811Hello every one; here is the next chapter! I do hope all of you are having a great time! Also don't worry, the next updates shall come sooner than expected it! Also, don't worry, there won't be too much angst!
Now, onto the next updates!
-Overlord: The Demon-Who-Lived? (One Chapter) (Smut fanfiction)
-The White Lion of the Red Keep (Two chapters!)
-The Overlord Geass (One Chapter)
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Chapter 40
The following weeks seemed like a blur for many, especially for those close to Harriet. They all noticed how she had changed—becoming more open and less anxious. Harriet now smiled brighter than ever before and engaged in more conversations with people. She even started actively seeking new friends beyond her already close-knit circle. Of course, Harriet was still largely the same; she still enjoyed being pampered and had an insatiable appetite, but there was undeniably something different about her.
However, these changes were met with resistance from a few individuals who observed Harriet's transformation with concern. One such person was Fleur, also known as Albedo, who struggled to comprehend the extent of Harriet's new identity. Fleur couldn't help but feel excluded as if she were no longer the reliable support for her beloved. Deep down, Fleur may have considered it a positive development to assist Harriet in embracing her newfound freedom. However, another part of her could not bear to feel excluded from such a transformation.
Fleur let out a sigh, taking a deep breath. Her gaze rested on Harriet, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table. Harriet seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself, smiling and laughing alongside Ginny and the mischievous Weasley twins. It appeared that the twins were sharing details of an upcoming prank with her. Even Ron was there, smiling alongside them. When did they even become friends? Fleur could not help but wonder in a bittersweet way.
"Maybe I no longer need it?" Fleur whispered softly as she played around with her food.
"What's going on with you?" Fleur glanced up and noticed Pansy seated across from her at the Hufflepuff table. Pansy's expression revealed clear distaste upon seeing Fleur in such a despondent state. "Are you still in this disgusting, depressing state?"
Fleur scoffed slightly at her. "Not that it matters to you, filthy mosquito," Fleur stated before hearing a loud laugh coming from the Gryffindor table and noticed Harriet laughing loudly at the fact that Hermione appeared to have been the last victim of the twins' prank.
"I will put an end to both of you!" Hermione yelled her bushy hair now a shiny green colour. The Weasley twins swiftly fled as Hermione gave chase. The whole hall erupted in laughter at the sight, but Fleur's attention was solely on Harriet's smile, sad that she wasn't the cause of it.
Pansy rolled her eyes as she watched Fleur's dramatic eyes. "You're truly overly dramatic about this. You are putting too much thought into this. You're not being pushed aside. None of us are."
Fleur glanced at Pansy and furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?" she inquired. Pansy gestured around, drawing Fleur's attention to the scene. Fleur observed how the rest of Harriet's circle was also mingling with unfamiliar faces. Everyone was engaged in conversations with other students, getting to know new people. From Nymphadora laughing and playing around with some Ravenclaw students to the Pleiades in different groups, simply talking.
"What—?" Fleur mumbled, stunned, causing Pansy to roll her eyes.
"Truly, aren't you supposed to be smarter than me?" Pansy chuckled arrogantly, making Fleur hiss at her. "Think about it. Why would our lady wish us to speak with more people? To mingle with… humans?"
Fleur pondered for a moment, furrowing her brow, searching for a suitable explanation. Eventually, an idea took shape in her mind—one that may have been far from the truth but offered her a comforting solace. "To enhance her reputation... yes, something that could prove advantageous in the days to come!" she murmured softly, almost to herself. Pansy couldn't help but flash a wide smirk in response.
"Finally," Pansy retorted with a smug grin, provoking yet another loud scoff from Fleur. "You're the last to know, and that's only because you're envious of our lady conversing with others. You're not the centre of her world."
"Neither are you, filthy mosquito. In fact, you're not even in the discussion; it is me, after all, the one who our lady hugs when she sleeps," Fleur replied with a smug on her face, causing Pansy's eyebrows to twitch slightly.
"Wha-what did you say?!" Pansy squealed angrily.
