AN: I don't own this stuff except the spelling and grammar mistakes. Those are entirely mine. The characters and all that J.K. Rowling is aweseome! If only the last two books weren't better...sigh...
Harriett Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
-Chapter 1-
Harriett picked up the phone, but again there was no dial tone. She sighed and wondered how it was possible that her friends had forgotten about her. Also, how the damn phone could possibly work for her Cousin and her Aunt, but always failed when she was near it. Nothing she had brought home explained the phenomena.
Even so there had been no Owls and no regular mail posting either. By the time her birthday came around the young green eyed girl was in the kitchen pondering the strange circumstances when Petunia Dursley returned home from her job as an Executive Assistant at Frobisher and Sons in a happy mood. She sat at the table and sipped some tea ignoring where it had come from and the person who had sent it her way.
Dudley rolled through the door and sat at the table. Petunia smiled to him and said, "Dinner will be ready soon love. Then when you are finished mummy wants you to go on to the play room and do whatever you like okay snookums?"
He nodded to his mother and then his piggish face sneered and he shouted, "Potter where is my food!"
Plates floated into the room and set themselves down in front of Dudley who immediately began scarfing the food. Petunia looked to the kitchen and said, "Harriett, Nigel Frobisher of Frobisher and Sons will be here soon and I expect that the food will be ready and on the table before he arrives. I do not want to see any of your freakish magic while he is here."
"Yes Aunt Petunia." She called.
Soon after that Dudley was off playing his games and she sent two exquisitely prepared meals to the table. Once she was done with that she retired to her room. There on the bed was a house elf. She looked at the emaciated creature wearing some scrap of trash for a loin cloth and said, "What are you doing in my room?"
He listened to her speak her voice becoming her own again and he seethed with his hatred and anger. He had learned to despise the way she went away learned to hate not having her searing soul close to his dark anger. It was a Slytherin defense and it helped her win against the Muggles in some way and yet he despised it all the same, because it was dangerous for her dangerous if he wanted her to become a powerful witch some day, and he lost his searing pain that he had begun to desire. He pondered how to get it back all the time ways o get rid of the two surviving Dursleys. He could not simply kill them using her body and he could not leave her form. Still there must be some way to arrange their deaths.
He ceased his pondering as Harriett spoke with the house elf. A pitiful creature beneath notice it cringed at her feet and begged her not to return to Hogwarts. He smiled inwardly as she said, "Preposterous, I will be returning to Hogwarts despite any vague threats to my safety."
"Please, Harriett Potter must listen to Dobby. She must not return to Hogwarts!" His voice was loud and whiny.
She frowned at the creature in front of her door and realized that if he continued in this manner her Aunt's dinner would be interrupted and some form of punishment would be inflicted. So she looked at the elf and said, "I tell you what Dobby. I will consider your proposal if you leave now and return in the morning."
The elf popped away and she sighed in relief. Sometime later she heard the rattling of her Aunt's bed on her room along with squeals and animalistic grunts. She sighed softly and said, "Shadow that woman is utterly repulsive."
He agreed with her in full measure. She reminded him too much of his own pathetic mother and what she had done. Such creatures made him feel ill and he swore once again that he would find a way to kill Petunia Dursley.
-Chapter 2-
The next morning Dobby arrived bright and early. Harriett scrambled out of bed in her aging nightshirt and panties to look at the creature. He was trembling and said, "Has the great Witch Harriett Potter made up her mind? Will she stay away from Hogwarts?"
She looked at him and said, "No, I'm going."
"But Harriet's friends don't like her. They never send owls and they never use the muggle call thing." The creature whined.
She looked at him and said, "It's called a telephone and how would you know….." She stopped and looked at him saying, "You've been stealing my mail and stopping the phone haven't you?"
He started hitting himself and saying, "Bad Dobby bad!"
She stood from her bed and said, "Now wait, and stop hitting yourself. I don't want to hurt you or for you to hurt yourself. I just want my mail."
"Oh Harriet cares about Dobby. She is a great Witch indeed!" He was at her feet sobbing and said, "Harriett must not return to Hogwarts. Dobby is a bad elf, but he does this to protect the great Harriett Potter."
She shook her head and said, "Look everyone calls me Harry and I'm sorry but I'm going to Hogwarts and I also want my letters back."
The creature shook its head saying, "No, Dobby will keep the letters unless Harriett promises to stay here and not return to Hogwarts."
She quickly rushed for the elf, but he spotted her and opened the door. She ran after him and tried to grab him, but missed. She thumped down the stairs at near full speed, somehow managing to keep her feet under her until she reached the bottom step. There she landed and rushed after the house elf again. He dodged out of her way and she chased him into the living room where she tried to grab Dobby one more time, but he dodged over the couch and she ended up tumbling to the ground on the other side as he disappeared.
