Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.
EDIT: So I just realised that all of the linebreaks I added into Google Docs didn't transfer over to Fanfiction. So I've had to edit all of my chapters.
Hailey's first experience with the Floo Network was not the greatest, to put it lightly. It had felt like being compressed to the size of an atom and then shot out of a railgun. When she appeared in the British Ministry, Hagrid had to catch her to stop her from collapsing on the floor. Hailey stumbled into his arms, a veil of pitchblack hair obscuring her vision. She should really have tied her hair back this morning. Rubbing her temples, Hailey tried to clear her headache while Hagrid looked at her with concern.
"First time yer used the Floo?" Hagrid asked with a smile. Hailey was about to respond, but her voice trailed away as she took sight of the Ministry interior. Hundreds of people milled around the black stone building, more than Hailey had ever seen before. In the distance, a golden statue towered over the crowd. The Fountain of Magical Brethren, Hailey's mind supplied.
"Wow, this place is huge!"
"Welcome ter the Ministry of Magic!" Hagrid shouted, drawing dirty looks from some of the passerbys.
Hailey had read about this place before she'd left. The report had some very unflattering things to say about the British Ministry. Why the Foundation let Dr. Clef write it, she didn't know. She had learnt 4 new swear words from his description of Cornelius Fudge alone. Speaking of which…
"That's Cornelius Fudge. He's the current Minister o' Magic. He's a bungler if yer ask me, pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning askin' him what ter do," Hagrid commented, noticing Hailey looking at the banner hanging from the roof. Dr. Clef was right, he did look like a mouldy potato!
"We'll be wanting ter leave 'fore the place starts gettin' busy," Hagrid told her, pointing towards a red telephone box. "The House Elves'll get the bike back teh Hogwarts."
Hailey squeezed in with Hagrid into the booth, trying to find some space not occupied by the giant man. She stumbled against the wall as the telephone box began to glide upwards. The Ministry of Magic is beneath London, Hailey remembered. She wondered idly if they were anywhere near SCP-1678.
The telephone booth came to a smooth stop as they reached the surface. Hailey all but fell out when the door open, again only being prevented by Hagrid's timely intervention. He chuckled again, steadying her on the pavement.
"Yeh mum was never a fan of those telephones either," he chortled, gesturing for Hailey to follow. The mention of her birth mum sparked Hailey's curiosity, but she resolved herself to wait until later to ask her questions. She trailed after the giant, who carved a path through the crowded streets of London and the terminals of the Underground with his immense size.
The only major problem they had was trying to work out the cost of the tickets. Hagrid didn't understand "Muggle money" and Hailey had only ever handled American money. They then settled in for a short train ride, made severely awkward by all the sharp looks from the other passengers.
Eventually Hailey caught sight of the corner pub that led into Diagon Alley. She noticed with interest that passing non-magicals seemed unable to notice it's existence. Achilles had told her about some research the Foundation had conducted here in the 1930s, determining that non-magicals could only see the entrance if they knew it existed.
"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron! Best we get sommin' to eat 'fore we go inside," Hagrid explained. Hailey's stomach gave a timely growl and the young girl realised she hadn't eaten all morning. She trailed behind Hagrid, stepping into the warm atmosphere of the pub.
For the entrance to one of the most important sites in the British magical world, the Leaky Cauldron was surprisingly dark and dirty. The midday sun struggled to pierce through the grime-covered windows. The bar was surprisingly empty, but those there seemed to recognise Hagrid. The patrons didn't spare Hailey a second glance.
"The usual, Hagrid?" the bartender asked.
"Not today Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business. Just gonna get sommin' for Hailey ter eat and then we'll be headin' into the alley," Hagrid replied, placing a hand gently on Hailey's shoulder. Suddenly, everybody in the bar had turned to look at her, Hagrid's words silencing the moment her name was mentioned. Hailey seemed to shrink in herself under their stares, wishing she could just teleport away.
"Blimey, is that-" the barman began, "Hailey Potter, what an honour!"
He leaned over the bar and seized her hand in a handshake, then turned to tell Hagrid she could eat whatever she wanted on the house. Hailey tried to protest, but the patrons had surrounded her.
"Doris Crockford, Miss Potter! Truly a blessing to have you here!"
"Good lord, Hailey Potter?"
