Chapter Text
Harriet woke up to the sun shining into her room, she stretched and was confused when her hands and feet didn't hit the walls of her cupboard. She opened her eyes timidly, she was alone in a large room. She sat up and looked around, oh it's a Draco's room. She wondered why she woke up, it seemed so early. She flicked her wand and the time glowed in the air, it was 7:12 am. Even though she is used to waking up early but she is getting better about sleeping in a bit so she doesn't wake up the other girls. No one was in the room with her but she was sleeping in his bed, the three of them must have crashed after their little quidditch match. She caught the snitch first before Draco or Merry even saw it. But for an odd reason, her scar has been burning lately, more than usual. She really wants to tell someone like Merry or Riley about the pain but she doesn't want to be selfish nor a bother.
------------Flashback-------------
Harriet stumbled out of her little room, her feet tripping in her big pajama pants. She had a nightmare about some lady with red hair and a really loud noise which scared her awake. Dudley and her were starting daycare the next day, she was really excited to meet all the new kids. Maybe they would be nicer to her than Dudley who always tends to push her. But she likes looking at his teddy bear with different colored eyes so she doesn't mind.
She knocked on her Aunt's door, her face still sore from the last time Dudley pushed her to the ground. She knocked again louder, when Dudley had a nightmare or even cried, Petunia and Vernon always seemed to run to him so they could hold him. The door opened harshly, her Aunt glared at her shivering body.
"What do you want?" She hissed at her frightened niece only the age of 3.
"I- I had a nightmare," Harriet whimpered, why wasn't she running to hug her? Why wasn't she kissing her cheeks like Dudley's? Why wasn't her Uncle reading her a story to calm her down?
"So?" Her harshness boomed in Harriet's ears, she didn't care.
"I- I- I," She stumbled out, tears started to build up in her eyes but she didn't want to rub them. If she cried would they make her warm milk like they did for Dudley? Would they let her watch the tele for an hour?
"Next time, don't be selfish." With that, her Aunt slammed the door in her face and locked the door. Harriet cried softly in the hallway, too scared to go back to her little room. It was quite lonely in there, there was only a small bed with a few torn and thin blankets. Harriet curled up into a ball, hiding her face in her knees sobbing. She couldn't get the lady's red hair and the loud noise out of her mind. She soon fell asleep with a thought of hoping that the lady was alright. The next morning she woke up to her Aunt screaming.
"What are you doing?!" She yelled at Harriet who was still curled up against the opposite wall. She pushed back into the wall, she didn't like when people yelled. Loud noises are really scary.
"I was scared," Harriet sniffled, she was quite cold since she slept on the floor the whole night. But she can curl up in her bed tomorrow in her own room, right?
Her Aunt grabbed her by the collar of her shirt which was also Dudley's, "That's it!" She shouted loudly into her face. She dragged the small girl downstairs who had a hard time walking down the stairs when being dragged roughly. She walked around and headed towards the entrance of the house which made Harriet start to cry a bit, she didn't want to go outside. She hadn't eaten any breakfast and she was going outside already. Why wasn't she going to eat a big breakfast like Dudley?
Her Aunt forcefully opened up the small cupboard under the stairs, Harriet looked at it confused. Was she supposed to clean it? It was quite dirty and full of dust, there were cobwebs everywhere. Her Aunt threw her in the small cupboard casually and carelessly like she was only a simple coat, her head hit the wall and she whimpered at the sudden pain. She sat on the floor and looked up at her Aunt while she was crying.
She sneered at her shaking niece, "Freak." She slammed the door of the cupboard in her face, that day she was the first day she didn't eat at all. All she could do was cry softly in her shirt and play with the little spiders who seemed confused by her presence. She still would squeal when one brushed up against her leg. The dark scared her so much, but after a while, she got used to it. She found it comforting, she found the unknown exciting, thrilling. The dark hid her, protected her from harm while the light only
She had a bruise on her face for weeks the time she accidentally called Petunia 'Mom', because how dare a spectacled small girl call her 'Mom'. She was only a freak. Nothing else. She was 5 at that time. She was 6 when her Aunt told her how her parents died, and how she burned or got rid of their belongings. She was 6 when her Uncle put a lock on her cupboard because she tried to sleep with them like Dudley did when he had a nightmare. She was 7 when she found out her real name, she honestly thought her real name was freak since her family never called her anything other than that. She was 9 when she thought about running away, but she was too scared, she never had an courage. She was 10 when she became so bored with her everyday life, she wanted to change it but had no idea. She wanted to feel something but she couldn't explain what she wanted to feel, possibly happiness or passion. She never knew though. She didn't quite understand those feelings to begin with.
