Glitter and Goldielocks
Hermione slips out of Nia's class when the bell rings to head towards Defence Against the Dark Arts. Nia knows Sev is still taking over for Remus and despite her best efforts he's likely still working the same lesson plan. Which means Hermione will learn of Remus's furry little problem. Not that she's really worried about that, Hermione is a good kid and will figure out how badly Werewolves are treated before she even finishes the essay. The rest of the class however. Well maybe they'll be as oblivious as Harry was.
The boy in question walks into her classroom after the last classes of the day and sits down with a focused look on his face.
"Is Uncle Moony a Werewolf?" So much for obliviousness.
"Turn to page three hundred and ninety four" Nia does her best Alan Rickman impression and Harry bursts out laughing so hard Nia has to join in. When she runs out of laughter Harry is still smiling bright at her. "I have to be honest, he may be my friend but Severus is and always was petty and a tad vindictive. It makes for a fun drinking and scheming buddy but mistakes were made and both parties are at fault. They have valid reasons to hate each other."
"Is he in danger because of Snape?" Harry asks suspicious of Snape and rightfully so, it is a shitty thing and they will be speaking about it later.
"Maybe. It's not a secret to the staff but if certain Parents found out."
"Snape is a dick." Harry decides and while Nia chastises his language, she can't disagree. "Why did they hate each other, it couldn't just be because of my mum?"
"It wasn't all, that was just James and she didn't like him until the last few years of school. It was childish at first like you and Draco, Severus probably made a dark joke that Sirius didn't like. Or Sirius and James were arrogant and made fun of him. Kids are mean. It's not hard to go to far, you do."
"What do you mean to far?"
"You and Draco are in the bathroom. He's been crying and you think he's up to something. He get defensive and attacks you with an unforgivable curse. You cast a curse you don't know in defence and almost kill him." She says and he looks down. Harry brings out the Marauders Map and hands it to Nia while changing the subject to the Slytherin Keeper blowing up a potion to get out of playing in the rain. By the time Nia's ready to leave for The Hog's Head she knows the entire game plan tomorrow along with more about Cedric's reputation than she wanted to know. Though she doubts he actually trains with a girlfriend who's in the Holyhead Harpies.
She barely makes it to the Hog's Head before the twins that night and Aberforth walks out of his office see's them and goes right back in. What power those two have.
"Evening Beautiful." Fred grins with an impressive amount of confidence for a fifteen year old with Mummy issues.
"They really ought to have better security on the castle; there's a killer on the loose." George greets with less attempts at flirtation and mild irritation to his brother.
"As if I needed more reasons to be afraid of Rats. Do death eaters hate Squibbs? I wouldn't exist if they weren't hell bent on inbreeding so really I should get a pass." She argues.
"He's missing a toe if it helps, " George offers in comfort instead of lying to her which she appreciates.
"he's pretty harmless, he slept with our brother for eleven years" Fred adds and Hope shakes her head.
"That sounds like the opposite of harmless. Rat's only live two years. How the hell did you not pick up on that?"
"Uh, magic?"
"Hopeless all of you." She mutters, shaking her head. "I'd say we'd have to meet once a week at least, so you need to either get me into the castle or get the four of you out."
"Evans will handle that, she's got the senior staff wrapped around her perfectly manicured fingers." Fred answers dismissively and Hope raises an eyebrow.
George explains further. "This weekend Sirius Black will bring us to Hogsmeade, we already got permission from Mcgonnagal and Malfoy's working on Snape for him and Blaize. If all else fails we'll as Evans to battle her eyelashes at him and he'll fold immediately. Does Sunday work for you? Because we have a quidditch match tomorrow."
"My shift finishes at three. How are you playing In this weather?"
"A little rain never killed anyone." George dismisses.
"You should come to the match," Fred suggests hopefully.
"Can't working, but good luck. Try not to get thrown from your broom." They don't stay long, early morning for the game and all. Hope stares out the window at the pouring rain that will only get worse. This is going to suck.
Quidditch remains Nia's least favourite part of the Hogwarts Experience. Why the hell they aren't rescheduling the match is ridiculous, you can barely walk in these winds let alone fly. Severus is covering them both in a modified Impervius charm. Nia makes sure to find Hermione to charm Harry's glasses before they go out.
The teams emerge onto the field, tiny and wet their scarlet and yellow robes already dripping. The kick off hasn't nearly as much grace as usual and Nia finds herself clutching Severus's hand when Harry's almost blown off by the wind. Usually being small helps him as a Seeker but she wishes he could have put more weight on now so he didn't seem so much at the mercy of the wind.
