Chapter Text
By the end of July, Harriet had settled into life at the Tonkses' house so naturally that it already felt as though she'd always lived there.
She'd learned that Ted always read the newspaper over breakfast. That Andromeda somehow knew precisely when someone was about to track mud into the kitchen. That Tonks could not walk through a room without either changing the shape of her nose or knocking something over. Usually both.
Harriet had already spent several days at the Burrow with Ron and his family, returning home with a full stomach and the distinct impression that Mrs. Weasley believed food was the answer to virtually every problem. Today, however, belonged to the Grangers. Specifically... to Katherine Granger.
Diagon Alley was even busier than Harriet remembered. Children darted between shop windows. Owls hooted from cages. Parents compared school supply lists while attempting to stop excited eleven-year-olds from wandering into the road.
Hermione practically bounced beside Harriet. "I still can't believe Katie got her letter yesterday."
"I've been waiting for years," Katie replied. She adjusted the strap of her small satchel and looked around with bright, curious eyes. "I've been doing accidental magic since I was about four."
Mrs. Granger smiled. "Years."
"We suspected something unusual was going on," Mr. Granger laughed. "Especially after the goldfish started floating."
Katie looked thoroughly unapologetic. "...It was funny."
"It was not funny."
"It was a little funny."
"It frightened your mother."
Mrs. Granger gave her younger daughter a look. "It frightened both of us."
Katie shrugged. "The fish seemed to enjoy it."
Hermione sighed dramatically. "This is my sister."
Harriet smiled. "I can tell."
Katie looked over at Harriet. "So..." She gestured around Diagon Alley. "This is really where everyone buys their school things?"
"It is," Harriet said.
"It's brilliant." Katie's eyes wandered from Flourish and Blotts to Quality Quidditch Supplies before settling on Ollivanders. "I think I'm going to like this place."
"You will," Hermione assured her.
They continued strolling down the cobbled street together.
Katie looked thoughtful. "Can I ask something?"
"Of course," Hermione said.
"What are the Hogwarts Houses?"
Hermione's face lit up. "Oh!" Harriet smiled to herself. Here we go. "There are four Houses," Hermione began enthusiastically. "Gryffindor values bravery, courage, daring and chivalry." She held up another finger. "Ravenclaw values intelligence, curiosity, learning and wit." A third finger. "Hufflepuff values kindness, loyalty, patience and hard work." Finally... "And Slytherin values ambition, determination, resourcefulness and leadership."
Katie nodded slowly. "Hm."
Hermione smiled hopefully. "I really hope you're in Gryffindor."
Katie tilted her head. "...Honestly?"
"Yes?"
"Slytherin doesn't sound so bad."
Hermione stopped walking. "...What?"
Katie shrugged. "You made it sound interesting."
Hermione looked positively scandalized. "But..." She pointed emphatically. "Draco Malfoy's in Slytherin!"
Katie blinked. "...Who's Draco Malfoy?"
Hermione folded her arms. "He's a pompous big head with absolutely no manners."
Katie considered that description for several seconds. "So..." She looked completely serious. "...he's the sort of person who'd introduce himself before you've asked his name, tell you his family's more important than yours, insult your shoes, and somehow expect you to apologise to him?"
For one perfect moment... silence. Then Harriet burst out laughing. A proper laugh. She had to stop walking. "Oh..." She wiped a tear from one eye. "Yeah." She looked at Hermione. "...That's Malfoy."
Hermione opened her mouth. Closed it again. Opened it once more. "...Well..." She frowned thoughtfully. "...That is, in fact, Draco Malfoy."
Katie looked pleased with herself. "I've never even met him."
Mr. Granger chuckled. "He sounds... confident."
Hermione snorted. "That's one word for it."
Mrs. Granger looked down at Katie. "If he's as unpleasant as that..." She squeezed Katie's shoulder gently. "...I'd stay away from him."
Katie nodded. "I wasn't planning on making friends with someone who insults my shoes."
"I don't think he'd stop there," Harriet admitted.
"He probably wouldn't." Hermione slipped an arm around Katie's shoulders. "Don't worry." Katie looked up. "If we're in the same school..." Hermione smiled. "...I'll keep an eye on you."
Katie raised an eyebrow. "You mean you'll make sure I don't accidentally befriend any pompous big heads?"
"Exactly."
Katie grinned. "Excellent." She nudged Hermione lightly with her elbow. "And if I do end up in Slytherin?"
Hermione groaned theatrically. "I shall spend the next seven years pretending I don't know you."
