Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Vernon Dursley/Petunia Evans Dursley, and mentions of James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Warnings: alternate universe; female!Harry (Harmony); het; nice and loving!Vernon and Petunia Dursley; mentions of depression, suicidal thoughts, death, and murder; mentions of off-screen character death; death of a child due to SIDS; mentions of child abuse; mentions of bullying; and Sorted into a Different House
Prompt: (Word) Blood
Summary: To Harmony, it didn't matter what people said. Vernon and Petunia were her parents, Lilith was her sister, and she was a Dursley.
Having someone to love is family. Having somewhere to go is home. Having both is a blessing.
–Anonymous
Bonds of Family
First Year
When she first learned about the Magical World – because, for the record, Wizarding World sounded absolute stupid and sexist by ignoring witches – she was excited. It was the best news ever. Harmony Dursley couldn't believe it. It was like all of her dreams were coming true.
Finding out magic existed explained somethings about her parents. Vernon and Petunia never told her that magic was real, they only told her that she was special. They let her read as many fantasy books as she wanted – as long as they were age appropriate – and they let her watch a fair amount fantasy movies and television shows. Her parents tried to monitor the amount of she watched television or played video games. They wanted her active and outside instead of inside and passive, watching the screen.
Harmony knew her parents weren't her biological parents. They adopted her when she young, like two years old or something. Vernon and Petunia told her the truth when she was in first grade. Her other parents were James and Lily Potter, and Lily was Petunia's younger sister. James and Lily were killed when Harmony was fifteen months old, and she was placed in the care of her only remaining relatives.
Petunia and Vernon saw Harmony as a second chance for a family. Their own son, Dudley, died at the age of three months of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and they were unable to conceive another child. They were on the verge of divorce when Harmony entered their lives. She was young girl without parents, and they were parents without a child to love. Together, the three were a perfect fit. Harmony saved their family, their marriage, and Petunia's life while Vernon and Petunia found a darling little girl that fit into their lives and their family.
Petunia's greatest dream in life was to be a mother. As a young mother, she lost her son. One second he was asleep and breathing, and the next second he stopped breathing. According to their old doctor, if Petunia had entered the room and moved Dudley then he never would have died. The news broke something in Petunia, causing her to blame herself while Vernon fired the doctor and threatened the sue.
In the months following Dudley's death, Petunia went to numerous doctors and specialists, interesting in having another child – even though she continued to struggle with Dudley's death. Every doctor came to the same conclusion. She would have difficulty conceiving another child, and it wasn't likely to happen. The further broke Petunia.
What was she supposed to do?
All she had ever wanted in life was a family of her own with a loving husband and children – between two and four children. Petunia had picked names out when she was in university, studying for her language degree.
The loss of Dudley strained the relationship between Vernon and Petunia. They could go days without speaking to another. One day, Vernon woke up and he noticed his wife. She had dark circles and she was going through the motions of life. He watched her for two days, growing more and more concerned. After the second day, Vernon took a leave from work and he took his wife to the best therapist in London. It took a few months and three appointments a week, but Petunia slowly began to heal. She wasn't better, but she knew she couldn't stop living. Her life was worth a lot. She owed Vernon that much – and she owed herself even more.
A month later, Harmony entered their lives with the news that James and Lily died. Upon her arrival, Petunia vowed to love Lily's daughter. Despite the distance and the tension between them, they were sisters and Petunia loved her little sister. She would miss Lily, but she would take care of Harmony like she was her own. On Harmony's second birthday, she began a Dursley – making her Petunia and Vernon's daughter.
When Harmony learned about Lily and James, her parents refused to tell her how they died, claiming she was too young. At the age of ten, Vernon took her out of school for the day for a special trip to London. Over lunch, he told her that James and Lily were murdered and they died protecting her. It devastating for Harmony to learn, but she knew that she had two sets of parents that loved her.
On the morning her Hogwarts letter arrived, Petunia prepared a special breakfast of waffles and fresh strawberries and Vernon took the day off of work. While Vernon and Petunia were muggles, they understood the importance of Harmony receiving her letter – but Harmony didn't know the reason until later. They were seated at the table when Harmony entered the kitchen. The atmosphere was tense, making breakfast a little awkward. At the end of the meal, Vernon presented her with a letter. It was addressed to Ms. H. Potter.
Harmony scowled at the sight of her birth name. "Doesn't this Hogwarts know my name?" she demanded. "And they address this letters a little too personally?"
The letter wad addressed to Ms. H. Potter of the Second Largest Bedroom of Number Four Privet Drive.
"Read the letter, sweetie," Petunia urged, amused by her daughter's words.
With a sigh, Harmony opened the parchment.
After reading the letter, Harmony glared at it. Just because was real and she was a witch didn't mean this school was allowed to get her name wrong. She was Harmony Dursley, not Harmony Potter. She would need to correct that error by sending the school an owl.
