A/N This chapter was rough to write, so I'm sorry about the lack of plot development. It felt like a setup chapter for me, so hopefully in the next one I'll have some more plot.
As always, unbeta-ed, sorry if I miss any errors.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or Supernatural, or anything belonging to J.K. Rowling or Eric Kripke, I'm just using the characters for fun. I receive no money off of this story. Don't sue me.
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Chapter 13: Interlude
Bobby had thawed over the period of her grounding, and she was allowed to go out into town to grab some groceries before she left for Diagon Alley. The Weasley's would meet her at the Leaky Cauldron, and she'd travel to King's Cross with them.
It was very early in the morning when she said goodbye to Bobby, apparating to Diagon Alley and moving towards the Leaky Cauldron. She asked for a room, dropping off her trunk and Hedwig. After being scolded by the mirror in her room, Harry shot a silencing spell at it and slipped on her cloak, heading to the street outside. People were busting in and out of the colorful shops that lined the street, carrying lumpy and misshapen packages or dragging children to and fro. Harry easily navigated through the chaos, ducking under and slipping past the crowds. Eventually she found herself in front of Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, where she plopped down to do some of her remaining summer work. She hadn't meant to leave it so late, but shel only really decided to destroy Binns halfway through the summer, and hadn't thought the work needed completing as he usually just dumped them in a bin. She'd gotten a missive from Hogwarts, however, giving her a new assignment to complete, and she'd just forgotten about it until the day before. Fortescue was very helpful, though, giving her free treats and history tips every hour. She was determined to repay this with a tip appearing in the jar that was probably more than whatever anyone else had given that week combined. She was walking back to the Leaky Cauldron, wondering who the new professor might be, when she saw two men in important looking robes standing outside the entrance to the pub scanning the crowd. She quickly slipped into the alley next to the establishment, hand brushing the knife on her wrist. Harry conjured a rope and enchanted it to slither up the wall like a snake. The end of the rope found the stone jutting out on the third floor, second window to the right, and tied itself around the protrusion. The witch climbed up the wall, attempting to not slip on the stone, before creeping into her room. She shut the window gently, moving towards her belongings in case she had to get out of there quickly, when she heard a small cough.
Harry whipped around, wand pointing at a smaller man, glaring. He was short, portly, and had an odd cap on his head. The appearance was familiar, and Harry slowly let her wand slip down.
"Minister?"
The man in question was straightening himself out, having jumped when she rounded on him. He fixed his hat before clearing his throat again. "Harriet Potter, very nice to meet you. If you could just…" He gestured towards the still slightly raised wand, and Harry dubiously slipped it back into her sleeve.
"Might I ask why the Minister for Magic is in my bedroom?" She had a strange flashback to second year with Dobby, the Minister looking just as timid as the elf had been. She thought he might wring his ears, before he coughed again, straightening up, and attempting a jovial smile.
"Well, you see, Harriet, the Ministry has been quite worried about you." Harry felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. If they'd found out about the Dursley's… "We've been trying to contact you, but Dumbledore was insistent that you were safe with relatives. Harry held back a sigh of relief, though she was confused as he Dumbledore thought she was safe with the Dursley's when she hadn't lived with them since she was six. Maybe he was the wizard that tripped their wards earlier in the summer, and saw her around the park?
"That's right. But you've got me here now, so how can I help you?" She asked politely.
"Well, we were just worried, with the Girl-Who-Lived somewhere undisclosed. It's a safety hazard,really."
"If Dumbledore thinks it's a good idea to keep me with my family and not let anyone know, I'm sure it's for the best. He is after all, a great wizard." She almost choked on the words.
"Yes, well, all this Black business…" Harry frowned.
"Do you mean Sirius Black?" Fudge swallowed, making Harry even more suspicious.
"So you've heard. Yes, Sirius Black. He did escape from Azkaban, which should be impossible but there are always things to be missed, it's not necessarily the Ministry's fault, and well… He is a maniac. You wouldn't want to meet him, Harriet."
"So you stopped by to check on me… because a prisoner escaped...and you thought I might be a target?"
"No! Well, yes, but no, not you specifically. I mean, you're the Girl-Who-Lived, plenty of people in Azkaban have a grudge against you. I've just realised that you're in more danger with more appearances in the Wizarding World, and I wanted to warn you about Black in the case of a coincidental attack. Not nothing overly specific to you…" He gave a weak chuckle and averted his eyes. Harry gave him a sardonic look that he missed.
"It's great that the ministry is so worried about me. Thank you for the consideration." Fudge seemed to glance around, regaining confidence.
