Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10269968.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage
  Category:
      F/F, F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Draco_Malfoy/Harry_Potter, Luna_Lovegood/Ginny_Weasley, Hermione_Granger/
      Ron_Weasley, Harry_Potter/Severus_Snape, Sirius_Black/Remus_Lupin
  Character:
      Fem!Harry_Potter, Fem!Draco_Malfoy_-_Character, Hermione_Granger, Ron
      Weasley, Severus_Snape
  Additional Tags:
      fem!Harry_Potter_-_Freeform, maybe_some_lesbian_drarry, au_where_harry_is
      the_spitting_image_of_lily_instead_of_james, based_off_of_many_different
      tumblr_posts_ill_link_to, snape_is_def_a_pedofile, this_is_more_than_a
      bit_likely_to_end_up_like_sweeney_todd
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-03-13 Updated: 2017-04-12 Chapters: 3/? Words: 2767
****** Harry Potter and the Likeness of Lily ******
by mjrealm_(orphan_account)
Summary
     Think of an alternate universe where Harry is a red headed girl with
     big hazel eyes and a fierceness just like her mother. Lovely, right?
     Now think of how her relationship with Snape would be vastly
     different now that she looks just like the girl he had been obsessed
     with since he was a child. Unsettling... right?
Notes
     Hi! I'm writing this for a friend who really fucking hates Snape and
     I love my friend so I'm putting my best effort into this. I know I'm
     not the best at wording dialogue and thigns like that, but I'll try
     my hardest to keep the characters' canon personalities. I used the
     archive warnings but there are going to be a lot of sensitive
     subjects, so I'd advise you to beware.
***** The Girl Who Lived *****
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they
were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd
expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just
didn't hold with such nonsense.
The strange and mysterious girl living in the cupboard under the stairs would
say otherwise though. Halley Potter— the girl who lived, of course she had no
idea what that meant yet. Underfed and scrawny, she laid on her cot, wishing
for something in her life to change.
“Up! Get up! Now!” A shrill voice said, rapping on the door.
Halley sighed and sat up, auburn hair falling over her face. God, she hated
living with the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia constantly had a stick up her arse,
while Uncle Vernon looked like the spokesperson for coronary artery disease.
Their son, Dudley, is the exactly what you would when you hear the words:
entitled, only child, and superiority complex.
“Up!” The shrill voice repeated higher than before. Halley fiddled with the
broken door knob for a while before it finally opened, exposing her lungs to
some much needed fresh air. She combed her messy hair back with her fingers to
make it look decent enough not to get yelled at. The smell of sizzling bacon
filled her nose, making her empty stomach roar with hunger.
Small feet tended to not make much noise, so she strolled into the kitchen
unnoticed to her aunt.
“Are you up yet? Because if not I’ll—”
“I’m right here auntie. No need to shout.”
Her aunt craned her neck, almost analyzing the look on Halley’s face before
throwing her thin blonde hair over her shoulder. “Get a move on, now. I want
you to look after the bacon. Don't you dare let it burn, I want everything
perfect on Duddy's birthday."
Halley groaned.
“What did you say?” His aunt snapped, her neck looking like it was about to
fall off.
“Nothing, nothing…”
Dudley's birthday— she felt her stomach turn at the thought of Dudley acting
more spoiled than he usually did. The mountain of presents atop the kitchen
table was a dead giveaway that a hurricane was coming Halley’s way.
She turned over the bacon just as Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen. “Comb your
hair!” He barked— it was his way of a morning greeting.
“I already did.”
“Don’t back talk me, girl.” Vernon grunted and exited the room. It was almost
like they yelled just to be heard. Halley was barely ever up to “funny
business” as they would put it, and when she was, they barely ever caught her.
Every other day, either Vernon or Petunia commented on how much of a mess her
hair was. It pretty much had a mind of its own, being curly in the morning and
then falling flat halfway through the day. Cutting it was out of the question.
No matter how sharp the scissors, they were dull as safety scissors by the time
the person gave up on Halley’s hair.
She was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother.
Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon— same pink face, same lack of neck, and
same small eyes. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel—
Halley often said he looked like a pig in a wig.
She set the plate of bacon and eggs on the table, which was difficult to do as
there wasn’t much room. The Dursleys were busy fawning over their “Duddydums”,
so Halley took the opportunity to change into some actual clothes. They didn’t
like spending money on anyone but themselves, so Halley usually got the clothes
that were too small for Dudley. Saying Halley was small would be like saying
Dudley was just big— an understatement; the shirts themselves were big enough
to be a dress on her. She crawled back into her cupboard, closing the door
behind her. Really, she only had a few shirts to her name, and a couple dresses
Aunt Petunia was gracious enough to pull from the homeless supply, so she just
pulled on some leggings and a pair of socks. Both of which had holes, but she
was used to that.
Halley heard muffled sounds of Dudley complaining followed by Aunt Petunia’s
rapid appeasement, then footsteps, and finally the sound of Uncle Vernon’s
voice.
“Try anything while we’re gone and I’ll make you regret causing your parents’
deaths.”
She felt her stomach turn at his words. “Y-you said my parents died in a car
accident.”
“Whiny brat like you sitting in the back? They probably killed themselves just
to get away.”
Stop it! Shut up! Leave me alone!— those were the types of things that Halley
wanted to say, but nothing came out. Deep, deep in her heart she knew Uncle
Vernon was wrong and a liar, but she had no way of truly knowing. The heart
wrenching click of the cupboard’s lock left her crying and alone, wondering if
she really was the reason her parents died.
***** The Broken Lock *****
Chapter Summary
     Halley's locked in the cupboard again. When the lock somehow breaks
     off and a tiny owl comes to the door with a letter, her world gets a
     little more confusing.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
How much time had passed since the Dursley’s left? Minutes? Hours? Days? It
most definitely hadn’t been days, but suffering could make an hour feel like a
lifetime.
Halley laid in the darkness of the cupboard, desperately trying to ignore the
hunger pains plaguing her. The most she had eaten the past few weeks were the
little bits of food that ended up burnt whenever she cooked meals, but that
would barely be enough to keep a five year old— much less a growing girl. She
tossed and turned in the small space, hoping and praying to whatever god was
listening to help her fall asleep so she wouldn’t have to experience the
feeling of starvation for longer than she already had. Thoughts of relief and
death came to mind as she realized that she would legitimately rather be dead
than live with the Dursleys any longer— hell, with how her life was going,
living with the Dursleys would probably be the reason she died. Starvation?
Suicide? Beaten to death for a mistake Dudley caused? All were probable.
She rubbed her fingers over the lightning bolt scar on her forehead and was
filled with a new type of resolve. Yeah, she really wished she died in the car
crash with her parents, but it had been eleven years since then. If Vernon
wanted to be an ass and blame their death on Halley, she would just have be
tougher until he could find something else to make her feel like shit. Spite
was an underrated incentive. She pushed herself up, panting like she had just
run up a flight of stairs, and set out to find a way to get out from the
cupboard. The lock was on the other side of the door and there were no windows
to crawl out of.
Halley sighed.
Dudley would have no problem breaking down the door, but she was way too small
to cause the same amount of damage, plus Vernon wouldn’t like it too much if he
found a door off its hinges the moment he came back.
How to undo the lock. C’mon, Hale, there’s gotta be a way to get out. Think!
Almost as if by magick, the door lock clicked and the door swung open in one
swift movement. Of course, Halley knew magick didn’t exist… the lock must have
rusted and a strong breeze thru the door open— yeah that totally made sense.
She practically ran to the kitchen, eyes landing on what only could have been
the food Dudley (surprisingly) didn’t finish. The sheer feeling of pleasure
coursing through her veins as she ate the bits of food scattered around the
kitchen could only be compared to drinking an overcaffeinated drink and feeling
the caffeine rush through you in shivers.
There was a small knock at the door.
