The Slytherin common room had always been a place where Draco felt comfortable. Mostly because he was the prince. The future king. A legacy. But things had changed when Hari had started removing dark marks. There were many students, like Draco, who were relieved to distance themselves from the madman that called himself Voldemort. Many whose childhoods were fraught with fear for a man most thought dead.
Some, like seventh year Cassius Warrington, were jealous. While his parents were marked supporters of the Dark Lord, they had no interest in changing sides, so Cassius was stuck. Now that the Dark Lord had returned, Warrington was expected to be a loyal soldier.
Pansy was an interesting case – her parents had joined the dark lord because of her grandparents and, like the Malfoys, always regretted it. But Pansy was a genuine supporter of Tom. She was cruel and vindictive. When she fought, she fought for blood. The Bellatrix Lestrange of her generation. She told the older Slytherins about it first, and the word had spread. The regime shifted quickly, and Draco was dragged off of his high horse.
No longer the Slytherin prince, Draco Malfoy found himself to be… relieved. He hadn't truly known the weight of his burden until it was removed. Crabbe and Goyle were still bound to him, as their parents were bound to his father, but Draco had finally found real friends. He and Theo Nott had known each other since they were toddlers, but they had always had a strained relationship. Both boys knew that their parents were using them to keep tabs on each other. Their relationship had always been a game of chess. They only revealed what they didn't mind others knowing. But now, the Malfoys were practically on the side of the light and Theo desperately wanted to join them. His parents were true supporters, but he was lucky enough to be sheltered by the Malfoys after the Dark Lords return. Now that neither boy had to spy on the other, Draco and Theo found that they quite liked each other's company. Both were smart, hardworking, quidditch loving heirs, but they also shared a secret love of muggle literature.
Blaise Zabini had always been a wild card. His family didn't hold a place in Britain's government, but they were extremely influential abroad. Draco had originally been instructed to watch the boy. That hadn't gotten him, or anyone, very far so he'd taken to ignoring the other boy's existence while watching from the shadows. But when the tides shifted, Zabini had aligned himself with Draco. Publicly. It had been odd, to say the least.
The younger Slytherins, ones without older siblings to pressure them into it, were staying on the sidelines of the war that was currently brewing in Slytherin house. Most of the fifth-year class had been labeled as traitors, but the sixth and seventh years were largely on the side of Voldemort. Being against the majority painted a target on Draco's back. The dorm was safe, but the common room had become a battleground. A battleground the Dark Lord was very interested in.
Other than Snape, Hari didn't mention the blood quill to anyone. Her arm was always hidden in the sling, and she literally couldn't feel it, so why bother? Hermione and Cedric would be way more upset about it than she was. And she didn't think Ron would care at all, at this point.
They'd been back at school for three weeks and the youngest male Weasley was just as grumpy as ever. Even more so now, because Hermione had prefect duties on top of O.W.L. review (which, yes, she had already started) and couldn't correct his homework for him anymore. His grades were already falling and somehow it was Hermione's fault. He'd been spending much more of his time with Dean and Seamus, while Neville had been spending more time with Hari and Hermione.
Hari had had enough of Ron's brooding after he snapped at everyone in charms and dragged him into an infrequently used corridor after class.
"Dude," she said firmly. "You have got to clean up your act."
Ron scoffed and turned away. "You don't get it."
"No," she agreed, "I don't. I know it sucks to be rejected but-,"
"It's not just that!" Ron interrupted.
"Then what is it?" Hari asked, stomping her foot in anger.
"Hermione and I are meant to be together," he started, keeping his arms crossed over his chest and talking down to Hari like she was too stupid to understand.
"Obviously you aren't," she countered.
"Yes, we are! And as soon as Krum gets tired of her, she'll come running to me!"
"I don't think Viktor is going to 'get tired of her,' Ron," Hari rolled her eyes. "He adores her."
"Oh, he's Viktor now, is he?" Ron mocked.
"Yes, Ron, I call him Viktor. We spent a surprising amount of time together last year," Hari said pointedly and copied Ron's posture, crossing her good arm over her bad one. "I don't know what your problem is. Shouldn't you be happy that she's happy? Isn't that more important?"
"She'll never be happy with someone who isn't me!"
"Oh, get over yourself, Ron!" Hari said with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. "You got rejected. It sucks. But it happens to literally thousands of people every single day! And you've got to stop making it everyone else's problem!"
"No!" Ron took a step back and tried to make himself appear larger by straightening his spine and puffing out his chest. "You don't get it, Hari, as soon as she stops whoring arou-,"
SLAP!
Ron took another step back and put his hand up to the cheek Hari had slapped. They stared at each other for a moment and Hari was about to rip him to shreds when Umbridge appeared.
"Miss Potter!" she said, and Ron looked smug. "I think another detention is in order, hmm?"
"Worth it," Hari spat without breaking eye contact with Ron.
