Disclaimer: I do not on anything except for my OCs and my plot.
Elona opened her eyes. Apparition was always unpleasant; the people she was about to meet, however, were equally, if not more, so. Looking around, she realized she had managed to appear only a few minutes of walking distance away from the house she sought.
Elona walked quickly past the rows of identical houses; a few of the residents of the neighborhood peered at her curiously.
He didn't exaggerate the noisiness of the Muggles here, at least, Elona thought to herself. A short time afterward, she found the house she was looking for; number four Privet Drive. Elona collected her thoughts, strolled past the car parked in the driveway, and rang the doorbell. A couple seconds later, the door opened, revealing a young boy, around nine or ten years old, with unruly black hair and the unmistakable lightning scar.
Elona smiled down at Young Harry.
"Good morning. Is Vernon Dursley home?" She asked him.
"H-he is. I'll go get him." Harry looked a little startled, perhaps because her visit was a surprise; Elona knew that, had Vernon knew she was coming, Harry would have been locked up in his cupboard under the stairs by now. Harry disappeared into the house, returning with his large uncle.
"Away with you, boy!" Vernon shooed Harry away. Elona forced a smile at the man who was the cause of much suffering for the Boy-Who-Lived.
"What business do you have so early in the morning?" Vernon peered at her suspiciously, his mustache quivering. Elona cleared her throat before speaking.
"Good morning, Mr. Dursley! My name is Elona Clarens. I'm a representative of the English boarding school Quizley's School for Unleashed Potential. Several days ago, we received a recommendation from a neighbor of yours. May I come in?" She abruptly asked. Vernon narrowed his eyes at her before reluctantly allowing her inside. At this time, Petunia came forward and directed her to the sitting room, glancing worriedly at her husband before returning to the kitchen "to make some tea".
"Now, Vernon- may I call you Vernon? - I realize that this might come as a surprise to you. Did your neighbor tell you about their recommendation?" Vernon frowned as she ignored his reply to whether or not she could address him as Vernon, and his frown deepened at her question. He gave her a simple reply of "no" before glaring at her to hurry up and get the discussion over with.
"Well, we received a recommendation for a boy named Harry, who I believe is your nephew?" Vernon's nostrils flared at the mention of Harry before replying.
"That's right; we took him in after his freak parents died in a car accident. You say you're from some boarding school; the boy's not worth the money for school like that. He's a delinquent, not worth your time." Elona frowned.
"Well, Vernon. Our school accepts anyone and everyone! We'll guide Harry through strict programs to make sure he understands the importance of being peaceful, friendly, and respectful. As for the money, well, this case is rather unusual. It's why I'm here personally; usually, we just send a letter…" Vernon looked tempted at the words "strict", "programs", and "respect" but leaned forward when she said "unusual". Elona knew he was wondering if by unusual she meant "magical" but she knew better than to mention anything about the Wizarding World. She continued, "…you see, it seems that an anonymous benefactor has paid for all of Harry's expenses, including the uniforms and textbooks."
Vernon's eyes widened before narrowing.
"Who would do that?!" He growled. Elona understood that to mean "Is it a wizard?!"
"I don't think they know Harry personally. After all, the benefactor said in their email that his or her money was for the next child added to our recommendation list, which was Harry." She knew that would appease Vernon of his worry about wizards coming in contact with Harry. Vernon leaned back in his seat, stroking his mustache and appearing to be in thought. At that moment, Petunia arrived with the tea. Elona smiled at Petunia in thanks as she sat down next to her husband and sipped her tea. Petunia forced a smile back and began to drink her own tea.
"Alright, say that we agree to let-" Vernon was interrupted by the entrance of his Dudley, who had evidently been roughing some poor kid up; there were specks of blood on his shirt and his knuckles were red.
"Oh, Diddykins! What happened?!"Petunia cried out, leaping up to go to her son. Dudley smiled her.
"Don't worry, mum. Zach had a nosebleed. I was worried about him so I took 'im home." Petunia beamed at him before ushering out of the room, her voice fading away as she left to "clean her kind Diddykins up".
Vernon turned to Elona proudly.
"That's my son, you know. Always helpful and kind to everybody." Elona raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Anyway, like I was saying, so say we let the boy go to this school. When does term start? Where even is this place?"
