A/N: I know this has been a very late update, and that I haven't been active in the past months. The year had tested us all, and it had been very hectic, but it became worse for our family when we lost my grandpa this year. I did try to get back to my writing, but I couldn't. I admit that I lost my biggest supporter and motivation. I'm back for now, and I hope to not keep you guys waiting too much for the updates. Thank you soo much for all the love and support you guys have shown me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys. MUCH LOVE! 3

A/N 2: Thank you soo much for the amazing love you've shown to this fic. It warmed my heart truly! Here is the next chapter for you awesome guys, and I sincerely hope that you like it. I do not own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!

Warnings: Swearing, sass remarks, bad jokes, drama.


"Why are we in such a hurry?" Harriet grumbled as she, yet again, caught herself from falling. It was the third time that her footing had slipped because of being tugged this hurriedly, and the class would not start for another ten minutes. Surely, they could walk like normal human beings.

"Cause, if we are late, then we won't be able to get the front seat," Barty explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His long strides were not helping in the least. "Now, quit your whining, my dear, or I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you myself."

The students were excited, to say it lightly. There was nothing weird about the way they were pushing at each other to grab the front desk in the DADA class. It was a perfectly regular occurrence since the new teacher had joined Hogwarts. If only, they were all this serious about other lessons, Harriet wouldn't have minded in the least. Right now, though, they all resembled an angry flock of sheep.

Barty was no other. He only said that he was interested in being punctual and not getting punished for being a lazy arse. But it was clear that he was fascinated by the subject, even more now, thanks to Professor Nicholas.

Just the way he taught them, not only limited to the subject, but magic in general, was truly amazing. The way he weaved words to make them understand things better, the way his eyes glinted in satisfaction when he was able to solve their queries, and the way he performed spells with his wand, was simply beautiful and dangerous.

She could now see why he had such a large following in such a short amount of time.

The Dark Lord lured people in, just as a spider does to its prey. No wonder Barty worshipped him.

Harriet gazed at her new friend from the corner of her eye, and she wasn't much surprised. She recognised the grin on Barty's face from when he taught her in her fourth year—the same energy, the same want to feel the magic pulsing through his veins and the same craziness. For a moment, she wondered if Barty would lose himself to Voldemort and dark magic this time. After all, dark magic was notorious. But what if she could stop him, and help him?

Even though it hadn't been a day into this new friendship, Harriet didn't want to lose any more of her dear ones.

Her said new friend shoved a scrawny Gryffindor out of his way, pulling Harriet alongside. Honestly, she wasn't much of a fan of physical contact, but oddly, she didn't mind Barty holding her hand. It made her feel protected as she felt around Ron and Hermione. It felt that she could trust him with all the burdens and secrets she was carrying on her shoulders. Maybe, one day, she would tell him.

Finally, they reached their destination. Harriet sighed in relief when they found an open spot, right in front of the class and the teacher's desk, just as Barty had wanted. She was sure the boy would have beaten up someone if they hadn't found the seat.

"What's gotten you in such a grumpy mood?" Barty asked as they seated, taking out his parchment and quill in advance.

"Nothing, just thinking." Harriet shrugged. The scent she'd smelled in the Potion's class had been occupying her mind ever since. But, she couldn't pinpoint to where she could remember it from. It was even more shocking that she actually smelled something in the love potion. In all her seventeen years of miserable yet, eventful life, she had never been romantically involved with anyone. Sure, she had a fair share of people who fancied her, but no one caught her eye.

The reason behind was simple—no one actually knew the real Harriet Potter. They knew about the saviour, about the girl whose life was written in pages for the profit of some publication house, the girl who survived the Killing Curse. They knew about the precious Potter Heiress, but nothing about the girl underneath it all.

She was a stranger to all of them.

A hand waved in front of her eyes, dismissing her from her thoughts.

"You do have a tendency to get lost in your own little world, little friend." She blinked, finding him staring at her curiously, with his elbow leaning against the desk and head tilted slightly.

"Little friend? I'm not that little," she chuckled, trying to divert his attention. They had just become friends; she wasn't too comfortable spilling secrets about her non-existent love life.

"Oh, please! Have you seen yourself? All bones and no muscle. I could blow you up like a feather anytime," Barty teased her.

"Well, I certainly don't back down from a fight or a challenge," she sassily replied. From the way his eyes lit up, she knew that he was equally enjoying their stupid banter.

"Soon, skinny. I promise to not disappoint you." Barty winked at her and Harriet burst out laughing. She had been a lot of things in her life, but by far, his were the most entertaining ones. The boy was something else.

"So, tell me about yourself," Barty demanded as he started doodling on the parchment.