"You hear me, you flat-chested mosquito!" Fleur yelled.
"I am not flat-chested!" Pansy replied indignantly.
"You're so flat that you could be the fifth table in the great hall!" Fleur stated with an arrogant and evil smirk, but soon, her smirk changed as Pansy took a cup of pumpkin juice and threw it at Fleur, who could only gasp loudly at the gall of Pansy for doing something like that in front of everyone.
"Y-you, little filthy little shi—! My hair! My blouse! Do you have any idea how much this cost?!" Fleur screeched loudly.
"Um, I'm not sure. Maybe you should ask your sugar daddy for another pair?" Pansy said with a smirk. Fleur swiftly grabbed her wand and, with remarkable speed, cast a spell that transformed Pansy's face into something resembling a mosquito—well, almost. Pansy's screams echoed loudly, but so did Fleur's laughter.
"Now, that's a look that suits you better!" Fleur mocked, which made Pansy grab her wand and cast a spell as quickly as Fleur. This time, however, brought an incredible amount of hair onto Fleur's face.
"ZZzzzZZ! ZzzzZzzz!" Pansy attempted to say, though her sounds only resembled those of a fly. However, the translation could be interpreted as, "There! Now you're a gorilla!" Before long, Pansy and Fleur found themselves engaged in a heated altercation in the middle of the great hall, much to the surprise and amusement of Harriet, who could only watch in astonishment.
"Miss Parkinson! Miss Delacour, stop this immediately!" Professor McGonagall yelled as the entire great hall cheered and loudly screamed at the fistfight between both girls.
"Shouldn't we do something about it?" Ginny asked Harriet, who simply shrugged.
"No, let them fight. Also, this is funny; I have no doubt that Madame Apolline would be quite angry at her daughter's behaviour," Harriet smirked widely.
"Are you truly going to tell your mate's mother about this?" Ginny asked her and could only see Harriet's big evil smirk on her face.
"Oh, most definitely!" Harriet giggled as she saw how it took Professor Snape, McGonagall, Strout and even her own mother to stop the fight.
"I still can't believe they managed to break an entire table and even damage the floor!" Hermione exclaimed as they walked into Professor Snape's classroom. Her hair was, however, still quite greenish. The incident between Pansy and Fleur had become the talk of the entire school. While some viewed it as a negative event, and thought Fleur and Pansy would be expelled, Harriet and her friends found it to be the most amusing thing that had happened all week.
"A shame both were restrained by professor Snape. It would've been quite interesting to see how far they go," Blase mumbled to himself.
"I don't think that would've been a good idea," Hermione replied. "What if they got really hurt? Or worse, get themselves expelled?!"
"I am sure they would've found a way to keep living," Blaise replied with his typical smile.
"But without Hogwarts?!" Hermione exclaimed dramatically, as the rest could roll their eyes at where Hermione's priorities lay.
"You worry about the strangest things, Hermione," Blaise remarked, his head tilting as he observed Hermione discreetly concealing a necklace of some kind. Upon catching sight of it, Blaise's smile grew. "Ah, I see. So you requested one, then."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Blaise," Hermione quickly replied, causing Blaise to smirk.
"Enough, Blaise. Don't you see she is trying to conceal her time-turner?" Harriet whispered, causing Hermione to look alarmed at her.
"How—?" Hermione mumbled.
"Mom is an Unspeakable, remember?" Harriet replied.
"Oh… yeah, right," Hermione mumbled awkwardly.
Harriet couldn't help but chuckle to herself when she spotted Professor Snape, who seemed visibly annoyed after the incident in the great hall. He had deducted approximately fifty points from Slytherin and assigned a three-month detention to Pansy along with Fleur. Currently, both of them were in the company of Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore, discussing the consequences of their intense brawl.
"Please, everyone, gather round," Snape drawled languidly, positioned before a sizable cabinet that caught the eye. "Today, I expect all of you to keep your wands safely tucked away in your pockets. I will not tolerate any disobedience in this matter. As you can clearly observe... I lack the patience to find it amusing."