"Term starts September 1st. If you agree to send Harry to our school, we will provide transportation for him. As for the location, he will be attending the one in, err, well, we haven't decided yet. We have several in West Country, you see, and not all of them have enough room for that many more students. As Harry is not officially our student yet, we have not decided where he is to go. If you let him attend, then we will send you a letter with all details of his school. I already have all the paperwork in my bag in case you made your decision today." Elona finished, satisfied, and took another sip of her tea. Vernon stroked his mustache again.
"How long does he stay there?" Elona was pleased to note that Vernon seemed tempted by her schools. She hid her smile.
"Oh don't worry; he'll have plenty of breaks so he can visit. Of course, some students choose to stay at school over most breaks, except for summer, of course. Students are required to go home for the summer break, which is two months long. Well, there are a few students who qualify for the all-year system, which has more breaks but a shorter summer vacation. Students still have to go home for the summer break. I don't think are many students who are in that program that stay at the school during all the other breaks, though…" she added, appearing to be thinking to herself. However, to Vernon, the news of the all-year program was like Christmas come early.
"How do you qualify for the all-year program?" He asked, not even bothering to hide his delight. Elona pretended to be startled out of thought.
"Well, three of the students' teachers recommend the student for the program, and the student has to accept it. The teachers give recommendations for the all-year program for varying reasons, of course, some for students who show a lot of potential, also some for misbehaving students, etc. Oh dear! It seems the time has run away from us. I apologize, but I have to leave half an hour's time. If you haven't made a decision yet, I can come back tomorrow?"
"No, no, I've made my mind up. The boy can go." Elona beamed.
"Really? Well, that's fantastic! If you'll just sign the papers, since he's paid for, there's not much…" and in just fifteen minutes, all the papers were in order. Elona beamed again, very pleased that Vernon had been persuaded.
"Well, Vernon, this meeting has gone very well, very well indeed. I thank you for your hospitality, the tea was delicious, thank you…"the last part was to Petunia, who had joined when Vernon was signing the papers and was equally delighted at the news of the all-year program. This time, the smile on Petunia's face was not as fake as the previous ones.
"Oh, I almost forgot, oh my, it escaped my mind entirely! I am also a teacher at one of our schools, so I might be teaching Harry. If you wouldn't mind, may I meet the boy before I leave?" The Dursleys had tensed before glancing at each other. They seemed to realize that even if Harry appalled her, they had signed the papers and there was also a possibility of her never meeting him again, so they agreed. Vernon called for him and a few moments later, he entered the sitting room. Elona stood and smiled at him.
"Hello, Harry! I am Elona Clarens, a teacher at a boarding school. Your aunt and uncle have agreed to let you attend my school, so there is a possibility of you being my student. I look forward to seeing you on September 1st!" Harry shook her hand, nodding. Elona smiled at him a little sadly. He really does have his mother's eyes, she thought before turning to the Dursleys.
"Vernon, Petunia, it's been a delight to meet, really, it has. I look forward to Harry coming to our school, I promise, you won't regret it! Well, I need to be off, I can't be late, goodbye, thank you, thank you…" she said, shaking their hands. She walked through the door Petunia opened for her. Before she exited the house completely, she turned and waved farewell to Harry. She wasn't able to see his reaction, for the door swung shut, and so ended the first part of the plan to make life easier for the Boy-Who-Lived.
Author's Note:
Thank you so much reading, if you actually did. I know it's a little shitty, because I haven't had time to proofread it much. I already know of some places where it's awkward. To those of you curious enough to check my page, you've probably realized that I haven't written on in a long time, especially Harry Potter, so please excuse the amateur disclaimer, author's note, and whatever else mistakes I've made. Even if people don't read this, I'm glad I finally have been able to write a whole chapter without giving up in the middle. I know the chapter is kind of short but this is more of a prologue, since the rest of the story is probably going to be in Harry's POV, I emphasize "probably". If you did enjoy this, which I would be surprised if you did, I thank you. I would appreciate it if you left a review, because I'm really bad at self-editing and your reviews to how you would wish this story to continue would really help! Oh my god, I just realized that if no one reviews I'm going to look like an idiot. Oh well.
Anyway, I'll try to update as soon as I can, although I'm really bad at updating. School's starting soon so the first few weeks might be possible, since they don't really get into it until later in the month. See you next chapter! (If you read it anyway.)
