– CHAPTER SEVEN –

The Transphobic Staircase

The Hogwarts Express finally came to a stop at the train station of a small, antiquated village called Hogsmeade. Harmony and all the other students were ushered off the carriages by the train conductor, who told them their luggage would be taken care of by Hogwarts staff. The tiny platform was quickly swarming with children in black robes, though Harmony could at least tell who her fellow first years were as, unlike all the other students who had their house colours on their ties and the trims of their robes, their uniforms remained solid black.

'Firs' years to me!' bellowed a booming, gravelly voice that Harmony immediately recognised. 'C'mon, firs' years! Follow me!'

Hagrid towered over pretty much everyone he stood next to, but next to a gaggle of eleven-year-olds, he looked almost statuesque. It took a lot for Harmony not to immediately run up to Hagrid and give him a big hug, but she felt that might be slightly embarrassing in front of her fellow pupils. Whilst Harmony and Hermione had already encountered Hagrid before, all of the other new students looked up to him in awe, none more so than Ron Weasley.

'Woah!' he gulped. 'My brothers weren't kidding. He looks like he could snap me like a twig!'

'He could, but he won't,' assured Harmony.

Hagrid looked across the crowd and caught eyes with Harmony, to whom he gave a friendly wink. 'All right, you lot, get yer hooves on. First-years get taken to Hogwarts in style 'cross the lake.'

The gargantuan gamekeeper led the young students out of the train station and down a steep, narrow path from some woodland. It was pitch-black at this point, with the only source of light coming from a large oil lantern Hagrid held above his head. The ground was wet and muddy, with Neville slipping over at least twice on his way down.

'Almost there, young 'uns,' said Hagrid. 'Just round the bend, and you'll get yer first good look at the castle.'

The first-years soon emerged from the forest and out onto the bank of a gleaming, glass-like lake. On the other side of the water, high atop and on the edge of a massive mound of rock, sat a castle right out of a fairy tale. It was a staggering sight to behold as its countless spires and towers loomed over them in the distance, and the warm glow of candlelight bursting from its myriad windows only made it look that much more magical.

Harmony stood in awe for a moment and just took the sight in, and she was far from the only one stunned to silence.

Hagrid directed the students over to a fleet of small wooden rowboats, though none of them were equipped with any oars. 'No more than four to a boat, you lot. You'se may be titchy, but more than that'll still sink 'em.'

Harmony and Hermione quickly grabbed a boat together, where they were joined by Ron and another fellow first-year they had yet to meet: a charming young fellow with an unmistakably London accent, Dean Thomas. Susan and Neville followed behind in a separate boat, whilst Hagrid took the front of the fleet to himself; due to his size, no one else was likely to fit on it, even if it could hold the weight. A few boats down, Harmony saw Pansy had joined Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle on their boat, and it did not at all surprise her.

'All in?' checked Hagrid. 'Okay then. To Hogwarts then!'

The boats then, row by row, slid off the bank and onto the lake, and briskly but gently floated toward the castle. Their vessels didn't even leave tremors in the water, as if they were gliding atop it, leaving a reflection that Harmony could perfectly see herself in as if a mirror. The Hogwarts castle only seemed more and more daunting as the boats drew closer and it loomed higher above them, until they reached a boathouse at the foot of the mound.

Once they were all ashore, Hagrid then guided them up a long and winding staircase up the side of the cliff face, which eventually led into a tunnel that brought them inside the castle grounds. They soon found themselves in a terraced courtyard that sat in front of the main entrance to the castle, which was a large wooden door that dwarfed even Hagrid in height. The gamekeeper knocked his meaty knuckles against the door three times, and he and the first-years were soon met by an older woman with a stern face dressed in an emerald green cloak.

'Evening, Professor,' said Hagrid. 'Young 'uns, this is Professor McGonagall, Deputy Head of Hogwarts and Gryffindor Housemistress. She'll take yous all from 'ere.'

