Poison Chapter 5, a harry potter fanfic

The young woman was aware that she would have to stay at Hogwarts for her sixth year - but the thought of spending it for the second time without her lifelong friends around was very unsettling. She had always needed Ron and Hermione to survive and complete her education. How was she supposed to cope without at least one of her lifelong friends by her side?

It was especially hard to come to terms with the fact that she would also have to study alongside the person who had bitterly ruined her life. She knew she had to be strong and show how much she owed the Transfiguration teacher for helping her complete her mission. But a small voice kept whispering in her ear - reminding her that she was only 16 years old and that she shouldn't have been sent back 54 years to stop the most powerful wizard of all time.

Harriet looked around slowly: the Potter family had been so generous in accommodating her and giving her a room worthy of a princess. Would she have grown up in the same room if Voldemort hadn't tried to kill her on October 31, 1981? If he hadn't branded her irrevocably on the forehead?

Furthermore, the young woman knew that she should not focus on semantics and should instead focus on the meticulous task she had been given. She was well aware that this was a suicide mission. There was a good chance she would lose her life trying to outmaneuver Tom Riddle, but she could also save many lives. Since she had landed in May 1943, she knew that he still hadn't had the opportunity to create more than one Horcrux and that he hadn't yet committed the murder of Myrtle Warren. He may have already discovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, but he hadn't yet set his plan in motion.

Her grandparents - or rather, her parents now - insisted that she should wait and return to Hogwarts after the school vacations. But she knew she couldn't afford that luxury and had to stop stalling her return to school.

She was very unlucky - the only person she had run into when she arrived at school was Voldemort, the one living being she had hoped to avoid at all costs.

She already knew that he had not resembled a snake, but his appearance never failed to astonish her. It was complicated to imagine that such an attractive individual could be capable of such a reprehensible act. Moreover, she kept wondering how it was possible that he changed so much and started to look like a reptile.

Perhaps it was the loss of humanity from having broken his soul so many times? Or was it that his Slytherin heritage had taken over from Tom Riddle Senior's youth?

The thought startled her: he had murdered his family a month a year ago and had managed to make it appear that his own uncle had committed the murders. It was hard to reconcile the image of a serial killer with that of the 16-year-old boy trying to get into the good graces of a teacher.

Helene Potter had always wanted and expected a child: it had inexorably pushed her into a depression made more complicated with age. When Albus Dumbledore had sent them a letter explaining the situation briefly, she had urged her husband to order a Portkey to take them straight back to England. She had not tried to understand or analyze anything more: she blindly trusted this eminent professor and had no doubt about his word.

All she had to do was look at the girl in front of her on the living room couch to confirm what she knew in her heart: she was indeed a Potter. Except for the green eyes, everything about her showed that she belonged to the ancestral family. She also had long red hair, matching her own, and she nearly shed heavy tears as she listened to her descendant's story. She wasn't sure what kind of obstacle she had to overcome, but Helene had always needed to accentuate her maternal fiber. Her husband was a little more skeptical - but she knew he didn't want false hope.

They had thought about adoption for a long time, but it was far too complicated in the magical world. There were too few families who gave up their children and they were not legally allowed to adopt a child without magical powers. She had felt Charlus' relief when Harriet had gone through the Potter's wards.

Unfortunately, the young redhead was not the only bearer of good news. Helene felt her heart shatter for her unborn child, her James, who would lose his life before he could live it. Her heart broke for the woman her son would eventually marry and who would sacrifice herself so her daughter could survive. Her heart broke for the orphan girl in front of her who had not had the opportunity to know the love of her parents or the affection of a family. She was also able to understand that by the time Harriet came from, Potter Manor no longer existed.

So that's why she was reluctant to let her return to Hogwarts. It was selfish of her, but she had only needed a few seconds to bond with her granddaughter and she couldn't bear to have her return to danger so quickly. So she had taken advantage of the week to completely decorate her room as well as fill the closet with her new family addition.

If she hadn't known this luxury in her day, she would now. She would want for nothing - and Helene would make up for all the missed time.

Finding an excuse or explanation for why Harriet Potter was never introduced to the current magical society was complicated. Given the family's fame and wealth, she should have been introduced at an early age.

After many hours of reflection, Dumbledore and the rest of the family came up with a story to cover the truth. It would be a bit complicated to explain to those closest to the family, but the papers Harriet had brought back from the future had proven useful. It only took the professor a quick trip to the Ministry of Magic to file an enchanted birth certificate with the Department of Mysteries without anyone noticing.

