۰ ━━━━ ❪ ❛ PROLOGUE ! ❜ . . . 𓄹 ❫
一 ꗃ ꔛ﹅  : throughout the years.

Great Hall, 1991

The flames flickered on the wicks of the candles placed all around the walls. The stone walls that were new to Harmonie—the ones that were new to all of the first-year students, not just her—she was at Hogwarts, unfortunately at Hogwarts. Students sat at the four tables behind her, taking up the majority of them, and new students, such as herself and her sister, stood alongside her, looking up at the professors, where they sat at the table at the front of the room. The first-years were clad in plain robes, not having been sorted yet, not yet having a house to call their own, and they were anxiously waiting for their turn under the sorting hat. Harmonie wasn't looking forward to any of this, but she had to be there. She had no other choice.

"Hermione Granger," Professor McGonagall called, looking up from the scroll through her small oval glasses.

Harmonie's eyes moved over to her sister, who met her gaze with the same wide-eyedness, both of them matching in their robes, brown eyes, freckled cheeks, and bushy hair, though Hermione's was much worse. She watched as her sister faced forward, focusing on the few steps in front of her. "Oh, no. Okay, relax," Harmonie heard her mutter to herself. It was something she did often when trying to ease her nerves.

"Mental, that one. I'm tellin' ya," Ron whispered to Harry, who stood beside him.

Harmonie sent him a stern look. She and Hermione may not have always gotten along all that well most of the time, but she was still her sister, and no one got to call her mental besides Harmonie. Her look was ignored, and she rolled her eyes, focusing on her sister so she could watch her sister be sorted.

Hermione sat down on the stool, looking out at all of the students, new and old, that were watching her closely. Her eyes fell on Harmonie for a moment, receiving a small yet still reassuring smile.

Both Granger girls knew that the one being sorted at the moment was beckoning for Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Harmonie, on the other hand, had no preference for any of the houses. She didn't know where she belonged, and she supposed that was what the musty old hat was going to tell her.

"Ah, right, then. Hmm. Right," the hat mumbled, as if it were thinking. "Okay... GRYFFINDOR!" it exclaimed for everyone to hear, and one of the tables, presumably Gryffindor, burst into cheers, applauding and hollering for their new member.

The Great Hall was loud for a long moment as Hermione practically sprang from the stool with a bright smile on her face and went over to the table that was now partly hers. Harmonie was happy for her sister. She had gotten one of the houses that she had wanted, and she seemed pleased with that.

"Harmonie Granger," McGonagall said next, her Scottish accent thick.

The girl's heart dropped, suddenly feeling a wave of nerves run through her. She took a step forward, going up the same few steps that Hermione had, and made her way over to the stool. She fiddled with her hands as she sat down, staring out at everyone who was staring at her and waiting for the older witch to put the hat on her head.

After a second, she felt the hat on top of her head, and she all but held her breath. It took a beat for her to hear the hat speaking to her, as if it didn't know what to say. "Hmm. Cunning, ambitious. Bit of a misfit, you are," it began, causing Harmonie's gut to twist in a million knots. Everyone's eyes were on her, and she felt like panicking. She wondered if she muttered to herself, like Mione had, if she'd feel better too. She didn't even get a chance to, however, when the hat continued. "You have the small need to put yourself before others, always feeling like something or someone is out to get you." The hat went silent, and Harmonie pulled at the skin around her nails. It was right; that was who she was. "I know where to put you... SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table cheered, not as loud as the Gryffindor one did for Hermione, but they clapped and hollered for their new housemate nonetheless. Harmonie had a pit in her stomach as McGonagall took the hat off her head, and when she stood from the stools and went down the steps. As she passed by Ron and Harry, they gave her surprised, almost frightened looks, which she didn't know what to think of. She ignored them and crossed the Great Hall, going to the Slytherin table. And when she glanced over at the Gryffindor table, all she saw was a disappointed look on her sister's face.

Of course, Harmonie had heard the stories of Slytherin. Who wouldn't when they had Hermione, who had done an immense amount of research after they got their letters, as their twin? But her sister couldn't really expect her to be like that because of a lousy sorting ceremony by an old, ragged hat. Could she?

