Chapter Text
You basically all but collapsed into the bed, bloodied hands covering your face as you squeezed your eyes shut as you tried to process everything.
Voldemort is dead.
Tom Riddle is dead.
You killed him. And he killed you.
The only difference is that you got back up, but he's... finally gone. No longer can he torment, torture, and kill anyone.
You feel...
Devastated.
Because despite that, your victory came with a price.
So many dead... adults, children...
Remus... Tonks... Fred...
Ron and Hermione...
Ginny.
You struggled not to let out a sob as you gripped at your hair, eyes squeezed shut as you curled up into your sheets.
Your best friends, your siblings, god, your poor, lovely Ginny, they're dead and gone, you... you thought you'd all make it, after you miraculously rose back up... you thought they'd be safe if you didn't tell them you went to the forbidden forest to give yourself up... but...
They were killed in the burst of fleeing death eaters.
You.. You'll never forget the empty look on Hermione's face, Ron's vacant, tortured eyes.. Ginny's red hair spread out on the stone steps as blood poured out of her mouth..
Your head snaps up when you hear footsteps, instinctively sliding your wand from your holster into your hand, before relaxing ever so slightly when you saw it was just Madame Pomfrey.
For once, the mediwitch didn't give you a stern look for getting into the hospital wing again, instead a near sorrowful one as she hands you a potion, one you recognized dimly as dreamless sleep[1].
"Miss Potter, I advise that you try to sleep.. all your wounds are superficial, thank Merlin, so all you require now is some rest...you've exterted a grand amount of magic during the battle, and I know the year must not have been kind to you." The matron said gently as she handed you the potion, which you took in shaking, bloodied hands.
...It's not your own blood, anyhow, so you don't flinch as you clench the glass bottle and nod, almost meekly.
Madame Pomfrey gave you another sorrowful looking frown, and then hurried away to help other students.
You shudder, trying not to think of the injured, and the dead, instead chugging the bottle whole.
You lay back against the back, feebly patting the moleskine pouch on your chest, everything that you had left that had emotional value was stored in this very pouch... along with some other essential things, so you only allowed yourself to start slipping into sleep once you felt that it was still there.
"Ah, my dearest lady..."
...What?
"My noble, beautiful flower of evil.."
What is...who's speaking..? Your eyes are already slipping shut...
You are truly the fairest of them all.
You feel the darkness pulling you under, yet the voice remains clear in your head.
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the...
Swimming far, far away from your grief...slipping into deep slumber...
You, whose image the Dark Mirror did beckon forth...
In the darkness, a hand reaches out to you.
If your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.
And you, in your hypnotized, potion and sadness-addled state, take it.
[Welcome to the villains' world, young heroine.]
You awaken to pitch-black darkness... did you sleep until nighttime?
Your head... is pounding, like the residue of the Voldemort soul piece that was in your head for 16 years and that was destroyed a few hours ago left behind a traumatic pain after being ripped away.
You groan, raising a hand to your to rub at your scar instinctively, only to blink blearily once your hand hits a hard surface halfway up...
You feel as though ice seeped into your veins when you realize you're no longer in the hospital wing but in an enclosed space... a box..? No..this thing is shaped like a bloody coffin!
Did you get buried alive? How would that happen, You're one of the few people who lived!
Maybe you could apparate[2] out of the coffin? Once you've calmed down so you won't splinch...
You frantically feel for your wand, to which the elder wand obediently slides into your palm out of your holster, making you sigh in relief as your shoulders slump.
Okay, just...deep breaths... there's got to be some sort of logical explanation... you don't think death eaters abducted you... they all fled when Tom was killed or died on Hogwarts grounds, to come back for you and put you in a coffin instead of literally anywhere else is... improbable.
You're cut off from your musing (which was actually helping you calm down... planning and thinking under stress was always a thing you were good at, unlike strategizing ahead of time..like Ron and Hermione..) by a voice outside your coffin...wait, it sounded RIGHT outside, did that mean you weren't buried yet?
"I better hurry up and get that uniform before anyone spots me.." the voice spoke and... it isn't anyone you recognize... that complicates your situation.
"Nyah, why is this lid so heavy..?!" the voice continued, and you had to do a double take at the sound it made... a cat noise..?
