After long farewells with her family and Oliver hanging on her leg, not wanting to let go, Isabel made it onto the Hogwarts express.

She wandered through the train, looking in each compartment.

She couldn't seem to find her friends.

Frustrated, she shyly opened a compartment door to ask for help.

Inside was a group of 3 Slytherin boys who looked her age, glaring up at her.

"Sorry to bug you, but have you by any chance seen Harry Potter or Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger?" Isabel asked politely.

"Ah, so you're Potter's 'half-blood beauty'." A boy with light blonde hair sneered.

"Uh whatever, have you seen them?" Isabel said.

"As my father was told, you're the last piece to the puzzle, the plan is going perfectly," he smirked.

Isabel gave him a questioning look.

"Don't look at me like that pretty girl, sorry for my rudeness, I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy," Draco said extending his hand.

Isabel hesitantly shook it.

"You sure look familiar," Draco said, his grey-blue eyes scanning her face, making Isabel feel very uncomfortable.

Just then a hand grabbed Isabel's.

"Leave her alone, Malfoy," Hermione scolded.

"What's it to you, Mud-blood," Draco scowled.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and walked Isabel to her compartment where Ron, Harry, and a giant present were sitting.

Isabel sat across from Harry and next to Hermione.

"Ms. Sunshine over here was befriending Draco Malfoy," Hermione announced.

"I was not, I was just asking him where you guys were, he was acting very strange," Isabel said thinking back to their conversation.

You're the last piece to the puzzle.

Isabel shrugged it off and looked around at her friends as a huge smile spread across her face.

"I MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!" Isabel exclaimed tackling them all into a group hug.

"What has gotten into her?" Ron asked as they broke the hug.

"Sorry," Isabel smiled and looked down.

Harry's smile grew, he missed the sound of her voice.

"How was your Christmas, Isabel?" Harry asked.

"It was very nice! I love my new house and it was great to spend time with my little brother again." Isabel said, "How about you guys?"

"It was good, my dad is doing a lot better," Ron said.

"Sirius said he hopes to see you over the summer since he didn't get to see you over break," Harry informed. Isabel smiled at him.

Isabel suddenly remembered her gifts for them.

She reached into her bag and pulled out three boxes in red, blue, and green.

She handed them out, everyone's gift was in their favorite color.

"Yes! Food! Thanks, Isabel!" Ron exclaimed.

"Isabel! This is too cute!" Hermione said examining the locket.

"Open it up," Isabel said, watching her.

Hermione opened it and her mouth fell open. She said nothing but just pulled Isabel into a tight hug.

Harry didn't say anything at all. He just stared at the picture for a while, everyone watching him in silence.

He then read the note Isabel wrote.

Dear Harry,
I hate to be cheesy, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate you. You are such an amazing person and a great friend to me, and I care about you so much. I know not having your parents around must be awfully hard and I can't even imagine how hard that must be. You are so unbelievably strong. I want you to know that even though you don't have a proper family, you can always find a family with me. And Ron and Hermione too. You mean so much to us, we want you to be happy. Happy Christmas.
Love, Isabel.

Harry looked up at Isabel, her eyes watching him carefully.

She hoped she said everything right.

They just stared at each other for a while.

Harry was in awe. Nobody has ever cared about him so much as to do something so nice for him.

He just pulled her into a tight hug, holding her head to his chest and softly held her.

"Thank you so much, that was the best gift ever," Harry said quietly to her as they broke the hug.

Isabel blushed.

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Isabel! We got you a present!" Harry exclaimed.

"It's from all of us," Ron explained.

"Mostly Harry, it was his idea," Hermione said.

Harry lifted up the yellow box to reveal a cage with a small barn owl inside.

Isabel covered her mouth in surprise.

"You like it?" Hermione asked.

Isabel just stared at the small peeping owl.

"I think we broke her," Ron chuckled.

"I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Isabel exclaimed giving everyone huge hugs.

"This is the best gift ever!" Isabel said, staring in awe at the small creature.

Harry smiled at her. He watched as she made faces at the owl and it copied her.

"What will you name it?" Harry asked.

Isabel thought for a second, "Notus."

"No-what?" Ron asked.

"Notus." Isabel simply responded.

"I still don't get it," Ron said.

"Notus, the Greek god of wind," Hermione said, "honestly, don't you read?"

"I like the name," Harry said to Isabel.

She smiled.

~

As soon as the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop, Harry raced off to find Cho. Isabel shrugged it off and helped the house elves with the student's luggage to the carriages.

Isabel, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Neville rode in a carriage back to the castle.

Hermione was very excited, "Hagrid's back!"

Ron smiled.

Isabel was excited to meet this Hagrid.

~

Harry was finally talking to Cho since their kiss. He had butterflies the whole time.

