Chapter Text
Albus Dumbledore watched Harleen Potter leave the hall alone. Neither the excitement of the Weasleys nor the Malfoy boy’s words against them seemed to affect her. She just disappeared quietly in the hallway.
That night, he invited Severus Snape for a chat in his office. As soon as he entered the door, Dumbledore handed him a letter, "This is a letter from the MacDougals."
Snape took it with no significant facial expressions. But the more he looked at it, the tighter his brows frowned. Finally, he put down the parchment and looked back at Dumbledore.
"Didn't you realize these problems when you first met Harleen, Severus?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"Petunia Evans was jealous of Lily for being a witch, and since then she hated everything related to magic." Snape spoke slowly, "But Potter was the only child of her dead sister after all - I thought Potter knew nothing about her parents or our world just because she didn't want to talk about it. I thought she was just not that nice to her, but I didn't expect Potter to be abused. Not to mention you said she would be well protected before leaving her there-"
"And an old man made a mistake, Severus. I thought no matter the wound would close no matter how deep it used to be." Dumbledore sighed deeply, "The magic I cast can ensure that as long as they give Harleen a place to stay, her safety could be guaranteed even when Voldemort comes back. But I didn't expect them to treat her this way. This was my fault."
Snape recalled when he first met Harleen Potter. Thinking of the reply letter from her that was not so humble, looking at her black hair that was exactly the same as James Potter's, her bright green eyes just like Lily, but other features that could not erase the traces of her father, and remembering that his beloved one died to protect her - Snape could not act more gentle to her.
But Harleen Potter was too sensitive to emotions, so even the slightest impatience he revealed made her quickly suggest going to Diagon Alley by herself. Snape also took this opportunity to escape from those eyes.
But now everything they didn't know had been revealed. Harleen Potter might not care how her Muggle relatives treated her, but when Lucius Malfoy learned about what ‘the girl who lived’ had been suffering from all the time , he saw it as a good opportunity to attack Dumbledore and ruin his reputation. But the McDougals cared about this girl after spending some summer time together, and didn't want her to be used, so they wrote to Dumbledore immediately after hearing something.
"Will Potter still go back there this summer?" Snape asked again.
"That magic means that only when Harleen can still call that place home will she be strongly protected. So I'm sorry, yes, she still needs to go back there - but I will find a way to provide her with more protection, like sending another letter to Petunia, maybe." Dumbledore said affirmatively, "But now we need to talk about another thing about Harleen."
Snape glanced at Dumbledore. "You mean she is a Parseltongue."
"Yes. I guess this will undoubtedly increase a guess: Harleen Potter is a dark wizard with even more powerful magic than Voldemort, that was why he wanted to get rid of her, to avoid competition." Dumbledore said.
"I heard that some people - some former Death Eaters - want to find out more from their children at Hogwarts. In fact, since Potter was sorted into Slytherin last year, quite a few people, including Lucius Malfoy, thought so. They all wanted to find out whether Potter defeated the Dark Lord because of his strength." Snape said slowly, "I think they worried too much. It would be unfair to say Potter was ‘untalented’, but it is obvious that she is not interested in becoming an authority or recruiting an army."
Dumbledore looked at Snape. "I thought you would be much harsher on her."
Snape felt his eyelids twitch. He did think so, especially when he learned about what she did last school year. But he had to admit that the more time she spent in front of him, the more she proved that she did not look like a Potter. Not to mention that she was still a Slytherin student.
"She grew up in such an environment, yet her performance had surpassed some of her peers who received magic education at much younger age." He said with difficulty. It was difficult to praise a Potter at any time.
"But you saw it." Dumbledore pointed to the parchment, "Someone also tried to intercept Harleen's owl during the summer, and she was hit by a bludger that was obviously controlled by magic during the Quidditch game. I have to prepare for the worst, Severus."
Snape frowned. He touched his left forearm, "But, you know... I didn't feel him coming back."
"According to our source, he is still in the Albanian forest." Dumbledore said, "But what happened last year has proved that Voldemort had mastered dark magics that I didn't expect, and he was still extremely manipulative. He had the opportunity to use others to return to Hogwarts at any time... He may have left some instructions, asking his follower to execute them as told at a certain moment. He always liked to be a chess player. So, pay more attention to Harleen, please? She looked even quieter than when she first came to school."