Everyone quickly nodded, as they could see that Professor Snape was perhaps not in the mood. Soon, he taps the cabinet, causing it to move drastically from one side to the next as if a wild animal was hiding there.
"Does anyone know what is inside?" Professor Snape asked.
"That's a Boggart, sir," Daphne answered.
"Indeed, Miss Greengrass," Professor Snape responded, shifting his gaze towards the students. "Now, can anyone enlighten me about the true form of a Boggart?"
"No, professor, because Boggarts are shapeshifters; they take the shape of whatever particular person fears, making it impossible to know their true form; that's what makes them so terrifying," Hermione replied quickly, earning a scoff from some of the Slytherin at the back of the room.
Snape paid no attention to those scoffs, simply nodding in response. "Indeed, Miss Granger. Many of you may scoff at the notion, but I have witnessed accomplished wizards and witches falter when confronted with a Boggart. Fortunately, you will be trained to confront such a creature, and fortunately, intelligence will not be a requirement."
"Riddikulus," Professor Snape explained, addressing the bewildered students. "This charm will be your tool to vanquish the creature. Laughter shall become your weapon. Boggarts, harness the strength from your fears. It is your own fears that empower them, and it is your own mind that weakens them. Master the art of controlling your inner fears, and no one will ever exploit them against you."
"Now! Riddikulus, say it."
Soon, the entire class began to mutter that word. Some were better than others.
"This class is ridiculous," Malfoy sneered on the back, earning a powerful and vengeful glare in Snape's eyes.
"Mr. Malfoy," Snape declared, "it seems you have mastered the art of spelling. Therefore, I kindly request you to be the first to confront the Boggart." Snape's words left no room for Malfoy to evade. Reluctantly, the blonde-haired boy ascended to the front, casting a lingering and resentful gaze at Harriet. This made her ponder how long Draco would continue to hold her responsible for all the misfortunes in his life.
Maybe it wasn't that Dracon hated her, but rather that he was unsure of his feelings. Harriet genuinely sympathized with him. She couldn't truly fault him for feeling the way he did. After all, his father was in Azkaban, her mother had divorced his father, and he was left feeling neglected and abandoned.
We are to be step-siblings; in some ways, we are already, just not officially. From what I heard, Narcissa wants Draco to be with her, but he doesn't want to, so it's all very complicated. Harriet sighed deeply as she watched Draco standing before the cabinet.
"Wand ready, and do not forget the words, Mr. Malfoy," Snape drawled as Draco nervously nodded.
Snape, in one swift motion, opened the tall cabinet, revealing none other than Lucius Malfoy himself, or rather a haunting version of him that seemed to haunt Draco's dreams. Lucius appeared thinner, his hair dishevelled, and his eyes filled with gloom and despair. However, what was truly distressing was the way he gazed at Draco.
"Draco! The Dark Lord wishes for you to take the mark, too! Do it, son, and the Malfoy name will be restored to his rightful place!" Boggart Lucius said, his voice hissing as if he were telling a secret no one should hear. Draco could not speak; he could not say anything. He just stood there, frozen in place.
Snape quickly moved his wand and forced the Boggart back into the cabinet. "What is it, Mr. Malfoy? Is not fun anymore, is it?" Those words caused Draco's face to become red, yet it was not only that but the snickers and giggles from the rest of the classroom that brought him shame.
"Get back in line," Snape hissed, causing Draco to swiftly step back. However, just as Draco was about to comply, he was halted by Harriet, who unexpectedly grabbed his hand, leaving him completely startled.
"It's not your fault," Harriet whispered. "You don't have to, you know? Your mom misses you."
Draco found himself unable to respond, his face a reflection of various emotions. He quickly shook his head, unable to find the right words. "Just leave me be," he mumbled softly. Harriet complied, releasing his hand and observing as Draco distanced himself. She exchanged a glance with Snape, who seemed equally concerned for Draco. With any luck, they would find an opportunity to rescue him from his own self.
