6/2/19- 7/12/19

Harriet was walking to the park on a hot day. When she got there she watched a boy going around.

"Come on, guys, time to go home. Come on, love, off you get." his mum said sticking her hand out.

"Do we have to?" the boy said.

"Yes, we do. I'll make you your favorite dinner to compensate." she said.

So he hopped off and followed his mum.

"…squealed like a pig, didn't he?" Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others.

"Nice right hook, Big D," said Piers.

"Same time tomorrow?" said Dudley.

"Round at my place, my parents will be out," said Gordon.

"See you then," said Dudley.

"Bye, Dud!"

"See ya, Big D!"

Harriet waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again. When their voices had faded once more he headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly she soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly.

"Hey, Big D!"

Dudley turned.

"Oh," he grunted. "It's you."

"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harriet.

"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away.

"Cool name," said Harriet, grinning and falling into step beside her cousin. "But you'll always be 'Ickle Diddykins' to me."

"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.

"Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?"

"Shut your face."

"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about 'Popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums', can I use them then?"

Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harriet seemed to demand all his self-control.

"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harriet asked his grin fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago -"

"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.

"Oh yeah?"

"He cheeked me."

"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true."

A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw.

They turned right down the narrow alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.

"Think you're a big girl carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds.

"What thing?"

"That - that thing you are hiding."

Harriet grinned again. "Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose, if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time."

Harriet pulled out her wand. She saw Dudley look sideways at it.

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?"

"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced.

Harriet laughed softly.

"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled.

"Where as you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten year old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"

"He was sixteen, for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out –"

"Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harriet's wand?"

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.

"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.

He had stopped walking. Harriet stopped too, staring at her cousin.

From the little she could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely triumphant look.

"What d'you mean, I'm not brave when I'm in bed?" said Harriet, completely nonplussed. "What am I supposed to be frightened of, pillows or something?"

"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning."

"What d'you mean?" Harriet said again.

Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter then adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice.

"'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric - your boyfriend?"

"I - you're lying, and besides Neville is my boyfriend." said Harriet automatically.

"Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo hoo!"

"Shut up," said Harriet quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"

"Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to - don't you point that thing at me!"

Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harriet was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart.

"Don't ever talk about that again," Harriet snarled. "D'you understand me?"

"Point that thing somewhere else!"

"I said, do you understand me?"

"Point it somewhere else!"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM -"

Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water.

Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch black and lightless - the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.

For a split second Harriet thought she had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that she'd been resisting as hard as she could - then her reason caught up with her senses - she didn't have the power to turn off the stars. She turned her head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on her eyes like a weightless veil.

Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harriet's ear.

"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!"

"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I -"

"I said shut up!"

Harriet stood stock still, turning her sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense she was shivering all over;

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do—?"

"Will you shut up?" Harriet hissed, "I'm trying to lis —"

But she fell silent. She had heard just the thing she had been dreading.

There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you even though you're a girl, I swear I will!"

"Dudley, shut—"

WHAM.

A fist made contact with the side of Harriet's head, lifting her off her feet; next moment, she had landed hard on the ground and her wand had flown out of her hand.

"You moron, Dudley!" Harriet yelled, her eyes watering with pain as she scrambled to her hands and knees, feeling around frantically in the blackness.

She heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling.

"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!"

There was a horrible squealing yell and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Harriet felt a creeping chill behind her that could mean only one thing. There was more than one.

"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harriet muttered frantically, her hands flying over the ground like spiders.

"Where's - wand -come on -lumos!"

She said the spell automatically; desperate for light to help her in her search - and to her disbelieving relief, light flared inches from her right hand - the wand tip had ignited.

Harriet snatched it up scrambled to her feet and turned around. A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly towards her, hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came.

Stumbling backwards, Harriet raised her wand.

"Expecto patronum!"

A silvery wisp of vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the Dementor slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over her own feet, Harriet retreated further as the Dementor bore down upon her, panic fogging her brain -concentrate–

A pair of grey, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the Dementor's robes, reaching for her. A rushing noise filled Harriet's ears.

"Expecto patronum!"

Her voice sounded dim and distant. Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted from the wand - she couldn't do it any more, she couldn't work the spell.