Her teachers never said anything, they always were curious when they saw new bruises every day. They wanted to say something. They really did. But in the small town of Little Whinging, everything must be perfect from the people to lawns to the school system. Having an abuse case in their small town will ruin their reputation completely, so they have to keep their mouths shut even if a few kids suffer greatly.
Harriet couldn't move for a week when she looked through some of her Uncle's papers, but she was only 7 years old. She was curious, her eyes always had to look at everything. Examine everything around her, her eyes sparkled with wonder and amusement at even the simplest things like ducks walking around the park or when the toast popped up. Petunia noticed as time went on, Harriet's eyes started to fill with fear. Her eyes would look up briefly as they wanted to see the world and explore but the fear of being hit scared her so she stopped looking at the world with such big round eyes. Eyes just like her mother, so vibrantly green. But... at times, there are sparks of mischief, mischief never was in the eyes of Lily. Lily's eyes also never had fear in them nor as much curiosity in them, but every time she saw Harriet eager to read a book, to dream and wish that magic existed, she only could think of Lily. Lily, her sister who always got all the attention and love. Her special sister, the important sister. She ruined her life. She was neglected because of those big green curious eyes, those same green eyes on the little freak only made Petunia suffer even more.
Petunia always made sure to rip up any books that Harriet brought home that were about magic. Harriet cried the day Vernon screamed at her that magic didn't exist, Harriet's face was so bruised and beaten the next day. Her eyes no longer sparkled with mischief nor curiosity, her vibrant green eyes only seemed dull now. Harriet's eyes no longer looked like Lily's, it was a good day.
One time Harriet was 5 years old and she drew a picture of her family, her Uncle Vernon, her Aunt Tune, and her Cousin Duds. Her Uncle refused to be called anything else and her Aunt always hated when Harriet called her that but she had a hard time forming words. It was the same nickname that the evil little boy used to call her that was friends with Lily. Dudley quite liked his nickname actually, it was different than the stupid nicknames his parents gave him. It was different from his 'friends' at school, it made him something other than a spoiled kid who is violent. When Harriet brought it home, she was so excited to show her Aunt. To show that they were a family, maybe her good artwork would let her eat a bit more for dinner. She was shaking with excitement, would her Aunt call them a family finally? She ran all of the way home, she wanted to let them know that she cared, she wanted them to be her family.
She burst through the door and walked up to her Aunt who was cleaning dishes, "Auntie! I drew a picture!" Her Aunt looked at her blankly and when she saw the picture of a small brunette with three other people. Each being labeled by their nicknames. Petunia said nothing but took the picture. Harriet's heart was going at a fast rate, she hoped she liked it. Petunia walked carefully over to the trash can and tore up the picture with no words, Harriet gasped and held back tears. She hated her picture, she promised herself that she would do better next time to make her Aunt happy.
"Don't cry," She sneered at her whimpering niece, "For Merlin's sake! You are such a bother!" She shoved Harriet in the direction of her cupboard, "Get in there!"
"But I haven't ate?" They always at least give her something like an apple before she sleeps.
"You are so selfish! You know that? Can't you think of anyone else for a change!" Her Aunt stomped off, to go finish the dishes. Harriet was left crying in her own cupboard for the rest of the night. She wondered a lot of things that night, why was she treated so differently from Dudley? They were family. Isn't family supposed to love each other? Harriet was rapidly realizing that wasn't true for all families.