Cedric keeps an eye on Harry, she can tell by the way he keep flying in a figure eight with Harry in the middle and she's thankful. She keeps trying to spot the Dementor but it's so dark she can barely see the game.
Diggory's figure eight stops and he dives Harry going to follow when the Dementor emerges from the clouds. Scratch that dementors, dozens of them. Harry drops and Nia screams, apparently loud enough that Cedroc abandons his quest for the snitch and turns, catching the unconscious Harry mid air and racing after his Firebolt before it can be thrown too far in the wind. Severus Dumbledore and Mcgonnagal each cast their patronuses and begin to disperse the Dementors as Madam Hooch calls a time out.
Nia runs down ignoring the rain soaking her through as she ditches Snape's protective bubble. She makes it the the change rooms where Harry is still unconscious and she pulls Goldielocks into a panicked hug.
"Thank you! Thank you. Fifty points to Hufflepuff." the twins and Oliver are crowding around Harry who's just started to stir.
"What happened?" He asks Groggily and Nia gives him a packet of M&Ms while crushing him in a hug.
"Dementors attacked you and you fell from your broom. Cedric caught you, are you alright?" She checks him over for any bruises but he'd barely fallen ten feet before Cedric caught him.
"I'm fine aunt Nia, not a scratch on me. I guess that's thanks to you Diggory, I don't get why though, you almost had the snitch." Harry says brushing Nia off in front of the older boys. Well at least he's unhurt enough to be embarrassed by her.
"If the only way to beat you is with outside interference then that's not a real win. I'd prefer a fair game." Cedric responds with a perfectly charming smile and Harry goes a little bit pink. Madame Hooch comes in then.
"We've dispersed the Dementors and the Headmaster and teachers have cast an Extended impervious over the whole pitch, we'll only be able to hold it another half hour. Are you okay to fly Potter?" She asks and Harry empties the chocolates into his mouth and grabs his glasses and firebolt.
"Let's do this,"
Without the rain and wind the game is far easier though Snape looks like he's sweating through his robes trying to maintain the spell. Nia looks around at the rest of the teachers and sees them equally strained as Hufflepuff scores another goal. The score is a hundred and ten to eighty five for Gryffindor when Harry dives Cedric not far behind but Harry is better, they almost hit the ground when Goldielocks has to pull up or smash, Harry gets the snitch and pulls up at the absolute last second.
The crowds roar and Severus breathes a sigh of relief as the rain restarts replacing the cheers with screaming about the cold.
Harry was taken to the hospital wing and Madame Pomphrey warms him up and does several checks including on his existing scars. Hermione, Ron and the rest of the team come up to check on him before heading to their victory party promising to save him some butterbeer.
"We thought you were done for," Ron says as Nia gets into the hospital wing. "Diggory did a complete one eighty he practically had the Snitch in his hand."
"He's so chivalrous," Hermione agrees not immune to Cedric's dreaminess apparently.
"How did he even know? You could barely see or hear out there." Harry wonders aloud before looking up at Nia. "You told him to catch me?" It sounded more like an accusation than a question.
"I asked, you almost died in the original timeline and your broom was destroyed."
"Why not tell me then? Or have Snape cast a Patronus before the game started so I didn't look like some damsel in distress." Harry's angry. Like actually upset that she asked someone else to protect him.
"Because I couldn't guarantee it would be enough. Are you actually upset at me for this? You won the game."
"Because Cedric saved me," he responds bitterly. "Why can't you leave anything alone I don't always need you to save me. Quidditch is dangerous and I don't need to be coddled."
"Harry you're always the Hero, being rescued once in a while won't kill you. In fact it might do your martyr complex some good." She snipes back and he glares at her. Ron and Hermione look incredibly uncomfortable having never seen Nia and Harry fight before.
"Whatever, I'm going to my dorm." Harry storms off and Nia scoffs. When did he become a petulant freaking teenager? Nia storms into Severus's office and goes into his liquor cabinet without bothering to greet the potions Master; she pours them both a drink since he looks like he needs one.
"You alright Sevvy?"
"Maintaining an extended charm for that amount of time is exhausting, you might be the only teacher stable enough to deal with children today." He answers by taking the drink eagerly.
"Not my own apparently. You know he's angry at me for asking Diggory to stop him falling to his death. How the hell is that fair?" She rages and Severus gives a tired chuckle.
