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jamilelucato · 4 years

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The History Of Wrong Guys

Pairing: Bill Weasley x reader (platonic)

Based on the song The History Of Wrong Guys, from the musical Kinky Boots.

Summary: you and Bill are co-works and suddenly you noticed you were thinking about him a little too much.

Musical Hogwarts List

A/N: there’s a little twist at the end and that’s all I’m gonna say.

You’ve been working for the Gringotts Wizarding Bank for six years. Things were always the same — you were responsible for paperwork; contracts, international business, and client interactions. Literally, anything that the goblins didn’t feel like doing was your job.

Simple, easy and money guaranteed.

Working behind a desk was kind of boring, but you weren’t the only wizard around — there were other two working with you. Other two really old co-works who had been there for Merlin-knows how long an didn’t like to chat, but still... not alone, you know.

Jannet and Gabriel — the other two wizards around — use to say your habit of chatting, making jokes and treating work with fun ways was going to get you fired but there you were, six years of doing it and no goblin asked you to leave.

Jannet was more susceptible to talk, but she was a bore. She refused to know anything muggle-related — even though your jobs were very much like muggles — so she didn’t get any of the references you mentioned.

Rumours about the rising of He-Who-Most-Not-Be-Named were circulating around the Bank, and much to you and your wizard co-workers dismay, the goblins seemed really found of having the Dark Lord around.

The only good thing those rumours got you was your new desk neighbour: Bill Weasley.

Bill was tall and ginger, with beautiful eyes — not that any of this matters. Anyway, Bill used to do curse-breaking work, but he was having some issues with his family — as if you didn’t know about the Order of the Phoenix — and so he had to be relocated to your workplace, in Diagon Alley.

Bill was a blessing to the place.

At first, you two never talked. It was only “good morning” and “have a nice weekend”, but it all changed when, without notice, you said out loud one of the catchphrases from one of the muggle shows you were watching.

See, this would generally pass unnoticed, because Jannet and Gabriel had no idea what that was about and they only thought you were crazy, but Bill knew what show you were referencing. He knew and he replied with the answer of the catchphrase!

And since then you two had managed to become friends, exchanging jokes and funny remarks every time you guys had a break. You even shared lunch two days in a roll because Bill’s mom didn’t have time to prepare it (yep, you made fun of him because of it).

Sometimes it felt like he was trying to recruit you to the Order of Phoenix but you were never sure because he never went through with it — he’d walk away before finishing his questions.

You never pressured him about because if he asked, you’d be tempted to say yes, but, truthfully, you really didn’t to be a part of it.

One day, you two took your break for lunch together, so you sat at the same table at the Leaky Cauldron.

“It’s nice having a co-worker,” he commented in between bites.

“You worked alone? When curse-breaking, I mean,” you asked, avoiding gazing at him for too long. You noticed you had been doing it a lot lately.

“It’s generally a one-person job,” he explained, shrugging. “Never wanted to leave for an adventure?”

“Ah,” you sighed, playing with your food. That was a sensitive matter for you. “Never had the guts.”

“What a horrible example for your fellow feminists,” he mocked, almost choking with his food while laughing.

With the fork, you threw a pea in his face.

“Hey!” he shouted, still laughing.

“Don’t ever say I’m not feminist enough, Weasley,” you warned, raising a brow, but inside you were laughing as well.

“I didn’t say that,” he smirked.

You exhaled, letting out a small giggle. He was going to drive you crazy...

“Let’s go back, or we’ll be late,” he pressed you to fast eat — which he knew you hated.

“I still need to pay, Weasley,” you pointed out, tossing food in as fast as you could.

“I’ve got you covered, y/L/N,” he said, showing you the receipts.

Without even noticing, you blushed. He was a gentleman and you didn’t deserve it. All those years complaining about Jannet and Gabriel finally had paid off.

When you arrived at the Bank, a beautiful, blond, tall and thin woman started walking towards you. She probably wanted something — the goblins left pretty girls at the door to attract customers, which was an excellent tactic, but then they never knew how to differentiate who was a customer and who was an employee.

You were getting prepare to shove her off when she reached for Bill’s arms.

“Thought we were lunching together, Bill,” the blondie said with a heavy French accent.

Bill blushed.

“Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry, Fleur, I completely forgot... I was able to head out early and I didn’t...” Bill’s tone showed concerned, and you noticed he was scared of her.

You watched the scene quietly.

“It’s okay, love, I am not angry,” she said, smiling. “Do you still have time left?”

Bill looked at his watch and then at you.

“A couple of minutes,” he informed her, not daring to look back at you again.

And you understood — he wanted you to disappear. So you rushed to the lift, hoping, praying for it to open and fast.

Once the door opened, you practically jumped in and pressed all the buttons so it would close.

Why were you feeling like that?

“Oh no, you don't dare. Girl, girl, girl, I'm warning you!” you shouted aloud in the elevator, not really caring because you were alone. You facepalmed. “No! I think I have a crush. I can't. I think I'm falling for him...Oh no...”

That was why you felt weird back then. You were jealous.

You shouldn’t be felling that, but then again, women have been making bad choices since the beginning of time. Are you gonna be another one of mine? you thought, used to think he was from outer space. Who's that bright-eyed guy in your place? He’s kinda cute when he’s not so shy...

“But I've been here before. Have I come back for more?” you talked to the reflection of yourself in the mirror of the lift. It was another chapter in the history of wrong guys.

You turned around, pressing your back in the mirror. “Bill, honestly, I've been hurt like this before. Is there really more to you than what I always thought?” you whispered, groaning. “How can you surprise me anymore?”

Fine, you had a crush on him. But you were, clearly, not the only one; I mean, that blondie downstairs was all over him...

It’s okay, love, her voice echoed in your head.

“He's got a girlfriend, you flake!” you slapped yourself, really hard. “Why are they only nice when they're unavailable?!”

You didn’t wanna be another star-crossed lover, you knew how that ends.

“I’m better off without him. We’re better off as friends,” you said aloud, hoping those words would fix in your mind.

It was definitely another chapter in the history of wrong guys. After all, yesterday, no spark, no heart aching allure. But today you felt something impossible to ignore.

Let me clear the history of wrong guys for all of those wondering:

Chapter One - He's a bum;

Two - He's not into you;

Three - He's a sleaze;

Four - Loves the girl next door;

Five - Loves the boy next door;

Six - Don't love you no more, makes you insecure, makes you so unsure, is so immature, loves his mother more

He has a girlfriend named Fleur.

The elevator door opened when you rushed out of it. You sat down at your table but you were unable to find a good position. After all, all of them faced Bill’s table.

How were you going to look at him now? Merlin, you had spent most of the time flirting with him, openly! He probably knew you liked him, and even if not, he would find weird if you suddenly stopped.

And if you didn’t stop, you were going to fall for him deeper than you had already.

It was funny how he needed to have a pretty girl around to make you realized you had feelings for him. And funny how you thought he’d pick you.

“Where are you going?” asked Jannet.

“Home,” you answered, gathering your things from your table.

“What? Are you—”

“I’m feeling sick, Jannet. I’ll be back tomorrow, okay, don‘t be a bore,” you said, rolling your eyes, before hurrying to the lift again. You just hoped Bill wouldn’t pop out of it.

***

You stared at your ceiling for the whole afternoon. And after eating dinner, you kept looking at it.

What were you going to do? You couldn’t keep taking leaves.

Perhaps this was a sign from the universe for you to get the hell out of there.

You hated that desk job, you hated the temperatures in London, you hated your flat...

***

Arriving at the Bank, you rushed to your supervisor before even saying good-morning to the goblins around.

“Is Bill’s old job still available?” you asked the boss goblin who didn’t even look awake yet.

“I’m sorry?”

“Bill Weasley’s old job. Curse-breaker,” you said as if you were in a hurry. And you were, because, if it didn’t do it today, you wouldn’t do it ever. “Is it still available?”

“Yes, but—” the goblin looked around his office, maybe he was looking for some paper.

“No buts, I want it. I’ll go, wherever you want me, just say.”

“Are you sure about that, miss y/L/N?” he asked, taking off his glasses.

“Yes, I am. I’ll go right now if you want.”

“Okay, okay. I see you are committed. I’ll work things out.”

You smiled and sat down at the chair in front of you. The goblin didn’t seem to like, but he said nothing else and you waited there for your further directions, pressing your purse against your fast-beating heart.

***Months later...

In your hand was a letter that you did not expect to receive.

They really had given you Bill’s old job, so your new home was now Egypt. It was hot in the day, cold in the night, exactly the type of weather you liked.

Also, the adventures couldn’t be better. There was always a new curse to break — at first, it was hard because you had lost the hang of things wand-related, but soon enough things were exciting as ever before in your life.

But, coming back to the letter in your hands...

William Arthur Weasley and Fleur Isabelle Delacour, together with their families request your presence at the celebration of their marriage.

It followed with the date and place but it wasn’t that part that you were rereading non-stop.

Bill was going to marry and with blondie from work. Oh my, Merlin.

That was definitely another chapter in your history of wrong guys.

***

“You came!” shouted a happy Bill Weasley, wrapping you around his arms. Such strong arms... Again, not the point.

“I replied the invitation, didn’t I?” you said, with a sad smile that he thankfully couldn’t see because your face lied on his shoulder.

“Yeah, but I just...” he put you down, letting you go from his embrace. “You left with just a note, y/L/N. Not very friend-like.”

You pressed your lips together, raising your brows.

“Sorry, Weasley. They offered me the job—”

“—my job—” he interrupted.

“— and it was then or never.”

“I bet it was my conversation. When I said you were a bad feminist—” he looked down at his feet.

“Hey,” you reached his chin with your hand, raising his face. “You didn’t offend me. I needed that wake-up call.”

He smiled, blushing and you started to feel nervous. What were you doing, making a married man blush? You took a step away just for precaution.

“So, how do you like the ceremony?” he asked.

“It’s beautiful, so enchanting... You are crazy to get married at times like this, but I’ll give you credit for the decoration,” you ramble. “Although, I’m pretty sure the credit goes to Fleur.”

“Fleur,” he corrected your pronunciation but then smiled. “And yes, the decoration was all her.”

You smiled back, embarrassed for having said her name wrong.

Another red-head appeared all of a sudden next to Bill, and he had a beautiful smile. He was shorter than Bill, but not at all uglier because he had strong arms and a well-taken-care-of hair.

Sure, Bill had lost part of his charm because of some scars — a werewolf attack that didn’t work out, he explained — but he was charming in the tux. Nonetheless, the man at his side was even hotter.

“Who’s the pretty girl, Bill?” he asked, showing a voice that only completed the package. “Thought you already had a pretty girl for yourself.”

Bill sighed, half-smiling, half-serious. Only he could do such a thing.

“Charlie, this is y/N,” Bill made the honours. “Y/L/N, this is Charlie. My younger brother.”

“Younger, but hotter,” said Charlie, giving you his hand. “Nice meeting you, y/N.”

“Can say the same, Charlie,” you replied, noticing how calloused his hand was. That boy was not only a pretty face but also a hard-working man? Was that family a pot of gold?

Bill coughed, calling the attention back to himself.

“Well, now that you two know each other—” but Bill was never able to finish because Fleur pulled his arm and took him to dance floor, not even saying sorry to you or Charlie.

“Now what, brother?” Charlie asked making you laugh with his easy humour.

He then offered you his hand and you didn’t understand why until he tilted his head towards the dance floor.

“Oh, I don‘t really...”

“Come on,” he grabbed your hand anyway, and since you stopped complaining, he took it as a yes.

You smiled at him and passed your arms around his neck while he embraced your waist. It felt completely natural like you two had done it many times before. From where you were standing, you could see Bill and Fleur having fun, but the image didn’t seem to bother you anymore.

“So, how come I didn’t know you?” Charlie asked, trying to make conversation.

“I’m living in Egypt now— long story,” you added when you noticed he raised his brows. “Well, actually, I’m now in Romania, in the country’s capital. Haven’t memorized it yet.”

“No way!” he dropped your waist and stopped dancing.

“What?” you asked confused.

“I live in Romania,” he explained, stepping next to you again and grabbing your waist as if he had never stopped.

“Well, then maybe you can be my tour guy,” you said, smiling to him. “I’ve been just organizing an apartment; I know noting of the country yet.”

“Of course! Well, I’m more in the North, but I can pass at the capital at any time.”

You two stayed talking all night. It was nice to know that, although he worked with dragons and you worked with charmed objects and goblins, you two had a lot in common.

He didn’t have much knowledge around muggle’s TV shows, but lately neither have you. It was hard watching things in Egypt because it was generally in a language you didn’t speak and you hadn’t had the time to even find a TV in Romania.

Charlie managed to distract you all night, and if it weren‘t for the terrible silence that fell upon the party when a magical announcement happened, you wouldn’t have noticed how in danger you were.

“You need to Apparate out of here,” you screamed at Charlie who was now up next to you and you grabbed his hand. That made him gasp, surprised for a second but it was an automatic reaction for you with all those months undoing curses, you knew your safety instructions.

“You are the one who needs to run,” he shouted over the noise.

“I’m not going anywhere — I’m gonna help them fight,” you said. “It’s nothing I haven’t done at work before. Only ten times worse, but I can handle it.”

Funny how before changing jobs, you would have run away as quickly as possible.

“You need to go, Charles, now!” you shouted, before exploding a spell in the face of a masked wizard.

“I’m not going anywhere, y/N!” he yelled back, using his wand against another couple of dark wizards.

You two quickly exchanged looks, both raged with anger, but not at each other.

Even though you two were fighting facing a number way bigger than just the two of you, neither of you dropped each other's hand during the whole thing.

“Watch out!” you shouted, before attacking a man behind Charles that he did not have seen.

Charlie ducked just in time and the other wizard fell in pain.

“Charles, follow me,” you requested, squeezing his hand and running out of the wedding tent.

“When this all ends, woman, I’ll follow you to the ends of the Earth,” he replied with a smile. You looked away but not in time for him to not see you blushed. And that simple reaction made his night.

It was definitely a new chapter for the history of wrong guys. But, perhaps this time it was going to have a happy ending.

#bill weasley #william weasley #bill weasley x reader #bill weasley x you #bill weasley x fleur #bill weasley fanfic #hp #harry potter #charlie weasley #charlie weasley x reader #gringottsbank #hogwarts #one shot #kinky boots

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gabriellewebb · 4 years

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The Dark Lord, The Witch and The Time-Portal XII

XII – The vault 00

Saturday, September 5, 1942

"I feel so stupid," Holly declared with a sigh, frowning at her reflection in the mirror. She was using the best clothes she received from Dippet, fit enough for a pure-blood heir witch from the 40s. They weren't the epitome of elegance, but too fancy and feminine for Holly's taste, making her feel extremely uncomfortable with herself wearing them.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, you look adorable!" Lucretia scolded her with a soft tone, staring the little witch's reflection with a smile. She was helping Holly to adjust the size of the clothes and also making few adjustments.

It was early in the morning, but Lucretia offered her help the night before after Holly said she had urgent business to attend at Gringotts. To avoid gossips about favoritism or special privileges because the Headmaster was giving her permission to visit Diagon Alley today, Holly created the excuse she was incarcerated in an illegal school just until few days ago and only now she could claim her rights and ownership of her vault as heir Portier. It was easier to sound convincing with half-truths and Lucretia was polite enough to not ask further details about Holly's past.

Holly had to dress well to present herself for the Goblins as the heir Portier and had to avoid taking too many risks or drawing unwanted attention. She needed to be careful, as far as she knew, not all the Goblins were aware about Time Traveler witches, even if Gringotts was indicated in her book as a 'place of help' for Time-Travelers.

"Do you want me to do your make-up too?" Lucretia offered with a gentle smile.

"Oh no!" Holly scoffed. "Make-up is too much, I will feel like a clown!" She sighed exaggeratedly with a grimace, Lucretia staring her completely clueless about what a 'clown' could be. The tiny witch was felling utterly uneasy to dress girly as a pure-blood lady. Part of her was just too used to wear comfortable masculine clothes (she spent eleven years of her life using Dudley hand-me-outs, triple of her size), and the other part had too much of a low self-esteem to feel really beautiful while dressing so nicely. Holly felt insecure inside a pretty dress and totally out of place. She remembered to feel a little like that at the Yule ball, but Hermione was with her to offer support and Cedric's company also made her feel comfortable. Besides, everyone at the Yule ball was dressing formally, unlike today, making her an easy target to be bullied. Even though she experienced being bullied or mocked by people in her life, it didn't mean she was truly used at it. She didn't care for people teasing her about her looks while she wasn't even trying, however being the only one who was dressing so formally at breakfast made her feel like an exposed nerve. It didn't matter some people called her 'pretty' or 'cute' sometimes, Holly always felt as an ugly duckling, her aunt Petunia worked very well in making her see herself as the ugliest person walking on Earth and she only felt secure after accepting that it was better to feel comfortable and far away from people who judged others based on appearances.

Lucretia sighed in frustration, as if knowing exactly what Holly was thinking. "Listen, Holly, I don't understand why you are so insecure, because you are adorable! Though as a woman I understand pretty well that sometimes we just don't feel on our prettiest days, but you need to act as if you are feeling like a queen. Don't let people notice your lack of confidence about your looks or they may use it as a weapon against you, specially the Goblins, they can be nasty if they notice you are nervous! It's a big deal that you are going to reclaim your rights as the heiress of your family!" Lucretia gave the sermon while combing Holly's hair, trying to make it more tamed.

"There are days I don't feel particularly pretty as well," Lucretia continued. "But you need to learn how to shield yourself and act like a queen," Lucretia raised an eyebrow at Holly's reflection in the mirror. "I thought it was a skill inherent of all girls in our House," Lucretia pointed out and Holly had the feeling her roommate had the same doubts as Tom Riddle about Holly being sorted in Slytherin.

Lucretia made Holly turn around to face her after she finished the last adjustments and stared deeply at her. "First of all, we must work on your posture. No matter how you feel, you need to straighten your back and walk with your head high. I think a good trick is to pretend you are using the clothes you are most comfortable with."

"Yeah, and if anyone make a bad comment about you, just look down at them as if staring a disgusting insect," Harley Flint interjected, she was observing the two witches from her bed. "Besides, I must agree with Lucretia, you are looking pretty good in these clothes," She opened a mischievous grin. "You’d better avoid Walburga, if she sees you dressing cute as a doll, you'll be her next Hogsmead project for sure!" The blonde girl said teasingly making Lucretia stiffen a chuckle.

"Hogsmead project?" Holly asked hesitantly, glancing between the two witches.

"Don't worry about this," Lucretia said reassuringly, tapping her shoulder. "Now, let's follow your schedule, we have little time to work in your body posture," She made a gesture for Holly to walk in front of her. "Show me your confidence, girl!"

Holly took a deep breath and closed her eyes a few seconds, then she had the excellent idea to visualize herself in her Quidditch uniform. It was easy to feel proud and secure, the others acknowledged her for being a great player, not the 'Girl-who-lived' and she felt genuinely adored and admired whenever dressed for a match.

"Oh! It was far better than I expected!" Lucretia opened a smile while clapping her hands. "You just need to learn how to walk more graciously, but this will work for now! Don't let your shoulders drop or your head down in front of the Goblins!"

Lucretia gave Holly a few more tips about Diagon Alley and Gringotts while they exited the dormitory and walked towards the Great Hall to eat breakfast. They crossed paths with Walburga and other seven year girls, and for her surprise, they dressed elegantly too, no matter if it was so early in the day. The Headgirl beamed at her and made a nod in approval with a strange gleam in her gray eyes. The other Slytherin girls also expressed their approval and greeted the tiny witch. Holly felt like a fraud. Lucretia squeezed her arms gently and Holly noticed she let her shoulder drop a little in front of the older girls.

Lucretia sat down at the breakfast table near Miranda Nott and Emily Carrow. Holly was going to sit next to Lucretia, but when she looked across the table her eyes met the gaze of Tom Riddle, who choked on his mug making Holly feel extremely embarrassed. She didn't know if he was trying to mock her or if he was genuinely surprised by her looks, but she felt the urge to hide her face inside a hole in the ground, so she walked away from her classmates towards her spot with the first years. Lucretia said nothing while Dolohov gave small slaps on Tom's back.

Holly sat down besides Abraxas, who raised an impressed eyebrow at her. "You look magnificent today, my lady!" He said gallantly like a true gentleman, his cheeks tinged in pink. Abraxas was the cutest boy Holly ever saw in her life, it was very strange seeing a young Malfoy being so adorable. The two Slytherin girls sitting across from them, Melissa and Violet, giggled and greeted Holly warmly.

Holly greeted them back, smiling. She tried to be self conscious about her posture and she thought it could be a good chance to practice near people she felt comfortable with. As young and curious kids they asked bluntly why she suddenly decided to dress well and she told them the same excuse she gave Lucretia, that she had urgent business to attend at Gringotts to claim her right as heir Portier and the Headmaster only let her do that because she was in captivity all this time. The girls showed worried expressions but Holly reassured them that everything was fine now.

When Holly was about to finish breakfast, Tom sat by her side without ceremony. "Hello, Snow White princess, where are your other four dwarves?" He said with a teasing smile that widened even more when Holly glared at him. The three first years exchanged puzzled looks between themselves.

"You are so ridiculous, Riddle, I'll stop speaking with you," Holly scoffed, making Tom breath out a laugh, not believing a single word she just said. It crossed her mind to tease him about his tea this morning, but one of the girls spoke first.

"Snow White princess?" Melissa asked, trading a knowing glance with Violet.

Tom opened his mouth to answer, but Abraxas was quicker. "Since when does Holly have dwarves? I want to see them!" The boy declared innocently.

"It's a muggle fairy tale," Tom replied in an annoyed tone, as if speaking with someone stupid. Abraxas scrunched up his nose at the mention of muggles. "I highly doubt you ever heard about it," He turned his gaze again to Holly and was about to say something when Melissa interjected.

"Why did you call her that? Why did you call her a princess?" She asked with a smirk, the other girl giggling. Holly thought at first it was just because she was near the small kids, yet she flushed when realized he could have other motives to call her that.

"Well, girls usually know better this story, but I will try to explain," Tom started, staring the small first years across the table. "Snow White princess had ebony hair, rose lips and skin as white as snow," He glanced Holly with a smirk, making her blush more. She shifted on her seat, about to protest, but Tom continued. "She ran away from an evil witch who ordered her murder and tried to kill her several times throughout the story, the princess always survived, though. The evil witch was also her step-mother, who envied her beauty and made her dress badly," He was interrupted by Melissa again.

"So, is she beautiful?" The small girl asked with a grin tugging her lips. Violet by her side was pressing her lips together trying to suppress a smile, staring at Holly with widen eyes and raised eyebrows.

Tom's eyes lingered into Holly's face for a moment and then he opened a charming smile to the first years. "Oh yes! She is the fairest beauty in the world!" The small girls exchange glances again, giggling. "And that's why the evil witch wants to kill her," Tom added quickly, before they interrupted him again. "Because she was the most beautiful one before Snow White grew up."

Holly was red as beet glaring knives at Tom, though her irritation seemed to only amuse him further. He was about to continue the story when Holly interrupted. "Lucky for us, Riddle, I don't think they are interested in muggle fairy tales."

Tom raised an eyebrow to her and when he opened his mouth to reply, Violet intervened. "No, no, no! Now I want to know everything about this Snow White Princess!" The small girl declared, making Holly huff and stand up.

"Well, I already know the story and I have other matters to attend today," Holly said with gritted teeth while adjusting the witch hat on her head. She wanted to murder Riddle for teasing her the way he did. She would rather prefer if he called her ugly or made fun of her looks than shame her in front of the hatchlings.

"Actually, that's why I came here," Tom extended his arm to give Holly a folded piece of paper. "Headmaster Dippet asked me to give this to you, it’s the password of his office," He stared at her and stretched lazily on his seat. Then he turned his back to her dismissively so he could finish the fairy tale of the Snow White Princess.

'Jerk!' Holly used every ounce of self control to not hex him and left the Great Hall fumming. How dare he plays with her like that? She was completely furious to be called 'Snow White Princess' in front of the first years by him and to make things worse, the stupid jerk found similarities with her own story and also dared to call the princess 'the fairest beauty of the world'. It enraged her more that Tom Riddle was tall, handsome, charming and was flirting so openly with Holly only to mock her plain features. No way she would believe on the sweet lies coming from his mouth.

Oh no, Holly won't fall for it twice. It was a good lesson when a similar thing happened on her second year with the Diary and how he wrapped her around his fingers with his sugar-coated words and the way he seemed to care about her problems, gaining all her trust.

She remembered how her heart leapt when the Slytherin Prefect materialized in front of her in the Chamber of Secrets, the same darkly-handsome boy she saw inside the Diary's memories. How could she suspect at that time he was Voldemort from fifth years in the past? Holly always felt so stupid when that memory came out to the surface of her mind, how Tom Riddle played with her and how her voice faltered when she asked him to help Ginny. The bastard obviously noticed how she stared at him in awe and how much Holly was mesmerized by his presence. Tom stalled her as much as he could and Ginny almost died because of it.

It doesn't happen everyday that your first crush unleash a Basilisk to kill you, so at least it was easier to recover from her broken heart. Learning that Tom Riddle was Voldemort, the same wizard responsible for killing her parents, also helped.

Well, the bastard was playing with her again, and the only difference is the fact that this Tom didn't kill anyone yet and knew nothing about his connection with Holly. Unfortunately, the son of a bitch knew how to be an enjoyable and captivating company, it was fun to be around him even if trading barbs.

At least now Holly was prepared, knowing Tom was just player who was trying to deceive her God knows why. Maybe it was just a game for him to spend his free time, but at least Holly can't be deceived by him anymore.

Holly stepped out of the fireplace inside the Leaky Cauldron. She used the floo network inside the Headmaster's Office and Armando Dippet also gave her a scroll with his express authorization to leave the school grounds in case someone requested it.

Her first stop was Gringotts. The witch held her breath and imagined herself inside her Gryffindor Quidditch uniform before walking inside the building. It was more crowded than she expected on a Saturday morning, but soon she picked up the brilliant colors of Time marks indicating a path to follow. They guided her towards an isolated desk occupied by a decrepit old goblin with a child at his side. It was the first time Holly saw goblins in extreme opposite ages, one so young and other so ancient.

There wasn't a line to that table and she wouldn't have to wait to talk to them. The old one was snoring soundly and the kid was frowning at her. Holly stared back at the young goblin, imagining herself displaying on her chest an ostentatious Captain badge. She lifted her chin and put her palm on the table, the Portier ring visible in her finger.

"It seems I arrived precisely at the time I meant to," Holly declared in a firm voice, making the kid widen his eyes. He jabbed the elderly goblin with his elbow, making him awake startled. The old goblin sneered at Holly and she repeated the phrase again using a more demanding tone.

The ancient goblin had a reaction similar as the kid, staring Holly a few seconds in awe, his mouth gaping. He suddenly stood up, showing an energy Holly never thought a creature so old would have. "I am Harr and this is Birrl, my apprentice," He made a gesture towards the kid and both of them made a court bow at Holly. "He is training to be the next one to attend the Portier's vault. It's quite a long time since it was last opened... Please, follow us, milady."

They entered a room that seemed only for 'goblin staff' and took an elevator that descended deeply inside the ground. When they arrived, Holly saw a vault with the numbers inscribed in a way that reminded a lemniscate. It was the vault 00, a large magic circle drawn over the floor in front of it.

"You must proceed alone from now on, milady," The old goblin said to Holly. "Put the hand holding the Portier ring on the surface of the vault door. You must answer out loud whatever being asked."

Holly nodded in understanding and entered the magic circle. It glowed as soon as she set her foot on it, privacy spells and enchantments being set up at the same time ancient magic scanned her body. The Portier ring felt warm on her skin when she followed Harr's instructions. A phrase written in golden light appeared in front of her. 'Who are you and when did you born, new heir Portier?' Holly inhaled deeply. "I’m Holly Lily Potter, born July 31, 1980." A whirlwind formed inside the circle as soon as she finished her sentence and engulfed her body. The witch covered her face to protect her eyes in reflex but the wind stopped as suddenly as it has started and when the witch opened her eyes again she was inside a small white room, filled only with a table where laid an old book and a scroll half-opened.

Holly came closer the table and opened the scroll peering at its contents, she noticed it contained instructions and rules about her money, properties, how to proceed when inside the vault, among other things. The first thing she had to do was to write her new name on the book, as heir Portier. She carefully opened it, the book full of blank pages, recalling her of a certain Diary.

A red quill materialized in front of her and somehow she knew it was a Blood-quill even though it was bigger and looked fancier than the one Umbridge forced her to use. Holly took it in her hand and wrote 'Holly Lily Portier' carefully on the book. The red lines of the letters were written with her own blood yet she felt no pain at all while using the quill. She set it down and the book closed itself and sunk inside the table. Holly felt a strange buzz in the air and a tingle spreading in her body, a signal of a magical bound being sealed.

A new door appeared on the wall in front of her, but before she could open it the parchment closed itself and levitated in front of her. It was her first new possession from the vault and Holly knew she had to carry it and read carefully.

She entered the door and at first sight the vault 00 was much more alike a museum than her old vault in Gringotts. She could spot a place containing piles and more piles of coins but also other places with ancient artifacts, books and relics. Holly knew she was richer than any Malfoy or Black, not only because the small mountains of gold, galleons and jewels, but specially because of the treasures with immeasurable value that the vault held. She felt alarmed, no matter how hard or difficult her mission could be, it was questionable that the access to all that wealth wouldn't have come with a price to pay. She was passive to fail on her mission and felt it was unlikely that Time would trust a teenager with so many valuable possessions, money and power.

Holly opened the scroll to read thoroughly before adventuring herself further inside the Portier vault, proving her suspicions right. It was like uncle Ben wisely said to Peter Parker once: 'with great power comes great responsibility'.

Holly learnt that even though she had the right to expend a good amount of money as a 'payment' for all the things she sacrificed coming back to the past, she also had lots of limitations and conditions to access most of the vault resources.

First of all, Holly couldn't sell, trade or give away any of the Portier’s properties, no matter if was a terrain, a house or a book. She also couldn't free, kill or risk the life of any House-elves or creatures bounded to the House Portier. The right to use the vault is non-transferable, so if Holly marry or have kids someday they won't be able to enter or use the vault because it was a permission only Time entities and true guardians could give. All Portier's properties outside the vault were already being managed by somebody, the new heirs could visit them or use some of its resources, but the last word would be always from the creature in charge of the place. This was made to prevent a person who doesn't understand some business into ruining everything and all the work made since ancient times. Some of the properties are similar to temples or sanctuaries, essential to preserve and hold lots of secrets.

Holly's knowledge about the Portier's secrets and access to objects and resources inside the vault or other properties were limited only by her mastery on Time Magic. 'Time gives and Time takes', the more she wants to know and understand, the more she will have to sacrifice to learn, and as deeper as the vault goes it becomes more and more dangerous.

Holly was free and even encouraged to have a separate vault on her own name, because anything stored inside the vault 00 will become a Portier's exclusive property. She was also free to use money beyond the original amount offered as her own, as long as she pays back the exceeding amount eventually. It happens because theoretically, she needs access to anything necessary to guarantee the success of her mission. Time also recognizes the true value of things and actions, so she had no need to pay with money as only currency, but also contributing with Time in various different ways.

Some relics, not only Time Magic-related, were displayed behind protected glasses and she was free to observe them at least. Inside the library she was allowed to create magical copies of the books because the originals must remain in the vault. To make a copy she only needs to tap the wanted books with her wand. She got a Portier heirloom for her personal use, a folder able to store the copies made in the vault or even a few other things of her own possession. It was enchanted with powerful charms and spells for protection and couldn't be stolen away from Holly. She could store inside of it any kind of written manuscript or document, like books, journals or magazines. It doesn't have a number that restricts the quantity or weight of it —anything stored will shrink and disappear inside of it, only the title will appear on a catalogue. To take away anything from it she just needs to speak the title out loud or tap it with her wand.

Holly put some random copies of books in the folder to test its functionalities. The books indeed disappeared inside of it, the title appearing on a list in the folder. The book selected would pop-up in front of her. She also could search a book by its author name or content. It was like carrying a compacted library, Hermione would love it!

The witch explored the library a little more and noticed the books inside the Portier vault weren't limited to just Time-Magic or Time-Travel. There were lots of books about Magic History, Ancient Artifacts, Lost civilizations, a few journals and biographies (some of the from Time-Travelers) and also a 'restricted session' of its own that Holly couldn't access yet.

Unfortunately she couldn't spend all her day inside the vault and the library had too many books to make copies of everything, so Holly took some copies related to Time-magic, Time Travel, magical artifacts and random journals and biographies from other Time-travelers (it seemed a good idea to learn from their experiences, being successes or mistakes), books about potions or potion ingredients and random books that picked her interest somehow. The catalogue arranged on its own though she could rearrange it by herself if she wanted. She loved the magical item and intended to use it a lot from now on, it was very practical and useful.

Holly headed towards the mounts of gold and precious gems. Near it she saw a notebook containing detailed information about the properties and assets she had in the Portier's name, so she made a copy of it and put inside her magic folder. Holly took a considerable amount of galleons not just to expend at Diagon Alley today but also for future emergencies. She made a test with her new folder and it couldn't store money, so she put most of it inside her satchel enchanted with extension charms and some in the inner pockets of her clothes.

It was a small fortune but she needed to buy lots of things not only for herself, and one item Holly planned to buy for Hagrid could be particularly expensive.

The witch left the vault 00 and as soon as she put her foot outside the magic circle in front of it she heard the voice of the young goblin.

"Is everything alright, Lady Portier?" Birrl asked with a frown.

"Uh?" Holly was confused with his question.

"You just went inside and is already out," The young goblin declared with a deeper frown making the old one chuckle in amusement.

"Time doesn't pass inside the Portier's vault, Birrl," Harr explained to the kid, patting gently his head. "Shall we come back now, milady?" He asked politely to Holly and she understood he was giving her another chance to come back inside if she wanted to explore the vault further in case she was unaware about some of the vault's characteristics.

If Holly knew that information previously, she would’ve indeed expent more time searching the library, but she got more than enough things to work for now and decided it was better leave. The witch still had a long and busy day ahead and it wouldn't be wise to exhaust herself too much.

Holly left Gringotts and gone straight to Ollivanders. Inside the wand shop she saw a man on the balcony who was maybe in his thirties or forties.

"May I help you?" The man asked politely. "It's rare to see a client at your age so early on a Saturday," He declared with a friendly smile. It took Holly a few seconds to recognize the younger features of Garrick Ollivander.

"I arrived precisely at the time I meant to," The witch answered and saw a glint of recognition in his eyes. She lift her hand so he could see the Portier ring. "I am Holly Portier, nice to meet you. Headmaster Dippet told me he sent an owl notifying about my visit."

"Oh yes! I was eager to meet you," He nodded his head a few times with a widen smile. "This situation never happened to me before, only to my great-grandfather," He whispered in a conspiratorial tone, despite the fact they were alone in the store. "Please, show me the wand you carry, if it doesn't have a double yet it will be easier for me to find a new one for you after seeing how yours was made of."

Holly took her wand from inside her sleeves and put it on the table. Ollivander's expression darkened a little but then it suddenly vanished into a smile. "Oh, I made this one myself already and have it in storage... a very picky wand, if I may say," He turned his head up to stare her, his eyes had a mysterious gleam. "I can't believe this is happening," He declared excitedly. "Your wand is very special, little girl... in this store I have not only the wands I made, but also my father's and some made by my grandfather... but from the few wands using a phoenix core that I possess, I only had one pair sharing the same core." He stood up to search the wand on the drawers behind the balcony. "Twin wands!! What are the odds?" He breathed out a laugh. "I thought this wand would be sold by my kids or my grandkids," He suddenly stopped talking and stared Holly with a puzzled expression. "Oh, that actually could be the case," He trailed of, seeming in deep thought.

Wandshops, like some banks, where places of help for Time Travelers, so Garrick knew Holly was one, and she felt relieved with him expressing his thoughts out loud without making questions, because it never crossed her mind to lie about her wand being sold by other person besides Ollivander himself. The less information other people knew, the better. If he asked direct questions she would have to lie or keep quiet. Holly had a soft heart and didn't plan to alert other people about a dangerous Dark Lord who was still a minor and didn’t even finish his O.W.L.s yet. Nobody would believe her either, even if she tried this approach.

The Wandmaker put an ornate box in front of Holly and opened it, her wand was next to it on the table. Ollivander stared up at her, expectantly. She took the younger version of her old wand and waved.

Gold cascades came out from its tip and Holly heard a snap sound that made her jump in surprise. Her old wand cracked in the middle and vanished in front of her. When she look up to Garrick Ollivander, he looked like he was about to cry from happiness.

"W-what happened to my old wand, sir?" Holly asked with a shaken voice.

"Doubles are flickering things, I suppose. I kinda expected that would happen," He didn't seem to be bothered about a wand disappearing in front of him, but excited about experiencing everything with his own eyes. "Do you know I remember the details about every wand I ever sold?" Ollivander changed the subject, making Holly feel nervous because she already knew the path the conversation was taking. She shook her head hesitantly in response, lying. "If you are in Hogwarts, there is a possibility that you already met the person who has the twin of your wand... Do you know Tom Riddle?"

Holly swallowed a lump inside her throat and felt her mouth dry. "Y-yes. He is my classmate, actually."

Garrick face dropped. "What? You have the same age as him? I though you were younger," He talked the last part more to himself and ignored the glare Holly shot him. "People possessing twin wands are a rare occurring event, and the core of your wands are very uncommon considering how hard is to obtain Phoenix feathers... You two must have a deep connection," He stared pensive at her. Holly tried to blank her expression but he must have thought about the possibility Holly already knew Tom Riddle from the future. "Well, I don't know if he is a relative of yours or not, but I would avoid battling against him in DADA classes or whatever. Twin wands don't like to fight against each other and it can be quite an event to witness."

"What else can you say about twin wands, sir?" Holly asked hesitantly and the wandmaker raised his eyebrows in surprise for her interest about the matter.

"Well," He scratched his chin, gathering his thoughts before answering her. "Twin Wands have a similar behavior of siblings, no matter how opposite they may be or even if the owners don't get along, they can fight but never inflict mortal wounds against each other and can be nearly unbeatable when joining forces," Holly widened her eyes in surprise with the last piece of information. "Siblings get stronger when teaming up and sometimes their connection is so strong that they feel when the other is in a pinch and things like that," Garrick Ollivander breathed out a laugh as if remembering something. "It's funny that your name is Holly because I used holly to make your wand, but I think you already know that," He waved his hand in the air. "I must confess I was slightly concerned that a wand made of yew chose a young kid as its master, but it isn't the type of wand that chooses a mediocre owner, so it wouldn't surprise me knowing that Tom Riddle is a formidable student."

"Oh yes, a model student and a jerk," Holly huffed, rolling her eyes. "And he is also Prefect," She said with a sneer, remembering Tom peacocking himself the first day he met her.

Ollivander stared at her a little confused at first with the spite in her voice, then he chuckled, his eyes had a mysterious gleam. "I'm glad you are classmates, I hope you two find balance in each other. Your wands have strong opposite features, but also complement each other pretty well, it will be good to neutralize some negative aspects while potentializing your best features. I dare to say you two can learn a lot from each other."

Holly let his words simmer a little inside her mind and gave him a timid smile. She paid him for the wand and left the shop.

Holly bought some comfortable clothes for her, ingredients for potions and took pamphlets from lots of stores in Diagon Alley, thanking Mother Magic for the fact that in 1942 they already made owl deliveries. She also bought a flask of a potion for Myrtle that was very effective against pimples. It was a little expensive but Holly wanted to help upgrading her friend’s self-esteem as much as she could, knowing how much that problem affected Myrtle. After a while wandering, Holly's mind got filled with thoughts about a certain tall handsome Slytherin Prefect.

It was strange to be on familiar terms with Tom Riddle these past few days. His magic was already powerful for someone on his age and he could be a real jerk sometimes, but he was also could be so boyish and immature that was strange to know his potential of turning into a genocidal dark wizard. It was difficult to see his face and don't recall the Diary that proclaimed himself as 'Voldemort', the monster responsible to make her life so miserable. It was hard for Holly disassociate the Tom Riddle who still deserved the benefit of doubt, from the Diary responsible of Myrtle's death and Hagrid’s expulsion.

Yesterday Tom just confessed about stealing toys from kids who bullied him and Holly wondered about what made Tom set a basilisk into someone, committing his first murder at such young age. The Voldemort of her time was an old wizard and she knew he was responsible to kill his own father, but she had no idea when that happened or how she could avoid him from doing this. The Tom Riddle she was currently knowing better was smart, sane and still seemed to believe his father was a wizard, while Voldemort hated his muggle father, was crazy and did desperate things to keep himself alive. Getting involved with so much dark magic was the cause that turned his mind into mush? Did the last straw was discovering his father was a mere muggle? Did he plan on kill Myrtle since the beginning or was it just an unfortunate incident? Holly was under the impression that Tom Riddle hit a turning point on his life that made him lost gradually his sanity over the years until he transformed into the sick fuck psycho that she knew as Voldemort.

Holly asked herself if this Tom Riddle was already planning to change his identity to a new name, Lord Voldemort, or if it was something he did only to hide his muggle origins.

She was conscious about how dangerous it was to be close of him and the risk to trap herself in his alluring charms, though at the same time it was difficult to not relate after knowing they both shared lots of similarities in life, as the fact Riddle was an orphan like her who grew up in poverty, being mistreated by muggles and treated as a freak. A crucial difference about them was that Tom decided not only to fight back but also oppress his oppressors, making them fear and respect him. Was this truly the wrong course of action considering he had no one to watch his back? In a way Holly started admiring Tom Riddle because he was a true survivor. He was poor and alone in the world, if he had just lowered his head, he would be chewed alive by both muggle and wizarding society.

If Holly wasn't the famous 'Girl-who-lived' would she be able to gain the friends and supporters she had when arrived at Hogwarts? She also had an inheritance, being the heir of a wealthy wizarding family. If Holly had nothing, like Tom, how would be her life inside Hogwarts?

Neville was a pure-blood from a rich family and his parents were war heroes too, but he was pretty unpopular. If Holly wasn't the responsible for Voldemort's fall, she would probably be invisible or bullied just like Neville Longbottom was, or maybe worse.

Lots of people just approached Holly at first because she was famous. Ron, Hermione and Draco only greeted her first because they recognized who she was by her scar. Cedric only noticed her better because her name was put inside the Goblet of Fire so her blood could be used to bring Voldemort back and after that she would be killed. Holly only started to date the Hufflepuff because she helped him on the first task and after that they grew closer to each other. If Holly was a nobody, she would be almost invisible, she was short, thin and wasn’t pretty, no way anyone would spare a second glance at her.

Hagrid, Lupin and Sirius were close to her just because they knew her parents. If she arrived at Hogwarts completely alone, would she turned out 'bad' just like Voldemort did? Because the truth was she hated the Dursleys and almost all the muggles she met before Hogwarts. What if she was rejected in a place where she was supposed to be welcomed, just like happened to Tom? It astonished her how easy she could now see the situation with his eyes. It was harder each day to find a place inside her heart where she could truly hate Tom Riddle, even knowing his potential to raise as a Dark Wizard.

Holly was lost in thought and just after a few minutes she realized she was staring a classy set of Wizard Chess displayed in a store. The witch grinned with herself, remembering that until she met Ron, she always thought only smart villains played chest. 'I can bet a thousand Galleons that prat would love it.'

When she came out to her senses, Holly was outside the store with a new set of Wizard Chess that she planned to give as a present to Riddle at Christmas or on his birthday. Then she felt like a psycho to buy something so anticipated for someone she wasn't even close with. Well, she planned to buy something for Hagrid's birthday at December 6, but she also planned to be his friend anyway and the gift she intend to give to him is an urgent necessity in a way. She didn't know if was a thing easy to buy or if she would have to manufacture by her own hands.

Holly, Ron and Hermione loved the stories of Newt Scamander, the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them' and the fact he kept lots of dangerous creatures inside a suitcase equipped with lots of charms to put the animals inside their own environment, having a small world inside of it. They knew Newt was an eccentric genius and he probably customized most of it by himself. They only discussed the idea to give something like that as a present to Hagrid at their fifth year, considering how much he loved extremely dangerous creatures, but lots of things happened and the idea was totally forgotten. Holly hoped she could buy it in a magic store, she loved extension charms, but at the extension she wanted to use was much above her current level of knowledge and Aragog had to be put in a safe place as much as any other creature Hagrid may want to create as a pet if she can save his neck from being expelled from Hogwarts.

Holly entered a shop to buy herself a broom. Yes, she decided to participate the tryouts for the Slytherin team she saw on the bulletin board in the common room. She was aware of the importance of her mission, however after lots of deep thinking she decided she had the right to have a hobby of her own to release some steam. Holly was already suffering for the longing of the people she lost, why deprive herself from flying? And she loved Quidditch!

She ended up choosing a Comet 190. The Cleansweep had the fastest brooms at that time, but the Comet was a model that gave more control over its movements, far better for a seeker who loved to make crazy maneuvers like Holly.

'Magical Menagerie' was her last stop before coming back to Hogwarts by Floo. She had to see if they sold trunks with extension charms like Newt Scamander's and she wanted to buy a pet for Myrtle.

In one of their conversations, the Ravenclaw told her she always wanted a pet but her parents didn't have much extra money to spend, specially in the middle of a war. A special license was needed to create Kneazles, but not needed for half-kneazles like Hermione's Crookshanks. He was very smart and half-kneazles inherited lots of useful traits from their kneazle descendancy, like the ability to find menaces or judge people's character. Holly couldn't protect Myrtle inside Ravenclaw and her friend often felt lonely and sad, so a fluffy pet that could also be a guardian was the best choice for her friend.

Holly found the perfect match for Myrtle in a young male half-kneazle, tabby gray fur and green eyes. He seemed very intimidating and had a piercing glare but lots of small kittens were playing around him, so he was for sure a brooding sweetheart. He had the size of a common cat, though she knew he would still grow more.

"I have a friend that need a loyal companion to watch her back. Do you want to meet her?" The half-kneazle narrowed his eyes at Holly and shook the tip of his tail. Then it stretched lazily and jumped from his spot. She felt the animal rubbing his body on her calves and then he jumped on the counter, looking at her direction, a signal he was just waiting for her to finish her shopping. She asked the vendor to prepare food and traits for him and a box to transport the animal.

Holly asked about a trunk or a suitcase where she could raise plants or creatures, because she wanted to give as a present for a relative who is a Magizoologist. If the vendor noticed the last part was a blunt lie, he didn't show it on his face.

Luckily, they sold some trunk models there, but the client choose how to customize the objects and the price would vary in accord to the charms or protections used. Holly wanted a very secure trunk with at least five extensioned rooms with different types of environment and the possibility for the owner to expand it further if he wanted and she also asked for a shrink charm if the owner wanted to hide it. The trunk ended up having the price of a small house and they would deliver it to Holly in a week or two, by owl. It was worth every knut for Hagrid's happiness and the safety of the people surrounding him. At her original timeline, Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts accused to be the responsible of possessing the monster that killed Myrtle. Well, Aragog was indeed innocent from the murder but it didn't change the fact that Acromantulas are dangerous creatures and even if Holly got rid of the Basilisk inside the chamber, that doesn't take off the risk of Aragog attacking someone else, or whatever other creature Hagrid could want to keep as a pet in the foreseen future.

"I have a surprise for you, meet me outside the Headmaster's office. I'm coming back soon." Holly wrote on the enchanted parchment she shared with Myrtle, after paying the vendor.

Holly put all her purchases inside her satchel besides two exceptions – her new broom and Myrtle's future pet she was carrying inside the pet box. And Holly didn't have to walk all the way back to the Leaky Cauldron because they let her use the floo in 'Magical Menagerie'.

Myrtle cried with joy when Holly gave her the half-kneazle, naming him 'Mr Darcy'. Holly laughed with her choice, she remembered how much her ghost friend liked 'Pride and Prejudice' from Jane Austen. Holly never read it, but was familiar with the plot and characters. Myrtle thanked Holly for the potion to treat her pimples, her face wet with tears when she hugged the tiny witch.

Holly was heading towards the dungeons, desperate to change her fancy clothes for more comfortable ones when she crossed paths with some sixth year boys from her House. Winky Crocket opened a widen smile at the witch seeing her new broom.

"Are you going to participate in the tryouts this afternoon, Portier?" The Captain asked, admiring the Comet 190 Holly was carrying. It was the newest model from that year and the other boys were also almost drooling over the broom.

Holly felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and when she looked up at its owner it was Alphard Black, a wolfish grin plastered on his face and his gray eyes had an intense glint. "Hey, Portier, I don't know if you are dating someone, but you must quidDITCH him and give me a chance, cause I'm totally a Keeper,"

Holly opened her mouth to answer but she had no idea about what to say. Crocket pulled Black away from her by the ear, frowning. "Sorry, Portier, a Bludger hit him really hard on the head when he was a kid!" The Captain shoved Black away, the dark-haired boy barked out a laugh making Holly snort thinking how boys acted so stupidly sometimes.

"It's fine, he is just fooling around..." Holly said with a shrug, staring up the Captain. "I hope there is a vacant position for Seeker," She said to the tall blonde with a shy smile. She couldn't hide the happiness she felt that Crocket seemed welcoming about her doing the tryouts.

"Actually yes! We are in need for a Seeker and a Chaser. I hope you are good, it's been a while since we had a girl in our team," Crocked sound sincere. "But I must alert you the tryouts will be intense today, so just appear on the pitch if you are really good!" Crocket said bluntly with a small grin.

Holly assured she would participate and they parted on their ways. When the witch set foot inside the common room, she heard Dolohov's loud voice. "Is this a comet 190?" She blinked and when opened her eyes, Dolohov was already in front of her to see her broom closely. Holly frowned at him and then she recalled he was part of the team. It would be better to be in good therms with him so she didn't shove him away.

"Yes, I bought it after my visit at Gringotts," Holly was almost certain that everybody in Slytherin probably was aware about her visit to Diagon Alley and why she had the right to do so. "I'm gonna do the tryouts today, already spoke with Crocket," She said with a smirk.

"Cool, I'm a Beater, are you going to steal my position?" He said teasingly with a fake concerned expression. Beaters were usually more bulky and had a stronger build, the last thing Holly could be with her tiny frail body.

"A-ha, you are so funny," Holly said flatly. "I will try for Seeker," She declared and Dolohov raised his eyebrows in admiration.

"Seeker is very disputed even when the position is already filled. I'm sure it will be crowded today, almost everybody want to be one... Well, I'm curious to see how good you are on a broom." It was strange Dolohov being so friendly towards her after everything that happened between them. Holly noticed Walburga observing them from distance, it was also strange to feel watched and protected inside the snake pit. "Just don't expect me to take easy on you at the tryouts today just because you are a girl, okay?"

"Uh?" Holly stared confused at him for a moment and he suppressed a chuckle.

"Oh, you'll see later, it’s going to be wicked!" Dolohov had a malicious gleam in his eyes and Holly had a bad feeling about it, at the same time she was curious about how Crocket would select the people for the team. She observed him sat down on the table near Lestrange and Riddle, who looked awfully bored hearing the Quidditch conversation.

Inside the dorm, she changed her clothes into new ones. She put comfortable muggle clothes more fit for a boy than a girl. Walburga would probably be scandalized but Holly could give an excuse for today because she couldn't use a skirt for the Quidditch tryouts. Holly braided her long hair in twin braids because it was easier to keep it well behaved for a longer time.

And the tiny witch was completely right about Walburga, as soon as she arrived at the Great Hall to eat lunch Walburga glared icicles at her and her boyish outfit. The other seven year girls sneered when she passed near them, but when Holly sat down near the first years she was welcomed and the girls giggled and praised that Holly was cute even dressing as a boy. Malfoy seemed to disagree a little with her looks, his eyebrows furrowed a little, yet he held his tongue and made no critical comments, instead he asked how was her visit to Diagon Alley and if she got any problems finding her path. Holly enjoyed her conversation with the hatchlings, feeling strangely at peace on the Slytherin table being accepted for who she was no matter if she was using skirt or trousers.

It turns out Dolohov's hunch was accurate, there was fifteen people or more trying to enter the team, though what surprised Holly for real was the absence of girls, she was the only exception. And the worst of all was the fact that even with some second years competing, she was the smallest one there. The second years and some third years observed her with neutral expressions, but the ones above the fourth year sneered at her as if she was disgusting, obviously trying to intimidate her into giving up. Besides Holly, Rosier was the only one from the fifth year and he chose to ignore her, obviously afraid to be hostile in public after the incident that happened on the common room involving him, Dolohov, Lestrange and Nott.

Holly glanced at the stands relatively full of people and had students from the other Houses even though the tryouts happening were just for the Slytherin team, probably to evaluate the skills and strengths of the newcomers. She smiled and waved back at Myrtle sitting on the Ravenclaw stand near the boys of her House and Holly's face flushed a little when Chang waved at her too. She opened a shy smile at him not knowing if he waved at her by accident, thinking she was waving at him, not Myrtle. When Holly glanced at the Slytherin stands, Tom had his eyebrows almost knitted together glaring at the Ravenclaws' direction. Lucretia opened a supportive smirk at her and Walburga was staring mostly at the third year boys on the pitch. The other girls were giggling while pointing at the most good-looking boys. All first years waved excitedly at Holly, calling her name out loud. She opened a large smile back at them, her face red as a tomato feeling the glares of some boys who would be competing with her, pissed that she had a cheering team. Hagrid joined the choir, mimicking the first years of her house while receiving disapproving glances from his Housemates on the Gryffindor stand.

Winky Crocket gave a loud blast on his whistle drawing the attention of the competitors. He was using his Quidditch uniform with the Captain badge pinned on it. The current team had only five players, Winky Crocket, Ivan Dolohov, Alphard Black and two others she didn't know, but what really caught her attention was the fact all members of the team were holding bats while in Quidditch they only had two beaters.

"Oh, there's too many of you wanting to be part of our team and only two vacant positions," Crocket started with his voice full of fake pity. "We only need one Seeker and one Chaser and we don't have all day for the tryouts, right?" He shrugged and glanced to his teammates who opened vicious smiles full of teeth. "The rules are simple –you’ll all be flying inside the pitch while we’ll try to knock you out from your brooms. But to make things more interesting I will release FIVE Bludgers and the Snitch. Everything will end in ten minutes unless the Snitch is caught, whoever do it will be our new Seeker. If no one catch the Snitch in these ten minutes, we will make a round two with the 'survivors'," The team was chuckling behind the Captain, seeing the fear stamped on the face of most Slytherins. Crocket pointed his hand towards the Head of the House who was near them, on the grounds. "Professor Slughorn will attend for the injured, so don't worry," He blew the whistle. "Let's begin!"

Holly flew up on her broom thinking how Slytherins were actually insane at the same time she felt crazy at the same amount because her heart was pounding with excitement in her rib cage, not fear.

The first one to fall was Rosier, receiving a Bludger straight into his chest by the hands of Dolohov.

"Sorry, pal!" Dolohov shout with a wolfish grin, not sounding sorry at all. At the first minute five people fell from their brooms. Holly noticed the ones who waved the bats with more precision and strength were Dolohov and the Captain, followed by Alphard Black. The other ones were more lean and weak, more worried about keeping their balance on the broom than hitting their targets, while avoiding the Bludgers themselves. The Gryffindors celebrated out loud each time a Slytherin was hit, though the Slytherin team wasn't so different and it was like Ivan, Winky and Alphard were counting their scores.

Holly dodged a Bludger sent straight to her broom by Alphard. He winked at her with a charming grin and when she was about to made some snarky comment, her sixth sense buzzed up and she deflected her broom upwards. The Captain hit a Bludger just behind her and would’ve slammed fully on her back if she stayed a second more where she was. But Winky didn't miss at all and other one took the bullet on Holly's place. The Slytherins played dirty and were ruthless, even among 'friends'.

Alphard was the one who was targeting Holly more, followed by Winky. While Alphard aimed more towards her broom, Crocket wasn't so merciful and didn't care about Holly being a girl at all. They weren't only targeting her, but everyone they could. Dolohov had enough brutal strength to knock down the biggest boys while the Captain had a surgical precision to deal better with smaller targets. Alphard was strong too, though he wasn't as focused as Ivan or Winky and hit one of his teammates by accident straight into the nose. They didn't stop because of that.

The Quidditch pitch was like an insane battlefield, now with four Beaters and five Bludgers. Holly hadn't much time to think and she was still adapting to her new broom that was slower than her first one, the Nimbus 2000. For Holly's surprise it wasn't an abysmal difference, it was slightly more uncomfortable and she had to use more physical strength to make maneuvers or sudden changes of directions.

Holly heard some worried gasps coming from the Slytherin stands at the same time a Bludger almost scrapped her ear. They though she was hit when she descended towards the ground almost in vertical at full speed, after she spotted the Golden snitch. She gave a gracious spin in the air to dodge a Bludger sent in her direction, noticing she was being followed by a second year who also spotted the small ball. She speed up more in an insane dive while extending her arm. She closed her grasp on the winged ball feeling the grass of the ground brushing the back of her fingers, she pulled her broom up on the last second almost crashing into the ground.

She heard lots of gasps and people calling excitedly her name, not only from her House stand. It was a beautiful catch and Holly knew it, she lifted up her hand in the air hearing clapping hands and celebration screams. Another Bludger came straight into her direction but it was easily intercepted by Dolohov's bat, colliding fully with a broom high up in the air.

"Portier is our new Seeker, but you still need to survive the remaining time!" He shouted to the other four boys still flying without sparing a glance at Holly. With five Bludgers and fewer people to be hit, they had to be focused entirely on the game. Holly landed on the ground panting and sweating. Professor Slughorn tapped her back in approval and offered her some water. She downed the glass, thirsty and waved to the people calling her name. The first year Slytherins were hugging themselves while screaming, but the funny thing was Walburga also cheering for Holly with her attention divided to a boy who was still flying, probably a relative of hers because Lucretia had a similar worried expression. Tom Riddle opened a smirk at her, clapping his hands and she felt her face hotter, not only for the physical exertion.

Crocket blew the whistle, indicating the end of the ten minutes. Only two boys remained on their brooms, one of them was hit by a Bludger twice but didn't fall. Holly widened her eyes after observing them better, the tallest of them was a second year and also a perfect copy of Gregory Goyle. Another fun fact was that the Goyle of her timeline had the same name of this one and she only learnt it after his name was spoken out loud. The other survivor was Orion Black, who had the same piercing eyes of Sirius, his hair was different, though, short and curly.

Crocket announced the results. Holly Portier was the new Seeker and Orion Black, third year, was the new Chaser. Alphard proudly patted the back of his younger cousin with a smile on his face. The captain also announced Gregory Goyle and Neil Lament as reserves. The latter was Goyle's classmate, falling just few seconds before the end of the time and was the same boy who spotted the Snitch after Holly. Both boys shook hands between themselves and opened widen smiles at Holly, Orion only nodded politely at her direction with a timid smirk, he looked way more reserved than Alphard or Sirius.

Holly had a warm welcoming from the team, specially from Alphard Black and Ivan Dolohov, and was introduced to the other two, both of them chasers on the seventh year, Leon Parkinson and Galahad Prince. The latter was abnormally lean and tall. He had chestnut hair and blue eyes, but some of his features reminded her old potions mentor. Everybody shook hands with her and praised her reflexes, speed and the crazy dive she gave to caught the Snitch.

When Holly approached the stand of her House she was drowned by the hatchlings, the girls hugging her excitedly. Holly had to contain a laugh when Walburga 'intervened' the reception of the first years to embrace her while giving her a sermon about being so careless and mad for a small girl, she was angry and proud at the same time that Holly was the one who managed to be the new Seeker. Lucretia gave a hug on her as soon as Walburga released her.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Holly!" Lucretia confessed with a scowl. Holly had to contain a laugh when she saw the expression of disappointment on Orion's face when Walburga just praised him coldly for getting the Chaser position, not even touching him. She knew they would be Sirius' parents someday and it wasn't strange just because they’ve married being cousins, but because Orion already seemed to have an obvious crush on Walburga.

Tom Riddle was sitting next to Rosier, who looked cross at Dolohov. Tom only gave a shy smirk at her.

Holly waved at Myrtle and Hagrid from afar, shrugging in an apologetic way to them because she was being 'held hostage' by the people of her own House and couldn't go near them for now. Some of the Gryffindors had a frown on their faces, and Holly felt it might be because they recognized her as a real threat for the first match on the next month.

They all gone to Slytherin common room to celebrate the results and Holly followed after them. At first she planned to visit the Chamber of Secrets today at nightfall, but she was depleted of energy and too tired to face a Basilisk. It was invigorating, though, that Slytherin wasn't so bad as she expected. At least for now.

Chapter XIII

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