Green eyes concealed behind dark sunglasses glanced around at her surroundings. The crowded platform was full of parents and friends and children saying goodbye to each other for -the next ten months or meeting up after two months. Swiftly walking through the crowd to the gleaming red and black train, she hopped onto the train, not paying mind to the many children who were struggling with their trunks. Quickly locating an empty carriage, she sat down and set up the proper wards. To the outsider, it seemed as though the whole compartment was full, but in reality, the young woman was the only one inside. Pulling out a book, she kept the sunglasses on but tapped the side of them to be able to see the book properly.
Ron was searching and searching for Harley Potter. His mother had told him that Dumbledore, the Dumbledore, wanted him to make friends with her. Harley had only just sent in her acceptance letter the night before, to enter into her third year. Apparently, she was also quite the looker, so it shouldn't be this hard for him to find her. He had looked everywhere, though, full compartment after full compartment. He decided to stop looking for now and found a compartment with his friends; he was getting hungry.
Harley waved her hand and her clothes melted into her Egyptian cotton black robes. It made her shiny red locks stand out, along with her tanned skin from so many afternoons out collecting potions ingredients. Stepping down from the train, she followed the older children to the threstal-drawn carriages, briefly petting one. Again, she set up the wards, not even noticing the slight drain on her magic. She had magic in spades, having been blessed into existence could do that to one. What did she care if there weren't enough carriages for the other students?
Stepping into the school that had been like a home and a prison for her for the past two years, Hermione looked around, spotting her group of friends. They waved towards her and she quickly skipped to their side. Thankfully, she had had enough sense to sort out of Gryffindor after her horrendous first year and be sorted into Ravenclaw. She smiled at everyone and even managed a tight smile for Luna. No matter what foolish drivel the girl spilled out of her mouth every time it opened, Luna was intelligent enough to be in her group. She looked around again and spied a shade of red hair she had never seen before in her life. Was it a new student? Never mind, Professor Dumbledore was speaking and required her utmost attention; he was a respectable authority figure after all.
Harley walked across the entrance hall to where Professor McGonagall was leading the first years to the Great Hall. She fell behind them in line, no one noticing her silent steps. However, as she towered over the firsties, all eyes were on her the moment they stepped into the Great Hall. The chatter paused before starting up again, slightly louder this time. Most of it was over why she still had on sunglasses inside the castle. The professor swiftly walked up to a stool in front of the Teacher's Table and pulled out a fraying Hat. It took a moment before the Hat awoke and then it burst into a song that simply described its purpose and the different houses and their qualities. After it finished its ballad and the clapping that ensued ended, McGonagall quickly spoke to the students. "I will call your name and you will come here, sit on the stool, and wear the hat." She spoke primly to the first years. Harley just stared without an expression on her face. The sorting began.
"Harley Potter." Whispers broke out across the Gryffindor table at the announcement of the Girl-Who-Lived's name. Ron looked jealous as the attention his friends had given him was transferred to the girl. He had to admit she was very beautiful, though, even with those dark sunglasses on. She was possibly the hottest girl in the school, including the upper years. Ron didn't see what she was trying to prove by wearing sunglasses indoors though. Everyone held their breath as she wore the hat and perched sophisticatedly on the stool. Ron scowled. She probably had loads of money and was spoiled rich. The hat yelled out a house that Ron was sure she would go into.
"Slytherin!" Harley removed the hat off of her head and set it back on the stool because McGonagall had gone catatonic from the fact that Lily and James Potters' daughter could be a slimy Slytherin. Harley made her way to the house decked in green and silver without the barest of emotions. Everyone watched her in shock as she sat down and proceeded to ignore everyone staring at her. It was silent at first, then the roar began. People were screaming that it couldn't be possible. They were screaming in terror that she would be the next Dark Lady. Some were even crying.
Hermione watched her surroundings with interest. Of course, she knew all about the Girl-Who-Lived. Harley Potter had defeated the Dark Lord You-Know-Who or Lord Voldemort at the age of one. Her parents had died protecting her and she had been hidden away at her own protection. She was the savior of the wizarding world from the harshest Dark Lord ever seen for a century. Even with all of these facts, as Hermione thought of them, she couldn't sense the horror that everyone else felt. As a muggleborn, she had to change to fit into a new category, but it also meant that she didn't know that Harley had been missing for years. All she knew was that Harley Potter in Slytherin was a bad thing, based off of her observations of her surroundings of course.
"Harley Potter. My, how times have turned strange." Harley looked up from her plate even though she had no need to. She could easily have seen the boy from her peripheral view. She stared at the boy, because that really was what he was, allowed a flash of recognition to come forth in her emotionless eyes to appease the boy, and then turned back to her plate. Hogwarts did know how to make a mean strawberry cheesecake. From her peripheral view, she could see that the boy, Draco Malfoy, had begun to turn an unflattering red at her blatant disregard for him even though he knew she knew who he was. Finally, he burst out, "Don't ignore your superiors, Potter!" He hissed, catching the eyes of only the Slytherins and the Head Table. Harley ignored him a bit more and just when he was going to burst again, she retorted, "I'll be sure to follow your advice, Draco, when I see my superiors." Draco looked at her shocked while nearly every Slytherin gasped silently. It was a pureblood rule to not use one's private names or first names without explicit invite. Harley was picking a fight when she said Draco just because he hadn't asked her to.
Draco Malfoy looked at the crimson-haired girl in front of him. She had recognized him and he knew it. He knew she knew he knew that she had recognized him too. What he couldn't believe was that she had ignored him. Draco also couldn't believe that she had used his name in such a way that defiled him. Yet, he felt strangely exhilarated by her usage of his name. Shaking his head to clear his conflicting thoughts, Draco planned his next move. There would be no way that his father wouldn't know about this.