"What a sweet little girl! So proud to be here Miss Potter!"
"Delighted, Miss Potter, words can't express it. Diggle's the name."
Hailey was overwhelmed, shaking hands with everybody in the bar. She honestly didn't see what all the fuss was about. Of course she knew about how she had defeated a dark wizard as a child, but she didn't really know the details. Hailey just didn't really consider it all that impressive. She knew dozens of people in the Foundation who had vanquished greater threats than some Bin Laden wannabe.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a pale man in a turban. He looked nervous, like he would run out of the room at a moment's notice.
"Blimey, Professor Quirrell!" shouted Hagrid, "Hailey, let me introduce you to Professor Quirrell, he'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."
"P-P-Potter," Quirrell stammered, "An a-absolute p-p-pleasure to m-meet you. You'll be g-getting your equip-m-ment, I s-suppose?"
Hailey wondered how this man could ever be a teacher, let alone teach defense. He honestly seemed afraid of his own shadow, like one good scare would give him a heart attack. Hagrid chatted with Quirrell for a while before the man left, presumably to pick up that book on vampires he was so scared about.
"Really tragedy, that is. Brilliant bloke. Went off ter get some first-hand experience, ended up runnin' into some vampire clan. Hasn' been the same since," Hagrid trailed off as he sat down on one of the grimey tables. Their food arrived very quickly, yet Tom the bartender still apologised for the wait. Hailey complimented him on the quality of the food, causing the older man to beam with pride. She sat in silence, eating her food with Hagrid. Suddenly, she remembered a question she needed to ask.
"Hagrid, earlier you mentioned my mother. Did you know her?"
"Ar, I knew them. Lily and James Potter, brightest witch an' wizard of their generation, if you ask me. You could never find nicer people. They loved yeh to bits. I'll never forget yer father's goofy grin whenever he would hold yeh."
Hagrid had a happy smile on his face as he recounted memories of her parents. Hailey was hit with a sudden wave of sadness. She'd always consider Achilles as her dad, but hearing stories about her birth parents made her wish she'd gotten a chance to know them.
"What were they like like?" Hailey asked, eager to hear more about them.
"Yer mother was a smart one. Smart, but carin'. Yeh remind me o' her, yeh even got her eyes. But tha' hair an' smile, that's James. He was a good man. Brave an' very loyal. He could always make yeh smile when you were upset."
Hailey smiled, as if to confirm Hagrid's statement. But there was sadness in her eyes. Her parents sounded like wonderful people who loved her, and she'd never been given the chance to know them. Instead they were killed and she'd been sent to the Dursleys. That thought brought up a spark of anger in her. She'd met dozens of people today, all congratulating her for defeating some wizard, but nobody had even alluded to her parent's existence. They were the ones who had given their lives.
"Hagrid, what happened to them? I know they were killed, but why them?" Hailey asked. The Foundation didn't have a clue why her family was targeted, but Hailey wanted to know.
"Nobody knows. They were close ter Dumbledore in the day, but You-Know-Who rarely conducted attacks in person. Maybe he wanted sommin' from 'em. Maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is tha' 10 years ago on Hallowe'en night he turned up in the village where you was all livin'. He came ter yeh house an'-" Hagrid stopped to blow his nose with a dirty handkerchief. "Sorry, always tear up thinkin' about James an' Lily. Anyway, he came ter yeh house, an' he just killed both of 'em. Yer father tried ter buy some time, You-Know-Who didn' even give him time to draw his wand. Then he came for Lily. Killed her while she held you in her arms. Then - an' here's the real myst'ry of it all - he tried ter kill you. But he couldn' do it. Shot yeh right in the heart with one o' the most evil curses known, same one tha' killed yer parents, but it didn' work on you."
Hailey placed a hand over her heart, where the lightning-bolt scar had begun to burn angrily. She could remember the flash of green light, more clearly now than she ever had before. But for the first time in her life, she remembered something else. A flash of scarlet light and a cold, hollow laugh echoing through her soul.
"Who was this wizard?" Hailey stammered once the pain had faded.
"I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. Names have power, 'specially his. People are still scared. Some think if yer say his name, he could return."
"Could you write it down?"
"Dunno how ter spell it. Fine-," Hagrid began, leaning down to Hailey.
