Author's Note: Hello to everyone. First of all thank you very much for taking time and reading this fic. Also, thanks to everyone who have added the fic to their following/favourite story. It means a lot. Here is the next chapter for you awesome guys. I hope you all enjoy it! Happy reading!

I don't own Harry Potter, it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!


CHAPTER 3

September 1st arrived sooner than Harriet anticipated and once again she stood at Platform 9 3/4, staring at the scarlet Hogwarts Express looking as pristine and welcoming as ever. The platform was packed as always; children hugging their parents' goodbye with promises to stay in touch, friends reuniting and exchanging their summer experiences, the usual hustle-bustle. And Harriet as always wondered how different her life would have, had her parents never died.

Breaking gaze from the crowd she made her way towards the train and started searching for a compartment. From outside she was all calm and composed but on the inside, she was a nervous hell for she didn't know how she was supposed to act when she meets her parents and godfathers. Merlin! This was so much worse than fighting Voldemort.

Finally finding an empty compartment she put her trunk safely and settled with a book she bought, to avoid all the emotional turmoil going inside her head. Harriet's breath caught in her throat when the door to the compartment opened to reveal a red-haired witch having bright emerald eyes, just like Harriet's

"Do you mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full." The redhead asked politely.

"Please," Harriet replied, quickly coming out of her stupor and motioning to the seat across from her.

"Thank you." With her entered a boy of similar age. He had a large hooked nose and shoulder-length greasy black hair. Nodding to Harriet in thanks, he quickly a seat beside his friend and got immersed in his book.

"I'm Lily Evans." The red-head introduced herself with a warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Harriet Christopher."

"Nice to meet you, Harriet. This is my best friend Severus Snape." Lily said motioning to the only person left apart from them. Nodding in his direction Harriet murmured a polite hello. On any other day, she would have sneered in Snape's direction for the brat he was but when the truth came out on his deathbed, Harriet could only respect him. She couldn't even imagine the infinite risks Severus had taken to keep her from harm. So giving him respect was the least she could do.

"So are you a transfer student because I haven't seen you in Hogwarts before."

"Well, I'm not a transfer student exactly. I was homeschooled before I moved here from America. I'll be joining my 7th year."

"Oh! So what brings you here suddenly?" the question was innocent but Harriet's stance became rigid which didn't go unnoticed by either Lily or Severus. Clearing her throat she lied,

"My parents and godfather died. And I had no one else to go to either." Lily's smile faded in an instant; she felt stupid and guilty to bring the topic up.

"I'm so sorry, Harriet!"

"It's all right. You didn't know." She quickly assured Lily.

"My condolences." Barely a whisper came but Harriet heard it anyway and thanked Severus. What followed afterwards were intense moments of awkward silence, but before Lily could lighten up the mood the door slid open yet again, this time to reveal a messy-haired boy and warm hazel eyes hiding behind his round glasses.

"Hello, Lily flower! You look as gorgeous as always. How was your summer?" Harriet observed as James sauntered into the compartment as if he owned the place.

"What do you want Potter?" Lily snapped and in the meantime, Harriet was trying to calm her frantically beating heart so much that she missed the entire commotion going on between her parents; well future parents. There was a clearing of a throat that broke her train of thoughts.

"Hello to you too! I'm James Potter. I don't think we've met before."

"Um...hello. I'm Harriet Christopher, I'll be joining this year."

"Excellent, excellent. It was nice to meet you and I hope to see you in Gryffindor. It is time to take my leave. Goodbye and Snivellus, you look dashing like always." James exited the compartment with a glee on his face.

On the other hand, Harriet was abashed at her father's behaviour. Though she had accidentally seen memories of Snape in her fifth year, seeing it through her own eyes broke her heart. The embarrassing look on Severus' face made it even worse. Harriet couldn't help but compare her father to Dudley, the monstrous boy who made sure to make Harriet's life hell at any chance he got. James Potter was a bully and it irked Harriet to no end.


Her nerves were on fire as soon as the announcement was made about the train reaching its destination. She rubbed her sweaty palms for the millionth time and made her way to the carriages; to others, the carriages were just another piece of magic but Harriet felt a connection to the threstals. She pets one affectionately before taking a seat beside Lily who looked at Harriet as if she was crazy but kept her mouth shut. The whole ride to the castle was spent in comfortable silence and not once did Harriet's gaze falter as soon as the Hogwarts castle came into view. There she stood- strong and proud, not ruined to dust or utterly broken like the last time Harriet had seen her. A feeling of pure warmth, safety and contentment filled her; Harriet Potter was finally home.

Lily beamed when she saw her new friend already warming up.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Harriet!"

"Thanks, Lily." Seeing her mother smile was the most beautiful thing she had seen and in her heart, she knew that no matter how hard this task seemed to be, she wouldn't let that gorgeous smile wipe off Lily's face.

The first years were getting sorted and Harriet's nerves were all jittery.

'You can do it, Harrie. Why are you so nervous? You've already been sorted once, you can do it again. You just have to go and sit on the stool and when the hat places you in Gryffindor, you go as you planned. If there is any problem you can always ask Death for help. Right. Right!? Okay calm down woman, deep breaths- in and out, in and out.' Her inner monologue halted when the headmaster stood up and spoke.

"There is one last sorting left. I would like to welcome Miss Harriet Christopher who will be starting her 7th year at Hogwarts." Nodding in the headmaster's direction, Harriet made her way towards the stage and ignored the hushed whispers that broke out. At that moment she felt like she was yet again the hot topic of the school making her feel uncomfortable. The distance between her and the stupid stool seemed to be infinite but she eventually reached it and took a seat. The ratty hat just been placed on her head, when half a second later it shouted

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harriet was stunned at the result and the great Hall too fell silent; it was probably one of the shortest sortings in the history of Hogwarts. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. All she had planned came crumbling down, she wasn't supposed to be in Slytherin, she was supposed to go to the dean of lions. How had her plan backfired?

She cautiously made her way to her new house table. She sat at the very end, painfully aware of the cold and calculating eyes of her new housemates. The attention of the hall turned from her to the headmaster and Harriet had never been thankful for the old coot than she was at the moment.

"Now that the sorting is over I would like to introduce Mr Nicholas Grey as your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

With that a man probably 25 years of age, dirty blonde hair and sparkling light blue eyes rose to his feet. Her eyes connected with Harriet and she visibly inhaled a deep breath. She knew exactly who the person was for he could never hide from her, even in glamour.

BLOODY HELL! She was not only stuck in the snake pit but also Lord Voldemort was her new DADA professor. What will she do now?