Three girls and four boys are pushing carts with luggage and other strange items through the Muggle portion of King's Cross. Darkly tanned with perfect raven hair cascading down her sides and a glow of make-up separates the only first year in the group. The seven Hogwarts students arrive at King's Cross at half past ten with all their luggage.
The other six individuals are more than happy to lead the sweet sophisticated young lady past Platform 9 and to the invisible barrier of 9 ¾.
"Remember," a fifth year girl named Penelope Clearwater told her. "It appears like a cement beam in the Muggle world, but it is enchanted. You just walk forward and through."
Penelope helped all the other boys and girls younger than her time their walks through the Platform so that they did not attract any extra attention. Anck-su-Namun was the last in Penelope's group to go through.
"Go ahead," Penelope encouraged her.
She lifted her head, stared at the beam, saw the shimmer of the confounding magic and then smirked. She marched forward between the two platforms, reached the dividing barrier and she appeared in a different world.
She saw a scarlet engine looming next to the platform just starting to pack with people. She looked up and saw the sign: "Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock." When Penelope Clearwater walked through she smiled at the girl who was waiting patiently. "Go on, Harriet," she said. "I will see you at school." Then Penelope walked past.
Harriet gritted her teeth. She understood that her real name might be hard to say. She understood that some connection to a Pureblood family in England might relieve a few difficulties for her, but she was still offended at the clearly feminized male name.
She sighed as she drifted through the noisy clattering crowd. She stood behind Penelope in a line to load the train. She looked around to see the heads of students already hanging out of the windows of the compartments chattering at others around them. She pressed through the crowd and up the steps of the train, then made her way to the back. She found the first empty compartment at the end. She was pretty sure it wouldn't be empty for long.
She took her little wand out for the first time, held it in her fingers and quietly pointed at her bottomless trunk lifting it up into the shelf above it. Then, she checked the compartment for anything unusual or dirty. When she was satisfied, she smoothed her school robes, already on and sat down. She sat down in the middle of the compartment with the Potions book in her hands and began to make it look like she was reading. But she wasn't. She was discreetly watching everyone walking by.
She peeked over the book and saw a family of redheads marching in a line along the platform. As the youngest of them marched onto the train, she heard the mother shout,
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."
Anck-su-Namun's eyebrows tipped at that and then she went back to her reading. She barely read another passage from the Potions book when that same Ron knocked on the door of her compartment.
He looked around the compartment. He cleared his throat nervously. "I was wondering – " he began.
She looked up from her book and looked at him patiently.
Finally, he spit it out, "I heard that Harry Potter is on the train."
Her eyebrows raised at the comment and then she put the book down and opened her hands up. "No Harry Potter here," she said.
"No," Ron said turning bright red. "I meant to say –"
Her eyes narrowed. Did that old goat tell the redhaired boy? She narrowed her eyes as he stammered along further and searched his memories. Yes he had. She removed that memory – not what the English called Obliviate, but similar and adjusted the memory to speak about Harriet.
"Are you Harriet Potter?" he finally spit out.
Her head moved up and down ever so slowly. He goes on ahead. "Do you have the famous scar?"
Her eyes narrow at him. "Now, you are being rude," she clipped. "You haven't even given me your name and you are asking if I have some kind of injury?"
She did of course, but thanks to the cosmetic that Iset had taught her to make and apply no one would ever see the lightning bolt on her forehead.
"Ronald Weasley –" he blurted out at last. "I'm the sixth of seven children and all of my older brothers go to Hogwarts."
She smirked – so many boys ahead of him would explain why he was so rude.
"Bill and Charlie, the older ones," he continued, "have already left Hogwarts. Bill was Head Boy when he was here. Charlie was captain of the Quidditch team. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George – they mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks in school."
He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "You could say that I have a lot to live up to."
Harriet smiled at him. "Just be yourself and that will be enough –"
"Yes, right," Ron replied. And then he began to go onto a discussion on his favorite topic Quidditch, when she interrupted him.
"Excuse me, Ron?" she asked.
He stopped. "Yes?"
