Harriet Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 9

Sure enough it was Christmas and everyone was at Grimauld Place. They were standing next to the table.

"Ho ho ho marry Christmas!" a flying Santa said while it was in the kitchen.

"Here we go, daddy's back!" Molly said smiling while she pushed Arthur to the table.

Everyone started clapping.

"Sit down everyone sit down. Now, presents." Molly said.

"And a nice big box for Ron." Arthur said.

"Big box for you. And um, oh come on both of you. I want to see your faces."

"Yes." Ron said while he opened and found a new sweater.

"Let's clear this away. Oh, Harriet, Harriet. There you are." Molly said.

Then handed her a present.

"Happy Christmas."

"Thank you." she said and found a scarf.

"Lovely to have you with us."

"Thank you."

"Now, Daddy. Pass that to Daddy." she said.

"Thank you."

"Has everybody got? Fred? George? Hermione."

"A Christmas toast. To Ms. Harriet Potter... without whom I would not be here. Harriet." Arthur said raising his glass.

"Harriet." they all said.

"Harriet." Sirius said.

She turned around and smiled.

"That is delicious. I shall be needing some more of that. Daddy, don't forget last Christmas." Ginny said.

A few minutes later Harriet, Ron and Hermione were headed downstairs.

"I can't understand why you don't want to wear it, Ronald." Hermione said.

"I look like a bloody idiot, that's why." Ron said.

"No more than usual, Ron. I don't know why..." she started.

Harriet saw a different room and walked in and saw pictures of people.

"Nasty brat, standing there as bold as brass. Harriet Potter, the girl who stopped the Dark Lord. Friend of Mudbloods and blood-traitors alike. If my poor mistress only knew..." Kreacher said.

"Kreacher! That's enough of your bile. Away with you!" Sirius said.

"Of course, master. Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black." he said and left.

"Sorry about that. He never was very pleasant, even when I was a boy. Not to me, anyway." he said walking in with her.

"What, you grew up here?" she said.

"This is my parents' house. I offered it to Dumbledore as headquarters for the Order. About the only useful thing I've been able to do. This is the Black family tree. My deranged cousin. I hated the lot of them. My parents with their pure-blood mania."

Then he put a finger on a picture with Sirius' name but a burnt picture.

"My mother did that after I ran away. Charming woman. I was 16."

Then he put his hand down.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"Round your dad's. I was always welcome at the Potters'. I see him so much in you, Harriet. You are so very much alike.

"I'm not so sure. Sirius, when I was... When I saw Mr. Weasley attacked, I wasn't just watching. I was the snake. And afterwards, in Dumbledore's office... there was a moment when I wanted to..."

Then she shut her eyes for a second.

"This connection between me and Voldemort. What if the reason for it is that I am becoming more like him? I just feel so angry all the time. And what if, after everything that I've been through... something's gone wrong inside me? What if I'm becoming bad?"

Then Sirius put a hand on both shoulder.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harriet. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person who bad things have happened to. You understand? Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."

"Harriet, time to go." Hermione said after knocking on the door.

"When all this is over, we'll be a proper family. You'll see." Sirius said.

Then he gave her a hug.