Where could she find an owl?
...
Later that every morning, Vernon and Petunia took Harmony to Diagon Alley. Petunia remembered the location, despite years passing after her last visit. It took half an hour to get to Gringotts, the magical bank, because Harmony was more interested in looking at the sights around her. Instead of trying to convert money, Vernon and Petunia took Harmony to a teller and asked about the Potter Vaults.
"Does Miss Potter have her key?" the goblin asked with a sneer.
Harmony glared. "No, I don't," she answered, "and prefer being called Miss Dursley."
"Then Miss Dursley will need to provide a blood sample to prove she is whole she claims to be," the goblin said.
Harmony and her parents were taken back to see the manager of the Potter accounts. A few drops of blood confirmed her identity. Due to her age, Harmony could only access her Trust Vault for money and she could take books and heirlooms from the other vaults. For the time being, Harmony had two sets of keys issued – one set for herself and one for her parents.
Before leaving the manager's office, Vernon wanted to look over the statements. Apparently, the money intended to provide for her care and wellbeing was being pocketed by someone else. Vernon and Petunia never saw a cent of it. The transactions were halted. While the money couldn't be recovered, the issue would be investigated. From now on, the money would be going to Harmony's parents.
Vernon and Petunia had mixed feelings about accepting the money. They didn't need the money, but the money could offer luxuries they didn't have and couldn't afford, like a family vacation or adoption. For the time being, they would set the money aside and save it.
...
After the roller coaster ride that led to Harmony's Trust Vault and back, Vernon and Petunia needed a hour and something to eat in order to settle their stomach. Outside of Gringotts, they headed to Rosa Lee Teabag. It was a lovely space similar with to a cafe. The ride to and from the vault was a wild ride that Vernon and Petunia never wanted to repeat while their daughter was eager for another run.
An hour was spent at Rosa Lee Teabag, enjoying a pot of tea and some pastries, before Vernon and Petunia were ready to start shopping. The first place they headed was Madam Malkin's for Harmony's school robes. Harmony was quickly fitted and she left with five sets of school robes and three sets of causal robes.
Petunia led her husband and their daughter around the alley. She remembered a lot of the places from her visit with Lily over twenty years ago. It was amazing to see how little had changed in that time. There were two or three new shops, otherwise everything else, down to the people, seemed to be the same.
After collecting most of her school things, Petunia took Harmony to the bookstore. She knew her daughter would take awhile. With Harmony distracted, it would give Petunia and Vernon a chance to pick out an owl for their daughter.
The couple chose a beautiful snowy white owl for their daughter. Upon their return to Flourish and Blotts, they discovered Harmony was still picking out books. She had filled up one basket, working on her second. While their daughter continued to browse, Vernon and Petunia decided to look around. There was a lot they needed to learn. Petunia picked up a few books on wizarding etiquette, wizarding society, and introductory guides to the wizarding world. Vernon was interested in finances, laws, and Harmony's birth family, the Potters.
An hour later, Petunia and Vernon were removing their daughter from the bookstore. Harmony was only willing to leave when her parents showed her the catalogues she could use to order books out of. After picking up several catalogues, Harmony was willing to leave.
Their last stop for the day was Harmony's wand. Vernon and Petunia were horrified to learn their daughter's wand was the brother of the wand that killed her other parents. Harmony looked a little green at the information. When she tried to get a different wand, the wandmaker reminded her that the wand choose the witch.
...
The remaining summer weeks sped by for Harmony. She spent time with her parents, as much as she could. Once she left for Hogwarts, she wouldn't see her parents until December. When she had the spare time, Harmony looked over her new books. She was fascinated by some and irritated by others. She picked up a bunch of books some Lockhart guy. While the books had an interesting concept and they were well written, there wasn't any organization or flow to the plot. One moment, Lockhart was on a special tour throughout Europe when he heard about a village or someplace being terrorized by some kind of magical creature. There wasn't really anything remarkable about Lockhart's books. There were better muggle nonfiction books. Muggle fiction was way better – a league all its own.
After some begging and pleading, Petunia agreed to take Harmony to a real bookstore. At the store, Harmony picked up over thirty fiction books. She got her favorites and she picked up some new ones. For the most part, Harmony borrowed her books from the library, but she wouldn't be around to visit the local library anymore. At least Petunia and Vernon knew to include books in care packages. Harmony would run out of books to read by Christmas.
In the time they spent together, Petunia started to share more stories about Lily, like her childhood friend Severus Snape, and Lily's early experience at Hogwarts. Petunia told Harmony about her feelings of jealousy that led to her fall out with Lily over magic, and she did regret that she never mend her relationship with Lily.
...
