First real chapter, the real thing. I hope you may enjoy it. See you...

Chapter 2: A new girl at Hogwarts

After the Death's Declaration

After Harry murder that was a complete secret, so rumour was spreading only a few hours later in all the Great Britain, the public announcement stated the few things that were already known and what were yet to know.

The murderer happens to be Barty Crouch Junior in the polyjuice disguise of Mad-Eye Moody as the true Alastor Moody had told it under veritaserum after his rescue for an entire year of sequestration. Yet Alastor Moody suffers to a partial obliviation that is yet to be understood by the Aurors squad.

The Deatheater in the cover of a teacher, lead Harry Potter apart in Moody's office, where his body had been discovered, then steal Harry's wand and kill it with. Then, in order to escape, the Deatheater had used the Dark Mark in Hogwarts's sky as a diversion, still with Harry's wand that had been discovered at the entrance of the Forbidden Forrest.

By the time, nobody had a clue where Barty Crouch Junior could be, as he makes no apparition since the murder and how he could hide himself so fine is yet a subject of supposition.

However, Harry Potter murder is not yet a cold case so Aurors squad still go on with the inquiry, as Harry Potter close friends and relatives honour his memory. The burial, under a beech near to the flying field, as Harry Potter happens to have no close family alive, had been one of the most emotional moment Hogwarts ever known and had completely outshined Cedric Diggory, so what his father complain about. Henceforward, that grave became the second Potter's Memorial.

It appears that Dumbledore had used the boy death to convince Wizards that you-know-who came back. Even so, the Ministry of Magic claims that Barty Crouch Junior, a delusional mad Deatheater, may have killed Harry Potter because after a year of plotting to prepare you-know-who come-back, as he thought he could, come to the realisation that it was impossible and avenge on the only remain target he had: Harry James Potter.

Yet, Dumbledore argues that Barty Crouch Junior was presumed dead until the murder so he thought that the same logic could be applied on you-know-who.

Then, how much tragic was Harry Potter's Death, everyone needs to move on with their life. So the summer arrived and left with various Daily Prophet article and a new available biography by Rita Skeeter with an enlightening title: The tragic life and death of an ever silver-spooned toddler.

A book filled with also various sources whereby Wizards community happens to know how much Harry Potter have been the object of preferential treatment during his time at Hogwarts and that Albus Dumbledore couldn't help himself but give into every whim the boy had made:

Joining the Quidditch Gryffindor team whereas he was still a first year; receiving house point as reward as he had obviously broken many of Hogwarts's rules; endangering others students without any action taken by Hogwarts's staff to prevent it; letting one of Harry's closest friend having access to a adult's restricted artefact that happen to be no less than a time-turner; last but not least: letting Harry Potter compete in Triwizard Tournament that happens to be a competition where underage students were not allowed to compete.

So, with those overwhelming evidence, Dumbledore had become quite unpopular and a few wizards even came to think to maybe, Harry Potter had somewhat deserved the Death that had come for him.

Obviously, Harry's friends had adamantly to his defense but those who condemned the boy also made an attack on them because on the argument they were so eager to protest that became even more suspicious about the authenticity of their friendship. That the Weasleys were quite modest, and Hermione Granger a muggleborn, were not weighting in their favour.

So three months passed before Hogwarts new school year leads to new topics, as the Ministry Reform of Education.

At the journey to Hogwarts

The first September, the newly named Grace Holly Jenkins, or just Holly as she preferred, came to the platform nine and three-quarter, attracting the curiosity of a few four and five years students whom had yet to know her.

She was also quite noticeable; as her hairs seemed to never stop changing colour, with a pitch-black shade that never completely disappeared, pointing out she was one of the much rare sorts of wizards and witches called Metamorphomagi. But even if she were not, what look to be a grey silky uniform and her pet, a red godwit, would have been enough. The rest of the student, not paying attention, had already labeled her as an eccentric person with whom they didn't want to be related by any means. Besides that, she seemed to don't care at all.

She said goodbye to her fake relatives and then went to find a place in the Hogwarts Express, something she was much used to as it was, in fact, the fifth time she made exactly the same journey. But that was the first time she traveled alone and without her friend, who need for her cover to keep thinking that she was dead, even if she felt heartbreak because of it.

She met some people on the train. Some she already knows and didn't recognize her, some she didn't know and didn't really care about. Most of them asked her always the seem things: what's her name, where did she come from, how she got her scar that looks like the same as Harry Potter. So all her reply were a complete utter lie.

-Hello, I'm Grace Jenkins, nice to meet you.

-Hello, my name is Grace Holly Jenkins but actually, I prefer Holly. I'm pleased to meet you.

