Hey everyone, I'm not dead, I've been really overwhelmed by school and also unsure of where exactly I'm going with this book (I do know how it ends don't worry), but I hope to update soon and do my best to finish this story for all of you out there who care about it.
I would like to share a note that I also shared in the introduction
(bold stuff is also in the introduction)
NOTE :
Hey guys, I want to put as a disclaimer that I am not deaf, nor do I have any hearing disabilities and am not trying to claim that. I know a lot of the representation, facts and stuff in this fanfic are wrong, and I'm doing my best to fix it. I started this story four years ago, when I was 14. Like damn, that's a long time. I wouldn't have started a story like this now without the ton more research I have done since, but at this point I am committed and just doing my best to get it done and give it justice.
This story concept spoke to me as Hari felt lost and helpless in a world she didn't understand, much as I did, a homeschooled (unknowingly neurodivergent) kid in their first year of public high school. I can show my emotions on this a lot better now, and am in a very different phase of my life. Having just started the sixth book, I will be doing my best to finish the series, so please just bear with me as I do my best to tie up all the chaos and loose threads that my younger self left me.
This fanfic is absolutely chaotic, and has probably acted as a sort of therapy for me over the years... mostly for things that I don't really relate to as much anymore, like the feeling of helplessness in an unknown world, feeling ashamed for being different, outed and looked at differently for queerness, and just wanting someone to care. And now that I've grown as a person, and gained the confidence around my identity and self, I don't really need this particular story to the same degree anymore.
I am trying to finish it, I'm doing my best for you guys, I owe it to you after the purposefully caused pain and the cackling at the comments of "SAY IT WITH ME: NO KILLING CEDRIC NO KILLING CEDRIC", "JSFDHFJSHDFKJFS IM SO EXCITED YET SO SCARED", "wow. not the most sadistic author I've seen but up there" or "what just happened? please tell me this isn't real" and "You know a stories good when it makes you physically and audibly gasp I really hope this isn't real though". I've really enjoyed reading them, I love comments, and it brought a bit of light to the darkness that was my brain. Thank you.
So now that I've totally poured out my heart to you guys, here's the next chapter.
__________________
(reminder that the full newspaper articles are in the last chapter)
No one knows where Hari is, or if she's safe. This reporter hopes she is alright and not somewhere terrifying an dangerous but unfortunately, knowing Dumbledore, that is unlikely.
The search is still on. Miss Potter, if you are reading this, please let your friends know that you are safe and inform the Ministry of your whereabout so we can all stop worrying about you.
As ever readers, we remain faithful to you.
Rita Skeeter.
Ginny Weasley crumpled up the newspaper and threw it against the wall angrily.
"I'm sure she's alright." George said, "maybe frustrated of her mind with Dumbledore, but he wouldn't hurt her."
"Even if so, that's assuming she's awake." Fred Weasley slumped backwards against the wall of their bedroom, where George was attempting to calm him and Ginny down after they'd all been excused from the table due to their loudness about the article. "Who knows what experiments the senile old bastard might try to pull on her when she's unconscious."
"She hasn't contacted us or anything." Ginny felt her hands clench into fists, "She would contact us if she was alright."
"Not if she couldn't cause it would jeopardize her safety." George said quickly, "Maybe the fact that we haven't heard anything for certain is actually good news."
"I guess..." Fred said sadly, "I just wish we could do something."
"I get that, but there's nothing we can do for her right now."
"It's so FRUSTERATING!" Ginny stood up, pacing the room, "She's one of my best friends, one of all our best friends, and there's nothing we can do, especially with Mum's insistence that's she's not fully sane and we should warey of her. You'd think from what she told the newspaper she be more caring but noooo of course not."
George glanced at his twin's slumped, resigned form in the corner. "Ginny, you know Mum cares, she's still incredible torn after R- after everything. You know what she's like, she never takes stuff well."
Ginny started reading the article out loud, "I'm afraid it looks like it's going to her alone in the world. She's lost so many people, not that those people were ever there for her in the way that me and my son were. I don't blame her. I hope she knows that, it's not her fault. I just wish I could do more, that I could help her, for Ronald."
"She's not in her right mind" George said, "She's twisting the truth."
"No, she's downright lying, and for that matter does she EVER NOT twist the truth?"
George stood, trying to calm her down, "She's not as bad as you make her out to be. "
"She trusts Dumbeldore implicitly no matter what anyone does, what anyone says, just like she did with Lockhart, you know she still doesn't believe he's a fraud right?"
"yes a I know."
"I'm just so angry, I just want to-"
"You're only this angry because she found out about your rebelion plans and has forbade you from doing anything with threat of telling the teachers." George interrupted, "We can still find a way to-"
"I hate her!" Ginny yelled, George stared at her.
"You don't mean that."
"I do."
He knew she didn't mean it, she was a fifteen year old girl who has just lost her brother and was worried about one of best friends, of course she was on edge, but that didn't justify it.
"Gin- " she looked away, "Ginny listen. She may not be perfect but she's our mum, she's family."
