There was a week of tidying up and mourning, the only deaths were Harry and Voldemort but Percy Weasley showed up to fight with the Order of the Phoenix and he had twisted his ankle pretty bad tripping over an arm that had fallen off one of the suits of armor. He dented the arm pretty badly too and the suit was most disgruntled when it was reattached, even though McGonagall had fixed it perfectly, the suit still grumbled that it didn't swing as smoothly as it had before. McGonagall did her best to soothe the armor and then suggested that Ginny and Ron might want to avoid the South East corridor closest to the charms classroom.
Fleur and the Ministry managed to convince the goblins that since Harry had clearly imperiused Bogrod who could say that he hadn't imperiused Ron and Hermione too. Thus the conveniently dead Harry Potter took the fall for the bank robbery. And since Harry Potter had destroyed the contents of the LeStrange vault all of his fortune was transferred to them for restitution, the LeStranges were of course back in Azkaban serving life sentences again so the fortune went to the closest living pureblood heir, Draco Malfoy.
"Oh thank goodness, I was so worried about what I would do without my precious precious vault," joked Brogan when Draco gave her the key to her vault.
The Board of Governors decided to allow all the students back in Hogwarts, remedial classes for the late starters began immediately and those who had the misfortune of being at Hogwarts for the last two months were allowed to go home and be with their families. Everybody would start back up together again after the holidays and they would just go a few weeks later in the summer to catch up.
It all seemed logical and straight forward but it whipped Hermione into a frenzy not seen since OWL year. Draco followed her right down the rabbit hole giving Brogan and Ron plenty of time to catch up on Quidditch together. Blaise joined them as well, he was doing advanced potions with Snape instead of going home to his parents. A few others joined them as well, there weren't enough students to have house teams so they set up their own and played just for fun.
Brogan spent time alone too, she found herself missing Slytherin's little room even sometimes her cupboard. One day when she was sitting by herself near the spot where they had cremated Harry Potter a little snake slithered up to her. It was much too cold for a little snake to be out and about so Brogan scooped him up in her mittened hands and tried to block the wind for him. "I'm sorry," she said, "I wish I could be polite and tell you you're safe." The snake was circling around and around her palm, but when she spoke he settled and looked at her.
Lord Slytherin hears your wish and grants it speaker, the snake said quite clearly.
Really? asked Brogan. Parseltongue had been almost more trouble than it was worth but she missed it a little and it made her sad to think that with Slytherin's line ended there would be no more speakers. (Of course the thought of Tom Riddle continuing Slytherin's line was much much worse.)
Lord Slytherin woke me up to tell you, he said that you would give me a place to continue my slumber, is this the place? It is a little damp.
Brogan smiled excitedly at her new friend, I can find you a better place, she assured him. By the time Snape returned to their rooms that night Brogan was sitting on the floor next to a giant glass tank with tree branches and hot rocks, hissing to a little black serpent.
"What's this?" he asked, not that he was complaining.
"I think it's a gift from Lord Slytherin, I was outside looking at the lake and this little guy came up and told me that 'Lord Slytherin' heard my wish and granted it. I didn't even know that I was wishing to be a parseltongue again, but I am kind of glad that it's back. Mostly I just felt sad when I thought there might not ever be another one, you know."
"I hadn't thought about the gift ending, but you're right it could well have been lost completely. Do I want to know why 'Lord' Slytherin who has been dead for a thousand years is giving gifts to my daughter?"
Brogan blushed and shrugged, going back to playing with her new pet. "Your mother loved animals too." Snape said settling down with a cup of tea. "I noticed that you stopped charming your eyes to be a different color, if you start hissing too what will your classmates think?"
"I don't know, but it feels like whatever I do now, it's for the rest of my life –which I hope will be a long time, and hiding away parts of myself isn't what I want to do. A lot of people seem to be suspecting it now, I've been flying a lot too, but I guess they're too polite to ask the really awkward question."
"So you don't mind it being an open secret among your friends?"
"Not really I guess, it will be nice to have my friends again."
"And you wouldn't mind if they found out you really are my daughter, that it was Harry Potter who was inauthentic, in a way."
"Of course not, why?"
"I have an idea, that's all."
"Oh well, if that's all." Said Brogan, she didn't bother asking what the big idea was, obviously he didn't want to tell her yet.
One week later in 'remedial' potions (Brogan had protested that it wasn't really remedial potions it was just the catch-up class) a very red-faced (but then he was often a bit rosy around the cheeks) Slughorn unveiled the day's potion 'the paternus potion'.
