AN: Holy Jeebus. I'm really sorry, guys. I do hate it when real life gets in the way of writing fanfiction. And unfortunately, the insanity that is my life hasn't actually stopped yet.
And, even more unfortunately, I still don't own anything.
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Sirius Black was frustrated. The protections around Hogwarts had made it essentially impossible for him to get into the castle for months now.
'Wormtail is in there, and no one bloody knows but me. They think I'm after Harriet, for Merlin's sake.' The brooding man was broken from his reverie by the approach of a snowy owl. Despite the fact he was currently in his dog form, the owl looked straight at him and hooted, sticking out its leg. Sighing to himself, and making sure no one else was around, Sirius transformed and untied the letter. The owl promptly flew off, heading towards Hogwarts. Sirius opened the letter, and his heart skipped a beat.
Padfoot,
I am sorry it took me this long to realize I could probably just send you a letter, now that I know who you really are. I really should have been able to adequately thank you for my Christmas present when I do. I mean, it is surely one of a kind.
But I digress. This letter does have actual purpose beyond pleasantries.
I know what you're really after inside of Hogwarts. Wormtail is in my custody, and I promise you he cannot escape. Don't try to break in anymore. Over the next weeks, I will be working directly with Madam Amelia Bones to turn the rat over to the DMLE and put him on trial. Madam Bones feels confident that, given what he has already admitted to doing under Veritaserum when I asked him, Wormtail's trial will give her everything she needs to get your name cleared, especially after I pointed out that escaping from Azkaban isn't actually illegal.
I will see you free, Padfoot. And I look forward to actually meeting you when I do.
Stay safe,
H.L.P.
For the first time in over twelve years, Sirius Black smiled.
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The first Saturday of April, Harriet gathered her friends in an unused classroom. After she warded the door, Harriet ran a hand through her always messy hair, sighing deeply.
"Alright…So I need to find a way to move Wormtail, and I have exactly seven days to do it. Madam Bones is bringing Aurors a week from tomorrow to retrieve him. And I really don't want to have to lead the Aurors into the Chamber, for obvious reasons. Suggestions from the crowd?" After a moment of collective thought, Blaise sighed and shook his head.
"There isn't a way, Harri. Since we can't force his rat transformation, we can't move him undetected. Too many people in the castle to dodge, even with the Map." Suddenly, Daphne looked up from her desk.
"Wait, if the issue is people in the castle, isn't next Saturday the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff game?" Harriet opened her mouth, blinked several times, closed her mouth, and then tried again.
"How could I forget…that game is going to be huge. Technically, both of them are still in the hunt for the Cup, ignoring the fact that Hufflepuff has to beat Slytherin in June and Diggory doesn't have a Firebolt. But I can't use that chance, I need to be in the stands, watching the game, Captain's orders. Unless…" Harriet trailed off, chewing on her lip. Her friends easily recognized the gears working in her mind, and stayed quiet.
After several minutes, Harriet turned and looked over her female friends.
"Alright…Trace, Daph, of the two of you, who could impersonate me the best, given that we use Polyjuice to make you look like me?" The girls in question shared a look. Tracey shook her head.
"Harri, honestly, Blaise would probably do the best job of being you." Harriet rolled her eyes.
"Not happening. For one, Blaise isn't a girl, and thus would miss too many of the subconscious female quirks. For two, Quidditch games are a treasure trove for him and his informants, and we can't afford to get sloppy. It has to be one of you two." Daphne and Tracey shared another look. Daphne shook her head.
"I'll do it. What do you need me to do?" Harriet grinned.
"No need to act like it is the end of the world. You just have to be me for a couple hours at a Quidditch game. At the game itself, you'll be using Omnioculars. I have a set I use at the other games that can record everything you see. Just watch the Seekers, especially Diggory. However, you'll need to be able to intelligently answer questions from the rest of the team. To do that, you'll need to learn the Slytherin playbook in the next week, at least the Seeker section. I'll get you my copy tonight." Daphne sighed deeply. Harriet just kept smiling.
"Alright, so my double is in place. Before the game, I'll get you dressed, and give you a thermos. Honeydukes's best hot chocolate, spiked liberally with Polyjuice so the transformation will last as long as we need it to. Blaise, you'll be doing what you normally do. Tracey, you'll help me get Wormtail moved. I'll need someone to watch the Map. Any questions?" Blaise and Tracey shook their heads, followed a moment later by Daphne. "Good. Daph, the playbook will be in your trunk by bedtime, spelled to look like one of those romance novels you like so much." The blonde squeaked, and blushed deeply. Harriet rolled her eyes. "What, did you think I didn't know? Anyway, no one should pry, but do make sure no one sees what it actually is. I'd get kicked off the team, and likely strung up by my thumbs and lynched." Blaise stood, hefting his school bag.