"Voldemort," Hagrid whispered. A nearby wizard flinched and turned to give Hagrid a dirty look.
"And what happened to Vol- sorry- the dark wizard?" Hailey asked.
"Some say he died. Rubbish if yer ask me. Dunno if he had enough human left in him ter die. Some reckon he's still out there, biding his time. People who were on his side came back ter ours. Said they came outta trances. But who knows how much o' that is true. No, I reckon he's still out there. Weak an' powerless, waiting to come back. Somethin' about you stopped him tha' night. Somethin' he hadn't counted on. Nobody knows what it was, but you stopped him all right," Hagrid finished, taking a swig from his tankard. Hailey mulled over what he'd told her. The thought of her parent's killer still being alive did not sit right with her. Hagrid seemed to notice her feelings, because he leaned over to rest his hand on her forearm.
"I know this can be difficult ter hear. But yeh parents, if they were here, I'm sure they'd be proud o' you."
They ate silently for the remainder of the meal. Hagrid paid the bartender, despite his protests, and gestured for her to follow him to the back of the bar. Hailey could feel the void behind the brick wall. They must be close. Hagrid drew his umbrella, muttering to himself as he tapped the bricks on the wall. Hailey watched in awe as the bricks folded back in on themselves, revealing a winding cobblestone road lined with shops of all descriptions.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley!"
The midday sun shone down upon the alley as Hailey turned to look at all the wondrous sights they passed. She'd read about this place, but seeing it in person was completely different. They passed a book shop that Hermione had spent half an hour talking about when she last visited. She saw some boys pointing at a broom in the window of the shop. Street vendors were displaying all sorts of items, from potion ingredients to enchanted kitchenware. Hailey spotted the ice cream shop she was supposed to meet Hermione in a few hours, before Hagrid pointed to a tall marble building that loomed impressively over the other buildings.
"That's Gringotts. Wizardin' bank," Hagrid supplied.
She followed Hagrid into the bank, looking curiously at the small creatures behind the tables. Goblins, she realised. As Hailey entered she took the time to read the words engraved on the door. So they keep their treasure underground? That would explain why Hailey could feel a large void beneath the bank. Hagrid walked over to a free goblin, presenting him with a key.
"Morning," Hagrid greeted the goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Miss Potter's trust vault. I got her key right here. And somethin' else from Dumbledore, about the You-Know-What in vault 713."
Hagrid handed the small key over to the goblin, along with a grubby letter. The goblin inspected the key closely, before opening and reading the letter.
"All seems to be in order. I'll have Griphook take you down to the vaults," the goblin said after he'd finished his inspection. Hailey gave him a polite nod and smile, before turning to follow Hagrid and the other goblin. She wondered what was so important about Vault 713, but she knew a secret when saw one and wouldn't pry.
Griphook took her onto a rusted cart, which sped down at an almost vertical angle down a dark cavern. Hailey focused her mind outwards to plot their course, but the winding and sudden turns made it impossible for her to focus on her abilities. They finally came to a screeching halt before a small door in the wall. Both Hagrid and Hailey stumbled out of the cart, neither of them having enjoyed the ride. Griphook ignored them, walking up to the door and unlocking it with her key.
Hailey looked in awe at the mountains of gold and silver in the vault. She'd never had much need for money, but this would easily cover her Hogwarts years. Hagrid helpfully explained the wizarding currency to her. Why did it have to involve so many uneven numbers?
She gathered some money into a small bag, which Hagrid told her would be more than enough to cover today's shopping, before she had to go back into that damnable cart. Hailey considered just teleporting back to the surface, but if she did then she'd have a lot of explaining to do. As far as Hagrid knew, she was adopted by an American Firstblood family (or Muggleborn, as the British liked to call them). The Foundation were very thorough with their mindwipe.
Two more minutes of being on the worst roller coaster ride in existence and they pulled up to another vault. This one had a much grander door than the previous. She could feel a large space behind it. Whatever was on the other side, it must be very small. For this door, Griphook ran his finger down the divide, causing the door to melt away.
"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door to the other side," Griphook smirked.
"How often do you check if somebody is behind the door?" Hailey asked.