"You're most welcome. Well, must be off. Departments to run." He fiddled with his bowler hat. "Oh, and Harriet. Promise me you won't leave Diagon Alley." Harry looked at him, mentally rolling her eyes.
"Yes sir." The man exited. "Strange bloke. The strangeness poked at her, leaving Harry to wonder why he had been adamant that she see no connection between her and Black.
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The next morning, Harry was almost murdered.
Well, Hermione was insistent that she hadn't meant any harm to Harry, but it was a little difficult to accidentally shove someone down the stairs. Harry was groggy, moving towards the stairs to grab some breakfast, when a cloud of bushy brown hair attacked her, moving to grab her in a hug, startling Harry, who jumped back. Jumping backwards whilst on a staircase will inevitably lead to one jumping into thin air, which Harry realised as she was falling down and hitting the stairs several feet below her. She came to a stop after crashing down a flight or two, leaving the witch lying on the ground, dramatically spread-eagled, while trying to figure out what had just happened to her.
"Oh, Harry!" Right, that's who happened. Hermione ran down the stairs which Harry was sure were now speckled with her blood. "Are you alright?"
"Peachy keen, Hermione." Harry slid a hand over her face, getting up to face one of her best friends. "You're certainly moving fast. Burning Snape, stealing, plotting treason, and now attempted murder."
"Harry! I was just trying to hug you. You're the one who threw yourself down the stairs!"
"Semantics." Harry waved her hand, much more awake after her near death. The witch rolled her neck, trying to sooth the pain. "Blimey, you got closer than Voldemort ever did. Fancy a career as a hitwoman?" She managed to make the rest of the way downstairs without another incident, though Hermione lecturing her on assigning blame made her want to pitch herself down another flight. The dining area of the Leaky Cauldron was filled with redheads, all of whom looked up at the stairs when she stepped onto a particularly creaky step.
"Harry!"
"Hello, Harry dear." Harry greeted the Weasleys, accepting a particularly tight hug from Mrs. Weasley.
"How was Egypt?" She asked.
"Brilliant! The twins almost managed to lock Percy in a tomb." Said twins appeared over Ron's shoulder.
"And we would have-"
"If Ginny hadn't asked where he was-"
"On the way out." Harry traded grins with the boys, certain Loki would love to hear about that. She might have been concerned that Percy was almost condemned to eternal damnation in a cursed pyramid, but with his Ministry dreams, he was already on that path anyway.
The group split up soon after, Harry, Ron, and Hermione heading towards the shops so that Ron and Hermione could get their supplies. Harry made sure to stay back from the cage full of copies of the Monster Book of Monsters, eyeing them warily. Everything was going rather well, Ron and Hermione getting along easily, until the pet store.
"Scabbers just hasn't been himself lately." Ron explained to the lady at the counter.
"Is he magical?"
"Well, no, but-"
"How old is he?"
"Dunno. He used to be my brother's." Harry watched as Ron got more and more uncomfortable.
"A regular garden rat like this shouldn't be expected to live more than a few years. Now, if you wanted something a bit flashier-" She gestured towards the tap dancing mice behind her, and Harry hid a snort as they started doing a kickline.
"No!" Ron objected, pulling Scabbers closer to him.
"Well, I could give you some rat tonic…" Somehow things devolved from there, and Hermione left the shop with an orange monster, Ron on the other side of Harry, scowling and clutching Scabbers and the rat tonic close.
"Isn't he adorable?" The cat had to be the ugliest cat there ever was, but Harry did have to appreciate the fluffiness.
"Keep that monster away from Scabbers!" Harry sighed, foreseeing a long year of arguments. But she did think Hermione had a point about the cat being Scabber's natural enemy. Which brought her back to the worry of Scabbers dying soon. Ron always denied that he appreciated his pet, but if Scabbers died he'd be devastated. Still, Scabbers naturally should have died a while ago, so he was lucky so far.
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Several hours later, and seeking to avoid the argument over where Percy's badge went, Harry crept downstairs, trying not to wake anyone with the creaking of the stairs. She spotted the bottle, sitting on the bar innocuously. Harry moved forward, making to grab the tonic, only to duck behind a pillar when she spotted movement.
"She's too young!" That was Mrs. Weasley's voice. "No one should have to know that, let alone a young girl." Harry's brow furrowed.
"Harry deserves to know, Molly. It's dangerous, what if she-"
"That's exactly why she shouldn't be told. It would be child endangerment, Arthur. Do you really want to send her back to school with that hanging over her? She's happy not knowing!"