On the thirty-first of August, Vernon and Petunia packed their daughter and her school things up in the family car before driving to London. They wanted to spend one last night together before Harmony left for school in the morning. They stayed the night at a hotel in downtown London, where they enjoyed a relaxing evening at the hotel's restaurant and some time in pool before watching a movie together. After the movie, it was time for bed.
Bright and early the next morning, Vernon and Petunia drove their daughter to King's Cross Station. With a sad smile, Petunia led her family onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. They watched as Harmony took her truck and her owl named Hedwig onto the train to claim a compartment. She returned ten minutes later to exchange hugs with her parents.
With a final hug, Harmony boarded the train as the whistle blew. Vernon and Petunia remained on the platform until the train left the station. With heavy hearts, they returned to the car and started the drive home. It would be strange without their daughter around.
Luckily, it was only 120 days until Harmony returned on the twentieth of December.
...
Harmony wasn't the best at making friends. She wasn't popular in elementary school and she didn't have a lot of friends around Privet Drive. Most of the other children found her strange and irritating. When it came to making friends, she was nervous. She wanted to make real friends. She understood she was famous for surviving the Killing Curse – on the same time her other parents were murdered. Her biggest fear was people would only befriend her because she was famous. At least people wouldn't think Harmony Dursley was the Girl-Who-Lived Harmony Potter.
On the train, Harmony found an empty compartment that she claimed for herself and Hedwig. Shortly after leaving the station, Harmony was joined by a young girl with brown hair. This girl had an olive complexion and brown eyes. She was rather tall with a slender build.
"I'm Harmony," she said, looking up over her book.
"I'm Lilith Moon," the brunette girl replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
It took a little time, but Lilith started to open up. She was an orphan, raised by her grandmother. From what Harmony could gather, Lilith's grandmother wasn't very nice. As a pure-blood, Lilith was expected to be Sorted into Slytherin, like the rest of her family.
...
At the Sorting, Professor McGonagall got Harmony's name correct as Dursley, Harmony. With a smile, Harmony bounced up to the stool and eagerly sat down before the Sorting Hat was lowered over her eyes.
"My, what a beautiful mind you have," the Sorting Hat said, startling Harmony. "You would do well in Ravenclaw with your passion for learning. You're loyal, a trait worthy of Hufflepuff. Now, where to put you?"
Harmony remained quiet. She kind of wanted to go to Gryffindor, like her other parents, but she wasn't all that picky – as long as it wasn't Slytherin. As long as she could make friends and learn magic, Harmony would be happy.
"I see," the Hat said. "With your loyalty and intelligence, you would do well in Ravenclaw!"
With a smile, Harmony removed the Hat before heading towards the cheering blue and bronze table. She quickly took a seat. A little later, Lilith was sliding in next to Harmony with a sheepish smile, looking nervous.
"Grandmother's going to send me a Howler," she confessed in a whisper and fear in her voice.
Harmony didn't know what a Howler was, but she could conclude it wasn't good. From the little information she had, it sounded like a Howler was some kind of mail. Harmony decided to watch her friend's mail for the next few days, hoping to protect her.
...
There were ten new first years in Ravenclaw – six girls and four boys. The girls were split into groups of three and placed in two separate dorms. Harmony found herself in a room with Lilith and Padma Patil.
They had a decent size room, a little bigger than her parents' room in Number Four. There were three beds – a dark wood, four-poster bed with blue sheets and matching curtains – against the wall, facing towards the windows. At the foot of each bed was a truck. Along one wall there were three dressers, and along another wall were three desks, each with a chair.
Harmony frowned as she looked over the room. While it was large room, it seemed cramped and crowded with all of the furniture. Surely there was a way to rearrange everything and make it more spacious. This was something Harmony would need to write her mom about. Petunia had a university degree in Interior Design and she ran a business out of the Number Four.
For the time being, Harmony had the middle bed with Lilith and Padma on either side of her. No one seemed to have a problem with it.
That first night the three girls stayed up until midnight, talking and getting to know one another. Lilith and Padma were both pure-blood and each had a strict upbringing. They were happy to explain everything to Harmony. Harmony told her new friends that she was adopted, but she kept her identities of her other parents to herself.
...
Lilith's grandmother did send her a Howler, it arrived three days after the Sorting. An owl landed in front of Lilith and she paled at the sight of the red envelope. When Harmony noticed her friend's reaction, she grabbed the letter and held it over a candle. The parchment quickly caught on fire. When the letter was half burnt, Harmony dropped it.
"What did you do?" asked a fellow first year, Lisa Turpin. She was blonde with big brown eyes and she spoke with a lisp.
"Destroyed the letter," Harmony answered before returning to her breakfast. It wasn't that big of a deal. While reading someone else's mail was illegal, it wasn't illegal to destroy another person's mail – was it? That was something Harmony would need to look into.
