My Name Is Harley Potter

At last, Harley found the snake she liked.

They spent half an hour wandering through the shadowy corners of Diagon Alley for this beautiful silver-gray little snake.

Harley insisted that Snape not pay for it. In the end, she spent thirty Galleons to buy the snake, which the black-robed wizard claimed had "a rare bloodline, was nonvenomous and docile, and could sense danger in advance."

It was now wrapped around Harley's right wrist, completely still.

Snape kept his eyes fixed on the snake. He had already examined it, and it was indeed nonvenomous. But whether it was docile remained open to debate—wrapping itself around Harley's wrist the moment it met her seemed to go beyond mere docility.

Besides such trivial matters, Harley also showed a strong interest in sightseeing.

Although Snape had no fondness whatsoever for this filthy place, since Harley liked it, it was not impossible to look around. Harley bought two vanilla ice creams and gave one to Snape.

The girl's eyes had lit up when she learned the stall sold that flavor. She said the only ice cream she had ever tasted had been that flavor.

Snape frowned and licked the vanilla ice cream. They sat at the tables outside the ice cream shop, and Harley looked at him expectantly. "Is it good, Professor?"

He did not know how to describe the taste and could only try his best while frowning. "It's strange. A little too sweet for me."

"You should eat more ice cream, Professor. Or sweet things in general. They'll put you in a better mood, so you won't always look so gloomy."

"Do I?"

"Of course! When I saw you this morning, I thought you were some kind of government agent! Your expression looked terrifying!"

"..."

Snape fell silent. Though he did not know what an agent was, it was clearly not a compliment.

He began eating his ice cream quickly.

Harley smiled with narrowed eyes. She finished her own portion in two or three bites, then raised her hand to order another, a large one.

Snape did not want a second serving. He took a ticket from the black suitcase. It read King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4, and was dated September 1st.

Snape handed the ticket to Harley. "It seems you'll need to stay here for two days. On September 1st, I'll come pick you up and take you to the platform. All new students take the Hogwarts Express to school. It's a tradition."

Harley lifted her face out of the huge bowl of vanilla ice cream, swallowed the ice cream in her mouth, and said, "Where will I stay? The Leaky Cauldron we just visited? I saw that they offer rooms."

Snape suddenly fell silent again. He realized he could not let this child stay alone at the Leaky Cauldron. Just imagining it made him unable to bear it.

Snape said bluntly, "No. We'll go to an upscale hotel for ordinary people."

That night, Snape booked two rooms at an upscale hotel, with his room directly opposite Harley's.

When the receptionist asked in confusion why a father and daughter needed two rooms, Snape's face instantly turned bright red, and he could not even speak. Harley immediately turned away and stifled her laughter.

They spent two pleasant days in London, one in Diagon Alley and one at a children's amusement park somewhere in London.

Happy times passed in the blink of an eye. At ten-thirty on the morning of September 1st, they arrived at King's Cross Station on time. People came and went around them. Snape led Harley to the ticket barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten and stopped to explain.

"It's like this, Harley. This place has been enchanted. Muggles—I mean, ordinary people—can't see this special platform. Wizards usually can't see it either. But it does exist, so you only need to walk through."

"What about you, Professor?" Harley clutched Snape's hand tightly and looked up at him.

"...You'll see me at Hogwarts. During this time, you can get to know your future classmates and make some new friends."

Snape said stiffly, then handed the black suitcase in his hand to Harley.

The girl did not show any further emotion. She smiled as she took the suitcase, waved goodbye to Snape, and rushed into Platform 9 3/4. Snape stood outside. A passing man wiped away tears as he looked at him, then actually came over and patted his shoulder.

"Ah, mate. I understand. Sending children away from home to study isn't easy. Ah, I understand."

His wife quickly pulled him away and gave Snape an apologetic smile.

Snape stood expressionlessly amid the bustling station. No one knew what he was thinking.

A bright red steam locomotive waited to depart at a platform packed with people.

A prominent sign in the center of the engine read, "Hogwarts Express, departing at eleven o'clock sharp." Harley turned around and discovered that where the ticket barrier had been was now an iron gate marked "Platform 9 3/4."

It seemed Professor Snape had been telling the truth. This "Second World" was truly remarkable, Harley thought.

Steam from the locomotive gathered above the heads of the chatting crowd, while cats of every color wound around people's feet and shoes. Owls screeched at one another in an unpleasant manner.

Their cries drowned out the noises people made dragging, pulling, patting, and banging heavy suitcases. The first few carriages were already packed with students. Some leaned out of the windows to talk with their families, while others were still fighting over seats.

Harley stood in stark contrast to the people pushing heavy suitcases. She casually swung the black suitcase in her hand as she walked lightly into the carriage.

She found an empty compartment near the back of the train and sat down. There was a smile on her face, not because she was perfectly composed, but because she wanted to show everyone else that she was not worried about this unfamiliar environment at all.

A red-haired boy pushed open the compartment door and laboriously shoved his large suitcase inside, placing it in one corner. He glanced at Harley, looked away, then looked again. As if he had forgotten how to walk, he stiffly made his way to the seat opposite Harley and sat down.

The boy tried to speak, coughing uneasily. "Cough, cough—cough! Um, er, well, hello."

"Hello!"

Harley held out her hand. Her enthusiastic greeting startled him. He grew even more nervous, swallowed, and shook Harley's hand. "I-I'm Ron Weasley."

"Harley Potter."

Harley saw Ron's eyes widen instantly. He looked like a robot that had short-circuited, and Harley let out a laugh. "What's wrong? Why does everyone look like that whenever they hear my name?"

"Y-y-y-y-you're that—"

Ron took a deep breath and lowered his voice, as though Harley's name were some sacred word. "Harley Potter?"

"Do I have to prove that I'm Harley Potter?"

Ron said something that immediately made him wish he could turn back time. "Yes! The scar on your forehead!"

Oh no, what did I just say? Isn't that basically rubbing her scar in her face? Ron Weasley, you're such an idiot!

Ron thought despairingly. He could not believe he had said that without thinking at all.

But Harley did not get angry. She merely calmly swept aside the red bangs over her forehead so Ron could see the lightning-shaped scar.

"Oh my god." Ron stared unblinkingly at the scar as though he had witnessed a miracle.

"Do you remember anything else? I mean—oh! Forget it! Pretend I never said anything! That was such a stupid question."

Ron had said another stupid thing that made him want to slap himself twice. He flopped back in his seat dejectedly, utterly childlike.

"Green light."

Harley was not angry. She seemed completely unconcerned by the somewhat offensive question and even smiled again. Her tone was calm, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her. "I only remember a few flashes of green light."

Ron said quietly, "I'm sorry. But that person has already been caught—"

"That person?"

"You don't know?"

They stared wide-eyed at each other in the compartment. At that moment, a girl in brand-new Hogwarts robes pushed open the compartment door with a round-faced boy who was crying.