AN: I have taken two characters from one of my favorite b list movies and inserted them into the Harry Potter world because I think it would be interesting to see what might happen were they in it. Miss Tebbit and Timothy From 'Were the World Mine'. Johnathan will probably make cameo appearances throughout as Timothy's husband. as we never get their first in Miss Tebbit and Last in Timothy's case I have named them after their actor counter parts, Wendy and Cohen.
Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Were the world mine. they belong to their respective owners.
Disclaimer two: I am a member of the LGBTQ community and this story will be LGBTQ friendly. Don't like it, don't read it. I have yet to decide if Harry will be straight, bi or gay or anything in between but it isn't off the table. any dating that will happen will be around year three/ four when most teenagers start doing so. any physical romance likely will not develop until much later in the series so don't expect it till year six seven if at all.
Chapter one: a slight change to the program
Dumbledore stood in front of the board of governors smiling that enigmatic smile he was so well known for, projecting his most grandfatherly image. "my Gentle Lords and Ladies of the board." he began speaking, "We have just come from a time of war and torment on our nation that I will not see come through again. To that end" Here he flicked his wand and files flew to the table the board sat at, "I am proposing a fundamental change to the courses offered at Hogwarts School. We shall introduce a new course, Wizarding Culture and History, Mandatory through OWL year for all Muggleborn Students. I have Hired Miss Wendy Tebbit to head this class."
The board murmured its assent as it read through the course aims and goals. showing new blood the old ways and what wizarding society was all about seemed like a good idea to all of them. The Tebbit Family was an old one and politically Neutral.
"In the same vein," knowing this would be the hard sell, but with the darker faction still caught up in legal battles over the fall of their master now was the time to strike. "we will be updating the Muggle studies course to include 20th century achievements and it will be updated every summer now and the class will be required for all students through OWL year. I have hired recent muggleborn graduate Timothy Cohen to head this class."
Here there where murmurs of dissent, Tiberius Ogden voiced them, "Albus why should our children be forced to learn about muggles? we barely interact with them."
Albus smiled and nodded, "Exactly right Tiberius. And so we don't know nearly what they are capable of, what they have achieved, and worse still, how to blend in when out in their part of the world. the stark and very troubling truth my friends is that the Muggles out number us nearly a thousand to one. They are developing faster and more progressively than any of us realized and this war came very close to exposing our whole world. If Voldemort had gone on for even a week longer the ICW was prepared to step in and do what they did to China during he Reign of Mao and exterminate our little pocket of the world." Albus said gravely. "We need to change for the better. The best place to start is the next generation."
July 28th Surrey England
In a small little town just outside of London were all the houses looked the same a young boy worked tirelessly on the back garden in the sweltering heat. It wasn't his fault the stupid glass had disappeared. He thought lowly to himself. He looked over the garden, the supple fragrant roses hedged by two rosemary bushes with clover covering the ground. He was smugly proud of the fact that Petunia, despite taking credit for the work, always bragged about how beautiful it was. This and cooking where some of the few things Harry took pride in as part of his list of chores.
He wasn't physically abused, the Picture Perfect Dursley Family wouldn't want to leave traceable marks. One question too many from a teacher at the school when Harry had brought home better scores than Dudley an early end to that before it had gotten into full swing, as well as seeing Harry out of the cupboard under the stairs. But they definitely made it well known that he was not wanted there. He got the last and smallest portion of any meals he was told to make, only ever got second hand clothes for Christmas and was constantly told his parents where lay about nothings and they simply didn't want him falling into their bad habits.
Bunch of hogwash. Harry Thought as he put away the garden tools and started raking up the trimmings to put in the compost. He could see the intent but with limited options what else was he to do. He knew his parents had to have been good people. The Dursley's always lied. Why would they tell him the truth of his heritage.
He was about to go around to the front of the house and see what needed to be done on the front garden when his Aunts long horselike face poked out of the back door. "Get in here boy," she said in short clipped tones, a clear sign she wasn't happy about what was going to happen. "There is someone here to see you."
Well that was new. No one ever came to see him. He stood and dusted off his shaggy jeans and hands in an attempt to compose himself. Petunia reached out and roughly scrubbed his face mumbling about young boys and dirt, completely ignoring the fact that he hadn't been playing but out here working on her garden.
They walked in to the sitting room where two people had made themselves comfortable on the couch. One, an older woman with beautiful red hair that fell to mid back. She wore a multi colored silk shawl over a green dress that made her look like a business woman, who still liked to have fun. The other was a much younger man, a few years younger than Aunt Petunia at least. he had a strong jaw, covered in a light stubble and kind round eyes that struck Harry when they looked at him. Bright green similar to his own.
They both smiled at him and it was a real warm smile, he had seen enough fake ones from the townsfolk to know the difference. "Hello Harry," the younger man began, "My name is Professor Timothy Cohen, and this is Professor Wendy Tebbit," He held out his hand still with that same warm smile, his voice just as warm and soft.
