Last time...

"I was bullied in primary school." Hera began, not wanting to look at him now. "Dudley made sure everyone knew not to be friends with me. He and his gang made sure I knew I was a sniveling little freak, especially if I cried. They would push my down the stairs, yank my hair, throw rocks at me, try and rip off my clothes, even pour buckets of yuck on me if they could manage it."

Sirius looked mortified, obviously knowing where this was headed, but not wanting to face it.

"Pretty soon, the whole school got in on it, or at least it felt that way. They certainly ignored what was happening to me, that's for sure. Couldn't be friends with that Potter girl. She's always wearing those raggedy clothes that don't fit right. Her hair is too unkempt. Her family says she's troubled. Can't trust a thing she says. She's bad news." Hera continued, her voice sounding hollow and far away to her own ears. "Dudley and his friends had this game they liked to play called 'Hera Hunting' or 'Find the Freak', where they would find me, chase me down, and then beat me up while yelling about what a drunkard my father must have been, how my mother was a drug addict and a whore, how it was no wonder that they went and got themselves killed in that car accident drugged out of their minds, trying to numb the stupidity of having a freak like me for a kid. And if I happened to break an arm, or walk with a limp for a week, it was fine-"

"Hera…" Sirius trailed off, his voice filled with pain and regret.

She was glaring hard at him now. "-because I deserved it."

Chapter 15

Hera left for Diagon Alley after that. She could get her shopping done early, and quite frankly she didn't feel like being there anymore. If Sirius was going to grow up, he'd have to do it on his own. As the Leaky was obviously compromised, Hera opted to take the goblins advice on where to stay, which was with them. Coincidentally, they added a charge of mail tampering against Dumbledore, just to be vindictive about it. It had certainly made their day, though it had let the man know exactly where she was staying; not that he could get to her while she was there.

It was thanks to the goblins that she knew about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which really helped out when it came to shopping for dress robes. She'd opted to have something custom made, that way she could add any alterations she wanted to it later. The people at Twilfitt and Tattings were glad to assist her, having spoken to her at length before about the little alterations she made to her own clothes already. She'd just needed to pick up a few extra things, and add another compartment to her trunk. Mr. Wiseacre had been ecstatic. It was bordering on ridiculous at this point, and the two were just curious to see how many compartments they could add before the thing exploded or something.

It was during a particular shopping trip that she ran into Mrs. Weasley, and while she wasn't certain this was a coincidence, the woman was too nice to turn away; if a little overbearing at times. Hera couldn't seem to get too upset about it. Though the woman pushed at boundaries to the point of peer pressure and guilt, Hera could see she meant well. Mrs. Weasley, who insisted she call her Molly, had been excited to learn what Hera planned to do for the Yule Ball, though she did ask her to keep quiet about it to her children for the time being. It had lead to a conversation on domestic magic, which Hera had been more than eager to learn, curious about the spells magicals used to take care of things around the home.

While Molly went down to her family's vault, Hera packed up her things and thanked the goblins for their hospitality. They were exceedingly kind to her, especially because she always kept whatever deal she made with them, and she paid for whatever she asked for; giving more when she was inordinately pleased with what they had come up with. She got the sense that the wizarding world as a whole would benefit if they did that, but it wasn't like she was going to tell them either. After all, as Griphook had said, if they hadn't figured it out by now, they probably never would. Hera kind of liked how conniving the goblins were, shrewd in their dealings, knowing all too well what it was like to be betrayed by those she should have been able to trust; the Dursleys, and the dreams of a life not her own, came to mind.

When Molly comes back up to the lobby, Hera is ready to go, and they continue their conversation on domestic magic once at the Burrow. Molly is patient when she explains things, making sure that Hera understands before moving on to a different topic. She'd tried teaching her boys these spells, the woman had despaired, but none of them had a knack for more than the basics. Ginny had no patience for some of it, and while Hermione stayed with them at the moment as well, she'd not taken more than a cursory interest in the subject. When Hermione notices Hera's interest though, she wonders at it, huffing about feminism and liberating women from the kitchen.

