The Muggle Who Lived ☆ h.p au

eleven

Outside of Hogwarts. December 8th, 1995

Zoë followed the path she remembered she took with Hermione and the group to get to Hogsmeade. She had a plan on where she wanted to go, but she wanted to see something one last time before leaving for good. She made it to the town and stood in front of the Hog's Head, her fathers' shop. With a deep breath, she entered when someone opened the door before her. She went in quietly, invisible to everyone.

The last time Zoë had come to the pub was almost 7 years ago, where she tried her first butterbeer. She remembered the warm feeling of the drink gliding down her throat as it left a comforting weight inside her stomach. She loved it, even more, when her father mentioned that he had made it with a hint of magic. Zoë remembered the big smiled she had on her face as she laughed and played games with her father.

Zoë continued walking until she made it to the back room, where she entered and smiled sweetly. She walked up to the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore, her aunt.

"Hey Ari. How are you today? It's been a while huh?" Ariana nodded, smiling at her niece.

"I...I have so much to tell you auntie Ari. I was living in Uncle Albus's office at Hogwarts for a bit more than 3 months now and I met so many good friends and..." Then Zoë remembered. She was so excited about seeing her aunt again that she had forgotten why she was there in the first place. Tears started to stream down her face as she looked up to Ariana. Ariana looked concerned, wanted to reach out to her crying niece but couldn't. She was only a portrait.

"Auntie Ari...Fa...father is...is ...de...dea..." Zoë couldn't even finish saying the sentence. She went down to her knees and started to cry. Ariana placed her hands over her mouth, shocked at the sudden death of her brother, the one that she, during her lifetime, preferred over her eldest brother Albus. The brother that actually seemed the care, the one that looked after her, the one that he connected with so closely, was gone at the hands of injustice.

Zoë kept on crying until she heard the doorknob shake. She quickly placed the invisibility cloak on and hid in a corner. An employee walked in, grabbed a few things, and left. When Zoë stood up and looked at her aunts' portrait.

She was gone.

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Zoë managed to not get lost as she left the Hog's Head to go to the Hogsmeade train station. When she made it she was presented with a mostly empty station, with only a few wizards and witched walking around. Zoë walked up to the ticket booth and saw a slender figure with bushy blonde hair and thick glasses. Zoë cleared her throat nervously.

"Hi. Um, are there any trains going to Godric's Hollow? I want to get there as soon as possible." The man looked up at the muggle with a bored look on his face.

"There's a train that gets close to the town. You're gonna have to apparate there once you get off the train." Zoë nodded, pretending to actually be thinking about apparating when in reality she wasn't even capable of Magic. Zoë paid the man with the money she had taken from her uncle and sat at a nearby bench, waiting for the train she needed to arrive.

After the longest wait, the train arrived at the station. Zoë quickly got up and, with the little bag of items she had, she mounted the train and sat down in a compartment. She looked up to look at the view as the train moved.

She could have sworn she saw the tip of the Hogwarts Castle.

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Near Godric's Hollow. December 10th, 1995

Zoë boarded the train at 9:30 pm last night. It was 2 in the morning when Zoë arrived at her stop. She could hear the strong breeze of the night as it had started to snow. Zoë quickly fished out her coat from her bag as she exited the train with one other person beside her. The witch lifted her wand to apparate and before Zoë even had the chance to ask her if she could take her with her, she was already.

Zoë looked in front of her. The town, she hoped, was straight from where she was standing. So with a little confidence and faith, she started to walk in the cold night, with the destination of her warm, comforting home.

It took Zoë an hour to get to the town. Her ears and nose were as pink as the color of her shoes, and her shoes wet from the snow. Zoë shivered as she made it to the town. She looked around and recognized a house. And with that, she walked to her cottage, the memory of where to go still fresh in her mind.

Happiness, after days of not feeling it, finally filled her body as she saw the loaming cottage ahead. She ran up to the door and opened it with the key she always kept as a nearby hanging light. Once she opened it, everything felt right again. Zoë hadn't realized how homesick she was until she sat down on her everyday chair. Tears of joy fell down her cheek as she looked around. No more was she the out of place muggle in a place full of magical people. She was finally in her own comfort.

With a sigh, Zoë took off her wet clothes and put on a cozy pajama set. She placed wood in the fireplace and ignited it. Smiling, Zoë felt the heat engulf her body.

"I'm finally home."

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Hogwarts Castle. June 2nd, 1996

Zoë couldn't have been happier. She felt comfort in her cottage. She was now 16 years old and although she did miss her friends and Uncle Albus and Severus, she felt better in her cottage on her own then being upset at Hogwarts knowing that she's surrounded by magic she does not possess.

Zoë felt alive and free for the first time in a while. She made dinner she thought about what she would do today. What she would read from her father's bookshelves and what activities she could do that sunny day.

Miles away, however, her friends and uncle were mourning over her going missing.

A/N: Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I had fun writing this one. Sorry in advance for any spelling mistakes. Bye!!