Clock Strikes Three
The next day there was a buzz in the air as the students clambered out of their chambers for their first day of classes.
As Harry and Harlow sat down at their separate tables they waved at each other and then Harlow waved to the twins.
Soon after they sat down each head of house descended from their table to hand out schedules. As her father approached her Harlow smiled and greeted him.
She wasn't particularly insulted when he gave her a nod and handed her her schedule without a word, it was just weird.
The twins were ecstatic when they discovered the classes they shared.
And they were both beaming at the idea of their first flying lesson.
Soon, after a large meal and a quick glance to their Papa, Harry and Harlow were heading out of the Great Hall in a wave of students. Harry to Charms and Harlow to Transfiguration.
Soon their classes were over and they both left their classrooms in a haze to head over to their first double Potions of the year.
As they entered the dark room that looked suspiciously like their father's lab at home, they ran over to each other and started talking a mile a minute about their first class. All of the students paired up and sat at desks, and Harry and Harlow made their way to the only open bench.
Right in the front.
They were jittering with anticipation as they waited for their Papa and stared at their cauldrons when suddenly the door crashed open, and the man himself swept into the room to the front and said, "There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those-select- few" his gaze pointed towards his children in the front who now had their eyes open in wonder, "who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and snare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death."
The students were cowering now. Everyone except Harlow, who was leaning forward, eyes wider than anyone had ever known to be possible, drinking in every word her Papa-turned-professor was saying, almost as though he were an oasis in the desert.
This had been what she loved about her father during the time she spent watching him in his lab, the intensity and importance potions had that could literally give you abilities you would never expect.
It was amazing.
The rest of the class went the same. Students barely manage to do the complicated potion they had been set for the first day as a 'judgment of their abilities.'
However, Harlow's cauldron produced a near perfect copy of the portion, her father commenting that the only thing to make it perfect would be a better grind on her fluxweed.
Harry, on the other hand had mixed up nearly every ingredient, and managed to create a few small explosions.
As they were walking out of the potions lab Harry turned to his sister, "did you see him, he was so proud of you, he looked so disappointed when he saw what I had done though."
"Don't worry Harry, I'm sure you'll get it eventually."
"I doubt that. Did you hear what he said, I guess I don't have the 'predisposition'."
"Well, I bet you'll be better than me at Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon. Aurors are in your blood."
"I don't know."
"Don't worry, you're gonna be great."
After lunch that day Harry and Harlow walked together to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
As they walked in, they were greeted by the double professors who stood both invitingly and defensively at the front of the room. Harlow noticed that she had not seen them at dinner the night before.
As soon as the two house's students sat down the smaller of the men spoke, "Good morning class, I'm Professor Lupin and this is Professor Black, and we're here to talk about dark magic."
Harry and Harlow exchanged a look. This wasn't particularly what they were expecting, but they were excited nonetheless.
"How many of you know someone who died in the war?"
Woah.
Harlow and Harry exchanged a look, like, were they really asking that?
But after a beat a few of the kids raised their hands, including Harlow and Harry.
"Well, first let me say for both of us we're sorry, but what we're going to teach you has everything to do with that. We are going to teach you how to avoid something like the War, and how to defend yourself if you end up in a row with a dark wizard."
"Now," Professor Black jumped down off his perch, "we're not going to lie to you. Dark wizards still exist. Even ones who still have loyalties to You-Know-Who, and those who don't, but what we are going to do is give you the skills to defend yourself if you end up crossing paths with one."
"Now how about a demonstration, who wants to help?"
Harlow wasn't surprised when no one raised their hand.
A demonstration? What are they going to curse us?
The professor's eyes looked over the small group of students.
"Ms. Snape, why don't you join us up herer?"
Harlow looked at her brother, who at this point looked so happy not to have been chosen he pushed her up to the front.
Harlow wasn't surprised they knew who she was. Though they had not seen the sorting her story was kind of famous, as were the scars she had maring her face.
"Now, Ms. Snape, you are going to pretend I'm a dark wizard." Professor Black said as he stood in front of her..
With the crazy look in his eyes she wouldn't be surprised if he was.
"Now draw your wand."
Harlow reached into her robes and pulled out her wand, she hadn't tried to do any magic with her wand yet, and she could feel it getting impatient as it buzzed in her hand. But Harlow wasn't worried about it.
