The Girl Who Lived (Draco Malfoy x OC)

The Burrow

July 27th 1997

As soon as Harper's feet hit the ground she heard the high pitched screams of Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. She threw aside the silver hairbrush, tumbling forward and grazing her knees on the sharp grass. Hagrid clambered laboriously to his feet beside her, coughing wildly from the portkey.

"Harper!? Are you the real Harper? What happened, where are the others?" Mrs. Weasley asked, giving her a hand up. She was soon winded again as Ginny crushed her in a deathly hug.

"We were attacked by Death Eaters," she coughed. "They must have known I was moving tonight. I don't know what happened to everyone else. Four of them chased us, it was all we could do to get away, and then Voldemort..." She stopped, choking on a sob when the grave thought of her and Hagrid being the only survivors hit her. The self-reproach was tortuous, quickly sapping away the fight rushing through her. Mrs. Weasley hugged her tight, but Harper did not feel like she deserved any comfort at all, responsible for the possible death of her sons.

"Ron and Tonks were supposed to be the first ones to arrive, but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them," Ginny explained as Mrs. Weasley rushed them into the Burrow. "Then dad and Fred's portkey arrived without them."

A blue blaze interrupted her. They both spun around, hands on their wands as it developed larger until Lupin and George spun out of it. The relief to see others was short-lived as Harper noticed Lupin supporting an unconscious George. Blood botched his face and matted his ginger hair. She gasped as Hagrid hurried forward, taking him from Lupin and carrying him into the house. Before Harper could approach them, she was breathlessly seized by Lupin, his wand to her neck.

"What are you-"

"What creature sat in the corner, the first time Harper Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" He asked, ocean eyes stormed with fear. When Harper hesitated, he shook her shoulders, pressing the tip of his wand further into her soft skin. "Answer me!"

"A- a Grindylow!" Harper flinched.

Lupin's rigid form collapsed with respite, hauling Harper into his arms for a sweaty and tight hug. "I'm sorry, Harp. I had to be sure. We were betrayed and you could have been an imposter."

She nodded into his shoulder, biting back the onslaught of emotions overcoming her. They joined the others at the couch that George was resting on. Harper's stomach lurched when the lamplight revealed one of his ears was missing, the side of his head and neck drenched in red.

"Is he going to be okay?" Harper's voice was weak.

"He will be, darling, he will," Mrs. Weasley said as she put a wet hand-towel on his forehead.

There was a scuffling from outside. Lupin dived for the door with Hagrid, Harper quickly on their tail to see two figures appear in the yard. At first they were identical replicas of Harper until the polyjuice wore off. One's skin darkened and their body grew until it was Kingsley, bushy hair springing behind him to be Hermione. Harper thrusted into a sprint, much like Ginny had when she arrived, hugging Hermione tight.

"The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?" Kingsley asked Lupin with his wand drawn.

"Harper is the best hope we have, trust her," Lupin responded calmly.

Had Hermione not been holding her, she may have wavered on her feet. Dumbledore spoke too highly of her, she was feeling extremely incompetent after the skirmish. They drew away from each other and Harper double checked her friend's face, thankful Hermione had both her ears intact.

"What happened to you?" Harper asked.

"We were followed by five of them, injured two, might've killed one," Kingsley said. "We saw You-Know-Who, he joined the chase, but vanished quickly. Remus, he can-"