Chapter Text
Fandom: Harry Potter
Main Relationship: Harriet Potter (Harry Potter) and Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom
Side Relationships: Harriet Potter (Harry Potter) and Hedwig; Harriet Potter (Harry Potter) and Millicent Bulstrode
Main Pairing: Blaise Zabini/Harriet Potter/Theodore Nott
Side Pairings: Ron Weasley/Millicent Bulstrode; Hermione Granger/Tracey Davis; and Neville Longbottom/Daphne Greengrass
Warnings: alternate universe; female!Harry Potter (Harriet Potter);het; slash; femslash; threesome (male/male/female); mentions of child abuse and child neglect; mentions of abusive Dursleys; and questionable eating disorders
Prompt: (Dialogue) “Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone.”
Summary: In which Harriet Potter got a letter requesting a strange meeting, and her friends had opinions.
want you to live, want you to love
i
Harriet Potter frowned when Hedwig landed in front of her. Hedwig was a welcome sight, but her arrival had Harriet confused. She hadn’t used Hedwig to send a letter in awhile, and here her owl was delivering a letter. Reaching out, she ran her left hand through the snowy owl’s feather as she offered the owl a piece of bacon with her right hand.
Hedwig hooted before taking the bacon. The owl eagerly accepted the pets and food from her human, but words of affection were also required. Turning to look at her human, Hedwig hooted.
“You’re a good owl,” Harriet muttered, knowing what the snowy owl wanted to hear. “Thank you for bringing me this letter. I’m sorry I don’t visit more often.” A small smile formed on her lips.
Bobbing her head once, Hedwig offered her leg.
Harriet took the letter, placing it next to her plate before she offered her owl another piece of bacon and she resumed stroking the white feathers. “Please take more bacon,” she offered. Knowing her owl, Harriet grabbed more bacon from the nearby serving plate and she snagged a few pieces of ham. The food piled on her plate close to the owl.
Hedwig hooted, hopping forward to pile of food. Her human was well trained.
Around Harriet, none of the Gryffindors spared her a second glance. Most of them were used to this interaction between the fourth-year and her owl.
Watching Hedwig eagerly devour the food, Harriet glanced down at the letter. It was addressed to H. Potter in neat capital block letters. The handwriting was unfamiliar. “Who sent you?” she asked, looking back up at her owl.
Meeting her human’s eyes, Hedwig hooted twice. How was she supposed to know all of her human’s people? There were a lot: there was the redheaded boy with the large family, the bushy-haired girl who liked to spend books, the sandy-haired boy with the delicious looking toad that was not a snack, the giant man, the dark-haired man who sent those flashy birds with the bright feathers, the lady with the pointed hat and glasses, the dark-haired man who worked with potions, and a few others. Honestly, her human had a lot of people and Hedwig couldn’t keep track of all of them . Though Hedwig would admit that this human was new, and they wore green and silver snape.
Harriet sighed, looking back down at the letter. She would worry about it later. Right now she needed to focus on eating and getting to class. “Thank you for the letter, Hedwig,” she muttered, stroking her owl again. “I do appreciate it.”
Hedwig hooted, tilting her head so she could nip her human’s fingers in affection before she left the Great Hall. It was time to return to the Tower of Owls. Hopefully that barn owl wasn’t on her perch again.
“You need to eat more,” Ron Weasley told her, eyeing her plate. It was still too full for his liking, and that was ignoring the small portions.
Harriet nodded, turning back to food. She took a few more bites before pushing her plate away.
Next to her, Ron frowned. He knew better than the others that Harriet had a complicated relationship with food. He put his fork down before reaching out to grab some muffins and a few pieces of fruit that he tossed in his bag. She was going to need something before lunch.
“Harriet, just four more bites,” Hermione Granger requested as she looked up from her Ancient Runes textbook. “You need it to be prepared for class.”
“One of us will go to Pomfrey,” added Neville Longbottom as he placed a letter in his bag. “You know that means potions, and she’ll have to talk with Snape.”