"My da's subtleness is severely lacking these days," grumbled Brogan who was also rosy now. There were a lot of smirks in the classroom and an uncommon amount of nudging, a few students even said 'oh!' out loud to Brogan's dismay.
But afterwards things were better, much better. She was invited to the Gryffindor Tower a few times; the first time she went up there she almost ran to her usual couch spot and sank down with obvious delight.
"If it was a snake it would have bit me," laughed Dean Thomas watching her act exactly as Harry always had.
Brogan turned and hissed at him, flapping her Slytherin tie for extra measure.
"Tell me," he demanded dropping down next to her, "how many times did you sneak into our dorm last year?"
"Too many to count, I missed you guys so much."
"You know, looking back it explains why Ron coped so well with your absence. We spent the first few months waiting for him to explode in some way and when he didn't we actually thought it might be because he was more mature than we gave him credit for."
"Ha!" shouted Brogan, "no, it's because I was visiting him almost constantly."
"And when you say 'visiting' how does that pertain to the great Ron-has-a-hickey incident?"
"No comment," said Brogan blushing furiously. "We don't do that anymore anyway."
Dean laughed and then gave her a lascivious look, "pity that."
"I have my pointy little Slytherin git to keep me company now. All that pale skin, much better for marking."
"That is way too much information mate," said Dean urgently and seriously.
Brogan cackled in his face.
When the Christmas holiday rolled around again Brogan was invited to the Burrow again, at this point of the nine Weasleys five knew her true identity and only four didn't. She delegated telling the rest to Bill, "tell them without 'telling' them you know," she asked.
"No, I have no idea how to do that" Bill responded over the floo call. Fleur's well turned calves strolled into the picture then and she crouched down to say 'allo.
"What do you need help with my dear?" she asked kindly.
"Fleur, have you figured out who I really am yet?" asked Brogan looking at her meaningfully with her green green eyes.
"What do you –oh, yes," she looked closer, "yes I think I 'ave."
"Can you repeat that with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Percy and Charlie?"
"We will figure out how to do that. Excuse us now though; William and I have some things to discuss."
"Of course, sorry Bill or um, you know. Do you want me to come through?" asked Brogan looking hesitantly at Fleur.
"Non, it will be alright, Cherie." And with that Fleur shut down their connection. It was so sudden that Brogan got a nose full of ashes.
Her eyes were still streaming when the door opened and a fragrant green pine tree came through followed by Hagrid and her da.
Brogan coughed pitifully but Snape gave her a dismissive look, "using the floo without adult supervision again?" He relented though and started rubbing her back soothingly.
"It's nice to see you like this Severus," rumbled Hagrid, his beard made it hard to tell but his eyes always showed when he smiled. Brogan missed him so much and she wondered if she could have him back now. Her da seemed to hear her thoughts because he nodded at her and pushed her towards Hagrid.
"Hagrid, my daughter was somewhat rude about avoiding you last year but she maintains that she had her reasons. I believe she insisted that you were terrible with secrets." Both Brogan and Hagrid flushed horribly at that.
"I'm sorry Hagrid," said Brogan in a small voice, "I know you don't like keeping things from people so I thought that if I kept this from you, then you wouldn't have to worry.
I'm Harry Hagrid," she finished looking up and willing him to believe her.
Snape moved to stand next to her, he put an arm around her shoulders, "Lily was already pregnant when I took the Dark Mark, she knew that I couldn't just leave the Dark Lord after that so she never told me about the baby. Instead she talked to James Potter and he, knowing everything, agreed to marry her and raise the baby as his own."
"How, but he was a boy. Oh, they did something stupid with potions or a spell to try and hide it didn't they?"
"They were young and there was a war going on," Brogan said, not defensively but as a person who had spent long hours thinking about the matter.
"Of course they were, t'ain't our place to judge them. C'mere Harry or Brogan or –just come here, I've missed you so and then I thought you died." Hagrid was full on blubbering now and so was Brogan.
"Yes, well," said Snape stepping away from both of them. "There's my good deed for the Yule all sorted." He went to the kitchen to make tea.
"I'm sorry I let you think I was dead," said Brogan when she could talk again.
"Well, you were young and there was a war going on wasn't there?" said Hagrid kindly. "And look at you now, so pretty and all alive, and not famous. And best of all lad, girl, best of all you have a dad now, right."
