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Chapter 35
The scene at Platforms Nine and Three-Quarters was bustling with activity, as it usually is during the start of a new school term. However, this time around, there was a palpable tension in the air. Amidst the throngs of students, a group of Aurors could be seen patrolling the area in full gear, their stern expressions and imposing presence causing many of the young students to feel slightly intimidated.
Too much, some first-year students were almost trembling, fearful of them.
The Potter family stepped onto the platform and instantly noticed the scene unfolding before them. A collective groan echoed through the air. James shook his head, his gaze fixated on the group of Aurors that stood there, emanating an intimidating presence. Lily, who was walking alongside Narcissa, embraced the Pureblood's arm tightly as if they were lovers, which they were technically, and simply exhaled without caring about what people would say about her.
"By the grace of Merlin's beard, James, can you make them less scary for the kids?" Lily whispered to James, who groaned loudly. "A little girl is crying already!"
"McCartney, Jenkins, Marthell, and Degoban, enough with the glares! You're scaring the kids," James mumbled, scoffing slightly as Harriet chuckled at her father.
"S-sorry, sir!" One of them muttered nervously.
"Go on then! Keep the patrol before I let Moody take you for a walk!" James threatened, and it appeared that naming Moody was enough for the recruits to scatter.
"I swear it, new recruits will be the end of me," James added with a sigh. "What are you looking at?" James asked his daughter with a scoff, and Harriet chuckled only.
"Nothing, Captain Potter," Harriet said while mocking a salute. "Why are Aurors here of all places? I doubt Malfoy will show up in public, let alone in the middle of the train station."
"As things stand out now, it's better to be prepared. Besides, Fudge has been on edge ever since Lucius escaped. Undoubtedly, he can see himself out of office if Lucius remains free. His popularity is already down as it is."
"He has been quite paranoid about this, hasn't he? How bad is it for the Auror Department? Amelia has been quite stressed out, from what Sirius has told us," Lily added as James scoffed, clearly upset about the state of things in the Auror Department.
"Amelia has been this close to strangling Fudge with her bare hands. I swear, Sirius and I have been there to keep Amelia from murdering the stupid oaf. But what he is trying to do really has put us on edge."
"What does that mean?" Harriet asked, watching the sudden angry expression on her father's face. It was an odd sight, no doubt, for Harriet to witness such visual distress and anger on James's face.
"He wants to look at himself as if he is doing something to stop this from falling off the table," James expressed almost hissingly. "Even involving the Dementors of Azkaban."
"Dementors?" Narcissa whispered, stunned, as she clung to Lily. "Is he out of his mind? What is he planning to do with the Dementors?"
"I think he wants to send them to Hogwarts as protection and some other places," James muttered. Harriet immediately peeked up at her father, and the moment she saw his eyes, she understood instantly what it meant, which stunned her.
"Because of me? They think Lucius is after me?" Harriet pointed at herself, and James could only nod.
"I doubt that Lucius will try to do anything of sorts, especially going to Hogwarts of all places. But we can never be sure. Also, we have already protested this misuse of those... creatures. But Fudge holds the ultimate power, sadly," James growled deeply.
"Hopefully, it will be a normal year," Lily added, trying to sound optimistic. Still, of course, her voice did not sound so confident. "Besides, Remus is going to be this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. So, he is going to keep an eye on us."
"Oh, so that's why he was so happy," Harriet mumbled with a happy smile. Before, the sound of the train getting ready to depart echoed on the platform.
"Well, take care out there, dear," Lily whispered as she hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead. "Don't lose your glasses."
Harriet huffed as she struggled with the fact that now she had to use glasses like the ones her father used. But she was getting used to the idea of looking a bit different than before. "Yeah, yeah," Harriet replied in mumbles before looking at her mother with a smile. "Goodbye, Mom. I love you."
"And I love you too, love," Lily smiled.
"Ah, what about me?" James asked, with an offended tone of voice. "No love for your father? I am the one putting food on the table!"
"Yeah, of course," Harriet snorted before hugging him. "I love you, Dad."
"Take care, Harriet," James chuckled, and soon Harriet smiled at Narcissa, who was still awkwardly trying to smile back. It was clear that expressing her feelings was new territory for the Pureblood woman. Even James and Lily struggled to encourage Narcissa to be more outspoken. They wanted her to speak up, disagree with them, and freely voice her opinions. In their relationship, they aimed for equality and hoped to create a comfortable environment for her. However, healing old wounds would take time. Lucius had done his best to make Narcissa submissive and afraid to refuse him.
Harriet was uncertain about the specific type of abuse that Lucius subjected Narcissa to. However, she did recall hearing about wounds on Narcissa's legs and back that never properly healed.