"Why?" demanded Terry Boot. He was tall with brown hair and hazel eyes. "It's Moon's mail, and you're being rude."
Harmony shrugged. He made a good point, but she didn't feel bad about her actions. "Because it's clear she didn't want to read it," she replied.
"Thanks, Harmony," Lilith said with a smile.
Harmony returned the smile.
...
With Lilith and Padma by her side, Harmony easily adjusted to her life at Hogwarts. There were days when she was homesick, missing her family, and she would write her parents a long letter before Padma and Lilith would distract with homework.
Between the three girls, Lilith was the smartest while Padma was passionate and Harmony had the strongest magic. Most of the time, Lilith was able to perform the spell first where Padma would be the first to master it and Harmony would over power the spell. After Padma mastered the spell, she would assist Lilith, then the two of them were assist Harmony.
When it came to homework, each girl had her own system. They would research their essays together, usually in the library. Harmony didn't know how her friends' systems worked, but she used the one her dad taught her. She would start with basic research before creating an outline. With the outline, she would know where to better focus further research. Once all of her research was done, Harmony would write a rough draft and set it aside. A day or two later, she would look over the draft and make corrections and changes before she would write a new version. After the second version, she would look over the essay once more, making changes before submitting a third version.
...
It wasn't until Halloween when the topic of Harmony's parents really came up. When she was younger, Petunia and Vernon weren't fond of Halloween. They would indulge their daughter with a custom and trick or treating. At the age of ten, Harmony learned why her parents disliked Halloween, it was the day her other parents were murdered. Since learning the truth, Harmony's opinion of Halloween changed. It was still a fun holiday, but it was a sad occasion.
"What's wrong?" asked Sue Li at breakfast that morning. Sue was a short girl with long black hair and dark eyes.
"Nothing, really," Harmony answered as she poured herself some tea. "I just don't like Halloween."
Michael Corner glared at her before muttering something to his friends – Sean Travers, Mandy Brocklehurst and Anthony Goldstein – that caused both of them to laugh as they snuck glances at Harmony.
"Anything you wanna share?" demanded Sue. She was hot-headed with a quick temper.
"It's called Samhain, not Halloween," stated Michael. He had short black hair and brown eyes.
"Mudblood," added Anthony with a smirk. He had dark skin with short dark hair and dark eyes.
Everyone around them quieted down, turning to watch the exchange between the first years.
"Take that back!" demanded Sue, jumping to her feet.
"Never," vowed Anthony. "A mudblood has no place in our world."
"You're a horrible person!" Lilith stated, looking angry.
Harmony grew concerned. Lilith was the level-headed and passive one, and she was getting angry. Clearly, there something going on. It had to be related to that word "mudblood." She would need to learn what it meant. She could tell it was a derogatory term, meant to be insulting.
"Take it back!" Sue repeated, stalking closer to Anthony and his friends.
"I won't," Anthony said, "and you can't make me."
"What's going on here?" demanded Penelope Clearwater, the fifth year female Prefect. She was a pretty young woman with straight blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"Sue just started demanding things for us," Mandy explained. "Things she had no right to demand."
"Take it back!" demanded Sue, looking ready to lunge at the three.
"Go sit down, Li," ordered Penelope. "If you keep this behavior up, I'll be forced to assign you detention."
"Not until they apology," Sue stated, her hands clenched into fists.
"I won't," Anthony repeated, crossing his arms.
"You will, if you know it's good for you," Sue stated.
"I will repeat myself one more time," Penelope said. "What is going on here?"
"Anthony called Harmony a m-mudblood," Lilith answered.
Penelope's blue eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Anthony and his friends. "Miss Li, please return to your seat," she said, her tone cold.
Sue glared at the three before turning and storming back to her seat next to Harmony.
"Mister Goldstein, Mister Corner, Miss Brocklehurst, please come with me," Penelope ordered.
The three first years protested as Penelope's eyes narrowed further.
"I will summon Professor Flitwick unless you come with me now," she stated, her tone hard and cold.
Anthony, Michael, and Mandy stopped talking as they rose from their seats and followed the fifth year. Each turned to glare at Sue, Lilith, and Harmony.
"Why don't you like Halloween?" Lisa asked, trying to break the tension settling over the table.
"It's the day my parents died," Harmony answered.
"I didn't know you were an orphan," Sue said.
Harmony shook her head. "I'm not," she explained. "I was adopted by my birth mom's sister."
"Lucky," Sue muttered, her tone a little dark.
"I am," Harmony agreed. "I have two sets of parents that love and care for me."
"Let's go to class," suggested Padma.
Together, the group of five girls headed off to Potions. Sean Travers followed a few steps behind.
...
"Please stay behind, Miss Dursley," Professor Flitwick said as Charms class was dismissed.