The next morning, Harriet made breakfast for her family. She wanted them to know that she cared for them. She was only insulted and smacked upside the head with a frying pan because she burnt a few things. She also was pushed down multiple times that day by her cousin. Every insult became less and less harsh throughout her life, 'freak' by her family, 'bitch' from Dudley's friends, 'weirdo' from the other kids in school, and even 'loser' from a few girls who sometimes would pour their lunches onto her. The only ones who would ever talk nicely about her would be her teachers, saying how hard working she is, how kind she is. How brilliant she is, how independent she is, how she can solve problems so quickly and by herself. Harriet soon put all of her effort into her studies, since it was the only thing she was praised on, her family hated her cooking and drawing so she put all of her work into her grades. It was the only thing she could do to find at least one sentence of praise and she learned so much in the process, she also learned cooking and drawing tips so she can impress her family with it.
Learning was the only way she could feel happy, she felt so powerful and intelligent when she knew material years ahead of her. Learning put her ahead of all of the mean people around her, she could outsmart Dudley and his gang so she didn't get beaten up. She could confuse her Uncle so he wouldn't hit her. She could use her knowledge to get ahead of others, only to end up using her knowledge to help people. She wanted to change the world with her ideas, she didn't have the power though. Maybe one day she will. She will have the power to change how people are discriminated against for anything, their sexuality or simply how they grew up. Hatred is such an evil and sickening thing in the world, she never would hate anyone. That would defeat the purpose of what she wanted to change. She wanted to change how much hatred is in the world, she wants people to be happy and free. Something she is not. She wants others to be different, she never wants another child to face what she faced. She will make this happen, she will continue to learn until she could help others. She will continue to gain power, to gain knowledge in order to help the world around her. It takes only one person to change minds, she will be that person.
------------End of Flashback------------
Harriet was confused when she opened up the door and looked down the hallways. No one was around and it was deadly quiet, no one running around or stomping. No screaming or shouting, no pans being smacked against the walls. She aimlessly walked down the halls in her pajamas, she assumed she was heading in the right direction when she saw the large staircase, the same staircase that they were running on the previous night. Harriet really liked it here at the Malfoy's, it was so calm and nice. Draco and Merry were nice to her like always but it was super fun so far since they were bonding as friends. Draco isn't as annoying as Blaise teases him for, he actually is quite caring.
Harriet walked carefully down the stairs, not wanting to fall, she stared up at the huge Christmas tree that was lit up with twinkling lights and moving ornaments. Harriet wished She walked around a bit until she found what seemed to be the living room, Harriet stared at Draco's mother who was reading a book calmly by the fire. Narcissa sensed someone near so she looked up to see Harriet with curious, big eyes and in her oversized clothes.
"Do you need something Harriet?" She asked while putting her book down to give Harriet her full attention. Harriet jumped a bit at the idea of her being concerned for her well being.
Harriet shifted awkwardly and looked down at her feet, "I was wondering where Draco and Merry were, I was looking for them. Sorry for bothering you." Her face was warmed from embarrassment.
"Draco is with his father, they went to a store down the road to go grab some last minute supplies for the Christmas party tonight. And Merry was grabbing some snow outside to hit Draco with when they come home." Harriet giggled at her statement. "Would you like to have a cup of hot chocolate with me?"
Harriet nodded softly, "Yes please. If it's not too much to ask for."
Narcissa shook her head lightly and smiled at her, "It's not a problem at all dear." She snapped her fingers and a house elf popped up, a different one from the one yesterday.
"Winky can you please get us two cups of hot chocolate," She asked the shivering elf.
Harriet tried not to wince at the loud squeaking Winky talked in, "Yes Mistress, right away." The loud pop made Harriet jump once again, she really doesn't like loud noises.
"You can sit," Narcissa smiled. Harriet sat across from her quietly, trying to take up the least amount of space possible.Harriet sat across from her quietly, trying to take up the least amount of space possible. "How are you, Harriet? Did you sleep well last night?" Harriet tried to calm herself, Narcissa seemed quite nice and her voice was super soft. Harriet wondered if this is how all mothers are, Cara, Merry's mother, is always nice to her also but she is quieter than Narcissa. Narcissa is seeming to put in extra effort for Harriet to be calmed, Cara always knew when Harriet needed her space or quiet time.
"I'm alright, I slept quite well. Thank you again for letting me stay here." Narcissa smiled again at Harriet's soft voice and quiet demeanor.