'Thank you, Hagrid,' said McGonagall in a kind Perthshire brogue. 'Follow me, children. The Sorting Ceremony awaits.'

The doors to Hogwarts fully opened, revealing an entrance hall so big that it could have fit 4 Privet Drive inside of it twice over. A grand staircase loomed at the back of the hall, leading to who knows where in the castle, at the top of which hung a giant, gleaming shield bearing the Hogwarts crest.

McGonagall turned the students around to face back towards the main entrance where, two on either side of the doorway, sat four giant hourglasses. The sand in each one was a different colour, and above them hung each symbol seen on the school crest: a red lion, a yellow badger, a blue eagle, and a green snake.

'Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,' announced Professor McGonagall. 'In a moment, we will bring you into the Great Hall for the start-of-term feast, but first you will be sorted into one of our four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.

'Whilst you are here, your house will be like your family. If you excel in classes or perform other acts of service to your house or the school, your house will earn points, reflected by the hourglasses here. Any rule-breaking, however, will lose your house points. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. Now please wait here a moment; our caretaker Mr Filch will let us know when the ceremony is ready to begin.'

The students milled in the hall for a moment, and the chatter amongst them was mostly speculation and hopes about which house they'd end up in.

'Really hope I get into Hufflepuff,' said Susan. 'No offense to the other houses, but I've never met a Hufflepuff I didn't like.'

'I already know I'll end up in Gryffindor,' said Ron. 'All five of my brothers have. Both my parents too. If I end up anywhere else, my mum will probably throw a fit.'

'Gryffindor sounds good to me too,' said Hermione, 'thought I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw, to be honest.'

'How about you, Harmony?' inquired Susan. 'Where do you think you'll end up?'

Harmony shrugged. 'I don't mind, as long as it's not Slytherin,' she said nervously, eyeing Malfoy and Pansy giggling across the hall.

A few moments later, a scrawny man with long greasy hair and a dirty overcoat emerged from the entrance to the Great Hall; Harmony presumed this was Mr Filch. The caretaker was followed around by a mangy cat with disturbingly bloodshot eyes, who hissed in anger at the mere sight of the first-years. Filch nodded at McGonagall, who then clapped loudly to bring the new students to her attention.

'Follow me,' she said. 'The Sorting shall commence.'

The doors to the Great Hall opened, revealing a gigantic dining room with four lengthy tables and a ceiling that quite literally looked like it stretched to the heavens, open to the starry night sky above. The tables were near-packed with students who all watched as the first-years were paraded to the top of the room by McGonagall, where all the teachers sat at a table overlooking the students. Harmony gazed up in wonder at the sky above and wondered how it remained so warm inside the castle with an open ceiling.

'It's not actually the sky,' whispered Hermione. 'It's just bewitched to look like it. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.'

Once all the new students were gathered in front of the teachers, McGonagall retrieved from the back of the room a simple wooden stool, on top of which she placed a large, well-worn leather wizard's hat. Sat there all frumpy and wrinkled, it occurred to Harmony that it somewhat resembled a large turd, but kept the comparison to herself.

Suddenly though, the hat sprang to life, the crumples in its fabric forming into the vague shapes of a brow, two eyes, and a mouth. It "looked" around at the first-years, unnerving many of the Muggleborns into shock.

'Oh, calm yourselves,' the hat said bluntly. 'I'm a talking hat. So what? You're going to meet far stranger things than I within the week. Just pop me on your head, and I'll let you know where you belong.'

Professor McGonagall pulled out a sheet of parchment and unfurled it. She cleared her coarse throat before calling out, 'Abbot, Hannah!'

A girl with rosy cheeks and blonde pigtails stepped out from the crowd. Hannah nervously picked up the hat and sat down on the stool, taking a deep breath as she placed it on her head. For a few moments, nothing happened, but the Sorting Hat suddenly bellowed out, 'Hufflepuff!', the fright of which nearly toppled the poor girl off her stool. The Hufflepuff table cheered and, once she came to her sense, Hannah Abbot graciously joined her new housemates.