Halley felt her heart jump into her throat. It obviously wasn’t the Dursleys—
they would have just unlocked the door instead of knocking. Was she supposed to
open it if Petunia and Vernon weren’t there? I’ll do what I want. She thought
to herself, warily stepping toward the door and undoing the lock with a sharp
click. She pulled the door back only slightly and peered through the open
crack. “Hello?”
There was no one there. Her eyes fell with disappointment, landing on a small
owl carrying a golden envelope twice its size. The owl itself was small enough
to fit in Halley’s palm and she found herself wondering how on Earth it carried
the letter here. She stepped back to fully open the door and crouched right in
front of the owl, petting it with the side of her thumb. “How’d you get all the
way here, little guy? There aren’t any owls around for miles.”
Almost like it could understand her, it fluttered its wings proudly and dropped
the golden letter at her feet. Written in emerald ink it read:
Ms. H. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The owl made a face that almost to say “open it you bloke” before turning on
its tiny feet and fluttering off, leaving Halley in shock. Saying she was
confused would have been an understatement— she was bewildered. She had never
gotten a letter before, much less one so specific in address. No one outside
the house knew she lived under the stair, except for Uncle Vernon’s sister
Marge, but there was no way she would ever send Halley a letter.
Just as she slipped her finger under the flap to open the letter, the familiar
sputter of Uncle Vernon’s car made its way down Privet Drive. Halley scrambled
to her feet, kicked the door closed and ran back to the cupboard. She would
have given anything to be able to read that letter then and there, but knowing
the Dursleys, they would take it the moment they saw it. She crawled back
inside her sorry excuse for a room and tucked the beautiful letter into a book
Dudley threw at her once— it wasn’t like he was going to read it anyways. “I’ve
just got to wait until they aren’t paying attention.” She whispered to herself,
pulling the cupboard door back into place. Little did she know that letter was
the entrance to an entirely new world.
Chapter End Notes
     Just a warning, the chapters might take a while to come out. I'm a
     junior in highschool and I constantly have rehearsals for two
     separate dance performances, so the only time I have to write is
     during classes (when I should actually be paying attention but
     shhhh). I know it's off to a slow start, but I've gotta build
     Halley's character before tossing her into the wonderful world of
     witchcraft and wizardry, so let's just hope this story doesn't flop
***** The Letters From No One *****
Chapter Summary
     Vernon and Petunia are keeping something from Halley, and she's not
     going to sleep until she knows just what it is.
Chapter Notes
     I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET THIS OUT BUT LIFE GOT IN THE WAY AND
     I'M KINDA A LAZY PERSON BUT HERE YOU GO
See the end of the chapter for more notes
A little over a month had passed since the tiny owl dropped the letter at
Halley’s door, but sadly her curiosity for it had died down. She should have
been happy the summer holidays began, but being trapped in the house with the
Dursleys pretty much spoiled it.
Dudley was always out with his gang friends, and didn’t even try to clean up
his mess, so the job was given to Halley instead. She really hated having to
pick up his underpants off the floor in the bathroom, but (much to Halley’s
dismay) anytime she would complain, Aunt Petunia would just lecture her on “a
woman’s duty in the house”. If it's a woman's duty to cook clean, then why
don’t women just marry other girls and split the chores between the two?, she
thought to herself. Of course, she would never say that to Aunt Petunia— who
knows what her reaction would be to something like that.
Halley woke to a horrid smell coming from the kitchen. Tears beaded in her eyes
the moment she opened the cupboard door. She couldn't help satisfying her
curiosity and went in for a look, only to find the stench coming from a large
metal tub in the sink. “What's this?” She asked Aunt Petunia.
Petunia’s lips as she spoke. “Your new school uniform.” She said.
“Oh.” Halley was starting high school as soon as break ended, and thankfully
wasn't going to the same one as Dudley, but instead the cheapest school in the
area. She took a second look at the dingy rags in the grey water. “I didn't
realize they had to be so wet.”
“Don't be stupid.” Petunia snapped at Halley, looking at her with cold, hawkish
eyes. “I'm dyeing some of Dudley’s old clothes grey for you. They'll look just
like everyone else's when I'm finished.”