A few of the students snickered as they left with Anthony shooting a smirk in Harmony's direction.
"Want us to stay?" asked Padma, concern in her voice.
"It's fine, I'll catch you guys later," Harmony responded with a shrug. She turned and walked down to the professor.
Harmony was forced to wait a moment as the professor finished up gathering the homework and organizing his lesson plans.
"Thank you for waiting, Miss Dursley," the Charms professor said. "Now, I understand there was an incidentat breakfast this morning."
Harmony waited for the professor to continue speaking before she opened her mouth. "Sue and I were discussing Halloween," she explained. "I merely told Sue why I don't like this day."
Professor Flitwick nodded, a sad look in his eyes. "The loss of James and Lily was hard on a lot of people," he agreed. "Ten years later, and I still miss Lily."
"How well did you know my other parents?" Harmony asked. She knew a few stories about them, mostly Lily. When she left for Hogwarts, Petunia had started opening up about her sister.
"I taught them for seven years," Flitwick answered with a smile. "James was troublemaker, always getting into trouble with those three friends of his, and Lily was one of my best students."
Harmony smiled, eager to learn about Lily and her time at Hogwarts. She made a mental note to look into James' friends. Maybe there was someone who could tell her about him.
"What else happened this morning?" the Head of Ravenclaw asked.
"Michael told me it's Samhain, not Halloween," Harmony recounted, "and Anthony called me a mudblood, which made Sue mad."
The professor's eye narrowed. "I will talk with Mister Corner, Mister Goldstein, and Miss Brocklehurst," he stated.
"Professor, what does mudblood mean?" she asked. "I can deduce it's a derogatory term, but I don't know what it means."
"Mudblood means 'dirty blood,'" the professor explained with a sigh. "It's a word commonly used by pure-bloods against muggle-borns."
Harmony nodded, a frown on her face.
"Don't let them discourage you," Professor Flitwick told her. "You have the best parts of your parents – Lily's intelligence and kindness, and James' loyalty and work ethic."
"I won't, professor," Harmony promised.
"Have a good evening, Miss Dursley," the professor told her.
"I have one more question professor," she said.
Professor Flitwick motioned for her to speak.
"Can I skip the feast tonight?" she asked. Harmony understood it was an important feast, but this wasn't something she wanted to celebrate.
The professor frowned before agreeing to let her miss it.
...
Later that night, Lilith and Padma told Harmony could the feast. The feast was interrupted by Professor Quirrell announcing their was a troll loose somewhere in the castle. Headmaster Dumbledore had ordered the students to return to their common rooms as the professors went off in search of the troll.
"Where did Quirrell say the troll was?" Harmony asked with a frown.
"In the dungeons," Padma answered.
"How could a troll get into the dungeons?" the dark haired girl asked. "It would have to the entrance hall and several wards."
Lilith and Padma shrugged. Neither of them had really thought about that.
Harmony shook her head, questioning the logic of witches and wizards. There was times, like now, when they seemed to lack basic logic.
"Why did you miss the feast?" Padma asked, eating a handful of candy corn.
"Halloween makes me sad," Harmony replied with a shrug. "My parents died ten years ago. Besides, what's so special about Halloween?"
"It's the anniversary of the death of You-Know-Who," Lilith answered, nibbling on a chocolate bar. "We celebrate the day and honor the Girl-Who-Lived."
Harmony snorted at the mention. Why would people want to celebrate the day James and Lily died? It was horrible.
"Is there something wrong with our traditions?" asked Padma with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, there is," Harmony responded with a glare. "Why do you people this is appropriate to celebrate my parents' deaths? It makes me sick. This is the day my parents were murdered and I was orphaned." Without another word, Harmony stormed off to her bed and she drew the curtains.
...
It took three days before Lilith and Padma brought up the conversaion.
"So, your parents were James and Lily Potter?" Padma asked before bed.
"That's one set," Harmony said, "and the other are Vernon and Petunia Dursley."
"Why don't use the name Potter?" Lilith asked.
Harmony shrugged. "I've been Harmony Dursley for as long as I can remember," she explained. "My parents – Vernon and Petunia – adopted me when I was two."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Lilith questioned, sharing a glance with Padma.
"I don't think it's anyone's business," Harmony replied.
Padma and Lilith agreed, both promising to keep Harmony's identity a secret. She made a good point: everyone was allowed privacy.
"Besides, if a witch or wizard doesn't check public records it's not my fault," Harmony added. From what she understood, her adoption was public record in the Muggle World.
...
As the Winter Holidays approached, everyone started announcing their plans. Lilith was banned from returning home while Padma and Harmony were expected to go home. So, Harmony wrote her parents, asking if Lilith could join them. She didn't want to leave one of her best friends behind at school.
