SUMMARY: Two years after surviving the war and being thrown out of the wizarding world on idiotic charges, Harriet Potter finds herself amid yet another world and in the arms of someone she never expected.
CHAPTER TWO: POTTER RANCH
A soft wind blew through a set of trees, a set of windchimes tinkling softly off the porch of a dark yellow and brown ranch house. It was a two-story house, a bay window set in the front where Harriet could see an empty room she presumed was the living room. Getting out of her rental truck, she observed the land.
The land she now owned stretched over several acres, past where she could see, and she knew, thanks to her squib realtor that Bulk had kindly referred her to, that a kind muggle family had most of the land to the left of her. She'd passed it on the drive to the newly named "Potter Ranch" and had seen a pretty young woman with a small child fetching their mail.
She had already sent a letter to Hermione and Ron, the week earlier when she had stayed in New York getting her things in order. Hopefully, they wouldn't be sending owls to her and instead use the muggle mail. It would help Harriet blend in tremendously.
Harriet pursed her lips and turned to the left, off from the house there was a rundown red barn with paint stripping off the would. Secretly, she had wondered why in the world Gellert Grindelwald had owned a farm out in Texas but she was sure she'd find out later.
She strode forward, key in hand, and passed a small flower garden that had long since overgrown (something she was excited to work on) and up onto the porch. She grimaced at the state of the porch wood and knew that she'd have to replace the boards eventually. The key fit perfectly and the door swung open with a quiet creak.
The front room was large enough with a staircase off to the left which certainly led to the three bedrooms and two baths upstairs. Off to the right, there was a large opening that led to the living room and kitchen, both open with large windows. The walls were painted neutral colors; the floor was well-managed dark wood. Going into the kitchen, she smoothed her hands on the finely crafted white cabinets and marble countertops, pulling out drawers to investigate a mess of cobwebs and spiders (easily taken care of with her wand) and observing a dark door that led out to the backyard.
Yet another garden, this time which appeared to be a vegetable garden, lay overgrown just behind the porch. Harriet leaned against the fence and studied the terrain. She had a lot of work to be done over the next couple of days until her mover trailer showed up.
Shaking off a foreboding feeling, one she wondered came from this house, she moved back in the house. She started towards the stairs, but paused and glanced down the long hallway. Just past the open entryway to the living room, was a simple door with several runes written on them. To muggles or No Maj, she was sure that the runes simply looked like pretty decorations but to a wizard...
Harriet strode forward, pulling out her wand and with a silent spell, the door swung open. She lit her wand with a lumos and began to move down the stairs. She reached the bottom and flipped a switch and to her surprise, saw a sight that Hermione could only wish to see.
The room was filled with all sorts of things. A set of bookshelves were set against the wall on the left filled with old, leather-bound books and nearby was a cabinet filled with potion ingredients, some that looked very illegal. A table was set in the center of the room, and an expensive cauldron surrounded by open Potion books and bags of spices and leaves from both magical and No Maj plants. But it wasn't that that interested Harriet but a large portrait hanging on the wall of a tall, lean blonde man with mix-matched eyes.
The man leaned forward and glowered at her. "How did you enter?"
Harriet waved her wand towards him, setting forward to the portrait. "Are you-"
"Johann Grindelwald." Johann sniffed. Harriet heaved a sigh of relief. "What?" He sneered. "Did you think I was the traitorous rat, Gellert?"
"Well-" Harriet said with a shrug. "I don't recall anyone named Johann Grindelwald from history.."
"That's because I removed myself from the equation," Johann said dryly. "Gellert is a distant relative, one that I refuse to call cousin. His crimes-"
"So you left the wizarding world and moved to Texas?" Harriet interrupted, raising a delicate eyebrow. Johann shrugged and settled in the chair in the painting. "My name is Harriet Potter, or Hari, if you would." The newly christened Hari smiled warmly at him.
"Potter-" Johann paused. "Any relation to Charlus Potter?"
"My grandfather," Hari said, stepping over and picking up an old book. "You knew him."
"Ai," Johann said quietly. "So James is your father, I suppose." He pursed his lips, a sad look on his face. "He was a good boy."
"You knew him?" Hari asked, turning to fully look at him.
"You could say so," Johann chuckled. "You are family, Hari Potter, and family is eternal. Make this house your own and do not forget the family you have."
"I understand," Hari said, offering him a smile. With yet another glance towards Johann, she made her way back upstairs to explore the rest of her new home.
As she left, Johan gave a small smile as distant memories as they always did, brief and dark...
She found the rest of the house rather easy. The master bedroom lay to the left of the stairwell, connected to a large master bathroom. Down the hall were two more bedrooms and another bathroom. Hari slung her purse on a loose nail in the master bedroom, smoothing down her wild hair and slipping into a loose grey shirt and pair of purple and gray stretchy pants.
Keeping her wand tucked against her arm, she began to float her mattress and bedframe into the house and up to the master bedroom. The rest of the things were in easy-to-carry boxes and so, she set her wand aside to carry up her clothes, old school books and things, and a box that she hated to carry around.
Tucked in a little brown box (a kind gift from Hermione), Hari had put the Deathly Hallows in. After the war, she had wondered if should've thrown them out or destroyed them but against her better judgment, she'd kept them. The stone was wrapped in a white, bloody handkerchief that she quickly ignored; the wand sitting innocently in the box but it was the invisibility cloak that she longingly wanted.
Shaking her head, she tucked the box under her arm and began the trek downstairs.
Johann paid her no attention, too enamored with a heavy book in his painting, and she put the box on the bookshelf, squeezed between two heavy Potions books. She walked back upstairs, smoothing her pants down, and glanced over to the living room where her fireplace was.
Whilst she had been in New York, she had taken Bulk's suggestion and went to several different magically owned shops including setting up her floo (that she'd ironically named Stag Den) and a curious little shop that sold magical chalk. T-Chalk, that's what it was called, could create a magical door straight to New York's magical district. The chalk was tucked away in the bedroom, carefully disguised in case of No-Maj, but the floo.
"Granger Residence-" She called after throwing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace. After a few moments, Hermione's face appeared in the magical fire.
"Hari!" Hermione cried out, a bright smile on her face. "Did you make it there safely? What's America's wizarding world like? How-?"
"Hermione, please-" Hari said, grinning slowly. "I'm at my new house. It's really nice; a lot of land. How is everyone?"
"We're okay." Hermione said reassuringly. "Teddy misses you,"
Hari's face falls at the thought of her tiny, young godson. That had been one of the worst goodbyes; she never wanted to leave Teddy behind but after several days of troubling thoughts, she had decided to leave him with Andy Tonks. He'd be safe with his grandmother, after all.
"I miss him too," Hari said reverently. "Hopefully in a few months, I'll have the house ready for visitors," She leaned back to glance at the dusty, dirty living room. "Is Fudge still in office?"
"Yes," Hermione said grumpily, a dark scowl on her face. "Wizards are split agreeing with him about you and thinking he's an idiot. Give it a year or two and I'm sure you'll be back in England."
"Hopefully," Hari said softly.
"Listen, I'll floo you later," Hermione said apologetically. "Ron just got home."
"I understand," Hari said, although a stab of sadness spiked in her chest. "Tell Ron, I said hello."
"I will," Hermione agreed. With another short smile, the floo call ended leaving Hari alone on the floor of her new home. With another sigh, she stood and began her work. After all, she had a lot of cleaning to do.