The three girls stay up that night, and Hera and Ginny explain their point of view to Hermione. It's not that the boys can't learn, or that Molly hasn't tried to teach them; it's that they just have no interest in learning that magic. They'll do it the hands on way. It was hard for her to accept that a part of true feminism was recognizing that there were women who liked to be homemakers like Molly did, and that it didn't make her less of a woman for it, just as it did not make Hermione any less of a woman for wanting to focus on a career. Molly ran an entire farm, managed the finances, and scared all seven of her children onto the straight and narrow; any woman who could do all that was more than formidable. Hera won her over with the argument that if Ron or the other boys made fun of them for finding interest in the more domestic side of magic, if the boys thought they could take advantage of them, or thought that they were better than them, then they could teach those boys why they should fear and respect the women in their lives.

Up until that point, Hermione and Molly had often butted heads. Hermione was stubborn and wanted to be a liberated career woman, which was just fine, but she had been looking down on Molly for her choice while Molly had been doing the same to her; neither of which was okay. After the conversation though, things were much better, and Hera interrupted whenever it looked like Molly was trying to overexert her will on Hermione, and Ginny kept Hermione distracted enough that she didn't feel so pressured by Molly whenever the woman tried. Molly also wasn't particularly sure how to handle Hera's situation with Dumbledore either, other than polite curiosity, and Hera never talked bad about the man when asked about it; which helped a lot. The Weasley Matriarch had seen enough of Hera's behaviour to know that her family didn't treat her right, no matter how safe Dumbledore claimed she was there, that the woman only hummed in interest when Hera explained she'd transferred Draco's life debt to Lucius Malfoy so that he could help Sirius Black gain custody of her; or at the very least, get the man the help he needs.

Hera notices though that Molly treats her slightly different than her own children, and wonders why. She shouldn't have. None of them are as skittish as she is most days. The twins always make a lot of noise so as not to surprise her when they pop up. Ginny generally waits till she sees her or follows the twins plan.

Ron doesn't burst in at random so much anymore, but every once in a while he forgets, and Hera ends up accidentally apparating to a different part of the house. She's met the ghoul in the attic twice now because of that. It's actually quite nice, but she'll never tell anyone, because it loves pranking the twins just as much as the twins love pranking it. Percy doesn't come out of his room much, but when he does she expresses polite interest about his job; which surprises him enough that he finds himself in a full on conversation about the subject one day for over an hour without feeling like he's being belittled for loving his job.

The twins thinks she's insane for it, but they lay off pranking him when they see it makes her uncomfortable. She knows all too well what it is like for being thought of as the freak in the family, and when they hear that, the pranks definitely lighten up on Percy. He actually thanks her, but says he thinks they're funny, but will deny it with his dying breath if she ever says anything. It's nice having little secrets like that, like being a part of a real family. If he ever needs to prank the twins one day, she's offered to help; they'd never expect it. His shy acceptance of the offer is nice.

Charlie had talked excitedly about the new dragon that got 'anonymously' donated, and how it was doing. Bill worked at Gringotts, but she'd never really talked to him while there. Molly had not been impressed when Hera had taken an interest in the fang earring he wore, a recent acquisition, and had berated him at length for his long hair. Ron teased her about having a crush on Bill, but she shot that down, having always wanted a cool older brother. Bill took this role seriously, which prompted a prank war with the twins, while Charlie and the others watched on with amusement.

With the wake up call happening so early in the morning, Hera had opted to just change into tomorrows clothes, and make sure they were super comfy. Ginny had thought that was a brilliant idea, and though Hermione had argued about the unorthodox manner of it, she secretly agreed. So that morning they were much more prepared for things than the boys, and Ron just blearily glared at the three of them like they were some kind of unholy abominations he had yet to identify. Mr. Weasley used Hera as some kind of Muggle liaison, which she used to send Ron and the twins back to change their clothes three times before they realized she was pranking them without any effort at all.