Barely within a flinch, Harriet picked up her fork and she pulled the plate closer. She looked over the greasy and heavy food, feeling her stomach quiver.
“Here,” Neville said, pushing a bowl of fruit towards her. “And some toast.”
She nodded, pulling out a banana out of the bowl. After peeling it, Harriet forced herself to take a large bite. She chewed a few times before swallowing.
Next to her, Ron dropped a piece of dry toast on her plate. He hated her muggle relatives. They were horrible people.
“We won’t let you go back next summer,” Hermione vowed.
Harriet offered her friends a shrug as she forced herself to eat more of the banana. It would be nice to leave the Dursleys, but after last year she didn’t see that happening. Sirius Black was her best chance, and he was on the run.
Neville frowned, making a mental note to write to his grandmother again . The woman had seen what Harriet looked like after leaving those horrible muggles.
With half the banana gone, Harriet dropped the remainder to her plate in favor of the dry toast. Knowing her friends, she would be expected to eat it all. She took a large bite.
“So, what do we know about the foreign students?” Ron asked, changing the subject.
“Honestly Ronald,” Hermione said, shaking her head. “You make this sound like an exchange program.”
Ron grinned. “Would that be so bad?” he asked. “I would enjoy the chance to attend Beauxbaton. I hear it’s warm there.”
Neville laughed. “Better than Durmstrang,” he agreed. “All I’ve heard is that it gets really cold there.”
Hermione frowned. “I really need to do more research on other schools,” she muttered.
“Of course you do,” Ron said with an edge of sarcasm in his tone.
Hermione smiled back. “I’ll be taking you with me,” she reminded him. “I can’t reach all the books.”
Harriet laughed as she managed to finish the toast. “Come on,” she said, “we should head to class.” She was the first to stand up from the table. The letter was placed in her robe pocket.
Behind her back, her three best friends exchanged smiles.
.
.
.
As they left History of Magic, Ron fell in step next to Harriet.
“Here,” he said, passing her a chocolate muffin.
Harriet’s green eyes widened as she took the muffin. “How did you know?” she asked, looking up at her friend.
“I know you, ‘Rie,” he replied with a smile. “I pack snacks.”
Harriet blushed a little.
Behind them, Neville spoke up, “What about the rest of us?”
Looking back over his shoulder, Ron winked. “For you, Nev?” he said. “You only have to ask.”
Neville flushed.
Hermione laughed.
Harriet smiled as she took a bite of her muffin.
“You know, Ronald,” began Hermione, “I’m feeling famished. Can I get something?”
“Sure, ‘Mione,” he said. “Fruit or muffin?”
Hermione barely refrained from rolling her eyes at Ron’s use of a nickname. He only called her ‘Mione when she called him Ronald . “Fruit,” she answered.
Reaching into his bag, Ron pulled out a red apple.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the fruit.
Ron smiled in return before turning his gaze to Neville. “Well, Nev,” he began, raising an eyebrow.
Feeling his stomach growl, Neville sighed. “Ron, mate, can I get a muffin?” he asked.
“Of course, mate,” Ron nodded, offering a chocolate muffin.
Neville quickly took the muffin, taking a large bite.
Having fed his friends, Ron retrieved a banana and a blueberry muffin for himself.
“So, ‘Rie,” Ron began between bites, “what was that letter about?”
“Oh,” Harriet’s green eyes widened. Her right hand flew to her pocket and her fingertips brushed against the parchment. “I forgot about it.”
Her friends frowned.
Harriet took the letter out of her pocket, looking over the parchment. She quickly opened it.
Potter,
We need to talk. It’s important.
Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone.
She frowned, reading the letter for the third time.
Without asking, Ron took the parchment from her. He read it over before passing it to Neville. “Something about this seems familiar,” Ron said.
“Midnight, on the bridge” Hermione muttered with a frown, reading over Neville’s shoulder. “Come alone.”
