Hello everybody, this is OrangeGalen with something a little bit different. This is actually my first challenge piece that I decided to do, presented by King Of Geth. The actual prompt was:

"Harriet Potter knew the Wizarding World would turn on her after defeating Voldemort. So she turned to forbidden magic that been lost to time, and used a spell to travel to a random dimension. Lets hope the Wizarding World is ready for Cinder Fall."

I'm not going to stake a claim on it. It's an open challenge and anyone can take a stab at it. This is just my version of it with some tweaks. The major difference from the prompt and mine is that this starts just before Harriet's fifth year and Voldemort is still at large but... well, you'll find out in the chapter.

Now just a note, this is very much a work in progress as I have the beginning planned and an idea for the middle, but nothing definite yet, so the chapters may get worked over in the future.

*And yes, I am still working on all (most) of my other stories, so don't pester me about them. Seriously.*

Warnings: Fem!Harry, Dark!FemHarry, Bi-sexual!Harry, Dumbledore/some Weasley/Ministry/Order bashing. There may be others in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or RWBY.

Latest Edit: October 31, 2018: Grammar and clean up of inconsistencies, general writing standard improved.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harriet Potter, the 'Girl-who-lived', wasn't surprised with how things were turning out. In fact, considering how history and past events played out, she would have been surprised if it hadn't happened because that would have meant that they, the wizarding community of Britain, were breaking the trend. That the cycle of blind heroism one day and mindless betrayal the next was being bucked, that their sheepie mentality of following the loudest voices was being lost, and they could possibly actually make some progress in their culture and way of thinking. But they were too far-gone.

No, Harriet was not surprised at all. The Wizarding world of Britain was so archaic, so isolationist, so corrupt, that it kept running the same ignorant cycles over and over again that would lead to its self-destruction. She had a feeling that with either this cycle or the next would lead to the complete collapse of the entire British Wizarding society.

And it deserved to fall and burn. If she were still here when it happened, then she would smile gleefully. It had done nearly nothing for her, had taught her all the wrong lessons, and if she weren't so determined to leave she would've eventually brought it upon herself to tear it down kicking and screaming. She probably could prop herself up as their leader, their ruler. It would be easy to do, as Voldemort almost had done if not for a fluke.

Sitting alone in the Black Library, Harriet Potter turned another page in the book she was reading. Her golden amber eyes free of glasses as she read the words and examined the pictures on the pages, gorging themselves on the forbidden knowledge they held. I could grasp power from them. Wouldn't be the first time. I've always had to take what I wanted to survive. I was never given, nor offered anything. The pathetic masses would sooner take than give back even after I 'saved' their sorry arses.

Even before I found out that magic existed I was treated like a freak. Abused, starved, occasionally beaten… And when I got to Hogwarts… nothing really changed. I was still ignored in favor of their built up image of their 'Savior'. And when I went against that image, that same fame turned against me with them not believing me even if what I was telling them was the truth. Loosing house points, crossing lines and making acquaintances in other houses, the whole Parseltongue and Chamber of Secrets thing, then that bloody tournament and Voldemort coming back just proves that they don't care.

And then that Kangaroo Court I just went through just further proves that the system and the people are corrupt without a doubt, Harriet fumed silently as she finished up the section she was reading. No hard evidence against me, talking over me when I tried to defend myself, ignoring my side of the story, just like Fudge did when I said Voldemort had gotten a body back… not that it's in good shape right now, she smiled cruelly in remembrance to what she had done to him.

After the 'Dark Lord' resurrected himself using the bones of his father, Wormtail's hand, and her blood, the two 'dueled' in a ring of Death Eaters. After their wand cores interlocked, Harriet had done one last bit of magic when the megalomaniac was distracted with the echoes of his past murders. She focused her anger, her rage, her desire to hurt him through her wand, and an angular bolt of magic shot out of her wand and hit him. She enjoyed the shocked look on his face as her unknown spell hit, and then watched as half of the inhuman face froze when part of him turned into black glass. With the Death Eaters distracted over the condition of their lord, she took the opportunity to escape. Despite incapacitating their leader, she was not ready to fight multiple wizards at once. Pathetic as they are, they were still a threat she couldn't face then.

