Fire and Blood.1
Little Whinging was a quiet town despite it’s closness to the capital of England. Most kids had a normal life, going to school or high-school every day during term, here or in other cities. However, teenage witch Harriette Potter was not one of them and never will be. Even tho, truth to be told she always craved it. In small amounts, of course. Magic was far one of the best things that could happen to her, it was her greatest asset and her worse nightmare. It saved her and also buried her. Good things never come alone, they always find a way for trouble. Gifts can turn to dust in the wrong hands . \
The events from the fourth year were more than proof, but instead of accepting defeat from her guilt and decent into self-hatred, Harriette decided to move on and take a different approach. Since she was mostly ignored by her so called ‘family’ , almost daily trips to London were a must to try and make friends ,muggle friends , like any teenage girl her age. She was aware of the danger every time, even so she could not care less. Today was no different,3 days before her birthday, meaning 28th of july. Her muggle friends, Lila and Marie wished to celebrate her birthday earlier, since their families took vacations together. They choose together a nightclub near central London, known for good and vibrant parties.
For this was why she dressed so nicely, a black dress with laces at the back who bringed out her waist, skirt short and flowy, to fallow the movement of the legs. She deserved some fun, right? This time her body managed to grow a little and assamble pieces into a girl. Not very tall but not short either, just the right height for her limbs to make an even harmony. The features did not dissapoint either,
bright green eyes and wavy, kinda wild hair, in dark shades of brown. The pale skin always made her look sickly, making her scar hard to miss.
She wasn’t so interested in her looks, this never changed, they were always people more beautiful than her and that was something she didn’t mind exactly. At Hogwarts she was already standing out, outshining beauty would only make it worse. Sometimes she would think of Fleur, at how beautiful and perfect she carried herself ,how she ignored people’s hungry looks.
A thing she loved about her new muggle friends is that they didn’t know who she was, or what she was supposed to be, for once she could be herself, not worrying about being constantly watched or judged in any way.
For such, the nightclub was perfect, a perfect place to blend in and forget all about the past or present, feel the music and bend to it’s rythm.
The actual party they waited for started at 22:00. So they met all in a little clothing store nearby to chose an outfit for Lila, who told us she would buy something before, because she didn’t have any fit ‘’for a night-club'’ at home. While she was choosing, I looked at the pretty clothes by categories and colors, trying to help her a bit. Marie was also helping by looking at necklaces and jewelry. Marie was a 17 year old coming from London, her reddish looks remined her of the Weasley’s, but her fashion style was way better, and so was her financial life. Her dark green dress was a perfect match and fitted her silver jewelry. She didn’t like to waist any time.
‘’ I think I found something ‘’ ,said Lila holding a midnight blue fabric and heading for the changing room.
‘’so did I’’, replied Marie holding a gold necklace for me to see it, I approved with a nod of the little chain with stars as a perfect match with Lila’s dark blonde hair. Marie and Harriette sat down near a window facing a busy street, while waiting for Lila to change. She could feel Marie wanting to say something,
‘’ what is it?’’, I asked, while moving my gaze to her heart shaped face and warm brown eyes.
‘’nothing, I just...you never dressed like this before’’, warily to my reaction. Her hands playing with a clasp from her purse, a sign of stress or boredom Harriette thought. Lately I was getting good at observing details.
‘’true, but is it a bad thing?’’, I also got rid of the glasses for a while by choose contact lenses, it was so much better to feel your face free of the weight.
‘’of course not, you look stuning. And the hair is so beautiful, my straight hair never stays even if I force wave it’’, I didn’t care that much of my appereance, but her compliment was welcomed.
As I prepeared to answer, i saw a movement from the corner of my eye, looking again there was a man outside or at least something that looked like one, dressed all in black cape starring right at me. I starred too, and tryed to not freak out. Everyone can wear capes, right? When he caught my eye he walked away and perished away.
‘’thank you,Marie,wavy hair can be a pain sometimes ’’ turning back to her with a smile, Marie opened her mouth to say something, when Lila appeared before us, all dressed. She looked very pretty.
‘’we all look stunning,so let’s go and have fun!’’, all of us grabbed hands and headed for the party. On the way I couldn’t stop thinking about the figure who watched me at the store,it didn’t scare me as much as it worried me. My wand was tightly glued to my tight under the skirt, I could defend myself, but there would be consequences. If it were a Death Eater that will be so much worse, and it meant Voldemort was hunting me already.
At the entry of the nightclub called Nasty Lambs, there was no line winch meant the party started and you could hear the music even from afar. The entry guard stared down on us for a few seconds, clearly confused of our age. His job was to let people in and make money,(the club might not be so legal) so the choice was not hard. The outside of it was clearly a joke compared to the bustling sight on the inside. How can so many people fit? But the view and atmosphere was more than worth it.
The club had a dark theme of black and purple, such a powerful combination of colors begged for drinks. The ceiling was an outstanding sight, fallowing the same colors of a night sky full of stars and fake clouds filled with inside purple bolt lights, coincidence right? The girls found a table for us, that was also black, near the dancefloor. The music was good and honestly she didn’t care that much, thinking back she never had a party for her birthday or friends to visit, this was more than fine.
Wasting no time Marie got them both on the dancefloor and begin to move in with the crowd, not so many people because some were interested in getting drunk first. So Harriette and Lila also joined and laughed at each others moves for hours with breaks in between. The second break was longer and my feet were hurting already, I never danced and laughed so much. All settled at the table it was time for more fun:
‘’let’s get some drinks folks!’’ a boy from a group of three we fetched from the dancefloor shouted over to us. In unison all of us headed for the bar, the way there wasn’t long but many people gathered to dance or look for the lost, so we hold hands like a train. Me holding hands with the last boy named Marcus. Handsome lad she wasn’t gonna lie. Teenagers and adults bumped into each other with not a single care in the world, for a while I looked at them while passing, so clueless of everything and yet so happy you could see them mad.
