What if Harry wasn't the only child saved from the Potter house that night where You-Know-Who killed Lily and James? What if there was another child brought out of the house, but not to the Dursley's?
"Harry Potter!" She heard Professor McGonagall call out. A black-haired boy made his way up, taking his seat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on Harry Potter's head.
After a while of conversation between Harry Potter and the sorting hat, the hat finally roared, "Gryffindor!" and the lions table roared in applause.
Finally, Professor McGonagall reached the last student. "Ah, dear, you must be Harlem. Correct?" The short black-haired girl looked up at the Professor. The Professor and the girl had met before. They also arranged the fact they would pretend they didn't know each other, so that the girl's situation wasn't obvious.
"Yes, Professor." The girl, Harlem spoke.
"Alright. Come on up, let's get you sorted in your house." Professor McGonagall smiled sincerely. Knowing Harlem's circumstances, the old witch didn't dare speak the girl's last name. She climbed up and sat on the stool where every other student had sat, and the hat was placed on her head, brimming over her green eyes.
"What's this? Oh, very wise, this girl is. Great potential." The sorting hat murmured quietly. "Could be Gryffindor. Possibly even Slytherin. This girl has many fears. Too wise for Slytherin." The hat continued. Harlem ignored the growls from the Slytherin table. "Tell me, what is your name?" The hat asked, and it took a moment for Harlem to realize the hat was speaking to her.
"Harlem." She whispered, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. What did the hat want to speak to her for?
"Your full name. Tell the hall, let them feel the excitement."
Great embarrassment filled Harlem and she took a deep breath. "No."
"Do it." The hat nearly hissed, making Harlem jump. She looked at Professor McGonagall with concerned eyes. The teacher nodded at her. "You can't be a Gryffindor. Afraid of your name? Ridiculous!"
After a moment of silence from Harlem, and confusion from her classmates, she finally spoke.
"My name is Harlem Potter."
A/N: I realize Harlem's being at Hogwarts changes things at the school. As do any O/Cs that are brought in these stories. First, as the story in based in the students fifth year at Hogwarts, which is Order of the Phoenix times, the things I am changing for story purposes is the length of Umbridge being at the school. Yes she was there, but not for as long. And also, for story purposes, Dumbledore's Army happens later on. Sirius isn't dead, either. He'll be used in the story. Sorry! (:
Harlem sat in the Ravenclaw common room, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore in her lap. Despite the fact the book was of no use to her, due the fact she was in her fifth year at Hogwarts, she liked to read it for reviewing. Her midnight black hair fell over her shoulders to her ribcage, parted along the middle. Her fringe pushed aside so it stayed out of her hair as the girl read, a content smile on her pale face. It was Harlem's fifth year at Hogwarts, a few weeks before Christmas. Though most students were going home to spend time with their family, that wasn't the case for Harlem.
Harlem's mother and father were murdered, by the most evil wizard of all time. That wizard's name was Lord Voldemort. Harlem was taken away from the house by her father's best friend, Sirius Black, and brought to a place where Sirius knew she would be safe. Remus Lupin had acted as Harlem's father figure, despite the change Lupin went through on every full moon. At that time, Harlem would always be locked in her house, while Lupin went somewhere that he would never tell Harlem. He knew she would try to help him.
Now that Harlem was attending Hogwarts, she found it difficult to keep in contact with her father figure. Of course, she had been here for many years. Lupin had come and gone as a teacher at Hogwarts, and he had favourite Harlem as a student, as any man who raised a child would.
For the past five years at Hogwarts, people were always curious about Harlem's last name. In her second year, Harlem finally announced that she was a Potter, as in a child of Lily and James Potter. She was also the famous Harry Potter's twin sister. The past years Harry had been social with Harlem, but Harlem wasn't interested in a life of fame. So while her twin brother was off saving the world, Harlem did her best to support him while staying with her studies.
She also received the same treatment that Harry did from the Slytherin's. Sure, she wasn't a Gryffindor, but the fact her brother, mother and father were all lions, Harlem apparently deserved the same treatment. Harlem was in Ravenclaw, and nothing would change that.