Harmonie sat down next to some of her housemates, ignoring their curious looks and concentrating on the remainder of the sorting ceremony. Ron and Harry got Gryffindor, as well as a few other students. Some got Ravenclaw, some got Hufflepuff. And the others that got Slytherin were Draco Malfoy, the boy with too-blonde hair who had tried to make friends with Harry and picked fun at Ron, along with his bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle; Pansy Parkinson, a girl who looked like she could carve one's heart out with a look in their direction; Theodore Nott, a boy who seemed to be a jokester with the way he... well, he just looked like one; Blaise Zabini, a boy whose face was blank, not showing any signs of what it was feeling; Daphne Greengrass, a shy-looking girl by the way she held her head down when she walked over to the table; Lacy Lovington, a girl that looked too sweet to be in Slytherin; Evelyn Canterbury, a girl that resembled a fairytale princess; Millicent Bulstrode, a girl who seemed as if she shouldn't be messed with; and Tracey Davis, a girl who seemed like she'd be the quiet sort, like Daphne.

They all sat down together, right near Harmonie.

She didn't want to deal with them. She didn't want to deal with anyone. She didn't even want to be there; she'd much rather be back home, going to her former school. But of course not; her parents had learned of having not only one witch in the family but two—both of their daughters. It was a miracle, and she needed to go, not only to explore this "gift" but also to be there for Hermione. But by the way Harmonie saw her twin laughing along with her new housemates, she didn't even know if the latter would be necessary.

It never had been before.

"Hey, you," someone whispered rather rudely.

Out of habit, Harmonie looked up, catching the eyes of the jokester. Theodore Nott, she believed his name was. He was staring at her with a twinkle of something in his eye, something that made Harmonie nervous. She furrowed her brows, giving him a questioning look.

"Yeah, you." He waved his hand for her to move closer to them.

She stayed where she was.

"Tough crowd," he chuckled along with his friends.

Harmonie narrowed her eyes. And the boy didn't say anything else. She was confused, but she was glad he quit while he was ahead. But the way he and his friends continued to stare at her for the rest of the feast, and as they made their way to the Slytherin common room and dorms, she knew that she wasn't seeing the last of them. Especially when she found her dorm and realized that she was rooming with Pansy, Daphne, Lacy, Evelyn, Millicent, and Tracey.

What had she gotten herself into?

Flourish and Blotts, 1992

Malfoy was such a twat. Why couldn't he just leave everyone alone? It was like he had the constant need to make others feel beneath him and his family's name and fortune. Especially when it came to the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Harmonie. He was such a wanker, and Harmonie fought every urge to strangle—

"Now, now, Draco. Play nicely," Lucius Malfoy told his son, setting his cane on his shoulder as he came up behind him. His eyes seemed to immediately draw from his son and land on Harry, who was giving him a nasty look. "Mr. Potter," the man drawled. "Lucius Malfoy." His expression was cold as he stuck his gloved hand out for the boy to shake.

Malfoy moved away from his father and Harry, going over to the stairs behind Harmonie and Hermione. He made it a point to bump shoulders with Harmonie on his way past her and her sister, who was too busy glaring at the older wizard, who had gotten ahold of Harry's hand, to notice.

"We meet at last," Malfoy's father continued, suddenly pulling Harry closer with a firm grip on his hand. "Forgive me." He lifted his walking stick up to the boy's forehead, pushing his brown strands of hair to the side to showcase the famous scar. "Your scar is legend," he muttered, inspecting Harry's forehead extremely closely, like the mark would disappear if he blinked. "As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."

"Voldemort killed my parents," Harry countered, snatching his hand away from the man's hold and moving a step back. "He was nothing more than a murderer."

Harmonie glanced back at Malfoy, feeling his eyes on her. She sent him a glare, which he easily returned, then he focused on her sister, glaring at the back of her head as well. The girl knew what he was thinking all too well—Knock-Off Granger and her brat of a sister, Granger, the two Mudbloods he hated most in the world. He was too predictable; he had been since the day they met.

"Hmm," Mr. Malfoy hummed, looking down at the boy. He thought he was better than Harry. Of course he did; he was a Malfoy after all; they were all the same, in Harmonie's opinion. Malfoy had to get his cruel ways from somewhere. "You must be very brave to mention his name. Or very foolish." He sounded slightly amused by his last words, thinking he would get one over Harry.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," Hermione argued, still glaring at the man with her arms crossed over her chest. Everyone looked at her, and Harmonie felt a small feeling of pride in her stomach. For once, she and Hermione agreed on something—well, besides the fact that Malfoy was an arrogant wanker. That, most everyone agreed on.

The Malfoy man focused solely on the girl who dared speak against him. "And you must be... Miss Granger," he drawled, glancing over at his son, who gave him a short, confirming nod. "And you"—he glanced at Harmonie—"her Slytherin twin," he added, amused. "Yes. Draco's told me all about you two and your parents."

