Harriet Potter and an Adventure to Remember

Warnings: This story is an alternate universe and contains not only out of character characters, but original characters as well. Going to be M/M and F/F couples. Maybe some bad language. Well, probably some bad language. Aww, who am I kidding? There'll be cussing. More warnings to come as they, well, come up.

Summary: Picture Harry as a girl, and everything's going to go fast. 6th year's going to be the most fun. Harriet's going to be paired with Snape (not Severus, Severus's offspring). Possibly Malfoy/Lovegood or Zabini/Wesley. I'd like to add in a het pairing, but can't figure out whom.

Obligatory Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, go figure. Cause nobody's ever said that before. Though, wouldn't that be something if J.K. Rowling were secretly writing fanfiction?

Harriet scowled at the train platform. The Dursley's had dropped her off and left. She was leaving for her first year at a boarding school, finally off their hands, and they were acting upset. Sure, they hated the idea of it being a "magic" boarding school, but her leaving for any reason should be cause for celebration. But then when has anything involving her been cause for celebration?

Instead, they'd been grumpier then normal. Her cousin had stayed with his aunt, Vernon's sister, safely tucked away from Harriet until her oddness was out of the house. Petunia hadn't spoken a word to Harriet since their island cabin door had been busted down by the massive man named Hagrid, and Vernon had been staying late at work. Every night.

"Leave off, George!" The shout caught her attention and Harriet watched a gaggle of redheads walk forward. The youngest boy glared at a slightly older boy, shoving him. Distracted, the younger redhead didn't notice as his older brother's apparent twin snuck up behind him and attempted to give him a noogie.

"No, I'm Fred, ikkle Ronnikins. I'm so hurt you don't even know your own brothers well enough to tell—"

"Shut it, Fred!"

The group passed by Harriet, and then blinked out of slight through a wall as the pump mother, one hand holding a small girl's hand and the other gripping the ear of the previously mischievous twin, began berating the boys.

Staring at the seemingly solid wall the family had passed through, Harriet looked around the station. No one had even glanced in their direction. People were so oblivious. They only saw what they wished to. Few people had noticed her in the twenty minutes she'd stood there, an eleven year old girl all by herself in the busy station. They saw a pretty girl, brown hair casually pulled into a ponytail, wearing unassuming jeans and t-shirt, but also standing firm. She projected too much strength for "lost child" vibes, and was not old enough to attract any attention her looks guaranteed her after puberty. And so everyone's eyes passed by her.

Harriet pushed off from the wall she'd been leaning against and walked toward where the family disappeared, her trunk pulled behind her. All too soon, Harriet found herself sitting on the train, dozens of families and pets swirling just outside her window. She watched as the conductor, kind enough to help her with her trunk earlier, spoke with several other adults near the head of the train.

A cat meowed somewhere and she found herself regretting her lack of pet. The large, overly-friendly man who had taken her shopping for school things had offered to get her an owl, but she disliked birds and hadn't been comfortable accepting a gift from the strange man, despite his apparent kindness. One thing Aunt Petunia made sure to teach me: never take candy from strangers. And he was certainly strange.

She dismissed the crowd. Many of them were to be her classmates, and she would know more about them soon enough. Instead, she pulled out her potions textbook. She'd browsed most of her books already, mostly going over the keywords and other essential facts.

Whipping out a highlighter, she flipped to the center of her potions book, the place she'd left her bookmark the day before, and began skimming around the ingredient lists and stirring directions. The explanation sections always held important information in her normal science books, and the same had prove to be true for the stranger subject of potions.

Though engrossed in her book, Harriet nonetheless looked up when, an hour into the ride, the door slide open. A girl stood in the opening. Her dark eyes fiery, and her countenance scowling, she still asked politely, "Is there a seat free in here?"

Nodding toward the bench opposite hers, Harriet questioned, "Are you a first year as well?" She hoped she said yes. She didn't mind being friend-less, but the girl looked interesting enough to be someone Harriet could cheerfully not hate.

