A day full of surprises
It was just a normal morning like any other, waking up after a three hour sleep, a regular routine for Snape. He wasn't really the type to sleep well. Unfortunately, he couldn't rely on sleeping draughts anymore, as they had the potential to lead to addiction.
Except it wasn't just another day of his break. Having experience in babysitting a child during summer didn't mean he was used to an unpredictable source of his headache doing something unexpected yet again, although the source of his headache was currently asleep in his room.
When the professor had nothing but thoughts to pass time, his thoughts drifted off to the boy on the second floor, occupying one of the rooms of this mansion.
The boy was a master of deception, even Severus couldn't tell he had been deceived. Harry could try to distract him all he wanted, but Snape could tell there was something more to this. It frustrated him to see how flawlessly the child could lie without flinching or revealing any signs of nervousness or uncertainty. Maybe if something had been shown on his body language, Snape would look for the deception. But instead, the green eyed first year looked him in the eyes with that troubled, vulnerable face and played out his role. Harry even went to the extent of feigning tears, tugging at Snape's emotions and testing the limits of his acting abilities, which only irritated Snape further, realizing how easily he had fallen for the performance.
However, amidst his irritation, Snape couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope for Harry. Perhaps the young boy possessed enough cunning and intelligence to see through Dumbledore's schemes and avoid becoming one of his pawns. Although the chances of this happening were slim, Snape couldn't help but hold onto that hope, however faint it may be.
Coffee has always been a treasure for Snape, his best friend. The greatest thing about this beverage was that it would never turn its back on him, coffee wouldn't abandon him. Plus, it always helped. Coffee was the one thing Snape could always depend on.
Now was the perfect time to relax in his preferred seat, read up on Daily Prophet and drink coffee. Although he didn't hold the publication in high regard, it was one of the few sources of entertainment available to him. And so, with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, he delved into the pages of the newspaper, eager to stay informed and up-to-date with current events.
And so he started reading.
Hogwarts, safe from the outsiders but unsafe on the inside.
Recent reports from St. Mungo's indicate that the supposedly 'qualified' teachers of Hogwarts have fallen victim to poisoning by their own students. This raises valid concerns and makes us question whether we should have confidence in these adults to fulfill their responsibilities. If they failed to even detect the presence of poison in their own food, can we rely on these inadequate professors to ensure the safety of our children? It is indeed discouraging that individuals who are supposed to be masters in their field allowed such a situation to unfold right under their noses.
Considering that even the adults couldn't prevent such an incident, are you sure you want your kids to continue their education at the school of witchcrafts and wizardry?
We must protect the new generation from the clutches of these unprofessional teachers. Therefore, we have two choices: Either we remove our children from the unsafe environment, or demand the appointment of qualified instructors.
Ofcourse the Prophet had written an article about Hogwarts, what more could they possibly dig up?
Snape continued reading through the article. The Prophet had even written about how the headmaster of the school allowed the students to return home to protect his reputation and try to cover up the incompetence of Hogwarts professors.
The article said: "Has Dumbledore finally reached the limit of his sanity?"
He almost wanted to laugh at that part. Snape has been asking himself the same question for years, but there was only one answer, Dumbledore was never sane to begin with, he had his quirks and some people knew and accepted that. They brushed it off as his unusual personality though, to which Snape wholeheartedly disagreed. The man was beyond understanding.
Snape had finally reached his limit with the absurdity written by The Prophet. He tossed the newspaper aside and sighed with frustration. Rubbing his temples firmly, he attempted to ease the growing tension in his head.
Those journalists could write all the nonsense they wanted and get away with it. Now Dumbledore had to fight off the accusations and protect his school as well as his image.
As Snape struggled to find peace in his cup of coffee, he realized that it was no longer effective in soothing his nerves. He longed for sleep more than ever. A pity he couldn't do that any more, the sun started to rise and the little actor would wake up any time.
Glancing up at the clock, he sighed, 7:25. There was still time until the inevitable nannying Snape was doomed for. Oh well...
Minutes ticked by, Snape's ears picked up the sound of soft footsteps descending the staircase. He turned his attention towards the source and beheld a bleary-eyed, yet effortlessly elegant figure of Harry Potter. The boy approached him, rubbing his tired eyes, but managing a graceful stride nonetheless. With a hint of sleep still evident, Harry greeted Snape, "Such a splendid sunny weather today, wouldn't you agree, professor?"
Snape couldn't help but roll his eyes at the brat. Honestly, did his Slytherin student have to be so keen on speaking in that roundabout way?
"Good morning to you too, Potter."
A sudden realization struck Snape. He had failed to notice something wrong with Harry's voice, that wasn't the voice he was used to hearing.
Something was definitely amiss, and Snape's curiosity drove him to uncover the truth. Unable to contain his bewilderment, he blurted out, "Potter, have you caught a cold? Your voice sounds... different."
After a moment of hesitation, Harry cleared his throat and responded, "no, I haven't caught a cold, Professor. It's a bit more complicated than that, actually. The truth is... there's been a bit of a change. I seem to have turned into a girl. But it's not like that's a weird occurrence, right?"
Something about the way this boy– no, girl casually dismissed the severity of her situation made Snape feel a twinge in his temples. What was it he thought about this child? Right, an unpredictable source of his headache.