Both girls glanced over their shoulders at their parents, and then Harmonie's eyes made their way back over to Malfoy, who had a smug snarl on his face. He talked about her to his father. Why? What could he possibly say about her other than that she was the "Knock-Off Granger" to him and his friends because she wasn't good enough to be just Granger, that she was apparently a "wannabe Slytherin," despite the fact that she had never wanted to be in Slytherin (or any of the houses) in the first place, and that she was muggle-born? She was nothing to him, so why waste his time talking about her, good or bad?

"Muggles, aren't they?" Lucius asked, focusing on the girls' parents as well, then back to them, and finally, his eyes trained themselves on the Weasleys. "Let me see," he began, his eyes wandering all over the identifying features of the Weasley kind. "Red hair, vacant expressions, tatty secondhand book," he listed, moving forward and plucking a book from the youngest and only girl's bucket. Turning it over in his hands and examining the book closely as everyone narrowed their eyes at him, he remained silent for a moment. "You must be the Weasleys," he concluded, as if it were a matter of fact. It was, but still.

Mr. Weasley came up to the group, seeming curious as to what Lucius Malfoy was doing near his children and their friends. "Children, it's mad in here. Let's go outside," he said in his usual calm and sweet tone.

"Well, well, well... Weasley senior," Lucius interjected in an almost breathy tone, causing the red-haired man to look at him.

"Lucius..." Mr. Weasley returned.

"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur, all those extra raids?" the blonde man asked, his voice still in the whispery, telling-a-secret tone. "I do hope they're paying you overtime," he added, then lifted the book in his hand. "But judging by the state of this, I'd say not." His tone and gaze were judging the man for how much he had, thinking he was lesser. It was clear to Harmonie where, in his family, Malfoy got it from, though she hadn't met anyone else in his family. Perhaps it was all of them that were this way. "What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of a wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" He sneered, reminding Harmonie so much of his son.

"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Mr. Weasley countered, with his hands in his trouser pockets. His tone was not nasty at all, like the older Malfoy's was, but his words were still alluding.

"Clearly," Lucius retorted, the disgust for the wizard he spoke to quite apparent, which was only met with a look of confusion. Harmonie watched as his eyes found her parents. "Associating with Muggles..." he continued, shaking his head at the sight of the girls' parents.

Harmonie rolled her eyes at his purist ideals, then glanced back at the spawn of his who stood behind her still. He was staring at her with the same sneer as his father's, and she turned away, not caring about his look.

Then Lucius took a step forward, dumping the book he had grabbed back into Ginny's bucket as the girl glared up at him. "And I thought your family could sink no lower," he added in his low tone, so that no one else in the shop would hear.

Mr. Weasley just glanced over at his children, giving them a short smile, and then focused back on his colleague.

"I'll see you at work," Mr. Malfoy sneered, then slowly turned to leave.

His son went to follow him, taking extra care to bump Harmonie's shoulder along the way. His eyes fell on her, then her sister, and then Harry. "See you at school," he said, looking at Harry before he glanced at Ron, raising his brows once in his usual style.

"Just piss off, Malfoy," Harmonie countered, with her arms crossed over her chest.

He turned to her with a smirk. "Bye, bye, Knock-Off Granger," he teased, causing her to glare at him. And then he left, following his father's trail.

Care of Magical Creatures, 1993

They were in the first Care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid. His first class. And Harmonie was not looking forward to it. Not only did she not have any interest in magical creatures, but she was also stuck with Malfoy and his little followers, as well as her sister and her housemates. And neither group liked her. Hermione tried her best to be somewhat better than the others, but she seemed to want to be more with her two best friends than her own sister—her twin.

As they walked a short length of the stacked-rock barrier, Harmonie lingered behind the ones she wore matching ties with. They passed Neville Longbottom, who, being him, figured out how to open his book. It had been purring at Malfoy, but with the Gryffindor boy, it was growling, seeming as if it were trying to bite him. In the midst of his struggle with the thing, he fell to the ground, bits and pieces of the pages flying all around him.

The ones around Harmonie focused on the boy, laughing at his expense, and the girl just kept walking, her arms crossed over her chest with not even the faintest smile cracking her blank expression. Her gaze was focused on the back of the annoying white-blonde-haired boy's hair as he rolled his eyes and said, "Don't be such a wimp, Longbottom."