"Alright, everyone, line up!" Snape commanded. Before she knew it, Harriet was being jostled to the front of the line, right behind Hermione. As the bushy-haired girl's turn came, she saw her Boggart transform into none other than Professor McGonagall. The stern professor appeared to be expressing her deep disappointment in Hermione's academic performance, highlighting her failure in every class. Harriet observed this scene with a mix of both dismay and amusement.
Then, as Harriet came before the Boggart, a sense of anxiety formed inside her. Harriet wasn't sure of what she feared the most. And it appeared she wasn't the only one who thought the same, as everyone in the room got quiet, suddenly paying attention.
Harriet then saw how the Boggart changed into many things, but none could see even a form; it was like a dark goo morphing around. However, then, a voice was heard. A voice that echoed throughout the entire room.
"Just close your eyes… and forget…"
A mysterious female voice emerged, leaving everyone, including Harriet, unable to determine its source. Even Harriet herself couldn't recognise it, as it now sounded unfamiliar as if it belonged to a distant past. Harriet found herself uncertain about the unfolding events and the unsettling fear that had gripped her. And then, without warning, the boggart morphed into the lifeless bodies of Lily and James Potter, lying motionless on the ground. Harriet's body froze, and her face became pale.
"Mom... dad...?" Harriet whispered, but soon, those figures transformed into a form or something resembling it. It appeared to be a slimy substance or a giant morphed slime. However, a sudden and audible gasp came from some of the students behind them. Susan was particularly startled as if the air had been sucked out of her.
"How could you forget about us? How could you fail us? There is a reason why we all abandoned you. You don't even remember us, do you? You can't even name me anymore," the slime creature expressed, creating chaos in the classroom. Snape glanced at Harriet and observed her standing still, her gaze locked onto that eerie figure with a smile.
"You disappoint us," the figure uttered, and in an instant, the boggart commenced its futile attempts to assume various forms. However, it seemed incapable of succeeding. Yet, amidst the confusion, Harriet's mind was bombarded by echoing voices, a cacophony of multiple individuals plunging her into utter chaos. Yet, what truly stunned her was the sudden figure of someone she should know by now.
Snape and the entire class beheld a stunning sight: a figure adorned with black wings, horns, and a tail. Her hair, a pure snowy hue, cascaded around her, while her eyes shimmered with a golden radiance. She seemed to embody the essence of both an angel and a demon, a flawless being that blended divinity with a touch of earthly elegance. Yet, there was hostility in those eyes.
"You do not deserve me anymore. It seems like you don't even remember my name. You have become such a lowly, fragile little thing. How far have you fallen? How weak have you become? You are so easily breakable now."
That being appeared to be teasing Harriet, mocking her even, and all Harriet could do was watch.
"Kill yourself, and I will appear to save you from the weakness of your own self. Do it, and maybe you will find the place you seek."
"No—I am not—"
"Pathetic little thing, you don't deserve to be loved. Who would love you? You, a little dirty thing, who was the plaything of many. You, who abandoned everything you are. You, who cannot even see or recognise your true self. Harriet Potter, you are truly pathetic."
"Please, just leave me alone!" Harriet pleaded, her hands instinctively covering her head as she crouched on the floor. She desperately tried to push those haunting thoughts away. The boggart was toying with her deepest fears, each one of them being mercilessly brought to the surface. Harriet was aware of this, yet, at the same time, she wasn't. It was overwhelming, catching her off guard and leaving her completely unprepared.
"Do it… jump from the highest tower and end it. Only then you'll finally be who you're supposed to be."
"It's not real, it's not real, it's not real," Harriet whispered to herself as a sudden onslaught of visions assaulted her mind. They were fragments of the past, things that should be familiar but eluded her memory. Why was this happening now, of all times? A cloud of confusion enveloped her thoughts, compelling Harriet to forget, as if it were her own desire.
"Only then… you'll find what you desire it. Only when Harriet Potter dies, you shall be free."
The boggart then simply appeared to explode, or maybe it was as if the creature could not hold itself anymore and quickly and voluntarily returned to the cabinet to hide from everyone. Almost as if the boggart itself was terrified of such a being.