'Bones, Susan!' read McGonagall.

Susan stood forward and put on the hat. 'Hufflepuff!' it declared with far less anticipation. Unsurprised but pleased, Susan went to join Hannah at the Hufflepuff table.

The ceremony went on like this for quite some time, as each new student went up in alphabetical order and was sorted. Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst were both assigned to Ravenclaw, Lavender Brown went to Gryffindor, whilst Millicent Bulstrode was the first of the evening to end up in Slytherin. Very quickly, Harmony stopped paying attention to what was happening and got in her head. How was the Sorting Hat deciding who ended up where? Did it read your thoughts? Could it see into the future? Did it ever make a mistake? Could you change house if necessary, or was it a binding commitment?

However the Hat made its decisions, it clearly wasn't a simple and immediate one, at least not for everyone. The next student Harmony actually paid attention to was Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was placed into Hufflepuff within ten seconds of popping the hat on. Meanwhile, Seamus Finnegan sat there for over a minute before the hat bellowed out 'Gryffindor!'

McGonagall read off the next name. 'Granger, Hermione.'

Hermione looked both excited and daunted as she stepped forward and picked up the hat. Once she put it on her head, she visibly started to panic when it didn't declare her house immediately. Hermione fidgeted and breathed deeply, as if she thought she must have done something wrong.

Soon enough though, the hat broke the silence. 'Gryffindor!' it declared. Hermione sighed in relief and gladly took her place amongst her new peers. Harmony was happy for her and began to hope she'd end up there with her, but she knew it was a one in four shot and she was different from Hermione in so many ways; were they similar enough to both be Gryffindors?

Then though, Neville Longbottom of all people was also placed into Gryffindor. He was as shocked and confused by the decision as everyone else, so much so that he wandered off towards the Gryffindor table with the Sorting Hat still on his head. Across the hall, Susan was visibly shocked by the decision. Harmony herself thought Neville couldn't end up anywhere but Hufflepuff, but it also gave her some sense of hope. If Neville was Gryffindor material, maybe she was too.

Then came the most unsurprising sorting of the night. 'Slytherin!' declared the hat quickly as its brim barely even touched Draco Malfoy's head. He proudly tossed the hat into McGonagall's arms as he strolled over to the Slytherin table, where Crabbe and Goyle had already been placed.

A few sortings later, there was yet another expected allocation. 'Slytherin!' yelled the Sorting Hat after a minute on Pansy Parkinson's head. She seemed slightly frustrated it took so long for the hat to give her what she wanted, but once the hat was off, she was all smiles as she joined the Slytherins.

'Potter, Harmony!'

The chatter in the Great Hall suddenly quietened drastically as the ears of the students pricked up, hearing a name that sounded almost but not quite familiar. Harmony nervously stepped out of the crowd as she heard murmurs quickly spreading amongst the tables; she couldn't quite hear out any one comment, but she knew they were all about her in some way.

Harmony sat down on the stool and put the hat on, which was so big it swallowed her head whole. Within a few moments, she started to hear the voice of the Hat whispering in her ears.

'Hmmm. Difficult. Very difficult,' it pondered. 'Quite the mind you've got. A bit confused and out of sync, but with the right mentality…then again, a lot of heart, brave too, but…more than anything, I sense desire. To prove yourself, to be more than what others see you as on the surface. To be…great. Yes, all very good, but…where to put you?'

Harmony gripped the brim of the hat and started muttering, 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.'

'Not Slytherin, eh?' said the Hat's voice. 'Are you sure? I know you think you won't fit in there, but deep down…yes, I believe you would do well in Slytherin. As much as you might like to bury it, it's all here in your head. But no? You're sure? Better be…Gryffindor!'