Snape regarded Miss Potter before him with suspicion. "That's a very rare occurrence, Potter. In fact, no wizard or witch has ever gone through such changes before. Unless, of course, you managed to sneak into my brewing room and acquire my polyjuice potion without my knowledge." The girl looked betrayed, like Snape was accusing her of something. Snape at that time wanted her to confess to her crimes.
"I swear, Professor, I didn't steal anything from you," She insisted earnestly. "You know I'm not capable of such actions. Furthermore, what reason could I have to take this juice potion? It doesn't make any sence."
"Polyjuice potion, Potter," Snape corrected with a hint of annoyance. "And indeed, this is a weird occurrence. People don't just randomly change gender without a polyjuice. You cannot simply return to Hogwarts in your current state," Snape remarked, his tone laced with concern.
Miss Potter pondered for a moment before a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "What's all the fuss about, Professor? It's not like I'm a different person now that I'm a girl," She pointed out, trying to downplay the situation.
Snape couldn't be seen arguing with a child like this. Just thinking about how other students would see this drastic change made him want to fix the situation. Though Snape himself did not view Harry any differently, he feared that some ignorant individuals would target the child due to their own intolerance... Snape would know how it felt to be perceived as abnormality and being made fun of for everything.
He didn't want this child, girl or not to suffer the same fate as him, so he needed to hide this or somehow reverse whatever sorcery had caused this.
"First, I need you to tell the truth. Did you really not go through my belongings and take a potion?" The girl shook her head and fluttered her eyelashes, locking eyes with Snape. The potions teacher finally accepted the answer as the truth.
"Alright then. The problem here, Miss Potter, is that not everyone will be open to accepting this unforeseen circumstance. Even if you say that you didn't use any potion to change your gender, people may not believe you. They might even call you a liar who prefers to be a girl." Snape warned the child, who intently listened with a slight twitch in her eye.
"I'm sorry, but it is necessary for you to return to being the 'boy who lived' instead of the 'girl who lived'," Snape expressed, aware of the stern tone in his voice. His intent was to protect the child from a harsh predicament.
"That's why, we need to understand why this happened so suddenly."
"Does that mean we'll ask Madam Pomfrey for help?" Harry asked with the voice that Snape was still not used to.
"Unfortunately, we do not currently have the option to visit Madam Pomfrey, as she is occupied with tending to the Hogwarts professors due to the prank," Snape explained, looking at the girl as if she was the one at fault.
"Then where do you propose we go, professor? What's the other option?"
"I believe it would be in our best interest to seek out someone with the expertise and resources necessary to help us solve this problem. If we are unable to find a medical witch, then I will have to explore other options." Snape appeared deep in thought before dramatically exiting the room and making his way to another, where he quickly retrieved a quill and parchment. He scribbled something down so quickly that the student couldn't help but feel sorry for whoever would be tasked with deciphering the message.
After finishing the letter, Snape sealed it and entrusted it to Hedwig. With a graceful takeoff, Hedwig soared into the sky. The potions professor instructed miss Potter to pack her belongings
"Are we going for the vacation, professor?" The kid asked with a disbelieving look.
"No, Potter. Don't ask me stupid questions. You'll know once we get there."
With that, Snape made it clear that the discussion was over.
"Can you at least tell me where we are going?" She asked, hopeful for the answer.
"We are heading to the Malfoy manor. Now stop blabbering, we are not going there for fun and games." However, judging by the cheeky expression on the young girl's face, Snape could already tell that she was far more excited than she should be for such a visit. He quickly followed up by reminding her once again to pack all necessary belongings, so she went upstairs looking more like a person who was plotting something than someone who was supposed to be worried about their current state.
Snape couldn't help but feel like he may have overreacted earlier, particularly when he had expressed his disapproval of Harry changing gender. In hindsight, he realized that he may have sounded hypocritical.
He worried that his stern approach may have made him come across as a person against gender fluidity, and he couldn't bear the thought of being viewed in that way by his favorite Slytherin. However, it was too late to change his reaction, and he was left with feelings of guilt and regret.
Now he felt like some overprotective parent. Just the thought of that made chills go down his spine.
What are you thinking, Severus? Put yourself together.
The sleep deprivation was starting to take its toll, and he found himself having strange, nonsensical thoughts, such as parenting James Potters daughter. The thought was ridiculous, this child was nothing more than a student to him.
Right before Harry closed his eyes to sleep, he decided against it. Instead, he read a book.
To his surprise, the book turned out to be a mix of tragedy and romance, a genre he didn't expect Snape to have any interest in. But whatever, it wasn't like Snape himself bought this book.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Harry decided to investigate further. He turned over the book to see who the book belonged to. There, written in a beautiful handwriting was the name of the owner and the time the book was bought: Eileen Prince, 1945.
As Harry delved into the book, he found himself absorbed in the story of a young princess who had been forced into an arranged marriage at a young age. The young maiden, however, refused to be confined by the limitations of her position and snuck out of the palace to travel the world.
Along the way, she met a girl her age, and the two became fast friends. They worked together and were eventually able to buy a modest house that they made into their home. It wasn't grand or palatial like the princess's previous residence, but it provided them with warmth and comfort, and they were happy.
They traveled from time to time, but in the end, they always returned home to their beloved house.
As time passed, the two girls grew closer and their bond turned into something more than friendship.
Then, tragedy struck. The girl fell ill, and it was soon revealed that she had a serious and incurable illness. The only cure was a rare medical herb that was not available in that country.