Vernon and Petunia knew all about Harmony's friends – Lilith, Padma, Sue, and Lisa. Harmony regularly mentioned Lilith and Padma, her best friends, in her letters. Harmony's parents were happy to invite Lilith, and it was easy to change their plans. It was nice to have excuse to miss Vernon's company's Christmas party.
"Don't put your name down," Harmony told Lilith when Professor Flitwick presented them with the sign-up sheet for students remaining at school.
Lilith and Padma looked at her in confusion.
With a smile, Harmony explained, "I think coming home with me would be more fun. My parents have invited you." She handed Lilith a letter from her parents.
Lilith's brown eyes lit up at the news and she eagerly read the letter before pulling Harmony into a hug.
...
To be honest, Harmony wasn't that impressed with the Magical World. It was stuck in the Victorian Era, and people were extremely bias. Why did it matter if she had a muggle last name? She was just as magical as anyone else. Michael and his friends, Anthony and Mandy, continued to bully Harmony. It increased when the House rankings were released. Lilith had the top spot with Harmony in second and Padma in sixth.
There was bias in the professors. Professor Snape took points from every House except for Slytherin and he rarely awarded points to another House than his own. Professor McGonagall was harsher on the Slytherins. Meanwhile Professor Flitwick was nice, but he awarded more points to his own House, and Professor Sprout was the fairest, thought she awarded less points to Gryffindor and Slytherin compared to her own House and Ravenclaw.
Several of Lilith's acquaintances from Slytherin disproved of Harmony and Padma – the former was a mudblood and the latter was a foreigner. They also disproved of Lilith's placement in Ravenclaw. The worst were Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode.
Even people in Ravenclaw were mean, especially if someone got an answer wrong. Harmony witnessed Michael and his friends bully the others. The most popular target was Padma Patil because she was considered a Ravenclaw of average intelligence. The same people that bullied Padma tried to suck up to Lilith. Michael and Mandy were the worst. There were a few times when they expected Harmony to share her homework with them or do their homework for them.
...
When the train pulled into King's Cross, Harmony grabbed her trunk as she sprinted off. Lilith was a few steps behind her friend, smiling at Harmony's eagerness. Like a bullet, Harmony shot out of the train and across the platform where her parents were waiting near the barrier.
"Mom! Dad!" she shouted as she ran to greet him, her friends trying to keep up.
Vernon and Petunia smiled at their daughter's actions. It was great to see her again.
Stopping in front of them, Harmony dropped her trunk before throwing her arms around her parents. She broke the hug after a moment by taking a step back. She couldn't be too rude to her friend.
"Mom, dad, this is Lilith, one of my best friends," she said. "Lilith, these are my parents, Vernon and Petunia."
Ducking her head, Lilith said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Thanks for having me."
"Call us Vernon and Petunia," Harmony's dad said with a smile.
"I understand you're the smartest witch of your class," Petunia said.
Lilith's face turned pink as she nodded.
A few minutes later, Vernon and Petunia were escorting their daughter and Lilith out to the car. As they walked, Lilith's brown eyes were wide as she glanced around her. This was first time in the Muggle World.
When they got to the car, Lilith started asking questions, unable to contain herself. Petunia and Harmony were happy to answer all the questions they could as Vernon began the drive back to Number Four.
...
The Winter Holidays were great. Vernon and Petunia took the girls around Surrey and London, looking at the holiday sights. One night, they saw The Nutcracker in London, and they were able to go backstage. Petunia was friends with the director, knowing her back when they both took beginner ballet classes.
Christmas was spent at Number Four. Petunia and Harmony cooked together, trying to teach Lilith. Lilith had never seen someone cook before. Her grandmother had house-elves, and the house-elves didn't allow anyone into the kitchen. By Christmas, Lilith had mastered how to boil water and use the microwave. She was eager to assist in anyway she could.
With help from Harmony, Vernon and Petunia had picked up a few gifts for Lilith, wanting her to feel included. Harmony ordered a few things for her friend using the catalogues she got in Diagon Alley. A trip into Muggle London and help from Harmony yield gifts for Vernon and Petunia from Lilith.
On Christmas morning, Harmony sat on the floor, feeling nervous about her parents' gift. She knew her parents would be disappointed when they learned how much money she spent, but she hoped they would love the gift – and she would escape punishment.
Petunia was surprised to open her daughter's gift and received a potion phial. The liquid was lavender in color. Vernon's gift was similar, only light green in color.
Lilith gasped at the sight, her brown eyes wide.
With a blush, Harmony explained, "It's a fertility potion. I know you want another child, and these are safe for muggles to use."
Vernon and Petunia stared at their gifts with mixed emotions. They longed for another child. Both of them planned on having more than one child, but they were happy with Harmony. She made them a family.
...
