Hyacinth Potter
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, content, or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: In the wake of the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, Hyacinth Potter comes to the realisation that she's been raised as a weapon for most of her life. As a result of this epiphany, the Girl Who Lived plans, and patiently waits for the opportunity to break from the shackles that bind her. In the mean time, however, there is school, there is training, and there is the observant, resourceful, and enigmatic Theo Nott to keep her occupied. Prisoner of Azkaban AU. fem!Harry/TN.
Rating: M for language, violence, character death, and adult themes.
Author: tlyxor-1.
Chapter One
After a summer of self-reflection, of epiphanies and disillusionment, Hyacinth was somewhat reluctant to return to Hogwarts. She'd spent the last two years of her life there in constant danger, had come close to death on more occasions than she cared to consider, and she no longer trusted Albus Dumbledore's intentions where she was concerned, and nor did she trust him to keep her - or her peers - safe from harm.
Alas, she didn't have much of a choice regarding her attendance at Hogwarts. Dumbledore remained her legal guardian for all things pertaining to magic, and although she'd been able to restrict his access to the Potter Estate, courtesy of Gringott's, the man still had legal authority over her, and that included the issue of where, when, and how she'd be educated.
With that in mind, Hyacinth begrudgingly boarded the Hogwarts Express, and sought out an empty compartment near the end of the train. It wasn't likely that she'd be sought out by many of her peers - she had few friends at Hogwarts, after all - and as such, she made herself comfortable, produced a novel from her satchel, and settled in for another long, tiresome sojourn to Scotland.
As she did, the train grew progressively more crowded, and it wasn't long before Hyacinth was joined by one of the few people she genuinely considered a friend. Luna Lovegood was far from conventional, with an eccentric fashion sense and an extraordinary, albeit unorthodox, insight into the world around her, but she was one of the most interesting, most unassuming people Hyacinth had ever had the privilege of meeting. Hyacinth could talk to her - had, in fact, done so - for hours on end, about anything and everything under the sun.
"Hello, Hyacinth," Luna greeted, "You're looking rather cloudy today. Is there a storm on the horizon?"
"Hi, Luna," Hyacinth replied, and managed a feeble smile for the second year, "If there is, it won't reach us for a long time."
"I'll be sure to find some shelter, then," Luna decided, dropped into the seat beside Hyacinth, and crossed her legs 'pretzel style' beneath her, "It'd do no one any good to get caught in the rain, after all."
"Quite," Hyacinth agreed, marked her page, and closed her copy of '1984' by George Orwell. "But never mind that, for now. How was your summer? Did you enjoy Austria?"
"I did, thank you for asking," Luna confirmed.
"Tell me about it?" Hyacinth requested.
Luna did so, happily. She spoke of the historical and cultural sites she'd visited, of the interesting food and people, of the many nature walks and of her father's assorted misadventures during their search for the elusive crumple-horned snorkack.
All the while, Hyacinth listened raptly, commenting, laughing, cringing when her friend's retelling warranted such, and it was thus that neither of them paid it any heed when the Hogwarts Express pulled away from King's Cross Station.
"I'll have to go there some day," Hyacinth smiled wistfully, "See this country you think so highly of."
Hyacinth had never had the pleasure of travelling out of Britain. She'd obtained written, read, and spoken fluency in a variety of languages as a child, had maintained that fluency in the years since, but she'd only ever dreamed of visiting the countries they originated from.
Some day, perhaps…
"You won't regret it," Luna answered, "Maybe you'll be lucky enough to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack while you're there. Wouldn't that be something?"
"If I do, I'll smuggle it home with me."
Luna beamed. "You'd do that?"
"Of course I would," Hyacinth assured, "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"
Luna hugged her fiercely. "You're the best friend I could have ever asked for, Hyacinth. I'm so glad I met you."
They'd met the year prior, when Hyacinth had taken to teaching the first years what Professor Lockhart had not been: namely, their Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum. It had mostly been Gryffindors, at first, but by the end of the year, she'd not only been tutoring all of Luna's classmates in Defence Against the Dark Arts, but also Charms and Transfiguration, as well.
In fact, she'd even started tutoring a few of her own classmates, but most of them didn't care much for her, and Hyacinth doubted that would ever change.
"Likewise, Lu," Hyacinth returned her friend's embrace, "I think my life would be a lot less interesting without you in it."
Because neither of them were inclined towards gushing, they fell into an easy, mindless conversation about school, about their classes, and of course, the perpetual question of whether or not they'd actually have a decent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher that year.
"Will you tutor us if we don't?" Luna asked.
"I don't know," Hyacinth answered, "I guess it depends on my schedule, and on the teacher, as well. Maybe I won't need to."
"One can hope, I suppose."