"What? You want to do some heart-to-heart shit right now?" Harriet joked lightly, not wanting to answer him. She didn't like talking about herself, but he seemed determined to unravel her secrets.

"Why not? The class wouldn't start for another five minutes, so we've got time. Besides, I should know things about my wingman." Harriet groaned when she was reminded that she had to play cupid, yet again.

Being Ron and Hermione's had been one hell of a job as it is.

"Hmm, let's see. I'm an orphan, as you might have heard," Harriet started, taking a deep breath. This is what she didn't like—the lying.

"I did. I'm sorry for your loss." For the first time, he wasn't joking. His eyes held compassion and sincerity in them.

"To be honest, we were never close. They chose their work over me, and continued to put their lives in danger." That was true, Harriet believed in it. She often thought, what could have been, had Lily and James decided to stay out of the war for the sake of Harriet—their daughter. Maybe, they would have been together right now, maybe not.

Maybe, she would have grown up a rebellious teenager like Dudley, maybe she would have sneaked in a boy in her room. But, that's how it always had been.

Maybe.

"So, I was forced to live with my mother's sister and her husband, since I wasn't of age at that time."

"Are they the reason you're so skinny?" Barty asked without any hesitation. He did that a lot; he spoke whatever was on his mind without sugar-coating.

"Why do you ask that?"

"One, because your face scrunched in displeasure when you talked about them, without you realising it, which tells me that you don't like them. Second, because you didn't refer to them as your aunt and uncle, as if they are not important to you at all. They must have treated you in the same way." Damn., he was observant. She made a mental note to be cautious of him in the future.

"Now, were or weren't they?"

"They were muggles; didn't like me ruining their perfectly normal reputation." She didn't need to explain any further to him, didn't want him to know the extent of the abuse she'd suffered at their hands.

"Can I get my hands on them?" That was unexpected. She hadn't thought he'd act so protective over her, not since they'd just met. And, wasn't he bothered to know that she was a half-blood? But, she kept quiet. Those were questions for later.

"Not until I finish with them," Harriet responded with a light laugh. She was enjoying this whole happy and smiley vibe. Their attention snapped when the doors opened, and the pitter-patter of the classroom quietened at once.

Professor Nicholas strode into the classroom with his usual grace; Harriet was sure she heard some girl sigh dreamily, which did not settle well with her.

Something was amiss, she could sense. There was a difference in his mood today—he was awfully happy about something. It wasn't written on his face; she could tell this from the emotions he was leaking through the mindlink.

Professor Nicholas reached his chair and greeted them all, "Good morning, class. I apologize for being late; I was caught up in some last-minute assigned work."

He rounded the desk and leaned against, making sure to make eye contact with Harriet all the while. She broke their weird contest when she started feeling a funny feeling in her stomach, and the sudden heat warming her cheeks. Morgana, what was happening to her?

"Please keep away your parchments and quills. We won't be needing them for today's class. Today we have some important things to discuss."

A few murmurs ran across the room. "Quiet down, please."

"The Headmaster and I had some lengthy conversation this morning, and we've come to a conclusion. These are dark times in Wizarding Britain, especially with the Dark Lord rising."

Complete silence immediately blanketed them all. They understood that this wasn't something to joke about and listened to what the Professor was saying, with rapt attention.

"There is an inevitable war coming, and whether you like it or not, each one of you would be forced to choose a side. You either fight for your survival or die trying." Nicholas looked around the room and was happy with his observation.

The environment was tense— some were scared, some reluctant, and some in denial that something so horrible could ever happen to them. He also observed that the kids of some of his followers were smug about the fact that the Dark Lord would defend and support the purest of bloods, and that they will be unharmed. He would have to teach those snotty brats some lessons.

Then, there was Harriet, who contrary to everyone, was confused. If he was correct, then, she was thinking the same thing as he'd pondered over— What was the Headmaster's plan?

"For this reason, we are going to start a defence club, wherein all of you will learn basic self-defence and fighting tricks, spells to disarm your opponents, etc. It will not only be a physical but mental training as well," Marvolo informed them and let it sink in. "Also, I have incorporated this training as part of your curriculum, so you will be graded based on how well you perform in these classes."

At the last comment, some groans echoed in the classroom.

"Are we clear so far?" Nicholas asked and got a chorus of 'Yes, Professor' in response.

"Good! Now, to start off, I want two students from each year to assist me with the work I give to you all. They will be your leader, of sorts, and you will listen to them. I don't want any stupid house rivalry getting in between these sessions or your training." He looked everyone in the eyes as he spoke, wanting them to know how serious he was about his warning. It was a golden opportunity for him to see how much potential these children had, and he wouldn't let it go to waste because of their stupidity. "This way, I'll have fourteen leaders, in total, to help me with the planning, syllabus and so on.