Fred and George were later glad that she had done that, because it helped them hide their things better from their mother. They might not have gotten as many OWL's as Molly would have liked, but Hera had convinced them to take their studies more seriously. If they really wanted to open up their own joke shop, the more credentials they had, the better. Their mother certainly appreciated their attention to their studies, if not the motivation for why, though Hera wasn't sure how much the woman actually knew about her sons plans for their future. The three of them talked about it at length on the walk to the portkey that morning, with Mr. Weasley 'who she was supposed to call Arthur' listening in occasionally. He could be seen grinning about her offer to invest in their joke shop if they passed so many NEWT's; the better the grades, the more she would invest, and they were worth it.

When they'd made it to the portkey point, they'd met up with the Diggorys. Hera of course started talking to Cedric about Quidditch, while the twins just nodded. He'd beaten her to the snitch during the first match of the year, but it had been such a spectacular catch that she couldn't even be mad about it. The twins joked about fraternizing with the enemy when they start swapping tips, but Ginny is listening in with rapt attention; Her brothers didn't yet know that the girl has been nicking their brooms since she could walk, another nice little secret that made her feel like a part of the family. Hera'd not been paying attention to the conversation between Arthur and Mr. Diggory until she hears the man's exclamations about 'Harry Potter!'

"It's Hera, actually." Hera corrected automatically.

"Ced's talked about you, of course," Mr. Diggory plowed on, not paying attention. "Told us all about playing against you last year-"

Hera had been paying attention to Cedric, who was beginning to look more and more embarrassed, and figured that the man was bound to say something tactless, interrupted him.

"It really was a fantastic match." She agreed wholeheartedly.

"-said 'that's something you can tell your grandchildren, that will…You beat Harry Potter!" He continued as if she hadn't said a word.

"My name is Hera." She stated pointedly, glaring at him. "Not Harry."

The man just brushed it off as if he hadn't said anything wrong, and Cedric just mouthed 'I'm sorry about him' when his back was turned. Hera gave an 'It's fine' shrug, and the boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hera, why don't you mind it when Ron or one of us calls you Harry?" Hermione asks, quietly. The two adults are talking portkey semantics, but it's clear to Hera that they're listening in. "We haven't much, but I know we have."

"You all are my friends, and respected me enough to wait until I was comfortable with you before you did." Hera replied in kind. "I've heard people butcher your name. You never look like you enjoy it. Mione seems to be acceptable, but again, that's only because we waited till we'd cemented a friendship."

"It's almost time! Everyone, grab on to the boot!" Arthur called out. Everyone made to grab for said object. "Three…two…one..."

...

Hera was really glad she hadn't eaten much that morning, because when they landed she promptly landed on her knees and hurled up the contents of her stomach.

...

"Next time, Ron, just scare me to the Cup. Okay?" Hera groaned as she recovered, prompting the Weasleys and Hermione to laugh, while Cedric just grinned in amusement at a joke he knew he wasn't a part of, and Mr. Diggory just looked confused.

"You don't go out into the muggle world much, I take it?" Hera tried to ask in the most polite manner she could, looking at the two men in front of her, still looking a little green from the portkey.

"Not much, no…" The man on the left replied. "May I ask how you know that?"

"We're both muggle raised." Hermione explained, and the poncho man nodded in understanding. "He could have worn dragon hide boots with that suit, and been fine. People would have thought it was crocodile or something. They make shoes like that. I've never seen anyone wear a kilt and a poncho in combination before, but I like it. People will think you're a trend setter."

Hera nodded sagely, turning a little more green at the action, and tried to hide the grimace. Poncho guy brightened at Hermione's word, and the guy in the suit gladly switched shoes muttering about uncomfortable galoshes; they had been thigh highs too, the poor man.

"Here." Cedric whispered, handing her something that looked like a sugar cube. "It will help with the nausea, and vanish anything left over from the yuck. First portkey?"

Hera's grimace was all the confirmation he needed.