As she was attempting to determine the state of her injuries and find her balance a man of about sixty with a large pot belly and receding hairline peeked into the living room wearing a rumpled suit shirt and slacks. She realized her bum was out and quickly stood up as he said, "Oh pardon me. I'm Nigel Frobisher. Petunia said I could stay here for the night. She mentioned a healthy young lad for a son and a young serving girl. I assume that's you?"
The amount of unspoken vile diatribe that Petunia must have used when speaking about her niece/serving girl was obvious in his face. "Ahh yes," she cleared her throat and blushed with embarrassment at some stranger walking in and seeing her with her night shirt up to her elbows and arse sticking out like that.
He just looked at her and said, "Well I must be going soon, but your aunt says that you will be providing breakfast."
She nodded, "yes sir, just a moment sir." She quickly moved upstairs to get dressed in something more than her night clothes, but she tried her doorknob and found it locked. She stared at it with a frown. Down the hall was Dobby saying, "You say you won't go and I'll let you in."
She grimaced and simply turned back down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Staring at her from a bar stool was Mr. Frobisher and so she began to make eggs, pancakes and bacon without any extra levitation and trying to ignore his staring.
In the middle of making food she saw a large pitcher of water rose over Mr. Frobisher's head and quickly scrambled up to the counter and grabbed it, falling backwards into the kitchen and spilling the water all over her. Standing up with her wet shirt sticking to her she saw the elf around a corner. Words and wand movements came to her and she pointed her wand saying, "Stupefy!"
The elf went down and Mr. Frobisher was looking at her strangely. She looked back at him and realized that with the water and all she may as well have been standing in front of the man naked. The summer had given rise to small changes in her and with the cold of the water and the room she was giving him quite the show. Without another thought she rushed out of the kitchen saying, "Sorry, need to change. Coffee is ready!"
She opened her room door and slammed it behind her. There in her room she quickly changed out of her wet clothing. Sounds outside the room suggested her aunt and cousin were awake and apparently the old hag was giving some sort of explanation for Harriett's behavior before the outside door closed.
A short while later her aunt sauntered in and said, "Well Harry, despite your rude and improper behavior Mr. Frobisher would love to see me again and has put in for a raise. Still, some punishment for this outburst must be given so you will be returning to the cupboard for the remainder of the summer."
Harriett just sighed and then trudged down the stairs even as Petunia was saying, "Now go clean up your mess and make little Duddiekins and me some breakfast."
As she prepared the food an owl flapped into the room and deposited a letter. She stared at the letter while her levitation charms took care of breakfast and then opened it. Inside it Read:
TO: Harriett Potter
From: Ministry of Magic
Re: Underage Use of Magic
Dear Harriett Potter,
This is your first warning. By law you may not use magic outside of school until you have reached your age of majority or you have passed a curriculum at a recognized school of witchcraft and wizardry whichever comes first.
Another such use of magic will bring you in to a hearing. At such hearing it will be determined if you shall be banned from practicing magic and your wand could be confiscated or snapped.
She looked at the letter, then looked at what she was doing while making breakfast and for the first time she really understood just how amazing her own ability and now Hermione's ability to practice wandless levitation magic truly was. She also realized that there must be some sort of trace on her wand and briefly wondered how to remove it.
-Chapter 3-
Sometime later in the darkness of the cupboard he watched as she looked at the door and concentrated on the lock. Her finger pointed she channeled the magic and called out the words, "Alohamora!"
The tumblers creaked in the lock, but didn't disengage. Still she was undaunted and tried again. He watched in the dark of the cupboard as she tried again, and again. Her wand was in her room and no owl would get in here for post, she was only allowed out for chores and then back in here
Again, she was at the lock and pushing her magic pouring it out like a waterfall. Her finger pointed and she swished and flicked it, then spoke the word again. This time the lock disengaged, but she had exhausted herself and so was unable to do anything more than sleep until morning chores.
She walked towards the cupboard and he saw a new tactic in action. This time as she stepped in she slightly transfigured the wood in the slot for the lock. Her aunt turned the key and walked off ignoring the simple fact that the lock was no longer engaged and that the door could be pushed open with a gentle tap.
That night Harriett simply pushed on the door and it opened. With a grin on her face Harriett swung the door wide open and she walked to the phone. There she attempted to make a call, but once again the phone was dead.
Time passed slowly as she plotted her escape and return. The calendar changed and small bits around the house were slightly modified by a piece of transfiguration work. Her old room door was open and her supplies were ready. She had been reading books every night now that she could and felt she was prepared for the new school year. Two weeks, that was all she had to wait and then she would escape in the night, wait for morning in a mostly safe location and then catch a Cab to Diagon Alley. There she could, hopefully, go to her vault and retrieve money for supplies. If not, then she'd simply go to school without them and ask Hermione to share.
A few days after finishing her plan she was simply waiting for the days to pass and going through her regular motions. She had just finished making her Aunt dinner for yet another visit from Mr. Frobisher and had been allowed up in her room while the man was there.
