FFn/A03 name: StarrAngelofNarnia

House: Ravenclaw (Stand-In)

Class: DADA (Stand-In)

Category: Standard; Round 8

Word Count: 1966

Prompt/Prompts: [Trope] Soulmate, [First Line] "There's no such thing as happily ever after; just time, precious time to spend with your loved ones.", [Color] Grey (Moody, Conservative, Formality) for THC; [Character] Harry Potter (QL Bingo)

Warnings/Disclaimers: Gender-swapped Harry; Anything in the HP Lexicon dated "October" is interpreted here as happening on Halloween.

Author's Note: Takes place in 2001

Beta: Hadrian Peverell, Ikuni Hattori, and Bea Weasley

–

There's no such thing as happily ever after; just time, precious time to spend with your loved ones. And perhaps nobody understood that better than Harriet Potter. In her young life, she'd lost so much, so many loved ones. And still, she kept moving forward, trying to take comfort in those left behind with her. Worse, she often had to do so in the public eye.

But as with any trauma, some days were harder than others, and the grey dreariness of Halloween was one of the hard days. But how couldn't it be?

When she was only a one year old child, both of Harriet's parents had been murdered on Halloween. For the following ten years, Harriet was left alone to fend for herself while her cousin and "caregivers" participated in trick or treating and parties on Halloween. Her first year of Hogwarts, a troll had almost killed her and her two best friends on Halloween. Her second year, she'd mistakenly agreed to attend a death day party on October 31st. And so on and so on. Third year, there was the break in of a supposed murderer; fourth year, she was wrongly nominated and selected to compete in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament; fifth year, she was running a secret defense club; sixth year, her fellow teammate was cursed in Hogsmeade; and her seventh year, she'd been on the run, trying to hunt down horcruxes, just for her best friend Ron to abandon her.

All of this had happened on Halloween, so it was no surprise to anyone that Harri wanted to hide away on the particular day.

Hermione and Ron wanted to change that for her.

Though, perhaps nobody wanted to change that for her more than Draco. Harri was his soulmate, and perhaps that had always been clear. That very first day he'd seen her in Madame Malkin's before their first year, something about her had left a spark in his brain and his heart. And that day, he only knew what he could observe, that she was too tiny and somewhat reserved.

But then he'd met her officially at school, right before the sorting. She was associating with a Weasley, and Draco had introduced himself properly right then, in hopes to sway the famous Harriet Potter toward his side. It didn't go according to plan.

Yet, somehow, anywhere Harri was, Draco was as well, always her opposite, as if they were meant to be. They were like yin and yang, opposites in harmony.

When the war finally ended and Draco went to trial, Harri was surprisingly the one there, building a case in support of his freedom. They shared a tentative friendship at first, but slowly, it grew to something more. Now they were practically inseparable.

The morning of Halloween, Harri woke up to Draco at her side, just as she did any other day. But she knew what day it was, and her instincts told her to stay in bed.

Draco was having none of that. "You have friends over, my love. Remember?"

She thought through this for a moment, still trying to process through the fog of sleepiness. Of course, now she remembered. Last night, Ron and Hermione had come over. Draco had arranged for Hermione and Ron to stay over on the night of the 30th and the 31st so that Harri would have some company. She usually wanted to suffer in isolated silence, but Draco was trying to break her of that habit.

She rolled over to face Draco. "I still want to visit Godric's Hollow," she whispered as her green eyes met his grey.

"We will. I know visiting your parents is important to you. I wouldn't take that away. But let's get some breakfast first."

Draco offered her a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it, allowing him to help her up. Still in her pajamas, a ratty old pair of shorts and Draco's old Slytherin quidditch sweatshirt, she followed him down the stairs of the loft to the rest of the flat below.

Hermione heard them enter and stood from where she had been sitting at the kitchen table. "Harri! Good morning!"

Harri smiled softly. "Good morning Hermione. Ron."

Ron waved from the kitchen stove with a spatula. "Come sit. I've almost got breakfast ready."

A quick extension charm expanded the table and benches in the tiny kitchen to comfortably seat four and Harri joined Hermione at the table, sitting across from her.

"How was your night?" Hermione asked conversationally, as Draco began making Harri a drink.

"I slept well. But no surprise; Draco made me take a dreamless sleep potion before bed."

Hermione smirked. "That was very wise of him."

Harri didn't appreciate being coddled; she could take care of herself, thank you very much. But Draco considered it his job to coddle and care for her.

"I wanted you to sleep without nightmares, love." Draco interjected, taking a seat next to her, a mug of coffee in his hands. He passed it to her and she sipped on it cautiously. It was the perfect temperature, flavored with spiced pumpkin and vanilla. The warmth made her smile.

A moment later, Ron joined the group, carrying a platter stacked high of waffles and various breakfast meats. "I thought I'd cook breakfast for ya, Harri. Some of your favorites."

"You guys didn't have to do this," Harri argued, as Ron filled the plate in front of her with food.