It wasn't until much after that she heard from Dumbledore (who had heard from Snape) that Voldemort was partially turned to glass, the right side of him hit the most, leaving the Dark Lord crippled, though still able to give orders and cast a few spells. The old man then chastised her for being cruel to her enemies when the smug grin slipped past her emotional mask. Something about being better than them, second chances, saving lives, or some other such rubbish.

And with that thought, the good mood Harriet was in flew away and a scowl twisted her face. Bloody Albus-too-many-names-Dumbledore. Another reason why I want to escape, because if he gets his way I'd never live through this war. He was never intending for me to survive facing Voldemort. Less-than-qualified schooling, DADA professors trying to kill or injure me in some way, and all the events that happened every year were basically tests. And if the trend continues, then there'll be another incompetent or malicious teacher for DADA and some sort of event at the end of this school year.

And what is he testing me for? Why did he have so many meetings with me privately? Was it because of some sort of prophesy? Harriet had put together the hints (a little late for her tastes) when she basically had all the time in the world at Durzkaban to think, and then the little bit she was told when she arrived here at HQ about a 'weapon' in the Ministry. She had wondered why she was slated for Divination third and fourth year when she knew that she had signed up for Arithmancy instead. And despite bringing this to McGonagall, the Headmaster overruled her every time.

Now that she was nearly free from the Headmaster's conditioning, she knew that he was trying to make her believe in prophecies. And admittedly she did too, or at least the concept, the idea of them. But she also believed that they could be fake, duds, or wildly misinterpreted.

And Dumbledore would've used his own interpretation as justification to control my life… to try and groom me. He sent me to the Dursleys where I was abused by for basically all my 'childhood' to break me, tested me with the Philosopher's Stone, basically left me to defend myself in the Chamber, neglected to get a trial for Sirius so I didn't have a chance for an alternate home, and did absolutely nothing to get me out of the Tri-Wizard tournament and didn't help me in the slightest for the tasks or the slander. All those private meetings in his office and meeting him around the castle alone… that just reeks of suspicion, especially with that grandfatherly act. Which might have worked if I was more naïve and actually wanted love and care.

A lot of his work was ruined fourth year, especially after he learned Voldemort had been resurrected himself. Though he seemed glad that the Dark Lord came back. And when I told him I incapacitated Voldemort, he basically said not to hurt or kill Voldemort or his followers and then sent me to Durzkaban, preventing all contact with my friends. Combine that all with the farce of a trial where he barely defended me- actually made me look worse despite winning. Then he never explained what was going on and hasn't had any eye-to-eye conversation with me, not that I ever would, knowing his little mind-reading trick now.

…I also suspect he used some potions or spells on me to further control me.

I've had enough. I will not be a pawn to be used. I want to be strong.

Harriet opened another section of the book and continued reading, having scoured the Black Library for everything she needed to make her escape. Not from Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Not from England, and not even Europe, but from this world. Harriet held no illusions that if she made a break for it, either Voldemort would send someone after her or Dumbledore would. Then it would be a toss up of how she would die. And that was something she had no desire to do.

She knew that if she did a runner, then they would search the ends of the Earth to find her.

And in that sentence held her answer.

The ends of the Earth.

This world.

Though Number 12 Grimmauld Place was another prison, it was vastly superior to Privet Drive and the Dursleys as watchers. There was one vast metaphorical hole in the prison walls where she could learn how to escape.

The Black Library.

It was a pain to avoid the Weasleys (Molly and Ron in particular), Hermione (because she was so nosey and couldn't keep her mouth shut, despite being well meaning), Sirius (bless his heart but he was still being manipulated and probably not fully recovered from Azkaban), whoever else popped in like they were a part of a social club (which they honestly were), and the Head-manipulator himself (with his ever twinkling eyes and 'I-know-better-than-you' attitude). But she managed to catch a few hours a day after she had employed the Black house elf Kreacher into showing her the library... basically by telling the truth, from a certain point of view.