"You are always welcome here Harriet. I can see why Draco likes you so much," She chuckled into her hand.
Harriet blushed lightly at her words, "Why?"
"You are a very intelligent girl despite not growing up in the Wizarding world and you are tremendously sweet and supportive. Draco could use a friend like you who always supports him yet will keep him out of trouble or doing something wrong."
Harriet frowned a bit at that, "But Merry and Pansy also do that?"
"Of course they do but you hold such a kind nature that I have only seen in very few people," Narcissa clicked her nails on the table next to her in deep thought. Before Harriet could respond, Winky came back with a tray of two cups. Narcissa grabbed one delicately and gently sipped on it before setting it aside. Harriet thanked Winky and sipped mouth fulls of the sweet liquid. She couldn't really have sweets at the Dursleys, therefore, she never cared for the taste but Merry always offers her sweets and Hogwarts never runs out of desserts so she is starting to enjoy the sweetness.
Harriet looked up to see Narcissa rubbing her eyes tiredly and trying to quiet a yawn, "How did you sleep?"
Narcissa chuckled to herself a bit, "No not really, I always find it difficult to fall asleep the night before Christmas. Both Lucius and Draco could always fall asleep instantly, that's why Draco and my husband are always awake at the crack of dawn on Christmas."
"How do you fall asleep then? I always have to take sleeping pills to fall asleep cause I'm a very light sleeper. So I need a really strong pill to knock me out for the whole night," Harriet chuckled, she found sleeping in a room with other girls very odd for some reason. She was too used to quiet nights alone so hearing people shifting when they sleep or making any noise in general really put her on edge. Therefore she became very restless and she needed a higher dosage to keep her asleep all night.
"I usually drank warm milk or hot chocolate to tire me out. I had a lot of sleeping problems after I was pregnant with Draco, he was-" She sighed and shook her head lightly while smiling lovingly at the memory, "Restless for his young age."
"I bet he was," She chuckled into her hand quietly, she can imagine the little terror Draco was as a toddler. He probably was very bratty but also quite adorable while loving cuddles. Before either of them could say anything more, there was a loud shout from the entrance of the mansion. Narcissa was the first to get up while Harriet trailed after her, keeping a reasonable distance. There was laughing as they turned the corner, they saw Lucius off to the side covering his mouth chuckling. Draco was drenched with snow and his clothes were becoming wet from the melting snow and Merry was holding an empty bucket crying from laughing. Draco's face was bright red when he saw his mother and Harriet also smiling at his wettened state. His ears were bright pink from the cold and embarrassment and there was a pile of snow on top of his head which almost blended in with his hair.
"Merry!" Harriet teased at her, "Why?"
Merry shrugged her shaking shoulders, "I want to make it a tradition."
Draco puffed up his chest in disagreement, "No it will not!"
"Yes, it will be!" Merry stuck out her tongue at him. Narcissa had her face in her hands while chuckling and Lucius was shaking his hand while covering his smile with his hand.
"Draco dear," Draco looked up at his mother, his face still a bit red. "Here," She flicked her wand at Draco's wet clothes. It dried instantly and the pile of snow on his head and shoulders disappeared. She brushed him off lightly and combed his hair gently with her fingers.
"Thank you mother," His face growing red again. "Can we go eat now?" And that set out the rest of the day, they ate together as what seemed to be like a family. Lucius and Narcissa talked about some politics dealing with the Ministry while Draco and Merry argued about which Quidditch team was the best. Harriet focused more on the food and trying to get rid of the pressure behind her eyes, the food was amazing. She never got to eat any of the food that she cooked for the Dursleys on Christmas so it felt wonderful to finally be able to eat. Merry's mother came over after they finished eating with a few presents. Merry and Draco dragged her quickly to under the Christmas tree in the living room so they could open up presents quickly. The kids sat on the ground while the adults sat on the furniture. Narcissa joined her husband on the black love seat while Cara sat alone on a large seat by the fireplace.
"Are we waiting for Severus and Riley?" Draco asked while he started to sort out the presents by the person. Harriet noticed there weren't as many gifts that Dudley received under the Christmas tree. Narcissa nodded her head softly while Lucius was whispering in her ear about something.