Alright... this is your cue to break out..you have to get back to Ron and Hermione and Ginn-
...
... the survivors.
You flicked the elder wand.
The lid of the coffin blew off and clattered against the floor with a loud bang, making whoever was talking outside let out a girly shriek.
"MYAH!? Why are you awake?!" the voice exclaimed as light flooded the coffin, though it wasn't much better, the room you were in is...well, it reminds you a lot of Hogwarts, just gloomier looking.
You looked around for who was speaking as you stepped out of the coffin, before looking down, eyebrows raising as you see...
"...Huh? A talking Kneazle?[3]" you say, momentarily bewildered as you stare at the gray cat standing at your feet... no, it looks like a Kneazle, but it's smaller, and... its ears are flaming.
"A wha- Whatever that is, I am not it! I'm the great Grim, sorcerer extraordinaire!" The cat- Grim- hissed out indignantly. "Ugh, whatever! Human! Give me your uniform right now! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"
"My uniform?" You furrow your eyebrows, squinting down at the cat thing, then gesturing to your clothes. "But my robes are-"
Wait, these aren't your clothes.
You are wearing a fancy robe in shades of black and purple with golden embroidery, one you would expect to wear to a formal event like the yule ball or some sort of ceremony.
But you were wearing jeans and a sweater before you went to bed, along with your simple black robe over it, where did it go?! Who changed you?!
"Hey! Don't ignore me, human!" the literal talking CAT, which apparently isn't a kneazle, hissed at you... seriously, what the bloody hell is he? You don't remember anything about this from Care of Magical Creatures!
"..I don't have time for this." you say, clenching the elder wand discreetly in your hand, before you fire off a wordless Immobulus[4] at the cat and turn tail and run, you need to find a safe spot to try and apparate somewhere else... hopefully this place isn't warded, you need to get back to Hogwarts, you need-
You need to bury your departed.
You run through a courtyard, and you conclude that you're in a goddamned castle, just like Hogwarts, just.. not destroyed...
And somehow a lot more creepy feeling.
You ended up in a library, out of breath due to your prior exhaustion, seems like you haven't slept enough, even with the dreamless sleep..or maybe it was because of the coffin...?
You took one more deep breath, adjusting your hair uselessly as the messy strands just bounced back into place, and tensed when you heard approaching footsteps, turning around as you saw...
Well, if you didn't have your glasses, you'd think the man was a Death Eater... but clearly his mask was that of a crow and not a skull, and his clothes were way too sparkly.
The man, who you noticed was carrying the immobilized cat you left back in the coffin room in a...string of rope? walked towards you with purpose, making you tense, ready to retaliate if he attacked.
"There you are! My, you must be quite excited to debut, no? None of the other first years have ever escaped their gateways before schedule! And you've left behind your familiar, too...have you perhaps forgotten to pick him up after you froze him? Tsk, well, I can't deny he looks like a troublemaker... no matter! Come along lad, you're late!"
You were momentarily bewildered as the man started ushering you back the way you came, before you quickly turned your head back. "What? Wait, what do you mean gateway?
Also, did he say lad? Well, the robe kind of does cover up your face AND body..
The man doesn't stop walking and basically herding you, though you see his lips purse when you speak, either in reaction to your question or to your voice, you don't know which. "You woke up in a room full of gates, no? Every single student arrives here through the gateways, it's a long standing tradition, symbolizing your departure from your old life and being reborn anew."
".. Student? Sir, I'm sorry, you must be mistaken, you see, I'm already a-" you started, hand still clenched around your wand as you were guided back through the courtyard you previously ran through, only to be cut off by the crow man, much to your dismay.
"Sir? And sorry? Oh my, despite your mishap... you seem to be a polite one. How rare!" the male seems almost giddy, making you feel a bit weirded out. "Hm, from your tone I can tell you are confused..perhaps the time space teleportation dizzied you, but yes, you've been selected by the Dark Mirror to attend Night Raven College. Quite impressive, you know? Only those with a great talent for magic have the chance to study here. I am Dire Crowley, the headmage of this fine institution."
