luna Lovegood, and a donation from the Potter trust fund 'The Muggleborn Survival Guide; by muggleborns of Hogwarts. was published properly, self updating, with a part set out for notes on your own experience, as well as a mailbox address to send your own useful information.
It was now nearing exam time and Alice could be found perched onto the edge of a turret of the astronomy tower. It was nearly the end of the year and her cat Mildred sat on her lap purring contentedly as she scratched her behind the ears. She was to return to the Dursleys in a few weeks and she needed to find somewhere for Milly to go, she would not suffer the same fate as Hedwig.
End Chapter.
There you go! one chapter, there is more waiting for you avid readers, but waiting you will be. I pan to space this out a little.