"Well, as amusing as this is, I have people to meet and slightly illegal deals to make. Do let me know how the operation goes." With a grin at the blushing blonde, the wizard left, Harriet right behind him. Tracey rolled her eyes.
"For the record, Daph, I didn't tell Harri. I honestly don't know if Blaise knew beforehand, but I doubt it. Just be glad Harri hasn't ever met your mother."
Daphne just buried her face in her arms.
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A week later, after Pansy and Millicent had left the dormitory, Harriet and Daphne locked themselves into the bathroom they shared. Harriet held a bundle of her clothes and a thermos. Harriet smirked.
"Well, Daph, it is your time to shine. You got the playbook memorized, I hope?" Daphne sighed.
"I'm still shaky on Beaters, but I'm good with everything else."
"That's fine, Crabbe and Goyle aren't any better. As long as you have the Seeker stuff down, you'll be fine." Daphne rolled her eyes, grabbed the clothes and the thermos, and headed into one of the shower stalls. Harriet closed her eyes and leaned against a sink to keep herself from pacing. A minute later, she heard herself gasp from the shower.
"Merlin, Harri! You didn't tell us the scales were everywhere." Harriet sighed.
"Well, now you know, and you won't tell anyone either. Now, if you are quite done gawking at my naked body, you have a Quidditch game to watch, and I have a murderer to move. Get a move on."
A few minutes later, Harriet watched herself walk out of the stall. Daphne shifted uneasily.
"Do you really see like this?" Harriet flicked her tongue, but didn't respond directly.
"More importantly, are you cold?" Daphne thought for a moment, and absently flicked her own forked tongue through the air.
"No, I'm quite warm, actually." Harriet nodded.
"Noted, so you got everything else, but Polyjuice can't mimic the cold blood. And watch your tongue. Literally. Yes, that is the only way I can smell anything, but you do that once in public, and everything comes crashing down. Now, come over here so I can Glamour your eyes." With a wave of her wand and a muttered spell, Harriet watched her eyes turn emerald green.
"Well, Daphne, how does it feel to be me?" Daphne smirked.
"Pretty good, once you get used to the snake parts. Now, if only I also got your brain. I'd love to be able to actually see how you think." Harriet rolled her eyes, and ran her hands through Daphne's hair, trying to get it to look right.
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When the two exited the bathroom, they saw a smiling Tracey sitting on Harriet's bed. The brunette raised her eyebrows.
"That Polyjuice stuff is impressive. I legitimately don't know which one of you is wearing the glasses." The two shared a glance, then shot identical smirks at the other girl. The Harriet wearing glasses bent down, opened the left side of her trunk, grabbed a second pair of glasses and handed them to the other. Both Harriets grabbed a satchel from the floor and threw them over a shoulder. Tracey shook her head.
"No, seriously. You two are my best friends, and I have no idea who is who." The identical girls shared a look. The girl on Tracey's left moved to lean against the wall, and shook her head.
"Then the plan should work. You were the final test. Sure, physically, we're more alike than the Weasley twins. But it is always the body language that gives people away." The other Harriet nodded.
"Now, all that's left is to make sure the Slytherin Quidditch team doesn't see through the ruse." Tracey sighed, and grinned at the girl on her right.
"You'll do fine, Daph." Both Harriets stifled a giggle. The Harriet leaning against the wall flicked her tongue.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but that's actually Harri. I'm Daphne." Tracey goggled for a moment, and the Harriet still standing took a small bow.
"She's come a long way. What did you think we've been doing all week in private, gossiping over Witch Weekly? Hardly. Daph, as amusing as this is, the clock is ticking. Get to the pitch. Tracey, I'll follow her out of the common room under the Cloak, followed by you. At the Entrance Hall, you and I will break off and head up the stairs. I'll head straight to the Chamber, you go up to the fourth floor, then take the secret passage behind that ugly tapestry down the second, then meet me in Myrtle's loo." The two girls nodded, and Daphne, looking for all the world Harriet Potter, led the way into the school.
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Daphne Greengrass stared through the Omnioculars, watching Cedric Diggory and Ginny Weasley as they flew through the air. To her right, Warrington shook his head.
"Potter, good initiative on the Omnioculars. What do you think?" Daphne kept watching, mentally double checking what she had learned about Seeking in the past week.
"As much as I hate to admit it, they're both fairly good. Certainly better than Chang. Weasley is searching more aggressively, which I suppose makes sense, given Diggory has the faster broom, not to mention more experience. But I've beaten both of them before, Diggory before I had the Firebolt." Daphne sighed, and took a long pull from her thermos. "If I had to guess, Diggory won't try anything fancy, he's being pretty cautious." Warrington scowled.
"I know you can beat the Seekers, Potter. The Chasers and Beaters are the bigger issue." Daphne shot the Slytherin Captain an icy look over her glasses.