The princess realized that the rare medical herb she needed was actually abundant in her own country and etermination coursed through her. Despite the risk to her freedom, she made a difficult decision to return to the palace.
Upon her arrival, her parents, enraged by her defiance, condemned her actions and ordered for her to be imprisoned in a cold, desolate cell. There, the princess persuaded a maid to open the cell door for her.
She snuck out, got as many herbs as she could and fled the palace once more
Having accomplished what she went there for, the determined princess swiftly made her exit from the palace, evading guards and obstacles with grace. She knew time was running short, and her lover's life depended on her success.
Finally, she delivered the herbs to her girlfriend and saved her life. That night, the two lovers pledged that they'd always be together, never letting go of one another.
Yet, their happiness was cruelly shattered the following day. Her maid seemed to have told her parents about her escape. Their once peacefull home was suddenly surrounded by a legion of knights, their swords glinting in the sunlight.
In a brutal turn of events, the two girls found themselves torn away from the sanctuary they had created. Shackled and dragged away as prisoners, they were taken to the palace that had once been the cage of the princess's confinement.
Because of her disobedience, the princess was subjected to the consequences of her actions. Stripped of her royal title and prestige, she was thrown into a damp and suffocating jail cell alongside her love, their fates now entwined in their shared imprisonment.
Fuelled by their unbreakable bond and an overwhelming sense of defiance, the two lovers disregarded the piercing gazes of the watchful knights surrounding them. In this moment, they embraced each other and shared a passionate kiss, casting aside their fears and worries.
"Nothing else matters as long as we have each other," the girl whispered in a voice filled with reassurance, her words enveloping the princess with a sense of hope
Unfortunately, their stolen moment of love was cruelly short-lived. A guard had witnessed their affectionate display and, bound by duty, reported the truth to the queen. The news reached the monarch's ears, igniting her anger.
In a devastating turn of events, an oppressive order was passed by the queen for the execution of the princess's lover.
Despite the guards' attempts to separate them, the princess refused to let go of her lover's hand when they came to take the prisoner. Unable to separate them, the guards resorted to chaining them together and escorted them out amidst the murmurs and gossip of the civilians.
the guards prepared to tie the rope around her lover's neck, some knights gently persuaded the princess to release her lover's arm, despite her desperate resistance. In that heart-wrenching moment, her lover whispered words of reassurance, reminding her that they would always be together, even in death, that she would stay in her heart.
As the execution unfolded, the princess found it agonizingly difficult to witness, yet her gaze remained fixated on her smiling lover, who still kept smiling even during her final moments.
Just as she was being escorted back to her cell, a group of individuals appeared, motivated by a determination to rescue her.
There began her story of revenge.
The princess started having followers, people who'd do anything for her. She freed slaves and helped the poor. Because of her, people started a war that dragged in the whole world.
At the end of this book, the vengeful princess murdered the king and queen, takeing the title of the queen and ending the war that had been going on for 5 years.
Years pass by and the queen is at her deaths bed. In her final moments a distant voice called out to her, it was her lover, who she never stopped loving even after 60 years
The book left Harry fascinated and a little sad. While reading he almost shed a tear, almost. It was worth his time and it had taken up hours. Now, it was almost 5:00. He had been too careless with spending his time.
While the idea of getting some rest may have been beneficial, Harry found himself plagued by an overwhelming urge to indulge in a particular activity. To alleviate this deep yearning, he resolved to try out some old magic tricks of his. Among them, there was one in particular he really wanted to try out, especially now that he read the book about the tragedy of two girls in love.
After casting the spell and feeling some things change in her body, she thought of names she could use for her, since she wasn't 'Harry' anymore, that was a boys name.
Still, she was too sleep-deprived and lazy to think up something so she'd probably think of something later.
That morning, she felt refreshed despite not sleeping for that long. Still, being a girl for the first time in this body was sort of nostalgic, she remembered the first time Loki turned into one, although it was for another purpose. He had wanted to shock Odin.
Just the thought of that old man sent her in a fit of fury.
Calming down was easy, a warm shower was pleasant and washed away a bunch of negative thoughts. She also washed Beauty, but the snake wasn't happy by the fact that the water woke her up completely, she hissed at her master.
Is it her rebellion phase or just her morning mood?
Now that beauty was dry, fed and that the snakes owner herself was dressed, she felt an urge to present herself in front of the head of her house. However, a sense of disappointment washed over her as she realized that Snape, despite being in front of him, failed to discern the distinction between Harry Potter and her transformed self. While it was true that she currently possessed long hair and her feminine features were not yet fully developed, the lack of recognition frustrated her.
After she decided to out her voice, Snape couldn't comprehend it at first, but after she casually declared to having turned into a girl, he finally understood. The reaction amusing for her. First, he accused her of stealing his polyjuice potion, not quite into the idea that she might've just used 'accidental' magic that he used last time to teleport, although everyone though it was apparation.
She let a look of betrayal show on her face, as if she didn't expect the older man to react in this way, to stay in denial.
Obviously, she needed to let the pure child image Snape had of her show, so she swore to him that she wasn't like that, that she wouldn't have stolen anything from him. Although, technically that was a lie, Loki was certainly possible of stealing, so was this new persona, but it's not like Snape needed to hear that.