She sighed as she sat in her old rickety bed in her room feeling somewhat sorry for her aunt. Sure the woman usually locked her in a cupboard and only let Harriett stay in her room when guests were over for the night. Still, despite that and the fact that Petunia was lazy, mean and useless around the house it still seemed sad that the woman was basically selling her body for money and promotions. Dudley, of course, was in his room playing his video games or watching some new movie. There was something sad about that too. He was over indulged and spoiled. She knew he was a bully at school and that he most likely couldn't care that his mother was whoring herself out to her supervisor at work. Yet, it was all so sad. Neither of them truly seemed to understand or be able to give out real love.
She sighed and decided to use her time in her room wisely instead of pondering the sad state of affairs within the Dursley household. Supplies from last year had been slowly and painstakingly transfigured day by day into a smaller and smaller state until she was able to place them into her bag. As she was packing she said, "Good thing I didn't get a pet hmm shadow? The poor thing would have starved."
He said nothing back as usual, simply watching her and wondering how she could have possibly been feeling sorry for the Muggles who were enslaving her here. The idea was preposterous they were bugs to be squashed under her feet yet she felt sorry for the pathetic creatures. If only there was some way to remove them from her life. Pah even the pathetic muggle Grangers would do.
-Chapter 4-
Neither, Harriett's plan nor, her inner dark shadow's plan came to fruition. Instead that night she woke when her door opened and Dudley came in. The giant of a boy came into her room and said, "You're responsible for it. You made her like this because your freakishness killed my dad."
He was on her after that his large bulk covering her and hands trying to squeeze the life out of her. It was Dobby who slammed the fat boy into a wall and said, "You mustn't hurt Mistress Harriett Potter!"
She looked at the elf and said, "Thank you Dobby, but I have to go."
"No, you mustn't there is danger at Hogwarts for the Great Witch Harriett Potter." He cringed and whined.
She stared at him and said, "There's danger here! I need to go somewhere safe Dobby all right. Hogwarts is safe!"
The elf shook his head and said, "No too dangerous."
"Fine what about Hermione's house. Can I go there?"
He looked at her with a slightly suspicious glare, "You promise not to go to Hogwarts?"
She sighed and then a little gleam came to her eyes as she said, "I promise not to go to Hogwarts until I hear that it is safe."
The small elf nodded and she quickly departed the room with her things. Once out of the house she realized it was late at night and she didn't know exactly how to get to Hermione's house from where she was. Still there was an underground station about a half mile away and it would have a phone. She just hoped that the Granger's would accept the charges.
Across town it was early morning when the phone rang in the Granger household. Her mother and father where getting ready for work when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver and heard the recorded voice say, "Collect Call from Harriett Potter. Will you accept the charges?"
Shocked into full wakefulness she nearly screamed down the house as she said, "Yes, yes I will!"
Harriett's voice was on the line she sounded tired as she said, "Hermione, it's me Harry. Sorry I haven't been able to call you this year and I guess you didn't get my letters."
Hermione shook her head and said, "I tried calling you too, but it was always busy or your Aunt would answer. I sent letters did you get them Harry? I've missed you. Are you okay?"
Harriett's tired voice replied to her rambled rant, "Whoa Hermione slow down. I'm all right I guess. I just need a place to stay until school starts. Do you think you can help me out?"
Hermione squealed with glee as she realized her friend hadn't been angry with her and apparently there had just been some communications mix up. She said, "Don't go anywhere. I'll ask my parents before they go to work."
The bushy brown haired girl then set down the hall and ran to find her mother. "Mom, would it be okay if Harry stayed here until school started up again?"
Her mother, who was just finishing her makeup in the bathroom said, "Well as long as her guardians are okay with it and check with your father too."
Hermione hugged her mother and rushed to find her father, who was drinking coffee and reading the paper. "Dad, can Harry come stay for a week or so. Just until school starts? Pleaaase?"
The man looked at his twelve, nearly thirteen year old daughter and smiled. "See I told you it would work out fine with your friend. I knew she wouldn't stay mad at whatever it was for a whole summer."
Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "It was some sort of communication mix up. Can she come?"
He nodded and said, "All right but you two had best stay out of trouble while your mother and I are working. We trust you here by yourself during the day and I don't want Harry being a bad influence on you."
"Daaaad!" Hermione groaned, "Harry's the last girl to cause trouble for no reason."
He ruffled her bushy hair and said, "All right go on tell your friend the news."
Hermione dashed back to the phone and said, "Harry? Are you there? Harriett?"
The phone was silent until she said, "Harriett Jane potter. You'd better not have hung up on me."
The other side clattered a bit as if someone had dropped it and then Harriett's voice was on, "Sorry, Hermione I kinda fell asleep there. What did your parents say?"