"About once every decade or so," Griphook finished with a sinister smile. Hailey suspected she could have teleported through those doors. But she really didn't want to test that theory. The doors slid away from the frame and Hailey peered over the Goblin to see what was inside. At first, she thought the vault to be empty. But then she caught sight of the small wrapped packaged sitting by itself in the middle of the vault. Hagrid bent over to pick it up, stuffing it into one of his many pockets.
"Best we be gettin' back to the alley. And don't ask any questions, it's best if I keep my mouth shut," Hagrid explained.
She suddenly felt a bit homesick.
Hailey and Hagrid both stumbled out of the cart after another awful ride to the surface. Hagrid had to lean against the wall outside of Gringotts to steady himself.
"Might as well get yer uniform," Hagrid said, gesturing towards 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'. "Hailey, you wouldn' mind if I slipped off fer a drink in the Leaky Cauldron? I really hate those carts."
She nodded and smiled at him, understanding completely what he was feeling. She took off to Madam Malkin's with the small purse of money for her school supplies. Madam Malkin asked her if she wanted Hogwarts robes, before gesturing to go to the back room to be fitted.
Another person was already there when she entered. He was a pale boy, just as pale as Hailey herself, with a well-defined face and straight blonde hair. The boy turned to look at her, staring into her green eyes with his steely grey ones as another witch took measurements for his robe.
"Hi there! Are you going to Hogwarts too?" she asked, introducing herself to the boy. The boy seemed slightly startled by her enthusiasm, taking a moment to respond.
"Yes. My parents are next door looking at school supplies. Then we're going to take a look at brooms," the boy drawled, turning to look at Hailey with a curious look.
Draco didn't know what to make of the girl in front of him. She had a soft heart-shaped face framed by shoulder-length black hair and a delicate build. She looked like one of those girls his mother would describe as cute and try to introduce him too, though she seemed more relaxed than any of the British Purebloods he'd met. Her eyes were a deep green, filled with joy and excitement. The girl had a sweet melodic voice and a distinctly American accent, which confused Draco. Didn't the Americans have their own school?
"That sounds fun," Hailey grinned, interested in talking to another Hogwarts student her age. "Are you looking to play in one of the Hogwarts Quidditch teams?"
"I am. Father says it would be a crime if I'm not picked for my team. I play chaser and seeker, do you play?" Draco asked in his drawling voice, warming up to the strange American girl.
Hailey was slightly taken aback by the boy's apparent spoilt attitude.
"No, I don't play. But I want to. Some of my dad's… friends... introduced me to the National Quidditch League when I was young and I've followed the sport since."
Draco grinned internally. So the girl was from a wizarding family? Good. He would definitely keep tabs on her. Father always said to look out for potential allies.
"If you're any good I hope you get sorted into Slytherin. Do you know which house you'll be sorted into?" Draco questioned, genuinely curious. Though she was quite loud, the girl was pleasant enough to be around. He'd enjoy having her as an ally, so Draco hoped she'd be sorted into Slytherin.
"Not really. I'm not from around here, so I don't know much about the Hogwarts houses," Hailey mused. Of course, she knew of the Hogwarts houses, but doesn't know the significance of them.
"Well there are four. Gryffindor is full of brutish fools. Ravenclaw is alright, they're the bookworms. Hufflepuff, they just take what's left over. Slytherin is the best house, for the ambitious and cunning. Only decent house in Hogwarts. My whole family was in Slytherin," Draco finished with a proud smirk. He turned to see the girl's disapproving look. She looked like she was going to say something, but Madam Malkin interrupted her to tell her that her robes were done.
"Well I'll see you at Hogwarts I suppose," Hailey mumbled, eager to get away from the boy.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way," Draco bragged, emphasising the last name as if that was supposed to mean something to her as she moved to leave.
"Hailey Mardas. Pleasure to meet you," Hailey replied, turning around to address the boy only to nearly run into an older woman by the door. The woman was tall, dressed in a stylish green robe. She had long black hair with blond streaks tied up in a neat bun and was staring down at Hailey imperiously.
"Made a new friend, Draco?" the woman inquired, looking down at Hailey with icy blue eyes.
"Mother, this is Hailey Mardas. She was just getting her robes," Malfoy reported, emphasising her last name and stepping off the platform.
"Narcissa Malfoy, I'm Draco's mother," the woman introduced herself, slightly bowing her head to the girl. Hailey copied her action, bowing her head to the taller woman.