Okay, so you already kind of figured that the man isn't a muggle, due to the environment, but the fact that this is a school is both a relief and confusing...you've never heard of Night Raven College... is it an unlisted wizarding school?
You don't have the time to ponder more as you enter back into the school, and you glance at the frozen cat, feeling a bit bad for him, since he's tied up even though you froze him before...what's the point of that?
You flick your wand discreetly, casting the counter curse, at which point Grim starts wildly thrashing in the whip, though it doesn't do him any good.
"Now, let us attend to your orientation, eh?" The headmaster said, putting a hand on your shoulder, which made you flinch slightly, and put a hand on the door, now that you listen, you can faintly actually hear voices inside... so there were really people in the other coffins before you ran off.
"...Heartslabyul...the law..break the rules...off with your head!" A Calm, boyish voice says, though the thing you could make out greatly contrasts with what it said...it was followed by more male sounding voices you could barely make out.
"Boring...in Savanaclaw... follow me."
"New students... congratulate... Octavinille House ..support you..experience.."
"...Does anyone know where the headmage went? He disappeared halfway through the ceremony.."
"Some headmage..."
"Maybe...tummyache..."
The crow man seemingly has much better hearing than you, as he throws the door open, making you jerk in surprise. "I most certainly did not!"
"Ah, speak of the devil." The same boyish voice from the beginning spoke, belonging to a petite red headed boy wearing the same ceremonial robe as you.
Headmaster Crowley huffed, ushering you into the room, making you take a few stiff steps into the mirror chamber, uncomfortable to be surrounded by so many unknown people...wait, is there only guys here?- "If you must know, I was searching for the new student who'd failed to show up for orientation."
The headmaster turned back to you, making you shift uncomfortably...at least the robe covered your face effectively. "Now, you are the only one not yet assigned to a dorm. Step up to the dark mirror, I'll watch your weasel. Chop, chop now!"
You gave the man an incredulous look from under your hood as the flame cat growls furiously from behind the whip around it's mouth, Dumbledore was eccentric, sure, but he was also wise... this guy kind of seems like a fool.
Nevertheless, you suppose you'll go along with it for now, you can...ask for help after the ceremony.
And if no help will be given, then you'll just figure it out on your own.
You step up to the mirror, not even flinching when a face appears in it, used to magical objects.
"...State your name." the mirror spoke in a deep, monotone voice, it sent shivers down your spine, not from fear but from discomfort.
You took a deep breath, and spoke to the magical artifact quietly, not wanting to draw attention to yourself...if this is a magic school, these people will know you after all. "...I'm [Name] Potter."
"[Name]..." The mirror repeated, making you shift in your spot uncomfortably. "The nature of your soul is...hm..."
The headmaster, or as he said before, headmage, seemed quite put off by the mirrors delayed answer.
"What? What is it?" He demanded, coming to stand closer.
"This girl's soul...it's battered, leftover remains of another clinging to it[5]...she possesses a great amount of magic and talent, worthy of the Diasomnia dorm, certainly, this one...but I cannot sort her. Her soul already belongs to another." the mirror finished.
The crowd of students gasped, and you could see Crowley gaping out of the corner of your eye, making you grimace.
"Another dorm?! How can that be?! And..wait did you say her?!" The headmage exclaimed, and immediately yanked your hood off, making you jerk.
There was deathly silence as you stood there, emerald eyes trained on the crowd wearily, still discreetly clutching the elder wand in your hand,before the chamber broke out into whispers, making you slowly turn to Crowley.
"A girl! Here?"
"Wow, that's a wicked looking scar."
"Look at her eyes, they're so green..!"
"I'm okay with this."
"Yes.. Why, is that a problem?" You ask, ignoring the chatter, though you have an uncomfortable feeling why.
"Night Raven College is a Boys only school, young lady! Never have I ever heard or seen such a phenomenon! And just what did the mirror mean by you being in another dorm?!" the crow man exclaims, and before you can explain the mirror interrupts you.
Bloody bugge-
"She is already one of the house of the brave, the house of the determined and full of courage. A house not of this world, therefore no dorm is appropriate. She shall make her own way."
The mirror knows you're a Gryffindor? So it really is like the sorting hat..
And with that, the hall descended into pandemonium, courtesy of the fiery cat who finally managed to break free from the headmasters whip.