"Warrington, my concern is the Seekers. This is a major game for both of them, neither will be holding anything back. I'm using the Omnioculars in the first place to record the Seekers. This way, I'll be able to study them at their best. Diggory is the more immediate concern, but this will be useful for me next year too in preparation for the Gryffindor game. Moreover, you can tell a lot about team strategy by watching the Seekers. As cautious as Diggory is being, my bet is that Hufflepuff is aiming for a major lead before he catches the Snitch, to give them the best shot at the Cup." Warrington furrowed his brow, and turned his attention back to the game. After a moment, he spoke again.
"Alright, Potter. I see your point. Although, for my benefit, tell me when you see the Snitch." Daphne didn't respond, but felt her new, vertical pupils expand as she searched for the small, golden ball.
A few minutes later, Daphne smirked.
"I found the Snitch. Near the ground, by the Gryffindor posts. I'm fairly sure Diggory sees it too, but isn't going for it yet. See how he's flying? I think he's trying to block Weasley's sightline, while keeping an eye on the Snitch itself. It's bloody obvious, but I suppose Hufflepuffs aren't known for their Cunning." Warrington grinned.
"Good eyes, Potter. You're right, Diggory sees it. I'd wager he goes for it if the Puffs get this next goal."
Daphne nodded absently, making sure to keep her sights on the two Seekers.
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Cedric Diggory swore to himself. Potter had been watching him the whole game, through what looked like Omnioculars no less, and it was making him uneasy. On top of it, his team was no doing as well against the Lions as he had hoped. He wanted to get a 200 point lead out of this game, but he was rapidly realizing that wouldn't happen. Between Wood on the hoops, the Twins as Beaters, and a very good Chaser trio, the Badgers just couldn't get the five goal berth. In fact, with that last goal from Bell, Diggory found himself behind.
And the Snitch was right there, taunting him. Luckily for him, he didn't think the Weasley girl had seen it yet. But, what irked him the most was that he was sure that Potter had. She wasn't even playing, and had found the Snitch before he did.
The Gryffindor section of the stands exploded into cheers as they scored again. Immediately, Cedric saw Ginny dive. Swearing vividly, Cedric dove, pushing every ounce of speed he could out of his Nimbus 2000.
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Harriet Potter sat heavily onto her bed. Despite her exhaustion, she was grinning. Peter Pettigrew had been successfully moved from the Chamber of Secrets, and neither she nor Tracey had been seen. Tomorrow, Aurors would arrive in the Shrieking Shack and find the man tied to a chair, with a vial of antidote for the Draught of Living Death hanging around his neck.
And yet, the whole school had seen her at the Quidditch game.
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After dinner, the four friends met on the fourth floor. All four were grinning. Blaise began to clap slowly.
"Well done, Harri. You managed to simultaneously move a legally dead criminal and still be first one in the pitch to find the Snitch. That's might just be the most impressive feat you've accomplished yet." Harriet raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Daphne, who nodded and blushed slightly.
"Diggory might have seen it before I did, it was very close. I mean, I understand why no one can beat you to a Snitch now, those eyes of yours are something else." Harriet saw confusion flicker over Blaise and Tracey's faces, but merely smiled.
"Indeed. Now, I'll need to watch the Omniocular recording soon, so I'll leave you three to your own devices. I'll see you in the morning." With a casual wave of her wand, Harriet broke the privacy spells on the room and walked out the door.
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On the first day of May, Sirius Black received a second letter.
Padfoot,
This Saturday, at nine in the evening, I will be in the Shrieking Shack. I trust you are familiar with the place? I would greatly appreciate you meeting me there. After all, it is for your own benefit.
H.L.P.
It took several days for a large, black dog to stop wagging his tail.
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Saturday night, Sirius Black, as Padfoot, perked his ears up. He could smell someone coming up the secret passaged that led from under the Whomping Willow. The foreign scent came closer and closer, until the door opened, revealing nothing. The door closed again, and a dark skinned boy in Slytherin robes removed the Invisibility Cloak. After tucking the Cloak into his robes, the boy arched an eyebrow at the dog in the corner.
"Ah, Mr. Black. Good of you to come. That said, I would hate to have to talk to a dog all evening." Sirius studied the boy for a moment, then morphed back into his human form.
"And who might you be? I was under the impression that Harriet would be here tonight." Blaise nodded slowly.
"As was I, until yesterday. My name is Blaise Zabini, Harriet's best friend and Spymaster-in-chief. As to why Harriet is not here, she has a bloody huge Ancient Runes project, from what I understand. She has sequestered herself into the library for 23 of the last 24 hours." Sirius blinked several times, caught off guard.
"I'm suddenly reminded why I never took Runes. I saw Lily and Remus pull plenty of all nighters for that class. Divination and Muggle Studies was much more my speed." Blaise sighed deeply.
