Chapter 10
Harri skipped to her next class, noticing that her classmates had waited for her, and they all went to herbology with her. Herbology passed without much issue. Professor Sprout was a fair teacher and she kept giving Harri sympathetic smiles and praised her work too often that she received glared from Hufflepuff house. Harri would never be a herbology prodigy like Neville, but her experience with plants did put her above her other classmates, and that he had given her small pointers in the past also didn't hurt her.
After herbology, she had a free period where Harri went her separate way spend time planning on how to break into the Gryffindor common room and take Pettigrew from Ron. So far, the best option is having the twins smuggle her in. But even then, she had no idea how to get them to agree to something like that. Harri lamented not having her invisibility clock with her so that she could slip in and out without the notice of everyone. She could always ask Ron to see his pet, but Harri feared that who would accuse of her of trying to hurt the rat. He wasn't wrong, but she still felt bad that he would accuse her for all of the wrong reasons.
Harri went to lunch after coming to no conclusion and sat down to eat and enjoy her erotica, reading quietly and paying attention to her surroundings at the same time. She noticed Hermione walking up to the Slytherin table in a huff. Everyone turned to see the fearless first year Gryffindor going into the Slytherin den. Harri paused her reading and put the book down, wondering what Hermione was up to know, because she swears to merlin that if she already found out about the house elves at Hogwarts, she was going to have to take some drastic measures. But instead of that, Hermione came to stand in front of Harri with a fire in her eyes that she truly missed seeing. Harri waited for Hermione to start talking first, not waiting to be at a disadvantage with her old friend. Harri turned around completely to face her, but she still remained seated, not wanting Hermione to think that she was confronting her. chatter in the great hall ceased, and the professors noticed the lone lion in front of the calm unpredictable snake.
"The book you're reading Potter." That was all she said. Harri nodded, waiting for her to elaborate, when she didn't, Harri took the bait and asked,
"What of it?" Harri asked with an unintentional bite in her voice that made the other first year Slytherins to expect a fight.
"I can't get access to it anywhere" Harri nodded, already figuring where this was headed.
"And you won't be able to find it anywhere Hermione" Harri used her first name, waiting to come off as friendly. It seemed to calm Hermione down a little bit. "It's a Potter book by one of my late relatives" Harri explained.
"I don't see why it's fair that some families' horde magic all for themselves" Hermione bit out, and Harri almost groaned out loud when she heard the words come out of Hermione mouths. Noticing the hostile looks that Hermione was getting from her House mates. But before anyone could say anything, Harri wanted to rationalize with Hermione and come to an accord.
"Most of the magics that are found in a family book won't work for people outside of the family." Harri calmly spoke, not trying to start a house war with Gryffindor.
"The Parseltongue books are useless to any other wizard or witch but me, Hermione. What use would a Parseltongue book be good to you if you can't even read it to begin with?" understanding what Harri was trying to say, Hermione countered her,
"What about books that can be read by others? Those should be made public knowledge! It's not fair that Muggleborns and newer families are at a disadvantage and aren't giving equal opportunities and access to said knowledge" Hermione started on her tangent. Everyone stayed silent to see what the girl-who-lived political ideals will lean at.
"Those magics are an inherited gift Hermione, it's not something that can be learned by others. just like my Parseltongue, It's similar to that Hermione. Many old families have old magics that only the people in their family can use and would be useless to any other family. It's not right to blame older families for magics that they were born with. Doing that is that same as blaming people for the skin color they were born with. They had no say to which family they were born into. Magics, Hermione, evolve overtime with the families, making them into a family magic, the longer a family is around the more the magic has time to evolve into a magic unique to the family. It's really all evolution, Hermione." Harri said, using muggle terms that she was sure that she could come to terms in. Hermione deflected, knowing that she couldn't argue against nature and magic itself.
"That's why so many purebloods are bigoted snobs that think they are superior to others." Harri added as an afterthought, not wanting Hermine to think that she was any less then her peers.
But of course, Parkinson had to meddle into their lecture and shut down the talk about Muggleborn being their equals. "Because we are better than you filthy half-bloods, and mudbloods!" many people in the great hall gasped at her derogatory term and Harri glared at her promising a punishment. Hermione looked shocked at the word, realizing that it was a derogatory term that insults her parents' blood. Hermione looked crestfallen and Harri took her hand in hers and gave her a squeeze.
"Don't take her word Hermione. I'm a half blood and she can't even dream of surpassing me even when she has generations of picked pureblood child brides marrying into her family" Harri shot back.
"I speak Parseltongue and I'm a half blood. I have a gift so desired by others that men would kill to have it pass into their families. They would conveniently forget that I'm a half-blood just to pass this ability to their children."
"They talk out of their asses and are bunch of fucking hypocrites not even releasing that they need the Muggleborns to populate themselves." And the teachers for once didn't scold her for her foul language but did agree with her assessment.
"What do you mean Harriet?" Hemione finally said her name, making her give her a small smile and then she continued.
"Muggleborns make new purebloods. When two Muggleborn marry and have offspring, their offspring are no longer Muggleborn, their offspring have two magical parents, but they still have muggle grandparents on both sides, thus making them a half-blood. When two half-bloods marry, they make the first new generation purebloods because both sets of grandparents are now magical, but no poppycock pureblood family wants in-laws that are muggle born. Those new generation purebloods marry other first-generation pureblood making their children second generation pureblood, and at this point the in laws are now half-bloods. But at the third new generation of pureblood, both sets of in-laws are now pureblood themselves. And that third generation of pureblood right there is what these purebloods marry to continue their bloodline, bringing in new blood into their family and improving their inbred pug faces" Harri shot at Parkinson towards the end. "By the third generation of pureblood, both sets of grandparents are first-generation purebloods, but they are still purebloods themselves so that makes it all the better for these families to stroke their ego by saying that they have the best breeding that there is." Harri explained calmly.
