– CHAPTER EIGHT –

The First Week

'Wait, so…Potter's a girl now?'

'Wow, You-Know-Who must have really messed that kid up.'

'I think she's brave. What's the big deal, anyway?'

'Aren't they a bit young to do that? How do they know?'

'I heard Potter got kicked out of the girls' dorm. What a creep!'

'Wasn't being famous enough? I think he just wants attention.'

Everywhere Harmony went on her first full day at Hogwarts, it seemed like every other student was gossiping about her. People would stare at her as she passed by, and some would even follow her like a celebrity. For every positive interaction she had with someone, there was an equally negative one to balance it out.

Harmony had enough to deal with just trying to find her way around the complex halls of the castle, but at every turn, she was either being heaped with praise or called a freak. Even her fellow Gryffindors weren't unanimous in their support, though only Lavender Brown was bold enough to vent her opinions for all to hear. Hermione did a lot to keep Harmony's spirits high throughout the day, but as soon as they reached a classroom, she was immediately more focused on trying to prove herself to the teachers than comforting her friend.

Thanks to Sir Nicholas, it seemed the gossip had even spread to the ghostly residents of Hogwarts. The Spirit of Gryffindor himself was too proud to help Harmony or Hermione after they showed him up at the start-of-term banquet, whilst Slytherin's phantom The Bloody Baron would pester Harmony any time they crossed paths in the hall with his sword; it didn't hurt her at all, but it was still rather annoying.

That said, Peeves' behaviour was by far the worst. He was admittedly an annoyance to pretty much everyone he crossed, knocking over bookshelves or locking students in cupboards just to amuse himself, but he was especially nasty towards Harmony. He would often fly above her head as she walked between lessons, chanting loudly to all those who could hear, 'Potter's gone potty! He thinks he's a girlie!'

Harmony couldn't even fully count on the staff to have her back, and no one was worse than the caretaker Argus Filch and his grungy cat Mrs Norris; a far too cute name for such a nasty creature. Pretty much any time Harmony crossed paths with Mrs Norris, she'd run off to fetch Mr Filch, who'd then come in running and panting only to grimace at Harmony, seemingly just for the crime of existing.

The only time Filch ever had an actual reason to be angry with Harmony was when she got lost on the third floor and was caught trying to go through the forbidden corridor. Luckily, Professor Quirrell happened to be passing by and was able to get Harmony off the hook.

When it came to lessons, Harmony enjoyed a few but many others were difficult or just boring for her. Being close friends with Hermione ended up being a major help, as she seemed to know more about magic already than a lot of the wizardborn students.

Harmony quite enjoyed Charms because it involved the most use of practical magic in fun ways, and their teacher Professor Flitwick was an incredibly delightful gentleman. He was a diminutive and odd-looking fellow, which was allegedly due to some kind of goblin ancestry, but he had thrice the life and personality of several average-sized men.

Transfiguration was quite a tricky subject and started incredibly slowly. Harmony assumed they'd be transforming frogs into princes or something, but their first lesson was just turning matches into needles. Professor McGonagall could be strict, heaping them with far more homework than any other teacher, but she was kind and thoughtful where it counted. After a few lessons, Harmony plucked up the courage to ask her if any transfiguration spells could help her in her transition.

'There are, but it's not so simple,' McGonagall said, regretful but candid. 'You're still young, and that increases Ministry scrutiny. You'd also need parental approval, and given your unclear guardianship status, that only complicates it further. I'm sorry, there's not much we can do right now, but know that Dumbledore is working on it.'

Herbology was a bit of a mixed bag. Professor Sprout was a wonderfully excitable and flamboyant teacher, clearly in love with all the weird and wonderful magical plants she grew in the school greenhouses, but her infectious charm only went so far as Harmony spent countless lessons just doing gardening work.

Still, it was a step above History of Magic taught by Professor Binns, who had literally died decades ago and yet continued to teach well into his afterlife years. He would enter the classroom by phasing through the blackboard, and then drone on in seemingly endless lectures in which he would often completely lose his train of thought. Even Hermione couldn't bring herself to be engaged in Binns' classes and began essentially teaching herself via her textbooks.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was a subject Harmony and a lot of other first-years were excited about, but given this was Professor Quirrell's first year on the job, it was hard to know exactly what to expect. Students who had been there the previous year were quite fond of the prior teacher Professor Green, but Quirrell was quickly seen as something of a laughing stock.