Hermione beamed at her phone and nearly shouted with glee, "You can come!" After that she began giving explicitly detailed directions on how to get to her house using the underground.
A few hours later Harriett was there and the two girls were hugging. They had been planning to sit down on a couch in the sitting room to talk about all the details, but as soon as Harriett flopped down she was asleep.
The next day Harriett filled Hermione in on the details of Dobby's behavior. The bushy haired girl listened and said, "Well. I don't have anything about house elves in my books here, so I really don't know if that's normal behavior for them or not."
The green eyed girl nodded and said, "Its right annoying is what it is. He took all my mail and stopped the phone from working. Still he helped me out when Dudders attacked me the other night and let me come here, but not Hogwarts."
"I think we should tell the Headmaster."
"I think you're right Hermione. I'll send a letter to him as soon as I cany."
Soon enough the letter was written and on its way. In the meantime the two girls caught up on the summer which had been exciting for Hermione and less so for Harriett. Afterwards they looked through a number of books and did some more chatting until Harriett brought up the letter.
The bushy brown haired girl looked at her and said, "Wait, so you received a letter after Stupefying Dobby with your wand, but never once when levitating things while making food, for that slow transfiguration you can do, or the Alohamora with your finger."
"Well the Alohamora really knocked it out of me" Harriett nodded
Hermione continued, "All right so obviously they can trace the magic from young students' wands somehow, but not the magic itself and not when we don't use wands. I spent some time in the library last year looking up wandless magic, but most books said it was minor or meaningless."
"I don't know Hermione I think levitating stuff around to do cooking and cleaning is somewhat useful."
The green eyed girl looked to her and Hermione nodded, "Sure I do too and you can slowly transfigure things, but maybe Wizards don't see it that way. It makes sense that if it can be done with a wand better and faster then they wouldn't bother and so that's what they teach and now no one but the two of us can use it well."
Harriett thought about it and said, "That makes sense. Still, I wonder how they remove the detections on our wands?"
"Harriett!" Hermione gasped.
The other girl shrugged and said, "I know it's against rules to use magic away from school, but it would be useful to practice."
Hermione then looked torn between gaining more knowledge and practice and breaking the rules until she finally said, "Well, whatever charm they use it's certainly powerful and there's nothing about it in my books here."
She folded her arms over her chest with a humph and Harriett smiled at her saying, "Okay good point, but that won't keep me from researching it when we get to school and I might need some help on that too."
"Oh, no. You're not pulling me into breaking rules with you." Hermione said, but a small glint in her eyes suggested that researching the spell that traced magic from their wands would indeed be a project that Hermione could become easily involved with.
-Chapter 5-
He smiled inwardly as Harriett enjoyed herself. The large Department store in the muggle world made him feel strange. It should be pathetic and unworthy and yet it was immense and somewhat grand. Harriett obviously enjoyed it and his own feelings about the two worlds were becoming more confused and mixed up. He shook himself mentally and determined yet again that all he really needed to know was that anyone who tried to hurt Harriett had to die. That and she must become the leader of the Wizarding world. She would be his legacy.
Hermione looked at her friend apparently snoozing in the book department and said, "Are you all right?"
The other girl nodded and said, "Just enjoying the day here at Harrods's. Sitting in the book section and imagining that I could own every book." She sighed happily and then added. "Everything is….well…I guess I never saw all this either. It's not as hugely amazing and magical as the Wizarding world and yet…All I knew was my house, not so much all this…It has its own magic too."
Hermione nodded and said, "I guess in a way you're something of a stranger to both worlds."
Harriett nodded and then Mr. and Mrs. Granger came into the area. The elder woman said, "We thought you two might be here. Pick just one book and let's be going. We still need to have some dinner and catch Les Miserables."
The rest of the day became the grandest day in Harriett's life. After the play Harriett was treated to a small celebration lunch and cake. She had dug into the confection with gusto and then when Hermione had handed her a small wrapped gift she had squealed with pure delight. "But, my birthday was in the beginning of the summer!"
Hermione shrugged and said, "Well you'll just have to get something for me on my birthday too."
Harriett nodded enthusiastically and opened it to find a Beginners guide to Arithmancy and flung her arms around the other girl giving her an enthusiastic hug. After that she received a small gift certificate to Harrods's from the Granger parents and she delicately tried to return the certificate. But, the two adults demurred lightly and reminder her that she had given the Grangers any number of nice meals when she had stayed over during the winter break and seemed to think it was a shame she wasn't allowed out more.
Harriett didn't go into the full details of her near literal slavery to the Durselys and simply accepted the two adult Grangers demurral and then thanked them again.
By the time the group arrived at the Granger household it was quite late, but even so the form of Albus Dumbledore was quite unmistakable. The headmaster greeted them as they came up and was invited in for a late tea.
Soon enough he was standing in the Grangers living room and saying, "Well I received your Owl and must say that this is a serious business. House elves are not supposed to enter other Wizard's houses without permission, but in this case because Harriett was under age there seems to be an allowance."