Harmony sighed with relief as she pulled off the hat and saw her new fellow Gryffindors clapping and cheering. There were audible shouts of 'We got Potter! We got Potter!' Harmony caught Hermione's eyes, who looked as relieved as she did that they wouldn't be separated. Susan looked gobsmacked, as if sure Harmony was a guaranteed Hufflepuff. Malfoy, on the other hand, had a more reserved reaction; equally pleased that she would not be in Slytherin, but also disappointed he'd have fewer opportunities to torment her.

Harmony joined Hermione at the Gryffindor table whilst McGonagall finished off the remaining students to be sorted. She looked up at the staff table, on the end of which sat Hagrid, who was beaming so proudly. She then looked across at Dumbledore in the flesh for the first time, and he was the spitting image of his trading card self. The sagacious old man raised his glass towards Harmony and gave her a knowing wink.

Next, after a gothic young Slytherin girl called Ebony Way who made Pansy look rosy by comparison, was Ron Weasley. Despite being so confident of his place in Gryffindor, the long wait had left him looking sickly and nervous.

He put on the Sorting Hat incredibly slowly, but it didn't spend long on his head before loudly announcing, 'Another Weasley? Oh, go on then. Gryffindor!' Ron practically deflated from the release of tension as he stumbled his way over to the Gryffindor table, sitting amongst several older boys with similar red hair and freckled skin that Harmony assumed were his brothers.

As McGonagall placed aside the Sorting Hat and the stool it sat on, Dumbledore got up from the staff table and approached a golden podium in the shape of an owl.

'Welcome, to those both new and returning, to Hogwarts. Before we proceed with the start-of-term banquet, I'd just like to say a few words.' Dumbledore paused, adjusted his enlarged half-moon glasses, and cleared his throat loudly before declaring, 'Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!'

There was a brief moment of silence. Harmony was completely confused and assumed everyone else was too. That moment quickly passed, as almost everyone else in the room broke out into applause. Dumbledore bowed and thanked everyone as he took back his seat.

'Now let the feast…begin!'

Dumbledore clapped his hands, and suddenly the empty tables were packed with an unbelievable amount of food, more than Harmony had ever seen in her life at once. There was a bountiful smorgasbord of practically anything you could want, from chicken and chips to nut roast and fried vegetables. Harmony grabbed a plateful of pretty much everything within reaching distance, but what she wanted more than anything was some of the incredibly buttery mashed potatoes that Ron was currently helping himself to a hearty portion of.

'C'mon, Ron,' shouted Dean. 'Save some for the rest of us!'

Ron relented and passed the bowl down towards Dean, but as he did, a ghostly head suddenly popped out of it and smiled. Ron was so frightened that he dropped the potatoes, splattering the creamy food over everyone nearby. Several Gryffindors looked at Ron in frustration, but Harmony was far more fascinated with the wispy phantasm now floating before her. He was an older gent dressed in Elizabethan garb, with a ruff around his neck and bulbous pantaloons that made his thighs look like basketballs.

'Apologies, my good chap,' said the ghost. 'I wasn't looking where I was going. Greetings, young Gryffindors. I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of Gryffindor. I hope you enjoy your time at Hogwarts, and your meal. I would join in, but unfortunately I've been unable to eat for four hundred years, amongst other things.'

'Wait,' said Ron in realization, 'so you're Nearly-Headless Nick?'

The ghost harrumphed and folded his arms. 'I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind? How would you like it if I called you Speckle-faced Ginge all the time?'

'I think he'd love that, actually,' said one of Ron's brothers jokingly.

'Yeah,' the Weasley next to him, who looked almost identical to his brother, agreed. 'Thanks for the suggestion, Nick.'

'Ah, Fred and George Weasley, the clown princes of Hogwarts,' said Nicholas in recognition. 'So this is the latest of your litter to make it to Gryffindor? Well, I hope he's as delightful as you both are, but can do so whilst staying out of trouble. It'd be nice to see Gryffindor win the House Cup at least one more time in my afterlife.'

'Sorry, hold on,' interrupted Harmony, 'how can you be nearly headless?'

Sir Nicholas turned around and smiled in delight. 'Good Lord! Harry Potter! The Boy Who Lived Himself!'