"Regardless, we have business to discuss, even in Harriet's absence." The dark skinned boy reached into his robes, and removed a silvery sphere. He tapped the orb with his wand, tossed it to the former Marauder. Harriet's voice began to float from the ball.
"Hello, Sirius. Knowing Blaise, he has likely explained that I have a bloody great project in Ancient Runes, and thus had to send a proxy to our meeting. Also knowing Blaise, he likely hasn't explained much else, so I'll start at the beginning. As I explained in the first letter, I know you came to Hogwarts in search of Wormtail. I have since captured him, and after interrogation of my own, arranged to have him picked up by the DMLE. Their own interrogation and trial of Peter Pettigrew has been completed. Blaise, if you would, show Padfoot today's Prophet, as I doubt he has seen it, and I know you have a copy on your person." Blaise rolled his eyes, and pulled the paper from his robes. The headline on the front page told Sirius everything he needed to know. 'Peter Pettigrew alive, and guilty!' The recording of Harriet cleared her throat.
"As you can see, Wormtail confessed to everything. Now we can move to the next step of the operation, which is where you come in, Padfoot. You need to turn yourself in to the Aurors. Now, I understand your likely skepticism. In almost exactly a week, in this very spot, several Aurors will be here. They will arrest you. However, instead of shipping you immediately to Azkaban or tossing you to dementors, they will take you by secure Portkey to the DMLE holding cells at the Ministry. The next morning, you will be given fair trial under Veritaserum. If you are as innocent as I believe you are, you should be a free man by Monday morning. Now, any questions you have can be given to Blaise. If he cannot answer them, I will answer them myself in a week's time, as I will be there when the Aurors arrive. Now then, I must cut this short, and return to my studies. I will see you in a week." The memory sphere quieted, and silence loomed in the Shrieking Shack for a moment. Blaise studied the older wizard for a moment.
"Judging by the look on your face, you do have questions, and I won't be able to readily answer them. A week from today, at seven in the evening, Harriet will be here. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go make sure she actually eats something, and maybe sleeps." The young Slytherin didn't wait for a response, just covered himself in the Invisibility Cloak and left back through the tunnel, leaving a dazed Sirius Black behind him.
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The next morning at breakfast, Blaise Zabini quirked an eyebrow.
"Harri, do you know why Susan Bones is trying so desperately to catch your attention?" The petite girl shook her head.
"No, I don't. It has something to do with the letter she got a few moments ago, but I wish she would stop. She has my attention already, and she'll have the whole school's in a few moments." Furrowing her brow, Harriet turned her head and looked intently at the Hufflepuff in question. The red head froze for a moment, then gestured at the parchment in her hand, then at the Slytherin girl. Harriet nodded, then tilted her head in the direction of the doors as she stood up.
"Well, I'll go solve the mystery. Fifth location in an hour to regroup." Her friends nodded, and returned to their breakfasts.
Susan, catching on, got up and followed Harriet out the doors and into an empty classroom. Harriet, as always, locked and warded the door for privacy, then turned to her Hufflepuff yearmate.
"I will warn you, I am both exhausted and hungry. As such, I am rather irritable at the moment. Now, what was so important that you practically announced to the whole school we're collaborating?" To her credit, Susan looked rather contrite.
"I got a letter from Auntie this morning, and I was told to give you a message, as soon as possible. 'The rat escaped, but the plans for the weekend are intact.' Do you…" Susan was cut off by Harriet stabbing her wand at one of the desks.
"Reducto." The word came out in a near hiss, and was quickly overshadowed by the desk exploding.
"I held that rat in custody for over two months. And I'm a third year Hogwarts student, working in secrecy the entire time. You would think the Auror force could do better than that. Or all they all just incompetent? Confrigio." A pale yellow curse shot from her wand, and turned another desk into splinters. Susan winced involuntarily. Harriet ignored her. "The next time I see him, I might just kill him myself." Susan's eyes widened.
"Wait, just who is this rat?" Harriet didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned and stalked towards the door, taking down her wards with a slash of her wand. With her hand on the door handle, Harriet turned and shot Susan a look over her shoulder.
"His name is Peter Pettigrew, and he's a dead man walking." Before the red headed Hufflepuff could respond, the Slytherin girl had fled the room, slamming the door behind her.
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AN: Welp, I have successfully pissed off my main character. I did, however, need Wormtail to escape for my own nefarious, plot-related reasons. Oh well.
Also, I have a poll up on my profile page. You should go look at it, and maybe vote if you care.
Anyway, as always, questions, comments, cries of anguish, pleas for more, aspirations you may wish to cast upon the legitimacy of my birth, recommendations for items to add to this list, poorly formatted profanities, and heartwarming sonnets extolling my virtues (as applicable) may be submitted directly to me via the big box below.
~ExaltedChaos