As Draco passed out the gifts, Merry leaned over to her, "The youngest always passes out the presents. Even though you are the youngest, Draco still gets so proud to pass out the presents every year." Harriet chuckled lightly and thanked Draco for handing her one. She looked at it oddly, it was a bit large almost the size of her torso, even though that is not saying much. She didn't have enough time to look at the tag due to Draco handing her another gift, this one a lot heavier. She gained a few more presents, smaller this time. She looked at the several presents quite confused, she never expected to get this many gifts. Merry leaned up against the couch and just watched the tree glisten and the ornaments twirl around. The whole manor seemed bursting with Christmas spirit, everything was glittering and alive. Too bad darkness will fill the manor tonight. The doorbell rang and there was a distant loud pop of a house elf opening the door but Draco got up running, seeing Merry get up also, Harriet followed close behind her. Harriet turned the corner right on time to see Draco hugging Severus tightly while Riley brushed Severus off with his gloves.
"A bit excited are we?" Severus raised an eyebrow at Draco but hugged him none the less. Riley patted his head and looked up to see Harriet hiding near the corner.
"Hello Harriet," Riley smiled at her while Severus separated from Draco and gave her a blank look.
"Hi Riley," She nodded at him shyly. Merry went to hug Severus while Draco hugged Riley, Riley seemed to give longer hugs while Severus gave tighter ones. After Merry hugged Riley, Severus and Harriet made eye contact. She nodded at him which made him raise an eyebrow again and nod back in acknowledgment. Riley patted Harriet's shoulder and squeezed it lightly.
"Shall we go visit the others?" Riley smiled at the small group, Draco led the group with Merry and Harriet right behind him. Once they entered the adults all said their hellos and got their hugs from each other. Lucius clapped Severus on the back while Riley hugged Narcissa and Cara gently. Riley and Severus both sat on the couch across from Narcissa and Lucius. Riley gave Draco a few presents to pass around which were from both Riley and Severus. The adults talked about... something but Harriet couldn't really pay attention since she had several well-wrapped presents in front of her, they were for her and only her. She smiled to herself as she held a small present in her cold hands. She heard a click and she looked up to see Narcissa taking a photo of Draco opening his first present which was a warm turtleneck, still a bit too big for him. He smiled at the camera and held up his dark green sweater proudly. Harriet got really excited to open up her first present, well her second since Cara got her that fluffy blanket which she cuddled with last night. But it would be her first present on Christmas, her heart beat faster as her and Merry opened up their first presents together. Harriet tore the wrapping nicely while Merry just ripped into it. She heard another click from the camera and looked over to see that Merry got a necklace which she put on immediately and thanked the Malfoy's. Harriet delicately opened up the box to see a makeup thing, she took it out and Merry helped show it to the camera and Harriet smiled on instinct. The camera clicked again to show it was no longer going so Harriet looked at the makeup thing more closely.
"It's an eyeshadow palette, I can teach you how to use it. I thought I could finally test you how to do makeup since you always seem so fascinated by how I do it," Merry smiled, Harriet smiled back generously.
"Thank you," She said honestly, she was so stunned that Merry paid attention to how she always looked at the other girls who did some type of makeup so fascinated in wonder. They tore into more presents, Harriet still undoing the wrapping paper gently. Narcissa still taking pictures while the kids tore into their gifts. Draco got mostly books and clothes, Merry got mostly jewelry and sweets. Harriet got some books from Cara, most of them about conspiracies and dragons, and some nice robes from the Malfoys which made her almost tear up, she didn't expect such thoughtful gifts. Draco got her some fancy chocolates which she thanked him for greatly, she loves chocolate sweets the most. She opened up the last present which was from Riley and Severus, she stared at it in wonder. There were a few books about advanced potions, all of them she has never seen before.
She looked up at Riley who smiled, "Only Professors and Advanced Healers can get ahold of those books, even those books are quite rare for Professors. Snape and I know a few people," Riley smirked.
Harriet showed them to Draco who seemed quite excited, "Thank you, both of you." Riley's smiled widely at her while the edge of Severus's mouth twitched and he nodded at her.