"SO WAS RON! He was family, our brother! But that never stopped her from not listening to him when he needed help, from everyone expecting him to be as good as everyone else. You two from bullying him for how he acted instead of trying to figure out why he was acting the way he was and trying to help him. "
George tried to get her attention. She ignored him.
"No one ever cared, us two young babies. There was incredible Bill, atheletic and adventerous Charlie, perfect Percy, the funny twins, and then us babies.
Ron and Ginny, the one bad at everything and the little girl. Did you ever think during all those mean pranks during the years, what either of us might have thought!? Did you ever stop and think, why are we the reason for our brother's greatest fear? Wonder why I learned to prank you back at such a young age? Cause he couldn't. "
"GINNY!"
"Everyone always asks me, how come you fight so well, and my answer is always that I have six brothers. You'd think I learned from them, no I learned because of them, cause one of them couldn't, and when the others did it hurt."
George tried to get her attention again, "Ginny look!"
"He never lived up to anyones expectations did he, all he cared about was trying to keep people safe and happy and all anyone else cared about was that he wasnt as smart, or brave, or funny as his other siblings. He may have been misguided in his efforts sometimes, but he still tried his best to do just that. He was our fucking brother, and everyone treated him like shit, so excuse me if my values for my mother lie no higher!"
"GINNY LOOK!"
"WHAT!?" She snapped, turning angrily towards him, comming face to face with the person sthe was jesturing to. Molly Weasley stood in the doorway, and she didn't look remotly pleased.
• • •
Not too far to the east, about a four-hour broom ride, Draco Malfoy was reading the same newspaper over the girl they'd been talking about's shoulder.
We ask concerned citizens to keep an eye out for him, he heeds to be stopped due to his manipulation of students and his likely involvement in the kidnapping of Hari Potter. If you do find him, please contact the Ministry of Magic immediately! Do not confront him, as he is very dangerous! In the meantime, we request that he turn himself in to the Ministry of Magic.
"The Ministry is requesting that Dumbledore turn himself in." He called over to Severus, who was doing his best to ignore the two as he read in his armchair on the opposite side of the room from the couch they were on.
"They've finally lost it, if they think that will work." Severus finally replied, to what had been Draco's thirtieth or so un-replied-to comment.
"They lost it long before now." Draco countered, "what do you think Ha-?" He turned back to ask the girl next to him what she thought of the whole thing, but found she had drifted off again, head on his shoulder.
That didn't come as a surprise to him, she had spent a large amount of the four days since she had woken up asleep. She was doing better than the first day, she could stand now, walk mostly on her own, but she was still so weak. He hated this, hated that she had to go through this, and most of all, hated the people who had done it to her.
He hated them, hated what they had done, what they were doing, hated that they controlled his life. Hated what was coming. He wasn't a bad person, he wasn't. He wasn't bad like his parents. But as bad as his parents were, he couldn't abandon him mother to the fate that would befall her if he didn't do what he was supposed to. He couldn't do that to her, he couldn't just-
Something poked his cheek, breaking his train of though. He looked down to see Hari had tapped her finger against the cheek closest to her.
'What are you thinking about, Mr Scowly?' she signed sleepily,
"What?"
'you're glaring at the drapes like you want to light them on fire.'
"It's nothing, not important..."
'what did the evil drapes ever do to you?' she giggled, still half asleep
He loved her giggle, it was barely audible, but so soft and sweet, he wished she could hear it.
"They err, they...." he searched for something to say
'they must have done something in order for you to be mad at them.'
"I guess." He smiled
'Did they go and purposefully dye themselves that horrible grey colour in order to make Severus' interior decorating skills even worse?' she joked, smiling up at him
"They err what?... I don't - " her eyes met his, and his mind went blank. Her emerald eyes seemed to be drawing him in.
"They must have....."
She was so close to him, head on his shoulder tilted up towards him, bright eyes locked on his as they sparkled in her laughter, the way her hair fell around her face perfectly framing it.
"I-"
He could feel her breath on his skin, her hands on his knee, her thigh where it pressed into his.
The sound of her giggle hug gently in the air. The lingering scent of almond and lavender in her hair was almost overwhelming.
He leaned forwards slightly, unconsciously, trying to close the distance between them. There were mere inches between them. If he could just-
There was a cough, Severus, Draco had forgotten that the man was there.
He broke eye contact, looking up at his godfather. Severus shook his head slightly.
Draco scowled at him, unnoticed by Hari, who had started signing again.
'Maybe the drapes were - ' she paused, 'are you alright?'
Draco nodded again, "I'm alright yeah." he smiled slightly, "the drapes were secret agents this whole time, secretly spying on us to the society of purple gerbils."
'They were not!'
"They were!" he grinned
'they were not.'
"They were, I know things."
'how?'
"I know everything"
'no you don't you don't even know what a gerbil is.' she pouted
"You've got me there." he laughed,
she signed 'M-W-A-H-A-H-A!' yes the letters, then grabbed a pillow and tried to hit him with it.
It didn't work, She tried again, it still didn't work. Draco stared at it in confusion, there was no other way to describe it than it just not working.
They both looked up at Severus in confusion, who took as long as possible to take a single slow sip of his tea before stating that he knew them "too well" and wouldn't be "falling for any of that tomfoolery."