In January, Lilith and Harmony returned to Hogwarts. The rest of the year went by in a blurs of homework, reading, textbooks, and stern professors. Lilith remained the top student in their year with Harmony directly behind her. Padma continued to hold strong in the top ten. Together, the three girls started reading ahead to second year material.
The school year ended with Professor Quirrell visiting the third floor corridor and going crazy from some mirror. The headmaster didn't reveal too many details.
Before anyone knew it, the year was over. Padam, Lilith and Harmony tried to make plans for the summer. They would write. Padma was headed to India for the summer, making a visit impossible. Lilith and Harmony had plans for Lilith to come stay at Number Four for some part of the summer.
At King's Cross, Harmony briefly met Padma's parents and her younger brother and she caught sight of Lilith with an older woman, probably her grandmother. The woman look mean as she grabbed Lilith by the arm and pulled the girl away. A few seconds later, Harmony was distracted by the arrival of her parents.
...
Harmony's summer holidays went well. Petunia was almost four months pregnant. Neither had wanted to write Harmony with the news in event they lost the child, again. Both Vernon and Petunia were excited. Harmony helped her mom plan the nursery, and she tried to help her dad put the furniture together. They failed, and Vernon decided to hire someone to put the furniture together for them.
Petunia and Harmony picked out baby clothes and accessories for the room. They started brainstorming ideas. Petunia wanted to follow her father's family tradition of naming children after plants.
While Harmony was busy with the nursery and working on her summer homework, she noticed Lilith wasn't writing. Padma had noticed the same. While Harmony was hurt by her friend's actions, she didn't dwell on them. She would get answers in September.
In July, Vernon and Petunia surprised Harmony with a trip to Spain. With the money for Harmony's care, they were able to afford a week long trip to Spain. During the week, they stayed in Madrid. There were a lot of things to see and do in and around the city. There were trips to the museum, visits to the beach, and plenty of shopping.
...
On the twenty-eighth of July, Harmony heard from Lilith, kind of. That night she showed up in the middle of the night, knocking on the door. Since it was after ten, Vernon was the only one up. He opened the door with a frown to find his daughter's best friend. Lilith's face was black and blue, and she was shaking in her ripped and stained nightgown.
As gently as he could, Vernon ushered Lilith into the house. He sat her down on the couch as he dashed off into the kitchen, making her a cup of tea and getting some clean and warm clothes from the laundry room. A few extra blankets were kept in the laundry room linen closet. He grabbed a blanket and a set of his daughter's pajamas.
Back out in the living room, Vernon handed the blanket and the pajamas to Lilith.
"The bathroom's over there," he reminded her, pointing to the closed door located off of the dining room. "I'll make you some tea."
When Vernon returned to the living room ten minutes later, he found Lilith was changed and curled up in the blanket on the couch. Placing the cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Lilith, Vernon took a seat in his favorite armchair.
"Can I get you anything?" he asked, feeling a little helpless. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Should he press Lilith for answers or should he wait and let her open up on her own?
Lilith shook her head as she reached out to grab the cup of tea. The action allowed Vernon a glance at her arms, which had scars and bruise. There appeared to be some kind of writing on the interior Lilith's right wrist.
The pair sat in relative silence as Lilith slipped her tea.
Vernon wasn't sure how long they spent in the living room. After Lilith finished her tea, she curled up the couch. She looked ready to fall asleep.
"Come on," Vernon announced, getting to his feet. "Let's get you settled in the guest room."
Lilith blinked at him before standing up. She slowly followed Vernon up to the guest room, which was cleaned and readied for a guest.
After he got Lilith settled into the guest room, Vernon decided to head to bed himself. While he didn't want to disturbed his wife, Vernon gently shook Petunia awake. He didn't want her to wake up and discover their guest on her own. She deserved a warning.
...
Lilith spent most of the next day sleeping in the guest room. Petunia had Harmony sort through her clothes in order to get some basic things for Lilith to wear. They would need to go shopping for some other more personal items later.
It was after lunch when Lilith joined Petunia and Harmony in the kitchen.
"Good afternoon, Lilith," Petunia greeted with a kind smile.
Slowly, Lilith returned the smile before taking a seat next to Harmony.
"Did you sleep well?" Harmony asked. That wasn't the question she really wanted to ask, but her parents told her not to pry because that was their job.
Lilith nodded.
The day passed slowly with Lilith hanging around Harmony, barely leaving her friend's side. She didn't speak much, preferring to nod or shake her head. Like over the Winter Holidays, Lilith assisted Harmony and Petunia in the kitchen with making dinner. It was really Harmony doing most of the work as Petunia supervised from the table.
Vernon arrived home from work to Lilith setting the table and Harmony finishing dinner while Petunia was relaxed on the couch with a glass of lemonade. Dinner was tense affair with small talk, mostly Vernon telling his family and Lilith about his day at work.