"I have every confidence in your ability to succeed in your mission," Dumbledore reported to him. "However, I must warn you...if there are any aspects that you find too grueling for your young age, please do not hesitate to report directly to me. Harriet had always known that her former principal had always had good intentions, though he had used manipulation many times to achieve his goal. But she had never doubted his sincerity and his powerful desire to eradicate evil. The only worry was sometimes the people he did not hesitate to eliminate on his way, for the greater good according to him.

"I have every confidence in your ability to succeed in your mission," Dumbledore reported to him. "However, I must warn you...if there are any aspects that you find too daunting for your young age, please do not hesitate to report directly to me." Harriet had always known that her former principal had always had good intentions, though he had used manipulation many times to achieve his purpose. But she had never doubted his sincerity and his equally powerful desire to eradicate evil. The only worry was sometimes the people he did not hesitate to knock out on his way, for the greater good according to him.

"It is very important that you remember all the details of your so called background. There will be doubt surrounding you, that's something that cannot be avoided. However, it will only make you more appealing to a number of your peers," Dumbledore added, a clear twinkle appearing in his blue eyes beneath his moonlight spectacles. "Your absence for more than sixteen years will raise many questions, and the best way to avoid suspicion is to not be afraid to answer them".

The young redhead sighed and touched the many photos altered with very powerful spells - outlining her supposed youth with her parents. One glance at Helene and Charlus Potter comforted her in her decision: if she could provide them with an ounce of happiness during her visit to their timeline, she wouldn't deny them that. "I suspect so and I'm used to having gossip about me. I just hope the press doesn't get involved... It was hard enough to escape it in my lifetime."

Harriet Cassiopeia Potter was born on July 31, 1928 in Rabat, Morocco. Her miraculous birth was complicated - she was frail and weak by birth and nearly died several times in a span of several months. Afterwards, her family feared that her powers would never manifest themselves due to her frail health and preferred to keep her as far away as possible from England and the purist mentality that could ruin her childhood and break her heart. Her parents' suspicions were unfounded when she showed signs of magical powers, but after 9 years of living in hiding, they preferred to protect her from the antiquated society she might find herself in.

That's why she moved to the United States where her parents took care of her education instead of sending her to a magical school. Having had the ambition to become an Auror from a very young age, she trained as soon as she had the chance. Without really understanding the reasons, she was kidnapped by Grindelwald fanatics, determined to make an example of her and spill the blood of a great English family to show how the Statute of Secrecy was doing nothing but destroying the magical world as it was known.

She managed to escape somehow - and after overhearing many discussions between the soldiers about the notorious dark wizard, she knew she had to get to Hogwarts as soon as possible.

As Harriet meticulously recited what Dumbledore had insisted she memorized, she couldn't help but notice his gaze lingering on the scar on her forehead. Although she had always opted for bangs to hide this flaw, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

She had looked for any way to hide the scar on her face but had realized over time that it was impossible, as the curse that had inflicted it on her was far too dark to be disguised by a simple deception spell. So she had decided to assume this little deformity and not to pay attention to it anymore. However, she had quickly realized that this would accentuate the questions about her and it was much easier to hide it in a non-magical way.

"Nobody was ever able to get rid of it for me, you know. It was only during the Triwizard Tournament that I understood its form: it's the same shape as the Killing Curse. I think every adult knew it – but no one ever dared to tell me", nostalgically muttered the young woman.

The young woman allowed herself to dive into the usually kindly eyes of her former Headmaster and was surprised to encounter sadness within. She didn't know if it was the effect of age or experience, but the Albus Dumbledore of 1943 was much easier to understand than the one from her time.

She was surprised to think that she liked it better when she didn't understand him.

Despite many efforts, Tom had not managed to erase the piercing green eyes of the brunette from his subconscious. Since their first meeting, she had managed to nestle a place in the depths of his brain. He knew it was only because of her disrespect and insubordination - he had never allowed anyone to speak to him that way.

Every morning he would look around the Great Hall to catch a glimpse of her, but was always surprised by her absence. In addition, the Transfiguration teacher had canceled all of his classes for the week without explanation.

Rumors were flying around the castle - some claimed he had gone to confront Grindelwald, but the young prefect knew for a fact that he was with the young Potter. Why he found it appropriate to make his students miss out on many hours of education for the benefit of a girl was beyond Tom, but it was best not to say anything aloud in the face of such admiration for the old fool.

Usually the school was empty on Sunday mornings: the younger students took advantage of the weekend to catch up on some much-needed sleep, and the older ones headed to the magical village not far from the school to relax.

He was well aware that no one would dare offer to join them, so he was delighted - as much as Tom could be pleased - with the peace and quiet offered by the Great Hall to read his book.

So it was purely by chance that he looked up and ended up meeting Harriet Potter's eyes across the room, staring at him as murderously as possible from the Gryffindor table.