There was simply too much focus on theory and facts over practical skills for Harmony. The only vaguely useful spell they learnt was the knockback jinx Flipendo, which Malfoy and the other Slytherins abused in class to fling junk at Harmony from across the classroom. Despite their bullying being quite evident, Quirrell did nothing to stop them.

It was hard to believe such a fearful and anxious man could be an effective teacher in combatting dark magic, and to make matters worse, his classroom smelt horribly of garlic. This was supposedly due to a vampire attack he'd had over the summer, which had left him extremely precautious in case it happened again.

Fred and George Weasley joked the reason Quirrell wore a turban was to hide the garlic he wore on his head, so he'd be safe from vampires wherever he went. Quirrell claimed he received the turban as a gift from an African prince during his recent travels for helping fend off a zombie horde, but no one believed Quirrell was capable of fighting one zombie, let alone several.

However, the worst was yet to come for Harmony. On the Friday morning that marked the end of their first week, Harmony and Hermione took a look at their timetable whilst eating their breakfast.

'Double Potions with the Slytherins?' Harmony gasped. 'Kill me now.'

'Don't be so dramatic, Harmony,' Hermione chastised. 'I've been dying to try making Potions.'

'That's not what I'm worried about. It's Snape.'

'You're still scared of him? He's never even talked to you. And even if he is really a berk, I'll be with you every step of the way.'

The cawing of owls blared through the Great Hall as the morning post arrived. They all flocked in carrying various letters and packages, and amongst them was Harmony's dear Hedwig, who had very much taken Katy's place as the favourite animal in her life (though Katy certainly still had her place).

All through the week, Hedwig had arrived with no mail but came simply to see Harmony, and otherwise spent her time in the school's owlery tower with her kind. Today though, Hedwig had brought a letter with Harmony excitedly opened. Though it was hard to decipher due to the scrawly nature of the handwriting, it read:

Dear Harmony,

Hope your first week has gone well. Would love to hear all about it. Do you want to pop over to my hut after classes for tea and a chat? Bring a friend or two if you want; any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Send Hedwig with a message back to let me know.

Hagrid.

With no other paper to hand, Harmony grabbed her quill and simply wrote 'Yes please! See you then! xoxo' on the back of Hagrid's parchment, then handed it to Hedwig to deliver her reply. Harmony had very much missed Hagrid over the first week and rarely saw him other than occasionally at meals, so she was at least glad she had something to look forward to.

Professor Snape's classroom was deep in the dungeons of the castle. It was a dark and poorly-lit room, which reeked of coal and damp. The walls were filled with vials of garishly coloured liquids, and jars containing pickled animal parts that glowed eerily in the candlelight. The gloomy setting only made Snape that much more imposing, barely even visible as he was swallowed up by his dark cloak and oily locks.

As most classes did, Snape began with the register. When he reached Harmony's name, he paused and glared at her intensely from his desk, his dark and frigid eyes almost petrifying her into fear.

'Ah, yes,' he glowered in a hushed voice, 'Potter. Our new celebrity.'

On the other side of the classroom where the Slytherin students had gathered, Draco Malfoy shot his own threatening stare at Harmony, though his had a cheekier intention. Once Snape finished with the register, he got up and addressed the class more formally.

'The brewing of Potions is a delicate science,' he began, 'so there will be no silly wand-waving in this class. Many of you would be hard-pressed to believe this even counts as magic, but there are concoctions you will learn to craft here that may save your life better than any spell could. A potion can bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. You can bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death…that is if, and only if, you're clever enough to listen to me.'

The class was enraptured. Whether you liked him or not, Professor Snape was a compelling public speaker. Harmony remained chilled by his mere presence, but Hermione was practically on the edge of her seat, as eager to prove herself as ever.

Snape turned and pointed straight at Harmony. 'Potter!' he spat. 'Tell me what happens when you add powdered root of asphodel to a wormwood infusion.'

Harmony was stumped. Snape hadn't even framed it as a question; it was more of an order. Hermione, of course, already had her hand up in the air ready to answer, but Snape ignored her and kept his finger pointed at Harmony.

'I'm not sure,' shrugged Harmony.