-Yeah, I know. I had this scar little time before my relatives left England when I was four or so. Some Deatheaters wanted to play at "who may kill the boy-who-lived" with me. An Auror squad arrived soon enough to save me from those madmen. But whatever the mediwitches had tried, nothing had been able to heal this. So I'm stuck with that very scar that looks the same of that 'boy-that-once-lived'.

-I come from Australia where I study magic at Canberra School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's quite the same as Hogwarts. It's less popular and far less old as the first European magic community in Australia settled in 1787 and that the school itself was found in 1826. But apart from that, no real difference except that there are no such things as the optional subjects Hogwarts offered except Care of Magical Creature that I love so much because it was quite a subject in Australia because of all the wild magical creatures they had.

-Yeah, that not easy to fit in because England and Australia don't really get along and were separated for too much time. But I read a lot and I hope it would be enough to make a few friend.

-Yeah, I think I like England so far. Diagon Alley is quite a nice place to make shopping.

-Yeah. I missed Australia. I hope I could come back one day because I left a few friends behind me. It's really heartbreaking to go from 'Best Friend Forever' to 'Hey! Would you like to be my pen-friend?' but at least I had Buddy to mail everyone I want.

-I'm long related with Black and McGonagall so the Headmistress happened to be sort of a grandaunt to me. It's occurred too that a certain Draco Malfoy is somewhat a distant cousin. Not that I cared but after all, we all have somewhat distant family here and there.

-Yeah, I'm a fifth year just like you. Maybe we will end up having some classes together. I'm a little worry because all my teachers were quite good so far and I overheard some thing about some teacher being partial; I mean they may have some prejudice and could be unfair. Is that true?

Truth has been told, Holly knows all that conversation subjects by heart and she had not a least one interesting chat before arriving at Hogwarts.

The sorting ceremony

It was a new wonderful year at Hogwarts. Even for Dumbledore who wasn't quite pleased with the current Ministry policy, especially concerning Hogwarts millennia of independency that had been crush like cockroaches because of a mere disagreement between Cornelius Fudge and him about "the return of Voldemort".

So he had to deal with a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who is also part of Fudge political faction and an influential member of Wizengamot as well. So he needed more than the reputation that D.A.D.A had been cursed even if it was actually true, to make sure he gets rid of her by the end of the year.

But by the time, he had an other thing to think about, as he needs to concentrate because he was up to make a quite unusual speech before the sorting ceremony even started:

"As a way to ease the pain of the tragic loss of two students, I pleased to tell you that we welcome this year two outstanding foreign witches," he said as a way to introduced the two witches he was speaking about.

"Grace Holly Jenkins from Canberra School already sorted in Hufflepuff" he declared as the girl stand up "and Anne-Marie Louise Lefebvre from Beauxbatons Academy already sorted in Gryffindor." So she followed Miss Jenkins example and did the same. "A round of applause for these two, please!" he concluded so the Great Hall became a complete mess of cheer, whistle and various blowing percussion on the tables.

"By now, we will meet and get sorted the new first years so I ask you an equal respect and interest for each of them. Because, as I should recall you so, we had all be sorted one day and this is nonetheless one of the most important day of the year to come. Thank you for your attention."

So with that, he came back to his place calmly and sat down before the Deputy Headmistress let the first years come to the Great Hall the exact same way it was done since Hogwarts have been founded. Omitted that for the first decennia, the sorting Hat had been yet to be created. So Albus Dumbledore looked at the first years peacefully, for a moment oblivious of his current 'educational reform' issue.

Facing the pureblood's bigotry

It was the day after the sorting ceremony. Draco Malfoy always craved for making the show, so he did, each little once he could.

"Eh you! The scarred girl! Are you related somehow with that Potter pamper-boy?" He asked, as he already knows the answer from some Slytherin third year girl that he didn't even remember the name. In fact, he couldn't careless.

Instead of giving him a proper answer he already had, the girl did something he didn't expect:

"Eh you too!" She replied, "Did you see at least one potter that could do that?" She asked rhetorically then plugging her nose and make her head inflate as she had the exact same face as him.

But after that, she shapeshifts to a potter face and asked Parkinson out with an alluring attitude while everyone watching. It was so much fun that the Slytherin wasn't even bothers whereas she had made fun of him previously, then of Pansy Parkinson too. Also, make fun of the dead potter with that weird girl was rather cool.

"Draco Malfoy, I presume?" the girl asked, also rhetorically, then offering her hand while saying:

"I'm one of your distant cousins by the Black lineage so I hope we can be at least cordial even if, to let you know, I don't really care about your bunch of Slytherin."