"We wanted to," Draco said, pulling her closer to his side.

They conversed on light topics as they ate but when she was almost finished, Harri changed the subject. "I want to go to Godric's Hollow. I thought it might be best to go in the morning, before parties start."

"Of course, mate. Would you like us to tag along?" Ron asked.

Harri stood from the table, taking her used dishes with her to the counter. "You don't have to. I can go by myself. You three should enjoy the day."

Her friends exchanged looks behind her. "I'm not letting you go by yourself," Draco asserted, standing and taking her hand.

"If you would like to go by yourself, just the two of you," Hermione continued, "Ron and I can stay back and cozy up the apartment for the rest of our day."

"But make sure you bundle up, Harri. It's cold outside and the sky looks rather grey and dark," Ron added with finality.

Harri rolled her eyes fondly, "Yes, dad."

Ron had been her first best friend and he'd pretty much taken her in as a little sister since they'd met. He was certainly the mother hen of their group.

She climbed the stairs back to the loft to dress, with Draco at her heels. She put on a grey knit long sleeve dress with black leggings and boots that would keep her feet warm. To bundle up, as Ron had urged, she wore her black winter dress robes, which were charmed to wick away moisture and regulate her body temperature. Her other half was wearing all black, save for the deep green scarf he'd wrapped around his neck.

Draco offered her a hand. "Ready, my love?" Harri closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, nodding. She grabbed Draco's hand and he pulled her close, tucking her head beneath his chin. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he aparated.

They landed in an alley, safe from any muggles who might otherwise spot them. Harri pulled her cloak tighter and charged forward, Draco following a short distance behind, just enough to give her the space she desperately wanted without leaving her alone.

Ever since she'd first found the cemetery, she'd been here enough times to know exactly where she was going. She would first stop by the memorial to all the victims of the war to pay her respects and say thank you. She'd stop next by the Lupin's to pay her respects to Remus and Tonks. She always saved her parents for last. Sirius had since been buried there as well, at Harri's request since he'd been ousted from the Black family. Her parents and godfather together, as it should be.

She knelt down on her knees, touching the gravestone. Draco stood behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Normally, Harri had nothing to say when she came. But today, something was different. "I kinda wish I wouldn't have destroyed the resurrection stone. At least then I could speak with you. It's been thirty years now. And I still miss you."

She sat in silence for a few moments more until Draco broke the silence. "Mr and Mrs Potter, I'm sorry for everything that happened before and for my family's part in it. I love your daughter, she's my soulmate, my better half. And I hope you're proud of her. Because I am."

Startled by his words, Harri turned and stood abruptly, engulfing him in a hug.

–

The flat was almost unrecognizable when Harri and Draco returned.

"Harri!" Hermione greeted enthusiastically when they had apparated into the main room. "There's a change of clothes for you on your bed. For you too, Malfoy."

Puzzled, Harri let Draco pull her up the stairs to their room. On the bed were two outfits: a purple dress and headband with a green scarf for her; and a blue pair of pants, white shirt, and red tie for him.

Harri smiled fondly as she redressed. Standing in front of the mirror, she used a color charm on her hair to turn it red, so she now matched the character Hermione had dressed her as.

"Now you have your mother's hair as well," Draco commented softly from behind.

"I know," she whispered back. "And I think I like it. Maybe I'll keep it this way for a while."

The two descended the stairs to find Hermione and Ron waiting for them. Hermione was now wearing an orange sweater and a red skirt and Ron was dressed in brown slacks and a green shirt. "Hermione, you're brilliant," Harri exclaimed, crashing into her in a hug.

"I wanted you to get the opportunity to dress up in a costume. To heal your inner child. If you want to go out, I know a muggle restaurant that gives deals on alcohol and sweets to anyone dressed in costume. But if you'd rather stay in, Ron and I set up the living room for the day."

Harri now had a moment to take in the space, which she had only glanced in passing since arriving home. It looked as though someone had taken a small swimming pool and filled it with bedding instead of water. Couches were lined up to form a large rectangle which was filled with blankets and pillows and stuffed animals of various sizes and textures. The telly she had insisted on needing in their flat was already turned on, with a not-so-spooky Halloween movie already queued, one that matched the characters she and her friends were now dressed as.

Harri climbed over the nearest couch and into the pit of pillows. Most of the pillows were shades of grey, but the blankets ranged in colors and designs. Now that she was settled, she could see carved and glowing Jack-O-Lanterns framing the telly, each of them sporting a different facial expression of the same dog.

The others climbed in after her, Ron carrying a tray of caramel apples, Butterbeer, and enough sweets to fill the Hogwarts Express trolly.

Draco pulled her into his lap, and once she was settled, Ron handed her a plate of food. Hermione dimmed the lights and began the movie.

She was grateful for her friends. She was grateful to have a soulmate so in sync with her that he knew exactly what it was she needed today.

Because maybe Halloween didn't have to be so bad.