Next, Snape did it again, trying to confirm if she had touched any of his beloved potions and drunk a polyjuice potion, which she hadn't, obviously.
And by the guilt ridden way he looked told her that Snape himself wanted to shut up, but he just couldn't because he wanted to protect his student.
Loki wasn't aware of how the people of Hogwarts would treat her if she suddenly turned up there with a skirt and decided to venture into the girl's dormitories. For clear reasons, she couldn't do that, because people on this planet, this world or even back in her world had some kind of prejudice against Loki, against the type of person he was. He liked to be female sometimes, was it so bad that? Wanting to be something you feel comfortable being... was it so wrong? Even Snape didn't want her to be that way, nobody did. No one would accept her and that was a fact.
Then some of Snapes words hit close to home, "They might even call you a liar who prefers to be a girl." He said.
But I am a liar. A liar who sometimes prefers to be a girl.
She didn't say these words out loud, she couldn't.
Despite Snapes words, she felt like Snape wanted to hide her away, hide the boy he knew away. Like he was pained to use such words with Harry Potter. He was probably sympathetic that such an unfortunate thing happened to the boy who lived. The person Snape wanted to protect was that boy. He had made it clear with his words that he and the rest of Hogwarts only needed that boy, not her.
Still, she clung to the time she had left. There was still time to spend as a girl. She wanted to be like this for a bit more time. I'm her past life, she hadn't enjoyed being her female self, everyone only ever looked at her as if she was a lunatic, a disgrace, some sort of filth on the floor. Because Loki Odinson was supposed to be a prince, a man, not someone who enjoyed magic, as if that wasn't girly enough, as if that hadn't made people mock Loki, but to add salt to the wound, he even liked turning into a woman, as if he didn't already disgrace his fathers name enough.
Everyone around had always made him feel it, the hate, those peering eyes following him around and those whispers, making sure they were loud enough to let him hear. They had all wanted him to suffer for being like that, never brave enough to do it to his face.
Loki walked around, showing off his feminine side and going unpunished, at that time, if another Aesir dared to do the same thing as Loki, they'd be punished for it, publicly humiliated.
Having half listened to Snapes self assuring nonsense, she asked Snape what they'd do now. And then immediately, the man seemed like he thought of different solutions to their current problem, not exactly her problem though, she felt confident in her abilities to trick people into thinking she was a boy, she could even change her voice to sound more like Harry, but seeing Snape panicked, so anxious and protective of her sent a pleasant feeling in her heart. The sight still looked amusing to her.
She didn't even notice how those thoughts drifted away as she observed a worrying Snape said something about finding a person who could help them and then looking for something, storming out of the room and after some time, coming back with a parchment and quill which he scribbled on fast and sending the letter off to who knows where.
Then she asked Snape if they were going for a vacation with a childish look. She got the appropriate reaction.
Of course she was curious about where they would be going. This was, after all a very big deal in Snapes opinion. He treated her like glass, breakable and fragile, but she didn't want anyone to treat her that way, because she isn't weak, she isn't easy. It would take way more than people's opinions of her to sway her.
The Malfoy manor, huh? Well this will be interesting. She thought to herself, imagining Dracos face when she showed up at his doorstep, probably likely to see Draco in his casual attire and even stumbling upon him, caught off guard or in an embarrassing situation. This would be fun indeed.
Having packed up and managing to persuade Beauty to slip into the trunk, the girl glanced at the bed, where Harry's clothes lay. She didn't want to use her wand, as it was possible for the magic to be traced as Snape told her, so she had to do it the old fashioned way. Putting her hands on the once boys clothes, they turned into something more fancy and to her current taste.
She wore a black dress with green embroidery, walking down the stairs, the shrunken trunk in her hand. When Snapes eyes landed on the first year, he gaped, "Miss Potter, how did you manage to get a dress in such a short amount of time?" He asked in bewilderment.
"Professor, I'm not only good at potions, but other subjects as well. Do not underestimate my transfiguration skills." She said smugly.
Then Snape went back to his usual self and said, "Stop showing off Potter, we're not going at some party or a wedding, just to meet an old friend of mine who might know a way to help."
"Harly." She said.
Snape couldn't quite understand that, so she allaborated, "call me Harly while I'm in this form, it's close to Harry."
"I thought you were good at everything, Harly, but it seems like naming isn't your best quality." The potions professor said, getting an eye roll out the girl.
"Anyway. Can you change into something else? Let's not draw attention to ourselves on the way, we're taking the knight bus."
"Sorry professor, even if I changed the dress, the attention would still be directed towards us. After all, you're a Hogwarts professor and people might recognize you from the daily prophet headlines. But as people will see you accompanying a girl with a lightning scar on her forehead, people will put the clues together and everyone will know Harry Potter to dress up as a lady." Harly said almost too casually.
"Hide your lightning scar then." Snape offered.
Harly grinned, "I would do it, but where's the fun in that?"
Sighing, Snape asked, "what do you want, Potter?"
Smiling as if she expected this question, Harly twirled around and grabbed a glass to fill it with water, "I want to make a deal with you, professor Snape."
A moment of silence stretched out, Harly lifted the glass filled with water to her mouth and drank it silently. Then Snape finally said, "tell me what it is that you want and maybe I will agree to this deal."
Harly put the glass down and turned around to face her teacher, "first, I'd like to go shopping, this time it's not for some measly school supplies, but my own personal fun."