"I am." Settling herself, the girl held out a hand toward Harriet. "It's Serena. Serena Snape. And you would be?"

"Harriet. It's a pleasure, Serena," replied Harriet, clasping the offered hand. She didn't offer her last name, having read about her past in the Defense Against the Dark Arts text. The last thing she needed was to fall in with a bunch of ass-kissers trying to soak up fame.

"You're going through your potions text already?" Serena shook her bangs out of her face. Harriet eyed the other girl's straight, pitch-black hair with envy.

"Yes, a head start never hurts." Said book, while still open on her lap, hadn't held Harriet's attention since the other girl first stood in the doorway.

"Hmm, how very Ravenclaw of you. Will that be your House, then?"

"I won't know until I've been sorted, now will I?" Harriet remarked cattily. The comment slipped out before she could censor herself. One of the reasons she hadn't made friends well in primary school had been her near-constant sarcasm. So few appreciated dry humor, especially when it was directed at them.

Lips curving into her first smile in the presence of Harriet, Serena studied Harriet more intently. "Yes, how very true. You're quite right. Though we can always wish for a particular House."

"And what House would you be wishing for?"

Serena relaxed back into her seat, crossing her legs. Harriet couldn't help but notice that the other girl had already changed into her uniform.

"Slytherin. My father is the current Slytherin Head of House. And Hogwart's resident Potion Master." Holding eye contact, Harriet noticed how closely the other girl watched for her reaction. Serena didn't think she'd take the news well.

"Strange."

"How so?"

"Well, Hogwarts is a boarding school. Isn't the point to learn in a place without parents? And yet you want to be in a House your father is closely involved with. I find that strange." Challengingly, Harriet decided to be fully honest. After all, what was the point of falsely coming off as gentle and soft in order to make friends? They'd simply scamper away in tears when she acted like herself later.

Serena didn't act offended. If anything, she seemed pleased by Harriet's reaction to her declaration, or possibly pleased by Harriet's lack of reaction? "That does make sense, and I understand why it would seem odd. But I've grown up hearing stories of Slytherin, and I'm not the type of person who becomes stuck in rebellious phases where hatred of parents is a must. I simply believe it's the place I will fit in the best. There's the added benefit of knowing my friends will be in that House as well."

"Your friends?" Harriet found herself somewhat disappointed. She'd first hoped Serena had been similarly new to the world of magic and therefore also without friends, and when she mentioned her father working at the school, Harriet had still held some hope. . . . How pathetic of her, wishing Serena were friendless so that Harriet could latch on. "And where are your friends now?"

"Oh," Serena waved a dismissive hand, "they're in another compartment. We had a bit of a tiff—over nothing important, of course—and so I decided to sit somewhere else for a bit. I'll see them at Hogwarts, no worries."

"No worries," Harriet found herself agreeing.

The rest of the train ride passed amicably, the two of them carrying on a conversation that ranged from potions to the annoyance of stupid people.

As the train pulled into Hogsmeade, the two separated. Serena to find her friends, and Harriet to quickly change into her uniform before exiting the train.

And she rode across the lake, settled in a boat with two boys and an Asian girl, she noticed Serena in a near-by boat. She was pointing Harriet out to a blond haired girl sitting next to her. Stiffening her back, Harriet tried not to care when the lightly colored girl sneered and looked disdainful.

And then Hogwarts took up all of her sight, and the wonder of it washed away her friendship worries.

Her first steps into the castle convinced her. This was the place she was meant to be. The talking hat was novel, but the fantastic ceiling took up more of her attention. As the other first years began to be called up to the stool, each trying on the oversized hat, Harriet paid more attention. When her own House was decided, she didn't want to look like a fool because she was too silly to know which table she had been assigned.

The blond girl's turn quickly came. Her name alone, Draca Malfoy, sounded snotty. As much as Harriet liked Serena, Harriet doubted she would be making an effort to get on with Serena's friends if they were all like Draca.

The girl was sent to Slytherin, almost before the hat had time to touch her perfectly coiffed head.

And then it was Harriet's turn.