A response formed, but he continued on saying, "In any case I must thank you heartily Mr. and Mrs. Granger for taking Harriett in, but she will have to spend the rest of her vacation in a Wizarding home."
"Just a moment sir." Hermione's father interjected, "Are you telling me that these elves can simply come into my home and disrupt our mail and such without permission?"
"Normally the statute of secrecy covers house elves interacting with muggles, but it would not apply for direct family members of Witches and Wizards. That is why I believe Harriett will be better off with a Wizarding family for these last two weeks before school starts up."
Hermione put an arm on Harriett's shoulder somewhat possessively, "But, she just got here sir. There must be some way that these house elves can be prevented from coming in…"
"Ah unfortunately not, it seems that Wizarding law was a bit short sighted in this instance, but you can be assured that I will discuss it with other members of the Wizengamot."
Hermione's father cleared his throat and said, "I don't see why she must leave us. The girls simply need their school lists and my wife and I can drive them to the station when school starts. Any mail and such can be solved by Harry saying that she will not be able to receive mail until the school year starts."
His wife added, "As for our phone Bertie and I will be at work most of the day and it's really just a nuisance when we are home anyway."
Dumbledore nodded with perhaps a bit less twinkle in his eye and said, "Very well, it seems Harriet is among friends and will be safe here. I will have someone personally bring the booklists and escort you to Diagon Alley."
He then stepped over to Harriett and ruffled her hair in a grandfatherly fashion, "I would not worry about the safety of Hogwarts Harry. It is the safest place in all of magical Britain. Now, I must be off. Thank you all for your time."
He stepped out the door and apparated away. Harriett looked to Hermione's parents and said, "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Granger that was very nice of you."
The eldest female Granger smiled and said, "You can call me Jane and my husband Bertie we don't mind. Besides you're a good friend of Hermione's and you deserve to have some time together away from the hustle of school work, tests and such. You should have time to just be two young ladies."
Bertie nodded and said, "Besides, you'll be in that Wizarding world in no time. You should have a chance to enjoy life with us Muggles." He grinned and then added, "Part of which includes a bed time for certain young ladies."
With that the two young girls headed off to bed leaving the two Grangers to discuss things between themselves.
-Chapter 6-
A short period of time later found harry and Hermione with booklists and a severe looking professor McGonagall to escort them to Diagon Alley. The first stop on their journey was a crowded bookshop where they saw the famous author Gilderoy Lockhart signing books. Hermione stood in line with a book to be signed while Harriett simply went to check out with her purchases. She passed the signing table on the way to the register and the Author of a number of her books noticed her and stood up. "Ahh Harriett Potter, I see you too came to see me. Well come on over and I'll sign your books."
She looked at him warily as he gestured for her to come closer and she reluctantly came forward as a number of other girls gave her nasty looks. Soon enough she was close to Lockhart and the blond haired man took her hand then bowed over it. She felt slightly ill at the touch and said, "I haven't quite purchased a book yet, so it might be inappropriate if you sign one."
He smiled a large smile and pulled out a copy of one of his books on a nearby shelf. "Well then here you are a copy of my newest novel Magical Me and I'll throw in all of my books free to you Miss. Potter!"
Suddenly the crowd was watching and cameras were focused on them as Lockhart gave a shining smile and theatrically opened his newest Novel. He signed it with a flourish saying, "Now you can enjoy all my works, this entire Novel and my signature at the same time."
He shoved the books in her hand, put a hand on her shoulder and smiled for another picture with her. The he said, "The rest of the Hogwarts Students will also get a prize because I myself will be the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher this year!"
More cameras went off and Harriett literally had to drag herself away from the man. Once she had extricated herself from the crowd and Lockhart she stalked over to the register where she purchased the rest of the books required for the year.
Done with that task she slowly made her way out of the store through the crowd only to run into a confrontation between Lucious Malfoy and Arthur Weasley. The two were almost brawling in the store and had to be pulled apart by Aurors.
By the time everything was settled down and the store cleared out McGonagall's patience was utterly worn thin and she rushed the two said, "Did you have to pose with him Harriett?"
The green eyed young girl shrugged and said, "I don't know he gave me shivers, so if I could have done so I might have punched him in the eye, but since it was public I felt I'd best just roll with it and try and extricate myself as quickly as possible."
Minerva and Hermione gasped slightly and both said, "Harriett Potter you wouldn't!"
Harriett shook her head and chuckled saying, "No I guess not. But it sure makes getting a simple picture taken seem a lot less important."
McGonagall sighed and said, "I do suppose you're right
With that they departed the alley and McGonagall side along apparated them back to the Grangers house. Once there Hermione was eager to see the book signed by Lockhart and Harriett was happy to simply hand it to her saying, "Keep it I'd rather not read anything written by that man. He felt slimy somehow."