Snape crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "okay, what else?"
"I seem to find being in this body very comforting, so I wanted to ask if it was alright to stay like this for the time being even if you do find the solution to it." She told him with puppy eyes.
Snape, looking like he's burdened with all of world's problems sighs dramatically and says, "fine, Potter. Just hide your scar."
The girl enlarged her trunk, opened it, pulled out a hairbrush and a mirror and brushed her so that the scar would be less visible. "Call me Harly professor, there's no need to be so formal with me, especially now, when you don't want to reveal to people who you're traveling with."
"Smartass." Snape finally uttered, watching Harly with a pair of caring eyes.
He opened the door and looked at Harly, "You're sure you packed everything you wanted, right?" After getting a nod as confirmation, he gestured for her to follow him.
Harly watched as Snape stuck out his arm and almost right away, a purple bus arrived. It was very fast, she had never seen such a fast bus before. It was a magic bus after all. They got on the knight bus, the door closed and it raced just as fast as it came to them. If Snape wasn't holding onto her arm to keep her from falling, she would've been all around the bus right now.
There were a few people on the bus, somehow, no one paid any attention to the shady looking professor of Hogwarts next to Harly, all of their attention was directed at her. She knew that the scar was hidden, so the eyes on her must be because of something else. Probably because she was wearing the most dazzling dress out of all these people, plus she transfigured it herself. Having memories from her past life had been pretty nice, Loki knew good amount of expensive and beautiful dresses and outfits.
These magicians only paid attention to her because she was wearing a pretty dress. Some elderly woman came up to Snape, who was still holding Harly's arm and asked, "my, what a cute daughter you have sir. What's her name?" She asked with genuine curiousity.
Snape looked at Harly for agreement to telling the woman her name, when the girl gave a small nod, his gaze went back to the elderly woman. "Her name is Harly." Was his brief answer.
The woman took that as an invitation from Snape to have a one sided information pourdown about her grandson. Harly had this feeling that she knew who the granny was talking about, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it.
"My grandson, Neville is a hufflepuff. What house is your daughter in?" She asked Snape. The fact that this woman thought they were father and daughter was hilarious, but Harly was too distracted by the fact that this random woman had been Nevilles grandma this entire time.
"Harly was sorted into Slytherin." Snape said with a wary, observing look in his eyes.
The woman looked shocked at the newly acquired piece of information, but Harly cut in before she had the chance to talk about it, "oh my, you must be Augusta Longbottom. I've heard a lot about you from Neville" She had to start talking so that the woman wouldn't have the wrong impression about her, about a Slytherin.
The elder looked caught off guard, "you are acquainted with my Neville?"
Harly smiled politely at Mrs Longbottom, "I'm a friend of Nevilles, he really is an amazing Hufflepuff." She said.
Mrs Longbottom looked slightly annoyed, "I wanted him to be a Gryffindor like his parents, but he still got sorted into Hufflepuff, that boy..."
Harly looked around to see that only the three of them plus the driver were left in the bus. She looked the granny in the eyes and said, "Mrs Augusta, I know that you want what's best for Neville, but you have to understand that sometimes it's better to let him decide his own path. You must not force him to take the decision that he doesn't want to take. And getting sorted into Hufflepuff was his fate."
Mrs Longbottom, for the third time since their interaction, looked caught off guard, then she chuckled, "what a smart one you have raised, mister. Ravenclaw had such a loss when your daughter got sorted into Slytherin."
Snapes lips quirked up just a little bit, "Mrs, you have no idea how sneaky my daughter really is. She's just being polite in front of you, you should see how she is at home."
Mrs Longbottoms gaze fell on the short girl and she ruffled her hair, "a polite little one you are, aren't you?" She said and then continued, "It's okay. My Neville is also more relaxed at home. You should stay like this, little Harly, stay respectful towards your elders and prank your dad."
Mrs Longbottom told them, "this is my stop," she gave the driver 11 sickles and got out of the bus.
Her hair was all ruffled now, so Harly had to get it fixed again.
The bus stopped one last time for them, Snape paid for them both and they got off.
Now that they were alone, Harly grinned, trying to imitate Snapes voices, she said, "you have no idea how sneaky my daughter really is." She mimicked.
For the first time in Harlys life, she saw Snape blush. He actually blushed.
"Children." He grumbled.
"Let's go, dad." She said, the grin not leaving her face. Snape made a dissatisfied noise and started walking up to the house. It looked better than the Prince manor and that said things about it. No wonder Draco had been so arrogant, he had been living here like a little prince.
The more Harly knew about Draco, the more he reminded him of a certain god of thunder and narcissism.
Harly thought that knocking on the fancy door of this mansion would deem useless, as the place was so ginormous, the knock would not be heard unless someone was nearby.
Surprisingly, when Snape knocked, the door was opened after only the second knock. There stood a familliar face Harry had seen before the loop– Narcissa Black Malfoy.
"Welcome, Severus." She greeted the man and opened the door wider. Her gaze fell on Harly as she entered through the door after Snape.
"I read the letter. Whats troubling you, my friend?" She asked and automatically looked at the girl right next to Snape, whose observing eyes were scanning around the house.
Snape nudged Harly, who pouted before brushing her hair out of the way to reveal the lightning scar. Narcissas eyes widened.
Snape started, "Harry had to stay with me because of his circumstances. He was a boy up until this morning."