"I'm not trying to make her miserable, I'm trying to put her on her guard!" Mr. Wealsey paused for a moment, huffing. "You know what they're like. They're somehow a part of anything dangerous at that school. Harry and Ron have been in the Forbidden Forest twice now, that we know of!" Harry had to give him a point there. "What would have happened if Dumbledore had been wrong? If she hadn't made it here safely? If she had died?"
"But she did! She's not dead, so what's the point-"
"Molly, they say that Sirius Black's mad, and he might be, but he was clever enough to escape Azkaban, which should be impossible. It's been a month, and no one has any idea where he might be. All we know is that Fudge said Black was muttering about Hogwarts before his escape. It's been twelve years in that place, which would make anyone go insane, and if he for some reason thinks that murdering Harry will bring back You-Know-Who, he will do everything in his power to make that happen!" Harry stilled, suddenly connecting to pieces. Fudge's visit, his hesitation to mention Black, the elder Weasley's shifting earlier when they mentioned the ministry cars. They were afraid that Sirius Black was going to kill her.
"But Arthur, you're forgetting Dumbledore. Do you really think anyone could hurt her while he's at Hogwarts." Harry did have to hold back a snort at that. They did know about the past two years, right? The Weasley's left a bit later, allowing Harry to leave her uncomfortable hiding place. She moved to the counter to grab the rat tonic, when a chair creaked behind her. Harry spun around, meeting whiskey colored eyes.
"Eavesdropping, Harry? Naughty girl." Harry relaxed, rolling her eyes at Loki's taunting.
"Like you weren't doing the same thing."
"Well, I am the God of Mischief. You, however, are just a nosy little witch." She stared at him. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Blackmail is an excellent resource."
"I'll keep it in mind." She paused for a moment. "What are you doing here?"
"What, I can't say hello to my favorite witch?" He put a hand to his chest, as if he were offended.
"I'm flattered, but no, you haven't seen me since February."
"Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I haven't seen you, Harrikins."
"Creepy."
"Not really." She gave him a look. "Okay, I'm here because those two ding dongs have a genuine point."
"What?"
"You do tend to walk headfirst into trouble. And I know it isn't my influence, because according to you, you've been a trouble magnet since you were a year old."
"And I've always managed to handle myself well."
"Yes. But this time is different." Loki adopted a serious expression, which was so unlike his usual demeanor that Harry found herself straightening. "This time, there are things you don't know, and when you find out, you aren't going to be as level headed as usual."
"What things?" Harry asked.
"You'll have to figure that out for yourself. The longer you don't know, the longer you stay out of trouble."
"Are you kidding me? You live for trouble!"
"Yes I do. But I am a god, and you are a human. You can enjoy mischief and pranks if you're dead, Harry." Harry was almost touched. She considered telling Loki about her death, but before she could make a decision, he spoke again. "Take care of yourself, Harry. Tell the twins I said hi."
"Tell them yourself."
"They'd have a heart attack, and I can't go killing some of my best followers. That's so 2000 years ago." Harry smiled at his joke, and then the god was gone. The witch went back to her room, looking at herself in the mirror, contemplating everything. The Wealseys seemed worried for her, something which she usually would brush off. A killer after her? Again? He didn't stand a chance against her. It wasn't arrogance, Harry was just sure that she could take a man who'd been trapped in Azkaban for years. But Loki's worries on top of the Weasley's made her more hesitant about the situation. She decided not to actively track him down, as she might have done beforehand just to make everyone shut up. But if he came, she'd fight him. Surely Loki was just over exaggerating.
"I'm not going to be murdered." She told herself.
"That's the spirit, dear." Harry glared at the mirror that had somehow unsilenced itself. Today just wasn't her day.
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The next morning was a rush of activity, but they managed to wrangle everyone into the ministry cars eventually. Harry smirked at the tiny ministry flags on the hoods, wondering if she could steal one. Actually attempting to get onto the platform was worse, the crowd of Weasley's trying to stay together. Whenever one of them would get sucked into the crowd, Mrs. Weasley would just reach into the air and pluck a redhead from seemingly nowhere. She did, however, manage to grab two non-Weasley's who were thoroughly confused as to why they were being herded towards the wrong side of the platform.
Eventually they all made it through the stone wall, Harry letting a smile take over her face as the familiar sight of the scarlet steam engine greeted her. She was following Ron and Hermione towards the entrance when Mr. Weasley coughed.
"Harry, could I have a word." She shrugged, telling Ron and Hermione to go on ahead. Mr. Weasley pulled her towards a shadowed area by one of the stone arches. Looking around shiftily, he began. "Harry, no doubt you're aware of a certain prisoner. Molly doesn't think I should- Well, the point is that-"
"You think he's after me." Mr. Weasley gave her a flabbergasted look.