Hermione looked at her and said, "Harry he's simply dreamy. The smile and that hair it's like…."
"A girl" Harriett broke in, "That's what it is. He must spend more time on it than the Patil twins do."
Hermione growled and then said, "Well you'll understand some day I suppose Harry."
The green eyed girl shrugged and said, "Well if it makes me all silly for some blonde haired ponce I hope I never understand."
"Oh take that back. Gilderoy Lockhart isn't some ponce. Just look at these books and his adventures. He's a powerful wizard and a hero."
By now Hermione was really angry and Harriett placated her friend by saying, "All right I'll read through the books, but I still say that raving ego maniac couldn't have possibly spent any time at all with a Yeti no matter what the book title says."
-Chapter 7 -
The last few days of summer were over and the two girls had spent most of them studying for their next school year. The argument about Lockhart had been forgotten in details of Arithmancy and Ancient runes. Even so there was a bit of teasing from Harriett on the car ride to the train station as Mr. Granger said, "So are you girl's looking forward to the new school year?"
"Oh yes. Hermione more than me of course since the Oh so gorgeous Gilderoy Lockhart will be there." Her voice became higher and more falsetto, "Oh professor I must learn more, please let me study with you alone"
Hermione blushed and smacked Harriett's arm and said, "Harry!"
Meanwhile the two adult Grangers chuckled realizing that it was a harmless crush without any real merit and that the two girls were simply behaving like two young friends. All in all it was a happy moment for them as before this point Hermione hadn't had any true friends.
The car stopped at the train station and everyone departed Harriett carrying a happily purring Crookshanks over her shoulder as Hermione struggled with an extra bag of books, "Aww don't you worry pretty kitty. I'll take care of you."
Hermione glared at Harriett and said, "Just because some of us were able to slowly transfigure their bags doesn't mean my cat is yours Harry."
The green eyed girl grinned and stroked a cute kitty ear and said, "I don't know Hermione he seems to like it here. Isn't that right pretty kitty?"
The cat purred slightly louder and Hermione stared at him and said, "Traitor…"
Harry laughed at that and Hermione joined her. The two headed toward platform 9¾ just like that, but while Hermione went right through Harriett banged against it just as if it was a solid concrete post. She barely kept to her feet and stared at the post putting her fingers against it gently.
The cat on her shoulder was still happily purring as she felt the fine grains of concrete against her fingertips. She stepped back a moment and stared at the wall when suddenly Hermione appeared coming back from the other way sans bags. The bushy haired girl looked concerned as she said, "Harry, what happened to you? Aren't you coming with me?"
The green eyed girl said, "I'd like to but the entrance isn't cooperating. See?"
With that she put her fingers against it and touched the solid concrete again while Hermione easily put her hand right through. Her brow creased with though and she said, "All right let's go sit down somewhere and think this through."
The two girls went to a bench and sat. Meanwhile other students came and walked through the barrier with ease. They saw this and Hermione said, "Okay so it works for me and it works for other students, but it isn't working for you. Why?"
Harriett pondered the question and said, "Well tampering of some sort I would guess, but who would have the power and the motive to want just me to not get through that…."
Her eyes lit up and she said, "That elf Dobby! He kept trying to prevent me from coming to Hogwarts. I thought he was gone now, but this just screams of one of his schemes just like the phone and my mail."
Hermione nodded and said, "Okay so we have a suspect, but that doesn't get us through the barrier. Wait a minute…"
Harriett looked at her friend and said, "What? You have an idea?"
Hermione nodded and said, "Yes, it's simple I'll take your hand and try and walk through maybe it will allow us both at the same time."
The green eyed girl nodded and said, "Let's try that."
Her bushy haired friend nodded and then grabbed Crookshanks saying, "But I'm taking my kitty."
She put the cat over her shoulder and he simply rolled about and closed his eyes as if being manhandled was no big deal. The two girls then linked hands and walked towards the barrier Hermione easily passed through until the point where their hands were touching hit the barrier and then it began to feel as if she was pulling a great weight. Even so she pulled as hard as she could and slowly but surely her hand joined with Harriett's came through the barrier. Once the joined hands were through the weight she was pulling against became much lighter and she ended up pulling the other girl right on top of her and they both fell to the ground.
For Harriett the momentary contact had been truly exhilarating as her soft curves had touched the other girl's it had been as if everything was perfect and then a voice said, "Harry, would you mind getting off me now?"
Harriett blushed and stood up looking at Crookshanks who was on the ground next to them licking a paw and staring up at them as if to say, "Hey why did you remove my comfy bed on your shoulders?"
Hermione scooped the cat up and the two girl's headed into the Hogwarts Express finding a compartment and sitting once again with Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley as well as a younger red haired girl who Ron grudgingly introduced as his sister Ginny and a Blonde haired girl who Ginny introduced as Luna Lovegood saying, "She lives near our house."