"How are you going to select them, Professor?" a Hufflepuff asked. The thought of wanting to be a leader piqued the interest of many.

"That is a good question. For obvious reasons, I want someone with reflexes, someone who has a little experience in practical work in defence and duelling. I'm going to test you all based on mock duels. You all will be partnered up, and marked on speed, endurance, reflexes and quick thinking. The first to pin down their opponent will be the winner.

"Since we can't have so many duels, the person who wins in the shortest time will be the winner," Nicholas took a deep breath and made sure that everyone was on the same page as him.

The whole class nodded.

"You are 24 in total, which means 12 duels. The same thing will be done with the Gryffindor and Ravenclaws. I will make a final list of 8 opponents, who will further fight one more duel each. That class will be combined one, on Friday, in the Great Hall. I'll take permissions from your respective Professor, so please don't worry about that."

Once he was sure that each student knew about the rules of mock duelling, with a wave of his wand, he cleared the centre of the room for enough space. "Please partner up. Then, each pair will come to the centre and start duelling."

Without waiting, Harriet moved away from Barty and stood next to Sarah. She'd abandoned her new friend for a good while now, and also knew that Sarah wasn't much comfortable on duelling with someone else.

She, totally, hadn't been pushed by Barty who wanted to make sure that no other male got to partner up with Sarah, and flirt with her or harm her in any way.

Barty, on the other hand, smiled in satisfaction when Sarah told a Hufflepuff that she already got a partner; the poor boy forced a smile on his face at the rejection.

Harriet nodded at Sarah with a smile as she reached her, which the girl replied to quite enthusiastically. She didn't seem to cross with Harriet for ditching her in today's classes? Was she alright?

Ron would have eaten her ear off by now.

"So, you and Barty, huh?" Sarah asked with a suggestive wink.

It took a few moments for Harriet to process what she'd said, but she could only respond with a, "What?"

Yep, her assumptions were correct; Sarah was hit head in the head alright.

"No! Why would you even think that?" Harriet asked her. Her attention was shifted from the ongoing duels to the girl beside her.

"Well, you two seemed pretty close and deep in conversation. And, to be honest, I haven't seen him talk to many girls before. Except for Narcissa, of course."

"You talk to him, don't you? I've seen you guys sitting together, a couple of time, in the library. Seems like he enjoys your company too," Harriet pointed out.

"Barty and I have known each other since we were kids. We have never been friends though, but really polite acquaintances, I would say."

"It's nothing like that, I swear." Harriet stopped her ranting, assuring her that there was nothing special going on between her and Barty.

Harriet thought hard—Why was Sarah asking such questions, in the first place? Unless...

"Wait, are you sure you're not jealous?" Harriet asked, a wide grin covering her face. If Sarah was jealous, it meant that she liked Barty. And, that would make Harriet's cupid task infinitely easier.

Thus, the creepy grin.

"What? No, of course not," Sarah replied with a stifled laugh. Harriet tried to detect any trace of lie on her face, but couldn't. "I would stand by him during those stupid Pureblood parties because he was the only one I could tolerate, we would joke here and there, but that was when we were children. Over the years, we have only been housemates. And, that is quite okay."

Harriet sighed in resignation—she would have to do a lot for these two to get together. Morgana, help her!

"It's not that. That Jack guy came over and took the seat beside me in potions, one I was hoping to save for you. Barty actually saved me by scaring the poor guy away. When I asked why he helped me, he said something about me standing up for Snape and also putting sense in Malfoy's thick head. It was his way of thanking me for helping his friends," Harriet explained.

"Really?" Sarah tried to control her laughter. She didn't want to get in trouble in case Professor Nicholas saw them gossiping when there was such an important class going on.

"Yes, he literally said that he wasn't in my debt any more, as if I was holding it against him in the first place. The boy is something else, I tell you."

Sarah couldn't hold it back any longer and burst out laughing, catching the attention of the whole class.

"Something the matter, Miss Fawley and Miss Christopher?" Professor Nicholas asked with a raised brow.

"No, Professor. Nothing," Harriet lied through her teeth; she gulped hard in the fear that her lie would be caught. At that moment, Professor Nicholas' gaze burned into Harriet, as if trying to decipher something desperately. But, he couldn't get his answers. His jaw clenched in frustration and he called out to the pair, "You girls are next. Please come forward."

Harriet let out a breath, sharing a glance with Sarah. She forced a smile on her face. On the outside, Professor Nicholas might seem okay, but she knew that something had ticked him off. It was clear by the intent way his scorching gaze was burning into her.