"MYAH! Let me have her spot, I can be sorted unlike her, I don't belong to a made up dorm! Just look, my spell's are the cat'" the cat creature, Grim, who looks nothing like an actual grim[6], spewed out, before puffing up, and-
Your eyes widened and you quickly dropped to the ground, yelling out along with the red headed boy from earlier. "Everyone, GET DOWN!/DUCK!"
The cat monster proceeded to spit out blue flames everywhere, but unlike bluebell flames these were actually hot.
Cursed fire, then? But it doesn't seem as aggressive as Fiendfyre[7]
"AHHH! HELP! I'm on fire over here!" One of the boys that you heard from behind the door earlier screamed, jumping and flailing as the blue flames licked at his robes.
Your instincts kicked in, and you scrambled up, rushing towards the boy, raising your wand. "Hold on! Aguamenti![8]"
A jet of water promptly put the fire out, which confirmed that it's not cursed fire, just..blue flames, then.
The white haired boy, seemingly uncaring about being drenched, visibly lit up and turned to you, clasping one of your hands between his, making you almost take a step back.
"Oh Thank you so much, pretty lady! I thought I was a goner!" the boy with red eyes gushed at you, making you blink owlishly at him. "I'm Kalim Al-Asim!"
You breathed out, smiling stiffly as you tugged your hand out of Kalim's grip. "...[Name], and it was no problem.. I couldn't just let you get burned alive."
Meanwhile, there was quite the commotion going on behind them, with the headmage yelling for someone to catch the "weasel" and the students completely ignoring the problem, a boy with..lion ears..? Rightfully saying that the headmage should deal with it himself, aside from two, the red head and a bespectacled, silver haired boy that gave you Slytherin vibes.
Seeing the two having some trouble catching the creature, you walked forward, you waved off Kalim, who called after you when you darted off towards the duo.
"Oi, you two, let me help!" You called out as you skidded to a stop beside them, wand at the ready, even as the duo raised their eyebrows at you dubiously, pausing their argument.
Not waiting for their reply, you raised your wand, ignoring the 'Is that supposed to be a pen?' from beside you and quickly fired off. "Stupefy![9]"
The spell hit dead target, the cat letting a loud 'MYAH!' before he fell over, unmoving.
Subsequently, the flames went out, too.
You wordlessly levitated Grim with a flick of your wand, bringing him over to you and the duo, making the cat hover in front of you. "Here we go."
The boys stared at you, a bit googly eyed at the display of magic, after all your conduit didn't seem to have a magic stone, before snapping out of it.
"Ah, yes, thank you." The red head said, clearing his throat as he looked away from you with a small flush on his cheeks. "You..did not kill the beast, right?"
You made a horrified face. "Of course not! I only stunned him, harming sentient magical creatures is illegal!" you said vehemently, making the silver haired boy give you a look.
"Illegal, you say? Hmm...I do wonder where you're from for you to say that." He speaks with a smooth tone, eyeing you with great interest, but for some reason you have a feeling it's not because of what you said. "Well, thank you for your help~ You seem quite adept at magic... Maybe you could tell me later about all that you can do, miss."
The way he said that felt incredibly slimy, like the way a Slytherin toys people with their words, but okay...
"Now Riddle, would you be so kind?" The bespectacled male said to the red head, Riddle (the name made your stomach churn), and the red head perked up, nodding.
"Of course." The red head raised a...bejeweled pen? "Now, Off with your head!"
A heart shaped collar appeared on the unconscious cat's neck, making you blink.. Those pens were like wands, then? And that spell...you've never heard that before.
...you feel like something is wrong.
"As the queen of heart's rulebook states, one must never bring a cat to a formal event." Riddle said, crossing his arms, giving you a side-eye. "Him being here is a clear violation to the rules."
You furrowed your eyebrows, adjusting your glasses. "Look mate, he's not mine, I have no idea what that thing is... he looks a bit like a Kneazle, but they don't talk.."
The redhead softened at that, nodding apologetically. "I see, my apologies for the assumption. The beast must've snuck in by itself then..hm, no worries, with that collar on him, he won't be able to do any harm to anyone here until he's off the campus grounds."