Harriett smiled and said, "Well it's always nice to meet new people. Where do you think you'll be sorted?"
Ginny quickly said, "Gryffindor of course!"
Luna smiled and said airily, "I suppose it will depend on whether or not the nifflers have gotten into the sorting hat this year."
Harriett looked at the girl and said, "Nifflers?"
The blonde nodded and said, "Oh yes they are small black creatures that pretend to be non-sentient, but are actually a powerful race from another galaxy."
Hermione looked at Luna and said, "I haven't read anything about nifflers are you sure they actually exist?"
The blonde smiled and said, "Oh they do, but the Rotfang Conspiracy in the Ministry of Magic wants to keep their existence a secret."
It was Harriett's turn to say, "Rotfang conspiracy?"
Luna nodded and said, "Oh yes the Quibbler did an expose on them a few weeks ago. You do have a subscription yes?"
The green eyed girl shook her head and said, "Well no, but I suppose I can get one so that I can keep abreast of the Rotfang conspiracy and the Nifflers."
Hermione whispered into her friend's ear and Harriett shrugged saying, "Maybe not, but I didn't believe in magic before either. There's no harm in listening at least to be nice."
Hermione frowned, but listened anyway. At the very least Luna's tales where somewhat funny.
-Chapter 8-
Harriett and Hermione were talking about Lockhart's book as they walked into class, "Well it just seems strange his attitude wasn't anything like the man who fought a hit wizard from Austria."
"Well Harry it may just be that he acts differently in a crowd."
The green eyed girl nodded and said, "Alright we'll test that after class or some other time. We'll see if we can get him alone and talk to him without the crowds."
Hermione nodded and the two girls sat down. Soon afterwards the blond haired man with a charming smile walked into the room and said, "Hello Class let me introduce you to your new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher... me!"
He then walked over to Harriett and said, "Good to see you in class Ms. Potter I'm sure you will learn a great deal, but first a quick quiz for everyone."
He handed out quizzes and sat back at his desk. Harriett stared at the sheet with incredulity. The book had spoken about a quiddich genius, an Austrian hit wizard defeater, and a number of other amazing tasks. Even so the test itself asked simple questions about Lockhart's favorite past time, his favorite color, and what type of jam he preferred on scones.
She hesitantly raised her hand and said, "Sir I think I may have gotten the wrong quiz."
He walked over and shook his head, "No, not at all and you've got the third question wrong."
He walked back up to his desk and she looked at the paper again. The questions hadn't changed and were still quite obviously useless. She briefly wondered if she should report this to Dumbledore, but an instinct squashed that thought. Instead she answered a few questions and turned in the quiz.
With that done Lockhart smiled and brought a cage out from his expanding trunk. There was a cloth over it and he said, "Now for a demonstration! Cornish pixies vicious and cruel creatures I will show you how to defeat them!"
He pulled the sheet off the cage and opened it. Pixies swarmed out and began attacking everyone in the room including Lockhart. A pair stole his wand and began zapping him with it and the class retreated into the hall. Harriett simply stunned any that came close to her and watched as Lockhart ran into his office saying, "Ms. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottom could you please clean up the mess."
She looked over to Hermione who was performing the same task and she shrugged. Her stunning spells became banishing hexes for additional practice and perhaps a bit of anger at a certain stupid professor. They were going along like that for a minute or two with Neville assisting by using his "Magical Me" book not unlike a Cricket bat by slamming it into the pixies. Soon enough and with the assistance of a few students who returned after running off all of the Pixies were either stunned or knocked unconscious.
With their task done Hermione looked at Harriett and said, "Never mind Harry about that test. You were quite right he is nothing like the person in the books."
Harriett patted her friend's shoulder and said, "Yes, I know. So we'll have to find out why that is yes?"
Hermione smiled as they walked out together with a new mystery to solve.
As they walked past one of the other students commented about Harriett being able to cast the bludgeoning hex. A few others caught the passing rumor and passed it along.
Even as they walked away with the rumors spreading he seethed inside. Here was another despicable waste of flesh who wanted to be near his personal project. He utterly despised Lockhart with a clear and abiding hatred. The man was no better than any of the others he had seen. Not content to use his Harriett's body for his personal pleasure the man was instead feeding off her fame and charm. Every time the pathetic excuse for a Wizard appeared near Harriett quickly found excuses to depart, even so he was making plans. He swore yet again that he would kill everyone who dared to stand in the way of his project and her eventual rule over the entire Wizarding world.
Even as he ranted Colin Creevy seemed to materialize out of nowhere just to take her picture. She sighed and looked at him saying, "That is the third time this week you have taken my picture Colin. Is there some reason you are doing this?"
The young boy swallowed and said, "Well you're Harriett Potter, the girl who lived. I mean you're famous and amazing."
