The Choice
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters, J.K. Rowling does.
AN: Captain of Pride of Portree Season 2 for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
"Avada Kedavra!" – Speaking
'Knowledge is power!' – Thoughts
*Numa Numa Dance* – Actions
~.~
"…and in other news. It seems the sky is still overflowing with owls at all times of the day. It does seem strange doesn't it Jim?"
"Sure does Ted. Now the weather for the evening…"
Evening, November 1st, 1981
"Pet?" Vernon Dursley asked his wife after seeing her turn off the news.
"Yes Vernon?" Petunia smiled at him before continuing her dinner.
"Umm…why did you turn off the news?"
"Well, you have noticed the owls that the news reporter said right?" Petunia continued smiling. Vernon just nodded his head, not daring to speak.
"You see, owls are used in the Wizarding World. You know, where my sister lives?" Petunia's smile just got wider and Vernon started paling and sweating bullets. Again, Vernon nodded his head, still afraid to speak.
"I was just thinking that something big must have happened if there are that many owls out. I wonder if Lily is coming over to tell me the news…?" Petunia finished with a far off look. 'I hope she's alright…'
Vernon got some color back in his face before taking one of Petunia's hands. "I'm sure everything is alright. The dark tosser they told us about might have bit the dust."
Petunia squeezed Vernon's hand in comfort before she said something else on her mind. "Vernon, I think Dudley needs a playmate."
"Yes, maybe we can arrange a playmate with a neighbor's kid?" Vernon agreed.
"No, I think you misinterpreted. I meant a younger brother or sister," Petunia smiled innocently at Vernon whose dinner dropped from his fork and his jaw hanging open.
"W-Wh-aa-att?" Vernon stuttered and shook his head before continuing, "But Pet…you just had Dudley, shouldn't you wait a while before…"
"Before what?" Petunia narrowed her eyes at Vernon who gulped and squeaked, "Nothing."
"Good, we can continue this later tomorrow after I set Dudley for a nap," Petunia practically ordered and Vernon just continued eating his dinner quietly so as not to upset her.
~.~
Near Midnight, November 1st, 1981
A tabby cat that was sitting on a ledge suddenly jumped and turned into a stern-looking woman. She glanced down the way as light seemed to vanish after a long, white-bearded man with colorful robes walked past the lampposts. "Ah. Minerva. How nice to see you here," the man commented.
"Albus. Where is Harry?" She asked.
"Hagrid is bringing him," he answered. "He should be here soon." And no sooner than the words left his mouth that a motorcycle could be heard. Both looked up and saw a giant of a man riding down from the clouds.
Minerva glanced about before placing silencing charms around them. "Hagrid, you should have been quieter. You could have woken the neighborhood, or even worse, Harry."
Hagrid just smiled at her and grabbed a bundle from the bike. "Don' worry. Harry fell asleep ov'r Bristol. See?"
Hagrid brought the bundle to them and Albus took it from Hagrid and gently caressed the baby's forehead. On his forehead lay a lightning-shaped mark that was quite red.
"Albus, what about the scar?" Minerva asked.
To which he replied, "He will always have it Minerva. Scars from dark magic never disappear." He sounded wise when he told her this.
"Are you sure you want to leave him here? The muggles do not seem like the right place for him," Minerva questioned.
"They are family, and I have placed wards over the property to protect him earlier in the day." Albus replied before placing Harry in a basket with a letter.
"Oh!" Hagrid sniffed and blew his nose loudly, causing Minerva to glare slightly at him. "I'ma miss him. Le' me say goo'bye." Hagrid was very teary and gave Harry a big kiss on his forehead making the baby smile lightly as he slept.
"There there Hagrid. Don't worry, he will stay safe here away from his fame and from lingering Death Eaters. And he will be at Hogwarts before you know it," Albus smiled at him with twinkles in his eyes.
Hagrid nodded at Albus, then all three started to leave. Hagrid left on the motorcycle again, Minerva cancelled the silencing charm and left with a crack, and Albus put the lights back in the lamps before turning back to the Dursley household. "Good luck Harry Potter." And with that, he left in a crack.
Everyone in the Wizarding World was celebrating the fall of the dark lord and the Boy-Who-Lived as he was starting to be called. The boy they were celebrating was left on a doorstep in the cold, snoring lightly only to be found the next morning.
~.~
Morning, November 2nd, 1981
"Vernon, I'll be just a minute. I need to get the milk and paper," Petunia said to Vernon before leaving for the front door. She opened the front door expecting just milk and the newspaper, but she also saw another addition that scared her out of her mind. She saw a sleeping baby and reacted in a normal way…by screaming at the top of her lungs. Her screaming attracted Vernon who almost teleported to her side.
"What's wrong?" Vernon asked and Petunia just pointed at the doorstep. He looked around her, not that it was very hard, and saw a sleeping baby. He just stared at the baby who then just woke up and blinked his eyes to get rid of the sleepiness. The baby looked up at them and smiled cutely and started cooing. Petunia was quick to grab the basket with the baby and commanded Vernon to get the milk and paper, which he did so without complaint.
When Vernon got back to the kitchen he saw his wife reading through a letter that looked to be quite old. He sat patiently for her to finish reading and amused himself by tickling the baby's stomach who gurgled happily at him. After a few minutes he took a chance to take a peek at his wife and saw tears sliding down her face so he took swift action and pulled her into a hug letting the letter drop to the ground.
"Oh Vernon!" She cried. "She's dead! Lily dead! And so is James!"
Vernon just hugged her tighter, "It'll be okay Petunia. We'll get through this."
It took a while but Vernon was able to calm her down. He grabbed the letter from the floor and read himself. The letter stated that Lily and James were dead, killed by this Lord Voldemort and that Harry had defeated him. They were to look after Harry before his Hogwarts letter came inviting him to their school. Vernon looked between his wife and Harry.
"What will we do?" He asked her after moments of silence.
Petunia sniffed and wiped her eyes. She then stood up and smiled. Vernon took a step back at the smile, it reminded him eerily of yesterday.
"We can do right by Lily and James and raise Harry as our child," she said calmly.
"Now wait a minute Pet." Vernon said before he was subjected to a glare of a very angry woman which left him cowering.
"Vernon." Petunia voiced with an eyebrow going up on her calm face.
"Y-Yes…" Vernon stuttered, twice in two days!
"We will be raising Harry as our son. He will be Dudley's playmate. And you will like it. Am. I. Clear?" She stated calmly but with an underlying tone of pain-that-would-come-for-him-if-he-didn't-agree.
He nodded dumbly. Petunia then smiled serenely and Vernon let a breath out he didn't know he held. "So what are we going to do now?" He asked, thinking the worst was over.
"Well, we need to go shopping," Petunia said as she gave Harry a bottle.
"S-Shopping? Whatever for?" Vernon asked.
"For Harry of course. We can't give him Dudley's things, it would be rude and uncaring. So I have a list of things I just thought up that we'd need for him," she stated and Vernon sat down because he knew she would go on and on…which she did.
"So we need more baby clothes…and more baby formula…oh! And another stroller, you know one that can hold two children…and…"
Vernon, the ever so dutiful husband just kept responding, "Yes Petunia," after everything she listed.
"And we also need more toys…and…"
~.~