Harriet Rose Potter had only recently found out that she was a witch, but already she was so excited. Her trip to Diagon Alley, and the chance to get away from the Dursley's for so long, meant she was counting down the days until she left for Hogwarts.
Working on her chores - the cooking, cleaning and washing - allowed her to drift off, remembering how wonderful all the magic had been; how wonderful it was that she could do some spells of her own soon. Her trunk was already packed for Hogwarts, her wand at the top so she could get it out as soon as she left the Dursleys sight.
She wasn't sure on all this 'girl-who-lived' business, though; it seemed more like it was by chance that she defeated Voldemort when she was a baby.
Harriet was in the midst of daydreaming only two days before leaving for her new school, deep enough in her thoughts that she didn't notice the man watching her from across the street. He had long, blonde hair and wore expensive looking robes and a black cane rested in his hand. When Harriet stepped out to do the shopping, he walked over, stopping just outside the border of 4 Privet Drive. He clenched his cane and muttered a few words under his breath. When he did this, Harriet Potter collapsed onto the ground, then floated over to him. He grabbed her drooping arm before causing the two of them to vanish with a loud crack.
o - o - o - o - o
Petunia Dursley has never wanted to raise her sister's freak. The child was so ungrateful! She had terrorised poor litter Dinky Duddydums with her freak powers; Petunia just knew that Harriet Potter was one of them.
When Vernon has finally acted, trying to beat it out of her (the first of many unsuccessful attempts), she had healed unnaturally quickly, leaving only scars after a week. As much as Petunia hated to admit it, this freakish behaviour probably helped the Dursleys - they didn't have to explain to a doctor how a four-year-old got such terrible injuries, and the girl could get back to her chores quickly.
To make it all even worse, the girl was as tomboyish as they come! She insisted on being called 'Harry', and had once said that women didn't exist just to cook, clean and wash! The audacity! She was clearly just trying to get out of the chores that she had to do to earn her place in the house. If she went and become one of those awful feminists... well, it would just give them another thing to beat out of her.
All this meant that when Harriet - Petunia refused to call her such a common name as Harry - disappeared, Petunia didn't tell anyone. The government only knew that she was going to a new school, so they wouldn't ask her, and if any freaks came around, she could just say that she assumed Harriet left early for her ... school. So she didn't tell anyone that the girl was gone - Vernon and Dudley were both ecstatic, though.
o - o - o - o - o
Professor Minerva McGonagall had seen a lot in her time teaching; being a head of house meant she saw students at both their best and worst, so much so that nothing much surprised her anymore.
But when Harriet Potter turned out to be missing, she was more than a little shocked.
The sorting had been going smoothly, as always, until she called out "Potter, Harriet". The murmuring that broke out, the heads craning to see the girl-who-lived were all expected; what wasn't expected was for no one to step forward. Minerva gave it a few seconds, before repeating herself; "Will Potter, Harriet please step forward?"
The first years - the group much smaller now that some of them had been sorted - started to talk among themselves, the rest of the great hall starting to full on talk. Minerva turned to Professor Dumbledore, meeting his eyes; hoping it was some sort of elaborate joke. He shook his head ever so slightly, before standing up, sending the hall into silence.
"It would appear as if Miss Potter has wandered off! Don't worry - we'll do our best to find her, whilst we continue with the sorting." His voice echoed in the silence, all eyes fixed on him. Professors Snape, Flitwick and Sprout met his eyes before apparating away (the headmaster had lowered the wards for just a second - this was an emergency after all). Minerva took a deep breath before turning around and moving onto the next name on her list.
o - o - o - o - o
Harry woke up in a strange bed. It was a lot bigger than her cupboard under the stairs, and soft, too. She got up, and looked around. She was in a large room; it could have fit another five beds easily. There were two doors she could see, and when she checked only one was unlocked; it led to an opulent bathroom. Back in the main room, she noticed the book case covering an entire wall, and quickly walked over to it. She picked out a book she recognised as being on her school list, and curled up on the bed and began to read.
When she was just past halfway through the book, a knock came from the locked door. Harry was instantly alert; finally, she'd meet her kidnapper! The door opened, and tall man in silky robes walked in.