"Ahah, Riddle, your signature spell is truly quite handy! I must have it- Err, I mean, I must have respect for it." The silver-haired student cut in, making you give him a side eye at his strange wording.
And what is this signature spell he is talking about..? Is the collar spell special? You've never heard of signature spells before...
You flinched in shock as the headmage appeared behind you, grabbing the floating cat from the air, and making you release the spell. "[Name], does it elude you that bringing an unruly familiar with you is highly inappropriate? I would suggest that-"
"Sir, I'm sorry, but Grim isn't my familiar." you cut in, bristling at the implication. As if that cat could ever replace your beloved Hedwig[10], you thought with a small pang of your heart.
"Oh..." Crowley faltered, coughing awkwardly, "Is that so? Well then... I shall have it expelled from campus. It will even be spared from being turned into stew, My, but I AM kind.. someone take the creature away, please."
You gave him a disturbed look at the stew comment, hand still tightly clenched around your wand... what kind of school is this..?!
"Well, that was quite the unexpected fracas." The headmage tutted, "I hereby declare that orientation has concluded! Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms...wait."
The crow masked wizard paused, staring at the crowd of students with a pensive frown, before snapping his fingers. "Come to think of it, I don't see the Housewarden Draconia of House Diasomnia anywhere."
The lion boy spoke up, crossing his arms with a bored look. "Why does THAT surprise you? That dude's a total recluse."
Wow, okay, is it just you or are most of these students kind of disrespectful?
"Wait a sec... Did anyone even invite him?" Kalim questioned, tilting his head to the side... wasn't this an official event? It seems kind of weird to forget about one of the house heads..
"If you're that worried about him missing out, maybe you should have told him yourself." The beautiful blonde with purple hair tips scoffs, turning his nose up into the air, strongly resembling Malfoy before the war, in your opinion..
Kalim shrugged helplessly "Maybe, but I don't know him too well either..."
Around you, the students broke into whispers again, this time they sounded far more judgemental than before.
"Draconia... like, THAT Malleus Draconia..?!"
"Ehhh? It's true? He really goes here?"
"Yikes..."
"Ah, so it's just as I expected." you swiftly turned towards the new voice, almost doing a double take at the small male behind you, though you noted he has red eyes... a small shiver went down your spine.
"I figured I'd come down to see if Malleus made it, but it seems he was once more not informed that his presence is required..." the boy with magenta streaks sighed, sounding displeased, and rightfully so. It always pissed you off when people brushed off your friends in favour of getting to you.
"My sincerest apologies, this oversight was in no way meant to be intentional, I assure you." Said the silver haired male, man, it's weird not knowing these people's names... you know nearly everyone at Hogwarts at least by their last names.
Riddle grimaced, crossing his arms. "Well, to be fair, you have to admit he's not exactly the easiest person to strike up a conversation with."
The red eyed boy simply huffed, shaking his head. "No matter. Diasomnia first years, follow me." The petite male sighed, mumbling underneath his breath. "Hopefully he doesn't sulk too much about it."
The students started piling out of the room slowly, a lot of them casting lingering glances at you.
Riddle, the red head, hummed and gave you a nod, before guiding his dorm mates out of the chamber. "Thank you for your help once again. Perhaps we will see each other again."
Followed closely by the bespectacled male, who gave you a sly smirk. "It was quite a pleasure to meet you, miss. You should make a visit at the Octavinelle dormitory, I run a nice little establishment where we could talk again." The Slytherin like male offered, with a look in his eyes that made you narrow your eyes, before he walked past.
"What power you must have... I want it.." you heard him mumble with a small chuckle.
...Okay, yes, definitely staying away from this guy.
As everyone cleared out, you were able to relax as the room became empty again, with the exception of you and the headmage.
"Well... this is quite the predicament. Never have I ever encountered a student who already belonged to a different dormitory. Tsk. Are you perhaps already a student at an academy, [Name]?" Crowley questioned, suddenly looking at you very intensively.
You gripped your wand tightly... now that you think about it, nobody here recognized you... even with your entire face out... what is going on..?
"Yes. I'm in my final year of school now." You said, technically not lying, even though skipped the entire seventh year to hunt horcruxes.
