Author's Note:
I haven't updated any of my stories in a while. I'm currently writing them at an extremely slow pace since I recently got a job and working on my master's degree. I think of these stories none stop but the time I have to write to them is very short. So please bear with me a little. I'm really, really, really sorry I can't update as fast as I wanted to but I really love showing you guys my stories and love the feedback for more ideas.
I hope you enjoy this chapter and hope you can continue with me on this journey of My Joy and Pride.
Children were running to see their friends saying goodbye to their families. One family had a bittersweet goodbye, the Weasleys. They were disappointed with how Ron had treated Harriet's friendship and how he took advantage of her through Dumbledore. Molly Weasley had screamed their ears off once Ron finished telling the family what he had done. Ron couldn't forget the looks of disappointment his family gave him; he couldn't even handle the scowling he got from Hermione.
So, Ron was patiently waiting for Harriet in the King's Cross platform to beg for forgiveness, but the hours passed, and Harriet was nowhere to be seen. He watched all his classmates' rush to the train after saying goodbye to their parents. Each of them finding their friends and telling each other all they did in the summer break. An ache made its way through his heart knowing he could lose it the moment he met Hari again. Ron kept waiting for his friend but with it being eleven he went with Hermione to make their prefect rounds.
Tom, Harri, and SJ were able to arrive at the train before the last warning the conductor gave. They said their goodbyes, and she ran as fast as she could arriving at her friend's compartment just when the train began to move. She was dreading each step she took until she found an empty compartment, much to her surprise. She settled down and left S.J. to play around an unfamiliar environment. It took an hour for the child to tire himself and fall asleep in her arms. She was anxious to see her friends and how they would react to S.J. The mother hoped for everyone to like him. He was the only blood family she had left if he was rejected, she didn't know what she would do.
Her thoughts kept on how her friends were going to reject her, that she barely noticed when the rest of the golden trio, Luna, and Neville entered the compartment. All the noise they made just getting in woke up the little boy what cause the other girls to gush at how SJ woke up. "Harri, who is this cute baby?" Hermione said.
Harri quickly snapped out of her trance and stared at her friends shocked. Her eyes grew wide with fear and shock. This was not how they were going to meet SJ. Now, they would think awful things about her. All explanations she was going to say were gone out the window. "Um... he's SJ, he-he's my son." She just lost her godfather; Harriet was not ready to lose her friends.
All of them grew shocked once Harri said the last word. There was an awkward silence with Harriet's revelation and most of them didn't have the words to reply. Hermione was about to question Harriet before Luna interrupted her. "Hi, little SJ," Luna said. "I'm Luna."
SJ smiled at the bubbly witch. "Hi," he waved.
"Ha- how did this happen?" Hermione asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Harriet remained quiet for a few minutes. She looked back at Ron, knowing full well he helped Dumbledore keep her with her relatives. "It wasn't something I could tell you guys." The teen mom explained. "I couldn't just come up to you and just tell you; you wouldn't even believe me."
"Maybe not, but we would have told a professor," Neville replied.
"That wouldn't help either," Ron interrupted. "Dumbledore would have forced her back to the Dursleys."
"Ron! The Headmaster wouldn't do that," Hermione said. "He care-"
"He's right," Harriet interrupted. "He left me with the Dursleys since the first year. Madam Pomphrey sent a report to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he stopped it from getting there. I had to stay with them 'for the greater good'. Ron could tell you more on his part, after all, he knew some of the things Dumbledore has planned for me."
"Ron, what is she talking-" Hermione stops to think. "All those times you disappeared from the common room..."
"I spied for Dumbledore thinking it was the best thing I could have a better future. I was jealous of Harri when she had fame and fortune without even lifting a finger." He explained. "It wasn't until recently that I knew what the headmaster was forcing Harri into that I... Harri has done so much for me and my family and all I've done was trash the friendship she tried to build with me."
Harriet's teared up, "Ron, what the hell were you thinking?!" Neville yelled. "Your family owes a life-debt to Harri, if she wanted to she could ask for retribution. You're a pureblood, you know this!"
Hermione was too shell shocked, she couldn't find the words to reprimand Ron. He was Harri's first friend and for him to betray her like this, it was unthinkable. Ron looked away from the group, knowing he deserves it. "I still can't believe you did that to me," Harri replied, "and I get the need to have a better life but not at the expense of someone else. Aside from all the bloody mistakes, you have made, thank you for not telling Dumbledore where I was."
"You don't deserve what the headmaster was doing to you. I want to make up for all the spying and stealing." He replied. "I want to repay every galleon I took from you."
"I'm so confused, why would Dumbledore send Ron to spy on you," Hermione interrupted. "He's the leader of Light, he defeated Grindelwald... how is this little boy your son? How didn't we ever noticed this?!"
Harriet snapped immediately and sent a silencing charm towards SJ. "When was I going to tell you guys that my uncle treated me like a common whore? I told Madam Pomfrey and I told Dumbledore the hell I spent at the Dursleys, but Dumbledore did everything he could to keep me there." She ranted. "You can never judge a book by its cover, Mione. I learned that the hard way. Because of this, I'll do everything that's in my power to take him down."