Neville frowned, carefully studying the handwriting. “Malfoy and the duel,” he explained.
Snapping, Hermione said, “That’s it!”
“What does Malfoy want?” Ron asked with a frown.
“This isn’t Malfoy’s handwriting,” Neville stated, “or his ink.”
On cue three heads turned to look at him.
Flushing, Neville dropped his gaze to the parchment. “None of you are forced to work with Malfoy in class,” he muttered.
“I’ll stick with Bulstrode,” Harriet mumbled.
Her thoughts were echoed by Ron and Hermione with their usual Slytherin partners – Hermione with Tracey Davis and Ron with Theodore Nott.
“What color ink does Malfoy use?” Harriet asked, unable to resist.
Ron and Hermione sent her confused looks.
“What? I’m curious,” she explained.
“Good point,” Hermione agreed, turning to look at Neville for the answer.
“And curiosity can kill the Gryffindor,” Ron muttered.
Neville sighed, probably regretting his decision to bring it up. “It’s some fancy metallic black green color,” he replied.
Harriet looked thought.
“What’s with that look ?” Ron demanded, gesturing to her face.
“It sounds like a pretty color,” Harriet muttered. “Guess Malfoy has good taste.”
“The less said about Malfoy the better,” Ron stated.
“Back to the letter,” Hermione said, taking it from Neville.
“You can’t go alone, mate,” Ron said.
“Clearly, Ronald,” Hermione agreed.
Harriet frowned. While she knew first hand about the safety of Hogwarts, she was willing to take the chance. Though she doubted her friends would allow her to take the chance. Maybe she could sneak off tonight.
“Don’t even think about it, Harriet,” Neville said, looking at her.
Turning to look at her friend with wide eyes, she tried to look innocent.
“We’re not falling for that trick,” Hermione declared, crossing her arms.
“Again,” Ron added.
Flushing, Harriet found she didn’t have much of a comeback. “Homework!” she said.
Hermione turned to look at Harriet. “We should go to the library,” she declared. Without another word, she started herding the group in the direction of the library.
“Don’t think this is forgotten,” Ron told Harriet.
“We’ll finish this conversation at lunch or after Potions,” Neville continued.
.
.
.
After lunch, Harriet found herself waiting with her friends in the dungeons for Professor Snape to let them in the classroom. As she waited, she ignored the conversation her friends were having as she pulled out the piece of parchment.
With a frown, she studied the handwriting – which was neat capital block letters – and the ink. Honestly, she hadn’t even thought about the ink color until Neville brought it up. She had noticed a lot of Slytherins enjoyed using different ink color. Bulstrode used a dark purple, and she knew Davis used a dark blue. This ink was dark in color, but it wasn’t black. It was too light to be black.
“Afternoon, Potter,” Millicent Bulstrode greeted as she approached the Gryffindor. Bulstrode offered a friendly smile.
Harriet returned the smile. She liked Bulstrode.
Something flashed in Bulstrode’s dark eyes. “How was your summer?” she asked.
“The usual,” Harriet replied with a shrug. She was slightly taken back by Bulstrode’s friendliness. Usually she was polite and distant around the other Slytherins. “I did the summer homework, spent time outside, and I was happy to see my best friends.”
Bulstrode nodded. Her dark eyes studying Harriet’s friends.
“How was your summer?” Harriet asked. She was curious. She didn’t know a lot about Bulstrode – she was a Slytherin and she had a cat named Athena.
“I spent most of it with my cousins,” she answered, something dark in her tone. “It wasn’t that much fun.”
Something about her tone caught Harriet’s attention. “I take it you don’t get along with your relatives too much?” she said.
Bulstrode froze for a few seconds before looking at Harriet with narrowed eyes. “Why?” she demanded, her tone guarded.
Sensing she touched a nerve, Harriet thought about her response carefully. She hated talking about her feelings for the Dursleys. “I know that feeling,” she admitted.
