The Girl-Who-Lived discovers the wizarding world and unearths secrets that could change her life forever, or just end it. Harriet Lillian Potter is is the only child of Lilly and James Potter and the Girl-who-lived. She was the only one who survived...
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The Weasley Family had finally given permission to Harriet spend a week with the Zabinis'. Although Mrs Weasley was quite reluctant about that at first, but after continuous requests of Mrs Zabini she had at last entrusted Harriet with them.
The days went by swiftly at Blaise's house. The two of them started researching Mind Magic, the boy gamely agreeing to help her after she mentioned Lucius' mental shielding. When Harriet asked if his parents would be suspicious about his unusual interest, he answered in the negative.
"Oh, they won't think a thing about it really. They'll just believe it is my new obsession. Like Animagi when I was eight or ensouled objects when I was ten," he stated truthfully.
While their research was mostly limited to the Zabini family library with occasional forays into Dante's personal one, they did make some progress, learning more about the history of telepathy, empathy, and something called Legilimency.
As time passed in the Zabini home, Harriet was quickly forced to admit that she actually liked being here even more than she did at the Weasleys'. It wasn't that Blaise's house was larger or that it was a good deal quieter, not having Fred and George there; it was that Harriet just felt like she belonged. There just wasn't another word to describe it.
At the Weasleys', she felt as if she was a guest and that she was imposing on their generosity. Whenever she sat down to meals or curled up in front of the fireplace or even whenever she simply went upstairs to go to bed, she just couldn't help feeling like an intruder. It was the Weasleys' house and their table and fireplace and Ginny's room; it wasn't hers. She just didn't belong. Even looking around, she could tell that. Had someone visited while she was there, it would have been readily apparent who the family members were and who was the guest. The red hair was a dead giveaway.
But here, Harriet didn't feel that way at all. It wasn't that she looked a little like the Zabinis, though with her dark hair, fair skin, and glasses she did appear a great deal like Dante. Harriet just felt liked she belonged.
Blaise's two sisters loved to spend time with her and had already given her a few odd but funny nicknames, The duo brought her to their tea parties, ones where she sat happily among the various stuffed but still interactive animals. And the little girls begged her constantly to read to them or to play with them in the garden.
Additionally, Dante often invited Harriet to browse through the family library with Blaise or to sit and play chess with him after dinner. Blaise's mother, on the other hand, was a bit more active in making Harriet feel like a member of the family. Erendiria, who upon hearing that Harriet didn't know a great deal about the social workings of the wizarding world, had decided that she needed to be tutored. Currently, the lady was teaching her two daughters plus Harriet how to ballroom dance amidst many giggles, assuring them that they would one day need this particular skill. Further, the excited matriarch was completely filling in the rest of the gaps in Harriet's social education; she seemed thrilled to have someone to tutor in these areas as Blaise knew most of it already and her daughters were sill too young to completely understand.
Harriet just took it all in stride, though, learning which fork to use at when during fancy dinners and how to properly greet the Minister. Truthfully, she was actually enjoying the lessons… and the attention.
Blaise simply shook his head at all of it, stating that it was an Old Family practice, allowing himself to be the dance partner. Of course, that was after promising his mother to continue Harriet's lessons when they returned to school.
Yet, even the lessons only seemed to make Harriet feel even closer to the Zabini family because never before had an adult cared about if she would make a fool of herself in public. It was nice to be treated like this, as though she were a family member with an adult who cared about her.
Harriet eventually broached this subject with Blaise one day.
"Well, it is very understandable. That's just the way my family works," he responded.
She gave him a somewhat sceptical look.
Blaise clarified, "Well, you see, Harriet, our father isn't really our father. Dante is our stepfather; he was originally Dante Castilla. My Mum married him when Alexandria was two."
"Oh," Harriet began, but her friend cut her off.
"And well, Lexie and Belle aren't my full sisters; they're actually my half-sisters. We have different fathers," he confessed, looking at her strangely.
Harriet seemed to be very confused, but she interrupted before her friend could clarify further.
"You don't have to explain-"
"No," he said quickly, "I want to… it's just hard. You see, my mum has been married multiple times; she has really bad luck with husbands," he added with a hint of irony. "Everyone thinks she is some kind of Black Widow, but she isn't," he hastily assured her. "Her first husband was killed in a Transfiguration accident at one of the magical universities; we're still not sure what happened there. Her second died of Dragon Pox, and her third husband was my birth father, Horatio. He… he was murdered before I was even born." Blaise's voice was strangely neutral, as if he weren't relating something so very personal and painful.
Harriet took his hand in his, squeezing tightly.
"No one knows exactly for certain who did it, but we think it was Death Eaters." He added with a very bizarre look on his face, "Well, more like someone affiliated with them." The boy hesitated for a second, taking a deep breath before forcing himself along.
"That's why we fled the country during the uprising. While we were in Italy, she met my first stepfather, Matthias. He was an Auror though, killed during a raid. After that, we moved back to England; mum married my sisters' father about a year later, but he died when Lexie was still a baby. Eventually, mum met Dante." Blaise again paused, but a smile was tugging at his lips. "And even though she had all but given up on men… well, it was love at first sight, and that was it," he concluded with finality.
"Blaise-"
He shook his head. "No, please let me say this. The entire point is, Harriet, that you feel like you belong because you do belong. Dante is my father, even if we're not related by blood, and I feel as if you're family, too. Mum and Papa are starting to feel the same way as well, and my sisters have already adopted you," Blaise stated emphatically, mood brightening. "They've always wanted someone who would willingly play dress up with them."
Harriet couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she simply smiled.