"I'm okay, okay," Neville breathed out, sitting up quickly. But the book continued to growl, then attacked him once more, and he fell back to the ground.

Harmonie stopped next to the tree that the rest of the Slytherins stood beside, looking away from Malfoy. She was further from it than the others, not wanting to be associated with them more than she had to be. And she knew that feeling was entirely mutual. Her eyes immediately found her sister standing with Harry and Ron when she heard her voice.

"I think they're funny," Hermione said, turning away from the direction Neville was in and focusing on the two boys who stood in front of her. Her back was to Harmonie and the Slytherins, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh, yeah, terribly funny," Malfoy chimed in. Harmonie glanced over at him, letting out a sigh. "Really witty." His tone was his usual teasing and snarkiness, which Harmonie was all too familiar with. So was the trio. "God, this place has gone to the dogs." He let out a scoff, dropping his bag off his shoulder and keeping it in his hand as Harry and the two others turned around to face him. "Wait until my father hears that Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes." He nodded towards where Hagrid had walked off to, then glanced at the ones around him while Crabbe and Goyle let out loud laughs.

Harry took a few steps forward. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"Ooh!" Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all sounded like owls. The blonde then handed off his bag to Crabbe with his usual smirk on his face. His focus was back on Harry again, dropping his arm just before he began walking towards the boy he loved to tease every chance he got. He looked him up and down and then above his head. Harmonie couldn't see his face as he took a step back, but the expression on the glasses-wearing boy's face seemed confused. "D-Dementor! Dementor!" he stammered, pointing to the sky.

Students gasped, quickly looking to where he was pointing. Harmonie's eyes found nothing in the sky as she dropped her hands to her sides, but that didn't help the pit in her stomach. She glared at the back of Malfoy's head as he went back to stand in front of the tree.

The boy, whom she despised, and his goons began laughing, throwing the hoods of their robes on their heads. They raised their hands and wiggled their fingers. "Ooh..." Their tones were almost haunting, like a ghost. Their laughter got even louder as Hermione, who sent a glare in her sister's direction despite her not having done anything, grabbed Harry's robes and turned him away from them, giving the boys a snarky look.

Hagrid cleared his throat a second later, finally back from wherever he went off to. When all of the students focused on him, quickly forgetting the moment that had just passed, the man lifted his arms out to whatever was behind him and cheerfully sang, "Da, da, da, da!" like he was proud of whatever he was showing them.

It was a bird... of some sort, Harmonie believed. Her classmates' mutters and whispers became more audible around her, as if they, too, were trying to figure out what croaking creature they were staring at.

"Isn't he beautiful?" asked Hagrid, sounding extremely happy. Harmonie and the rest of the students, who couldn't peel their eyes away from the creature as they took a small step back, watched him toss the bird-creature a dead ferret, which he caught effortlessly. "Say hello to Buckbeak."

"Hagrid, exactly what is that?" Ron inquired.

Hagrid walked towards the group but still left a fair distance between them. "That, Ron, is a hippogriff," he answered. Right, yes, Harmonie knew that. Oh, who was she kidding? No, she didn't. "First thing you want to know about hippogriffs is that they're very proud creatures." He lifted a telling finger. "Very easily offended." His hand fell to his side. "You do not want to insult a hippogriff. It may just be the last thing you ever do," he warned, raising his chin, his tone not quite that heavy with caution.

"Now"—the unnaturally tall man clapped his hands and dropped them to his sides, seeming eager—"who'd like to come and say hello?" He turned to face Buckbeak as everyone, including Harmonie and excluding Harry, quickly took large, fearful steps backward, not wanting to go anywhere near the hippogriff. The students continued to whisper amongst themselves in an incoherent manner as Hagrid turned back around to face them. "Well done, Harry. Well done," he praised, glad that at least one of them had enough courage. The man rocked on his feet once, going from his heels to his toes, then his shoes were flat on the ground. "Come on, now," he muttered, gesturing for the boy to come closer.

Being hesitant, Harry didn't move until his redhead best friend gave him a slight push, to which he sent a glance back. Harmonie raised her brows, questioning whether the famous boy her twin had such a close bond with would actually do it. He faced Hagrid again and seemed to be slightly fearful but looked as if he were curious as well.

