A/N I Own Nothing

Ao3 – Once_Upon_A_Potter

Hailey was silent as she sat at the Slytherin table, beside the girl she had met on the train, Daphne Greengrass.

She stared down at the wood grain of the table, mind whirling as she listened to the rest of the students be sorted. She may have sat with a fellow Slytherin for most of the ride to Hogwarts, but Hailey had also briefly spoken to Ron Weasley before finding Daphne, and Hagrid while in Diagon Alley, they both seemed to be under the impression that Slytherin was 'the evil house'. Meanwhile, you had Draco Malfoy, yet another Slytherin student, who seemed to think that the other three houses were beneath Slytherin. Hufflepuff especially, having mentioned leaving should he be sorted there.

Her thoughts strayed back to the sorting hat.

What was that? What were those memories it had dragged to the forefront of her mind? Why, despite there being no way they were hers, did they seem so familiar to her?

"And now, before we go to bed," Dumbledore announced after dinner, "let us sing the school song!"

xXx

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall blonde girl."

Hailey shrunk, shoulders raising to her ears, as she felt the eyes on her.

"With the glasses?"

"Did you see her face?"

"Forget that! Did you see her scar?"

Hailey reached up, readjusting her unruly bangs so they covered the lightning bolt scar on her forehead.

She didn't like this fame thing. Despised it, really.

xXx

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn here at Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall told her class of first year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Why, Dumbledore insisted on pairing the two houses so often, no one knew. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." The professor told the class sternly.

Then, Professor McGonagall turned her desk into a Doberman and back into a desk.

Merlyn wheels a wheelbarrow into what seems to be a physician's chambers, walking past the elderly man who raised his eyebrow at her, and walking straight to the
back room, the petite girl struggling to get the wheelbarrow up the stairs to the room.

"And just what are you doing with that?" the elderly man asked, eyebrow raised nearly to his hairline.

"I'm going to let everyone see the snakes for themselves." Merlyn declared, as she finally got the wheelbarrow up the stairs, and the dog statue that was in the
wheelbarrow set onto the ground of the small bedroom.

She walked over to stand bedside the bed, crouching down, she lifted the floorboard, carefully pulling a leatherbound book from underneath the floor, before setting the floorboard back in place.

She walked back over to the dog statue, opening the book and leafing through it. Stopping when she found a spell that would do as she needed.

"Berbay odothay." Merlyn paused, glancing around the room in paranoia, before turning back to the book. "Berbay odothay arisan quickem." She sounded out,
glancing up at where the statue sat. Nothing.

She repeated spell over and over for what felt like hours before giving up and putting the book back in the floorboard. And rushing out of the room, not bothering to
answer the elderly man's questions as she rushed past him and out the door.

Next thing she knew, she was back in the room again. Night had fallen, and she was in the company of a granite statue she was trying to bring to life. The sense of urgency had doubled in the time lost.

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem." She chanted confidently, then looked at the statue expectantly.

Nothing.

She sat cross legged on the floor in front of the statue. "Berbay odothay arisan quickem." She demanded, staring at the statue with an expectant tilt of her head.

Nothing.

She paced back and forth, sure she was doing everything correctly, even confirming it by having the book open and in her hands, referring back to it. "Ber-bay. O-do-thay. Ari-san. Quick-em." She turned her head to glance at the statue.

Nothing.

She fell back onto the bed, looking at the dog statue upside down, her hair brushing the floor, "Berbay odothay arisan quickem."

Nothing.

She lay on the bed, on her back, holding a pillow over her eyes. Lifting the pillow she glanced at the statue without moving more than necessary, outside her window, dawn was breaking. "Berbay odothay arisan quickem."

Nothing.

She slammed the pillow back over her face, before letting out a frustrated scream, surprisingly muffled by the thin pillow.

She jackknifed into a sitting position, pillow coming to rest in her lap as she jolted from her quick five minute doze. Pointing at the statue, determinedly, "Berbay
odothay arisan quickem." She stared at the statue for several minutes, hoping for a change.

Nothing.

She let herself fall forward until she was bent over her legs, face smashed into the bed. Once again, she tried, this time muffled by the bed. "Berbay odothay arisan quickem."

Once again, nothing.

At midmorning, she found herself sitting cross legged on the floor, her forehead resting on the bed. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, "Berbay odothay arisan quicken." There was a familiar burning behind her eyes.

In her sleep deprived state, she didn't notice the loud growl that resounded throughout the room.

There was a silence as she thought over how she pronounced it that time, she repeated the spell, "Berbay odothay arisan quicken."

The dog barked.

Wide eyed, Merlyn pushed herself back from the bed, to stare at the now very much so alive dog statue.

"I did it!" She screamed, jumping up from the floor and rushing out the door, she didn't have time to spare. The dog leapt for her and she quickly shut the bedroom
door.

"Merlyn!" the elderly man called urgently, catching her attention as she entered the front room. "Arthur's fighting Valiant!"

"I know. I'm on my way." Merlyn informs him, "Oh! And whatever you do, do not go into my room! We'll deal with that later."