"A pleasure, Mrs Malfoy," Hailey replied, slightly intimidated by Narcissa.
"I do hope my son has not been too much of a bother, Miss Mardas. You seem like a lovely lady," Narcissa observed. She did not recognise the name Mardas. But Narcissa was a shrewd woman, she would not alienate a potential ally of the Malfoy family by being impolite.
Besides, Narcissa thought as she watched the girl pay for her robes and exit the shop, based on the conversation she had overheard from the other room, this was the first girl Draco had spoken openly too. She wasn't about to crush that relationship until she knew more about the American girl.
Hailey was quick to exit Madam Malkin's once Mrs Malfoy had arrived. She didn't like the way the woman seemed to be constantly analysing her. It had felt like she was in one of the Foundation's tests. She suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be meeting Hermione at the ice cream parlour. Hagrid had yet to return, but the ice cream parlour was on the way from the Leaky Cauldron and she doubted she'd miss an 8 foot giant passing by.
She made her way down the winding alley to the shop and smiled once she saw Hermione and her parents seated at one of the tables, looking quite out of place. Hermione seemed utterly fascinated by the place, even though unlike Hailey she'd been here many times before. Her cousin turned and spotted her, giving her a wave which Hailey returned and gesturing for Hailey to take a seat next to her.
"Hailey! I missed you," Hermione grinned, standing up to give Hailey a hug.
"Missed you too Hermione!" Hailey replied, breaking the hug to give Helen and Daniel one. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hagrid being handed two ice cream cones over the counter.
"Hagrid! Over here!" Hailey shouted, waving to the giant man. He turned around to spot Hailey sitting on the bench with the Grangers.
"Hailey! I was just gettin' yeh an ice cream," Hagrid said. "Did you buy yer robes already?"
"Yeah, Madam Malkin finished quickly. I was just coming over to meet with my cousin here," Hailey explained, turning back to the Grangers. "Everyone, meet Hagrid. Dumbledore sent him to escort me to Diagon Alley. Hagrid, meet Hermione, Helen and Daniel Granger."
"Nice ter meet yeh!" Hagrid bellowed with a smile, stepping out of line to shake their hands. The older Grangers were a bit intimidated by the man's size and dishevelled look, but they warmed up to him quickly once Hagrid stopped crushing them in his handshake. He handed Hailey her ice cream cone, which she thanked him for and shared with Hermione. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation the two younger girls both excused themselves to continue shopping for Hailey's school supplies.
"So Hailey. Does Hagrid know about… you know," Hermione whispered once they had lost sight of the parents, her voice trailing off as she looked at Hailey.
"No. They wiped his memory when he arrived. Now he thinks I've been raised by an American Firstblood," Hailey recounted in a whisper. They were browsing books in a nearly empty bookstore, Hermione quietly giving her opinion on every book Hailey looked at.
"That's horrible! Do you guys really do that to people?" Hermione hissed, glaring at Hailey.
"Hermione, the Foundation does not take risks when it comes to our secrecy," Hailey hissed back. "If our existence was revealed to the public, it could spell disaster for the world, normal and magical."
Hermione huffed angrily, but didn't respond. No matter the justification, picking through a person's mind did not sit well with her. Nor did Hailey's zealous views on the issue.
Hailey decided to pick up a few additional books on defensive spells and healing. Learning a bit of healing magic would definitely impress Louis. Hermione picked up some books on Transfiguration, which she'd been interested in ever since McGonagall turned her teacup into a mouse. Hermione had insisted on paying for the books as a birthday present.
"We'd best be heading back. My parents told us to be back in an hour for getting your wand," Hermione insisted. Hailey was looking forward to getting her own wand. She'd used Hermione's a few times and gotten to use some testing wands the Foundation kept, but her own wand would be way more effective at channeling her magic.
They walked back to the ice cream parlour, where Hermione's parents were talking pleasantly with Hagrid about Hogwarts. Hagrid was holding a cage containing a snowy-white owl. They stopped when they saw the two girls approach.
"Did you two have fun shopping?" Helen asked.
"I did. I bought some new books," Hermione announced with pride.
"What a surprise," Daniel grinned, voice dripping with sarcasm. Hermione glared as her father chuckled and gave her a pat on the head.
"Oh stop it you! How about you Hailey?" Helen inquired.