What she just had said sounds sincere so Draco Malfoy had no room to complain about. That girl offered him peace but didn't intend to go anywhere near him as she was Hufflepuff and he was Slytherin. So he had no reason not to be okay, at least for now.

That how Grace Holly Jenkins had choose to deal with her long yet unknowing rival for four years. Maybe it was a counterpart to not have her friend anymore. She could also make peace with her enemy and got some day without having to fight, argue or plotting against a bunch of Slytherin bullies. That didn't change the fact that she didn't like them. But as she could not fight for her friend, she ended up having no reasons to fight at all.

Facing the redhead's temper

Few weeks had passed and Holly ended up being friend with Megan Jones, Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones with whom she shares the same dormitory. Actually, It wasn't a real friendship but those things take very much time and this is not very polite to describe the people you spent the most time with as just some acquaintances.

By the time, Holly just ended up being something like the sidekick funny-maker of Megan Jones, a joyful, funny, popular, half-blood witch. She happened to know everything about the Wizard and Muggle worlds all the same. She also happened to want to be prepared to face Voldemort and to be very convincing amongst Hufflepuff.

Because she, in fact, didn't really think that Voldemort had been back but that thing didn't change her mind: she depicted Voldemort as a figurehead so even if he died, that didn't mean that Deatheater would be over and stopped fighting. A new figurehead could emerge amongst the Deatheater and even pretended to be Voldemort so the war starts again to the beginning.

She was amazing. Because she could convince almost everyone that an invisible enemy with no face was even more dangerous than Voldemort. In addition, nobody could counterpart what she said because she relied only on fact : The murder of Cedric and Harry, the Quidditch World Cup, the escape of not only one but in fact two Deatheater from Azkaban (that number included Sirius Black, still number one public enemy, and Barty Crouch Junior, presume dead but not-so-dead in the end).

Hannah Abbot gets along without really thinking and was the favourite Megan Jones's victim because Megan was also a massive cuddlier. So Susan Bones did too because she was Hannah's best friend and the Amelia Bones's niece, whom would have pretty much agreed with Megan idea of 'never being enough prepared for what is coming for us.

Consequently, a certain Professor Dolores Umbridge seemed to be not so much fond of Megan Jones and give her so many detentions for 'saying a bunch of lies'. So as Holly could not do anything but be the comforting and playful sidekick of the team, she took the resolution to be as good as she possibly could be, end up making fun about every thing and nothing, including Voldemort, Cedric Diggory, and Harry Potter, sometimes, the same she had done with Malfoy.

It would be an understatement to say that it didn't please a certain redhead became heels over head crazy in anger about Grace fucking-Holly Jenkins and so decided to confront her the first time he could… and so he did.

Holly had just made a quirky joke about Harry and second-year event when he was considered as Slytherin's Heir. So it was completely offbeat knowing he was a Gryffindor and how he finally died. But Ronald Weasley had to take it pretty much seriously.

-Stop insulting Harry's memory, you metamor-freaky-monster!

-Excuse me, I don't exactly understand what it's your fucking problem?

-You are insulting Harry's memory by making fun on a dead buddy that can't even defend himself!

"I can't really say I'm not guilty because I had done that before" Holly conceded "but like now on, I was earning points for Harry not-being-Slytherin-Heir and help some of my Hufflepuff mate dealing with their guilt about your late friend. So what is exactly your problem?"

"You are making fun of him!" repeated the redhead, being much and much angrier as any second passed.

"As I had explained, I think that they are making fun about their old-self rather than on dead Harry face at the time. But as you didn't understand that, please excuse me for hurting your feelings. So, are we okay now?" she asked.

"No. I'm not okay. You are not even being here for the past four-year when Harry was here. You had no right to make jokes on him at first place. As for your mate, I don't give a cheat they feel guilty and they don't deserve anything to ease that guilt as Harry died because of people like your friends" he screamed in the great hall as for everyone could hear me.

"Harry died because of one mad Deatheater, that all. As for your other argument, you seem to think you earn the right to control how people speak or think about Harry Potter because you are his 'oh so late friend', right?

Then, what do you have to answer to those that say your friend with him was a playact? You didn't even manage to keep being friend with his other muggleborn other best friend.

So what make you think that you honoured Harry's memory in doing so? What kind of friend you think you are?"

In doing so, Holly was trying to make understand to Ron the message "Hey! You, stupid stubborn friend of mine! Don't leave Hermione alone! She only had you now!" But Ronald Weasley didn't even blink. Then, Hermione Granger, who heard everything Holly had said, just ran out the Great Hall crying.