There was an awkward silence at the table for a moment. People looked like they wanted to speak up, but no one felt comfortable enough to. Instead, everyone just looked to Harmony, who was nervous to say anything. She didn't want to start an argument, let alone with a ghost.

'Um,' she stumbled, 'My name's Harmony, and…and I'm a girl.'

Sir Nicholas looked at Harmony, bemused and incredulous. 'Really? Are you sure? One can just declare as such these days? Well, maybe that's what you think, but that doesn't mean it's true.'

'Actually, it doesn't matter what you think,' Hermione interrupted. 'If Harmony says she's a girl, you'll call her such because it's rude to say she's not. Or have you forgotten what you just said, Nearly-Headless Nick?'

The table erupted into laughter and jeered at Hermione's shade. Fred and George in particular could barely hold themselves together.

'Yeah, Nick,' said George. 'Hypocrite much?'

Sir Nicholas scrunched his face in embarrassment. Instead of trying to argue, he turned away so swiftly that his head fell off his neck, staying attached to his body by only a thin strip of skin. The ghost flew off and out of the hall, muttering angrily to himself.

'Don't worry about Sir Nicholas,' said the eldest of the Weasleys. 'He's old and proud, a bit stuck in his ways, but he'll come around. I'm Percy, by the way. I'm a Prefect, so if you have a problem with Nick or anyone else here, come to me and I'll do my best to help.'

The conversations thankfully took a more pleasant turn for the rest of the feast. Hermione started grilling Percy about what the lesson plans would be like, whilst Harmony joined in conversations with Neville and Seamus Finnegan about their first experiences with magic, and was relieved to hear their own stories weren't too different from her own. Seamus was the son of a witch and a Muggle, so it was fifty-fifty whether he'd be a wizard, whilst Neville thought he might not have been for years despite both his parents being magical and didn't show any signs until he was eight. For the first time, Harmony felt like she was around people who actually understood her or, when they couldn't, accepted her regardless.

Harmony's eyes were drawn back to the staff table by the loud THUNK of Hagrid putting a little too much weight on the table as he sat up, nearly tipping the whole thing over. Luckily, a pale teacher in a dark robe with greasy, long hair put his hand down on the other end to keep it steady. As he turned his attention back to chatting with Professor Quirrell, the eyes of the long-haired man caught with Harmony's and his face suddenly changed. He clearly recognised Harmony, but the motivations behind his gaze weren't obvious. He could have been angry, jealous, or perhaps just fascinated. Harmony couldn't tell, but she was unnerved regardless.

'Percy?' she asked. 'Who's that talking to Professor Quirrell?'

'That's Professor Snape, the Potions Master,' Percy explained. 'Though I hear he hates it. When the Defence Against the Dark Arts position came up, apparently he campaigned hard to Dumbledore for it, but he gave it to Quirrell instead. It was a bit of an odd choice, to be honest, given his prior post was Muggle Studies. I mean, Quirrell is a nice enough chap, smart too, but he's very…timid, should we say.'

'Timid?' butted in Fred. 'I once saw him faint at the mere sight of a mooncalf. How's he going to teach us to fight dark wizards?'

As the dinner drew to a close, Dumbledore got up to his podium again and called the room to silence by tapping his glass. 'Just a few more reminders before we end tonight.

'Quidditch trials will begin next week, so please speak to your house team captains if you wish to try out, though you must be at least a second-year student.

'Mr Filch has asked me to remind you, as he often does, that the use of magic outside of classrooms is prohibited, especially between students.

'Students new and old are reminded that the forests surrounding the grounds are off-limits without adult supervision and, for this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is strictly forbidden to all students; no ifs, ands, or buts.

'That is all. Thank you, and good night.'

As the students began filing out of the hall, the tables still covered with leftover food were suddenly emptied and left in much the same state they had found them. Percy called out to the first-years to follow him so he could escort them to Gryffindor tower, but Fred and George walked with their brother for a bit.

