Finding Heather

Year 6 Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Here comes my first big break from canon, well except for Harry being Heather and liking boys and.... ok, so here goes my eighteenth break from canon for this book, but hey the entire story is putty in my hands, so I'm gonna play with it a little. Enjoy! And please leave a review, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to JK Rowling, as my bank account will attest.

Chapter Four

The rest of the summer passed far too quickly in Heather's opinion. She spent a good deal of time playing two a side quidditch with Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. Hermione was a poor player, but still the sides managed a balance and they all had fun. The moments where she could be away from Mrs. Weasley and Fleur, with just her friends were the best for Heather. Getting to truly be herself, and not having to hide from Ron anymore let her relax and enjoy life. News still trickled into this happy bubble of the doings of Voldemort and his Death Eater's but all of that felt very far away at the moment.

Whenever topics of conversation grew spare or she wasn't doing anything, Heather's thoughts trailed back to what she had seen in Diagon Alley. The only way that all of it made sense, at least in her opinion, was that Voldemort had made Malfoy a Death Eater to replace his father. Lucius had been captured at the ministry and sent to Azkaban, something that Voldemort couldn't be too happy about. What better way of both gaining an agent at Hogwarts and punishing Lucius for his failure than to conscript his son.

When she tried to bring this theory up to Ron or Hermione, they were quick to try and put it down. It was insane, they argued, that Voldemort would have a sixteen year old join his forces. What use would he have for Malfoy of all people. Heather thought this was very short sighted, especially of Hermione. When had being underage ever stopped them from doing anything? And why would Voldemort want an agent at Hogwarts, Heather could list off a dozen reasons, from getting information on her or Dumbledore to murdering someone. If Heather didn't know for certain that Voldemort wanted to finish her off himself, she would almost be worried for her own safety.

As it did every year, the first of September and their return to Hogwarts snuck up on all of them. The night before was full of the sounds of yelling and hurried feet on the stairs as the four students scrambled to locate their various belongings and get them into trunks. Most of Heather's undergarments were travelling to school with Hermione, as it would have been very awkward to explain to Mrs. Weasley why bras and knickers were in Heather's laundry. Several times during her stay at the Burrow, Heather had gotten the impression that Mrs. Weasley was watching her questioningly when she thought Heather wouldn't notice. She never said anything, at least not after the first suggestion that he could use a haircut, but still her eyes lingered.

Once again Ministry cars were sent to take them to the train station, where they were met by a small group of hardened aurors who escorted them to the platform. The sight of them sent a small pang of sadness through Heather, again remembering that she would never be one of that group of highly trained wizards and witches. With silent proficiency the group passed through the crowded station full of muggles and through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾. Many students stopped to say hello to Heather, or called and waved as they hurried by.

Once aboard the scarlet train, the group quickly broke up. Ron and Hermione had to go meet the other prefects to get instructions from the new Head Boy and Girl, and Ginny said she was off to meet her boyfriend, Dean Thomas. That left Heather standing there in the passageway unsure of where to go. She set off down the train looking for somewhere to sit. As she passed compartments many of their occupants stopped to stare or point. Passing a compartment full of fourth year girls, they all began giggling madly and batting their eyelashes at Heather. She silently rolled her eyes at them, If only they knew. Finally, in one of the last compartments she found Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, the latter of whom had just finished stowing his trunk in the rack.