"Now, you have to let him make the first move," Hagrid explained, making sure to get his words across. "It's only polite," he added as a reminder for the boy, who was moving closer to the creature. "So, you step up. Give him a nice bow. Then you wait and see if he bows back." Harry slowed his movements, easing toward Buckbeak. "And if he does, you can go and touch him." After a pause, he continued, "If not..." He fell silent as he tried to think of what to say. "Well, we'll get to that later." His hand waved through the air dismissively as he chuckled lightly. The boy took a few more slow steps forward as everyone watched intently. "Now, make your bow," the man instructed, his voice a little quieter. And Harry did as told, beginning to bend down as he said, "Nice and low."

The Gryffindor then stilled, bowing to the creature in front of him as a peace offering. Buckbeak looked at him, turning his head to the side, back and forth, and then he bleated, taking steps in place. He let out a squawk as he lifted his wings, showing off the large span of them.

Harmonie held her breath, focusing intently, as the new professor waved his hand. "Back off, Harry. Back off," he told him in a low tone. His instructions were followed, and Harry began to retreat. And then he stepped on a branch, snapping it in half, causing Harmonie, and she was sure the others, to grimace. "Keep still," Hagrid ordered, still in a hushed tone, so as not to startle the hippogriff. "Keep still."

Harmonie watched as her twin's friend looked up at the hippogriff, which was still panicking. The creature stomped his front feet, which seemed to be those of an eagle, unlike his back ones that were matching a horse, and bleated some more, completely focused on the boy. But then he slowly bowed back.

Hagrid chuckled, seeming proud. Harmonie released the breath that was caught in her throat. "Well done, Harry. Well done," the man gleamed. Buckbeak stood tall again, and Hagrid threw him another dead ferret. "Eh, you big brute, you." Buckbeak caught the animal with no issue, and Harry stood up straight, exhaling as the creature belched loudly. "Right. I think you can go pat him now," Hagrid said, and Harry's head quickly darted over to him, the tension he had just gotten rid of now back in full force. "Go on." He motioned for him to move forward. "Don't be shy."

Harmonie trained her eyes on Harry, who was slowly stepping towards the feathered thing. Malfoy came towards the crowd near where she stood, pushing his classmates out of his way, ultimately making them bump into her and causing her to take a forced step backwards. Her arms dropped to her sides from where they'd been crossed as she focused on the blonde. She saw him put one arm against his front, rest the elbow of the other on it, and take a bite out of his apple. She glared at him, but he either ignored it, not caring about her eyes on him, or he just did not notice it.

It was probably the former. He was Malfoy, and she was Knock-Off Granger (according to him and his friends); he did not care about her in any sense. And that was completely mutual.

"Nice and slow there," Hagrid muttered, still instructing Harry as Harmonie looked at them again. "Nice and slow. Nice and slow."

The boy lifted his hand to Buckbeak, letting him decide when he wanted to come closer. Another step from him, and then Buckbeak snapped forward, letting out a small squawk in warning.

"Not so fast, Harry," Hagrid cautioned. Harmonie sucked in a deep breath as the ones around her began panicking. Then she heard Malfoy laugh, always amused at Harry's expense. "Slow down, Harry," the man whispered, and the Golden Boy did as told. "That's it. Nice and slow. Now let him come to you," he reminded, watching intently just in case he needed to intervene.

Harry stopped his movements at his words. Everyone watched Buckbeak, who seemed hesitant at first, but then he moved forward.

"That's it. Slowly now," the bearded man muttered. "Slowly, slowly," Hagrid repeated, and Buckbeak eased towards the boy before rubbing his head on his hand. "Well done. Oh, well done, Harry. Well done!" Hagrid cheered, looking at Harry, who was still focused on the creature. Harry had a bright smile on his face as most of the students, excluding Harmonie, began to clap with Hagrid. "I think he may let you ride him now," he said with no hesitation, beginning to approach the boy.

Harry's head snapped at him, his eyes wide in surprise and a bit of horror. "What?"

"Come on." Hagrid placed his hands under Harry's arms, lifting him up in the air like he weighed the same as a feather, and moved closer to Buckbeak.

Harry stammered, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!"

"Put you over here," Hagrid grumbled, more so to himself than anyone else.

"H-Hagrid!" Harry called out, seeming panicked.

Hagrid dropped him down onto Buckbeak, causing the creature to squawk. "Just behind the wing joint," he added, ignoring Harry's protests. "Don't pull out any of his feathers, 'cause he won't thank you for that," the man told him, walking behind the hippogriff and to the other side of him. Then he smacked Buckbeak's backside, alerting him to go.