What she was worried about was the fact that Professor Black had also drawn his wand, and aimed it straight at her.
"Now, Ms. Snape, on the count of three I want you to wave your wand at Professor Black and say "expelliarmus' do you think you can do that?"
Harlow took a look over at the man, and when she saw a reassuring look in his face she was sure she could,
"Yes."
"Do you know what will happen when you do that?"
"No."
"Good, now, one.."
Harlow took a deep breath, feeling the buzzing of power in her wand, "two…"
She watched Professor Black strengthen his grip on his wand, aiming at her directly, he wouldn't hit her back. Would he?
"Three!"
With a quick flick of her wrist Harlow yelled out the spell, "Expelliarmus!"
There was a great boom throughout the room as the strength of magic his everyone in the face.
But Harlow was mainly focused on her Professor, who had had his wand blown out of his hand.
Before any of the stunned students could move Harlow came to a revelation, "Expel, arms. It's a disarming charm!"
"Very good, Ms. Snape." Despite his cheery tone Harlow could sense that something was wrong, the look the two professors shared, the look of the other students in the room, something was off.
"Now.." It took a second but Professor Lupin continued his lesson on the disarming charm, or as he called it 'the basis for all defensive spells.'
Harlow couldn't pay attention to the rest of the lesson. Though she had a bad feeling about it she felt amazing.
She walked around life feeling as though she had a little too much magic. And there was always relief when she had outbursts of her accidental magic, no matter how bad the damage from it.
But this, this felt like that times ten, as though she could hold back and wasn't worried for the rest of the lesson she would get overwhelmed by it and hurt someone.
It was the best form of relief.
She wasn't surprised when the lesson ended and the two professors asked her to stay behind to chat. So she turned to her friends and told them she would see them in the Great Hall later as they had different classes for the rest of the day.
When the classroom emptied Harlow turned towards the professors.
When they looked up at her she had the feeling something was wrong.
"What did you want to talk about?"
The two professors looked at each other before Professor Black spoke up, "I know you don't remember this, but we have known you your whole life, you and your brother." k
Harlow looked between the two men, she was sure they had never met, "I'm sorry, I didn't think I knew you."
"Unfortunately," Professor Lupin continued, "we have been busy over the years, we used to visit a lot when you were children, and any time we visit your mother now you are usually not home."
"I'm confused, why are you telling me this."
"We wanted you to know that we have been told about your problem with accidental magic."
Harlow felt her cheeks heat up, "I don't… I mean I still have a few outbursts, but I have it under control."
She wasn't exactly proud of the fact she couldn't control her own magic yet, when everyone else her age could.
"Harlow, we assure you, there is nothing wrong with not having your magic under control, in fact, your mother still had outbursts at this age too."
Harlow scrunched her face up, she couldn't imagine her former aurur mother not controlling her magic early, especially with her father's help when she was young, "Really, she never told me that?"
The two professors exchanged another look before Black spoke, seemingly testing the waters of this conversation, "not that mother, your biological one."
Harlow felt her heart drop into her feet, "You knew her?"
She hated how her voice sounded when she said it, as though she was a child who had gotten in trouble.
"Yes, she was a good friend, especially during the war. Her and your biological father."
Harlow felt her magic build up again, but she didn't really care, "Can you tell me about them?"
Before they were able to answer Harlow knew the answer by the way they both looked at the ground.
Lupin broke the news, "We have been asked by your parents to avoid that topic."
A cup that had been resting on Lupin's desk shattered, spraying tea all over the desk.
Harlow jumped back from the noise, knowing she had caused it, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean, I-uh."
"Harlow, don't worry, this is not your fault. We know you can't help it."
"I just want to know something, they won't tell me anything, I don't even know what they look like."
"We know, and we assure you one day you will get to know about them, but for now we think we might be able to help you with your problems. How did you feel doing that spell in class today?"
Harlow thought back, "It felt good, like I had control."
"Do you normally feel out of control of your magic?"
"Yes. It's just whenever I get worked up there's like, I don't know how to say it, an overflow and I break something, or hurt someone. I don't mean to but it's like an overboiled pot of water, it's just going to come and I can't do anything to stop it."
"We will help you. We promise, the more you master your magic the more control you will have over your outbursts, and we believe we know why they are happening, but we have been asked by your parents not to tell you until we can be sure."
"You think you can stop it?"
"If we are correct, then yes. If not, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Suddenly a few students walked into the room.