Snape frowned as he took a step toward Harmony. 'Not sure, or don't know? There is a distinct difference, Potter. And you will call me "sir" or "Professor" when you address me. Now where would you look if I asked you to procure a bezoar?'

Again, Harmony had no idea. Hermione's hand was still up. Snape continued to act as if she wasn't there.

'I don't know…sir,' Harmony fumbled.

Snape drew ever closer. 'Then please at least tell me you know the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?' he seethed.

Harmony couldn't bring herself to say anything or even look at Snape. Hermione was now waving her arm, as if that would help Snape notice her, but to no avail.

Eventually, Snape took Harmony's silence as her answer. 'Clearly, fame isn't everything.'

Several of the Slytherins laughed, Malfoy the loudest amongst them. Hermione finally broke out of her teacher's pet trance enough to realise how shaken Harmony was.

'You OK?' she asked with concern.

'Fine,' Harmony replied despite clearly not being.

'There must be someone worthy here who can tell me,' declared Snape. 'Five house points to the first student who can.'

Hermione's hand immediately shot back up; the only Gryffindor who was even willing to take a stab at it. Snape, however, basically ignored that side of the class and looked to the Slytherins. After a moment's thought, Pansy Parkinson raised her hand. Snape immediately picked her.

'Asphodel and wormwood are used to make Draught of Living Death,' she answered. 'You'd find a bezoar in the stomach of a goat, and monkshood and wolfsbane are just different names for the same plant.'

Snape faintly smiled. 'Very good, Miss Parkinson. Five points to Slytherin.'

The Slytherins clapped for Pansy, who shot Hermione a smug look before sticking her tongue out. Finally, she burst.

'But, Professor,' pleaded Hermione, 'that is so unfair! I –'

'Miss Granger, put your arm down and be quiet!' yelled Snape. 'There is nothing I disdain more than a toadying know-it-all.'

Hermione might as well have just ingested some Draught of Living Death herself, because she was left completely stone-faced. Things didn't get much better as the lesson progressed into brewing their first potion: a basic cure for boils.

Snape continued to ignore the Gryffindors unless he had an excuse to shout at them, batting away any questions they had and instead Malfoy and Pansy with praise. Hermione instead took it upon herself to teach Harmony, strictly following the textbook instructions, and they were making good progress even without the teacher's assistance.

Eventually though, Snape had to take notice when Neville and Seamus' cauldron let out a huge plume of green smoke before melting down into sludge. Their potion splashed all over Neville as the cauldron gave away, covering him from head to toe in horrific red ulcers.

Snape looked furious, even as he tried his best not to show it. After cleaning up the mess with a flick of his wand, he ordered Seamus to take Neville to the hospital wing.

'Idiot child,' he said as they left. 'They added the porcupine quills too early.'

'Sir, to be fair,' Ron nervously chimed in, 'they were trying to get your attention to ask about that.'

Snape completely blanked Ron. His focus instead went right back to Harmony and Hermione.

'Well, you two? Or should I say Miss Granger, as Potter seems to be happy just being your assistant? Did you not notice your colleagues making such an error, or were you just hoping it'd make your work look better?'

Hermione struggled to get the words out. 'No, sir, I –'

'Four points from Gryffindor, for gross negligence,' Snape droned. 'I'll consider lowering it to two if you can finish your potion to my expectations.'

An hour later, and despite brewing a concoction faster than Malfoy and Pansy to the same quality level, Snape did end up deducting the full four points. Hermione was utterly distraught; she couldn't possibly fathom the idea of being in trouble. As they made their way out of the dungeon and back to the entrance hall, she was already deep into catastrophising the whole situation.

'What if my parents find out?' she worried. 'I've never been punished at school before, and they have such high expectations of me. And the other Gryffindors? Oh, one week in and I'm already letting the house down.'

'Bloody hell, calm down!' said Ron snidely in passing. 'It's only four points. Considering how many we lose on account of Fred and George, no one will even notice.'

'And don't get me started on Pansy!' she continued to grumble. 'Showing off like some kind of know-it-all, stealing our points. Who does she think she is?'

Ron couldn't help but laugh. 'Sorry, you talking about Pansy, or yourself?'

The other Gryffindor boys joined in chuckling at Ron's joke, but Hermione didn't take kindly to it. She stormed off from the rest of the group, heading outside into the castle's main courtyard. Harmony quickly followed, finding Hermione sat on a stone bench, taking deep breaths with her head in her hands.