Our line formed strangely and since I could not see above, I focused on Marcus’s hand as a guide when all of a sudden I felt fingers wrap around my arm, pulling with a force who separated me from my friends line and his hand. Fear settled as the crowd poured in between us. I found myself face to face with a grown man whom I had to look up a little. His fingers didn’t loose but tightened, turning my arm sore. The caped man. I was frozen and my limbs didn’t listen to move. His form was bigger up close but it wasn’t towering over me.
The guy was looking at me with light eyes of a color I couldn’t really see from the lightning, we remained like that for almost a minute when my senses switched and I pulled my arm with force, surprisingly he let go. His figure was still hidden from my eyes, even so I turned around running deeper in the crowd without looking back. Who was this man? What did he want with her? It didn’t seem like a wizard, a Death Eater would have taken her but he didn’t.
At last she found the bar and her friends waiting for her with shots of weird looking liquids:
‘’there you are!’’ said Lila, other faces looked her over to check she was okay, Marcus came closer to her and pointed a high chair at the bar.
‘’ let’s feast, beasts!’’ they all took seats in front of their drinks and so did Harriette, she heard 3 2 1... grabbed the tiny glass and drank in a sip. All 6 bodies created inhumanly sounds and the first shot of alcohol,and continued some one and some more. Harriette didn’t ever got drunk, the liquid warmed her insides and made her light headed. She was happy to stare at Marcus,Lila,Sam,Marie and Rin slowly getting drunk. Harriette couldn’t lose conscience like that, she could be in danger on the way home.
After multiple takes on dancing with her drunk group around midnight they decided to go home, each taking taxis or even parents picking them up. Harriette lied her parents would pick her up too down the streets. No one questioned it. Her parents were in fact not coming to pick her up, they will never come, and she would remain an orphan.
She knew a stop of the Knight Bus near the Thames, that thing was nasty but there was no muggle transport at this hour. Harriette put her thin cloak around her body and begin walking on the street, the walk was for about 7 minutes or so. In the meantime she enjoyed the calmness of the night, millions of stars covered a dark sky, giving the street light a challange of who can shine brighter. A beautiful city, London was incredible even more at night. All the danger and suffering created in the city was forgotten at night, giving space to rest and begin again the next day.
Stores were closed and the silence was tense, wind pushed leaves out of the way rising hairs of her arms, Harriette pulled the coat closer and took it to the left on a tight street with no light apart from the moon and stars. Lost in thoughts she failed to hear steps behind her, they got closer and closer ’...step..step..step...’ realizing, her hand moved to her tight near the wand, she looked behind to see. A hand clamped over her mouth, her hands by instinct raised to grab the arm, another strong arm snatched around her waist, closing the distance, her back hitting a body. Again. Freezing in place. Fear was everywhere.
Hand forcing her head straight she couldn’t see him but she could feel it. Slowly a breath was drawn on her neck and a nose touching her ear, she was afraid and he knew it.
‘’Don’t be scared now’’, a rather calm voice came out, not very deep but just enough to demand action. The hand around the mouth loosened a little but the hand on the waist didn’t.
‘’ I will not hurt you, I was send to deliver a message, I believe it’s of great meaning to you‘’ his cloak was enough to cover us both, his words were fine but his hands were to strong. He removed his hands, both, taking a step back. I turned around calmly trying to see reason. I also took a step back fallowing his moves, his hands lowering his hood. Oh... Black hair, slightly curled. I moved my eyes and staring into his own deep blue, beautiful. Light wasan’t so good but it was enough,his form didn’t seem so scary anymore. He was also studying her in a subtle way, until she sighed, releasing tension from her body. He moved his eyes to her face:
‘’ what do you want?’’ I asked with a little confidence now.
‘’ to deliver a message, like I said’’ he replied softly,
‘' so, it required for you to act like a stalker? why didn’t you just talk like a normal person?’’ anger got the better of me,but it was true.
‘’yes, because I'm not a ‘normal’ person, and neither are you, even if you try to’’ now he pissed me off. He was so calm he didn’t mind my questions,
‘’it’s none of your business, so tell me the message’’ it was really late, Petunia didn’t care if she died but she might sleep on a bench today.
He took a book from inside the cloak.a large book.attached it was a stringed silver head of a dragon, like a symbol. His eyes roamed again at me and my frail body, not the look of a disgusting man cheking her out.
A look of rather awe, he watched me and said:
‘’There is a man named Alden Whitney, he wants to meet you on 31th of july if you decide so ( searching my reaction), here he gave you Harriette Lilly Euphemia Potter, this book and this portkey’’ slowly he passed the heavy book into my arms, the weight was something to consider.
Was he human? I could not tell. Taking a step back his fingers placed the hood back on his head. Once again he was a stalker. His legs moved and turned around leaving in the direction I came from. He was leaving? I mean what the fuck? The sound of his steps were fading when I shouted
‘’wait!” he did stop and turned just half waiting for me to continue
‘’what is the word for the portkey?’’ even with the hood on I saw little smirk, did he expect me to just know it?
‘’ It’s right there. The book title’’ and then poof, he was gone. Wait what? It was actually a wizard? What a fool she thought. Her hands already were hurting, not even Hogwarts books were like this. Such an old cover, she looked down and read “FIRE AND BLOOD’’.