"Whoa!" Harry shouted as Buckbeak stood up on his hind legs. Then he fell back down on all fours and began racing to the opposite side of the field as Harry held on for dear life. Harmonie followed them with her eyes, turning her body as she watched them reach the other side. Then they took off into the sky, and Harry let out another shout.

The students raced over to where they could see clearly, shouting amongst themselves as they cheered on the flying duo, with the Granger in the house of snakes lingering behind. Harmonie didn't know how long they were flying, and frankly, she didn't care. But just before they landed, Hagrid whistled, calling the hippogriff back to him. Once they touched ground, everyone, excluding the Slytherins and Harmonie, cheered loudly, giving Harry much praise for his venture. They continued to clap as Buckbeak raced back over to where he'd stood before, next to Hagrid.

"Well done, Harry!" The large man gleamed, walking back over to him. "And well done, Buckbeak!" He put his hands under Harry's arms like before, lifting him off of Buckbeak's back and setting his feet on the ground.

"Oh, please." Malfoy's annoying voice scoffed as he stood from where he sat on the large rock. Harmonie focused on him, watching as he shoved past other students and made his way closer to Harry, Hagrid, and the hippogriff. "Yeah," he said confidently, his eyes on Buckbeak as he strutted. "You're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute?" He teased the creature. The jealousy of Harry's praise was in his steps and tone.

Harmonie rolled her eyes, sighing in disbelief.

"Malfoy," Hagrid said warningly, but the blonde didn't pay him any mind.

Buckbeak rose to his hind legs, feeling defensive and ready to attack.

Malfoy looked up in shock and then brought his arms up to protect his head and face as Buckbeak brought his talons down on him, scratching his arm and ripping his robe and button-up in the process.

Their classmates screamed in fear, Hagrid and Harry backed away quickly, and Harmonie just shook her head as the boy fell down to the ground, holding his arm.

Hagrid moved in front of Buckbeak, waving his arms in the air as he tried to catch the creature's attention. Then he bucked at him, saying his name warningly. He took a ferret from around his neck and threw it away from where he stood, from where Malfoy was on the ground.

"It's killed me! It's killed me!" Malfoy whined, rolling back and forth on his back on the dirt, his eyes squeezed shut as he held his arm.

Hagrid turned to look down at the boy. "Calm down. It's just a scratch," he said, trying to calm him, though it didn't seem to be working all that well.

"Hagrid." Hermione stepped forward hastily. "He needs to be taken to the hospital!"

"Right." The new professor nodded, inhaling deeply. "I'm the teacher; I'll do it." He took another step forward, picking up Malfoy from the ground. Then he began to walk away, calling out, "Class dismissed."

"You're going to regret this!" the injured boy cried out, his tone annoyingly whiny, like a child who had just gotten their toy taken away from them. "You and your bloody chicken!"

Yule Ball, 1994

It was the night of the Yule Ball. Harmonie was dressed in a simple dark blue dress, and her hair was pinned up with a few curls hanging loose from the intentionally messy updo (she'd tried her best with it). She was wearing flats, not wanting to break her ankle in heels, and her makeup was light. She was walking down the corridor and to the Great Hall, where the dance was being held, alone since no one had asked her, and she hadn't sought anyone out.

When she arrived at the Great Hall doors, she brushed past the Triwizard champions lingering about in the corridor, waiting to enter with their respective dates, and pushed through the doors. Her eyes immediately caught sight of the winter-themed room, with the very massive Christmas tree at the front of the room with smaller trees around it. There were icicles hanging from the ceiling as snow magically fell down from it. There were no longer the familiar tables and benches; there were small tables for drinks and treats around the room, which was already crowded with students and professors, who all seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was beautifully decorated; Harmonie would give them that much.

She didn't even know why she was there in the first place. She'd much rather be sleeping the night away in her room, not wanting to deal with anyone. It wasn't as if she had a date or even any friends to spend time with. Hermione had no doubt been asked, not that she'd spend her night with her sister, probably being too caught up with Harry and Ron, who were closer to her than Harmonie had ever been or would ever be.

She made her way further into the room, looking around and seeing familiar faces. She caught sight of her dear Slytherin housemates, who she did her best to divert her gaze from before they noticed her and decided to mess with her. She knew that Malfoy had gone with Pansy, that Zabini had gone with Daphne, and that Nott had gone with Lacy. She wasn't sure who Evelyn, Millicent, or Tracey had been asked by. Boredom was already taking her over, and the ball hadn't even officially started since the champions hadn't entered.