"You are very welcome, I hope you use the knowledge from the books usefully," He drawled out as he looked at her calculatingly.
"I will," She nodded to him as Draco gushed over the potions in the book. The adults then unwrapped their few presents, Riley got sweaters and sweets while Severus got novels and transfiguration books. Narcissa got a stunning necklace from Lucius which she kissed him for, Cara got a few warm robes also. Lucius received novels along with a glass figurene to add to his collection. The rest of the day resulted in Harriet curling up in her warm blanket while reading a dystopian novel that she got from Cara and Draco trying on his new clothes, he was very excited for how thick they were. Merry played with her jewelry and makeup while eating sweets, they watched muggle movies in Draco's room until nightfall came. Merry was very close to hitting Draco upside the head for how much he kept interrupting the movies with normal logic.
"I'm just saying why would muggles believe in a fat guy who creeps into people's houses?" He stated.
Merry rolled her eyes and cuddled more into Harriet's warm blanket, "I have no idea Malfoy, just shut up."
"So then-"
Harriet cuddled more into Merry tired, this was a very long day for her. So many emotions and excitement in one day, "Draco just let them believe in what they believe," Merry sighed.
Draco sighed and took a bite out of a chocolate frog, "Fine." He ate the rest of the chocolate frog and he jumped up excitedly, "It's time to get ready!" Merry grabbed Harriet and dragged her to the bathroom attached to Draco's room. Merry put some concealer on Harriet and darkened up her lashline. Merry put on a more natural look with light foundation and light brown eyeshadow. She also put on pink blush and bronzer. Harriet put on her own mascara with little problems. Harriet put her glasses back on again and didn't even bother with her hair, she quite likes her hair messy.
"Do we have to wear something nice?" Harriet wondered, she just wanted to wear her baggy pajamas.
"Maybe just wear a nice sweatshirt and some nice pants," Merry offered while she applied some lipstick. Harriet got up and went back to into Draco's room to see him laying down blankets and pillows. There were a lot of snacks in the room now, Merry came out and grabbed a cupcake from the tray Draco was setting down. She ate it while Draco was running around trying to sort everything. Harriet just stood out of the way trying to understand what was happening. Harriet grabbed a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans to go change into. After she changed, Merry changed into a plain purple dress with black shoes. Draco then changed into emerald robes which made his silver hair stand out.
Merry turned to her, "We need to leave but we will be right back I promise."
"We just have to be by our parents for a bit then all the kids come up after," Draco promised. Harriet nodded and they said bye quickly before leaving her alone. She waited around 20 minutes, just eating pretzels and some chocolates from Draco. She really enjoyed the chocolate he bought her, it was super sweet and creamy. She soon became super restless so she opened up Draco's door and looked down the hallway. No one was near. She bit her lip, wondering if she should leave or not. So she stepped out of his room and started to walk down the hallway, she followed the loud noises and laughing coming from a large room. Her heart rate quickened at remembering Merry's warning but the curiosity was killing her. She found a darkened open doorway and stuck her head in nervously. She gasped when she saw everyone in the ballroom, everyone was either in fancy robes or expensive dresses.
Everyone looked very scary to her, everyone looked so powerful and wise. She hid and watched the elegant people talking and dancing, it had a very odd feeling to it which gave Harriet the shivers. The ballroom was stunning, it was emerald and marble stone with jewels everywhere and a giant chandiler in the middle of the room. Lucius was talking to a group of powerful men in dark robes, Narcissa was laughing with some other housewives. Riley and Cara were talking to Mr. Feose? Mr. Feose isn't a pureblood by any means, nor should he hold any politic power. Riley was sipping his drink lightly while observing him like a true Slytherin, steathy and gathering information before striking him with a question which would destroy Mr. Feose's composure. Cara was frowning at him and Mr. Feose was chuckling carelessly. Harriet continued to wonder why Riley and Cara were talking to him until she saw a flash of purple, it was Merry dragging Draco to what Harriet guessed to be another doorway. She also saw some other younger kids depart from their parents who were deep into conversation. Harriet quickly ran from the ballroom, watching out for anyone. She ran back into Draco's room, she bent over panting with her hand on her chest. She flopped onto Draco's bed and grabbed a book that she was reading from that afternoon, she read only a few sentences before there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Harriet shouted and continued to lay on her stomach while finishing up a page.