"I think that is the best part too, once we stopped hating each other we started getting along really well."
Later as they were eating house elf made biscuits (much easier on the teeth than Hagrid's rock cakes) Hagrid asked why they were telling him now.
"Now that Voldemort is gone it isn't as dangerous. Last year I tried harder to hide it, I kept charming my eyes to be less green, and this year lots of people are figuring it out or guessing and I'm not denying it. I don't want to spend the rest of my life denying who I was or pretending, but I don't want to be Harry or some freak again."
"It's nice t'hear you talking about the rest of your life there," said Hagrid approvingly.
Snape was invited to the Weasleys but he declined, there was a staff party on Christmas day too and he preferred his colleagues company to screaming red heads. Brogan was more nervous about visiting the Burrow this year, she didn't want them to make a fuss over her or anything. She needn't have worried, Bill proposed to Fleur on Christmas Eve and nobody had a spare thought for her after that.
Well, when she first got there Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pulled her aside to privately hug her and assure her that they understood and there were no hard feelings. They also informed her that she was bunking with Ginny this year.
On Christmas morning there was a Slytherin green and silver sweater for Brogan with all the others, it had a big B on the front too. "Our first Slytherin," said Mrs. Weasley looking a bit overcome.
"I was sorted into Gryffindor too, well after I pleaded with the hat for a bit," protested Brogan.
"You can argue with the hat?" asked Fred.
"Fred, you can argue with anything," Percy informed him.
"The houses are kind of bunk anyway," said Ron, shocking everyone. "It's sad to think that if Harry hadn't argued with the hat I never would have been his friend. Why leave things like who's going to be your friend or not up to an old hat?"
"It's not just an old hat," said Fred in outrage.
"Sometimes at the ministry whole days go by without anyone asking me what house I was in," remarked Percy.
"When you get older whole years can by without anyone caring what house you were in," Mr. Weasley assured them.
"That sounds nice," said Brogan. "Sirius had a really hard time with his family after he got sorted into Gryffindor."
"I'm sure he did," said Mrs. Weasley. "Are you going to live in Grimmauld Place again?"
"Yeah, I think I will. I like being in London and I can't really see myself living with the Malfoys."
"Your father has a house too doesn't he?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"He does but it's kind of small and grim, I was actually thinking of putting a potions lab in at Grimmauld Place to see if I could lure him there."
"Careful, you might lure us there too," said Fred.
"Why does everyone love potions so much?" asked Brogan. "I really don't see it."
The holidays ended and all the students returned. Quidditch started and Brogan was the Slytherin seeker again. She and Ron had a huge fight about whether or not she should use the Firebolt. "It's too obvious!" Ron had shouted.
"You just don't want to lose to Slytherin," sneered Brogan.
The fight went on and on up and down the pitch, Brogan even tried getting teary and making up some crap about the Firebolt making her feel closer to Sirius. Ron didn't buy it for a hot second. Arbitration was called in, Neville was leaving the greenhouses when he heard the shouting and he had foolishly investigated.
"Neville, isn't it obvious that Ron's just jealous?"
"Neville, isn't it obvious that not everyone can play on world class brooms and to have one player use one is an unfair advantage?"
"Neville, there's nothing in the rules about broom quality."
"Neville, Gryffindor has a good chance this year our new chasers are really working well together now."
"See! See Neville, he only cares about his team winning, not about fairness." Brogan crowed triumphantly.
"The Great Neville has decided, do you solemnly swear to abide by the Great Neville's decision?" they both nodded solemnly.
"Brogan may use her Firebolt but not when her team plays Gryffindor. This treaty is subject to alteration if the Hufflepuffs are as good as they were last year."
"Fine," they both fumed and then they all went in for dinner.
And so the months slipped by, Draco forcing her to study harder than she ever had before for all of the NEWTs. Her da always seeming to know when she wanted to be quizzed and when she wanted him to tell her that she had studied enough and they hadn't sparred in forever.
One overcast day, when it was supposed to be spring but not in Scotland,it seemed like the whole Ministry came to Hogwarts so people from each office could talk to the seventh year students about careers after they graduated.
The Department of Mysteries was there and Hermione was very excited but they weren't that interested in talking to Neville, Hermione or Ron. Brogan remembered how much of the damage to that department was her fault and smiled her most charming smile while taking brochures from their table.
"I was fifteen, they can't possibly hold me responsible for defending myself from a Death Eater attack when I was fifteen," Hermione fumed and fumed, apparently she really was interested in the Department of Mysteries. Brogan gave her the brochure she had picked up, she had no intention of going there again herself.