He was about to say something as when he was interrupted.

"Harry! Hagrid's back!" Hermione yelled, a few feet back with Ron and Isabel.

"I'm so sorry, I'll catch you later," Harry said to Cho quickly and ran off.

Priorities.

When the four got to Hagrid's Umbridge was there.

They hid behind a tree and waited for her to leave.

When she finally left they knocked on his door.

The door swung open to reveal a very large man.

"Harry! Hermione! Ron! You! Who are you?" Hagrid laughed.

"Hagrid, this is our friend, Isabel, she recently moved here from America," Harry explained.

"Well, Isabel, we are glad to have you at Hogwarts." Hagrid said to her, "Well come in you four,"

The four friends sat around a small table in Hagrid's hut. Hagrid gave them all some tea.

"Hagrid, so where were you?" Hermione finally asked.

He sat in front of them with a slab of cold, raw meat. They noticed how bruised and beaten he was.

"Dumbledore sent me to a party with giants," Hagrid said.

"Giants!?" Hermione exclaimed.

Hagrid shushed her.

"You found them?" She asked, quieter.

"Well, they're not that hard to find to be perfectly honest, they're so big, see," Hagrid told them, "I tried to convince them to join the cause. But. I wasn't the only one trying to win them over."

"Deatheaters." Ron quietly muttered.

Isabel shuttered at the word itself, the thing that caused her so much pain and nightmares from a young age.

"Trying to persuade them to join You-Know-Who," Hagrid said, putting the meat up to his eye.

"Did they?" Harry asked.

"I gave them Dumbledore's message, I suppose some remember he was friendly to them, I suppose-" Hagrid was cut off by Fang, his dog, barking at him.

"Alright, here ya go, nasty dog," Harry said throwing the raw meat to Fang who devoured it.

Isabel stood up and grabbed everyone's teacups to put them in the sink for Hagrid.

When she walked towards the sink, Fang thought she was trying to take his meat.

Fang lunged at the stranger and bit into her arm.

Isabel fell to the ground, smashing the teacups, and letting out a small yelp of pain.

Isabel quickly started apologizing for the teacups and offered to clean the glass up and buy new ones.

"Don't you worry about it, it was my dumb dog's fault anyway," Hagrid said.

Isabel sat back in her seat.

Harry just stared at her.

"What?" Isabel asked, very confused.

He pointed to her arm, that was gushing blood through her light blue sweater.

Isabel hadn't even noticed the pain.

"Oh my, that looks nasty, here come with me, I'll bandage it up," Hagrid said, walking to a room next to the fireplace. Isabel followed.

Hagrid shut the door behind him and got out bandages and some herb medicines.

"Lift your sleeve please," Hagrid said.

Isabel was about to when she remembered. Her scars.

She hadn't cut in a fair two weeks, but there was sure to be scars.

She hesitantly pulled up her sleeve.

Hagrid quick bandaged the wound and looked at her.

Isabel didn't need to hear him say it. He knew.

Her eyes filled with tears, not allowing them to spill, making her vision blurry.

Hagrid lifted her other sleeve to see a long, vertical, red scar from merely two weeks ago. Isabel was very worried about that one, it wasn't healing properly or quickly at all.

"We'll bandage that too, just in case," Hagrid said quickly, his voice hoarse.

Isabel nodded.

"All done," Hagrid said. Isabel pulled down her sleeves and tried to keep the tears from spilling, but all in vain.

Hagrid was walking out of the room when Isabel let out a small sob.

"I won't tell them. Just, please, stop." Hagrid said, not looking at her.

She nodded and walked out of the room behind Hagrid.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, gently taking Isabel's hand.

She nodded.

Suddenly, a storm rolled into the sky.

They bunch all looked out the window.

"It's changing out there, just like last time," Hagrid said, "There's a storm coming, Harry, and we all best be ready when she does."

Harry tightened his grip on Isabel's hand.

If a storm was coming, he was not going to lose his friends.

---

A/N:

Hi, guys!

That chapter was really hard for me to write.

I've struggled with self-harm for nearly 2 years now, battling depression, anxiety, and eating disorders too.

Just writing about it hurts. And it's hard for me.

I'm not telling you this for your sympathy or pity.

I want to tell you why I'm writing this book.

I adore the Harry Potter series and characters so much.

I wanted to write a story with the Harry Potter characters and a character that struggles with things that are very real and difficult.

I'm not writing this to romanticize mental illness or glorify self-harm.

I'm writing it to raise awareness and let people know they are not alone.

If anyone is struggling with any of this, please seek help.

Even if you just talk. To a family member, friend, or anyone.

You can even talk to me.

It helps a lot.

Trust me.

You are not alone.

I love you.

•••