Speaking of which, it wasn't a moment later when McGonagall was coming in, telling everyone to gather on either side of the door so that the champions and their dates could walk down the center of them. Harmonie sighed, doing as told, along with everyone else. And then they waited for the doors to open. When they did, they all applauded and watched as the champions came in with their dates.

First were Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies.

Then was...

Harmonie's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Viktor Krum, the famous Bulgarian seeker (she really did not care all that much), with none other than Hermione by his side. She knew someone was deemed to ask her sister, but she never thought it'd be Viktor Krum, of all people. She thought it'd be Harry or Ron. She always got the feeling that her sister fancied the Weasley boy, not that they spoke with each other about that sort of thing.

After Hermione and Krum, Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang walked in, followed by Harry and Parvati Patil. And then the ball officially began, the first order of events being the champions dance, which Harmonie spent sitting down at one of the tables. That was, in fact, where she stayed the whole night, alone with a drink in her hand, sipping on it as she watched the ball go on. Once the practiced dance was out of the way, most everyone joined the dance floor, dancing about to the music played by the Weird Sisters. It actually wasn't half bad.

Midway through the night, however, something strange happened. Well, it was something strange to Harmonie, who seemed to be the only one to notice it. Malfoy had been staring at her, and she had only noticed when she scanned the room. She found his gaze, looking over the rim of her cup with confusion brimming in her eyes. He didn't look away, though, despite her having caught him. In fact, he spent most of the remainder of the night staring at her, just glancing in her direction occasionally, which perplexed her to no end.

It wasn't like his typical conniving or smug look. She didn't know what it was, but it unsettled her nonetheless, and she did her best to ignore it and him. She just stayed in her spot until she couldn't take him staring at her any longer and got up from the table, setting her drink down on top of it. She felt his gaze on her, following her all the way to the Great Hall doors, where she exited and his vision was cut off from her.

Draco hadn't been surprised that she'd run off like that. In fact, he didn't blame her for clearly being unsettled about him staring at her for practically the whole night, though she only noticed halfway through. He didn't understand why he'd been doing it either. It was very confusing to him—the thoughts he'd been having.

That night hadn't been the first time, though it had been the worst. He'd never seen Knock-Off Granger dressed up like that since he was sure she never needed to. And it unsettled him how he thought that she didn't look too bad. Not for a Mudblood at least. Not for who she was. Knock-Off Granger. Neither of the Mudbloods were good or superior, quite the opposite in fact, but he'd always seen his housemate's twin as the lesser of the two evils. At least the Gryffindor tried to prove herself despite only making herself even more insufferable in the process. Knock-Off Granger did nothing of the sort, having only the most basic levels of magic since she didn't take the time to perfect the craft that she'd been gifted for unknown reasons, hence the name.

But something about that night shifted his view of her a little bit. She'd never been ugly, no matter what she'd been told by him and his friends over the years, but that night had changed something for Draco, seeing her put a little effort into something for once, even if that something was simply her appearance. He couldn't help but notice that she'd spent the whole night alone, sitting at the table with no one around. Not even her sister. Had she not had a date? He wasn't entirely surprised; he wasn't sure he'd ever seen her even talk to a boy for longer than necessary. He also wasn't surprised that she didn't have any friends, being hated by most Slytherins and her sister getting all of the attention and affections of the other houses.

Still, something churned in his stomach, but he didn't get a moment to think about it when Pansy was snapping her fingers in front of his face, catching his attention again. He focused on her with furrowed brows, giving her a confused look.

"Pay attention to me," she told him.

Bloody hell, this witch was going to drive him mad.

Hogwarts Courtyard, 1995

Walking down the corridor, pulling her winter coat tighter around her, Harmonie let out a breath, watching as a puff came from her mouth due to the cold weather. She was clad in her winter attire—her coat, a scarf, gloves, and boots—with a jumper and jeans under the puffy layer of her coat. She loved winter, but she hated the cold. She had a warming charm cast on herself, though it wasn't the best since she didn't really pay that much attention in class, besides enough to pass. She wasn't looking forward to taking her O.W.L.s, to say the least, though they wouldn't matter, same with her N.E.W.T.s, because once she was out of school, she was going back to the Muggle world to work.

As she walked by the archways that looked out into the courtyard, her eyes landed on none other than Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's goons, two people who occasionally made Harmonie's life a living hell on command, messing with a Ravenclaw boy. She wanted to ignore them, ignore the fact that a boy was being bullied, and she knew most people would assume she would, but she just couldn't.