Harriet understood Narcissa's fear a bit more than her parents did. That's why she was gentler in her approach. So, Harriet gently went and hugged Narcissa, who became stiff for a moment. "Goodbye, Aunt Narcissa," Harriet mumbled gently as she began to feel Narcissa's body relaxing slowly.
"See you later, Harriet," Narcissa muttered; her voice was tense, but there was softness behind it. "And thank you," Narcissa added softly.
Harriet beamed with a smile, waving goodbye as she set off to find her friends, leaving Lily, Narcissa, and James to sigh, contented and happy.
"She is amazing, isn't she?" James smiled joyfully, wrapping an arm around Narcissa's waist. The pureblood practically melted into his embrace, but that didn't mean Lily wasn't there too, embracing them with her arms. Narcissa tilted her head onto Lily's shoulder, feeling a wave of happiness being with them.
"You must be proud of her, the both of you," Narcissa stated.
"We are, we truly are," Lily replied.
"I just wish my son would not follow in his father's footsteps," Narcissa whispered, her voice almost breaking.
"Draco is living with the Notts, right?" James asked softly, already knowing the nasty reputation of the Nott family.
"I attempted to arrange a meeting with Draco, but he adamantly declined to see me. He didn't even bother responding to my letters," Narcissa's sobs intensified as she realized that Draco now viewed her as a betrayer, not just to his father but to him as well. Narcissa came to the painful realization that this was entirely her fault. If only she had shown more affection towards her son and had made an effort to shield him from Lucius's manipulations at a younger age, perhaps things could have unfolded differently.
"Don't say that; it's not too late for Draco," Lily whispered, quickly cleaning Narcissa's tears. "He is young still. Give it time; don't give up. He is your son still."
"But I don't know what to do," Narcissa mumbled between sobs.
"We'll think about something," James added, softly patting the pureblood woman's back.
"It's never late," Lily whispered to Narcissa. "It's never too late."
Narcissa hoped the red-haired woman's words were true because she didn't want to lose her son.
Harriet settled herself comfortably on Fleur's lap, as their group of friends now required an entire waggon to accommodate everyone. The waggon they had chosen had open seats, providing the freedom for each person to sit wherever they pleased and engage in conversation with one another.
"Harriet, are you alright? Do you still feel sick or sore?" Hermione asked worriedly as Harriet rolled her eyes at Hermione's relentless questions. She knew Hermione was simply worried about her, and she found it endearing. But Hermione worried too much, in Harriet's opinion.
"I already told you I'm fine," Harriet replied with an amusing sigh. "You're acting like Fleur!"
Fleur scoffed playfully as she tickled her small mate. "Not funny!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Harriet giggled. "But don't worry, Hermione; everything is fine. I just now had to wear glasses, and my hair colour is changing."
"Your hair is definitely unique, I'll admit that. But it's your eye that truly baffles me," Hermione commented, her gaze fixed on the patches of white hair and the peculiar golden eye. "I've never come across anything quite like it."
"Me neither, well, no one, but that's the way things are now," Harriet replied. "Also, stop looking at me as if I were an alien, Hermione!"
"Sorry!"
"You're an alien, Harriet. Apple says so," Luna spoke, seemingly arriving out of nowhere.
"Where did you come from?!" Hermione exclaimed, as she seemed to be quite stunned at Luna's sudden appearance.
"I've always been here, Hermione," Luna responded, appearing almost unfazed. "Apple showed me the art of concealment. I've become quite skilled at it. The Wrackspurts can no longer track me." Luna's tone held a hint of smugness. Hermione furrowed her brow but noticed that everyone around her seemed unperturbed by Luna's words; they simply nodded happily as if it were commonplace. Letting out a sigh, Hermione put on a smile as well.
"I'm glad to hear that, Luna," Hermione said as Luna hummed and gazed at the bushy-haired girl momentarily before playfully placing a sticker on her cheek.
"Apple likes you, Hermione, and so do I. I hope you don't die anytime soon because it would make us all very sad," Luna sang before returning to her seat next to Daphne, Tracey, Hannah, Nymphadora, and Susan. The girls shook their heads but smiled at Luna's quirky behaviour.
"I hope not to die too," Hermione added, with an uncertain tone of voice.
Harriet chuckled at her bushy friend before she saw a certain red-haired girl entering the waggon. "Ginny!" Harriet waved as the youngest Weasley girl smiled at her.
"H-hi!" Ginny made her way towards the large group of friends, feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement. Even though she was still a bit anxious, they warmly embraced her and made her feel welcome. Mainly because it was Harriet who welcomed her first.
"How are you doing?" Harriet asked gently as the red-haired girl sat next to Hermione.
"I am doing good, all things considered," Ginny answered shyly.
"I heard your dad won a prize in Egypt, right?" Harriet asked, and Ginny's eyes shone with joy.
"Y-yes! It was so much fun! Although I would've enjoyed going with you on your vacations," Ginny mumbled slightly. "But I am happier; you're alright!"