Narcissa was staring at Harly, as if to get enlightened only from watching her, "did she take a potion?" She asked with a speculating gaze.
"No. I asked twice, she seemed innocent enough." Snape told her and the woman looked at him with an amused expression, "I never thought you'd let someone off the hook like this, Severus. Seems like you have a soft spot for this child."
Snape decided to ignore that comment. "Can you help me understand how my student became a girl in a single night?" He asked, trying to sound professional.
"I'll see what I can do." She said.
Harly just watched the interaction between the two adults. They were acting as if she wasn't in the room. Well that felt familliar to her. Back where she's from, nobody cared about his presence near them, not even giving him a glance. If he were to be in a room full of people, nobody there would choose to go out of their ways to speak with him more than what was formality and necessarity. But as he grew up, the fact that he was a prince was forgotten and he was left in the dark, as a shadow, lurking in the room full of light.
She wanted to ask the adults if her presence here was even needed, but as she opened her mouth to ask them, she heard a pair of familiar footsteps. Then, she saw her familiar blond haired friend walking in the entrance of the Malfoy manor.
Harly got an idea, a very nice one at that. Sneaking a peek and the adults, she closed her eyes, magic flowing through them and changing the green colour to black. Satisfied, she tugged on Snapes sleeve. His eyebrow twitched and he gave that 'why are you bothering me' look, before realisation hit him and he stared at her eyes, his face demanding answers. Instead of that, whe whispered to him, "remember... I'm Harly, your daughter."
Sighing, Snape resigned before turning to the place Dracos footsteps were echoing from.
Draco looked like someone who wanted to impress his guests, because that autfit was a bit overkill. Harly could understand his need to be fashionable even at such 'difficult times.' Snape just didn't understand how important being beautiful and fashionable was. And he didn't know how to make good a impression on people. But Harly knew how important someone's first impression is of a person.
That's exactly why she dressed up so well. Maybe Harly could have a little fun pretending not to know the pale boy.
Draco stood before the two visitors and gave a smile, "Greetings, professor Snape." He said before averting his eyes to meet the mysterious girl who had a suspicious resemblance to Snape. "And you are?" Draco asked, waiting.
"My name is Harly Snape." She smiled and stuck out her arm, "nice meeting you, Draco Malfoy."
Draco looked like someone who found out about their whole whole family being massacred by the way he was just standing there, shocked, not even noticing the hand he was supposed to take. Then, he finally noticed it after Snape cleared his throat and glared at him, acting out his part as Harlys dad. Draco shook hands with her. "Wow– I mean, I didn't expect..." he cut himself off to look at Snape and then Harly.
"You never told anyone you had a daughter, professor." He blamed Snape.
However, Snape was unfazed by the accusation, instead of bickering with a child, he started, "I adopted her this summer." He said, trying to end the route the conversation has taken.
Draco was unconvinced, "but she looks just like you, except for the clothes, she has some taste." He said before remembering that he was talking to his professor and swallowing the fear down nervously.
"It was a blood adoption." He clarified.
Draco looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but the look on Snapes face made him rethink his decision.
Harly took a step forward to Draco, "you seem well versed in clothes. How about the grown ups go have a talk about their problems while we go shopping?" She asked.
The blond boy looked like she had offered him the position of a Slytherin seeker. That's how excited he looked. "That seems like an amazing idea. If my mom agrees and professor Snape is fine with it, then..."
Narcissa immediately gave Draco permission to go shopping with a gentle face of a mother.
Turning her head to Snape, she made a sly grin, making it hard to think about anything other than their deal. He owed her shopping, so she would get it one way or another. And shopping with a friend– well, more like a friend to be, seemed like a decent idea.
The head of Slytherin house looked fed up with her, a tired expression on his face. "Okay. But be back here by 9 o'clock." He said with a determined tone.
Draco looked so offended by Snapes curfew, that if a stranger saw his face, they'd think Snape told him to stop breathing or something. "But it's only 6 now. You expect shopping to end in 3 hours?" He asked, bewildered.
Rolling her eyes at Dracos dramatics and Snapes clear overprotective nature of her, Harly said, "Fine. I'll be back by 9, but no promises." Snape had a new headache incoming.
Draco led Harly to the fireplace, using the floo powder and stepping in. Harly waved at the two adults in the room and said, "bye Mrs Narcissa, dad."
The kids disappeared from the fireplace.
Narcissa was watching him with a look he couldn't discern, Snape had to ask what that look was for, but before he asked, the question was answered, "so, a daughter huh? It seems to me that what Harly said isn't really a lie, you sounded more like a father to her than Lucius acts like a father to Dracos. I'm impressed someone managed to break through your impenetrable walls. Especially someone by the last name Potter. "
Snapes eyebrows relaxed, his features softening and a small smile Narcissa hadn't seen on his face for years lighting up his face.
Snapes eyes lingered to the fireplace, he looked at her and said, "trust me Cissy, I feel the same way."
Diagon Alley was crowded, everyone walking around, doing their own thing, buying, chatting. The place was the same as the last time Harly came here. This time it wasn't with her favourite potions teacher, but with the friend who didn't know she was his friend. Funny circumstance.
Draco was very knowledgeable when it came to dresses and jewelry. When Harly teased him about it, his face lit up red and he said it was because he always followed his mother around when she went to buy something.