Draco was at Percy Weasley's table Brogan saw with some shock. Well not really shock, more like a resigned sense of dismay. She kept walking until she found Mad Eye Moody and Tonks at the Auror table, that was what she wanted.
Tonks was more than happy to load her up with brochures, Mad Eye looked a little dubious and Brogan was tempted to let him know she was really Harry Potter. She didn't because that seemed like trading on her fame and that was why she had killed Harry, except Harry had done so much beyond having that curse bounce off his forehead. It wasn't a freak rebound that had saved the Philosopher's Stone, or killed the basilisk, or stolen an egg from a dragon, or broken into Gringott's thank you very much. Yeah, it was very tempting to reveal herself to Moody, but she figured that since she had done all that crap once she could do it all again. She was pretty sure that he would make her do it all again in front of his magical eye no matter what anyway.
Ron was behind her at the table, "still interested in this mate?" he asked. "I always thought you were just being prudent because of You-Know-Who."
"Well, maybe I was, but it's still what I'm best at."
"You could probably go professional in quidditch, even quidditch is safer than this."
"Maybe, but there's all that traveling for quidditch."
"There's late nights for aurors, the schedule is mad."
"I'm sure it is. And yet here you are."
"Yeah, I guess I am," Ron smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess the thing is, either one of those jobs has pluses and drawbacks, I'm not sure I would like either one unless."
"Unless, what?" asked Brogan already knowing.
"Unless I had a friend with me," Ron answered.
"Well, it's hard to say which has the better odds, us being recruited by the same professional quidditch team or us both making it through auror training."
"Why don't we start with the auror training, I think it will make mum happier."
"Ron, you can't choose your life's work based on that!" Brogan was aghast.
"You're so dramatic, it isn't my life's work. It's just the first training program I'm going to try. If I hate it I'll try quidditch, if quidditch doesn't work out I'll go round the shop and hassle my brothers into giving me a job. You're acting like the Chosen One here, this bit, this isn't important."
"I guess you're right. I like what you said about the first training program."
"Cool, so what do we need on our NEWTs for this thing?"
Nobody was surprised about Ron and Brogan going out for auror training together. Draco couldn't even scrape together any jealousy, he was too busy writing fangirl letters to Percy. Brogan was waiting for him to ask if she could get him an invitation to the Burrow, then she would know that the end had really come.
Except it wasn't the end, it was the beginning. The beginning of everything.
NEWTs took over their lives and everyone was crabby. Brogan had to quit the quidditch team after all, the requirements for the auror program were incredibly strict - she needed more NEWTs than a frog pond in summer.
And then one beautiful summer day they were all over and the professors were shooing them outside and inquiring about when they would be packed and vacating the premises.
Brogan was enjoying the lovely weather by sunbathing in shorts and a skimpy t-shirt down by the lake. She was in her usual spot when Draco found her. "You know it's creepy that you hang out in the spot where Harry died."
It was creepy but there wasn't a marker there or anything so not everybody recognized it. The little black snake was with Brogan today, it wasn't the first time she had brought the snake back out to the spot where she found him. Each time she expected the snake to give her an adios and take off into the grass but it wasn't warm enough the first day, the grass was too wet the second day and shockingly the third day it had been too dry and the ground was all hard. Today was really perfect though so Brogan figured if he refused to leave today they were probably going to be together forever.
The little snake hadn't given her an excuse to not leave yet and was contentedly sunbathing next to her. What did he ask? the snake inquired sleepily.
He asked me why I like this spot.
Do you know why you do? asked the snake back.
Not really Brogan confessed, the view though reminds me of a magic window down in the Chamber of Secrets.
One thousand years ago a house stood in this spot and Lord Slytherin lived here with his family. He was very happy, I think that is why you like this spot. When you returned his locket to him you returned some of his happiness and he shares it with you now.
He shares you with me now, doesn't he?
Yes, it is very distressing when you keep asking me to leave.
Then you should tell me you want to stay.
I want to stay, you are nice and the magic rocks are wonderful in the cold dark season.
Draco had sat down during the conversation, it was boring when he didn't know what they were hissing about. "What are you hissing about?" he whined.
"Oh, the snake was wondering why I keep asking him to leave when I have such lovely magical rocks and he wants to stay."
"So, is he going to stay?"
"Yes."