"How did you know?"
"You and Mrs. Weasley were rather loud last night. I didn't mean to eavesdrop-" Yes, yes she did. '-but I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'll be at Hogwarts."
"Yes, but we both know that Hogwarts hasn't exactly been foolproof these past few years. Just-" The train's whistle blew. Mr. Weasley looked back at her with a surprising amount of intensity. "Harry, promise me you won't go looking for Sirius Black. No matter what you hear, promise me!" Harry, startled by his vehemence, nodded her head numbly. He let go of her shoulders, and she made her way onto the train, wondering why everyone was so worried for her.
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They found the only compartment that wasn't filled, and hurried in, trying not to wake up the singular occupant. Harry tilted her head, thinking there was something familiar about the man.
"Who's that?" Ron asked.
"Professor R.J. Lupin." Hermione answered, levitating her trunk into the luggage rack. Ron stared at her incredulously.
"How do you know that?"
"It's on his case, Ronald."
"Oh." Harry snorted. "Wonder what he teaches."
"Well I'd say Defense Against the Dark Arts, but apparently Binns disappeared!" Hermione answered.
"He what?"
"He's gone. Didn't you get the letter with the new summer assignment?" Ron stared at Hermione, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"I thought that was a prank! I thought that was Fred and George! Oh bloody hell, what am I gonna do?" Ron looked about three seconds away from a panic attack.
"Don't worry, it's just one essay. You could probably get it done during the train ride if you worked hard," Hermione instructed. Ron cast a pleading look towards Harry. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Alright, just don't copy it too much. I've got to make a good impression with the new professor." Hermione stopped glaring at the exchange of parchment, and turned to look at Harry, dumbfounded.
"Why?"
"Well, I've got a record don't I?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "All the teachers like me, so when I get in trouble, I can blame it on someone else and they'll believe me because of my track record of goodness."
"Snape hates you." Hermione pointed out.
"No, he's just stubborn. Deep down, I think I'm his favorite student."
"Lockhart."
"Lockhart doesn't count, he was a bumbling idiot. He couldn't tell a good student if they hit him in the face."
"Quirrell literally had You-Know-Who on the back of his head."
"Yah, but he liked me just fine. I'm sure of it."
"Harry, that's not true!"
"I'm sure it is. Voldemort is a professional, he wouldn't allow personal feelings to influence his opinion of a student."
"You're insane. You're-"
"I got top grades in his class. He knows how to separate work from home."
" Absolutely barking mad!" Ron and Hermione were ganging up on her.
"Otherwise, there's no way Lucius Malfoy would still be alive. You think he let him be a Death Eater because of his personality? No! One interaction with that git and he'd be gone. A smear on the pavement."
"You can't just say things like that!"
"What the hell Potter!" The trio turned to see Malfoy standing in the doorway, Crabbe and Goyle behind him. "Don't talk about my father like that!"
"See, Malfoy gets it!" There was a single moment where Ron and Draco traded understanding glances, before they froze and turned away quickly, uncomfortable.
"Draco, I was just telling them of how Voldemort was able to separate work and home. I was actually complimenting your father on his skills, as one of the more competent Death Eaters of course, otherwise he;d be dead already." The blond's mouth hung open. "I, however, judge on skill and personality. Which is why I have to corrupt you before you join me."
"Not likely."
"Oh, I think I'm almost there. I'd like to ask, is your aversion to a certain muddy slur because of fear, or a growing sense of morality?"
"I haven't got an aversion, thank you. I'll say it whenever I like."
"You're welcome. And if that's true, why'd you not say it just then." Malfoy opened his mouth, then his eyes caught the teacher slumped in the corner.
"Who's that?" He asked, grasping the change in topic.
"New professor." Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and he gestured to Crabbe and Goyle.
"C'mon." The group left, and Harry closed the door again.
"Soon."
"You're a bloody madwoman, you know that? Just plain barmy." Ron turned to the essay he was plagiarizing, mumbling further comments under his breath.
"No, I just have vision."
"Harry," Hermione cut in, "You're almost entirely dependent on glasses." Harry sighed, settling into her spot in the chair.
"Everyone's a critic."
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"Well, almost there then." Hermione and Ron just stared at her as she settled onto the bench again, moving away from the window she'd been drawing on using the condensation. Ron soon recovered, shoving her legs out of his lap, and she pouted. Hermione refused to switch with him, too, saying she didn't want dirt on her book. The three of them bickered for a while more, until the train started to slow.
"Wonderful, I'm starving."