When she finally got across to him by appealing to house loyalty and getting him to overlook blood purity in favor of magical power, he gleefully keyed her into the library, the only person he willingly had so far.

It also helped that her grandmother was a Black before she married a Potter. Sped things along once he got a look at the tapestry.

Inside the library was a treasure trove of dark and forbidden magic. She had learned so much from these ancient books, things so dark that she shivered in delight and wanted to test them out. But she refrained because she knew that she would be caught and even worse restrictions would be placed on her… possibly hindering her magic and, more importantly, her mind. Though if everything worked out, she would not need restraint anymore.

She recognized that she had been raised as a martyr. But she desired to not be a pawn. Despite all the manipulations and outright denial, Dumbledore could not suppress her desire for power, for information, her desire to lead others. All her years at Hogwarts further cemented her belief in the rule of power and fear, and her distain for established authority. Her natural state to be in control over everything she does.

And in doing this, she'll free herself of the shackles that he tried to place on her.

There was nothing holding her back from leaving. There were no people that she would desperately miss or couldn't do without, though she would slightly miss a few of her informants and the one or two true friends she had left. Nothing holding her back save time and knowledge. Sirius she might've missed if he were fourteen years earlier and not as pathetic. He may be a Black in name, but in reality he was nothing like the once great house and she could not respect him for spitting on everything his family had to offer, rejecting the power the family had. She had heard that he wanted to get rid of this magnificent library, this history, just because he agreed too much with Dumbledore's 'everything dark needs to go' mentality. Dark does not mean evil, just as light does not mean good.

Though Harriet wouldn't classify herself as a dark-good person. She knew that she was tipping over the edge of what society would call 'evil'. For what they called 'evil', she saw as necessity and progress. She and Voldemort were alike in so many ways, but they could never exist together. Not because of some prophesy or to a larger extent ideology, but because they both wanted power, to lead. The Pureblood cause was only an excuse for him, a front; just like how her blooming network for bettering the lives of the less fortunate (i.e "Mudbloods") was hers. If she had another year or three, she could probably have the first-generation magicals lead an open revolution against the current government and be successful in another few years after. Oh well.

I suppose that my only regrets on leaving this world would not to see both Voldemort and Dumbledore crushed. But I'll be happy knowing when I'm gone that they'll see their plans centered around me topple. And if the Ministry gets its collective head out of its arse, they'll realize too late that I left them to wallow in the rot of their own making and will destroy itself. They deserve it all.

Strangely, or maybe not now that I think about it, Ginny Weasley was the only one that understands the most. Maybe it stems from the Chamber how I 'rescued' her, and now we have a quasi-mentorship between us. Or maybe it's because the same society that failed me equally failed her when she was possessed and no one noticed except me. Harriet didn't want to admit it, but she felt something close to what may be described as affection for the feisty redhead. But because of her 'childhood' she had no idea what those emotions were, or how to identify them. There was something that happened when she thought of the redhead, but she dismissed it easily if she so wished.

She will understand why I left. Maybe Hermione will too if she stops blindly trusting authority figures and looks away from her books for a moment. She needs to see this world for what it is before it crushes her intellect underfoot. Muggleborns are even worse off than I could be. At least I have the Galleons in Gringotts... But they don't even have that, and without magical power they're going to be suppressed if they stay in the Wizarding world – which is why most don't. This world needs to change, but I won't be the one to do it. I'll carve my own path on another world.

She stopped reminiscing as a passage in the book caught her undivided attention.

….stories and myths of worlds and realms beyond this one have seeped into common folktales and raised questions about traveling to them. Avalon as the resting place of Merlin in a different realm. Camelot existing outside of time. The Old ways and the realms of the various Gods. Even the Archway is considered to be a gateway, but to the realm of Death. The only reason this is mentioned here is because of the questions that refuse to die. Is traveling to these realms possible? Can it be done? There has been no definite answer to this, but most magic theorists and tests point to a resounding 'No'. Why? One such reason may be that there is no knowing what lies beyond this world, for even now we can see the planets above but can never reach them. Many have tried, but the void above swallows all. Possibly our minds cannot fully comprehend what we want to completion.