"Well, our next class is starting soon, and I believe you have to get to the greenhouse?"
"Yes sir."
Lupin scribbled out a quick note, "in case you're late. And don't worry about the magic. One day you'll understand why you have it, until then just accept that you have a little more than everyone else. It's special, really."
Feeling much better after the chat, Harlow headed out of the classroom, being followed by the stares of the sixth year students entering the room, but she didn't mind.
They knew my parents.
They can tell me what's wrong with me.
They can help.
One day I'll be normal.
All is well.
That night at dinner Harlow received a note from her father asking her to come to the labs after dinner that night.
She wasn't surprised, especially after the discussion she had had with her DADA professor that afternoon.
So once she ate, chatted with her Slytherin friends and went over to the Gryffindor table to catch up as quick as she could with her brother and friends before she had to run to the dungeons, promising to meet the twins as soon as she was done outside some tapestry that was also down there. Apparently this was part one of their adventures.
When she reached the classroom she noticed the door closed and knocked quickly three times on the door, the same way she would at home. She took a few seconds before she heard her father call from within to revel in the fact she could see her father whenever she wanted.
"Enter."
Harlow walked in the door to find her father sitting at his desk correcting papers, presumably the summer work of his Newt students as there was a really small pile in front of him.
He didn't look up when he started talking, "I presume you had a chat with Lupin and Black today?"
"Yes."
"And they explained that they could help you?"
"Yes."
"And you accepted their help?"
"Of course I did, you know I just want these issues to stop."
"I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into. I want to tell you something about yourself that you don't know. Your mother and I decided it was time to tell you a little something more about your parents."
Harlow flew forwards and put her hands on her father's desk as she leaned closer to him. His papers went in all different directions as her wild magic bubbled again, "Really? You'll tell me something?"
Her father finally looked up, the papers he was using as an excuse not to look her in the face now gone.
"Come and sit next to me."
Harlow moved around the desk and sat down on a stool she presumed he pulled around for this conversation.
"Now, your mother wanted to be here for this conversation, but given the circumstances we agreed that me giving this to you privately would be best," Harlow nodded, not caring about anything but what he was going to tell her, and a few bottles fell off the supply shelf in her excitement, "As you know, your parents were inexpensible in the Great War. They were the ones who were so hard to kill their death took out You-Know-Who for good. Well, there was a reason they were so special. There is a special type of dark magic, some of the darkest out there. A magical item, it is called a horcrux, have you heard of it?"
Harlow nodded, she had done some reading on magical items, this one being a small but impactful part of the research.
"Well, as you know, horcruxes are a part of someone's soul, which means that if you try to kill someone with one, they cannot really die. Well, the reason You-Know-Who was so hard to kill was because he had six of them. Which we knew, and we were trying to hunt each down to destroy them before we sent someone in to kill him."
Harlow couldn't figure out how this had anything to do with her parents but listened intently.
"Your parents happened to be the people to hunt down and collect the horcruxes."
That hist Harlow like a brick, and she heard a book hit the ground behind her.
"And, as I have explained before, I was a double agent, working with him for the Order, I gave your parents the location of the horcruxes and they went and got them. Then Dumbledore would destroy them. The day your parents died, I had found out the last of his horcruxes was his snake, Nagini. I had assumed but not known. It was the day I found out that Peter Pettigrew gave up the location of both your parents and your mother and James Potter. James was the one able to kill Nagini, and that seemed to weaken him so much that his own blast was the one to actually kill him, killing your parents in the process."
Harlow tried to understand, but couldn't, "I'm sorry, Papa, what does this have to do with why my magic is weird?"
"Your mother had the same problem as you. And it was because of a special type of magic that made them the best for hunting horcruxes."
"What was that?"
"They were animagis, do you know what that means?"
Harlow could feel her face pale, she had done extensive reading on this type of magic, it was always interesting, "Yes, they could transform into animals."
"Good. So they were able to slip into places in their animal form better than a human could, so they went on a variety of missions doing that, gaining You-Know-Who as an enemy on the way. That is why he wanted them dead, because he knew that if they got to his last horcrux he could be killed much easier."
Harlow thought this over for a moment, this is not exactly the information she had always thought she would get about her parents, but it was cool nonetheless. But then something struck her.
"But if he knew his last horcrux had been destroyed, and not by them, why did he go after that?"