"I just got my school books and a few extra books on defensive spells. I figured they'd come in handy," Hailey recounted. Daniel grabbed the two stacks of books and placed them into a bag which he slung over his shoulder.
"Oh Hailey, I got yeh a birthday present!" Hagrid announced, presenting her with the snowy white owl.
"Hagrid, she's beautiful! Thank you! I'm going to call her Hedwig," Hailey smiled, giving the giant man a hug. He chuckled and returned her hug.
"Well, let's be off then. We've got to get Hailey a wand," Daniel reminded, stepping out of the table. The three Grangers walked up in front, Hermione walking between her parents. Hailey trailed back with Hagrid.
"Hagrid, I met another future Hogwarts student earlier. He was talking about the school houses. The boy seemed to think Slytherin was the best house. Do you know anything about them?"
"Well there's four of 'em. There's Gryffindor, both yer parents were in that house. Ravenclaw, full o' smart an' clever people. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a bunch o' duffers, but they're still better than Slytherin. There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one," Hagrid explained. Hailey didn't honestly know which house she'd be in. She could see herself in any of the four. But she hoped she'd be in the same house as Hermione.
A soft chime of a bell echoed through the empty shop as Hailey stepped inside. She scanned the interior, staring in awe at the shelves full of narrow boxes. There must have been thousands of wands here.
"Good Afternoon," a voice called out from behind her. Hailey jumped in fright, causing a few wand boxes to tumble to the ground with a burst of accidental magic. She spun around to see an old man looking at her questioningly.
"Good Afternoon, Mr Ollivander," Hermione greeted, waving to the old man. Her parents waved awkwardly behind her.
"Ah, Miss Granger. Ten and three-quarter inches, vinewood with a dragon heartstring core. You were here last year?" Mr Ollivander asked.
"That's right. I'm here with my cousin, she's getting her first wand," Hermione explained, pointing to Hailey.
"Ah, and what's your name?" Ollivander asked, turning to look at Hailey.
"I'm Hailey Mardas, Mr Ollivander."
"Well it's nice to meet you, Miss Mardas. Come, let's get you a wand then," Ollivander said, before catching sight of the giant man behind the shelves. "Rubeus Hagrid! Nice to see you again. Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy? I assume you're escorting Miss Mardas?"
"Yes, sir. Just gettin' her Hogwarts shoppin' done 'fore school starts," Hagrid answered.
"Well then, best get started. Miss Mardas, do you which is your wand arm?"
"My right hand," Hailey replied. Mr Ollivander pulled out a tape measure to make extensive measures of seemingly random parts of her body.
"It's important to get the measurements right. It helps me narrow down which wand is right for you. Though naturally it is the wand that chooses the witch," Ollivander explained with a smile as he measured her shoulder width. "Have you ever used a wand before?"
"I have. I've used Hermione's wand and a few different ones my dad lent me, but I've heard it's important to have your own wand."
Mr Ollivander nodded his head in confirmation, stowing away the tape measure and pulling a wand out from the top shelf.
"Try this one, Miss Mardas," he ordered. She had barely touched the wand before it was snatched out of her hands. "No, that's not the right one at all. A maple wand, perhaps?"
She again tried flicking the wand, which caused some wand boxes to fling themselves off the shelf. Hermione had to duck to avoid getting hit. Mr Ollivander handed her another wand and again snatched it out of her hands almost immediately.
"Ah, a difficult customer! I love a challenge! Ollivander declared with excitement in his large eyes. "Let's try a cedar wand with a unicorn hair?"
He handed her a small cedar wand, which produced a loud cracking sound when she held it. Ollivander again took the wand out of her hands and added it to the growing pile of wands.
"Maybe this one will work? Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches long?"
She felt a burst of warmth from the wand as she grabbed it. Hailey gave the wand a flick, causing the discarded wand boxes to levitate gently off the ground. Looking back up at Ollivander, she could see a perplexed expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" Hailey asked.
"Nothing, the wand chose you. But I'm just wondering why that wand chose you. The Phoenix that gave the feather used in that wand also gave another. Another feather, which was used in the wand belonging to the darkest wizard of the modern era," Ollivander shuddered.
