Chapter 5
It was early morning, and everyone in Malfoy Manor was working. Severus was brewing the blood adoption potion; Lucius worked with the paperwork while his wife cared for the little boy as his mother rested. On the other hand, Tom Riddle was visiting Privet Drive to avenge Harriet's treatment. The Dark Lord knew if he did anything to the Dursleys, Dumbledore would be alerted, but he would be distracted enough to ignore the blood adoption.
When the Dark Lord arrived, he was annoyed with how everything looked. Each similarity was baffling, and the only way to separate them was with their respective number. The Lord looked around, found house number four, and knocked on the door. Once the inhabitants opened the door, he was greeted by a horse-faced woman. "Good morning," The Lord said. "I was hoping to talk to you about your niece Harrie-"
"There's no one here by that name," she interrupted. Please leave." The woman shut the door in the Lord's face, causing him to get more irritated.
"Alohomora," He said and barged into the house. He entered the house and saw no picture of Harriet, only two whales, and the horse-faced woman. I rushed to the kitchen to see the two whales, and the woman shrieked for me to leave. "CRUCIO!"
The older whale's anger grew. "You're one of those freaks! Leave! You are trespassing!" The man said.
"I am not leaving until you three feel the same pain you cause, Harriet." He threw another crucio at the whale, causing him to turn purple with anger.
"YOU FREAKS HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE HER! THE LITTLE WHORE RAN AWAY WITH HER BASTARD SON!" The whale-man said.
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT HARRIET AND SIRIUS IN FRONT OF ME! THE ONLY FREAKS IN THIS ROOM ARE YOU!" The Dark Lord yelled with a vein throbbing to pop out. "SELLING A CHILD TO PLEASE YOUR SUPERIORS' SEXUAL NEEDS! THAT IS SOMETHING I WILL NOT FORGIVE." The man kept throwing curses and hexes at the Dursleys, making them feel all of Harriet's pain. They felt her hunger, broken bones, burnt skin, and the first time a man forced her into bed. To finish it, Tom raped Vernon's mind to see what the man had done to her. The Dark Lord saw more than what the Mediwitch told him; he saw how they left a baby to starve in a cupboard, crying for attention, crying to be changed... To be loved. When Tom cut the connection, he killed them and burnt the house to the ground before he left for the manor. The Dark Lord never noticed that Potter had become Harriet these past few days.
--
Harriet woke up in her room, back to the horrid house with nothing but the disgusting lingerie Vernon gave her. Her uncle was having one of his parties cause the girl heard laughter downstairs. The girl tried to get up, but her body felt too heavy. Her head felt foggy, and she could barely think straight. The laughter grew stronger when two figures came into the room. Harriet could recognize one of the drunken men. She recognized him because he paid for fun with her before her fourth year. His hungry blue eyes looked at her up and down, trying to figure out how to use her. She looked at the companion. He was a prune with twinkling blue eyes and white-blonde hair. They kept saying nicknames Al and Ax. All who looked old to be her grandfather took her from behind while Ax whispered how he would kill the little boy. "No... Please, not my baby..." She tried to fight them off but couldn't.
"Of course, we can't let that child be born. It won't fit my plans. This child won't help the greater good..." Al said as he grabbed his wand to use the Cruciatus Curse. Harriet felt a wet, sticky sensation running down her legs as the wizard maintained the curse for three long minutes. That curse made her lose the baby. "No... No... Stop!"
"Harriet, wake up!" She heard in her daze.
"HARRIET!" The girl woke up brashly, gasping for air. She was covered with cold sweats and looked around, scared, trying to figure out where she was. There, Severus grew worried about how to handle this situation.
"SJ, where's SJ?" She said rashly.
"Harriet, you ne-“
"Where. Is. My. Son?" She interrupted.
"SJ is in the sunroom with Narcissa." Her soon-to-be-dad said. "SJ is safe. You don't have to worry. The potion is almost done; by tomorrow, you can finally take it."
The savior shook her head. "That's not going to help us... SJ's father is still out there, and Dumbledore's out there, too. If either of them learns about my baby, they will kill him. They will kill SJ because he's an unwanted freak like me." The girl sobbed terribly.
Severus, not knowing what to do, hugged the teen. He ignored how she flinched when he approached her and hugged her, rubbing her back in circles. "You and your child are not freaks. Look around you, child. Narcissa cares deeply about you and your child." He hushed. "Lucius cares about your child's safety. And I care deeply for you. I care for your happiness and safety. You will be my daughter. I can assure you there won't be a day when you won't feel unwanted." The girl dove into the Potion Master's chest and cried.
The teenage savior cried for hours until exhaustion made her sleep. Severus tucked her in and left for the Sun Room. He saw a little boy trying to catch glittering butterflies above him. Narcissa was laughing, remembering how it was when Draco was a child. "PAPPY!" the child said.
"Hello, little one," He smiled. "How are you today, Narcissa."
"I was a little tired. I forgot how tiresome caring for a child was," she laughed. But this child brought us so much happiness... I'm ashamed of what my sister did. No child should go through so much pain."
"I understand," the professor said, looking at the giggling child. When will Draco arrive at the manor?"