There was laughter inside her own head, shrill, high-pitched laughter… she could smell the Dementor's putrid, death-cold breath filling her own lungs, drowning her- think… something happy…

But there was no happiness in her… the Dementor's icy fingers were closing on her throat – the high-pitched laughter was growing louder and louder, and a voice spoke inside her head:

"Bow to death Harriet... it might not even be painful... I don't know because I have never died..."

She was never going to see Neville, Ron and Hermione again –

And their faces burst clearly into her mind as she fought for breath.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

An enormous silver doe erupted from the tip of Harriet's wand; its hooves caught the Dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backwards, weightless as darkness, and as the doe charged, the Dementor swooped away, bat-like and defeated.

"THIS WAY!" Harriet shouted at the doe.

Wheeling around, she sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft.

"DUDLEY? DUDLEY!"

She had run barely a dozen steps when she reached them: Dudley was curled up on the ground, his arms clamped over his face. A second Dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prizing them slowly almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head towards Dudley's face as though about to kiss him.

"GET IT!" Harriet bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver doe she had conjured came galloping past her.

The Dementors eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver hooves caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness; the doe cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.

When it was gone she bent down to Dudley then heard something. So she turned her head.

"Mrs. Figg." she said trying to hide her wand.

"Don't put away your wand, Harriet. They might come back." Mrs. Figg said.

Then they started walking home. Harriet had Dudley on her shoulder while they walked. It was hard but she did the best she could.

"Dementors in Little Whinging, whatever next? Whole world's gone topsy-turvy." Mrs. Figg said.

"I don't understand. How do you know...?" Harriet started.

"Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on you." Mrs. Figg said.

"Dumbledore asked you? You know Dumbledore?"

"I'm a squib like Mr. Filch. I know you're still learning about the wizarding world. After You-Know-Who killed that poor Diggory boy last year... did you expect him to let you go wandering on your own? Good Lord, girl. They told me you were intelligent. Now, get inside and stay there. Expect someone will be in touch soon. Whatever happens, don't leave the house." she said gently pushing Harriet to the door.

She was a little surprised her neighbor was a squib.

"It is hot. That's right, hot everywhere. There's sweat. There's stifling." the weather man said.

"Diddykins? Is that you?" Aunt Petunia said.

Then she looked over to her side and saw Harriet with Dudley on her shoulder.

"Duddy. Vernon, come quick."

He was having ice cream from the freezer then looked at her.

"We're going to have to take him to a hospital." Petunia said sitting next to Dudley.

"Who did this to you, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked.

Dudley pointed at Harriet who was sitting on the side of the other chair.

"Happy, are we, now? You've finally done it. You've finally driven him loopy."

"Vernon, don't say that."

"Well, just look at him, Petunia. Our boy has gone yumpy. I've reached my limit, do you hear? This is the last I'm gonna take of you and your nonsense."

Then he was interrupted by an owl that fell on the ground. Then it got up and left after the letter.

A few seconds later the letter got up and started talking.

"Dear Ms. Potter." it started.

The Ministry has received intelligence that at 6:23 this evening... you performed the Patronus Charm in the presence of a Muggle. As a clear violation... of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery... you are hereby expelled... from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hoping you are well,

Mafalda Hopkirk.

"Justice." Uncle Vernon said smirking.

When they got outside Uncle Vernon covered Dudley's face while Petunia opened the door.

They saw Mrs. Figg look at them.

"He's not very well." he mouthed.

While they did that Harriet slammed her hand on her clothes drawer.

While she did that the picture of her parents fell on the ground. She picked it and then looked at Hedwig.

"Sorry, Hedwig." she said and put it on her nightstand.

A few minutes later she was asleep and saw the night Voldemort was back and watched Cedric being killed.

Then she woke up and heard something. She put her glasses back on and took out her wand while someone unlocked her door.

"Very clean, these Muggles." someone said.

"Tonks, for God's sake." someone else said.

"Unnatural." a third person said.

When she saw who it was she was surprised.

"Professor Moody. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Rescuing you, of course." he said.

A few minutes later they were outside leaving.

"But where are we going? The letter said I've been expelled." she said.

"You haven't been. Not yet. Kingsley, you take point." Moody said.

"But the letter said..." she started.

"Dumbledore persuaded the minister to suspend your expulsion... pending a formal hearing." Kingsley said.

"A hearing?"

"Don't worry Harriet. We'll explain everything when we get back to headquarters." Tonks said.

"Not here, Nymphadora." Moody said.

Her hair turned red in anger.

"Don't call me Nymphadora."