While they were walking up to one of the expensive looking shops around, Draco asked her, "hey, Harly right?" She nodded and Draco continued– "How did Snape end up adopting you, if you don't mind me asking?"
Harly had been expecting an awkward conversation with the blond as sosoon as they weren't in a room with Narcissa and Snape. She didn't even need to think hard about it, Draco didn't know that Harry Potter stayed with Snape at summer, he only knew about the fact that Harly got adopted by him.
They entered the shop, while eyeing all the dresses and choosing a style to be measured later on, Harly spoke, "I lost my whole family in a terrible way. Snape was my mother's childhood friend, the only one who could be entrusted with me, so he adopted me."
Draco was quiet for a moment before turning to the woman who'd measure them for their outfits and told her with guilt written all over his face, "I'm sorry I asked. I always ask these questions that end up making my friends remember their trauma." He looked down.
As if she didn't know who Draco was referring to. Harly put her hand on the boys shoulder and smiled, "it's normal to want to know more about your friends, so don't blame yourself."
The awkward silence stretched out, and Draco took it upon himself to teach Harly how to pick good and expensive outfits. Oblivious as Draco was about Harly knowing way more about dresses than he did, he looked very lively when he gave her advice about which dress to pick and based on what.
Honestly, it wouldn't hurt to let him have his fun, he was being tricked after all, Harly would give him that and not ruin it for the boy.
The clothes shopping took way longer than what Harly expected. The blond kid, however, thought that they needed at least half an hour more to look around and enjoy the view or whatever he had in mind.
Having completed their clothing purchase, Harly attempted to persuade the exuberant and lavish Draco to return to the mansion, in order to avoid enduring a lengthy lecture from Snape. Yet, Harly's memory failed to account for Draco's unwavering enthusiasm when it came to indulging in activities he found enjoyable. Draco insisted on stopping at nearly every shop they passed, eager to acquire items, even if they served no practical purpose. Even this useless and whatever this creepy sculpture was, Draco bought.
The mini sculpture Draco was holding at the moment was staring into Harlys soul and secretly putting a curse on her.
Why was Draco Malfoy such a knucklehead when it came to shopping?
Even Harly herself wasn't that much of an enthusiast when it came to simple shopping.
The clock was ticking and Draco was still not back from whatever shady corner he turned to get in some store. Harly, however, defiantly refused to follow him and instead staged a protest outside. Draco, in a rather hypocritical manner, ridiculed Harly by labeling her a "daddy's girl," conveniently ignoring his own penchant for mentioning his father at every opportunity. But apparantly, it you wanted to avoid a situation when an angry professor stood over your head and gave you an unforgettable lecture about why they should've been back on time was enough to earn Harly this derogatory label.
With frustration building inside her, Harly refrained from groaning aloud, mindful of the presence of other people around her. Impatient and unable to bear the lingering uncertainty any longer, she marched determinedly through the dimly lit corner and flung open the doors of each shop she came across.
Each door she opened only heightened her anxiety as Draco was nowhere to be found. Then, when she took a peek in one of the other shops, she saw the clothes Draco bought, scattered, the head of that sculpture was broken off.
Her mind went back to the scene from a not so forgotten past she wanted to erase from her memories. A limp body in the middle of the forest; blood, so much blood; no heartbeat, no breath, no signs of life.
Silently, she took the clothes her friend bought with that childish sparkle in his eye. She would give them back to the blond when she would find him.
Clenching her jaw tight, she pushed forward, slamming the door of the last shop shut behind her. Panic and fear coursed through her veins as she realized that she needed to urgently find Draco, to uncover what had happened to him and ensure his safety.
Her breathing sped up, her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists.
Calm down.
Harly took in a shaky breath and calmed her nerves.
It was a good thing she was in this corner right kow, nobody would be able to see her use some unknown, wandless magic.
The dress woule be in the way if she ran, so she transfigured it to more comfortable dark shirt and pants.
Concentrating, her eyes glowed, the green coming back to them. The image in her mind came to a crowded place, her legs moved on their own as she ran towards the place her brain was giving images of.
He was still at Diagon Alley, and he was still alive, that was all that mattered. It meant that even if he was on the brink of death, Harly would be able to heal him. She wouldn't lose her friend again.
Then, the location where Draco was supposed to be at suddenly changed. Harlys eyes widened, but she didn't panic. Snape had taught her the transportation methods, it might've been one of those and Draco, a first year, wouldn't be able to pull off apparation, so he was most likely not alone.
Damn it.
Then, she tried concentrating again, clutching Dracos new clothes for support and looking. Her eyes searched all around England.
Finally, her mind conjured up images of a sleeping blond in an old, abandoned house. He was surrounded by 6 men and the house itself was guarded by 10. These men who all held sticks and thought they'd be able to keep anyone out of the house, how delusional.
So 16 men kidnapped one child. What a pathetic display. This really showed how desperate these men were, kidnapping a litteral child to exchange him for the money his father would pay them for.
Taking a deep breath, Harly cracked her knuckles before disappearing from Diagon Alley and appearing right on top of that old house.
She used her small body to her advantage, sneaking up on them, her fingers twitching with magic as she fried their brains with a little spark of green electricity.
Loki missed her brother, so right now, she was using the thing that most reminded her of him. It also took her back to the time the two siblings would have adventures together, fighting enemies, bickering with each other. Thor never followed Lokis plan, he only marched in and didn't think with his head.