Dear Hari,
It's kind of weird for the house to be as empty as it is. I got used to it being filled with people. Sirius spends a lot of time as Padfoot these days, and Remus has been helping me with school whenever he's around for missions. The school I go to is pretty small, and I haven't exactly made any friends. For once, I don't really mind.
I've been thinking about Aunt Marge a lot. I miss the person I thought she was, but I don't actually miss her, if that makes sense. I knew she could be cruel when she wanted to be, but she'd never been cruel to me before. Molly and Arthur still spend a lot of time at the house and Arthur asks me a lot of questions about muggle stuff. Is everyone you go to school with as uninformed as him?
Hope your year is more interesting than mine.
Dudley
Dudley,
I'm sorry you haven't made any friends. I know it must be difficult, since you can't invite them over or talk about your home life at all. One of my special projects has been integrating muggle and magical technology, and I think I'm getting close. So hopefully we can get you a TV and a PlayStation in the next few months.
I know what you mean about Marge, I feel the same way about my parents. I never knew them, but I used to fantasize about them, and that's the version of them I miss, the one I made up.
Yes, everyone here is just as uninformed as Arthur. He's actually a lot more informed than some of my classmates; it's something I'm hoping to change in the following years.
My year is definitely more interesting than yours, but not in a good way. Our Defense teacher this year is horrible! She hasn't tried to kill me yet (don't worry, there's still time) but she isn't letting us practice magic. She says that if we know the theory well enough, we'll be able to perform the spells on the first try. I'm currently plotting her downfall, and it will be glorious.
Hari
Hari,
Remus and Sirius have been filling me in on the other professors that have tried to kill you. I do not understand your life. I don't understand how you could go through all of that at school and then return to us over the summer like nothing happened. Part of me wants to ask why you never said anything, but I already know the answer.
I wish that I had had the courage to defy Dad. I wish that I had listened to the voice in my head that told me that their treatment of you was wrong. I wish a lot of things these days.
Sirius was telling me about the Muggle Studies course at Hogwarts and how it was outdated even when he went to school. Do you think they would ever allow a Muggle to teach the class?
Dudley
Dudley,
I think having a muggle teach the class would be wonderful. I'm not sure the current administration would allow it, but I definitely will after I overthrow the government.
Don't worry too much about your part in my life on Privet. All is forgiven, and I'm really enjoying getting to know the real you.
Sorry for the short letter, Hermione's got us all on a crazy study schedule for O.W.L.s.
Hari
Hari sat back against the common room couch with Hermione on one side and Fred on the other. Hermione was working on Arithmancy homework and Fred was working on some convoluted potions project that would definitely end in multiple explosions before it was perfected.
"What'd you get detention for this time?" George asked, coming out of their dorm with wet hair.
"I slapped Ron," Hari said without looking up from her book.
"What?" Hermione asked, looking up from her homework. "Why'd you slap Ron?"
"He called you a whore," Hari said with venom on her tongue.
"Oh," Hermione said sadly, then returned to her work.
"Who would've thought that our baby brother would be our biggest problem this year?" Fred asked rhetorically.
"I don't understand what's gotten into him," Hari said.
"He's always been odd," George said, plopping down on the floor in front of Fred. "He thinks he's entitled to a lot."
Hari looked up with resignation in her eyes, "I've always ignored that part of him."
"Bit hard to do that now," Fred asked lightly, eliciting a laugh from Hari.
"Hermione, we have rounds in five minutes," Neville said while coming down the stairs.
"Oh no!" she yelled, then frantically scrambled to get all her books and papers together. She ran to the dorm and came back down quickly, then she and Neville left the common room. Hari smiled to herself as they left the room. It was strange to see Neville in a role of authority, but it really suited him.
Dumbledore had agreed to start training Hari this year, but the presence of Umbridge made that difficult. Albus, in his infinite wisdom, decided that his training could be lumped in with Snape's. So now she was spending three nights a week down in the dungeons for 'remedial potions.' Everyone except for Umbridge knew how lame of an excuse that was. In the past year Hari had risen to the top of their potions class. Draco still held the number one spot, but Hari was ahead of Hermione. Her papers were marked poorly but her grades remained at a steady 'O.'
On their first night of training, they went through a memory from Dumbledore. The first was Tom's introduction to magic, a memory that deeply disturbed her.
"He was compulsed," Hari spat. "How could he compulse a child like that? To give up their secrets? Especially when those secrets are the only thing he had!"
"I don't know," Snape agreed, "though I'm sure you weren't meant to know about that part. It takes a trained eye to detect Albus' compulsion charms."
"And the wardrobe? What the fuck was that?"
"Language, Potter," Snape scolded her with more annoyance than disappointment.
"Seriously, what was that? The poor kid is an orphan, and obviously doesn't have many friends so you decide to steal his secrets and burn all of his possessions?"