Hyacinth pulled a face. "There's something utterly depressing about the fact we have to hope for a decent teacher. You'd think we should be able to expect one. Merlin, Hogwarts is not cheap."
"It certainly isn't," Luna concurred, "Daddy says Albus Dumbledore does it intentionally."
"That's…" Hyacinth floundered for the appropriate words, and eventually settled on, "Rather disturbing, actually. Maybe you shouldn't say that where others can hear you."
"I won't," Luna assured, and offered Hyacinth a bright smile, "It'll be our little secret."
Hyacinth's responding smile wasn't quite as bright, but it was no less genuine. "I can live with that."
As the train ride continued, Luna an Hyacinth eventually settled in to pass the time with a novel and a magazine, respectively, disturbed only by the visits of second years who wished to greet one or both of them, to catch up, to thank Hyacinth for her tutoring efforts, and also to find out whether or not they would continue. She told them what she'd told Luna - that she wasn't yet sure - and although they weren't pleased, they were at least mollified.
"I guess I should be flattered," Hyacinth mused, "It's nice to feel appreciated."
"I don't think there's anyone in my year that doesn't like you," Luna answered.
Hyacinth smiled wryly. "That's new. Most people in mine actively dislike me."
"I can't fathom why," Luna admitted, "Perhaps they're all infested by wrackspurts."
Hyacinth shrugged. "Maybe. Not like it's anything new, anyway."
Luna squeezed her hand, silently supportive, but didn't say a word. She knew better to offer up any false promises, and Hyacinth knew better than to expect any. Instead, she returned her attention to her novel, and until the Hogwarts Express came to a stop before they reached Hogsmeade Station, the trip to school was otherwise unremarkable.
That was, of course, until they were visited by one of the ghastly, nightmarish guards of Azkaban.
They were called dementors, tall, shadowy figures straight out of her nightmares, with bloated, decaying hands and an aura that emanated a sense of bone-chilling, heart wrenching despair.
Luna's face was streaked with tears, her hand a vice around her own, and Hyacinth thought she might never be happy again.
Someone screamed.
The creature took a deep, rattling breath, and took with it whatever warmth was left in the compartment. Luna trembled, curled up in a ball by Hyacinth's side, and the Gryffindor stuttered her way through an incantation.
"I-i-in-c-cen-d-di-o."
The tip of her wand sparked, but fizzled just as quickly, and Hyacinth didn't have it in her to try again. Instead, she curled up as close to Luna as she could get, and covered her ears to drown out the unknown, feminine screams.
Awareness returned to her with the touch of a large, gentle hand on her shoulder. Hyacinth jolted, startled, and reeled back as the person - a man, scarred, older, in frayed robes and with kind, amber eyes - stepped away, unwilling to crowd her. Luna was still there, quietly weeping, her face in her hands, and curiously, Theodore Nott loitered in the doorway.
Blessedly, the dementor did not.
Absently, Hyacinth reached a hand out to rub her friend's back, but she kept her eyes on the stranger, wary. Her free hand was curled comfortably around her wand, and she prayed it wouldn't fail her again.
"Wh-who are you?" She asked, "What happened to the dementor? I heard someone screaming."
"My name is Remus Lupin; I'm your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. You need not worry about the dementor. It's been taken care of. And everyone is all right. Shaken, perhaps, but unharmed. Here, eat this."
He broke off a couple of pieces of chocolate, and handed them to Hyacinth and Luna both. Luna's sat in her lap, untouched, but Hyacinth nibbled on a piece of hers, and felt a little less miserable with every taste.
"It's good, yes?" Professor Lupin asked, though he didn't seem to expect an answer, "It's a cure for every ailment of the heart, I find."
Hyacinth nodded, forced a smile, and coaxed Luna to eat a piece. It was awkward, under Professor Lupin and Theodore Nott's scrutiny, but Luna eventually relented, and shortly thereafter, her tears had ceased. She was still sad, her gaze distant, but she wasn't overwrought, at least.
"Thank you," Hyacinth addressed Lupin, "I appreciate your help."
"Anytime," Lupin smiled, glanced at his watched, and made his excuses to leave. Apparently, he needed to see the conductor.
Fortunately, Theodore Nott went with him, and Hyacinth spared no more thought for the boy.
Instead,she ate her chocolate, encouraged Luna to do the same, and prayed she would never have to encounter one of those monsters again.
Alas, as it turned out, she would be sorely disappointed. The Minister of Magic, in his infinite wisdom, had seen it fit to post them around Hogwarts while the escaped murderer, Sirius Black, remained at large. Therefore, Hyacinth and Luna - and all of their classmates, of course - would be forced to endure the odious creatures until the convict was caught, or until someone was kissed - whichever came first.
Evidently, it would be another unpleasant year at Hogwarts, and Hyacinth eagerly anticipated the day she could leave, and never look back.