"But we can't be there yet," Hermione mumbled. The lantern in the compartment started to dim, the air getting considerably cooler. Harry hopped up and stuck her head out of the door, seeing several others doing the same. The train came to a stop with a jolt, throwing Harry into the side of the door.
"Ow." She straightened up, rubbing her neck. Harry was just moving back into the compartment when all the lamps suddenly went out, pitching the train into darkness.
"What's going on?" asked Ron from behind her.
"Who turned out the lights?"
"I don't know, hold on-"
"Ouch! Ron, that was my foot!'
"Sorry." There was some shuffling.
"Ron, now you're on my foot."
"Bloody hell." The sound of the compartment door sliding open stilled Harry, and she only relaxed when Neville's nervous voice sounded out through the space.
"Sorry, do you know what's going on? There was-Ow! Sorry."
"Hey Neville."
"I think there are some people coming aboard," Ron said, his figure illuminated the tiniest bit by the world outside the window.
"Neville, sit down-"
"Not here! I'm here!" The door slid open again, and Ginny squeaked as she tripped over Neville as she tried to enter.
"Ginny, watch out!"
"Stop stepping on me!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for Ron-"
"Just sit down-"
"Not on me!" Ron yelled.
"Can everyone just-"
"Quiet." Everyone stilled at the newer, gruff voice. It seemed that Professor Lupin had finally woken up. Harry heard a crackling noise, and then the compartment was lit up with the fire sitting in Lupin's hand. She made a note to figure out how to do that, because it looked incredibly cool. Then she forced herself to focus on the situation at hand, scolding herself for the distraction.
"Stay where you are, I'm going to check with the conductor-" But before Lupin could grab the door handle, the compartment door slid open slowly, a gust of cold sweeping over the occupants. Harry watched in horror as a grey, scabbed hand curled around the door, pulling it open further. A tall figure in dark, ratty robes hovered in the doorway. The hood of the robe concealed the figure's face, but the rush of despair that overtook Harry made clear what the creature was. A dementor.
The world around Harry began to blur, and all she could feel was hopelessness, despair, and desperation. Harry was suddenly filled with adrenaline, and she flicked her wrist, summoning her knife and slashing blindly at the dementor, trying to get rid of the feeling of hopelessness. The blade made contact with the dementor's outstretched arm, cuttin a gash in it's wrist. Harry couldn't see much more, images overtaking her and making her drop the dagger. Her mind flashed back to the wendigo when she was six, then a flash of green light and a woman screaming her name. Darkness overtook her vision, throwing her back into that void she'd experience after the Basilisk's poison had taken effect. The oppressive silence pressed down on her ears, and she tried to shut her eyes to get away from the image, but the thick darkness was insistent, a feeling of unwelcomeness in the air. Harry could see the floor begin to bubble, the blackness rising up as if a figure was protruding from the floor, wrapped in the slick darkness. Harry backed up, breathing heavily. The figure came closer, and she could barely make out the smirk on the only part of the person's face that wasn't shrouded in the dark cloak. Their head started to tilt up, and Harry was overcome with the intense feeling that she didn't want to see their face, that she couldn't.
"Haaarry." A cold voice called, emanating from all around her. The figure came closer. "Open your eyes, Harry." Harry shook her head, backing up, pulling her arms around her. Cold fear settled in her stomach, putting her every sense on edge. She couldn't breathe. She was almost choking on her fear. "Harry. Harry!"
"Harry!" The witch shot up, throwing out her hands in a defensive position. Arms grabbed her and she tried to throw them off, moving weakly. "HARRY! Stop! You're okay!" Harry looked up, seeing the pale faces of Ron and Hermione. Ginny and Neville were behind them, watching her warily. She focused on her breathing, trying to calm herself down. Flashes of the visions still plagued her, but she forced them down, turning to her friends and assuring them she was alright.
"What the hell was that?" Ron asked.
"Dementor," She said.
"Obviously, but Harry, you fainted!"
"No one else did?"
"No, well, Ginny got really pale and started shaking, but you just went crazy and fell down. And what about that knife? The dementor got hit with it and flew back. I think the cut was glowing."
"It's an experiment." Her words made it clear that was all she had to say about it, and the others didn't push. Harry glanced around, and discovered that Professor Lupin was still there, breaking bits of chocolate up into a pile, determinedly not looking at her. He shoved pieces into everyone's hands.
"Eat, you'll feel better." Harry looked dubiously at the chocolate. "I'm going to talk to the conductor. Stay put." The man left, and Harry looked at her friends as they nibbled on the chocolate, with the exception of Ron, who had already finished his.