"Thanks. Side along apparation isn't so bad though, and I'm still trying to work out how to stick the landing when it comes to the Floo." Hera admitted, and Cedric chuckled in agreement. Arthur was talking to Poncho guy, who's named turned out to be Basil.

They all set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. It wasn't long before a small stone cottage came into view. Beyond it, hundreds of tents could be seen in the mists, like some kind of ghostly village. It was eerily beautiful. The Diggorys headed off in another direction though, and they said their goodbye's before heading towards the cottage. As they got close though, Hera had an alarming thought she hoped wasn't true, and turned to Arthur.

"Arthur, how comfortable are you with muggle money?" She whispered. Arthur grinned nervously, but it looked more like a grimace than a smile, and Hera instantly understood. "You never really need it for your job? Ever?"

"Not much opportunity to go shopping in muggle areas when I'm on the job, no." He lamented.

"We should go sometime, when you're free. If you take some of those plugs and broken things to the scrapyard, you'll have room for fully functional muggle equipment to play with, and they give you money for giving them your broken things." Hera whispered quickly. "But for right now, I have an idea."

"What's that?" Arthur whispered back.

"Pretend to be my dad, and I'm just a black haired Weasley." She replied, before strolling forward. "Follow my lead."

He squeaked in surprise, but followed after her.

"Morning, sir!" She called out. Hermione watched in amusement, but said nothing to the others.

"Morning." The man greeted.

"Would you be Mr. Roberts?" Arthur asked tentatively.

"I am." Mr. Roberts acknowledged. "And you?"

"Weasleys. Booked two tents a couple of days ago?" Arthur replied.

"Right. That'll be…" Hera pretended not to be paying attention on the amount until Arthur brought out the bills.

"Dad! You said I could pay this time!" Hera objected with an indignant huff.

Arthur caught onto her game, and smiled in amusement as he asked. "And do you happen to have any money, young lady?"

"Of course, I do!" Hera insisted, beginning to dig through her pockets. She'd actually meant to bring muggle money with her, but she knew it wouldn't be enough, so her blushing embarrassment at not having any muggle money was all too real as she looked over at him. Leaning over, she stage whispers. "Can I borrow some money off of you? I left mine at home."

"Right. Of course." Arthur teased, before handing her the money. She sorted out the correct amount, and then handed it to Mr. Roberts.

"Is this enough, Sir?" Hera asked innocently, with big hopeful eyes. Mr. Roberts chuckled, before handing back correct change as well as a map of the campsite. "A pleasure doing business with you."

When they were far enough away, she handed the money back to Arthur.

"That was inspired." Fred praised.

"Absolute genius." George carried on.

"Brilliant."

"Couldn't have done it better ourselves."

"Alright boys, that's enough. Thanks for the spot of help, Hera. Saved us from having to erase that poor blokes memory too, I suspect." Arthur stated. "You wouldn't happen to know how to put up a tent, would you?"

"Never been camping." Hera admitted regrettably, even as memories of dreams of that other life cropped up to give examples of what to do. She wasn't sure it would apply to modern tents anyway.

"I've memorized instruction manuals for tents." Hermione offered up helpfully.

"That's wonderful! We'll have to do this the muggle way, so we'll follow your lead when we get to our spot, Hermione." Arthur announced.

Hermione was brilliant when they got there, explaining the set up and what went where. Whenever Arthur got too enthusiastic with the mallet, they just moved him to a new spot. He loved it. Once everything was set up, Hera and Hermione were both surprised that the tents were bigger on the inside, though they shouldn't have been. Arthur wanted them to have the full muggle experience, and he was so happy about it that neither Hermione or Hera could deny him. So while Hera went with Ron to get the water, Hermione stayed to help with the firewood.

Hera ended up helping several other wizarding families start their fires with matches and newspaper or other such things under their firewood. They'd been looking at them like they weren't sure it would work. Ron watched in amusement as she kept getting waylaid by other people requesting help with theirs as well. Soon enough though, they were in a sea of green. Seamus looked to be having the time of his life, and his mother complained about the Bulgarian tents, which of course meant they all had to go look, which is how Hera learns about Krum.