Bulstrode relaxed a little. “Did you finish the Potions homework?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I did,” Harriet nodded, “and Hermione looked over my assignments.”
Eyes narrowing, Bulstrode looked a little uncomfortable. “Do you think Granger would be willing to look over my essays this year?” she asked.
“Definitely,” Harriet answered with an eager nod.
Confusion entered Bulstrode’s expression. “Aren’t you going to ask?”
“No,” Harriet said with a shake of her head. “The more people in our study group, the less Hermione can obsess over her homework and our study schedule.”
Bulstrude’s eyes widened.
“No take-backs!” Harriet said.
Dark eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?” Bulstrode asked. “I’m not trying to take anything back.”
Harriet flushed. “It’s a muggle expression,” she explained. “It means you can’t take back your words and change your mind.”
Bulstrode frowned.
“You said you were joining us,” Harriet continued, “and that means you're stuck with us.”
Frown deepening, Bulstrode stared at Harriet for a few seconds without saying anything. “You’re a strange one, Potter,” she muttered.
“Thank you?” Harriet said.
Bulstrode opened her mouth to respond before closing it and shaking her head.
A silence fell over them.
Harriet looked back at the parchment in her hand.
Next to her, Bulstrode followed her gaze. Her eyes narrowed as she read the letter.
Feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up, Harriet glanced over her shoulder to find Bulstrode’s dark eyes narrowed and a look of curiosity on her face.
“Do you recognize the handwriting or the ink?” she asked, deciding she was more curious about the mysterious letter than Bulstrode reading her letter.
“I do,” Bulstrode confirmed.
“Who is it?” Harriet demanded with a hint of Gryffindor determination.
“You’ll have to go to find out,” Bulstrode answered with a smirk and Slytherin smugness.
“It’s not Malfoy or any of his friends, right?” Harriet asked.
Bulstrode shook her head. “It’s not,” she replied.
Harriet nodded.
“I think,” the Slytherin began, carefully choosing her words, “you should go. I won’t put one of my friends in danger.”
Green eyes widened a little at Bulstrode’s words. Harriet didn’t know the other girl considered them friends. “I’ll trust you,” she said.
Bulstrode’s eyes softened and she beamed.
.
.
.
“I’m going,” Harriet told her friends that evening in the common room.
“Where?” Ron asked, looking up from his Potions textbook.
“I thought we agreed you weren’t going,” Hermione said.
“The letter,” Neville told Ron.
The redheaded nodded, remembering the letter and their conversation earlier. “Why are you going?” he asked.
“Bulstrode said it was safe,” Harriet explained, crossing her arms. She felt a sense of protection for the other girl. Bulstrode didn’t seem to have many friends, and she considered them friends.
Ron’s eyes narrowed as he forced himself not to say anything.
“Why are you taking her word?” Hermione asked, her tone cautious.
“We’re friends,” Harriet answered, feeling guilty because she hadn’t considered them friends until earlier. “She wouldn’t put her friends in danger.”
Hermione pressed her lips together.
Neville nodded.
“You’re hiding something,” Ron said, looking at Neville.
On cue, Hermione and Harriet looked at Neville.
“It’s her relatives,” he said.
“So?” Harriet asked. “She doesn’t like them.”
That surprised Neville. Something flashed in his light eyes.
“She told me,” she added.
“You’re leaving the Map with Hermione and Neville,” Ron instructed.
Harriet frowned, clearly wanting to argue.
“And I’m taking you,” he continued.
“The letter was clear,” Harriet said. “I’m going alone.”
Ron crossed his arms. “I’ll let you meet them alone,” he said, “but I’m escorting you there and back.”
Harriet frowned.
“I’m not letting you go alone,” Ron told her. “While you’re at your meeting, I’ll use your Cloak.”
Looking at her other friends, it was clear she was outnumbered. While Neville and Hermione didn’t seem thrilled by Ron’s plan, they weren’t going to argue. “Fine,” she muttered.