"Why's the dementor gone? Why was it here in the first place?"
"I think it was searching the train. After you cut it, Lupin stood up and said 'Sirius Black is not here' and the dementor didn't leave, so he shot this silver stuff out of his wand and it left." Ron wiped the smear of chocolate off his chin, speaking quickly. Harry stifled a snort. It seemed that everything was coming back to the man. She'd be more amused if she wasn't still shaking the tiniest bit from the effect of the dementors. Speaking of...
Harry looked at the bit of chocolate in her palm. Normally, she'd be a little hesitant about eating chocolate that a stranger gave her, but Ron and Neville had already eaten their pieces, and Ginny was nibbling at hers, so it was probably safe enough. Just as she was about to pop the sweet into her mouth, the door opened once again, revealing Lupin;s shabby robes.
"It's not poisonous, you know." Lupin gave a tire half smile. "Eat. You'll feel better." Even though she'd already decided to eat the chocolate, those words of wisdom would have decided for her anyway. She was surprised as a warm feeling immediately washed through her body, and Harry made a mental note to ask Lupin where he got his chocolate from. The man had swept away once more, no doubt going to check on the other students.
"Well, I guess we know he's the defense professor," Ron said, reaching out for the square of chocolate that Hermione was staring at determinedly. She pulled it away, slapping his hand. "Ow! Hermione, you're not even eating it!"
"I'm considering it."
"Hermione-" Harry began, ready to get into a very familiar and tiring argument with the resident bookworm.
"No, Harry. Sugar rots your teeth, it doesn't matter if magic can fix it or not. It's the principle of the thing!" She huffed. Harry rolled her eyes, pointing at Hermione and swirling her finger in the 'she's crazy' gesture while looking at Ginny and Neville. "And I'm right here! Absolutely no tact, honestly-" She trailed off, muttering to herself.
"Hermione, eat the chocolate or I'll tell them what happened to Snape first year." Hermione's eyes shot up.
"You wouldn't."
"What happened to Snape?" Ginny wondered.
"Well, Hermione here-"
"Fine!" She shoved the chocolate into her mouth. "Awh oh 'appy noow?"
"You sound like Ron."
"I hate you."
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Not long after they finally finished arguing over dinner etiquette, the train started to slow again. Harry hopped up, stowing the cards that she'd been attempting to teach Ron poker with. He wasn't terrible, at least not after he figured out what Harry was trying to say, but he'd mistakenly taken the seat closest the window, and the lamp light provided a convenient reflection of his cards.
The trio separated from Neville and Ginny, moving towards the carriages. Harry spared a glance at the thestrals, briefly pondering how cool it would look if she rode into battle on one like an undead valkyrie. She was brought out of her reverie by riotous laughing. She looked up after bumping into Ron and Hermione, who'd stopped suddenly in the road. A group of Slytherin's in front of them were pointing at her, one of them falling into the other's arms with a dramatic wail. Her features blanked as she realised they were making fun of her fainting spell.
"What's the bet it was Neville?" Harry asked conversationally, striding ahead to an empty carriage with Ron and Hermione following quickly. She shot off a hex from her finger, stinging the still-wailing Slytherin, giving him something real to whine about. They climbed into the carriage, escaping the cold and the beginnings of rain. When they made it to the castle doors, Harry glared at the cackling poltergeist. Dodging a balloon probably filled with something much worse than water, she yelled at Peeves.
"We had a deal!" The ghost huffed and reluctantly drifted away from the trio of Gryffindors. "I don't mind you messing with them, though," Harry added, waving at the group of Slytherins behind her. Pansy Parkinson screamed when she was hit with a balloon, distracting her from Malfoy's portrayal of her faint. It might have been the rain, but Harry thought she saw a little hesitance in his movements. Still, she laughed when Peeves managed to splatter muddy water all over his platinum-haired head.
"Miss Potter, Miss Granger, please follow me." Harry looked up to see Professor McGonagall's stern face. She shrugged at Ron, trailing after Hermione and the older witch. After an uncomfortable checkup with Madam Pomfrey and a suspicious conversation between Hermioen and McGonagal, Harry was ready to just go to bed already, but she found herself in the Great Hall listening to one of Dumbledore's speeches.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you, chief of which involves our new security. Dementors are not prone to mercy or understanding, and any attempt to move about the school grounds unattended to by a teacher would be incredibly dangerous. They are stationed at every entrance, and will not be fooled by tricks or disguises. Not even invisibility cloaks." Piercing blue eyes darted towards Harry. "An a separate, happier note, I'm pleased to announce several staff changes this year. First, Professor Lupin will be filling in as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Second, as I'm sure most of you already know, Professor Binns has disappeared and is presumed… well, gone. Filling in for him is Edmund Corbyn." A tall man with dark grey robes stood and nodded. "And finally, I'm sorry to say that Professor Kettleburn of Care of Magical Creatures has retired to spend more time with his remaining limbs. His place will be taken by none other than Rubeus Hagrid." There was silence for a moment, before Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst into applause and cheers, inciting cheers from most of the Gryffindors as well. Hagrid looked as though he might cry. Ron smacked his forehead and turned to Harry.