Once at the queue though, they hear-

"Just put them on, Archie." A Ministry wizard sighed in exasperation, holding out a pair of striped trousers to an older man wearing a long flowering dress.

"I bought this in a muggle shop." The old man stubbornly insisted. "Muggles wear them."

"Muggle women, not men. Muggle men wear these." the Ministry wizard exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not putting them on." said old Archie in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."

"Erm…Excuse me, if I may?" Hera calls out, interrupting the men, both of whom blush in embarrassment when they see her impish grin at having obviously heard their conversation. "Why don't you wear what Basil had on? The man had a kilt on, right? Nice healthy breeze and all that. Muggles don't bat an eye twice if they see a man in a kilt, but you should know, Mr. Ministry wizard, that there are muggle men who do wear ladies clothes. Why not? There are ladies who wear men's clothes all the time. I myself am sporting a fine pair of boys cargo pants."

"Really?" Old Archie asked, as if she'd answered all his prayers, though he was intrigued about the cargo pants. "Why?"

"They have tons of pockets." Hera replied conspiratorially, like she was sharing a secret. "Don't have to worry about carrying a bag or anything when I can fit all I want in about eight different pockets."

Archie looked positively vindicated that he didn't have to wear the trousers if he didn't want to, and the Ministry wizard sent her a withering look, which she just smiled at innocently. As Archie walks away, she hears him chuckling 'Hera Potter says I can wear ladies clothes if I damn well want, Reggie. Take that!', which made her day. Ron chuckled, and eventually the two made it to their turn for water. It took a while to get back, because more people needed help with fires, and they'd seen her helping before but missed her before they could ask. It also didn't help that the water was heavy.

"You've been ages." George commented when they got back.

"Hera's a helper." Ron explained, and then proceeded to tell the story of the trail of fires and Archie of the nice healthy breeze to the delight of many a Weasley.

...

Several Ministry officials came and went as they day wore on. Ludo Bagman, who was apparently the Head of Sports or something, even stopped by. Only Hera's stern eye kept the twins from betting, something Arthur appreciated. They did show him one of their fake wands though, which he was excited about, paid them and then promptly left. Hera took the five galleons from the twins before they could pocket it though.

"Arthur, is there a spell to check if money is fake or not?" Hera asked, frowning at the gold coins. "Something feels off about these. Humour me?"

Arthur did as asked, and was surprised when the spell confirmed her suspicions.

"Let that be a lesson to you." She warned Fred and George. "If someone is sure they can make a quick galleon off you like he was, they also think they can scam you too. Is there anyway we can report him?"

"Not really. They aren't licensed yet, but I should at least tell one of the officials. They'll be on him for peddling fake gold again." Arthur explained. "It wouldn't be the first time he's used it, and he owes a lot of money to people, goblins especially."

Both Fred and George deflated at that, but accepted it.

"Oh, don't look like that. Show us around the souvenir shops." Hera insisted, taking an arm of each one. "We can scope out shop ideas at the same time!"

That perked them right up, and after lunch the lot of them went round the shops. Percy stayed to catch up on a bit of work, and a stern eye kept the twins from picking at him too much for wanting to impress his boss. Ron bought some kind of dancing shamrock, and an enchanted Victor Krum figurine. Hera couldn't resist and bought one too, but hers had a little broom the shop owner insisted would allow the little Krum to fly when he was set on a stable surface, and an itty bitty snitch already in hand. She'd been impressed with some kind of brass binoculars, buying three pairs before anyone could stop her. Ron was still weird about money, but he also knew that she'd grown up with less than him, and didn't want her thinking she had to buy his friendship.

"If you want, you won't be getting anything for your birthday for like the next ten years." Hera insisted with a grin, which made him laugh.

"Well that sounds fair then." Ron agreed, his grin as big as her own.