Merry came in first with Draco trailing behind her like a puppy, "Sorry it took so long. Yaxley wouldn't shut up about his latest investment." Merry snorted while Draco rolled his eyes.
"When will everyone get-" Harriet started off but saw a pair of twins enter behind Draco. They were scary identical and they were quite willowly with long black hair and a tall frame.
"We will introduce you to everyone when they all get here," Merry explained, she motioned Harriet to go join her on the floor full of blankets and pillows. Harriet grabbed her book for comfort as well as her fluffy blanket and sat a bit away from the main circle, not wanting to get too close. The twins sat across from her, perfectly side by side. Draco sat to her right and Merry sat to her left, in some sort of protective way. A few more people entered, more older, Harriet turned to see Flint with a few of his friends. Flint was off to the side, not seeming to be leading the group. Harriet kept her head down, not wanting to make eye contact with everyone but she was relieved that she would find out everyone's name quite easily in the exchange of her own. Several others entered Draco's room in the span of about, all of them were entering in smaller groups of only one or two. All seemed to become visibly happier and more relaxed coming into the room and seeing everyone sitting down. Some were already starting to eat some food that Draco most likely had the house elves get earlier, the older kids were off on their own on some chairs that they transfigured from some of Draco's books. While Harriet was at awe from the level of transfiguration it took to preform that action, the kids more of their age sat near them, most likely all at Hogwarts still. Some were reading or doing homework that they snuck in, a pair was playing chess and the odd twins were playing a clapping game with their hands.
Merry popped another sweet into her mouth, "Here let me say names so you are not confused any longer." With that she started naming the people in the room, "Those are the Carrow twins," With that both of their heads shot up, Merry pointed to the one of the left, "That one is Flora, " She then gestered to the one of the right, "That one is Hestia." They both smirked and looked at each other, Merry must have said the opposite name. Harriet noted that the correct Flora seemed to bite her lip more and had a slight cut on her upper ear while the correct Hestia had a lighter brown shade of eyes, it had some golden flecks in it.
Merry pointed to the two kids playing chess, "That is Ernie Macmillian, he is a Hufflepuff in our year." The blond boy looked up curiously when he heard his name, he smiled when they made eye contant and he waved shyly at her with a rising blush on his face. She giggled lightly and waved back. "And Hannah Abbott who is also a Hufflepuff in our year." The blonde girl smiled and shortly waved at her, Harriet waved back kindly. Merry introduced everyone else, most people would look up at her and smile at least. There were two random older Ravenclaw girls because their parents dragged them along and one Ravenclaw boy who was a 7th year whose father has high political power in the Ministry. There were also a few Gryffindor's but there were all older like in their 6th or 7th years. No one didn't even look at scar, not even once. The two Slytherin prefects were there, they talked to Harriet the most out of everyone there. Gemma, the girl Prefect, seemed so relaxed while Jason, the boy Prefect, kept chuckling and seemed so amused about the topics Harriet talked about. She felt a brush of fur on her hand which made her jump a bit.
She heard deep chuckling from above her, "Sorry about that. Achilles likes to cuddle." She looked up to see Marcus, she blushed when she made eye contact with his dark brown eyes.
"Is he yours?" She asked while petting his cat gently, she liked the feeling of the fur.
"Yeah, I got him before first year. I named him after some name I read in a book once," He shrugged and sat next to her. Her heart started to beat faster and she just keep petting his cat. Marcus and Harriet kept talking for most of the remainder of the night, most of his replies were grunts or nods but she didn't mind, she could tell he was engaged in the conversation by his eyes never leaving hers. Merry had her hand on her mouth, trying to stiffle some laughs while watching Harriet stumble on her words and gesture her hands more than usual just from talking to Marcus. Blaise and Pansy were teasing Draco for pouting most of the night because Harriet was talking to Flint all night and not him. Vincent and Geogory were eating and talking to each other over by the older students.