'So what's on the third floor then, Mr Prefect?' asked George.

'I don't know,' he replied bluntly.

'C'mon, big bro,' taunted Fred. 'Surely an important boy such as yourself knows about it.'

Percy sighed and relented. 'I admit, I'm as curious as you are. Professor McGonagall did bring it up during our initial Prefect meeting, but wouldn't tell us anything other than anyone who even tried to enter it would be putting themselves in danger. So I must press you: I don't know, and you probably don't want to.' Percy then turned his attention back to the new students and ushered them up the entrance hall stairs.

Harmony and her fellow Gryffindors soon found themselves at the foot of a grand staircase that went on for twelve flights. 'This is the Grand Staircase,' Percy explained. 'From here, you can access every floor of the castle, though there are of course many other routes you can take; you'll quickly find your way around, I'm sure. Just a forewarning though: the stairs like to change where they go sometimes, so…watch your step.'

Percy guided Harmony and the other first-years up the stairs, carefully halting them as they reached one that seemingly led to nowhere. A few moments later, the rest of the staircase floated down and they continued their path up. Harmony wondered how this was at all a convenient way to get around a massive castle, especially if you were in a hurry to get to a class, but just assumed there must have been some method to the madness.

As they continued to climb the seemingly-endless steps, Harmony started to notice all of the paintings moved. Unlike the photos in the Daily Prophet though, the portraits could see and even talk to the passing students. Several of them waved and said hello to Percy as he passed, congratulating him on becoming a Prefect, whilst others were simply tucking themselves in for the night or even fast asleep already.

At the top of the fifth flight, Percy stopped as he came across about a dozen walking sticks floating in the air, blocking his path forward. Drawing his wand for safety, he carefully approached them, only for them all to suddenly fly forward and whack him several times.

A twisted cackle echoed through the cavernous tower, saying, 'Ha ha! Percy Prefect got plonked! Ha ha!'

Percy grimaced. 'Peeves! Show yourself!'

A ghostly man then phased out from behind one of the portraits, greatly disturbing the young lady residing in the painting, and floated up and around the staircase the first years stood on. He was a small man dressed in what resembled a jester outfit, his eyes bugged out of their sockets, and his mouth was stuck in a smile that stretched wider than his cheeks. At first Harmony assumed he was a ghost, but he was corporeal and didn't have that haunting glow like Sir Nicholas.

'Children, this is Peeves, Hogwarts' unfortunate resident poltergeist,' explained Percy, nursing his bruises. 'He can't hurt you…much.'

'Ooh, Ickle Firsties!' chimed Peeves gleefully. 'The fun I'll have with you.'

'Go away, Peeves!' shouted Percy, 'or I'll get the Bloody Baron after you! Huh? You don't want that, do you?'

Peeves stopped to think for a moment, then blew a raspberry in Percy's face instead. As he flew off, he picked up the walking sticks and threw them in the direction of the students, all of them landing on top of poor Neville.

The students at last came to their final stop on the seventh floor, where there sat a portrait of a heavy-set woman in a frilly pink dress. 'Password?' she asked.

'Caput Draconis,' said Percy. Upon uttering it, the lady nodded and her portrait swung open, revealing a passageway behind it.

The tunnel led the first-years into a cosy round room packed with sofas, armchairs, and bookshelves. 'Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room, where I'm sure many of you will relax and study between classes. Gryffindor Tower itself is where your dormitories are, and where your belongings have already been taken. Girls, take the door on the left. Boys, the same on the right. Have a good night, and be ready for lessons in the morning.'

With that, the first-years broke apart. Some relaxed and gathered within the common room, whilst others were tired and headed straight for their dorm. As much as Harmony wanted to mingle and get to know her fellow Gryffindors better, she was also exhausted and wanted to make sure Hedwig was OK. She went for the entrance to the female dorms and opened it before heading up the stairs.