Letting out a sigh, Harmonie slowed her steps. She turned to look at the two larger Slytherins, who, surprisingly, were not accompanied by their leader. She watched for a moment as they pushed the Ravenclaw back and forth as he whined and asked them to stop almost pathetically, and then she moved forward.

"Hey, numpties," she called out, causing Crabbe and Goyle to face her. They stopped pushing the boy, but Goyle kept his hold on his robes, not letting him go anywhere. Crabbe crossed his arms over his chest, lifting his chin like he was trying to be superior to her—which, in his and his friends' minds, he was. Not much, though; his friends didn't quite see him as superior as they saw themselves, neither him nor Goyle. "Why don't you scurry away like the rats you are and leave him alone?" She waved her hand, gesturing for them to leave. It wasn't the best insult, and she knew that, but it was better than nothing.

Crabbe and Goyle glanced at one another, cackling. Then they turned to her, and Goyle pushed the Ravenclaw away, causing him to stumble before he ran away. Harmonie's housemates began walking closer to her. "There you go," Crabbe said, though he did not seem as if he was doing her any favors, especially not with the way he and his best friend were approaching her.

"Now that you're here, Knock-Off Granger"—Goyle spoke the name slowly, knowing how much it bothered her—"we can mess with you." The two came to either side of her, blocking her from going anywhere. Plus, they were quite larger and stronger than her, so even if she did run, they'd be able to stop her easily. It was moments like these that Harmonie wished she was better with spells.

"Ah, yes, something entirely new," she replied sarcastically. She was used to the boys' antics, which were usually accompanied by their other housemates.

Before they could do anything this time, however, Malfoy approached them. "Sod off, you two," he said boredly, waving his hand for them to go on.

Crabbe and Goyle gave him a curious look, then glanced at one another, seeming confused as to why he was not joining in on taunting Harmonie. She was also giving him much of the same look, also wondering why he wasn't joining in on the fun. He didn't pay attention to any of the looks, nor did he explain himself to Crabbe and Goyle before they finally left, walking into the corridor.

Malfoy watched them, waiting until they were gone, and then he faced Harmonie, who had already begun walking away. His hand reached out, and he grabbed her arm, causing her to look back at him with an offended look. He took a step closer to her, still holding onto her arm. "A thank you would suffice."

Harmonie scoffed, pulling her arm from his grasp. "No." She narrowed her eyes at him, only seeing the smug look on his face. "I don't and didn't need your protection. I can and could have handled them myself."

He smirked like he knew something she didn't. "Who said I was trying to protect you?" He looked her up and down before raising his hands to tuck some hair behind her ear. "Perhaps I just wanted it to be you and me," he joked, his smirk deepening.

Harmonie looked at him with disgust, swatting his hand away like it was a bug that wouldn't stop buzzing in her ear. "Whatever," she said, turning around again and finally walking away.

His eyes just remained on her as she disappeared in the corridor, sending one last disgusted look back in his direction. He still had a smirk on his face as he tucked his hands in his trousers pockets, pushing back the front of his robes. He enjoyed messing with her greatly. He knew it, and he was sure she did too.

She made it so easy for him.

Perhaps that was why he sought her out everywhere he went, just wanting another chance to get under her skin. Yeah, that sounded right. He was going to go with that if anyone ever asked.

It was merely to mess with her.

Nothing more, nothing less.

▊ 一 ꗃ ꔛ﹅ : ❛ ELLA'S SPEAKING ! ❜
     : look at me finally updating omg- it's only been over a year since i first published this fic lol...🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️ y'all can thank lei and indi for getting me to continue writing this back in march, which was when i got most of it done, and you can blame me for forgetting about it for six months, and then thank me for deciding to finally finish it LMAO

     :  i really hope you enjoyed this prologue!! i really liked the idea of having a scene from each year leading up to when the fic starts bc i think it gives you a little inside to the dynamics of the characters (mainly draco and harmonie)?? idk

     :  millicent and tracey won't be that involved in this, they'll just be mentioned here and there. also, all of the slytherins are going to be actual assholes to harmonie, i'm sorry 😭

     :  n e ways, make sure to comment and vote! i started thoroughly planning this fic, so i hope to update more often (it's literally one of my new year's resolutions lmfao, and will continue to be one for next year i guess)

kisses.

ˏˋ . ° ꒰ ❪ 🌚 ❫ ⨳ ━━ ❛ GREEDY ! ❜
&&.     © -LOSTGARDENS,   2024

word count.  7316    written.  1.13. - 9.30.24    published.  12.18.24