Snape pursed his lips and nodded.
-
"The Slytherin student just came out of the restricted area. Did she have permission?"
"Yes. It was a written authorization signed by Professor Lockhart, granting her multiple entries. I checked it. And the books she chose every time were quite reasonable - at least compared to others in the restricted area, they were quite academic."
"Can I see what books she borrowed?"
Snape returned to the dungeon and pressed his forehead hard. Harleen Potter was a time bomb, he should know that. What academic research needed a second-year student to find resources from the restricted area? What's more, it was an authorization from that idiot Gilderoy Lockhart. As long as someone flattered him, he would be willing to sign on anything - the whole thing looked like Potter took advantage of the loophole.
He would not pretend that he had no interest in the dark arts or never did in-depth research. This was a thorn, a thorn stuck between him and Lily, making them farther and farther apart. No one knows better than Snape how varied and unpredictable dark magic could be, how tempting it was, and how corruptive it was for someone’s mind - and now Harleen Potter stepped out the first step across the threshold.
This is Slytherin House, and her classmates basically grew up in the dark magic. If she wanted to fit in, or was simply interested in a small hex, or even wanted to fight back because someone was not friendly to her, it's okay. But what was she reading now? Obviously exceeded this standard.
More importantly, what led her to enter the restricted area and accurately pick those books about curses and rituals from the shelves? Where did she get these inspirations, and for whom did she prepare them?
Snape almost immediately thought of letting Dumbledore know. But his steps hesitated.
He remembered those vigilant eyes and the letter - Harleen Potter was just a girl who was always in a state of self-protection. She had been hurt, and now faced with a whole school of ridiculous rumors that she was the next Dark Lord, she might just want to choose her weapon among such whispers.
She really didn't need to endure the extra attention from Albus Dumbledore.
-
Harleen Potter was exploring Tom Riddle’s traces. The mere possibility itself was enough to make Dumbledore put down his lemon sherbet.
She went to the trophy room and stopped for a second at the chaser medal engraved with her father's name. Then she found Tom Riddle's medal for Special Award for Services to the School
, Magic Merit, and looked for his name on the list of Head Boys.
Few people knew that Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. Fifty years ago, at Hogwarts, Dumbledore taught him himself. After graduation, he traveled all over the world, his footprints were all over the world... He fell deeper and deeper into the quagmire of black magic, mixed with the most evil guys in the wizarding world, and after many dangerous magical transformations, he finally reappeared as Voldemort, and people could hardly recognize him. Almost no one associated Voldemort with the smart and handsome head boy who had studied here.
But why did Harleen look for traces of his existence? Did she know that Tom Riddle was Voldemort? What was she thinking about?
Dumbledore walked out of the dark and stopped in front of the glittering medal. It was like a slap in the face of Hogwarts, because no one could have imagined that the winner of this medal was the real murderer of that Muggle-born Ravenclaw girl fifty years ago.
Fortunately, because of the girl's deep obsession, her soul returned to Hogwarts, forever trapped in the bathroom where she was killed.
"Miss Warren. Have you told anyone about your story recently?" asked Dumbledore.
"... Why would anyone want to talk to me? Professor Dumbledore, you knew that." answered Myrtle Warren.
But Legilimency can't be used on a ghost. Dumbledore would never know if she was hiding something, just as he was not so sure about Harleen Potter.
-
Harleen sometimes wondered if she could complete a final exam without any external factors.
In the first year, there was a three-headed dog in the school, guarding a treasure that Quirrell wanted to steal for his master, and she had to bear the pain of the scar caused by Voldemort's presence; now for the second year, Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was deep underground, a basilisk was missing, and Voldemort, dead or alive, was the heir to all of this.
Now I'm not only the one who made him fail, but also an intruder to his ancestor’s legacy. If one day he kills me out of anger, I don't think I'll ask 'why'. Harleen wrote in the diary after the last exam.
Considering that you're also a Parseltongue, maybe that's your ancestor too, Tom replied.
That's a pity we once almost killed each other. You've read the Bible, right? Like Cain and Abel. Harleen wrote, Speaking of which, I have to find a place for you. You know, I have to go back to the Muggles for the summer. I remember you were quite tall, even if you don't have a body, you definitely won’t want to hide in the cupboard with me. I even considered the Chamber of Secrets, but I don't know where the basilisk is, so I don't think it's safe."