Katie gasped dramatically. "You wound me."
"I'll still love you."
"I should hope so."
Mrs. Granger laughed. "You two haven't changed at all."
"We're sisters," Hermione replied matter-of-factly. "It's practically our job."
Mr. Granger pointed farther down the street. "There's Madam Malkin's."
Katie immediately brightened. "Uniforms!" She hurried ahead.
Mrs. Granger smiled after her. "There she goes."
Harriet watched Katie weave happily through the crowd. After only a single conversation...
She was fairly certain Hermione's little sister possessed enough dry wit and effortless sarcasm to leave most adults scrambling for a response. Harriet couldn't help smiling. Whatever House Katie Granger ended up in... Hogwarts was about to become a considerably more interesting place.
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions was every bit as busy as the rest of Diagon Alley. Measuring tapes floated busily through the air. Pins zipped from one worktable to another. Several first-years stood patiently on fitting stools while robes adjusted themselves around their shoulders.
Mrs. Granger smiled at the witch behind the counter. "We're here for first-year school robes."
"Certainly, dear." The witch looked toward the back of the shop. "One fitting stand has just opened."
Katie looked around with wide eyes. "This is brilliant."
"It gets less exciting after the fourth set of school robes," Hermione informed her.
"I somehow doubt that."
Harriet leaned against a display of hats while Katie climbed onto the fitting stool. An enchanted tape measure immediately wrapped itself around Katie's shoulders. "Hold still."
"I'm trying." The tape promptly measured her nose. "...Was that necessary?"
Nobody answered.
Harriet smiled to herself. Then the bell above the shop door chimed. Several more customers entered. Hermione looked over automatically. "...Oh."
Harriet followed her gaze. "...Wonderful."
Standing just inside the doorway was Lucius Malfoy. Elegant as ever. Walking beside him was Narcissa Malfoy, composed and immaculate. A few feet away, Draco Malfoy had already wandered toward a rack of dress robes with the unmistakable air of someone who would rather be literally anywhere else.
Harriet and Hermione exchanged a glance. Neither of them spoke. Neither acknowledged him. Draco glanced in their direction only once. Then, with remarkable determination, he focused all of his attention on the robes hanging before him.
"...He's ignoring us," Hermione murmured.
Harriet nodded. "I'm happy with that arrangement."
"So am I."
Another figure stepped into the shop behind the Malfoys. A girl about Katie's age. She looked... Harriet blinked. "...She looks like him."
Hermione quietly nodded. The resemblance was impossible to miss. The same pale blond hair. The same narrow face. The same aristocratic features. Only her eyes differed. Instead of Lucius Malfoy's cool grey... Hers were a vivid green.
The girl wandered toward the fitting stools just as Katie climbed down from hers. The two girls nearly bumped into one another. "Oh!" Katie stepped back politely. "Sorry."
"My fault." The blonde girl smiled—a genuine, easy smile that looked strangely out of place beside the Malfoys. "I'm Diana." She extended a hand. "Diana Malfoy."
Katie shook it. "Katherine Granger. My family calls me Katie."
"You can call me Diana." There was a comfortable pause. Then Diana added, in exactly the same conversational tone one might use to comment on the weather, "I'm Lucius Malfoy's illegitimate daughter."
The shop seemed to become very quiet.
Harriet's eyebrows shot upward. Hermione looked sharply toward the adults. Across the room, Narcissa Malfoy's expression tightened so suddenly it was almost painful to witness. Her jaw clenched. Lucius closed his eyes briefly. The smallest grimace crossed his face. Neither of them interrupted. A few feet away, Draco's shoulders visibly hunched. He remained stubbornly focused on the robes in front of him. He did not turn around. He did not say a word.
Harriet and Hermione exchanged another look. Neither dared comment. Katie, meanwhile, accepted the statement with remarkable calm. "Oh." She smiled. "I'm Muggleborn."
Diana nodded. "I guessed."
"I only got my Hogwarts letter yesterday."
"My owl came a few weeks ago."
Katie tilted her head. "So..." She hesitated. "...Do you live at Malfoy Manor?"
Diana sighed. "Unfortunately."
Katie blinked. "I thought it'd be amazing."
"I used to live with my mum." Her smile faded a little. "They took me away from her at the beginning of the summer." There wasn't any anger in her voice. Just quiet disappointment. "I don't like Malfoy Manor."
"No?"
"It's enormous."
Katie looked intrigued. "I thought that would be the good part."