"We should've known! Who else would assign a biting book?!" Dean's goal to meet Hagrid one day suddenly became a lot funnier. After the meal, the trio approached the heads table and gave their congrats to Hagrid. Harry was on autopilot all the way to the tower, and later she would look back and wonder how she didn't fall off a staircase.
"Coming through! Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!" Harry looked around to watch an excited PErcy push through the crowds and assume a respectable posture. "The password is 'Fortuna Major'," He said, and the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open. Ignoring Neville's lamentations, Harry disappeared into the common room and then up to the girls dorms, ready to crash after such a long day. She yanked off her shoes and outer robe, diving under the covers and passing out, trying not to think of the memory of a dark void that was hovering at the edge of her consciousness.
Effectively dead to the world, she didn't hear Hermione sigh when she entered the dorm, or when she spoke to the air half frustrated, half concerned. "She had to take my bed."
.
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Sakura Lisel: I figured that since I kinda worked that into the Lockhart scene, she might wait a while before she uses it again, if she does.
MagicalCatgirl68: Thank you. Mr. Ketch is about 19 at this point, so while he might be 'interning' with the Men of Letters, I don't know if he'll actively be part of any of their schemes at this point, but it's an interesting thought that I will have to consider. As for Garth, that sounds like an awesome cameo and if I work it into the story I'll give you credit, if I forget you know the deal. Harassment, etc.
Guest: I guess you'll see about the history teacher. He might just be some ordinary person.
Guest(same guest?): I didn't really include an 'everyone she loves dying' scene for the dementor, for two reasons. One, I'm not that cruel yet. And two, as I understand it, dementors bring up you worst memories, while boggarts are the creatures that show your worst fears. I think if she saw that as her boggart, then it would be added to the growing collection of traumatic memories, but before then its really only a bad dream not an experience that she's had.
AvidReader2425: Will I make Harry Master of Death? Spoilers. As for Gabriel, I'm calling it right now, if you continue reading my story you're going to think back to this comment after a future chapter. I'm not saying what kind of thought. But it's gonna be a thought.
Guest: I love the image of the muggleborns and knowledgeable halfbloods doing the cha cha slide and putting all the pure bloods to shame.
Azaira: It's a good thought, but it's not something I would have written into this story, even if I had considered it. It just doesn't fit some of my plans, and she did leave pretty quickly after giving them the stone. Also, I never planned for the Hogwarts years to have so much detail, so she wouldn't have had a commitment to the Flamels in that respect either. I was planning on doing shorter segments, but I've been led down rabbit holes with different plot twists and so now I'm doing the extra work to re-write a lot of the Hogwarts years with extra stuff just because I couldn't let go of how cool it would be if I could pull off tying the different pieces together.
Kakazu: Remember this. I won't say why, and it's probably not what you're thinking. You'll understand soon enough.