Then Moody hit the ground with his cane and brooms appeared.

"Stay in formation, everyone. Don't break ranks if one of us is killed." he said.

Then they all started flying around London.

"Come on, you, around the corner. Come on." Moody said when they were on the ground.

They stood there while Moody hit the ground three times. When he was done the building started to break up and then there was another building.

"In you go, girl." he said.

After him calling her 'girl' she twitched for a second. Then started to walk.

While they walked around Harriet looked around. Then she heard something.

"There've been no sightings. No deaths. No proof." someone said.

"He almost killed Harriet. If that isn't proof enough..." someone else said.

"Yes, but guarding you-know-what is the most important..." another person said.

"We must trust Dumbledore on this." a different person said.

"Was he able to protect Harriet last year?"

"Well, tonight I say it's time to take action. Cornelius Fudge is a politician first and a wizard second. He made almost everyone forget what happened last year at the third task."

"His instinct would be to ignore it..."

"Keep your voices down."

"He's getting stronger and stronger by the minute. We have to act now." Sirius said.

She smiled when she saw him and Remus.

"Harriet." Molly said and shut the door.

"Mrs. Weasley." Harriet said smiling still.

Then Molly gave her a hug.

"Heavens, you're all right. Bit peaky, but I'm afraid dinner will wait until after the meeting's finished."

Harriet opened her mouth but was cut off.

"Nope. No time to explain. Straight upstairs, first door on the left."

Harriet looked up and then started to go up. While she did that she looked at Molly.

"Yeah."

On her way to the room she saw a house elf.

"Mudblood, werewolves, traitors, thieves. If my poor mistress knew the scum they let into her house... what would she say to old Kreacher? Oh, the shame."

"Freaks." someone said.

"There, there, mistress. Scum of the earth. Not like it was in the days of my fathers. Kreacher is here."

When she found the room she nodded opened the door and was hit by someone.

"Oh, Harriet!" Hermione said giving her a hug.

"Are you all right? We overheard them talking about the Dementor attack." Hermione said.

She looked at Ron. "You must tell us everything."

"Let the girl breathe, Hermione." Ron said.

"And this hearing at the Ministry. It's just outrageous. I've looked it up. They simply can't expel you. It's completely unfair!" Hermione said.

"Yeah. There's a lot of that going round at the moment. So, what is this place?" Harriet said.

"It's headquarters." Ron said.

"Of the Order of the Phoenix. It's a secret society. Dumbledore formed it back when they fought You-Know-Who." Hermione said smiling.

"Couldn't have put any of this in a letter, I suppose? I've gone all summer without a scrap of news. Not even Neville or Sirius!" Harriet said looking at them.

"We wanted to write, mate. Really, we did especially Neville. Only..." Ron said.

"Only what?" she asked.

"Only Dumbledore made us all swear not to tell you anything. We don't know why Neville though." Hermione said.

"Dumbledore said that? But why would he keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. I mean I'm the one who saw Voldemort return... the one who fought him, who saw Cedric Diggory get killed."

Then out of nowhere Fred and George appeared.

"Harriet." George said.

"Thought we heard your dulcet tones." Fred said.

"Don't bottle it up, though, mate. Let it out." George said.

"If you're all done shouting..." Fred said.

"Do you wanna hear something a little more interesting?" George said.

"If anyone has a right to know, it's Harriet. If it wasn't for Harriet... we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back." Sirius said.

"She's not a child, Sirius. But she's not an adult either. She's not James, Sirius." she said.

"Well, she's not your daughter." he said.

"She's as good as. Who else has she got?" she said.

'Well I'm not and I have Sirius. And I never was a child.' Harriet thought.

"She's got me." Sirius said.

"How touchingly paternal, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like her godfather." Snape said.

"Now, you stay out of this, Snivellus."

"Snape's part of the Order?" Harriet said.

'Snivellus?' she wondered.

They nodded.

"Git." Ron said.

"...about your supposed reformation." Snape said.

"I know better. So why don't you tell her?"

Then Crookshanks started to play with the ear.

"Get off it." Fred said.

"Quick." George said.

"Get it up." Ginny said.

"Crookshanks. Stop it." Hermione said.

"Get off, you bloody cat." Fred said.

"Crookshanks. Leave it alone." Hermione said.

"Get it up." George said.

Then she got it off and carried it with her while she left.

"Hermione, I hate your cat." Ron said.

"Bad Crookshanks." she said.