Harriet found herself on her knees, trembling and breathing rapidly on the floor. Her mind was flooded with a barrage of cruel and raw images, a whirlwind of a hundred things.
"Miss Potter… Harriet," Snape approached slowly, but before he could touch her, Harriet screamed at him.
"Don't touch me, or I'll rip you apart!" Harriet yelled, her voice deep and cold. However, what truly shocked and stunned Snape was the sight of Harriet's golden eye—pure gold filled with power and evil. It stared at him, and at that moment, he knew that the threat was not an empty one but a promise.
Harriet abruptly rose to her feet and hastily made her way out; she was unable to bear the presence of anyone at that moment. Her sole desire was to find a hiding place, to fade away from sight. Harriet disappeared, her thoughts consumed by utter chaos and anguish. It was all a product of her own mind. She understood this—every single bit of it. There was no justification for her to treat it with seriousness. The boggart had accomplished its purpose, unearthing her deepest fears and more. A cruel act, indeed, but she should have anticipated it. Yet, it was evident that it no longer held any significance.
Her chest felt as if it were about to burst. Her mind weighed heavily upon her. Harriet longed to let out a scream, but she desired solitude. Before long, she ascended to the highest tower of Hogwarts and discovered a secluded spot in the corner. There, she simply allowed herself to release it all. Harriet shrank in size as she wept, attempting to regain control of her breathing.
"It's all in my mind… it was not real… it was all a dream."
Harriet whispered to herself while starting to scratch her skin, not just her hands but also her face. It seemed like she had something on her that she desperately wanted to remove, but she couldn't cleanse herself. Regardless of how much she scratched, that feeling of dirtiness persisted, unaffected by the amount of blood she shed.
"I am not dirty… I am not!" Harriet hissed to herself, trying to convince herself of that fact.
Before long, Harriet became aware of someone entering the room. The thought of having to speak to them and explain what had occurred filled her with dread. She longed to evade the repetitive inquiries, the identical responses, the familiar expressions.
"Miss Potter, I have brought you some Oreo cheesecake," Lukas Muller appeared with a big and soft smile, as Harriet looked at him, a bit confused.
"How did you find me?" Harriet asked.
"Magic," he replied with a smirk, which made Harriet chuckle softly in response. Lukas gazed at the girl, noticing the scars that covered her face and arms. Despite her bloodstained nails, Harriet seemed strangely unfazed by the pain. Lukas wondered if she was even capable of feeling it; he couldn't be certain.
"They are looking for you," Lukas said, which caused Harriet to grumble lowly.
"They'll find me soon enough. I have no doubt about that," she replied.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Lukas asked gently and was not surprised when he saw Harriet shaking her head.
"No. Not here."
"Got it," Lukas acknowledged, placing the cheesecake carefully on the table. He then knelt down beside Harriet, who seemed lost in her thoughts, absentmindedly nibbling on her fingernails. "You are getting fat."
Those words appeared to have made Harriet stop, but of all the worries she was now facing, being fat wasn't one of them, which caused her to look at Lukas, her therapist, with a quite offended look on her face.
"Excuse me?! I am not fat!" Harriet exclaimed, utterly baffled that he would say something like that when she was in such inner turmoil.
"Mm. Perhaps a diet should be one of my recommendations. I read a paper where depression could lead to horrible eating habits. We should then get rid of this," Lukas said as he took the cheesecake and walked towards the window. Before he could drop it, Harriet, out of nowhere, grabbed it.
"What are you doing?! Are you mad?!" Harriet said, grabbing the Oreo cheesecake for herself, much to Lukas's amusement.
"So you're showing symptoms of an eating disorder; that's bad, really bad," Lukas mumbled dramatically.
"I am not!" Harriet said as she began eating her heart's content.
Lukas chuckled as he saw Harriet eating, seemingly forgetting about everything else. He simply stood there, watching Harriet eat, and with each bite, she began to relax more and more.
"Are you feeling better now?" Lukas asked gently, and Harriet nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Can we just… stay here for a while?"
"Of course, of course, we can."