Her friend was speechless. "She's right Hermione," Ron added sadly. "In these five years, Dumbledore has been planning something big for Harri. He has been controlling everything that had the Potter name, be it in politics or in the people's beliefs in the savior image."
Hermione let her tears fall, her hero just turned out to be a complete sham, and he was the reason her best friend was hurting. "You can count on House Longbottom for whatever you need Harri," Neville said.
"Neville-" Harriet tried to explain.
"I mean it, Harriet," Neville said. "I'll help you take him down if it means going dark, my family will follow you. He is the reason my parents are in St. Mungos right now." SJ started sucking on Harriet's hair as she cried with her friends reply. After that heavy conversation, all of them were enjoying the train ride until it stopped.
They were dressed for the feast ready to face the music. Harriet called for Dobby to take her son to Poppy. "Sorry, Miss Harri Potter, Madam Poppy bes ordered to be in the Great Hall."
"What about keeping him in the kitchen until the feast is over," She asked.
"Dumbly has elves watching everything I do," Dobby replied. "Sorry, Miss Harri Potter."
Dread was all Harriet felt with his answer, "It's okay, Dobby. Go before he suspects anything."
As they watched the house-elf leave, Ron spoke. "What are you going to do?"
Harriet looked at the sleeping SJ and cast a bubblehead charm on him to later covered him with the invisibility cloak. "I'll need your help guys," She explained. "What could I do for Dumbledore not notice SJ besides this."
"I'll cover your front, Hermione you'll be on her right and Luna by her left. Neville, when we get to the Great Hall, you'll create a diversion so when Harri has to sit down no one notices her holding something."
"Maybe we could throw a tripping jinx to a few students?" Hermione suggested. "It will cause some sort of panic."
"Maybe some pixies were able to leave some mischief all around us," Luna said.
An idea sparked on both Neville and Ron. During the summer they both went to the twins' shop and bought a few of their prank line. One of the things they bought was their famous explosives. After they arrived at the Great Hall, they felt the headmasters gaze, and suddenly you could hear people screaming and insense flashes of light. They quickly sat down as the professors dealt with the ruckus. Gladly, Dumbledore fell for their trick as Harriet settled the sleeping S.J. Ron sat next to Harri blocking any professors' view towards the teen.
Dumbledore grew frustrated when the chaos broke out. He knew the girl was hiding something, but someone used those damned Weasley prank explosives. What made things worse for him, the youngest Weasley boy was towering Potter. After everyone settled down, and they all dealt with the explosives; the feast began. Albus Dumbledore kept his attention to the Golden Trio while everyone enjoyed the trip. He was anxious to question the teen but he had to wait for the feast to end.
An hour passed, and little SJ woke up restless. The boy was hungry and soon would be bored. She bounced him a little but she knew he was going to wail soon. Ron took the little boy and sat him in between them. He took an apple and cut a few slices to give to the boy. "Come on buddy, have a piece." He ate a little and handed that piece to him. Ron smiled when the little guy took the piece from under the cloak and asked for more a moment later. That exchange continued for a while until the headmaster began his welcoming speech. "Very best of evenings to you all. First off, let me introduce the newest member of our staff. Adrik Redwood. Professor Redwood, I'm happy to say, has agreed to take the post of defense Against the Dark Arts."
Harriet and her friends looked at the head table and smiled as the new professor stood up to salute all the students. The professor and GWL locked eyes and he winked at her before sitting. "As you know, each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight. And you have the right to know why. Once, there was a young man. Like you, sat in this very hall. Walked this castle's corridors. Slept under its roof. You see, to all the world, a student like any other. His name: Tom Riddle." Voldemort twitched with anger. How dare the headmaster talk about his past, he thought. Unfortunately, his train of thought was interrupted when a child's cries filled the room. Severus and the Dark Lord looked at each other knowing full well what might happen.
The group of teenagers was distracted by Dumbledore's speech that they didn't see when SJ left their side with the cloak hanging by his shoulders. The students murmured curiously at SJ's cries. The Golden Trio, Neville, and Luna ran to try and catch the boy, but he started to run under every table causing mass panic among the students that felt something brush between their legs. Ron eventually was able to grab the cloak that SJ was tangled in, but he managed to set himself free exposing him to everyone. You could hear all the students gasp as they saw the boy.
SJ felt overwhelmed by the number of people staring at him. It wasn't until he looked over at the professors where he spotted a bad man and his grandfather. "Pappy!" He yelled. The little boy ran as fast as he could and crawled his way to Severus' lap.
Dumbledore and the other professors were gobsmacked when a child went to Snape. The headmaster tried to continue his speech but the boy kept screaming. If it wasn't for his façade, he would have yelled at the child. His gazed were directed at Harriet and Ron as they both walked towards the podium. "Forgive me for the interruption," Harriet said.
SJ looked at his mother and smiled. "Hi, mama!"
Harriet couldn't help but smile, "You are a troublemaker." She grabbed the boy, "Sorry, professors." She hurried out of the Great Hall with her friends following her, and in all that trouble, Dumbledore was fuming his plans are starting to crumble.