"You said that you are the sixth of seven. What about the seventh?" Harriet asked.
"Oh yeah," he chuckled dismissively, "My sister Ginny."
"Poor girl," Harriet muttered, but Ron didn't hear her as he went on to talk about Quidditch, the games his brothers played in their back yard and the Holy Head Harpies.
"Hey," he says when he sees her pick up her Potion book, "This is my rat Scabbers. Do you want to see me turn him yellow? Fred and George showed me how."
Harriet looked in disgust as he took out the most pathetic looking rat she had ever seen. It looked sad and it appeared to be missing a digit in its hand.
"You are going to do a spell that your brothers, Fred and George, the notorious tricksters showed you?" She asked.
He held his wand up to the rat, preparing to turn it yellow when the compartment door opened again. A bushy haired girl about their age opened the door, and peeked her head in.
"Has anyone seen a toad running around?"
Ron turns from his rat and glares at the girl. Harriet narrows her eyes at Ron. She stands up, and reaches out her hand.
"Hello there," she says, "I'm Harriet Potter."
The girl who looked about to hurry along to be helpful looked carefully at the girl. Harriet smirked as she could see the wheels turn in her head. Harriet Potter – but the history books tell me it was Harry Potter – and where is the famous lightning bolt scar?
Harriet said, "Would you permit me?"
She pulled her wand out smoothly from her robes concentrated on a loose toad and pulled. Suddenly, a toad appeared in her hand. She handed it to the girl.
"How did you do that?" She asked in wonder.
"Magic of course," she said with a smirk and she smiled at Ron and took her seat. She waved her hand to the open compartment. "You and your friend –"she pointed to the open seats, "are welcome to join us."
"Oh yes," the bushy-haired girl said making her way inside with her trunk, followed by a chubby nervous looking boy.
"Thank you –"he said with embarrassment.
She smiled in reply.
"I forgot my manners –"the bushy-haired girl interrupted again to a snort from Harriet's right. She inwardly wanted to hex the Cretan – the Weasley – who had not shown her any manners.
"My name is Hermione Granger –"she said.
"A Muggleborn –"Weasley spit out. Harriet turned quickly with a look of distaste on her mouth but gave her attention to Hermione. She reached out her hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Hermione." She replied.
She turns graciously to Neville who after one look at Ron Weasley decides to sit next to Hermione. He is carefully holding his toad in his hand.
"I'm Neville Longbottom," he said at her expectant face, "And this is my toad Trevor."
She smiled in turn at him.
He asked, "And you said you are Harriet Potter?" He asked stressing the T. He was awkwardly quiet for a few moments at the obvious difference to what history and others had said. Hermione meanwhile looks to Ronald. "Were you about to do some magic then?"
Harriet raised her hand. "No, you are not going to do that spell –"she glared at him.
Ron looked quite hurt at her intently. "Your brothers didn't teach you a spell to make him yellow. They taught you a spell that is going to explode on you, make you look foolish – or – "
"Make the rest of us yellow –"Neville finished the sentence for her.
She nodded at him smartly. Ron was about to raise his wand to do it anyway when the compartment door opened yet again and an old lady with a cart peeked in.
"Anyone want something from the trolley?" She asked.
Harriet asked for a package of Chocolate Frogs, and she shared one with each of those in her compartment with her. She had luckily been taught yesterday by one of the older students how to deal with it as she opened the package and swiftly grabbed the hopping terror and popped it into her mouth.
Hermione looked on in horror as she looked down at her card. Ron chuckled at her. "They aren't alive," he said. "They are just enchanted to do that.
It is finally Hermione who says what is on everyone's mind as they are each eating their frogs and examining their cards.
"Are you related to Harry Potter?" she asked.
Harriet laughed lightly at the question. "You cut right to the chase, don't you?" She replied. "Let's just say that not everything you read about the end of Voldemort is true."
Neville and Ron gasp at the casual speaking of You-Know-Who's name. She continued to smile at Hermione in turn. Hermione's face was twisted into a funny shape. Harriet couldn't help but feel the thoughts rolling from the girl's mind.