stylo1: Sorry in advance for the long note, but you had a lot of comments. I changed Harry into a girl because I thought it would be easier for me to write her, as I am a girl. I acknowledge that she does have a lot of money and influence, especially considering the zie of the wizarding world, but I do have a reason in mind to justify that influence. I'd also like the mention that when I wrote the beginning of the story I was very into the overpowered character trope. You're right, it is unreasonable for a normal person to learn that much at that age all on their own in such a short span of time, but I'd like to point out that she isn't normal, and she had nothing else to do during her couple years alone, and she had a desperate need to be better after being helpless to defend herself against the Dursley's and the Wendigo. I'll repeat my overpowered characters phase again, but there is a genuine reason why she can do this, and it will be revealed throughout the story. Your point about wands being foci is true, but I was writing it with the wand lore headed in a different direction. Depending on the story, the lore will change, and in other fledgling stories that I outline wands do work as you've mentioned. It's just how the lore lines up with the story in this case. She bought the wand to keep Dumbledore or any ministry lackeys off her trail. As for the other purchases, I wanted to write a shopping scene and may have gotten carried away. I think Lucius Malfoy might have had a though about kidnapping or killing Harry in Knockturn Alley, but he is a prominent figure, and if it was found out that Harry Potter was missing, the suspected Death Eaters would be the first to be questioned. Also, Draco was with him, and I'm sure Lucius knew that at that point a babbling kid as a witness to a crime would just be setting himself up for failure. As I included in a later chapter, her healing ability is erratic. She was able to heal that woman, but it isn't always 100%. Eventually, that will be explained. The letter does have her address on it, but considering they didn't check on harry from the books when his letter said 'Cupboard Under the Stairs', I'm not sure they were watching too closely. I figured if she replied on the first letter, Hagrid wouldn't be sent to make sure everything was okay. Snape can be cunning whenever he wants. Displaying his dislike of the Marauders was not cunning either, as it probably got him injured repeatedly, but he wasn't able to keep his mouth shut. The same thing applies here. I referred to them as male wizards because in the lore I'm developing for the story, witch is a more common term for someone in a coven or practicing based on a different power structure. Like there was a male witch in Supernatural, the same thing applies here with female wizards. I apologize for my mistake regarding 'disembodied', I'll fix it. She made good friends with her normal personality, just dumbed down a bit, and even that is revealed to them eventually. There are fics where Ron is just there for the fame, but I'm not writing it like that. She didn't tell Ron she lived in the states, he's just clueless about muggle technology and telephone area codes. I'm sorry if you feel that way about recaps, I was just trying to include a short summary for those who come back to read the new chapters, I know it get's confusing for me too. As for Loki (Gabriel), there's a reason for that. Spoilers. I know that holding the stone and shouting 'gold' is stupid, and so did Harry, but I thought it was funny. I'm not the best comedian so I'm sorry if that joke didn't land with you. I respectfully disagree with you thinking my writing sucks and my English is bad. Where the English is bad, I was matching the tone of the story, like how Harry would talk using slang instead of the dialect of the upper British echelons. I don't think I'm repeating the Harry Potter books, and I'm working on further canon divergence, but it's taking a bit to set up. I wanted her to return the stone to Flamel because in this story, Flamel trusted Dumbledore to look after it and was mistaken, which isn't his fault, Dumbledore's a convincing guy. Harry is at her core an honorable person at least, in that she has her own personal code. It also helps that she's secretly spiting Dumbledore. As for the help, she's very independent. It will take a while for her to ask for help. I mentioned that I've played into some fanfiction clichés, and I cannot and will not change the ones I've already written into the story. IN the books, Dobby pretty much thought he stopped Harry from going back to school, because he'd gotten him basically imprisoned. Obviously, Harry got out, so I figured Dobby was doing periodic check ups or heard something from Malfoy after the Diagon stunt. Maybe I shouldn't have said summoned, but the Weasley's could have collected it the next day. I figured Mrs. Weasley didn't send a Howler because Mr. Weasley hadn't been outed with his 'bending' of the law, and they didn't want to expose that. Originally I had the Lockhart scene going in a different direction, but it didn't feel right. Ron came with Harry because he's a loyal idiot. In a good way. She's talking about respecting Dumbledore because at this point she can admit he is a good player, and she at least respects him more than Riddle. Her character development does change some in regards to her view of Dumbledore and his actions. Calibrated might have been the wrong word. I think Harry has very strong Gryffindor tendencies, something she's grown into throughout her time in Gryffindor house, but she also has a very Slytherin desire to achieve and become a great hunter. She couldn't have been the junior hunter that she was without the ambition or cunning of Slytherin. In the books he sent the sorting hat and didn't come himself. Think of the conjured rope as the reigns for an Alaskan bull worm. I think Harry was a little overwhelmed fighting the basilisk, and she made a stupid mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. I'm sorry if you think I've degraded her character. You're right that I forgot about the distinction between demon and crossroads demon, but for the sake of continuity, I'm going to bend the canon a little bit. This is fanfiction, after all. When I looked it up, it was suggested that Lilith was Queen of the Crossroads. I didn't think it sounded right, but most of the sites I looked at implied it sort of.
All right, that was a long note, but I can explain my decisions all day long, and if you don't like my work it won't matter. So if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I mentioned in the first chapter that I posted it as a dare, and I've been continuing it because it was fun and now it would just be quitting if I stopped. I'm not incredibly experience with this format of writing, so some of your comments may be valid, but they may also be unneeded. Saying that, thank you for you constructive criticism.
kittyrsocute: We'll see.
Guest: I think, to answer your brother's question, Fiendfyre was a very difficult branch of magic to control. The fiasco in the Room fo Requirement is enough evidence. Maybe if Dumbledore had stuck around or if Snape had been in the know sooner.