Facing the muggleborn's lively wit.

A few other weeks passed without any incidents. But it was before Hermione decided to confront Holly in order to confirm her doubt.

There were too much thing pointing out that Holly was not who she pretended to be. She arrived at Hogwarts the same year Harry was not here. She had the exact same scar. She had metamorphomagus abilities that she used publicly to make everyone's faces, including Harry's. There were so many pieces of evidence and Holly didn't even try to hide it. It was as her transparency was the forest hiding a single tree.

So, she went for it, confronts her and asked for the single proof she needs:

-Undress quickly or I will help myself doing it for you! I want to see your right arm, now!

Holly was not much surprised by it. She was even eager to see how much Hermione's bossy spirit didn't change at all. What Hermione didn't know, as the other didn't too was that Holly could hide a scar, even her front head scar. The only reason she didn't hide it was the obvious reason that it would be even worse if she lost consciousness and everyone see it. So she decided with Dumbledore to not hide it and come with a well-found explanation in the first place so no one argues with her being her.

So, as she undressed for Hermione's benefit, she proceeded to hide the very scar that basilisk give her and Hermione wanted to see right now. That how she ended up in underwear with Hermione staring at her perfectly smooth right arm, her wand pointing in the direction of her chest.

"You enjoy what you see? You pervert?" Holly answered, pretending to be upset when she was actually rather pleased to have at least one interaction with her missed best friend.

"Sorry…I thought that maybe you…" she started saying, just to be cut off by Holly:

"I had figured that out already" Holly stated, "You miss him so much that you keep searching him everywhere, don't you?"

"Yeah. You have no idea," she admitted while she started crying. "He means the world to me"

"I'm sure he would be eager to know that" Holly stated, again "But I think your pain is misleading you. That was not what Harry would have wanted for you."

"I just…don't know what to do without him in my life," she said, crying, even more, sitting, embracing herself like a child who would have been lost and was completely terrified.

"I think I can offer you a bit of Hufflepuff wittiness if you want to" Holly proposed.

"What are you speaking about?" Hermione asked, completely lost, so Holly finally made her decision by herself.

She shape-shift back to Harry's body so that was pretty much funny because of what she had wear currently. But that wasn't the point.

"Hermione" she spoke with Harry's voice.

"You know what your friend would have wanted you to do," she stated, enthralling Hermione's attention.

"You know what he would have thinking about You-Know-Who's coming back. You know what he would have thought about that Umbridge Bitch. You know what he would have done to fix it like he always felt he had to. Just go for it.

All the memory you need is in that pretty head of yours. Go for his wand or any other of his stuff if you need some comfort. Train to fight like he would have done. Search evidence of You-Know-Who going back to convince people to follow you. Then, go for that evil bastard and kick his ass for all you had to suffer because of him"

She concluded with those words and shifted back while Hermione could not help herself but blink in amazement.

"You were pretty convincing acting as if you were Harry" Hermione affirmed, "If you were not so 'Hufflepuff', speaking the third person and so afraid to say Voldemort name, I may had thought you were him, even without you obviously not being him"

The inner Holly grinned for herself from what Hermione had just said but she kept acting her cover nonetheless.

"My pleasure" she responded a little sorry "I had pretty much a thing about playing a character and guessing what people needing to hear from them. I just… can't be your Harry, even for playing"

"Thank you anyway" Hermione answered in return, "I think you had just said what I needed to hear. I hope we can get along fine from now on?"

"I don't know…" Holly playacted, kept looking hesitant about it "You just raised your wand on me just a few minute ago and frightened me into undress myself so you could check up whatever you were looking for…" she added doubtfully "Maybe we could befriend one day but for now… I prefer to go on and pretend that everything that happened here was not. That's okay for you?"

"It's okay. I'm sorry. I hope I could earn your trust someday. Eeerr… See you in D.A.D.A's classes!"

Then Hermione was gone and Holly was the one to start crying. She felt so alone, even with a few 'Hufflepuff friend' but she knew that she needs to do it. If Hermione were not as much heartbreak as she was, Harry Potter Death would not have been so convincing.

Ronald being…well, Ron… it was not too surprising to see how fine he seemed to be. But Hermione… if anyone needed a proof that Harry no longer exists, her sorrow and longing would be enough.

Chapter End

That's how everything start. I hope you like that little piece of fluff in the end. Yeah... a half-naked scene on the first no-introduction chapter ! I'm actually working on the chapter 5. It's hard for me because I'm used to go at a slow pace but this romance is a fast one.

Thank you for reading! Really. I was amazed how much the first chapter had been read (my best start ever! heart)