"Your grandchildren will be first generation purebloods if they keep marrying other witches and wizards, and their grandchildren will be third generation pureblood that these snobs will want to get their greedy little deformed paws on so that their line doesn't die out with all of the infertility that is common for them. why do you think so many of them have only one child? Because their bodies have given all that it can to make that one child." Harri answered her own question.
"But some families are blessed with family magics that have fertility, so they don't have to worry about this" Harri said, glancing at the Weasley clan, whose parents had 7 pureblood healthy children. Others glanced at the Weasleys in awe. Some witches eyeing the brothers so that they could produce multiple children with their family magics. Harri squeezed her hand again and then broke some of the tension.
"If it's any consolation to you, I would shag you in a broom closet if you were a male" and that had the hall laughing, making Hermione turned bright red and several teachers scolding her after wanting to hear what she had to say about blood purity, and they were pleased that she didn't harbor any ill intentions towards the Muggleborn.
"Oi, Oi, just stating the facts." Harri shrugged it off. Harri turned to the head table to see a gleaming Dumbledore and a pissed off looking Quirrell.
"Many of the discoveries from families are published, meanwhile, the ones that are only useful to them are kept in the family."
"The potions knowledge of this book can be accessed by multiple books, texts and parchments. Only my version is easier to navigate. But the information is available for the Muggleborns to navigate if they have the drive to look for that knowledge across many books and cross reference other resources." Harri finished her discourse. Harri draped a hand over her shoulder and said,
"I believe that this is the start of a very beautiful friendship Hermione, and I'll let you borrow this book as soon as I'm done with it." Harri smirked, knowing that the book Hermione was talking about was her muggle erotica. Hermione smiled, pleased at knowing that she had a friend and having a healthy rival that would drive her to work harder and do her best.
All to soon, it was time for Harri to head to transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Transfiguration was interesting to say the least. McGonagall treated her kindly and gave her the same number of points that she would her other students. Harri transfigured her matchstick into a pointy silver needle, with a perfect whole on the inside, and a little lion carving that Professor McGonagall noticed and gave her a rare smile. Harri and Millicent formed a tentative understanding that they always paired up with each other. Harri helped Millicent with her transfiguration that resulted in Millicent getting three points by the end of the lesson for managing to change it into a needle.
Afterwards both houses headed to charms together. Flitwick stopped at her name and smiled at her fondly, telling her how she has her mothers looks, and her father's charm. Harri snorted at this, knowing what he meant that she has a troublemaking streak. Harri managed to levitate her feather in the first try and then started to give Millicent and other classmates pointers if they seemed to be struggling too much.
Harri on her first day was already tired of all of the easy coursework and needed to get started on a challenging project for her to work on in the meanwhile. She thought about making a journal like cellphone where she could write to Hermione, and she would receive it in her notebook and add other pages for other people as well. It will make for a good present for her birthday, and this way she won't have to wait two days for a reply from Hedwig.
"Harri headed to astronomy not once getting lost, and Millicent understood that of she wanted to make it on time to class, she should follow Harri.
Harri avoided helping Parkinson, already planning on getting even with her. But Parkinson still followed after the group that followed Harri to the astronomy rooftop where they completed charts for the entire class, meanwhile Harri continued reading her Muggle erotica after finishing in five minutes. Having Sinistra check her work and nodding approvingly at Harri and letting her read in peace on a beanbag Harri transfigured from a pillow. Harri laid lazily in her beanbag looking like a bored sophisticated princess in the process. Harri ignored the envious looks of her classmates not minding them once, until she caught Theo watching her with amusement. Harri stared lazily at him with a grin on her face, amusement in her own eyes. That was when she realized they were all looking at her because someone had the audacity to sneak a snake into the tower with Harri. Harri took the snake and charmed it, making him around her upper arm and downward letting out a loose giggle that had the boys in her year unable to look away from her. Harri read the erotica book to the snake getting suggestions from the snake and making her crack up every once in a while. That's when she remembered that Theo had told her that he had always found it attractive when she talked in Parseltongue. She noticed that he was still staring at her entranced.
"Do you need help Theo?" Harri asked a little huskily after the last scene she had just read. He stared shocked and stared at his work sheepishly, forgetting what he was doing. Then the usually quiet boy shook his head and said,
"It's okay, I'm almost done anyway" Harri nodded, a bit disappointment that she wouldn't be able to sit closer to him and talk to him.
Afterwards, dinner was a normal affair, with Harri reading and paying close attention to what her classmates were talking about. Blushing every once in a while, catching the curiosity of the older Slytherin girls. Harri pretended not to notice and put her book away and finished her food serenely. Harri left early to her dorm to take a shower first and then head to sleep in her trunk. Not trusting anyone in her house not to try something after she tore apart the pureblood supremacy propaganda. Harri showered and sat in her bed in her bunker taking out the diary of Tom Riddle just staring at it in concentrating trying to feel out the horcrux in it. Harri decided to get the diadem from the room of lost things in the room of requirement and find anything that she might be able to save for herself. But in the meanwhile, Harri took out a quill and put her occlumency barriers up before she wrote in the notebook.