"It isn't." Diana folded her arms. "It's cold."
"The house?"
"The people."
For a moment... No one said anything.bEven Harriet found herself glancing toward Lucius and Narcissa again. Neither adult reacted outwardly. If they'd heard... They gave no sign.
Katie looked genuinely sympathetic. "I'm sorry."
Diana shrugged. "It isn't your fault." She brightened again almost immediately. "Still..." She looked around the shop. "...At least Hogwarts starts soon."
Katie smiled. "That's true."
An assistant approached. "Miss Malfoy?"
"Yes?"
"We've finished your robes."
"Oh!" Diana accepted the neatly folded bundle. "Thank you." She turned back toward Katie. "It was nice meeting you."
"You too."
"I suppose..." Diana smiled faintly. "...I'll see you on the train."
"I guess you will."
Diana gave a little wave. "Bye, Katie."
"Bye, Diana."
She crossed the shop to join the Malfoys. Lucius took the package of robes without a word. Narcissa remained composed, though her expression was unreadable. Draco finally looked away from the display long enough to fall into step behind them. The four Malfoys left together.
The bell above the door jingled once more. Only after it had closed behind them did Hermione slowly exhale. "...Well."
Harriet nodded. "That..." She searched for the right word. "...wasn't what I expected."
Katie looked between them. "What?"
Hermione shook her head. "I think..." She glanced toward the door. "...Hogwarts might be more interesting this year than I thought."
Their shopping continued at a far more cheerful pace after leaving Madam Malkin's. Hermione still looked faintly bewildered by the revelation of Diana Malfoy's existence. Harriet suspected she wasn't the only one. Katie, meanwhile, had already moved on.
"So," Mrs. Granger said, checking the list in her hand, "next stop..."
"The Magical Menagerie," Hermione answered immediately.
Katie's eyes lit up. "My pet!"
"You've been talking about this for weeks," Mr. Granger said.
"I have."
"You've changed your mind six times."
"I have not."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You wanted a toad."
"For one day."
"Then an owl."
"They're noisy."
"Then a rat."
"They have tails."
"They're rats."
"I noticed."
Hermione laughed. "So what do you want now?"
Katie answered without hesitation. "A cat."
"You sound certain."
"I am." She smiled confidently. "I can always use Oscar if I need to send letters."
Hermione nodded. "I suppose that's true."
"Besides," Katie continued, "Oscar already knows me."
"He does."
"So a cat."
Mrs. Granger smiled. "A cat it is."
The Magical Menagerie was every bit as noisy as Harriet remembered. Cats lounged lazily on shelves. Kneazles prowled between cages. Owls blinked sleepily from high perches. A pair of puffskeins bounced happily around a display near the entrance. Somewhere in the back, something screeched. Loudly.
Katie immediately wandered deeper into the shop. Harriet found her a few minutes later... Not looking at cats. But staring upward. "...Katie?"
"Hm?"
"I thought you wanted a cat."
"I did."
Katie never looked away from the large black bird perched inside a spacious cage. The raven tilted its head. Katie tilted hers back. The raven gave a curious croak. Katie smiled. "I've changed my mind."
Hermione folded her arms. "Already?"
Mrs. Granger laughed. "You lasted nearly five minutes."
"I know." Katie pointed upward. "I want him."
The raven puffed out its feathers importantly. The shopkeeper walked over. "Excellent choice."
Katie looked hopeful. "Really?"
"Oh, yes. He'll be clever. He'll probably learn routines. And he'll almost certainly steal shiny things."
Katie gasped happily. "Perfect."
Hermione rubbed her forehead. "I don't know whether to encourage this."
"You don't have to." Katie smiled brightly. "I've already decided."
Mr. Granger looked at the bird. "Have you chosen a name?"
Katie studied the raven thoughtfully. The bird stared back. "...Steve."
Silence. Hermione blinked. "...Steve?"
Katie nodded. "He looks like a Steve."
The raven gave another satisfied croak. Harriet laughed. "I think Steve approves."
Mrs. Granger smiled. "Steve it is."
A few minutes later Katie emerged carrying Steve's cage with unmistakable pride. The raven seemed perfectly content with the arrangement.
"Next," Mr. Granger announced. "Ollivanders."
Katie hugged Steve's cage. "My wand."
The familiar little shop smelled of polished wood and old magic. Thousands of narrow boxes stretched from floor to ceiling. Mr. Ollivander appeared almost instantly. "Miss Granger." He smiled pleasantly. "And a first-year, I believe."