She shook her head and said, "Colin…." She sighed trying to find words. If a few of them were strangled and slit throat perhaps she could be forgiven for malign influence.
In any case she finally found what she wanted to say, "Look it's nice that you are a fan and think I am a great heroine, but you have to stop following me around and taking pictures. If you need some I'll take a few for you tomorrow and after that I am asking you nicely to stop following me about to just take pictures okay?"
The young boy nodded and she continued on to the Gryffindor rooms. There she met up with Hermione and the two worked through the various Lockhart books and a number of old newspapers trying to determine if there was any evidence at all that would place him near anything described in his books
-Chapter 9-
It hadn't been good enough. Lilly had worn the outfit and even been wearing white, but it just hadn't been the same. Oh he used her, but the excitement was drawing away. Every time he was with her visions of Harriett swarmed through his mind and he grew more irritable and impatient with his toy.
That morning he had beaten her bloody before he came to the school and now he was sitting in his classroom waiting for the students to arrive. They piled into his room and him down his nose at them. He was determined that Harriett Potter would get a detention this year. All of last year he had tried desperately to get a rise out of her or her Mud blood friend Hermione, but he had not been able too. Visions of the young teenage girl whirled through his brain as everyone found their seats.
He stood and said, "Potter you and Miss Granger will find new partners this year. I am assigning you to be with Ronald Weasley and Hormone you shall be with Neville Longbottom. Since you are such advanced students I expect you to assist your partner and ensure they get every part of making the potion correct. Any failures on their part will result in a loss of ten points and any explosions or accidents will place you in detention with me."
He watched as the two followed his orders and then moved over to the board and said, "Today we will begin with a simple blood increasing potion. This is quite useful in cases where the patient has had severe injuries."
He lectured on about the potion and how to make it, then when finished he sat back at his desk and waited for the inevitable. Moments later there was indeed a small explosion from Harriett and Neville's cauldron. He smiled at his own preparations and changing of ingredients and then said, "Ahh Miss Potter that will be a detention for you tonight. Now clean it up and start again."
The rest of his potion classes passed in a haze and he was waiting for the girl at the end of the day. She arrived and walked in her young body just beginning to show signs of curves that when fully formed would surely make any man drool. But even now, even as she was he had to keep his mouth tightly closed. When she approached he said, "You will be scrubbing the cauldrons for one hour."
He handed her the brush and added, "No spells, no cleaning solution. Water and a brush is all we use to help avoid contamination."
It was, of course, a lie normally a simple scourgify spell would do, but he watched her work diligently at each cauldron and then set down a ceramic cup filled with his newly formulated mind slave potion. It had taken him most of the summer to perfect the formula and then it had taken him an entire month to brew. Many of the components were rare and hard to find, but he had succeeded. The proof was in the ceramic mug steaming away and smelling nearly the same as a cup of hot chocolate. He smiled at the steaming concoction and watched the young girl with his loins quivering in anticipation.
When she was done with her hour he called her over and said, "Your work was acceptable, have some hot chocolate and off to bed with you."
She nodded and took the cup in her hands, then suddenly she acted with surprise and jumped slightly dropping the cup on the floor shattering the cup and its contents everywhere as she said, "Did you hear that sir?"
His anger was at full throttle along with his desire and his hand touched his wand desperate to use the imperious curse, but he knew that Dumbledore would detect that spell. Somehow he managed to keep his temper under control and avoided cursing her with any spell, but his anger was at its height and so he screamed at her, "No, I didn't hear anything Potter. Now get OUT!"
She ran out with extreme speed and he simply stared at his potion wondering just how she had been surprised or if it had simply been a ruse perpetrated because she knew the contents of the potion. He shook his head in negation, she was a brilliant witch nearly the same as Lilly had been, but even had Lilly been here she would not have been able to tell.
Then he bent down and put a sample in a small tube and cleaned the rest saying softly to himself, "Well it never hurts to check."
She ran down the hallway wondering how the man could have possibly missed the loud threats of death and dismemberment. She wondered briefly if it had been some trick, but decided it could not have been because he had been so angry about his shattered cup.
She ran down a corridor and stepped on right on a cat's tail. The creature yowled and hissed and she darted to the side, but still heard footsteps coming and a voice, "Is that you Mrs. Norris. Have you found someone out of bounds then?"
She quickly moved down the hall and turned a few corners only to end up at a dead end. She panted as quietly as she could, but was sure Filch would find her and she doubted that the explanation that she was coming from detention would assist her in getting out of another.
That was when the Gryffindor ghost flowed through the wall. "A spot of trouble miss?"
She nodded and he said, "No worries Nearly Headless Nick will take care of it. You run along to the common room eh?"
She nodded again as he floated off making noise and gathering pursuit from Filch and his cat. When she got back to the common room she quickly went up to the girl's dorm and went to bed.
Minor Note: Thanks to all those who mentioned Hedwig Doesn't exist in this story.