"You mean, You-Know-Who?" Hailey whispered, clutching the wand tightly. Ollivander didn't respond, he just nodded grimly. She paid him for the wand, before leaving to rejoin her companions. Just before she left, Hailey turned back towards Ollivander, who was looking at her like he was trying to figure something out. She turned back towards the open door, but just as she stepped through Ollivander gave her one last farewell.
"Have a good afternoon, Miss Potter."
A/N: In case you're wondering why so few people recognise Hailey, it's because in the original series, Harry had the lightning bolt scar on his forehead and looked like his father, which made it easy to recognise him. Hailey, on the other hand, doesn't look too much like either of her parents and has the lightning bolt scar over her heart (where people can't see it). This, combined with the fact that she refers to herself as Hailey Mardas (as opposed to Potter) and has an American accent (instead of a British one like people would expect her to have) means that not a lot of people can guess who she is.
This chapter was Magical World centric. Next chapter is going to focus back on the SCP Universe once Hailey returns to Site 19.
And now, review answers:
PasiveNox: I assume you are referring to SCP-343? Whether SCP-343 is the actual God or not is ambiguous. I'm not actually sure whether I should include 343 at all. The Gate Guardian, on the other hand, may make an appearance.
WriternotAuthor: You know all those conspiracy theories about the government and aliens? The SCP Foundation is basically like that dialed to 11. There are a bunch of weird supernatural entities, locations, objects or events known as anomalies in the world and beyond, things that violate the natural law, and the SCP Foundation Secures, Contains and Protects them (which is what the SCP in the name stands for). Have you ever heard of X-Files? It's sort of like that.
So these anomalies can be basically anything. The Foundation finds ways to contain them to prevent the regular world from discovering the existence of the anomalous and to better understand SCPs (what the SCP Foundation calls anomalies). SCPs can be anything from inanimate objects (SCP-348: a self-refilling soup bowl that cures a runny nose) to loveable creatures (SCP-999: a slime-monster that loves tickles and candy) to world-ending horrors (SCP-2317: A planet-eating monster the Foundation has no method of containing that is expected to break free by 2030).
The Foundation is honestly pretty horrific in its own way. For example, they use prison inmates as Human test subjects. Even if they survive all the experiments and tests the Foundation kills them after a month. But what the Foundation does is necessary to safeguard the rest of Humanity from even worse evils. Some of the SCPs are dangrerous just by people knowing about them, so not only is secrecy needed to maintain normalcy it is needed to prevent these SCPs from destroying Earth.
In this fanfiction, the Foundation classifies the Wizarding World as an anomaly. SCP-5500, to be exact. The Foundation has deemed SCP-5500 too extensive to contain while also keeping the existence of the Foundation and the anomalous a secret (just imagine the logistical nightmare of capturing or eliminating literally every single person, creature, plant and building in the Harry Potter universe while also preventing the world from knowing this is happening) and because the Wizarding World contains itself via the Statute of Secrecy they just keep tabs on them with a spy network and make sure they maintain the Statute. A handful of wizards that the Foundation considers trustworthy assets know of the Foundation's existence and work with them to keep the Wizarding World a secret (you'll get introduced to a few of these later). If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me via PM.
Yukine-ren: Glad you like it. But remember that Hailey's powers don't work on all SCPs. Think of it this way: If you locked Hailey in a room with the SCP for a year, with neither of them having the ability to hurt each other, what would happen? For some SCPs, they would grow to like her. For others, they would kill her the moment they could. If the SCP has the capacity to become friends with Hailey, then the SCP will become friends with Hailey.
Basically, Hailey has the power to make the best first impression ever when meeting SCPs. What this means though is that when encountering SCPs that would never have the capacity to be friends with her then her powers are useless. You might have noticed I left out a certain peanut-shaped member of the "core" SCP cast from Hailey's friend list. This is because SCP-173 does not have the capacity to be friends with Hailey under any circumstances, and thus Hailey would be treated no differently to any other human (Hailey may have a traumatic memory or two of this SCP).
So the Scarlet King wouldn't be affected by Hailey's abilities because he doesn't have the capacity to care for anything.
LMaltez: Yeah but I don't think there is a category for SCP fanfiction.
Fast Frank: Don't worry, I'm just setting up the story. I'm trying to follow the same general feel as the original books. So the start of the narrative is going to be lighthearted and fun, then it's going to get progressively more serious.