"Ehhh? You're a senior?!" the headmage exclaimed, looking you up and down..and to be fair, you do look quite beat up and underfed from well.. your entire life. "Well, this can't be... aah, I'm sorry, but if you already belong to another school, we will have to send you back."
You actually let out a small puff of air in relief. "That is...fine, I have things I must do back at home after all.."
The crow man seemed to deflate at your easy acceptance, as if he wanted you to protest and insist to stay. "...good. Just step up to the dark mirror and visualize your home, or school. It shall transport you back."
You nodded and stepped up to the Mirror, tucking your wand back into your holster discreetly... perhaps the mirror works like a portkey[11].
Crowley spoke up, his tone still slightly dejected...seriously, how old is this guy? "O dark mirror, Return this soul where it belongs!"
A beat passes.
...
You feel no strange tugging at your stomach, no tell tale signs of portkey transport or apparition.
A small sense of dread rolls into your stomach.
"..ahem!" Crowley coughed, putting a fist In front of his mouth. "Let us try again..! O Dark Mirror! Return-"
"There is no such place." The mirror shot back.
It felt like you were suddenly dunked into ice cold water.
"What?!" Crowley screeched next to you as you stared at the mirror with big eyes.
"There is no place in the world she belongs to. None at all. She is to carve her own path here from now on." The mirror spewed words that shot like daggers into your heart, making your breathing falter.
No place in the world where her soul belongs. None.
"How can that be?! What is it with today and impossible phenomena?!" The crow man gripped his head in hysterics, spinning towards you. "Where exactly are you from? What school do you go to?"
"I...I.." you stutter, hands clenching as you stare at the now vacant mirror. "I'm [Name] Potter... from Britain.. Seventh Year student at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry..."
Any normal witch or wizard would've immediately recognized you and gawked at your face, but...
"... Hogwarts? Britain? I've certainly never heard of those..."
Bloody fucking hell.
Thank you for reading!!
Any and all comments are appreciated. If you see any typos, please tell me. I'm not a native English speaker :'))
1. Dreamless Sleep Potion - A potion that induces drowsiness, and if brewed correctly, provides a dreamless sleep for the drinker. Useful for those suffering from nigh terrors and PTSD.
2. Apparition - A form of magical transportation, in which the user instantly transports themselves from one location to another. Witches and Wizards can learn this at age 17. It is illegal to do so without a license, as apparition is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or if you're interrupted/stressed. You could leave a part of yourself behind (from a toenail to a whole leg or even your head). This is called splinching.
3. Kneazle - a magical beast similar to a cat. They have large ears and tails like a lion, and are larger than common, non magical cats. Described as small tigers. They're excellent pets for any witch or wizard they like, affectionate and very smart, having the uncanny ability to sniff out suspicious and untrustworthy people. Very protective of their owners and homes.
4. Immobulus - the freezing charm. Immobilizes and stops the action of a target.
5. Leftover Soul Remains (Horcrux) - A Horcrux is a split part of a soul that is split by the horrible act of murder. The soul piece is stored in an object and the person who split their soul therefore isn't dead even if their main body is destroyed. Voldemort created 7 of them, with Harry/Reader being accidental. It was unknown before that humans could serve as Horcrux vessels.
6. Harry Potter Grim - An omen of death. A giant, black dog with glowing yellow eyes. It's believed seeing one means you will soon die. Over 4 feet tall.
7. FiendFyre - Cursed, deadly animated fire. Immense in size and heat, often taking shapes of magical beasts as it destroys everything in it's path. Can be controlled, but it's extremely difficult.
8. Aguamenti - The water making spell. Shoots a jet of clean, drinkable water from the tip of ones wand.
9. Stupefy - The stunning spell also known as the stunner. Stuns a target, rendering them unconscious. Doesn't cause any additional damage by itself.
10. Hedwig - Harry's/Reader's pet snowy owl, or familiar. Their first real birthday gift and friend. She died protecting you at the start of the Deathly Hallows (Around a year prior to this book)
11. Portkey - A magical object enchanted to instantly bring anyone touching it to a specific location. Usually an everyday object to not draw the attention of muggles.
BONUS! A muggle is a non magical person.