"It is in a book so it has to be true –"she was thinking.
The countryside flew by as Harriet saw from her peripheral vision the land around the train. The neat fields of the English countryside were replaced with woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.
Hermione saw none of this. She continued to wrestle with the obvious historical inaccuracy of what Harriet had said to them.
She spoke up, "Harry Potter –"she began with an emphasis on the male name – "was in Modern Magical History and the Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"He is –"she replied with a smirk. "And I'm not in any of those books."
"Well," Hermione continued on to a new subject, "Do any of you know what House you'll be in? I asked a few others I met. Personally I hope that I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad …"
She trailed off – having exhausted herself from her speech.
"Whatever House I'm in," Ron whispered, "I hope she's not in it."
Harriet whose ears were intended to hear that glared at the boy again. She was about to say, "You are a very rude boy and I'm not sure I want to be in your house," but Hermione changed the subject.
She asked, "What class are you looking forward to the most?"
Harriet had read through some of the books classes. After a moment she said with certainty. "I am looking forward to Potions. I have learned Charms, Defense against Dark Arts, the Stars, and Transfiguration, but next to nothing about Potions. I think that would be a challenge."
Hermione saw the book Harriet had out to read. "It looks difficult," she said.
Harriet replied. "I think it has so many building blocks that you have to be aware of. As I was reading this book, it isn't just about memorizing the ingredients and throwing them, but it is intricate work."
Ron snorted – again showing a lack of maturity.
Eventually, Hermione said, "I would have to agree. I am actually looking forward to Transfiguration. I think it is going to be so exciting to change things."
"Lots of studying there too," Harriet said.
"Studying!" Ron said. "I am just going to wave my wand and –"
Harriet scolded, "Not in here, you aren't." Then she turned to Hermione. "I think you would make a great study partner."
Hermione was very excited. "If you are sure –"
Harriet nodded and was about to say more when the compartment door opened again.
A slender boy with sleek white-blonde hair, cold grey eyes, and a pale complexion with sharp pointed features walked into the room. Harriet noticed immediately how his eyes barely looked down at the four inside of the compartment. He was followed by two other boys, giant young men.
"Is it true?" he began with a snooty voice, "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment."
Hermione looked at Harriet with a mischievous look on her face, but Harriet answered smoothly. "There is no Harry Potter here. But my name is Harriet Potter."
The boy looked at the young lady who clearly held herself as any good Pureblood of England would do. His mind – one which Harriet realized she could not read as easily as the others – was working on this information.
"Well," the boy went on, "this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," he said carelessly, "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave a slight cough and Harriet turned to look at him in disgust again. Draco turned to look at Ron.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
Harriet had followed his eyes to Ron and felt that though the assessment was quite cruel, it was probably right.
Draco turned back to Harriet. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Miss Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harriet's, and she reached out and shook his hand. With a gentle smile, she said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Draco," then she shook the hand of each of the others, who she insisted must give her their first names: first Gregory and then Vincent.
Ron who had moved a little to avoid getting too close to Draco didn't realize his mistake. Draco took that moment to subtly assume his spot in the compartment. Greggory and Vincent remained standing outside. He looked at them, "Go tell Parkinson where we are and keep her company. I will see you at school."
Harriet smiled at him as he began to talk. "This is not what I expected, Miss Potter," he said smartly. "My father told me that Harry Potter would be on the train."
"He didn't tell you about Harriet Potter," Hermione answered for him.
Draco chuckled at the interruption, and then he looked at her and Neville. First, he addressed Neville, "You must be a Longbottom, Neville right?" He nodded at Draco in turn. "Draco Malfoy," he drawled. Then he turned at last to Hermione with a slight look of distaste. "You are – " he was about to say something else but quickly changed the word, "a Muggleborn, correct?"
Hermione nodded also. She reached over and took his hand. Draco reached past Harriet smoothly and shook it. Hermione said, "Hermione Granger –"
"A pleasure –"Draco said as he quickly removed his hand. He turned back to Harriet to keep the conversation with her. "So, what class are you looking forward to the most?"