"Sometime this afternoon," She confirmed. "I'm worried about what might happen. We have enough problems as it is. How is the potion?"
"I let it rest right now. It will be ready soon; I had to leave it since the elf told me Harriet was having a nightmare."
"Oh dear, is the girl alright?" The lady gasped.
"No, she's still frightened. The girl still fears Dumbledore will be after her child. Now, her fears are with the child's father." Severus explained. "If this continues, I fear there will be no hope for the girl."
"Severus, the girl, went through a traumatic experience. Only time will heal her wounds. It's a miracle she's able to care for the child. We all need to be patient." Narcissa said as she picked up the boy to feed him. She grabbed a bowl of apple purée, and the boy only moved his head sideways, not wanting to eat it.
"No!" The boy said. Narcissa kept trying to give him the snack but failed. After the older woman's tenth attempt, Sirius grabbed a handful of the purée and threw it. "No! Mama!"
The two adults looked at each other while the boy kept asking for his mother. They didn't know what to do. So, instead of listening to the boy's request, they kept trying to feed him the purée. This only annoys the boy, throwing the bowl to the floor and leaving the room searching for his mother. He kept walking, looking at all the rooms his mother could be in. Sirius continued walking the mansion, crying for his mother until he bumped into a new stranger. "Are you lost?" The teen said. The baby only cocked his head to the side, confused.
Sirius held his arms up, hoping the stranger would pick him up. "Mama," The boy cried. "Mama."
The teen carried him to the guest rooms. "Your mother should be here," the teen guessed. He kept walking until he saw a broken door that had yet to be fixed. "That's odd."
SJ started to jump excitedly in the teen's arms, knowing his mother was there. "Mama! Mama!" He yelled.
The teen entered, looking at who the little boy was calling. "Malfoy? Why is SJ with you?" The mother said.
Draco Malfoy, for the first time, remained speechless against his rival. He looked at the boy and the mother for a while until SJ found his way to his mother's bed. "But... How.." Malfoy Jr stuttered.
"You know when two people..." She began to explain.
"I know the process, Potter," he interrupted. "What are you doing in my house?"
"Your lord is giving us sanctuary from Dumbledore and my relatives."
Draco looked confused when Harriet mentioned Dumbledore and her relatives. From what he knew, Harriet was the princess in her family circle and Dumbledore's Golden Girl. Then his focus moved to the boy who was hitting his mother, trying to get attention. The teen mother covered her chest with a blanket and fed the boy. "I don't understand; you are Dumbledore's golden girl, his key to the war. Why would you need sanctuary from him?"
"Because he condemned me to a life no child should live. I would be dead if it weren't for Severus and your mother... And SJ would have suffered the same fate."
Before Draco could ask more questions, his mother and godfather ran, looking for the young Potter. "Don't worry, Draco was kind enough to bring SJ here." She smiled. "I guess SJ didn't want any purée."
"No, he insisted on playing instead of eating it," Narcissa explained. "Has he been this fuzzy with food?"
The teen pouted, looking at where her son was resting. "He's been eating purée since his first birthday. I don't understand why he doesn't want to eat any..."
Then Draco couldn't stand how friendly everyone was acting and broke the cold Malfoy mask. "Can someone explain to me why our Lord has given Potter sanctuary?!" The boy sneered when he said her name.
"I'm sorry, Malfoy," Harriet sneered at the last name. If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave the room, as I am still recovering. I don't need an ungrateful prat who won't stop bickering." The room shook with Harriet's emotions, making her magic run wild. The teen pulled away her son to burp him and put him to sleep before Draco riled up.
None of the adults knew how to handle the situation. Narcissa was ready to reprimand Draco, but she knew he had the right to question why Harriet was there. On the other hand, Severus was prepared to cast an unforgivable but didn't, knowing he was his godson. Yet, with all the tension, nobody was ready for what the male teen said next. "I don't need to be insulted in my own home by some bloody whore!" He yelled. "It wouldn't surprise me if you had that thing on purpose."
Smack! Draco's face moved to the side by the force of Harriet's hand. Tears threatened to fall from the teenage girl, remembering her past. "DON'T. YOU. DARE. INSULT. MY. SON. HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT MY RELATIVES DID TO ME!" She yelled, causing the glass to begin to crack from the pressure. "I am not some bloody whore you'll find on the streets! I am not what they want me to be, and if you bloody see me as one, then fuck you, Draco Malfoy! I will not continue to be Dumblefuck's puppet any longer. Keep this in mind: you dare insult my son or harm him in any way, I'll hex you to oblivion." Outraged, the teen grabbed her fuzzy son and left the room.
It didn't take long before Lady Malfoy slapped her son once more, causing him shock. "Harriet Potter is a guest in this house and will be treated as such until our Lord commands it!" she growled. You don't know what that child has gone through, and you better apologize before dinner!" The mother followed the teenage girl to console her.
The young Malfoy was still bewildered at the previous scene. He and Potter are sworn enemies since she rejected him in the first year; his mother knew that... He looked at his godfather for answers, and his response was a loud sigh followed by how the teenage mother came to stay at the manor. At the end of the tale, Draco leaves the bathroom feeling sick.