The Girl Who Lived

The magical journey

Over the month following her whirlwind-like journey through Diagon Alley, much had stayed the same in Harriet's life, while much had also changed.

She still read constantly, but now, she did so in the safety of her own bedroom at anytime she desired, which was always, without fear of reprisal from the Dursleys. Further, every morning she still made breakfast, but now, it was for herself, not her relatives. And she was actually allowed to eat her food at the table.

All in all, though the wait to September 1st was a long one, Harriet thoroughly enjoyed it.

The night before the train ride to Hogwarts was one wrought with nervousness and anticipation. This is perhaps why she had such vivid dreams.

By the morning, it was far from forgotten but was pushed to the back of her mind as she put her remaining things in her trunk and packed it into the car. The ride to the station was a quiet one, the Dursleys still too afraid to speak to, or even in front of, Harriet. However, she did learn that the main reason for the trip was not to take her to the train station, even though it was on the way. Instead, it was to remove the pig's tail, apparently a parting gift from Hagrid, which Dudley now had firmly attached to his incredibly large bottom.

Within minutes of arriving at the station, a happy and appreciative Harriet was safely seated in an empty compartment on the train. Thankfully, Alé had thought to warn her about the entrance to the platform as Hagrid had barely even mentioned the platform number, much less the fact that she had to pass through a wall to get on it.

       The only slight mishap she had had was when one of the adults on the platform, a chubby and redheaded woman, had yelled at Harriet for using her wand to levitate her trunk on the train. The woman had not believed her for a minute when she had stated that she hadn't known about the rules governing underage magic because she was a first-year. The woman had replied that no first-year could perform such a spell, although Harriet had learned the Levitation charm, Wingardium Leviosa, from one of her books. The bossy woman had made her twin sons lift the trunk from the spot it had fallen when she had grabbed the girl and onto the train. She had then departed after a few more words of censure, leaving in her wake a calm-faced but inwardly furious Harriet.

The compartment door opened, and Harriet was shaken out of her daydream as a redheaded boy entered, the girl immediately identifying him as one of the demanding woman's brood. The boy looked suspiciously at her, staring at the Defence book in Harriet's hands.

After a few seconds, he asked, "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Harriet nodded, and he plopped down across from her. He was about to speak once more when the compartment door open again, and the twins from earlier came inside.

"Hey, Ron," one stated to the boy, but his eyes then drifted to Harriet. "Oh, hello." Both he and his twin smiled at her. "Sorry about our mum. She can be a bit pushy sometimes. I'm George Weasley, by the way, and this is my twin Fred. That's my younger brother, Ron." He pointed to the younger redhead, who seemed to have dirt on the side of his nose.

Harriet smiled genuinely at him; she had noticed earlier that the minds of both he and his twin had a nice feel to them, sincere but mischievous.

"It's fine; I should have known better. Thank you for helping me with my trunk, by the way." She came to her feet and nodded to them. "I'm Harriet Potter."

The eyes of all three Weasleys widened, but only Ron's travelled to her forehead, searching for her scar. Fred and George simply shrugged it off and chatted for a few minutes before leaving to find their friend Lee Jordan.