'It's OK, Hermione,' Harmony said comfortingly as she sat down next to her. 'It's not your fault. I knew Snape was bad news, but you'll make up those points back in other classes before you know it. Hey, why don't you come to see Hagrid with me? Might help distract you.'

Hermione pulled herself together. 'Yeah,' she sniffed. 'OK.'

With classes over for the day, Harmony and Hermione left the boundaries of the castle and headed down the hill towards the Forbidden Forest, where Hagrid lived in a small stone cottage next to the woods. The outside of the house was littered with gardening equipment, and a crossbow hung high on a hook on the porch.

Harmony knocked on the door and was greeted not by Hagrid, but by a large black bloodhound sulking up at her. The gamekeeper himself followed soon after, and greeting Harmony with a warm hug.

'Harmony, Hermione, this is Fang,' said Hagrid as he petted his dog. 'Fang, this is Harmony and Hermione. They're friends now, y'hear? Now c'mon! Make yerselves at home.'

Hagrid's hut was just one large room with little semblance of organisation. There was a small kitchen nook with a gas stove which Hagrid began to boil his kettle on, a small wooden table and a few chairs around it, and a gigantic bed that took up a sizable chunk of the floor space. In between it all were random stacks of wood for the fireplace, even more gardening equipment, and even some game hanging from the ceiling. Hermione nearly vomited from the mere whiff of the meat suspended above her head.

Whilst his tea was average at best and his homemade rock cakes were practically inedible, Hagrid was still a great chat and a welcome distraction for Harmony at the end of a hectic first week. She was glad to hear Hagrid had no love for Mr Filch or Mrs Norris either, but as the conversation turned to their Potions lesson, he was a bit more defensive.

'Pay it no mind, I say,' Hagrid advised. 'Snape doesn't really like anyone, especially students. It doesn't mean he hates you.'

'You didn't see it though,' said Harmony. 'It was like he was just looking for an excuse to get at us. And the way he said my name? It was like it pained him. He couldn't call me "Harmony" or even "Miss Potter". It was just… "Potter."'

'Yer getting yourself worked up over nothing. I know he may not seem it, but deep down under that mouldy shell, Snape is a good 'un. Trust me, I've seen it.'

Harmony still struggled to believe it, even coming from Hagrid. Whilst Hermione got deep into asking Hagrid about what kinds of magical wildlife lived on the Hogwarts grounds, Harmony found the latest edition of the Daily Prophet sitting on the kitchen table. The article it was open on immediately caught her eye:

BREAK-IN AT GRINGOTTS COMES UP EMPTY

The investigation into the unprecedented breach in security of Gringotts Bank on 31 July has concluded. The Ministry of Magic refused to comment on speculation the attempted robbery was the work of dark witches or wizards, but confirmed further enquiries would take place to reassure the public that the bank remained secure.

Gringotts themselves have repeatedly insisted that despite the lapse in security, nothing appeared to have been stolen. The vault that had been opened by the intruders was already empty; its contents withdrawn some time before the robbery took place. No other vaults were broken into, suggesting the culprits were after something specific, but Gringotts have declined to comment.

'Due to our strict client confidentiality, we cannot divulge who that vault belongs to and what may have been stored inside prior to its emptying,' said a spokesgoblin for the prestigious depository.

'Hey, Hagrid,' Harmony piped up. 'Someone tried to rob Gringotts on my birthday.'

Hagrid looked a bit panicked as soon as Harmony mentioned it, but tried to play it cool. 'Ah, yes. Heard about that. Weird, innit?' he said, before continuing to explain to Hermione the dietary requirements of a Niffler.

Harmony looked over the article again. The vault that had been opened by the intruders was already empty. Harmony and Hagrid had been to Gringotts about a week before her birthday, and Hagrid had emptied Vault 713, but there was nothing in there but a small parcel. Surely that couldn't be what these thieves were looking for? Harmony remembered Hagrid mentioning that he was collecting the package on Dumbledore's orders. Where was it now? Why did Dumbledore need it?

After Hagrid finally shooed her and Hermione off so they could head to dinner, Harmony thought about those questions longer and harder than anything she'd studied in her classes that past week. She had been at The Leaky Cauldron on her birthday. For all she knew, the thieves were amongst the many passing faces that asked for her autograph that day.