She thought that leaving these men on the cold grass with all the bugs to eat their friend brains was exactly the kind of treatment they deserved for kidnapping her friend.
Having a final look behind her back, she stopped before the door before remembering one important thing. Her face shouldn't be seen by anyone, even if she was not Harry right now.
Smirking, Harly made her clothes big before transforming herself into the form she really missed, a lot. Being in a kids body was exhausting, small and frail and easy to knock out, weak. Now, this was no longer Harry Potter or Harly Snape, this was Loki, the god who wouldn't be recognized in this world, because she didn't exist.
Raising her arm, Loki knocked on the door, waiting for one of the petty child kidnappers to open the door so she could try something not so new on him.
She heard footsteps of two men slowly approaching the door, no doubt with their wands. The door opened and one of those men looked out warily. "Umm, hello ma'am, are you lost?" He asked, eyes searching her of any weapons or wands. But she didn't have a wand on her right now, an easy prey... or that's what that man thought.
Loki showed them her helpless lady act, "oh, yes. You see... something terrible has happened. When I was about to apparate earlier, some man stole my wand took my precious cat." She wiped away her tears.
The man looked a little more relaxed now that he saw no danger in the crying, wandless witch in front of him, "it's okay, ma'am. What can I help you with?"
That's what she's been waiting to hear. Time to check out how this works.
She covered her eyes with one hand, a smile tugging at her lips, "hm? Well... you can start by killing that man next to you." As she said that, magic hooking puppet strings to the oblivious fool, she felt nothing but anger and disgust towards the likes of him.
Her puppet and that man started throwing spells back and forth, the other one was confused by why his partner suddenly started attacking him.
Watching the scene unfold in front of her eyes as she casually walked in, Loki couldn't help but be tired of watching the same boring spells being thrown back and forth, so she made her puppet use his wand to stab the other guy in the eye. Now was his chance to finish the wounded off.
He killed him.
Loki felt proud of her new magic trick. Looks like she no longer needed the Loki scepter to mind control humans.
"Now kill yourself." No witnesses.
She heard a sound of a wand thrusting and gasps filling the silent room before the puppet died.
It had gone awfully quiet there. Where did the other idiots go?
Feeling no presence in that run down house, she sighed. How many times were they going to run like little cowards that they were?
But she didn't have to teleport again, because she heard the sound of four men running towards a van, one of them a little slower than the others, that meant that he was holding Draco.
How stupid indeed. Didn't even bother trying to apparate out of here.
Most likely case was that none of them knew how to, that Loki had finished off the people who could.
Not like she cared.
Before they got to the van, Loki had a funny idea. She teleported in the van, making herself invisible to them so she could give them a little surprise later.
Norns, did it take them a while to get in. Firstly, because they were arguing about who would drive; secondly because they didn't know where to 'put the brat;' thirdly, they were panicking because they thought that Lucius Malfoy was hunting them.
They were loud and smelled so disgusting, that it was simply too much to bear. How could she leave Draco in this suffocating truck with four smelly grown men?
Deciding that this has gone far too long, Loki lifted the invisibility spell on herself.
"Hey, who the hell are you?"
"I am a mythical god." Loki said with such a light tone, that nobody would be able to take her seriously.
Before anyone could answer the strings she once tested on that man wrapped them up like a spider trapping its prey with web.
"Hand me the boy." She demanded.
The kidnapper holding Draco handed her the sleeping child. Relief washed over Loki, she got her friend back safe and sound.
Not forgetting the four men still wrapped around her spider web, she ordered them to off each other and stepped out of the van after making sure they weren't breathing.
Before Loki could shift back into Harly, she felt Draco stirring in her hands. He blinked awake and when he saw that Loki was holding him in her arms, he thought she was his kidnapper.
"Relax kid. You're safe now." Loki told him.
He was watching her cautiously, "why should I trust a word you say?"
Loki smiled at him, "because I rescued you from those bad people."
Draco still didn't seem to believe her. "Who are you anyway?"
Looking around, suddenly Loki had a very serious face, "can you keep a secret?" She asked in a whisper. Hesitantly, the blond nodded.
"I am your guardian angel sent from heavens above." She told Draco with the most serious face she could muster.
It took some time for the joke to sink in Dracos head, but when it did, he started laughing. It made Loki smile a little.
"Kid. Your friend is very concerned about you. Your mom must he worried sick for you. You should go." Loki told Draco. The boy looked like he just remembered that people who care about him existed. He told her to put him down so he could go back to the manor himself.
He was about to run, but he stopped and turned around, "umm, by chance, do you know where we are?" He asked, face flushed.
Loki grinned, "I'll just apparate you right in front of your manor." She said, not giving the boy any warning before putting her hand on his shoulder and teleporting him in front of the gate. Right after she did that, her body shrunk and her facial features changed. Before following up Draco in his track, Harly remembered to transfigure her dark clothes into the dress.
Then she teleported. Thankfully Draco hadn't witnessed that, if he did, Draco might not connect dots, but he'd be suspicious.
"Draco?" She asked him before entering his line of sight to not startle the boy. Harly ran up to him and stuck out the clothes he had bought earlier, "you left these." She casually strode away to the door of the Malfoy manor. "Wanna go in, or are you going to stand there until someone else takes a shot at kidnapping you?"
The boy followed Harly and finally, they returned from the long shopping trip.