Some have thought about breaking the barriers between worlds, opening a gateway of sorts to a better world, one without the muggle scum where there's a magical paradise. But all such attempts have been inconclusive at best, and destructive at the worse. Few have attempted to use rituals to breach through the shroud of realities, many using rituals with powerful Wizards fueling their magic together to attempt this. However, the vast majority of these attempts end in failure, sometimes resulting in the deaths of all participants and/or a wave of magical backlash that left them as near squibs.

There are two attempts recorded that had a better result; but the Wizard in the first disappeared for a couple weeks, and at the cost of three of the other wizards participating. When another ritual was attempted to retrieve him, the transported wizard returned, but with his mind broken and body ravaged, spouting gibberish, and aged slightly by a few months. The second instance ended with the wizard never returning and no one attempting to find him.

With this it remains unclear as to if he succeeded or not, and questions as to the state of the first wizard's mind linger. Was his mind was broken during the passage there, or did something happen on the other side? Or perhaps his mind shattered upon return. In any case, even with the recent bans on ritualistic magic by the Ministry, it is highly doubtful that any would attempt this, and we the authors encourage that one tries to make this world purer in magic, rather than running and leaving it to filth.

Harriet closed the book, flipping between satisfaction and disappointment. Okay. On one hand, my belief that there are other realms or worlds has been explored in the past. But on the other almost certain death lies in that direction. Makes me want to reconsider. Almost. Her yellow eyes narrowed. There are a couple of things that I'm planning on doing differently. Rituals require sacrifice, though the level of sacrifice depends on the gains. The bits and pieces I've put together for my ritual require sacrifices/items that have special significance. It's symbolic that they would be the three most important things that link me to this world: that by sacrificing them I'd be cutting my ties to this world, releasing my earthly ties and readying by mind and body to be transported elsewhere. And three is a magically powerful number. Three sacrifices and myself, making four items total.

Another difference is all the previous attempts used the Wizards' own magical power, their core, to fuel the ritual. Shows how egotistical they were to think their own power could tear through reality properly. But now that I know it's possible, I have the green light to proceed. And I think I know a way to power my ritual.

She was so close, she just needed to check one last thing. Pulling over a book, she opened it to a page that she had marked previously.

As she read, a grin grew into a full out smile on her face.

She knew the place to have her ritual.

Stonehenge.

Instead of using my own magical power, I'll be using the magic of the land there to fuel my ritual. And Stonehenge is situated at the intersection of two magical ley-lines: one from the far north that runs from Ireland to there, and the other one going through Scotland here. I know it's dangerous to directly interact with ley-lines, for it can create ripples in all the other ley-lines with dire results. But the risks are outweighed by the gains.

A carefully sculpted ritual powered by two ley-lines. Three artifacts special to me, ready to be sacrificed. And then I have a little something to get through the dangers of inter-world travel, Harriet smirked as she fiddled with something in her pocket. Something that she never left unsecured or off her person for long.

Removing her hand from her pocket, she closed the book and with a wave of her wand the books strewn across the table started returning to their places. Another benefit for being here, the Underage Restriction on Magic didn't register under the roof of this house of magic. Also she got a kick out of seeing the rest of her schoolmates bumble around without magic trying to do all the things that Mrs. Weasley ordered them to do. All except Ginny, to whom Harriet let the little loophole slip.

She stood up and stretched, feeling her back pop a little. How long was I here? "Tempus," she muttered. Damn, they're probably wondering where I am right now. "Well… at least it was productive." She paused and thought for a moment. "Kreacher!" With a soft 'pop', the old House Elf appeared in front of her.

"Yes Mistress? What can old Kreacher do for you?" The house elf asked, bowing.

"I found everything I need, but I don't want this library to fall into the wrong hands. Is it possible to seal this library so even Sirius can't get in?"