Suddenly, a loud and annoying klaxon-like noise began to sound across the whole tower. Everyone gathered at the foot of the stairs to see what was going on. The steps beneath Harmony's feet shifted inwards, turning into a slippery slide that she tumbled embarrassingly to the bottom of.

Percy rushed in, hearing the commotion. 'What happened?'

'I don't know,' said Harmony. 'I was just going up to my dorm and –'

'Ah,' said Percy, slightly embarrassed. 'I should have said. The stairwell to the girls' dormitories is charmed to stop boys from entering.'

'But I –' Harmony's heart sank. Now even the castle itself was discriminating against her.

'I'll get Professor McGonagall,' panicked Percy as he rushed off out of the common room.

Once again, all attention was on Harmony. She was incredibly uncomfortable with all the staring, and even more so by the lack of support or sympathy. Only Hermione was quick to jump to her side.

'I'm so sorry, Harmony,' she said. 'I mean, I understand the point of the charm, but it's still outrageous that they hadn't even considered this might be a problem.'

'I don't see the issue,' piped up Lavender Brown unprompted. She was a preening young girl with immaculate braided pigtails tied together with pink bows, and a perpetual smug grin on her face. 'Why can't Harmony just sleep in the boys' dorm?'

'Um, because she's not a boy?' snapped back Hermione incredulously.

'OK, maybe,' Lavender conceded, 'but…they're not exactly a girl either. I mean…not really.'

Lavender looked around smugly, expecting she wouldn't be the only one thinking this, but comfortingly to Harmony her fellow girls seemed to be on her side. Fay Dunbar gave Lavender a very dirty look, whilst Parvati Patil awkwardly slid away from her on the couch. Getting the message, Lavender promptly shut her mouth, but avoided eye contact with Harmony for the rest of the night.

Percy finally returned with Professor McGonagall in tow. 'Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mr Weasley,' she said to him before turning her attention to Harmony and taking her aside.

'I'm sorry, Miss Potter. The charms were placed on that staircase centuries ago. We had no idea they were triggered by…well, let's not dwell on it. To be perfectly honest, Harmony, you're the first trans student we've ever had; at least, the first openly so whilst here.

'Figuring out a way to accommodate you whilst keeping the protection charms intact may take time, unfortunately. Until then, you can still have access to the girls' dormitories as long as you're with another female student who has given honest and expressed permission for you to enter. My apologies again, Miss Potter, but it's the only workaround we have for now.'

Hermione took Harmony by the hand and walked them up the female dorm stairs, having to literally tell the stairs it was OK for her to climb them. They finally reached the first-year girls' dorms, which had been fitted with six four-poster beds with rich red-velvet curtains. Harmony's luggage, including Hedwig, had been placed by the bed closest to the window, which had a fantastic view of the lake below.

As she and the other girls prepared for bed, Harmony shut herself inside her bed with the curtains to change into her pyjamas, not wishing to risk another scene with Lavender. Once she was ready, she quickly slipped under the covers and fell asleep.

That night, Harmony had an incredibly strange dream. She found herself talking to Professor Quirrell's turban, which spoke in the Sorting Hat's voice. It kept telling her that it was her destiny to be in Slytherin. When Harmony refused, the turban unravelled and started wrapping itself around her face. As the purple fabric tightened around her face, Harmony caught glimpses of several different people laughing at her: Sir Nicholas, Lavender, Malfoy, Pansy, and Quirrell himself.

When she finally ripped the turban off her face, she found herself back in her cupboard under the stairs. She banged on the door, trying to get out, but it was locked. Then the door opened and in peered Vernon Dursley, but it wasn't quite him. His face wasn't red but instead pale and sickly, his irises had become thin and glassy, and most disturbingly he had no nose but instead giant slits where it should have been. This haunted Uncle Vernon reached his hands out as if trying to strangle Harmony, but there was a sudden green light and the dream was over.

Harmony woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. Much of the details of the dream gradually left her mind, but the image of that warped Vernon plagued her so much that she didn't fall back to sleep for another hour.