Harriet picked up her Potions Textbook. "I don't have much experience with Potions and I am looking forward to learning."
Draco's eyes glazed over. "Oh, you're going to love Potions," he said. "I'm also looking forward to that class, because my god-father is teaching it." Harriet looked at him with a query in her face.
"My God-father is the Potions Master at Hogwarts, Professor Severus Snape –"he said with pride.
Hermione quickly threw herself back into the conversation asking Draco about the other teachers and getting Draco's impressions of each of them. Neville and Harriet seemed to sit back and soak it all on – though Draco appeared to struggle between staying put and running out as fast as he could.
Ron rudely interrupted again. "You had better watch it with Malfoy's type, Harriet!"
Harriet turned darkly at him. "I've heard all about his family," Ron continued. "They were some of the first to come back to the Light after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it of course. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go to the Dark Side."
Hermione looked at Draco and then Harriet and then Ron, seeing the darkening looks on Draco and Harriet's face and the completely dumb look on Ron's.
"Don't you think," Hermione said to Weasley, "That you should get your robes on. From what I've read this trip is almost over. And you know you shouldn't be fighting. You'll get in trouble if you start a fight before we even get there!"
"I'm not fightin!" said Ron scowling at her. "Would you mind the rest of you leaving so I can tell Harriet some important things she needs to know?"
Harriet turned to Ron. "I believe, Weasley –" she said with a smirk "that you are behaving childishly. By the way, there is dirt still on your nose. Didn't your mother tell you to clean it off."
Ron stood up and glared at Harriet, Draco, and Hermione. He only addressed "Neville" as he stormed out of the compartment. She watched him go shaking her head.
"They will let just about anyone into Hogwarts these days – "Draco drawled.
Before anyone could comment further a voice echoed throughout the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Shortly after this Ronald Weasley had pushed himself back into the compartment, strangely determined to be present every step of the way for Harriet Potter. Then after a few more minutes the train started coming to a stop. Quickly people started to push their way through. Vincent and Gregory reappeared out of nowhere and fell in between Harriet and Weasley as they traveled off the train. Harriet didn't notice the subtle move to separate her from the other kids. Harriet followed behind Draco and then went toward a booming voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
A big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"Follow me now," he said at the faces. "Mind yer step. Follow me, firs' years."
Slipping and stumbling, they followed the giant down a steep, narrow path. It was dark, but Harriet followed the smooth steps of Draco ahead of her. She heard a sniffle a little ways back from Neville – the other boy in her compartment. Apparently, he lost his toad again. She couldn't help him right now.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the giant who led them called from up ahead, "jus' round this bend here."
Then, Harriet heard a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened onto the edge of a great black lake. Then, perched on top of a high mountain on the other side of that lake with windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with turrets and towers.
Harriet felt impressed for the first time since she had arrived in England. She had been inside before when Dumbledore had brought her back from Egypt. But she had not seen it like this. Then, it had seemed so dark and dank. But from here on the other side of the lake, it was beautiful.
"No more'n four to a boat!" The big man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Draco ably helped Harriet inside and then a dark-haired girl who appeared out of nowhere with a pug-nose and a blonde with a haughty look were helped in after her. Lastly, Draco made his way inside. Harriet saw a sad look of disappointment on Hermione's face and a look of righteous anger on Ronald Weasley's face.
"Crabbe –" he said, "Goyle –" Draco said to the two who stood behind her other companions on the train. "You two could fit in your own boat. Scram!"
Harriet adjusted herself and introduced herself first to Pansy Parkinson then to Daphne Greengrass. She was just getting to know the two when that booming voice spoke again.
"Right then – FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Harriet became silent along with Pansy, Daphne, and Draco. She stared up at the great castle overhead. Quiet came over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled the giant as the first boats reached the cliff. Harriet bent her head with all the others and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
There was another commotion. Hermione had found Neville's toad and was handing it back to him. Harriet heard Pansy sniff in derision, "Only idiots get toads." Harriet just stared straight ahead.
The giant man raised his giant fist and knocked three times on the castle door.