"They didn't actually burn."
"Tom didn't know that!" Hari defended. "Albus' actions disturb me much more than Tom's do. If I had the ability make people do what I wanted, I would've made the Dursleys feed me!"
"And that, I believe, is one of Albus' greatest weaknesses."
Hari's brow furrowed and she studied the potions masters face, "What do you mean?"
"Albus has always lived a life of privilege. He has never needed magic that that you and Tom have. The way that I have," he admitted.
"Shit," she whispered. His childhood sucked too.
"You're not getting any details," he said defensively.
"I wasn't gonna ask," she said, raising her good hand up in surrender.
"Albus sees great power in children like you, me, and Tom, and all he can see is a threat. Because people like us usually use magic to protect ourselves before protecting others. Albus has never needed to do that. The Dumbledore's are not an ancient and noble house, but they were wealthy. He has never worried about where his next meal is coming from, so he will never understand people like us."
"He was trying to scare Tom," Hari stated.
"And he succeeded."
Hari looked off towards a potion that was brewing in the corner and the two sat in comfortable silence for a while.
"Do you think he made Tom?" Hari asked eventually.
"Made him what?"
"Like made him?"
Snape raised his eyebrows and thought about it for a moment. "No," he replied. "I don't think Albus ever consciously pushed the boy into becoming the thing he is now, but I do know that he left a child in an obviously abusive household while having the authority to rectify it."
"Hm," Hari hummed.
"I think that's enough for tonight," he said, and Hari left soon after.
The second night of training was spent on Occlumency. Those nights only ever lasted an hour, and Snape was confident that she would master the art soon. Since Hari was the only one receiving the occlumency lessons now, she passed on the teachings to the others. After she mastered occlumency, they moved onto Legilimency, which was so much worse than she ever thought it would be. Trying to sort out someone else's memories was a lot of work, and it gave her a splitting headache.
The third night of the week was dueling. He was still teaching her a bit of hand-to-hand combat, but it was difficult for her to do with only one arm. They met at the Room of Requirement, and Hari was absolutely destroyed every time. Emily had been a great dueler, but Snape was a master. He was fast, and he played dirty. Their rule for now was to stick to spells that could be healed before they parted. Hari was still at a major disadvantage, since she could only use one arm, but Snape didn't make it any easier for her. They spent at least twenty minutes healing her at the end of each night.
"You alright?" Cedric asked as he came up behind her after a particularly brutal duel with Snape.
"I'm dying," she said dramatically as she leaned into him.
"He's not being too hard on you, is he?"
"No," Hari sighed. "He's still going easy on me. Though his definition of 'easy' is much different than mine. How much time do we have before curfew?"
"Only about twenty minutes," Cedric said.
"I suggest we make our way to the nearest empty classroom," Hari said casually.
"I agree," Cedric replied.
The classroom they found was warded quickly as the pair sank into a long hug. Hari listened to his heartbeat while Cedric buried his nose in her hair. Their breaths synchronized before finally tearing themselves away from each other.
"This year is already a nightmare," Hari complained.
"It's not so bad," Cedric chuckled softly. "Not a single murder attempt has been made."
"Not yet," Hari snorted. She looked away and leaned her head on his chest.
"What's on your mind, love?" Cedric asked.
"It just feels like too much," Hari sighed. "I feel so… burdened. Like if I mess up even a little bit, I'll doom the entire world."
"You won't doom the whole world, Hari. At the most you'll doom Britain," he chuckled again.
"It's not funny," she reprimanded him, though she was also chuckling.
"You aren't alone," he said with a more serious tone. "I'll be here every step of the way. Hermione will too, and Merlin only knows what you'd do without her."
"Would've died ages ago," Hari agreed.
"I know things with Ron are… weird right now, but you've got the twins and Ginny and a surprising amount of Slytherins that are all on your side," he kissed her forehead gently and pulled back to look her in the eyes while he cupped her jaw. "You're brilliant, Hari. And you won't ever be alone again."
Hari's expression softened and she leaned forward to catch Cedric's lips with hers. "Thank you," she whispered as they parted. Cedric smirked slightly and leaned in for another kiss.
Hari shifted against him as she deepened the kiss, running her finger through his hair and he gripped her waist.
"Mmh," she moaned and opened her mouth as he swiped his tongue along her bottom lip.
Cedric moaned as well as he explored her mouth with his tongue and his hands wandered up and down her back.
"'Gonna, mhm, miss curfew," Hari muttered against his lips without fully breaking contact.
"Don't care," Cedric replied, gripping her butt with one hand. He moved his lips away from hers, then kissed down her jaw and neck.
"Ooohh~," Hari moaned as he bit down on her neck.
"Mhm," Cedric hummed smugly as he moved back up to her lips.
They chanced another few minutes of bliss before admitting that they needed to go to sleep.