There was a pause as though Snape was trying to figure out how to put his next sentence into words, "Well, he considered your parents his personal vendetta, they were the ones to take him down so he wanted to destroy them before anything could happen to him. But his plan that night changed, he didn't want just to kill them, but to destroy their world."
"What does that mean?"
"He wanted to kill you. To keep them alive and know that their child had been killed because of their actions, that was something he figured they wouldn't be able to take."
Harlow paused, she didn't know how to take this information, she was the target, his plan had failed, but how?
"So, how did I end up alive while they ended up dead?"
"Your mother had very similar problems to you. With her magic, never being able to control it, wild and unruly, wreaking havoc on anything when she got emotional. We believe that when she realised that his curse was aimed at her child, her magic got so out of control that she redirected his magic to herself and your father. Saving you while destroying them."
It should have been a shock, her parents killed protecting her, but there was something else that she couldn't help but pause on.
"You mean she never controlled it?"
Her father gave her a look, as though he wasn't surprised that's what she focused on, "No, but that does not mean that you cannot. Your mother never had any help, you have lots of it. I don't want you to worry about what will happen to you There is a lot Dumbledore thinks we can do to help you."
"What does he think it is?"
A darkness fell over the room, the words coming to and dying on her father's tongue, not wanting to give this news to his already fragile daughter who he loved more than anything.
"Is it a Blood Curse?"
Her father could only nod. A blood curse passed from mother to daughter, marking her bloodline for eternity.
It was a lot for the eleven year old to take in, and from around the room a few stools tipped over.
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, your mother and I decided that it was something we needed to wait until you understood."
"No, I understand. Do you want me to help you clean up?"
Her father shook her head, "I'll just magic it all back together, I assume you are being summoned to some stupidity?"
She should have known her father would notice the bracelet at some point, now with two red bends blinking faster and faster.
So all she did was give her father a hug and wish him good night.
"Don't get caught."
Harlow loved that he didn't tell her not to do something wrong, and though all she wanted was to go and close herself in her bed and cry for eternity she knew she had to go meet her friends, so with a quick tap to her bracelet she went off searching.
She knew that the place she was going was somewhere in the dungeons, and close to the entrance to the Hufflepuff dorms, but there were quite a few twists and turns she took before she saw her friends standing in the hallway.
"Took you long enough!"
"What'd your dad want?"
"Nothing, just wanted to know how I was." Though she trusted these two more than anyone she had ever met, she wasn't sure she was ready to get into it tonight.
That night in the kitchen made up for how horrible she felt. Her two best friends always knew how to cheer her up, even if they didn't really know she needed it.
The twins did, though, being on the same wavelength as the girl since they had met they knew something her father had said had gotten to her. So they did their best. Pulling out all the stops to cheer her up. Introducing her to all the elves, giving her a run down of the best places to hide and prank in the castle, and finally, showing her the Marauder's Map.
Her eyes went all over the map, seeing her brother in Gryffindor Tower, her father pacing around his lab, all the Professors getting ready for the night in their own quarters.
It was awesome. And by the time she was ready to fall over in exhaustion her spirits had been lifted, and she very nearly forgot that she had been told she had a blood curse a few hours before. And she realised she wanted to tell someone, and who better than her best friends.
When they were safely in the hallways, and far away from any living soul, according to the map, Harlow decided to speak up, "Can I tell you guys something?"
Her tone made them both stop, suddenly serious as they could possibly be, "Yeah,"
"Of course."
"I have a blood curse."
Fred and George could only blink at the girl, "What are you talking about?"
"My Papa just told me, that's why I can't control my magic, my mom had it too."
"What does this mean?" George's voice was a little more scared sounding than he would have liked.
"I don't know, but Professor Black and Professor Lupin are going to help me try to control it. I guess we'll go from there."
By then they were standing outside the entrance to Slytherin, and they suddenly wished more than anything that their friend was a little more like them.
"So you're going to be okay?"
"I don't know, but I think so."
"Than we'll take it one day at a time."
"Thank you, though, for tonight, it was a weird night, this cheered me up."
"All in a day's work."
Suddenly all three of their smiles were restored, and with a quick kiss to each of her cheeks the twins were off towards their own common room.
Somehow, Harlow was able to go to sleep that night with a smile on her face.
AN: Hey guys. Hope you liked this chapter! Pls. Review I love hearing what you guys think!