"Then will you name the bloody thing, I'm so sick of you saying the snake all the time, I keep getting confused and think you're talking about an underclass Slytherin."
He wants to know if you have a name, since you're staying we should call you something besides snake.
Snakes don't have names, that is why you never thought to ask on your own, in snake language it doesn't make sense.
He's going to insist. Do you like Black for your color?
My color will change when I shed my skin. It is silly to name me for something that changes.
What doesn't change? asked Brogan and then answered herself, The lake, maybe. It's the Black Lake you know, are you sure you don't like Black?
Stop, if you call me Black in your human language I won't know so why do you pester me? The sun is making me sleepy and your hissing keeps me awake.
"His name is Black, his color may change when he sheds his skin but I found him here by the lake so his name is Black."
"Lovely, naming it after your dead godfather isn't maudlin at all."
"I knew you would understand darling."
"Do you miss him? Do you want to talk to any of them?"
"What do you mean Draco?"
"I still have the resurrection stone, it's yours though. I keep meaning to give it back to you but then I think about the story and how the brother went mad from spending all his time with the shade of his wife. You have lost so many people that I, I guess I worried about the temptation.
But I remember how you helped me with the locket horcrux, how you held my hand during that and I thought that maybe if we did it together we could use it once so you can talk to them and then we'll get rid of it. Or something."
"Draco, that's both sweet and condescending, how do you always manage that?"
"It's a Malfoy gift," he shrugged.
"Hold on to it, I'll think about it, okay?"
"Okay," he said.
A week later and it was announced that the seventh years absolutely had to leave the campus, life was out there. Headmaster Snape acknowledged that Scotland was beautiful in June and the food at Hogwarts was indeed delicious, and the free laundry service was superb, and yes all of their friends were here, but NEWTs were over and it was time to get a move on.
"Was that the Hogwarts commencement ceremony?" Brogan asked him later.
"It's the only one you're ever going to get," he sneered.
"Have you decided what you're going to do with your life Da? I know it's beautiful here, and the food is good and all your friends are here, but you don't need to hide behind Dumbledore's walls anymore."
"You are so very very cheeky. But I will admit that your observations are not unique, Minerva said pretty much the exact same thing last night. She had an intriguing suggestion, I'm hesitant to share it with you –your own life being so in flux, but I can't get it out of my head now."
"What is it? What did she say?"
"There are wizarding traditions around 'potions tours'. Afficionados of the potion arts travel to various parts of the world where interesting ingredients can be found. There are different routes for different continents and such."
"Travel! That would be great for you, would Draco go with you? I think he would like it and also you know, a little distance from Percy could be a good thing."
"I thought of bringing Draco, of course. But also you Brogan, would you like to go with me too?"
"Me? But I'm pants at making potions."
"It's a tour Brogan, not a test. Are you turning your nose up at walking along a sandy white tropical beach searching for magical mollusks?"
"Oh, that does sound, um, educational. But not too educational. When would you go though? What about auror training? Not that I've been accepted into the program yet, but. Well, I guess it's pretty stupid to turn down a grand tour to wait for an owl."
"We could arrange to be back by September, that's when the training programme begins anyway."
"And auror training is just the first programme I'm trying, or maybe it will be the second if this potions tour counts."
"That was spoken like a true eighteen year old."
"Is it stupid or pompous or anything for the three of us to go off like that?"
"Are you concerned about what Ron will think?"
"No, maybe, I guess so."
"Ron will understand, but also you are incredibly wealthy, you can take your friends with you."
"I guess I could but it sounds nicer as just a trip for the three of us. Gryffindors create drama, you know."
"I agree."
As it turned out Ron and Hermione were planning their own trip, to Australia to collect Hermione's parents. Brogan supposed she felt as uncomfortable thinking about what Hermione had done to her parents as Hermione felt when she thought about Brogan throwing around fiendfyre and the imperius curse.
They each had their journals though so they could keep in touch and Brogan promised that she would join them immediately if they needed her. Ron promised that if she needed help finding magical mollusks along the white sandy beaches he would come too.
"Ron," Hermione said in that lecturing tone she had, the one that drove other people nuts but Ron and Brogan loved, "you speak as if there was no magical fauna in Australia. We're going to see loads of animals and plants. There are loads of snakes too Brogan, it's a shame you can't join us you could talk to them and learn all sorts of things I'm sure."
"Snakes are probably not as interesting as you think Hermione. Don't forget all the exotic spiders in Australia too."
"What?" asked Ron, "there are spiders?"