It was a miracle she hadn't to turn to ashes.

Professor Nicholas repeated the instructions for what seemed like a hundredth time, "The rules are simple—once you disarm your opponent or pin them down, you win. No harmful hexes, though. You cannot fatally injure each other. Clear?"

Both Sarah and Harriet nodded as they took their positions in the centre of the room. Harriet took a deep breath and calmed her nerves, a feeling of normalcy washing over her as she took a defensive stance.

Every eye was on the pair; news had travelled fast, it seemed. The Slytherins and Hufflepuufs, alike, wanted to see Harriet fighting after hearing how she'd defeated Lucius Malfoy easily.

Barty, who stood beside Lucius and Bellatrix, observed her movements with rapt attention. She'd already stood in a defensive pose as opposed to what they'd been taught—that the first move should be of attack.

"This the girl who beat you?" Bellatrix's annoying shrill voice made Lucius and Barty grimace. "Rodolphus was right, you're a girl, Lucius. You're losing your touch." She mocked him further.

"Shut your mouth, Bellatrix," Lucius didn't say anything after that, knowing it was useless to fight with the crazy witch.

"Ready?" Professor Nicholas asked both of them and got an affirmative nod in return. "Begin."

Both the girls started circling each other. It felt as if she was in her natural form right now. Harriet's eyes roamed over Sarah's stance, and she wasn't surprised to see frustration written over her opponent's face, at the lack of an attack.

As predicted, Sarah charged at her full force. Harriet easily dodged her, twisting around quickly and sending a mild Levicorpus charm, that made Sarah squeak loudly and hang in the air. Harriet would have felt ashamed had Sarah not been wearing those knee-length shorts under her skirt. With an Experlliarmus, the wand was out of Sarah's hand and into Harriet's.

There was absolute silence in the class. The match hadn't even lasted ten seconds.

Sarah looked at Harriet dumbfoundedly, from where she awkwardly lay on the ground. "Bloody hell! Where did you learn to fight that fast?"

"The winner is Miss Christopher," Professor Nicholas announced with a pride lacing his voice. He was ecstatic that his new friend could fight this good.

It felt like a spell was broken, and many students started applauding loudly to congratulate her. Harriet felt a little awkward as she was praised with appreciation, but nice nonetheless.

"That was great!" Sarah gushed at her. "You've got to help me be as good as you, Harrie."

"You're not upset?" Harriet asked.

"What? Of course, not. What you did was awesome!" That made a relived smile cover Harriet's face.

"That was amazing, skinny!" Barty too congratulated her as they reached back to their spot.

"Skinny?" Sarah wrinkled her nose in confusion, and Harriet matched her mood.

"We're trying to find the perfect nickname for my new friend here," Barty explained with a wink. God, he was horrible at flirting.

"Come on, lover boy, it's our turn," Lucius whispered slowly to him.

Bellatrix sneered at Harriet and Sarah and walked away.

"Wow, she really does love us," Sarah remarked and Harriet smiled at her sassiness.

"Well, I love her too," Harriet replied. There was a comfortable silence between them as the duels went on. "Want to come to the Quidditch trials with me, after lunch?"

After much contemplation on her part, Harriet had decided to try out for the team. She couldn't stay away from her broom for much longer.

"Sorry, but I still have got the Astronomy essay to finish. Tomorrow's the last day for submission."

"I thought you'd already done that," Harriet's brow furrowed in confusion. "You went to the library on Tuesday, right?"

"Yeah, I did. But there was Lily Evans in the library too, and you know what happens usually, right?" Sarah asked. Harriet understood immediately. It seemed that James had yet again proposed his undying love to Lily, and got rejected again.

"Did she say yes this time?" Harriet asked. It was odd to gossip about her parents' love life to someone else, but what could she do?

Might as well, go with the flow, as they say.

"Nope. The poor boy looked close to tears though. And there was a loud commotion of Black accusing Evans, for hurting Potter. Then the librarian got there and well, my poor essay was left unfinished," Sarah sighed. Their attention broke as Professor Nicholas announced Barty as the winner.

Harriet wasn't surprised, though. Barty was a ruthless fighter, she knew.

"It's crazy, though," Sarah remarked absent-mindedly.

"What?"

"How does Potter always know where to find Evans?" Harriet's heart dropped in fear as realisation dawned on her.

"Poor girl is always trying to hide from him, but she always fails. It's shitty."

Yep, it was shitty alright. Harriet's gaze met Nicholas' across the room, and she gulped hard.

They were in deep trouble.


-A/N: Let me know what you guys think about this one! Reads, followers, favorites and reviews are always appreciated! Good day to all! :)