"The ego of a teenage boy is a fragile one. Given that Cedric Diggory is to Hufflepuff what Potter is to Gryffindor it's no doubt humiliating to be rescued by the older, more charismatic golden boy." Severus defends him and isn't that something for the history books.
"Am I hallucinating or did you just defend Harry?"
"I did no such thing. He's a whiny brat and shouldn't disrespect you when you want what's best for him." He denies wholeheartedly and Nia laughs. Getting up she puts away her glass since otherwise the two of them have a bad habit of drinking too much while they scheme. There are two small cauldrons next to his drinks cabinet, one blue, the other almost as clear as water.
"Is that my potion?" She asks and he sighs.
"The base of it. I don't suppose you've had any luck finding us a being of time magic." He confirms and it clicks into place in Nia's mind. She doesn't need to find a being of Magic, she is one. Ignoring his question she notes the faint blue smoke emitting from the other potion. Wolfsbane.
"I'm supposed to be mad at you as well, you know." Nia changes the subject with zero subtlety.
"What have I done this time?"
"Page three hundred and ninety four, you couldn't have just let the Defence curse deal with him for you? You had to try and Out him to a bunch of thirteen year olds." He has the audacity to smirk and Nia slaps him over the back of his head. "It wasn't Remus's fault and it was eighteen years ago."
"As you said the Defence curse would have dealt with him one way or another and being asked to leave is better than being killed like Quirrell or exposed to public ridicule like Lockhart."
"Because being a known Werewolf won't cause public ridicule." She counters and he rolls his eyes.
"He's going home with you and Black is he not? You're all living off Potter's fortune so it's not as though he needs the job. Besides he was always a Hermit, I doubt his life will change much."
"It was still a shitty thing to do," she responds just before there's a knock at his office door.
"Noted." He responds clearly not giving a fuck and answering the door. Nia see's a flash of white blonde hair and Snape walks out closing the door behind him.
"Professor Snape, I've joined a music group meeting in Hogsmeade and we have our first practice tomorrow. My mother has already written her permission. I just need your signature." Draco's voice says formally and even through the door Nia can hear the anxiety in his voice.
"A music group?" Severus sounds sceptical, probably it's never easy to tell by just his voice. Nia locks the door to buy a few more seconds and runs behind Sev's desk looking for his notes on the potion. Yes, bless your obsessive organisation system. It's just waiting one the Sand and binding agent that need to be mixed together before being added to the potion and stirred counterclockwise thrice. Really thrice? Who says thrice, three times.
"Yes sir," Draco responds as Nia takes out her journal. According to the book Harry found there is only ever one Speaker of Fate, The title is passed among Fae via a talisman that changes to match the owner when it binds to their soul. For Nia it's a Diary. She takes a pen and writes out the dates.
December Nineteenth Nineteen ninety-three to December first Nineteen seventy-nine. Return December thirty first Nineteen Seventy-Nine to December thirty-first Nineteen ninety-three.
"What purpose do you have for joining this music group?" Severus asks as Nia is tearing out the page and taking the phial of sand from Hermione's time turner from her blazer pocket.
"I, My father was upset about last year's events. He made that clear over Summer and I've been struggling to maintain his expectations. Blaize suggested an emotional outlet may help." Draco answers diplomatically and Nia clenches her fist. Lucy Malfoy deserves more than a broken nose.
Shaking her head to clear it Nia puts the torn piece of diary into the phial and it dissolves into a golden dust before it touches the sand. Faerie dust, that's promising. She shakes the phial to mix the two powders and goes over to the clear potion.
"If there's something wrong at home you can tell me Draco." Severus offers earnestly and Nia takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
"I'll be fine, the signature?" Draco rejects the help of course and Nia knows she's almost out of time. She closes her eyes and pours out the magical powders. Stirring, once, twice, thrice. The clear liquid quickly colours into a shining gold almost exactly the colour of the dust and Nia swears she sees Lily and James in the liquid's ripples.
"Very well." The sound of a Quill scratching punctuates Sev's agreement and Nia hides her journal and the now empty phial. "The offer stands Draco."
"I know, thank you Professor." Draco says quickly and Nia hears footsteps getting further away. Unlocking the door she walks out into the potions classroom more than a little frazzled.
"An emotional outlet sound an awful lot like something you suggested," he accuses and Nia smiles innocently.
"You should know better than to underestimate me by now, Sev." She grins and makes a show of checking her watch, a beautiful rose gold one Harry gave her for her birthday. "I gotta go check on Remus. Be good." With a grin she rushes off. Mission successful, at least until Sev figures out she tampered with the potion and interrogates her but that is tomorrow's problem.