It wasn't until after dinner that Vernon and Petunia sat Lilith down in the living room while Harmony did the dishes.
"What's going on?" Petunia asked.
It took more prying and promises of not spending her home before Lilith told Vernon and Petunia about her summer. Her grandmother was enraged and she made her displeasure known. She was furious that Lilith was Sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, and her temper only grew upon learning Lilith was friends with a mudblood and foreigner.
As a result, Lilith spent most of her summer locked in her bedroom with one meal a day. She was slapped around by either her grandmother or another relative in between "remedial lessons" of being a proper pure-blood.
The night before Lilith discovered someone forgot to lock the door. So, she ran for it. Before leaving the house, she found a wand that wasn't hers. She ran for as long as she could before summoning the Knight Bus, which she took the Number Four. The driver was kind enough to take her all the way even though she didn't have any money. The girl was dressed in a thin nightgown without any shoes on.
...
The first of August found Vernon and Petunia filing for custody of their daughter's best friend. Lilith needed a better home – a kind and loving one – and the girl seemed unwilling to leave Harmony's side. They had the room for another child and they could easily afford it. The only issue was getting custody.
With Lilith's knowledge, they hired the best magical lawyer money and Harmony's name could buy. The lawyer threw money and Harmony's name around, and their request for custody was granted. The Noble House of Moon wanted nothing to do with their disappointing member, and they were happy to be rid of her. Lilith was disowned in all but name and magic.
Words: ~7,000
Students Sorted in 1991
Ravenclaw – Six girls and six boys
Girls: Mandy Brocklehurst; Harmony Dursley; Lilith Moon; Padma Patil; Sue Li; and Lisa Turpin
Boys: Terry Boot; Michael Corner; Stephan Cornfoot; Kevin Entwhistle; Anthony Goldstein; and Sean Travers
Hufflepuff – Six girls and six boys
Girls: Hannah Abbott; Susan Bones; Leanne Clearwater; Megan Jones; Morag MacDougal; and Sally-Anne Perks
Boys: Justin Finch-Fletchley; Wayne Hopkins; Tommy Johnson; Ernie Macmillan; Roger Malone; and Oliver Rivers
Gryffindor – Six girls and six boys
Girls: Kellah Bem; Lavender Brown; Fay Dunbar; Hermione Granger; Parvati Patil; and Sophie Roper
Boys: James Andrews; Seamus Finnigan; Neville Longbottom; Sebastian Smith; Dean Thomas; and Ron Weasley
Slytherin – Six girls and six boys
Girls: Millicent Bulstrode; Tracey Davis; Daphne Greengrass; Pansy Parkinson; Alana Runcorn; and Sally Smith
Boys: Vincent Crabbe; Gregory Goyle; Draco Malfoy; Theodore Nott; Mauricius Selwyn; and Blaise Zabini
Ravenclaw Clique
One: Harmony Dursley, Padma Patil, and Lilith Moon
Two: Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, and Mandy Brocklehurst
Three: Kevin Entwhistle, Stephan Cornfoot, and Terry Boot
Four: Sue Li and Lisa Turpin
Loner: Sean Travers
This fanfiction is a part of The Halloween Collection, which is a collection of unconnected ficlets, oneshots, and multi-chaptered fanfiction stories that are all related to a Halloween themed word, located in each story or chapter. It's a total of thirty-one parts spread out between thirteen stories.
Type: Multi-chaptered – One of eight
Word: Blood
Accord de le Destin – Susan Bones and Hesper Potter (female!Harry) – Ficlet
Her Niece and His Goddaughter – Petunia Evans, Sirius Black and Helen Evans-Potter – Oneshot
Love on Her Arm – Bill Weasley/Hyacinthe Potter (female!Harry) – Multi-chaptered
Of Flames and Snow – Crossover with Game of Thrones – Jon Snow/Hedera Winters (female!Harry) – Oneshot
A Tale of Two Lilies – Lily Evans and Haley Pnarcissus (female!Harry) – Multi-chaptered
Bonds of Family – Lilith Moon and Harmony Dursley – Currently reading
Just a Glance – Crossover with Twilight – Jacob Black/Heather Potter (female!Harry) – Oneshot
Shine Bright – Crossover with Hawaii Five-0 – Danny Williams/Helene Potter (female!Harry) – Multi-chaptered
Whispered Conversations – Ron Weasley/Helenium Potter (female!Harry) – Oneshot
Emmett Cullen: Triwizard Champion – Crossover with Twilight – Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale (Harry is Emmett) – Multi-chaptered
Enchanting – Abraxas Malfoy/Halesia Potter (female!Harry) – Multi-chaptered
Eclipsed – Tom Marvolo Riddle/Heliconia Potter (female!Harry) – Oneshot
Silent Symphony – Hepatica Potter – Multi-chaptered