"-tter!" Professor McGonagall was saying, "Miss. Potter!"

Hailey jolted, looking up in confusion at the Transfiguration Professor. Had she done something wrong?

"How nice of you to join us. Miss Potter." Professor McGonagall told her curtly, having seen that she now had the first year's attention.

Hailey blinked up at the Professor, what was she talking about, Hailey hadn't gone anywhere. Even still, she apologized sheepishly.

Professor McGonagall studied her for a moment, before telling her to "Stay after class."

xXx

The Slytherin's had been standing on the Quidditch Pitch for several minutes by the time the Gryffindors finally showed up. And even longer by the time their teacher, Madam Hooch, made an appearance.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Madam hooch barked, "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up!"

Hailey, along with her classmates, did as the teacher said, moving to stand next to the nearest broomstick.

Hailey glanced down at her dubiously. It was old, looking as though it was going to start falling apart twig by twig.

"Stick out your right hand, over your broom." Madam Hooch commanded from the front of the class. "And say 'Up!'"

"Up!" everyone yelled.

There were a few brooms that jumped into the hands above them. Hailey's was not one of them, hers twitched, one end jerking up off the ground, before clattering back down.

She stared down at the broom as she dropped her hand down to her side, wishing that the broom had jumped into her hand like the few others that had.

There was a warm burn behind Hailey's eyes, and as she watched wide eyed, the broom slowly lifted off the ground, only stopping when it was at eye level with her. She stared astonished for a split second before snatching it out of the air, glancing around frantically to see if anyone else had noticed. She had already had a detention for whatever that had been in transfiguration, she did not want another one.

xXx

Before Hailey knew it, it was Halloween.

"You're saying it wrong!" Hailey heard Granger snap at Weasley in charms class that morning, "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa. Make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it then! If you're so clever!" Weasley snarled, crossing his arms, and glaring at his fellow Gryffindor.

Granger rolled up her sleeves, a near predatory gleam in her gaze, as she flicked her wand, saying "Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Oh well done!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, clapping his hands, "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

That was the last Hailey would see of Granger, until later that evening.

Until Professor Quirrell would crash the Halloween feast.

"Tr-Troll! In the dun-dungeons!" The professor yelled, "Th-thought you oughta know!" he continued, before falling into a dead faint.

"Prefects!" Dumbledore announced immediately, "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

It was as they were being lead out, that Hailey over heard the conversation between Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom.

"Hermione!" Longbottom exclaimed, freezing and grabbing hold of Ron.

"What about her?" Weasley asked, nastily.

"Hermione doesn't know about the troll!" Longbottom told him, staring at the other boy wide eyed.

Weasley bit his lip unsure.

"Oh, alright!" he exclaimed, "But Percy better not see us."

Hailey watched as the two boys ducked down, just able to track them by the tip of Weasley's red hair. They joined the group of Hufflepuffs going, Hailey assumed, the
opposite direction to Gryffindor dormitories.

Hailey made eye contact with a slightly older Hufflepuff boy, who had also obviously overheard the conversation.

And she knew. Somehow, she already knew, just what the idiot was planning. She frantically shook her head 'no' at him. He could not, under any circumstances, go
after a troll, of all things!

He, of course, ignored her and followed the two younger boys anyway.

Cursing internally, with words no eleven year old should know, the first year Slytherin went after him, expertly weaving her way through the crowd.

"Wait!" Hailey yelled, when she caught up to the boy in the corridor. "What are you doing? You can't just go after a troll!"

"I'm not going after a troll." The Hufflepuff insisted as the Slytherin followed him toward the second floor. "I am going after a first year Gryffindor that doesn't know
about the troll."

"You can't just keep throwing yourself into dan-"

"Besides!" The boy interrupted Hailey, "I have experience with trolls."

There was a disbelieving pause, "You do?" Hailey asked, doubtfully.

The boy gave a firm nod. "My step mother was a troll." He stated matter of factly.

"…really?" Hailey asked still doubtful, after another long pause, in which they came to the second floor bathrooms.

"Really." The boy confirmed. "I-"

He was cut off by a loud, guttural, screaming coming from the girls' bathroom.

It lasted all of twenty seconds before cutting off.

"She must be in there." The boy told Hailey, not looking away from the bathroom door, as he strode toward it.

Hailey reached out, snagging the boy's sleeve. "I don't know about this." Hailey muttered, standing firm to keep him from approaching the door.

The girls' bathroom door swung open, being one that swung both ways and didn't latch. And out came a panther with a bat's wings. A predatory gleam in the beast's yellow-green eyes.

Hailey felt as though she had been dunked in ice water as the creature stalked toward them. She tugged on the boy's sleeve, pulling him to take several steps back with her.

"She's cursed." The elderly man had explained to Merlyn, "The ancient chronicles speak of a heinous curse. It dooms it's victim to turn at the stroke of midnight into a vicious, bloodthirsty beast."

There was a pause as the elderly man sucked in a breath to continue.

"The writers of old called this creature a Bastet: A monster of nightmare that inhabits the twilight world between the living and the dead."

Just how close to midnight was it?