Harriet Potter 1

Sneak

Harriet looked around at the DA group proudly as they concentrated on their castings. She had never fancied being a teacher, but she was pleased to see that the group definitely seemed to be showing improvement.

She smiled to herself as she recalled Severus' reaction to the revelation that she was running an illegal student organisation.
He had pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, looking pained. "Why am I not even slightly surprised that you are doing something so incredibly bold, dangerous, and stupid?" He had asked sardonically.

"That's why you love me" Harriet smiled. "But to be fair, it was Hermione's idea."

"Of course it was," he growled before rolling on top of her. "One of these days, someone is going to have to put you in your place and it looks like that is going to have to be me."

Even in their private moments, something serious and cautious seemed to linger unspoken beneath the surface of their relationship. Harriet was almost afraid to raise it. Instead, she had passed a gentle finger over his dark mark in silence, tracing the dark whorls of ink with her fingertip. When his gaze had met hers, it was knowing.
With so much uncertainty ahead of them, and his ongoing role as double agent with two masters, they knew that this relationship was very dangerous for them both. It could even impact the inevitable war, it could destroy everything they were both fighting for, and yet somehow neither of them could bear to stay away.

The DA crew had finally moved on to producing patronuses and Harriet noticed with pride that some of the group were already successful. The room was filled with silvery animals gambolling, galloping and in some cases, flying, around each other.

"I still can't do it Harri" Neville said frustratedly as Harriet approached.

"You need to think of something happy" Harriet replied, taking a moment to consider a moment that may have made Neville smile. "Remember the Yule Ball," Harriet said, before tilting her head towards a red haired figure on the other side of the room "with Ginny?"

Neville's cheeks flushed scarlet as he raised his wand once more "expecto patronum!" A non-corporeal silvery shapeless mist emerged from the end of his wand.

"Better" Harriet commended with a wink.

Suddenly the door to the room of requirement opened before closing again. The room fell silent as Harriet looked down to where her robes were being tugged by a small figure who was shaking with fright. "Dobby, what is it?"

"Harriet Potter, Miss. Dobby has come to warn you- she knows."

Harriet's heart sank. "Who is 'she', Dobby?"

Dobby looked up at Harriet, speechless with fright.

"Umbridge?"

Dobby nodded.

Harriet could feel her heart pounding through her chest "is she coming?"

Dobby nodded again.

"Everybody, run!" Harriet yelled, racing for the door herself.

She raced down the corridor. After years of running from Dudley she was well practiced. If she could just get to the girl's bathroom-

Harriet gasped as something caught her ankle, dragging her backwards. She looked up to see Malfoy's gloating face staring down at her.

For a moment her eyes met his "please let me go, Draco."

Malfoy hesitated, lowering his wand, when Umbridge came around the corner and spied Harriet splayed at Malfoy's feet.

"Excellent work Draco" she smiled "50 points for Slytherin."

Umbridge dragged Harriet to her feet with a vicelike grip on her arm. "You are coming with me to the Headmaster's office."

To Harriet's surprise, Dumbledore's office was already filled with people.

When the door swung shut behind them, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, turned to Harriet with a vicious smile.

"As I was telling you Minister" Umbridge simpered "Miss Edgecoombe told me that if I were to go down to the room of requirement at seven o'clock this evening there would be a meeting of some kind, at which point the jinx kicked in and the girl became to distressed to tell me any more."

"The jinx?" Fudge asked and Umbridge ushered Marietta, Cho's friend, forward into the light.

Harriet struggled to hide the shock on her face when she saw Marietta's face. The word 'Sneak' was emblazoned across her face in a series of pustules.
Classic Hermione, she thought with a surge of pride.

"In any case" Umbridge continued "Miss Parkinson found a list of names titled 'Dumbledore's army'."

Fudge looked dumbstruck for a moment and to Harriet's shock Dumbledore nodded. "Well the game is up" he said "I organised the meeting today to see if any students would be interested in joining my army."

"No!" Shouted Harriet.

Fudge's face was alight with apparent joy "Dawlish, Kingsley, arrest him!"

"Ah" said Dumbledore politely "I thought we might hit this snag. You see I have no intention of going to Azkaban."

There was a flash of light and a loud bang and Harriet felt herself being thrown to the floor. Then Dumbledore was in front of her. Everyone around them appeared to be unconscious. "Listen to me Harriet. You need to study occlumency as hard as you can."

Dumbledore reached up, grabbing hold of Fawkes' tail. There was a flash of fire, and the pair of them were gone.