A loud owl's cry came from the Ravenclaw tower's window, and Harlem peeled her eyes away from her book, looking to the window where a grey owl swooped in, carrying a roll of parchment in its talons.
"Eleftheria!" Harlem cried out, standing up and placing the book on the couch where she had just been. Eleftheria was Harlem's owl. She had named it 'Freedom' in the first place, but Lupin had suggested that she changed it to another language. "Where have you been, girl?" She smiled and held her hand out for Eleftheria to place the parchment down. "You're going to get me in trouble; you know that, don't you?" Harlem raised an eyebrow, paying Eleftheria and stroking the owl's head.
"Harlem! McGonagall sent me; she said she wanted to see you." Cho Chang, another Ravenclaw said as she entered the common room, seeing Harlem with her owl. "Is that your owl? Does McGonagall know she's up here?" Cho asked, and Harlem's eyes widened. Eleftheria quickly sprang up and flew out the window, followed by Harlem closing the window shutters.
"Please don't tell McGonagall, Cho. I can't help it; she keeps coming and bringing mail from family." Harlem nearly begged her fellow eagle.
"Don't worry, Harlem. Your secret is safe." Cho promised, making Harlem force a smile. "But you better go. McGonagall said it's important." And with that, Harlem grabbed her wand from the end table, before heading out of the common room. She still held the parchment, pushing it into a pocket of her black and blue robes.
"I'll see you later, Cho. I owe you one." Harlem said as the door closed behind her.
Roaming the halls, Harlem looked around curiously. She dodged the first years running towards the Ravenclaw common room, smiling at their helpless laughter.
"Harlem! Harlem, is that you?!" A male's voice called out, followed by the pounding of footsteps, showing whoever held the voice was running towards her.
Harlem turned around, seeing a familiar redhead running towards her. "Yes?"
Ronald Weasley, the best friend of her twin brother now stood before her, panting and trying to relax his heavy breaths. "Harry – He sent me to – and you – and McGonagall – and family." The boy panted.
"Ron, calm yourself down! Breath. What does Harry want? What does it have to do with me?" She asked, placing her hand on the redhead's shoulder.
"Harry said that he talked to McGonagall about you possibly coming with him to stay at the burrow with us these holidays! And you can bring Lupin, and Sirius, and anyone else you'd like! Isn't that great?" Ron beamed with excitement, looking at Harlem happily.
"Oh, Ron. You know I would, but I promised Luna I would stay and help her out these holidays." Harlem lied. Sure, it wasn't the best of lies, but it was the most she could come up with on the spot.
"What? But – Luna said she was going to visit us with her father." Shit. Harlem sighed quietly, looking down.
"I'll consider it, Ron. I've got to go see McGonagall. Tell Harry I'll find him after dinner, and then I'll discuss it with him."
"Okay, Harlem. I've got to go, if I'm late for Snape's class again, mum said she'll bring me home and won't let me come back." Ron gulped, before turning and running off towards Snape's Potion classroom.
Harlem sighed quietly before turning on her heel and making her way to Professor McGonagall's office. As Harlem walked down the hall, a few of the pictures said a sweet, "Hello, Harlem!" as she passed by, before she reached the Professor's office.
"Professor McGonagall?" Harlem called out as she knocked, nervously.
"Miss Potter? Do come in, close the door behind you." McGonagall greeted, opening the door with a flick of her wrist, and a quiet whisper of "Alohamora."
"You wanted to see me, Professor? Did I do something wrong?" Harlem asked, closing the door behind her and taking a seat at the seat opposite McGonagall.
"Now, Miss Potter, do take note that if you were to have done something wrong, it would be Professor Flitwick you would be to report to, correct? Besides, you aren't trying to tell me that you have done something wrong, are you?"
Harlem gulped. Did Professor McGonagall know that Harlem's owl was bringing her mail, not through the castle? "Oh, right, of course not, Professor." Harlem said, diverting her eyes down to the ground.