"Well, yes, everything was prepared; sadly, Ol' Little Tom had other ideas in mind," Harriet muttered, annoyed. "Maybe next year, hopefully. Maybe a beach this time?"
"B-beach?!" Hermione and Ginny whispered before beginning to blush deeply.
"Oh, yeah, I do love watching Fleur and Nymphadora in bikinis," Harriet added with a smugness in her voice that would make her look like a pervert of sorts.
Shortly thereafter, the train departed from the station, embarking on its journey to Hogwarts. During the initial hours, everything appeared to be quite ordinary. The children engaged in conversation, passing the time without a care. Naturally, Harriet, being her usual self, wasted no time in locating a cosy spot to rest peacefully.
Harriet's head nestled on Daphne's lap, sinking into the plushness of her mesmerizing blonde thighs. The soft stroke of Daphne's hand against her scalp lulled Harriet into a peaceful slumber, as evidenced by the big smile resting on her face. Hannah, ever attentive, gently kneaded Harriet's tired feet, releasing any lingering tension. Those around her undeniably pampered Harriet with everything she wanted.
"Wow, if Harriet were a boy, every single guy in school would have hated him," Ginny commented as Hermione snorted.
"Well, Harriet is herself very popular in school. She is very beautiful, smart, witty, Quidditch's star-"
"I get it, Hermione," Ginny stopped the bushy girl, who coughed awkwardly.
"I am just saying that Harriet is a very popular girl among guys," Hermione added. "Lots of them would like to date her."
"Well, too bad for them, I guess."
Ginny only looked at the scene while Hermione shook her head in amusement.
However, as Harriet slept peacefully, sitting just a few seats away, a specific group was having a quiet meeting of sorts.
"So, Blaise, what have you found?" Fleur asked quietly, not wanting to wake up her beloved mate but also not wanting Ginny or Hermione to hear much about what they were doing right now.
"Nothing at all," Blaise replied, a hint of annoyance lingering in his voice. "Pansy and I have been searching through records in the last sixty years, but we haven't found much of Tom Marvolo Riddle. At least, nothing that we already didn't know."
"So, that means he made sure no one could find him?" Rolf asked.
"Voldemort took great care to ensure that no one could ever uncover his humble beginnings. Being a half-blood raised in poverty in an orphanage, it's not the kind of backstory he would want anyone to know. Voldemort's focus is on projecting power and instilling fear in others," Blaise concluded, his thoughts now drifting to something entirely different.
"He sounds quite insecure," Tina muttered as Pansy nodded.
"Little man, he is; I don't doubt he was bullied as a child," Pansy added with a huff.
"What about our ladies's scar?" Neville asked as all of the guardians glanced at the sleeping girl. Harriet looked so peaceful, but they saw how swollen her scar looked. Fleur sighed deeply.
"Our time is running out. We cannot stand another year like this," Fleur whispered before looking at Blaise, who seemed deep in thought. "Blaise? What's the matter?"
Blaise frowned. "I think we are missing something," he said.
"What do you mean, Blaise?" Pansy asked, confused, as was everyone else.
"I've been thinking on something that all the events leading to the escape of Lucius appeared to be incredibly orchestrated," Blaise muttered, his mind furiously thinking back on all the dots. He was trying to solve a puzzle in front of him. And, thankfully, he wasn't the only one. Fleur had the same feeling for a while about how it appeared that they were being led by someone else.
"I had the same thought. Ever since Harriet told me about the ring she got for her birthday, I don't think it's Voldemort," Fleur chimed in, with Blaise nodding in agreement. "This seems too intricate for him."
"And it said that it was an ally of our lady. That's true," Blaise hummed deeply. Of course, both Blaise and Fleur were the smartest of the guardians. But the same could not be said about the rest, especially how confused they looked.
"Is someone playing with us?" Neville questioned, his unease evident as he disliked the notion of being manipulated by someone lurking in the shadows.
"I can't say," Blaise whispered. "But, I think there is someone else in the game. And I'll find found out who that person is."
Harriet's dreams were a beautiful escape, brimming with pure joy. In this blissful state, she had no awareness of her surroundings. Yet, she felt completely at ease, content, and unaffected by the happenings of her life. Yet, all of that ended when she almost fell down from where she was resting.
"What happened?" Harriet groaned as Daphne was there to prevent her from falling to the cold floor.
"The train stopped," Daphne whispered as everyone stood up, watching how the lights went off.
"This is not normal," Blaise whispered before glancing at Tina. "What can you see, Tina?"
Tina leaned against the fogged-up windows of the waggon, her breath creating tiny trails of condensation. The rain poured relentlessly outside, drumming a soothing rhythm against the glass. Despite the steady pitter-patter, a chill began to seep into the spacious compartment, gradually enveloping everything inside.
