Adventures of Harriet Potter

The Beginning

When she looked back, even a month later, Harriet found she had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though she had been through too much to take in any more. The recollections she did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggorys that took place the following morning. They did not blame her for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked her for saving Cedric's life for them. Mr. Diggory joyously sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears. "He would've suffered very little then," she said, when Harriet had told her how Cedric would have died. "And after all, Amos . . . he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy." When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harriet and said, "You look after yourself, now." Harriet seized the sack of gold on the bedside table. "You take this," she muttered to her. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it —" But she backed away from her. "Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't . . . you keep it."

Harriet returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told her, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harriet and Cedric alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed. She guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous she was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had nearly died. She found she didn't care very much. She liked it best when she was with Ron and Hermione and they were talking about other things, or else letting her sit in silence while they played chess. She felt as though all three of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts — and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Ron told Harriet about a meeting Mrs. Weasley had had with Dumbledore before going home. "She went to ask him if you could come straight to us this summer," he said. "But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first."
"Why?" said Harriet. "She said Dumbledore's got his reasons," said Ron, shaking his head darkly. "I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?" The only person apart from Ron and Hermione that Harriet felt able to talk to was Hagrid. As there was no longer a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly.
"Who's that?" called Hagrid, coming to the door. "Harriet!" He strode out to meet them, pulled Harriet into a one-armed hug, ruffled her hair, and said, "Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh." They saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin. "Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe," Hagrid said. "She's jus' left."
"Who?" said Ron curiously. "Madame Maxime, o' course!" said Hagrid. "You two made up, have you?" said Ron. "Dunno what yeh're talkin' about," said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harriet closely through his beetle-black eyes. "You all righ'?" he said gruffly. "Yeah," said Harriet. "No, yeh're not," said Hagrid. "'Course yeh're not. But yeh will be."
Harriet said nothing. "Knew he was goin' ter come back," said Hagrid, and Harriet, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. "Known it fer years, Harriet. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried." Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces.
"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it," he said. "What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did, Harriet." Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harriet. "Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that." Harriet smiled back at him. It was the first time she'd smiled in days. "What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?" she asked. "He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him — that night." Her powers of deduction breaking through her glum mood. "Got a little job fer me over the summer," said Hagrid. "Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe — Madame Maxime ter you — might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded." That got Harriet curious. "Is it to do with Voldemort?" she asked. Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name. "Migh' be," he said evasively. "Now . . . who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' — jokin'!" he added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces.