Title: Harry Potter and the Girl Who Lived
By: S'Eleene Paris
Started: Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Finished: November 11, 2005
Rated: strong PG-13 (language, violence, and adult situations.)
Pairings: HP/HG; RW/ OC
Synopsis: Two people bound by blood find each other after sixteen years. In order to be a family once again, they must accomplish the impossible: defeat the Dark Lord at his own game. I began typing this before book 5 came out. It's supposed to occur in Harry's 7th year. Consider it an AU. (AU stands for Alternate Universe if you do not have a clue.)
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all the Harry Potter trademarks along with the Warner Brother's company. I own all those coming from the Chicago Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry and anything associated with them along with some of the "fill-in" characters from Hogwarts.
Author's notes: Just in case you were wondering where all these places are in which this story details, I will enlighten you about them as native from the area. Cottage Grove, IL is REALLY considered one of the most haunted places in the United States of America. The graveyard alone will allow you to experience the supernatural and it is almost guaranteed! Also, along the way to up, you can have several sightings of ghosts. A couple of examples are a house that appears out of nowhere and a ghost farmer bringing his load of goods down to the market, but disappears. With the house, there has been no recorded house being built on the premises of which the house appears. A PERFECT PLACE FOR A SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT DON'T YOU THINK?
I also chose two former asylums for the insane as my high schools for the Chicago Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry (C.I.W.W.) They are about 15 minutes from one another. Both of the graveyards are so haunted, no one can go in there. Trust me! I know! The stories behind these asylums (Diversetech and Shapiro) are creepy enough to keep away, but to see it all come together is even more so.
Urban legends tell us what happened to make these too places so "Haunted". When the twin asylums were in operation, it was when they used the old "torture devices" to make people "sane". Shapiro still has some in their attic and supposedly so does Diversetech (but you will see why I say supposedly in a moment.) Diversetech is no longer in operation, but is closed off to the public, as it is private property.
There where many accounts of inmates trying to get out of these places. One of my teachers in high school mentioned once in class, she use to live in Manteno, IL and it would not be uncommon for one of these insane people would come on to their property, via the Diversetech sewer system.
All this insanity ended one night; after all in all good stories a plot has to occur. After all the staff at Diversetech left for the night and they locked the inmates inside their rooms, as it was standard procedure during those times, a fire occurred and killed everyone inside. The bodies where so chard and unidentifiable, all the bodies were given was a number instead of a name. To my knowledge, no attempt since then has been made to give the bodies names, but I have not lived in this area for too long.
Since the fire Diversetech has not been in operation, like I stated before, and not too long after Shapiro shut down. Shapiro is now a community of life rather than death because it is now a home for the mentally disabled. The campus is abundant with life and hope and once a year it opens it doors to the public and you can find out what truly happened there. With it's gothic style buildings and luscious lawns it still carries the scars of the past, but the community who live there now are changing the world around them.
To these people who died horrible deaths at these two places I dedicate this story. Their memory stands as a reminder and to inspire people change and adapt to the different kinds of people around us and see their humanity with in. Even though there are no names to be mentioned specifically, their memory of what happened to them will continue to live on.
******
Chapter One
The Girl Who Lived
Heather Lillian Potter, the girl who lived, awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing annoyingly on the bookshelf next to her bed. It was the summer of her fifth year at the Chicago Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she planned on spending her birthday with her friends Rachel Wido and Hector Grey. Her birthday, which was actually October 31st, would be celebrated on July 31st this year, since it would be her sweet sixteenth birthday and her adoptive parents wanted to celebrate it with her.
"Heather, baby," her adoptive mother called as she stepped into the room. "Angel, it is time to get up. Rachel and Hector will be here any minute." Heather slapped the alarm clock asleep fully and rolled back over to catch the last few remnants of her dreams. Her mother sighed out loud. "This is going to be one of those mornings." Virginia mumbled and then demanded. " Heather Lillian Potter! It's time for you to get up!"
Heather moaned, but complied with her mother's demands. She stretched cat-like and crawled out of her bed; she walked into her adjoining bathroom. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she traced the lightning bolt-shaped scar on her forehead like she did every morning.
Her parents, Roger and Virginia Nelson, told her how her real parents died at the hands of the most evil wizard alive, the one and only Lord Voldermort. If she had grown up a muggle, she would not have believed a word of what they had said; however, she grew up with both of her adoptive parents being a witch and a wizard, so she was more inclined to believe them, since she was one herself. Her parents told her of an older brother in which also escaped with her. Now she and a brother she never met were orphans.
A twinge of sadness washed through her. Her adoptive mother told her she looked like her real parents, when they were alive of course. Physically she looked an exact duplicate of her mother, except for the hair, eyes, and skin tone of which belonged to her father. Sadly, she could not remember what parents looked nor sounded like.
Her brother, she could only could guess what had separated the two of them. Her most logical reasoning concluded she and her brother were separated at an orphanage and now he could be anywhere, even on complete opposite sides of the country for that matter. Heather vowed she would reunite with her long lost brother, her only living blood relative.
After elementary school her adoptive parents enrolled her into a private school focused on her destiny, witchcraft. The Chicago Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry accepted her application as soon as she applied. With her acceptance, she knew she would excel in all of her classes. With all her hard work and dedication in and outside of the classroom: she became captain of her house dance team, a member of her house's color guard team, a member of her school choir, a star in her school's theater and a Prefect of her house. Outside of school she received five trophies in gymnastics (from when she was in grade school), a talented horseback rider (owning your own horse did have its advantages). She also received three gold medals in figure skating in the junior Olympics (her current winter sport since the color guard and the dance teams were fall and spring sports), seven beauty pageant titles including Miss Junior United States (her adoptive mother made her enter those and most of which she entered when she was young.), an archer and a writer by hobby.
"If only my parents were alive, they would have been proud." Heather heaved a large sigh as she walked out of the bathroom across her bedroom to her closet and her dresser. "What to wear?" she asked herself out loud and after a few minutes of debate, she decided to wear a pair of carpenter style blue jean pants, a plain red tank top, and a red and white bandana. Once she had dressed, a knock came the door of her room. "Come in." Heather called.
In stepped a girl with long strawberry blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her naturally curly hair cascaded down her back in a spiral curl to her mid-back. Heather welcomed her friend, Rachel, and then her attention went to the person with her best friend. Hector Grey stood proudly at six-foot and with his raven black hair and bright blue eyes, plus the fact he was on their house's Quadpot team, made him irresistible to every girl at their school. Hector was the first to speak. "Are you ready to go?" Hector seemed impatient about waiting for her to get ready to leave; a trait in which Hector was not commonly known for.
"Why are you in such a big hurry, Hector?" Heather grinned from ear to ear. Her slim friend blushed red. "Is there something your hiding from me?"
"Birthday secrets." he replied sweetly in a way in which sounded as if he knew nothing, but he actually knew more than he was allowing himself to say. He grinned evilly and Heather decided she did not like the fact he was keeping information from her.
"Hector Michael Grey, you know very well I do not like secrets."
"Exactly." Hector's grin grew wider. "Now come on. Stargazer is waiting for us." He referred to Heather's jet black Arabian with a white star on the mare's nose.
"I'm sure Supernova will be happy to see you. After all, he can't seem to stand anyone else riding him." Heather grinned back at her male friend. Heather then noticed what her two best friends were wearing. They were both in their riding clothes, with Hector in a pair of blue jeans like Heather's, but a black t-shirt which read: Stop Reading My T-Shirt. Rachel wore a pair of kaki pants and a light blue tank top, which read: So Many Boys, So Little Time.
"True that." Hector grinned and opened the door so the three of them could leave for the stables.
*****
Heather galloped her horse away from the stables at an amazing speed. She raced her horse against her friends through the thickness of the woods toward the lake her father owned.
Hector followed her on a black and white pinto buck at great speed to catch up. Behind the both of them, Rachel had caught up with them with her chestnut mustang with a deep brown mane and tail named: Orion. When they reached the lake, the trio dismounted and allowed their horses to get water and rest for a little while.
Heather found and claimed their log, under their favorite tree, a large walnut tree with a large swinging rope hanging off of it. Hector followed her and decided to join her on the log. "I'm going for a swim." Rachel stripped down to her bathing suit, in which she was wearing under her regular clothing.
"Okay." Heather waved at her friend. "Have a nice time." Rachel dove into the cool crisp water; Hector and Heather stayed silent for what seemed like hours, but was only a time span of a few minutes while watching their friend swim toward the center of the lake.
"Heather."
"Hector."
They laughed as they realized they had called upon each other at the same time. "Go ahead." Heather motioned for him to continue.
"Heather," he paused to look down at his hands. When she looked at him, he looked back at her face and into her eyes. He cupped her face as he leaned in to kiss her. She felt his lips upon hers and she returned his kisses enthusiastically.
As the kiss deepened, Hector pulled away. He pulled his class ring out from his finger and pulled a silver chain, out of his pocket to slide the ring on to the chain for her to wear around her neck. "I cannot go another minute with out hearing what your answer to my question. Heather, would you be my girl?" he attached the clasp together around her neck full knowing the answer to his question before she told him.
"Yes, Hector. I will accept your offer." She said official-like. Her 'business' mode made him want her even more. As he leaned in once again to reclaim her lips, applause came from the direction of the lake. Rachel stood up the best she could in the middle of the lake and witnessed the whole event. "It's about time!" she shouted with her damp hair clinging to her neck and back.
Heather and Hector blushed simultaneously and Heather then threw Rachel her death stare to try to get her to stop her comments before she grew red as her shirt.
Rachel continued on for a few minutes, but realized the sky was beginning to cloud over. "I think it is going to rain. We'd better be heading back." Rachel raced toward the water's edge and grabbed her clothing. The trio mounted their horses to try to escape the rain; however, by the time they reached the barn to put the horses away, the sky opened up and began to pour its contents of water upon them. They were soaked from head to toe by the time they reached the back porch of the house where the servants with warm blankets and hot beverages greeted them.
*****
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