Katie nodded eagerly. "That's me."
"Wonderful." He measured her with an enchanted tape measure while asking absent-minded questions about her height, her writing hand, and whether she'd ever accidentally made furniture explode.
Katie admitted she hadn't. "Pity," Ollivander murmured. "The memorable ones usually have."
Then the testing began. "Try this." Katie swished. Nothing. "No..."
Another wand. A shower of green sparks. "Definitely not."
Another. A vase exploded. Mrs. Granger jumped. "Oh!"
"Quite all right," Ollivander said cheerfully. "It wasn't a particularly attractive vase."
Seven wands later... Ollivander handed Katie another narrow box. "Hm..."
He removed the wand carefully. "Ash. Ten inches. Dragon heartstring."
Katie accepted it. The moment her fingers closed around the wood—warm golden light spiralled around the tip. The entire shop seemed to sigh.
Ollivander smiled broadly. "There we are."
Katie looked down at the wand in amazement. "...It picked me."
"It certainly did." Hermione stepped closer. "You've got a dragon heartstring core too."
Katie looked over. "Really?"
Hermione nodded. "My wand's vine wood." "But it also has a dragon heartstring."
Katie grinned. "That's brilliant." She gave the wand another delighted little wave. "I'm just happy I have one."
Harriet smiled. She remembered feeling exactly the same.
As they thanked Ollivander and headed toward the door—the bell rang. Draco Malfoy stepped inside. Walking beside him was Diana. Harriet noticed immediately that neither Lucius nor Narcissa had followed them.
Instead—raised voices drifted in through the still-open doorway.
"You never—"
"I did what—"
"You brought—"
"I will not—"
The words were lost beneath the noise of Diagon Alley. Draco didn't even glance back. He simply sighed. He sounded exhausted. "C'mon." He gestured toward Mr. Ollivander with all the enthusiasm of someone being forced to do homework. "Get your wand."
Diana nodded. "Right."
The door swung shut behind them. The argument outside became little more than muffled shouting.
Katie lingered near a display of leather wand holsters. Steve watched everything from inside his cage.
Ollivander smiled. "Miss Malfoy."
Diana stepped forward. The process began again. One wand after another. Oak. No. Cherry. No. Elm. Still no. Walnut. A spectacular shower of purple sparks.
"Interesting," Ollivander murmured. "But not quite." Finally... "A possibility." He opened another long box. "Hazel. Thirteen inches. Dragon heartstring."
Diana wrapped her fingers around it. A warm breeze swept gently through the shop. Several dusty boxes rattled softly on their shelves. Ollivander smiled. "Excellent."
Diana looked delighted. "It fits."
"It does."
She wandered toward the counter to choose a wand holster. Katie was already examining them. Diana noticed the one in Katie's hand. "Those are nice."
Katie nodded. "I think so too." There was a brief pause. Then Katie smiled. "I've also got a dragon heartstring core."
Diana looked pleasantly surprised. "Really?"
Hermione nodded. "It's one of the better-known wand cores."
Diana looked back at Katie. "Then I suppose..." She smiled. "...our wands have sister cores."
Katie's grin widened. "They do!"
Steve gave an approving croak. Harriet wasn't entirely sure whether he understood the conversation or simply wanted attention. Possibly both.
After choosing a simple brown leather holster, Diana gave Katie another friendly smile. "I'll probably see you in September."
"You definitely will."
"Bye."
"Bye."
The Grangers thanked Ollivander once more and stepped back out into the sunshine.
Immediately—
"...I am telling you—"
"You embarrassed—"
"You embarrassed yourself!"
Lucius and Narcissa were still standing in the middle of the cobbled street. Neither appeared remotely interested in lowering their voices. Several passing witches and wizards had slowed ever so slightly while pretending not to listen.
Mr. Granger cleared his throat. "...Perhaps..."
Mrs. Granger nodded immediately. "...we go that way."
Nobody argued. They quietly steered well around the increasingly spectacular Malfoy disagreement.
Katie looked back only once. "They're still yelling."
Hermione didn't. "I know."
Harriet smiled to herself. "I think they'll be at it for a while."
Steve gave another thoughtful croak from inside his cage, as though offering his own opinion on the matter.
"Lunch?" Mr. Granger suggested.
"Lunch," everyone agreed.
And with Steve perched proudly in his cage and Katie clutching her new wand, the Grangers and Harriet headed toward the Leaky Cauldron, happily leaving the sound of the Malfoys' argument fading behind them.