“Oh yes, I'm certain an oversized, grey rag will blend in with the blazer and
skirts everyone else will be wearing.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing auntie.” Halley sat at the table, avoiding Petunia’s glare. It didn't
take long for Vernon and Dudley to make their way in, wrinkled noses from the
smell of Halley’s “new uniform”. From the look in their eyes, they had a couple
of questions but ultimately decided against asking them.
Petunia setting down the plate of food on the table before taking her seat next
to her husband, and unfortunately in front of Halley. “Vernon… have you checked
for… any *cough* letters today?”
She was acting strange and Halley knew it. If Dudley wasn’t so occupied with
his breakfast, he probably would have noticed too. Had it been like that all
week? Halley spent her mornings fixing Dudley’s messes for the past several
days, so she really had no idea.
“Post for the day hasn’t come yet.” Vernon said wearily.
They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.
Halley was in a pretty decent mood that day, so she decided to be nicer than
usual. “I’ll get it.” She said, getting up from the table.
“NO!” Both Vernon and Petunia shouted at once. They shot looks at each other
for reassurance. Petunia forced a smile. “Halley, dear… I think you’ve outgrown
that dingy cupboard of yours, don’t you think? Why don’t you… go and move your
things into Dudley’s second room?”
“Why…?” To put it blatantly, Halley was creeped out. Petunia was being oddly
giving, while Vernon practically made a sprint to get the letters before anyone
else could.
“No reason.” Petunia said, feigning kindness.
It only took Halley one trip to move all of her belongings upstairs, which was
sad in its own way. She had dreamed of having a room to herself for years, but
it was more disappointing than anything. Sounds of Dudley crying to his mother
about how badly he needed the extra bedroom came from downstairs, but the room
really only kept broken toys he couldn’t bare to be bothered with. There was
the bookshelf covered in dust from years of being ignored— Halley could
probably read to pass the time if she needed to.
I should probably put mine up there too She thought to herself, staring at her
small pile of books on the floor. She had “collected” them from the times
Dudley threw them at her and claimed them for herself at that point. Bouncing
from the bed to her feet, she picked her books up; knocking a certain golden
envelope from it’s place. If anything, she was shocked that it was still there.
Just the other day, she could have sworn that she saw Vernon looking red-faced
with an identical letter in hand. Feeling her heartbeat grow faster, she stared
at the writing on the face of it.
Ms. H. Potter
The Smallest Bedroom
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
Almost as if by magic, the address changed from saying she lived in the
cupboard under the stairs to her new room. Something was definitely out of the
ordinary.
The walls of her new bedroom were fairly thin, as Halley learned from hearing
Dudley’s bitchfit from downstairs. Just across the hall, she could hear a
panicked conversation between her aunt and uncle.
“More and more of the damned things keep coming in— there had to be at least an
‘undred more than yesterday.” Vernon said. “Think they’re watching us? Trying
to find her?”
“They knew where she sleeps; I-I moved her up to the spare room to test it.”
Petunia responded in a quivering voice. “What should we do, Vernon? Write back—
maybe tell them we don’t want—”
“I’m not having one in the house, Petunia. We’ll keep ignoring it— damn them if
they show up at my house.”
That was enough of eavesdropping for Halley. Nothing they said made sense, but
it was definitely because of some kind of letter. Was it the same one Halley
had received a month ago? Whoever they were— did they sent out extra copies?
She took her place back on her new bed and stared at the gold parchment.
“I’m getting my hopes up for this, so you better not disappoint.” She slowly
opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside.
Chapter End Notes
     Okay, wow, there's a few reasons why this took a while to write, so
     I'm just going to explain. The friend I was originally writing this
     for no longer talks to me and it kinda made me want to give up on
     this, I had to finish up projects for the end of the quarter at
     school, apparently dancing every day for two weeks straight makes
     creativity just fucking disappear, but I'm on spring break now, so
     I'll try to pump out a couple more chapters before I go back to
     school. I didn't even realize its been a month since the last chapter
     until this morning when I took a look. Anyways, let's wish me some
     good luck and hope I don't get too busy in trying (and failing) to
     start other fanfics
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