Kreacher wrung his hands for a moment before, as if fighting an unseen force, ground out, "Yesss."

Harriet frowned and crouched down, and placed a hand on Kreacher's forehead, channeling a bit of her magic into him. All of a sudden the house elf straightened up and said, stronger, "Yes. I can do that. Thank you Mistress."

"I am looking out for the interests of the Black family. Despite Sirius being a direct heir, he is not honoring the legacy of this family and has yet to prove he is worthy. Maybe when I leave he'll finally get his act together." As she said it though, Harriet knew that he wouldn't. Not while Dumbledore is still pulling the strings.

"I have to get back to the… rest of them. Once I'm gone, seal the library. Sirius will probably order you to open it, under the Headmaster's orders. Don't."

Kreacher nodded vigorously, his ears flapping a bit. "It will be my pleasure to deny the blood traitor," he grinned. Harriet nodded, not bothering to argue with him about blood purity and the hypocrisy of it.

She looked to the door and sighed. Time to face the sheep. She closed her eyes and surged her magic to them, willing a change to them. When she opened them, they were Avada Kedavra green, the same color as her mother's eyes. But now she could barely see as her vision was blurry. It took two tries, but she found her glasses and put them on, her vision clearing, and the mask was put on once more.

Early on she had discovered that she had the ability to change her eye color and hair length, later learning through the young woman Tonks that the ability was called Metamorphing, and very few people were full Metamorphmaguses. Harriet's was limited to her eyes and hair, and even that it was born out of necessity. Having golden eyes was another sign of 'unnaturalness' to the Dursleys, so she made herself have green eyes very early on. And it seemed to torment Petunia very much when she made the change, as she later learned it was coincidentally Lily's eye color as well, but at the cost of bad eyesight when they were green.

Collecting her notes and plans she held them in her hand and concentrated, willing her magic into her palm. Slowly the center of the parchments browned and then blackened, then a hole with smoldering embers formed and spread, consuming them until all that was left was crispy ashes, which she scattered into the Library.

"No traces, no leftover notes, nothing letting them bring me back," she said to herself, dusting off her hands. Harriet made for the doors, ignoring Kreacher popping out, and stepped out. She looked around and made sure that no-one would see her exiting.

Nonchalantly walking into the hallways of Grimmauld place, she was soon set upon by the head shrew, Molly Weasley. "Harriet, there you are dear! Where were you, we were worried that you were gone."

Harriet put an amicable smile on her face and shrugged in a 'what can I say' gesture. "Sorry Mrs. Weasley, but I got curious and started wandering the house."

"Oh, dear, you shouldn't do that at all, this house is full of dark magic and is dangerous. You shouldn't go wandering about."

Harriet looked sheepish. "I know, I'm sorry." She made an effort to look like she actually was.

"Oh, never mind that," Mrs. Weasley said, not able to stay disappointed at her for long… or not wanting to alienate her. "C'mon dear, Ron and Hermione are having dinner now. You should go join them."

Harriet nodded, but asked, "What about Ginny or the twins?"

"Oh they're doing something else, now hurry along to your friends," she said, completely deflecting Harriet's question. Harriet had to control herself to not narrow her eyes. So he's finally noticed our closeness then and is trying to separate us while forcing the others on me.

Harriet shrugged again and said, "Okay, I'll see them later then."

"You will, don't worry," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile that Harriet felt was irritating. "Tomorrow's another day."

This time, the smile that Harriet had was sincere. "Yes. Yes it is." And tomorrow is when I'll leave.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well? What do you think? Should I keep going? I'll do at least until Harriet ends up in Remnant (no surprise there) and that'll be about 5 chapters, then I'll see how things are if I should continue.

For pairings, I am open to suggestions as I really have no preference.

For those of you that know me, updates will probably be far in-between. For those of you who don't, just read the second part of the first sentence.

Once again, I am not abandoning my stories for this, especially The Aura Mage. This is just something new.

Alright, I'm done, see you next time!
Don't forget to Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow (R.R.F.F)

-OrangeGalen