I'm not a living person yet, Harleen, they were now finally in a relationship where they had exchanged full, real names, I don't believe I can lure a basilisk out. But the more important problem is that I don't want you to go back alone to face those terrible Muggles.
Harleen bit her lower lip, feeling as if her heart was brushed by a feather and shrank a little. I have a special way to deal with it. I've been living like this for more than ten years, and I'm used to it. The tip of the feather pen swished across the paper, and the messy handwriting clearly showed her uneasy mood at the moment, So, do you have any good suggestions?
Let me go back with you. Tom replied, I don't have to come out of the diary, but I can still help you. I was with people like that during the summer fifty years ago, just like you, and I know what it felt like to be alone. And your birthday is in July, right?
But
Harleen wrote a word. For some reason, she didn't want Tom to see her weak and embarrassed at the Dursleys' house, but she couldn't refuse his suggestion, so she finally crossed out the letters,
Thank you. Let's go back together then.
-
In a blink of an eye, they were going home on the Hogwarts Express again.
Ginny Weasley stopped Harleen on the train. She was still blushing, but she didn't look as nervous as when they first met. "I want to thank you for the Transfiguration textbook and diary you gave me. If it's not too much trouble, I want to know.... can I write to you over summer?"
In the carriage behind her, there were the twins, her younger brother in the same grade as Harleen, and the brown-haired Granger. The twins looked at each other and couldn't help laughing; Ron Weasley's hand, which he stretched out to stop his little sister, was obviously too late, and he was now covering his face; Hermione Granger looked at him with disdain beside him.
"I live with Muggles, so it's not convenient to use owls. I’m sorry." Harleen saw the disappointed look on the little girl's face and felt a little reluctant, but she didn't want to give her hope and disappoint her, so she had to say no cruelly, "But it’s ok. We will all return to Hogwarts, right? I’ll see you then."
Ginny nodded. Harleen smiled at her and continued to go to her compartment.
Slytherin won the House Cup again this year with its advantage in Quidditch, so everyone was in a good mood. When Harleen opened the door, her classmates all looked over. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"I thought you were going to the Ravenclaw carriage with MacDougal. You seem to have been with her this semester." He said slowly.
Harleen put Hedwig's cage on the table. "Why, I have been expelled from Slytherin House now?"
Blaise shrugged. He stared at the wizard chess board between him and Theodore and said slowly, "Since that dueling club meeting, except for breakfast or going to class, you had hardly been with us. You were always in the library. When you returned to the common room, you went directly to the dormitory. It was quite obvious that you just didn't want to be around crowds. Even Draco couldn’t catch you when you both stayed at school for Christmas."
"Seemed that you guys really had a lot to spit." Harleen flipped through the half-read book, "But I really don't want to discuss this with anyone."
"Do you know what Parseltongue means?" asked Draco, "You won't think it is evil like those people-"
Harleen interrupted him, "When I was eleven, I talked with a Brazilian boa in the zoo. It was the first creature I met that was willing to talk to me nicely, so I don't think talking to snakes is evil. But I don't like being judged everywhere I go. Do you think I'm Lockhart?"
"So, you should stay away from those people. Those people just don't understand - "
"Do me a favor. Don't tell me what to do, Draco." Harleen said slowly, "Just take care of yourself. Weren’t you almost defeated by Ravenclaw this year and lost the Quidditch Cup? You might as well care about whether there will be new models of brooms."
Theodore snorted sarcastically and moved a chess piece. "Speaking of Lockhart, I heard that several of his portraits were destroyed by Peeves, so he won't be back in the new semester. It seems that we will have a new professor again."
Speaking of this, Harleen thought of the books in the trunk. Those books were shabby but valuable, and she didn't dare to put them in the public storage. And she might as well need some new clothes - she prepared some British pounds in advance last summer, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
The train gradually slowed down and pulled into Platform 9 3/4. Hedwig looked at her in the cage, with condemnation in her big eyes, as if it was obvious that Harleen was going to send her to Mrs. Figg's house to live with a house full of cats for a while. She touched her feathers through the cage, got off the train, and joined the crowd and slowly walked towards the enchanted partition.
Now she was no longer alone. Harleen thought of Tom and became more determined. She pushed the trolley through the exit and returned to the Muggle world.