Sorry guys, so I won't be able to post up the fourth chapter by Sunday, so here, have a glimpse at what's going on with the "other party".
I wrote this as an experiment of sorts, and didn't intend to post it, but my beta thinks its a good idea, so why not?
Hope you guys enjoy this~
And thanks to all those who have reviewed/followed/favorited me thus far! Your support is greatly appreciated~ ^_^
Pairings: Potential Hadria (FemHarry) x Tom Riddle, but more platonic than romantic, other pairings undecided.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Beta: Happyfish
Chapter Four: Interlude 01, He-Who-Lost-The-Girl-Who-Lived
"Barba non facit philosophum." Beards do not make philosophers. —Latin Proverb, (Herodes Atticus via Aulus Gellius?)
There were many Factors that were responsible for the Fiasco.
...
One of them was Luck.
On the 30th of July, 1985, Albus Wulfuric Dumbledore helped his good friends, the Flamels, move the Philosopher's Stone to a vault with higher security. One could never be too careful with anything of such priceless value. He then stayed for dinner, and ended up swapping stories of the good ol' times and chatting about anything and everything under the starry skies, with a good measure of firewhiskey. Not something either Nicholas or Albus drank much of, but indulged in occasionally. Then Perenelle had Albus stay the night, and would not accept him leaving their hospitality at the ungodly hours they had stayed up to.
So no one knew when a certain instrument in the Headmaster's office began to whistle and flash yellow blinking lights, just a few seconds after midnight. And Albus was none the wiser, when another instrument came to life, flying around the room, emitting red sparks as it searched for a way out of the office to alert its owner of what it had sensed.
...
Another of them was Fate.
Albus Dumbledore slept in late, before getting up and having a relaxing breakfast with the Flamels. Then he returned to Hogwarts, where he bumped into a wide-eyed Seer who smelled strongly of sherry and was muttering to herself as she stared at her tarot cards. As the kindly old wizard led the half-drunk Divination Professor back to her quarters, she suddenly gave a loud gasp and began speaking in a raspy voice, eyes rolling backwards. It was another Prophecy, one that Albus did not understand, except that it was tied closely to the first Prophecy he had heard her give. The one about Chosen One vanquishing the Dark Lord. In fact, it sounded ominously like it might be an overwrite of the original Prophecy he heard.
It was the first sign he got that something was wrong. Very wrong.
And while he was held up by the Seer, a third instrument in the Headmaster's office began to hop on the spot, puffing violet smoke as it did so.
...
The third Factor was Change.
The moment the Headmaster returned to his office, the flying red-lit instrument whizzed out and slammed into him in its haste. Albus stared at the flying instrument, heart clattering down into the pits of his stomach like a bucket in a well. The Blood Wards had fallen, and he could not believe it. Then he took note of the other two instruments trying to get his attention. Harriet has left the House. The Blood Wards have fallen. Magical Guardianship has been transferred to someone else.
Albus, being an old and powerful wizard, was wise enough to try and keep a cool head as he analysed the facts. He quickly found the Hogwarts Register for students who have yet to be enrolled into the school. He found a Hadria Potter where Harriet Potter's name should be, and felt the most miniscule of relief-His Chosen One had not changed her family name. She had not been magically adopted. But for a magical name change to occur…
...
And then there was Chaos.
Albus Dumbledore found himself in a room with two goblins. Some time later, he left Gringotts in a flurry, a rainbow-coloured hurricane. The only thing the goblins was willing to tell him was that Harriet, now named Hadria, had been legally adopted by a foreign Pureblood wizard, who was now her new magical guardian, and the access he once had to her unfrozen vaults now lay in the hands of this unknown wizard. He was also given one week to return all that he had borrowed from her vaults, or he would get to know what crossing a goblin is like, first-hand.
The Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall and Slytherin Head of House, Severus Snape, were then informed about the current status of the Potter Heir. They were appropriately concerned and upset with the Headmaster for 'losing' the girl like that. It didn't take very long for search parties to be sent out, for all of them to use what contacts they had to find the girl, baring the Ministry of Magic. The Order of the Phoenix rose again, just to find a 'missing' girl.
Everyone, even the usually calm and serene Headmaster, began panicking when the girl could not be found or located after a month. All methods failed, even the Headmaster's tracking instruments. Voices were raised. Fingers were pointed to anyone and everyone, accusations thrown about like knives. Hands were wrung, hair was pulled and beards were torn at.
Because how were they going to let the world know that their Saviour Girl had been lost?
...
Last but not least, Time, the essence of everything.
Two months passed. Followed by three. There was no sight nor sound of the Girl-Who-Was-Lost.
A year passed. No one could find anything about the Missing Girl or her guardian without the Ministry's aid.
Another year passed. And they worried about the influence her mysterious new guardian may have on her.
Three years. Four years. Five years. They counted down to the day the Girl would receive her Hogwarts letter. To the day they would finally see her address.
And then they would have to wait another month, to see her reply, if she was still alive then.
...
And if she wasn't alive or could not be found... Well, whose fault would it be?
That's all for now. Yeah, it's a short one. Don't worry, chapter four will be up by Tuesday~!
Feel free to leave reviews or PM for any questions you may have, and all constructive criticisms are welcomed!
Oh and I realise I have guest reviews, and I don't really know how to reply you guys, because I can't PM you, so I'll just say it here, and it'll be appreciated if you were to leave a name or something so that I won't be referring to you guys as Guest One and Guest Two heh XD
To Guest (I'm sorry for replying late and I hope you get to see this): Thanks for the review~! Grindelwald may get along with Hermione better, intellectual-wise, so I'll definitely have interactions between the two when the time comes. But that was the fun about writing it I guess, having him try and raise a kid who was 'selectively-intelligent'. And Harriet/Hadria would love him for all his charm and awkwardness with child-raising. Because he won't be raising her like the average wizard. XD I'm not sure how well I'll be able to convey this in my writing though. And in answer to your last question, no, probably not. At most friendship, but it won't manifest until much later in the story. They're still at odds with each other.
(Btw, I don't really do bashing. So if Dumbledore is portrayed in a negative light in any way, it's just because I feel he's a manipulative old man who has good intentions but a less than ideal way of going about things, and is entirely human in making mistakes. Though I will enjoy playing with him the way you'll see soon see me play around with Gellert because Hadria is one exasperating and ridiculous kid.)