Harry smiled nervously, "Harry Potter, a pleasure to meet you both. What can I do for you?" Harry asked hoping beyond hope that it was passible one of the scholarships he had applied to had been accepted and he wouldn't have to go to that horrid Stonewall public school his relatives where trying to send him to for secondary.
Professor Tebbit smiled and said, "Such Politeness." her voice was a rich and woody thing, "you taught him his manners well Mrs. Dursley"
Petunia smiled tightly, "well it's the least I could do."
the collective thought of "literally" went through the three other occupants mind.
"Harry we represent a school that your parents went to, I was actually in their year" Professor Cohen said with a smile as he pulled out a parchment envelope sealed in wax. He handed a stunned Harry Potter the note.
Harry's mind was going a million miles an hour. A school, prestigious if they used parchment and old wax seals, Hogwarts, never heard of it, Witchcraft and Wizardry. What. How. The Glass. Third grade sub with the suddenly blue hair. Appearing on the roof. Petunia is tense she knew. "You KNEW" Harry said whipping around to his Aunt.
She sniffed a look of derision on her face, "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that … that school – and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning tea-cups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was … a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"
She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed like she had been wanting to say all this for years.
"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as … as … abnormal … and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you! We tried. We tried to make you as normal as could be but….things always happened, you floated away one of Dudley's toys when he wouldn't share, your hair grew back wild and angry after i tried to cut it, so we hid it as best we could."
Harry stood in open mouth shock, both Professor Cohen and Tebbit looked Thunderous in rage. "Well, Mrs. Dursley" She said the name with such force and venom it could have been a curse word, "I can assure you, while I was not yet a teacher at Hogwarts school while James and Lily where in school, both your sister and her husband where among the best Wizarding Society had to offer. I served on the Wizengamot with James' Father and he would wax eloquent about the achievements of his son and the young witch he had become infatuated with."
"Your sister stood for what was right and defended fiercely those who couldn't defend themselves against a madman." Professor Cohen admonished.
Petunia began to inflate indignantly but sighed seeming to deflate all at once, "I, I don't doubt that, but what where we supposed to do? we had no connection to your world, we didn't know how to raise a wizard. and before Vernon's promotion a few years ago we weren't making that much a year and we just find him on the doorstep one morning like a bottle of milk. Like i said we tried to raise him as normally as possible but Vernon always resented it. I tried to mitigate everything where I could but, i've done wrong by you as well Harry." Petunia said a sad look on her face. Now, faced with people who knew her sister, who had lived through the same war, and faced with what she had done to her only nephew, she couldn't deny what they had done was wrong.
Harry nodded, unready as yet to forgive, but still acknowledging the apology for what it was. "Well, its a start." Harry said before looking down again at his letter, now open. "It says if I'm Mundane born to buy one set of books and, Magic born to grab another what is that about?" Harry asked turning to the Teachers, eager to leave the emotional baggage behind.
Tebbit smiled genially, "Timothy and I are what in the Mundane world would be heads of the Humanities department, I teach Mundane Born students from First till Fifth year about the Magical world, and Timothy teaches the Wizard Born about the Mundane world. from Fifth till Seventh year we both teach History of both worlds and how they have interacted. You will be in my class, as although you are Wizard born, you were Mundane raised"
Petunia raised an eyebrow, "that was never the case when Lily went to school." she said curiously.
"The last war, was because a madman was able to rally a faction of Pure-bloods who thought magic should be kept only among the old families, and that people like your sister and I should be treated as second class citizens or worse, exterminated along with what they called 'Muggles". A racist term for Mundanes." Timothy said calmly, but you could see the haunted look in his eyes.
Petunia seeing the parallels between the way she had treated her nephew and this war went pale as a sheet.
Professor Tebbit nodded, as if she could read her mind, "See to it that there are no more, misunderstandings with your husband hmm?"
Petunia nodded mutely.
Harry not fully understanding decided to shift the adults away from the tense mood that had suddenly filled the room. "So where and how will I go about getting the equipment on this list?"
Wendy smiled cheekily, "Magic of course!" she said standing up and clapping suddenly.
Timothy smiled in exasperation, used to the elder teacher's antics, "There is a shopping district in downtown London, hidden of course so Mundane's don't stumble upon it. Mrs Dursley, would you like to accompany us?"
Petunia hesitated a moment. She wanted to, the bitterness that she had felt against her sister had some how melted when meeting these people but, "No I had best stay home to lay down the law with Vernon and Dudley. Have him home before too late if you could? it would seem a family meeting is in order."
Professor Tebbit nodded in approval. "well then Young Master Potter shall we away?" she said with a wide cheshire smile waving her hand at him.
Harry looked himself as he felt a tingle race across his body. Any trace of dirt on his clothing had disappeared and the slightly ill fitting clothes seemed to form better to his body. "Wicked." Harry declared in excitement.