Harriet heard the door open again and she turned away from Marcus and his friends talking to look at a sharp looking man. He had deep cheekbones and his hair was perfectly set, even more than Draco's. His eyes flickered onto her emerald ones, his stare burned into her. She looked down shyly and turned back to Marcus, she shuffled closer to him and shivered knowing that the man was still looking at her back. Marcus noticed her move closer to him and he wrapped a blanket around her. He flinched when he saw the reason why she shifted closer to him.
"Felix?" He growled out, the man didn't even flinch at Marcus's harsh expression but Harriet did flinch which made Marcus swear to himself under his breath. The room seemed to quiet down quite a bit, everyone turned to him. The older ones seemed to keep quiet but look at the man judging him, the younger ones were whispering to themselves confused. Marcus and his friends seemed very pissed off at the man who hasn't moved at all.
"Yes?" The young man sneered back at him which made Marcus roll his eyes.
Draco stood up, "What do you need, Rosier?" Harriet was surprised at his tone, it was demanding and cold. Nothing like Draco's normal warm voice.
"Coulter, Crabbe, and Goyle. Your parents are about to leave, I suggest you all leave soon. The party is ending soon. Merry Christmas," With that, he left with no more words. Adrian and Derek cursed but Marcus smacked them upside the head for cursing in front of the young students. The group all said their goodbyes right after, the older ones left in a hurry. Marcus patted her head and wished her a Merry Christmas. He handed her a small gift, she excitedly thanked him back but worried that she didn't have anything to give back. Marcus just chuckled it off and patted her head once more before leaving with Achilles who seemed to want more pets from Harriet. Daphne went into a hug and Harriet awkwardly hugged her back. Pansy gave her a large gift and said it was a few clothes to improve her fashion sense. But Harriet knew it was because Pansy became worried when she saw Harriet in worn out clothing.
Once everyone left and Draco was taking forever in the bathroom, Harriet asked Merry, "Who was that?"
Merry sighed as she slipped into her pajama shorts, "Felix Rosier. He used to be with us every Christmas but as soon as he left Hogwarts, he was always with his parents. His parents are... horrid people. That's why most of the older kids absolutely hate him, they feel as though he betrayed them."
Draco walked into the room, "What are you two talking about? How stupid Rosier is?" He grumbled as he fluffed the pillows again.
"I think he still cares for them though," Harriet spoke up, before the others could object she continued, "Think about it, he warned everyone that the party was ending. If he didn't, wouldn't everyone have gotten in a lot of trouble?" Both Merry and Draco were quiet, they stared nowhere in thought.
Draco was the first to break the silence, "I guess... that makes sense."
Merry grumbled to herself, "Yeah. He still can be an arse though."
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Harriet was sitting up in bed just listening to the wind outside, the snow was falling heavily. There was a thud outside, Harriet also jumped out of her skin. She was very close to waking up Draco right next to her in fear. She saw the reflection of shoes stop at Draco's door, her heart seemed to stop all of a sudden. She held her breath and tried to hid under the covers but still watching the outline of feet. The feet soon left and Harriet's heart was still frozen as well as her face. She heard Riley's voice right after the feet left and she let out a held breath. Riley's voice seemed to calm her, it must have been Severus checking to make sure they were asleep and not being loud. She put her hand on her chest to calm down her heart rate, she cuddled into Draco's warm figure to try and calm herself down more. He shifted more closer to her also, still asleep, mostly wanting more warm contact.
That night Harriet was the last to fall asleep, Merry and Draco fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Merry seemed to take up most of the room in Draco's large bed. After Harriet got up to calm herself some more, Draco just curled up against another pillow and slept quietly. Harriet was sitting near a window, looking at Marcus's gift to her. She undid the red ribbon slowly, she was curious to see what he got her. She slid off the cover and gasped when she saw the necklace, it was a simple chained necklace with the Slytherin crest on it. For some reason, holding the Slytherin crest in her hands made her eyes start to tear up. She rubbed away her tears, not wanting to cry over a gift. But seeing that crest, knowing that she truly does belong in Slytherin where this necklace proves how much she belongs there, it creates a overwhelming sense of pride and happiness. Even more than when she got her Hogwarts letter or when she caught the first snitch, this was her very own symbol that she belongs. That was more than she ever could ask for.