"Very well. Now, Mr. Potter tells me he wishes for you to go with him to the Weasley's house for these holidays. Is that right?" Harlem nodded. "I see. Well, not that I am trying to keep you from your friends –
"They are not my friends, Professor. They are Harry's friends. Harry is just inviting me because he feels he has to." Harlem corrected. Professor McGonagall tipped her head, forcing a smile.
"Forgive me. But as I was saying, not that I am trying to keep you from them, but do you wish to go?"
Harlem shook her head. "No, Professor."
"Good, very good. That's all I must ask you. Professor Dumbledore is in the Hall preparing for dinner, go see him, he has a request for you. That is all. Do not waste time, Miss Potter. I am counting on you, this is very important."
"Yes, Professor." Harlem stood up, before turning and rushing out of Professor McGonagall's office.
Harlem turned away from Professor McGonagall's office, making her way to the great hall where the old witch told her Professor Dumbledore was.
"Oh, look boys; it's the little lady Potter." A boy dressed in black and green cloaks chuckled lowly, laughing with two other boys in black and green. The one in front had an ashy blond hair color and very pale skin. The other two seemed distant, especially when they heard the clicking of shoes making their way down the hall.
"Theo, Blaise, quick, get out of here!" The boy in the front snapped. By the time Harlem recognized the two boys, they had turned on their heels and left.
"Meet us in the common room later!" One of the running boys called behind them, before Harlem settled her eyes on the blond.
"Come on, Potter. What are you doing out? Shouldn't you be studying for your stupid eagle work? Or have you convinced your brother's Granger friend to do it for you?" The blond smirked at her. Harlem rolled her eyes.
"Sod off, Malfoy. I'm not in Gryffindor, and I'm not even friends with Hermione – Or Harry, for that matter." Harlem growled, clenching her hands into fists. She did have the same temper as her brother.
"You think that means a thing to me? You and your brother – You're both the same. You're both little git's that think because you survived the Dark Lord's attack, you're some heroes." Draco Malfoy laughed, putting his hands on his hips.
"Grow up. Everyone knows I wasn't there that night. Everyone knows I'm not some celebrity. So sod off!" She exclaimed before turning and opening the door to the hall.
"Jealous of your brother's fame, are we?" Draco raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest in amusement.
"Of course not. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Dumbledore." She said proudly, starting into the hall.
"What? That old twat? He just called me here. What are you playing at, Potter?" Malfoy said, a tone of confusion in his voice.
"Miss Potter, Mister Malfoy, good to see you, glad you could make it." Professor Dumbledore welcomed, stepping down from the tall podium and walking down the aisle to Harlem and Draco, while the two also walked towards the old headmaster.
"Hello, Professor Dumbledore, Sir." Harlem greeted, nodding her head to him. He nodded his head back of course, and then looked to Draco, who simply grunted.
"Mister Malfoy, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you care to wait here for a moment while I talk to Miss Potter?" Professor Dumbledore asked, stroking his fingers through his long, white beard.
"Whatever." Draco scoffed, turning and walking towards the Slytherin table, taking a seat and saying "Lumos" and making his wand produce a faint light, then "Nox" to turn the light off.
"Come with me, Miss Potter." Dumbledore smiled sweetly at the girl, while the two of them turned and walked towards Dumbledore's large chair.
"So, what did you need me for, Professor?" Harlem asked, leaning on the large table where the teachers sat during meals. Dumbledore sat in his headmaster's chair.
"I'm sure you know the situation with You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. Am I right?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Harlem curiously.
Harlem swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded slowly. "Of course, Professor."
"and you know the situation of the Malfoy's being involved with that?" He asked. Harlem nodded once again.
"Of course."
"Well, here's what I need you to do." Dumbledore said, and looked at Draco. He then started to explain.
A/N: Hey guys! This is the first story I've posted on here. I'd really appreciate reviews. At the moment I'm sharing a laptop with my parents because mine broke, but I'll still update as often as I can. I'm sorry if this chapter is long/short, and that it stopped where it did, I just wanted to start the next chapter with an introduction of all of that stuff.