"Something is outside, lurking," Tina frowned as she forced her eyes to see beyond, and soon she saw shadows flying towards the train. "What's that?"
"What's what?" Harriet asked, and suddenly, the train shook again, this time harder.
Harriet was taken aback as a sudden chill ran down her spine, causing her body to stiffen. To her surprise, she started to hear faint whispers originating from a mysterious voice she couldn't recognise. "Who is speaking?" Harriet inquired, but to her confusion, everyone around her simply gazed at her in silence.
"No one is speaking, Harriet," Hermione replied with concern in her voice. As Harriet started to feel panicked upon realizing the source of the voice she was hearing, it suddenly dawned on her.
That voice was from her previous boss.
Take that, you whore! You like it, don't you?!
If you don't swallow, I'll knock your teeth out!
Why are you single? You are pretty here, come with me.
Harriet felt her entire body stiffen, her face draining of colour as a rush of memories flooded back. Images and moments that she had forcefully buried deep within her mind resurfaced, causing her to tremble uncontrollably. She had hoped these memories would never haunt her again, but unfortunately, trauma has a way of never truly leaving.
No one paid attention to her as they focused on the shadows surrounding the waggon.
"Dementors," Rolf whispered quickly. "What are they doing here?"
"Searching for Malfoy, no doubt," Blaise whispered. "I doubt this is what Fudge wanted them to do."
"Dementors are not known to care much about orders," Rolf added as everyone glanced at the young wizard. "They are creatures of sorts. They are guided by suffering, pain and fear."
"What fascinating creatures," Blaise responded, his voice filled with amusement.
"Ugh, it's cold, innit?" Tracey whispered.
"I hope they don't come inside the train," Hermione whispered, not wishing to meet those creatures face-to-face.
"I would very much like to capture one," Blaise's smile only made Hermione and Ginny shiver.
"W-why would you want that?!" Ginny asked, completely shocked. However, Blaise simply brushed off the concern of the red-haired girl with a shrug.
"Experimentation, my dear, experimentation," Blaise replied, chuckling, as he sensed the chilling presence of the dementors drawing near the waggon.
Despite the surrounding commotion from everyone, they seemed to not notice how the dementor's presence was causing a certain girl an incredible amount of distress. Harriet went unnoticed as she succumbed to her distress. Huddled on the cold floor, she clung to herself, her nails piercing her flesh, silently inflicting pain. But that didn't compare to the flooding of images going through her head.
The reaction Harriet had was far from normal. People didn't typically react this way to the presence of a Dementor, but Harriet was different from the rest.
"Harriet?!" Hermione exclaimed, and soon, everyone around saw the girl on the floor, in the middle of a panic attack.
Fleur quickly went towards her mate, sensing an abnormal amount of distress coming out of her. "Harriet, mon amour! What's happening?"
Harriet was not there; she was in a living nightmare where she was alone, trembling, and sobbing. Harriet's mind was a mess, ambushed by those horrible memories that no one knew existed. When Fleur touched her, Harriet's body flinched as she whispered. "Don't touch me, please!"
It took little until one of the dementors made its way to the waggon, but Harriet's fears were a delicious banquet to feast upon. The dementor found himself against a being who was more evil than himself.
"I'll kill you!" Fleur hissed before Rolf quickly and, without even speaking, cast a patronous charm without difficulty. Soon, the dementor, who appeared to be a bit stunned by Fleur's reaction, was forced away.
"Harriet, hush, it's me, Fleur," she whispered slowly, as Harriet was still catatonic. "Neville, Hermione, go and look for a teacher!"
In a hurry, the two Gryffindors swiftly made their escape, leaving the others to simply watch in astonishment as Harriet seemed utterly lost in her own thoughts. Fleur instinctively embraced her, attempting to soothe her distressed companion, although she wasn't certain if it would be effective at that moment.
"How did this happen?" Fleur whispered as she stared at Rolf, who could not answer.
"I can't say, people don't tend to have this extreme reaction to dementors; it's... not normal," Rolf replied nervously.
"Then why is this happening?!" Fleur yelled, and Rofl quickly shrank in fear at her loud voice.
"Fleur!" Blaise chastised Fleur as he pointed at Harriet, who was now sobbing loudly, before beginning to puke all over the floor.
Something was making Harriet sick, to the point of forcing such a reaction out of her. But what it was, the rest could not say.
It took several hours and an enormous quantity of chocolates to finally bring Harriet out of her state. However, for the remainder of the journey to Hogwarts, Harriet remained silent. She stayed curled up in her chair, holding onto her knees tightly and avoiding eye contact with anyone.
It appears that this year has now started on the wrong side.
Authors's notes
- Also, I am still taking ideas for Overlord x Harry Potter fanfiction in my series (Harry Potter x Overlord What if). So, if you have an idea, please tell me what you'd like to see tell me.
Maybe we can think of something fun!